If you're planning to study or work in England, and you think your Catholic faith will suffer because Britain is a dominantly protestant country, read these facts.
Anglicanism is the officially established faith in England, under the leadership of the Queen, but many factors have contributed to the increase of Catholicism in this country.
Since the year 1,800, when the United Kingdom was created, and until the second half of the last century, lots of Irish moved into England, choosing Liverpool and London as their main destinations. So, traditionally, the Catholic Church in England was an Irish church but recently, with the expansion of the European community, lots of Eastern Europeans have moved into the UK, strenghening and changing the Catholic Church.
According to the Telegraph, the number of people attending Mass on Sundays is higher than those attending Anglican services. A survey has shown that the attendants to Anglican churches have dropped by 20% since 2,000 but Anglicans don't have the obligation to attend services on Sundays so they are more keen to go to Church on weekdays and holidays, such as Christmas and Easter.
In 2009 an Ipsos Mori poll looked into the number of Catholics in England and Wales. The number of Catholics came in at 9.6 percent: giving a figure of 5.2 million Catholics. Liverpool has the highest rate of Catholics in England; 46% of the population.
Also, the attractive architure of Catholic churches in UK shows this religion has been present in this country for a long time. Take a look at this collection of photographs of more than 100 Catholic Churches in England and Wales that was published by English Heritage in collaboration with the Patrimony Committee of the Catholic Bishops' Conference in 2006. Catholic churches
So, if you're a Catholic and want to study in the UK, there are plenty of churches where you can attend Mass and be a member of large communities of Catholics.
Some useful links