Mass attendance stable in U.S. churches over last four years

CatholicNewsAgency.com ^ | 01-11-05 | CNA

[Salvation]

Mass attendance stable in U.S. churches over last four years

New York, Jan. 11, 2005 (CNA) - Mass attendance in the United States has remained stable in the last four years, despite the clergy sex abuse crisis, says a new study released yesterday by the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate at Georgetown University.

The study included 10 separate polls, conducted between September 2000, before the scandal began, and September 2004. In each of the polls about one-third of Catholics said they attend Mass weekly.

Weekly attendance increased to 39 percent in February 2002, one month into the scandal, then hovered between 31 percent and 35 percent over the next two years. The margin of error for each poll ranged from plus or minus 2.2 percentage points to plus or minus 4.4 percentage points.

[Knitting A Conundrum]

--Or for that matter, converts coming into the fullness of the Church from other Christian communities. We converts came because we see that the miscreants are not the real Church, they never have been and never will be. We see that there is the "church" of the Mahoneys, Greeleys, and Chittisters; we also see that there is the Church of the Saints.-- Amen to that one!

[ArrogantBustard]

For the Vatican II and Post-Vatican II generations this has not been emphasized to the same degree,” he concludes.

And who should have been doing the emphasizing? Who were the parents, teachers, clergy in the late 1960s and 1970s?

That would be members of the Pre-Vatican II generation.

[Land of the Irish]

That would be members of the Pre-Vatican II generation.

Like Pope John Paul II, huh?

[marshmallow]

I always like to see who posts threads like this and I usually have a little bet with myself when I see the headline.

If the news is bad, there will be one cohort of people all over the thread like a rash. If the news is not so bad or even good, they will almost always be absent and a different cohort of people will be posting.

This thread conforms to expectations.

[Knitting A Conundrum]

Exactly...BAD BAD BAD BAD catechisis presenting Jesus as a feel good love you guy...they grew up unknowing of the true Jesus...And you expect they would want to attend a church like that?

Watering down the reality of God has been a trick of the devil since the Garden of Eden....

[netmilsmom]

In my area, at least, the Charistmatic parishes are bleeding parishioners. Those churches which are more traditional are busting at the seams. (My parish is breaking ground to add 500 seats. We have five masses on Sunday, all filled)

Perhaps someone should look at the trends. I really don't know if this is national, but it sure is that way here.

[No_Outcome_But_Victory]

Thanks for your list of POSITIVE suggestions. I usually avoid most threads here since they are too negative.

[marshmallow]

And who should have been doing the emphasizing? Who were the parents, teachers, clergy in the late 1960s and 1970s?

That would be members of the Pre-Vatican II generation.

And who will clean up this mess and restore sanity to Catholic catechesis and worship?

Irony of ironies. That would be the post-Vatican II generation.

[ultima ratio]

Where do these statistics come from? They are most certainly bogus. The real figure is about 17%. A recent national poll showed fewer Catholics attending services than Protestants.

[netmilsmom]

Oh yeah, the "Feel Good Christ"

[netmilsmom]

8) Invite them to share in the Traditions of the Holidays

Easter basket blessings, Throats being blessed, prayers before travel. They may long for a touch of home.

But your 1st is the most important! Pray, pray, pray.
Ask St. Monica for intercession!

[ArrogantBustard]

The young priests coming out of Mt. St. Mary's are certainly a sign of hope.

[Knitting A Conundrum]

Being a convert, and a historian, my bet is that Moderism which began to shake stuff up really bad after WWI (and before) really started affecting people who would be teaching in seminaries in the late forties and early 50s who prepped the bad formation of priests and religous in the 60s, who led to the bad catechesis and fall out of all but the more committed of the late baby boomers and gen Xers. Some of the Gen Xers and later have discovered somehow on their own, sometimes, the true glories of the church, and they are the ones coming back very committed, joining conservative, habited religious communities, becoming committed and conservative clergy who don't put up with a lot of the pablum and disobedience that the Baby Boomer generation foisted on people.

Nice to see. The old guard, bishops who won't lead or stand by the magisterium, religious orders that went worldly or dropped the habit, and others will pass, but the Church will remain, because God told us it will.

But oh the damage for not standing up for the real Jesus. That is sad.

[ultima ratio]

Georgetown has an ideological ax to grind. It is not a reliable source for data. Here is an excerpt from a recent Gallup study:
___________________________________________________
Catholics Trail Protestants in Church Attendance

by George H. Gallup Jr.
Chairman, The George H. Gallup International Institute

George Gallup Jr. is the Chairman of the George H. Gallup International Institute and is recognized internationally for his research and study on youth, health, religion, and urban problems.

After dipping to an all-time low in the wake of the recent sex abuse scandals afflicting the Catholic Church, weekly church attendance among Catholics appears to be on the rebound. However, historical Gallup Poll data show that Protestants have now clearly overtaken Catholics in church attendance, for the first time in Gallup polling history.

[Mike Fieschko]

Georgetown has an ideological ax to grind. It is not a reliable source for data.

Non sequitur.

[Knitting A Conundrum]

Scarey, ain't it?
My favorite of Jesus is this:

[ultima ratio]

CARA consistently spins its research to support liberal causes in the Church. It is not a reliable source for data.

[Pio]

BTTT

Ran into this phenomenon two weeks ago at my old Novus Ordo parish...the place was bursting at the seems. What reason? It was a Mass for the First Communion kids ... apparently the parents sheepishly showed up like it was a school play or something

The liberal priest gently suggested that the parents make the Mass part of their lives...wow what a delicate situation..it is tempting to drop the sin bomb on them but these folks are hanging by a thread and at least they seem to be at least sending their kid...but these kids are seeing the mixed message....Are they repelled by the liberal preaching? Are they repelled by what they consider a conservative church?...I must say, I can't read these people..sometime I get to talking with people and am pleased at how conservative they are but others are full blown gay marriage advocates...considering I live in Mass..it is probably more of the latter...pro-abortion, pro-gay marriage Catholics, Kerry-Kennedy voters..embarassed by their Church, going thru the motions hoping for a female Pope some day soon....what good is it if they come but Churh teaching is undermined from the pulpit?

[Salvation]

**Among other things, it tells of an enormous failure of catechesis ...**

Absolutely! And many priests are trying to compensate by putting catechesis into their homilies. It helps a little bit, but it is not enough.

[Salvation]

LOL! You are right on!