We have a Church in virtual schism as it concerns Scripture, Tradition, the Magisterium and the Deposit of Faith. We have chunks of bishops and theologians advocating for gnostic principles as it concerns sexual and sacramental theology. And then we have the Pandemic, the shut-down and the loss of the “obligation to attend Sunday Mass and Holy Days of Obligation.” What to do? What to do? Oh, what are we to do?
8 comments:
Be their priest. Reach out to them individually as human beings. Find out why they aren't coming back. Quit painting them with one paintbrush and making assumptions based on youtube videos.
Interesting. Did you even watch the video? It is about the free fall in Mass attendance since Vatican II where he says only 30 percent of Catholics prior to the pandemic attend Mass and 5% of them do all the volunteering. But we know that prior to the pandemic in some places it is less than 10% of Catholics who attend Mass. The Pandemic accelerated this and will continue to do so.
Then you have Massimo FAGGIOLI in the video above this post all bent out of shape that some Catholics, a small but sincere minority, prefer the Pre-Vatican II Mass and Church, as though that is a mortal sin of some kind and that these parishes are packed with many young Catholics with huge families.
The disconnect is breathtaking with people like Faggiioli, many like him in high places in the Church and totally oblivious to what has transpired in the Church in terms of the loss of practicing Roman Catholics—not because of the Tridentine Mass, but precisely because of their experience of the post Vatican II Church and its liturgies.
Our FSSP parish is nearly full these days. Daily Mass attendance appears to be up. Our financial contributions are up significantly. The closest we have had to a problem is keeping the priest off the ladder placing the shrouds on our statues. We have been good citizens and not held any pancake breakfasts or spaghetti dinners. But that is coming as soon as the governor gives the all clear.
That may be the case in a general sense, but is that the case in your parish? I'm sincerely asking. Because I have seen a drastic increase in Mass attendance over the last few years, especially among young families. Have you not noticed the same? And I certainly think it pertains to an increase in reverence for the Mass in general, be it the TLM or the Novus Ordo. It's a wonderful thing that was taking place and seems to have been disturbed by the pandemic. Mass attendance may be down among catholics over time, but particular parishes have seen a shift. We need to get that back on track.
In my parish, it is hard to say. I have a great number of active duty army and they roll in and roll out regularly and often when they move, there isn't a good-bye!
We are a young parish, but only recently, within the last 10 years have seen a growth spurt in a rural community that is soon to be the suburb of Savannah. Growth in population is happening at an accelerated rate.
On the books we have about 700 families registered. I would say, though, that if every Catholic who lives in the parish boundaries registered, that could easily be doubled. Of the 700 registered, maybe 5 to 10% do all the volunteering. Mass is hit and miss, but I think there is a good attendance, prior to the pandemic and even afterwards.
But it is so hard to guage. The Cathedral's EF Sunday Mass has seen a dramatic increase in attendance since the reopening of the Cathedral and mostly young people/families and certainly tourists.
Father McDonald,
The attitude of much of the hierarchy is like Louis XV, "apres moi, le deluge."
Father McDonald,
The attitude of much of the hierarchy is like Louis XV, "apres moi, le deluge."
My 32 year old pastor gets it, like you do. We are having a sung EF on Easter Sunday!
I have noticed that as vaccines are being distributed, the church is also beginning to fill up again. My estimate is about 75-80% of the people have returned. The young people? I have noticed they were not present before the shut down. The parish has been very grey for a while. The sign of the times is that when 4-parishes consolidated into one, and that church still isn’t full, it’s dying off. Yes, we are talking about a very liberal progressive diocese. The former Bishop was one of the most progressive in the country.
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