Posted on 05/12/2023 5:18:34 PM PDT by ebb tide
I read an article days ago complaining that 50% of those baptised as Catholics stop attending as young adults. I am surprised it’s not more. Looking at my experience in the UK, I can give to my readers some clues as to why.
Firstly, it is a very childish experience. The lack of solemnity and the dumbing down of the liturgy has made of the Mass an exercise for children. When the children grow up, they don’t want to be identified with that stuff anymore.
Second, it is a very child-oriented experience. You see here the anxious desire to keep the children Catholic. But if being Catholic is tailored to please children, young adults will feel put off by it. It will be dismissed as not suited to one’s degree of knowledge and learning, like a nursery is for a third grader.
Thirdly, it never teaches Catholicism. The homilies are such watered down feel-good drivel, that the same homilies could have been – bar a couple of sentences, when you’re lucky – made in an Anglican church. But their Anglicans friends don’t attend, so why would they?
Fourthly, it promotes the Church of Nice. The applauses for the mothers, and for the children, and for everybody who breathes contribute to this idea that we are all so good, we wonder why we need going to church.
Fifthly, it is ecumenical. Other sects are spoken of in a climate of nice approbation, whilst the present nod in heartfelt assent of how good not only us, but everybody else is. If we are all good, one wonders, again, what use it is to go to church.
Sixthly, it is inter religious. Every Assisi rubbish meetings will be praised to the sky. People sit in the pew, and think to themselves the inconvenience is for nothing.
Seventh, a lot of those who attend are clearly not interested. They attend exclusively so that their children can attend the local Catholic school, but it is evident from their – and their Children’s – behaviour that they really don’t care. They are simply making an act of presence, because the school requires them to attend.
Eight, and probably worst of them all: they worship at the altar of the world. Niceness is equated with being a good man. The grown children realise that in order to attend at the church of nice they don’t need to go to church. Plus, they still get a (faint) whiff of Catholic principles and tenets which, to them, are not nice at all. They worship of niceness is very established by now. The Church – and attendance in church – will be seen as a repressive organisation, according to the same rules of niceness they have heard in church for so many years. Having to choose between an uninspiring Church which does not even know what it wants, and some ideal that let them feel superior and very good with themselves, many young people will choose the latter.
In short: the church of Vatican II is killing herself.
How do we remedy to this? Going back to tradition, in everything. Liturgy, doctrine, prayers, punishments. How do we make damage? Happy clapping, thinking we are so good we don’t need a Church, refusing to state what is specifically Catholic with non-Catholics.
There, I think I have given some useful hint as to why we haemorrhage faithful. They have their fault, for sure; but the young faithful smell the fraud much faster than their parents.
Ping
No, it's not the TLM, but it's something every priest in the world could begin to implement tomorrow.
“ambo”. Gotta love autocorrect!
A significant number of “Catholics” don’t even believe in transubstantiation. Very sad to see the Church in such peril as a Presbyterian wanting to convert.
#7 was true even 30 years ago when I attended religion class. A good many of my classmates there admitted their families didn’t always go to church.
Was God or His Word mentioned. Not part of the solution?
Great article. Thanks.
And communion rails for those who would rather receive Our Lord on our knees; not like walking up to a hot dog cart.
Indeed. I am one of half a dozen in my parish who still take the Host on the tongue. lady takes it so and gets on her knees on the floor to receive. I can’t really do that because my knees can’t handle hard floor. I would like to see a return of he railing and padded kneelers.
I'm only talking about stuff that a pastor could do on his own initiative, without a big capital expense or even much lead time.
God and His Word are a given.
I’ve seen several modern churches which have used a couple of prie dieus to accommodate those who wish to receive on their knees.
Not a major expense at all.
Unfortunately, it doesn't look like liturgical law in the US allows a pastor to require people to receive kneeling (unless physically impeded), so the prie-dieu could only be provided as an option for those who wished to use it.
This has been true since Vatican 2.
Parents sent their children to CCD expecting those students to be taught Church teachings, but the post-V2 materials which were used taught nothing of substance.
When I taught CCE as an adult, my request to use books from an excellent K-12 series was refused by our bishop’s office.
They insisted on our using only the worthless wattered-down fluff on their “approved” list.
I spent hours adapting the lessons in the worthless book I was forced to use, in order to incorporate actual Catholic theology.
My class was very popular among my high school students.
By teaching nothing of substance and thereby giving the impression that Catholicism is just some sort of feel-good Kumbaya experience, the Church infiltrators have successfully driven away millions who will never experience the profoundly deep satisfaction of growing in one’s relationship with Christ by studying, meditating upon, and living (as best one is able) a theology of vast richness, infinite depth, and unimaginable beauty.
Once a liberal priest, who was annoyed because I did not receive the Host in my hand, actually placed the middle piece of the large host (a section about 4 inches long) on my tongue when I went to Communion.
Of course it would not fit in my mouth and I had to break it with my hand.
You bite it off and replace the end back in the cup.
It is muchly the result of Vatican-ll and the ultimate Vll Pope Bergoglio who seems determined to end the Church or at least put it firmly on the road to extinction.
I held my hands over it as I stepped to the side then broke it inconspicuously and consumed it.
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