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What should come next? (The Catholic response to shrinking congregations)
The Catholic Thing ^ | April 7, 2013 | Bevil Bramwell, OMI

Posted on 04/08/2013 4:48:13 AM PDT by NYer

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To: count-your-change
Hmmmm ...

1 Corinthians 12:
Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I do not want you to be uninformed.[a] 2 You know that when you were heathen, you were led astray to dumb idols, however you may have been moved. 3 Therefore I want you to understand that no one speaking by the Spirit of God ever says “Jesus be cursed!” and no one can say “Jesus is Lord” except by the Holy Spirit. 4 Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; 5 and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; 6 and there are varieties of working, but it is the same God who inspires them all in every one. 7 To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. 8 To one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, 10 to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. 11 All these are inspired by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills.

Every Christian should be a "Jesus Talker" for sure ... not so sure about the 'Door Knocker' part. Different gifts, same Spirit. There are, I think, many ways to bring the Gospel into the heathen world; all Christians are called to one or more of those ways.

41 posted on 04/08/2013 8:35:41 AM PDT by ArrogantBustard (Western Civilization is Aborting, Buggering, and Contracepting itself out of existence.)
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To: Gen.Blather
How's this?


Our Catholics Can Come Home class started last week with six people coming back to the church!

42 posted on 04/08/2013 8:40:01 AM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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To: IrishBrigade

Our RCIA team is using Father Barron’s series on Catholicism.

Good choice, huh?


43 posted on 04/08/2013 8:42:34 AM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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To: Salvation

“Coming Home Network”

It looks wonderful. But it appears to be targeted at the previous Catholic who only needed a memory jogger. I was thinking more along the lines of marketing a product, Christianity, and a brand, Catholicism. This would be aimed at the general population with a targeted campaign to bring in new people who knew nothing about the product or brand.


44 posted on 04/08/2013 9:10:04 AM PDT by Gen.Blather
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To: Gen.Blather

You’re right. It is aimed at getting those inactive Catholics to take a look and reconsider.

Something for the general public would be great.

Look here.

Scroll down the entire page: http://www.freerepublic.com/~salvation/


45 posted on 04/08/2013 9:24:10 AM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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To: Jerrybob
FWIW, according to Newsweek,
The only hard data that has been made public by any denomination comes from John Jay College's study of Catholic priests, which was authorized and is being paid for by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops following the public outcry over the 2002 scandals. Limiting their study to plausible accusations made between 1950 and 1992, John Jay researchers reported that about 4 percent of the 110,000 priests active during those years had been accused of sexual misconduct involving children. Specifically, 4,392 complaints (ranging from "sexual talk" to rape) were made against priests by 10,667 victims. (Reports made after 2002, including those of incidents that occurred years earlier, are released as part of the church's annual audits.)

Experts disagree on the rate of sexual abuse among the general American male population, but Allen says a conservative estimate is one in 10. Margaret Leland Smith, a researcher at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice, says her review of the numbers indicates it's closer to one in 5. But in either case, the rate of abuse by Catholic priests is not higher than these national estimates. The public also doesn't realize how "profoundly prevalent" child sexual abuse is, adds Smith. Even those numbers may be low; research suggests that only a third of abuse cases are ever reported (making it the most underreported crime). "However you slice it, it's a very common experience," Smith says.


46 posted on 04/08/2013 10:30:58 AM PDT by St_Thomas_Aquinas
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To: IrishBrigade
that it really is a representation of the Sacrifice of the Spotless Victim at Calvary, except in an unbloody manner, at which the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ, under the appearance of bread and wine, are offered by the confecting priest to God for the purpose of remission of our sins...

I wish we still used the old Baltimore Catechism. It sure sticks with you, at least more than, "hey, let's recycle for Jesus!" That's about what I had, back in 1973.

Fortunately, I had time in my twenties to get my head together, and my homeschooled kids were raised on the Baltimore Catechism.

I'm guessing their kids will be as well.

47 posted on 04/08/2013 10:35:55 AM PDT by St_Thomas_Aquinas
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To: NYer
I just had a conversation with my sister this weekend about how Catholics are not prone to doing things until they are personally asked. At least that has been the case in the 3 parishes I have been involved with. About 30 years ago my parish had a "Welcome Sunday". Father advertized it well in advance and held it the Sunday just before Advent. Parishioners were asked to go to their family members and friends who had stopped going to Mass and ask them to return. Seeing so many folks at Mass that Sunday (including my uncle!) was such a joy and you could tell that Father was very pleased as well. How hard would it be to organize an event like this in all of our parishes?
48 posted on 04/08/2013 11:37:12 AM PDT by Straight Vermonter (Posting from deep behind the Maple Curtain)
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To: Straight Vermonter

I totally agree. Quick question. You said this took place 30 years ago. How long was the retention rate?


49 posted on 04/08/2013 11:45:02 AM PDT by NYer (Beware the man of a single book - St. Thomas Aquinas)
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To: NYer

I married and moved away a few years later so I can only speak to the individuals that I personally know. My uncle, for example, is a leading member of the parish now and I know of 2 other folks that are still attending. If only those 3 are saved as a result of the effort then in my mind it was absolutely worth doing.


50 posted on 04/08/2013 11:54:00 AM PDT by Straight Vermonter (Posting from deep behind the Maple Curtain)
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To: St_Thomas_Aquinas
Experts disagree on the rate of sexual abuse among the general American male population, but Allen says a conservative estimate is one in 10. Margaret Leland Smith, a researcher at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice, says her review of the numbers indicates it's closer to one in 5.

I think that in order to claim that one in five American males is a sexual abuser of children, the definition of "abuse" would have to include "sexual talk aimed at teenage girls who are demonstrating sexual availability" by "males" who are just enough older than the girls to trip over a statute.

We can't have a culture of rampant fornication and also have a culture that (legally) treats postpubescent youth as if they were 3-year-olds, without plunging into absurdity.

51 posted on 04/08/2013 12:56:15 PM PDT by Tax-chick (That sound? It's either the love call of the sand-squid, or my son playing the guitar.)
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To: Tax-chick

I guess no one really knows. It’s possible that incest could explain it, but 1 in 10 seems more reasonable to me.


52 posted on 04/08/2013 2:53:51 PM PDT by St_Thomas_Aquinas
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To: Jerrybob
I'm not even Catholic, but the thought of walking into one of their churches gives me the creeps.

Contrary to popular opinion, the numbers of priests involved in any abuse at all is very small. MOST priests are faithful servants of God, and have been burdened by the negative press created by those very few who acted in such a sinful manner. It's highly unlikely you'd encounter such a priest at most parishes, and if you see families with children, actively involved, it's almost a certainly NONE of the priests in that parish are hinky.

Many years ago, parents didn't pay attention, because they trusted priests unquestioningly. That isn't the way, anymore, so if families are comfortable, you should be, as well.

53 posted on 04/09/2013 6:51:39 PM PDT by SuziQ
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To: AnAmericanMother
If you look, you'll see a correlation between very liberal Catholic bishops and the number of offenders in their dioceses.

It's also interesting, and instructive, how LITTLE press is given to those Dioceses when the stories finally break. Those stories certainly won't be covered the way those in the Boston Archdiocese were.

54 posted on 04/09/2013 7:00:52 PM PDT by SuziQ
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To: Salvation

Our parish has had an ongoing ‘adult education’ series, using the “Catholicism” series. We’d seen it, so we didn’t go, but the folks I know who have gone have really enjoyed it!!


55 posted on 04/09/2013 7:04:27 PM PDT by SuziQ
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