Posted on 03/14/2021 6:30:52 PM PDT by marshmallow
One year after the first ecclesial lockdown came into effect in the Netherlands, “ordinary parish life is partly falling away” and the crisis is accelerating the already existing problem of secularization.
This is the conclusion of a study by the Dutch Catholic weekly Katholiek Nieuwsblad, based on interviews with 21 priests from across the 7 Dutch dioceses.
It is not just that the number of regular churchgoers is steadily declining: Several priests point out that it’s mainly those who already had a weak bond with the Church who stop attending at all, and the majority of priests know that the bond currently dissolves more easily.
“The very loyal churchgoers will attend,” said a priest from the Archdiocese of Utrecht. “But we now miss all those people who have less of a bond with the Church. And the same goes for families and children.”
One priest from the diocese of Rotterdam sees a portion of his parishioners still attending and showing a certain commitment, “but we have now entirely lost all those people who, before the virus broke, were at the edges of the parish.”
Again and again, the priests’ stories show how the COVID-19 puts a heavy burden on sacramental life. One year after the Dutch Church adopted its first significant measures against the virus, the number of baptisms, marriages, first communions and even anointings of the sick and funeral Masses all seem to be going down.
(Excerpt) Read more at cruxnow.com ...
“One year after the first ecclesial lockdown came into effect in the Netherlands, “ordinary parish life is partly falling away” and the crisis is accelerating the already existing problem of secularization.”
By design.
No wonder people are saying 'nah' when churches are asking for people to show up again.
Yes we had a “Calvinist Revival.” As a Calvinist I can joke like that :)
Church got purged. Many leaders showed themselves, imo, to be unbiblical in their thinking. Many with loose affiliation dropped off.
What is left? The leaders who did not quail. Some who repented. And members who are dead serious about worship and ministry.
Same as in the Philippines.
Duterte always hated the Catholic church. He was always going for the Philippines to go back to its pre-Muslim/ pre-Christian roots (Hindu/Buddhist)
Things have been shut down hard for a year now.
Cebu - that hosts the 3rd largest “religious” party/ festival after Mardi Gras and Carnival called the Santa Niño Festival/ Sinulog) was a ghost town in January. Normally, about 2 million visit...
Holy Week is/was shut down 2 years running
All Souls Day/ All Saints Day visiting cemeteries banned in 2020 (same type of thing as Mexico)
What is left? The leaders who did not quail. Some who repented. And members who are dead serious about worship and ministry.
There is no surprise here, participation whether worship or sports, requires participation.
Those left in the pews are more committed, yes. But can the individual church survive?
I’m no longer an Anglican, but I will say, the 1928 prayer book has a service for Times of Pestilence, when communion is encouraged DAILY for sustenance of body and soul.
They never could have imagined taking Christ’s body and blood away when it was needed the most.
It was going on before COVID. Not preachers not preaching the Full gospel, catering to youth, forgetting Seniors.
We had strong ties, till the day the preacher said NOT TO GO TO RR DURING HIS SERMON. We sat on last pew, as I have Gastropresis, going at both ends unexpectedly. Where did he want me to deposit the puke or diarrhea or both? We stopped going. Watch old sermons from Renown preachers now. Hit pause if need to. Spent the weekend sick with an attack.
What I can’t figure out is how BS climbed with NO food in over 2 days?
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