Posted on 08/18/2016 5:44:25 PM PDT by marshmallow
Commenting on sobering demographic and financial trends, Bishop David Zubik of Pittsburgh told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review that “the number one priority has to be, ‘We need to make our worship better.”
“Second of all, we need to do the best job that we can to get not only more ordained leaders, but we really have to open up lots of doors for the lay leaders of the Church,” he said.
Since 2000, diocesan Mass attendance has declined by 40%, and K-8 Catholic school enrollment has fallen by 50%.
The newspaper also reported that nearly half of Pittsburgh parishes are the in red, compared to one-third in 2012.
'We need to make our worship better,' Pittsburgh Bishop Zubik tells Tribune-Review (Pittsburgh Tribune-Review)
Wonderful news! My daughter attends this school in the north after I removed her from her previous “Catholic” school. If you’re on Facebook check out the page “Pittsburgh Catholics Against Common Core”. Read some of the visitor comments and you’ll get a feel for what’s really going on in the diocesan schools despite what the bishop says
“The Pittsburgh Catholic schools are crap.”
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Sorry to hear that - our Archdiocese schools are way ahead of whatever else is around. My daughter (and most of her classmates) smoked the standardized tests, and are averaging well above grade level (8th going into 9th)
My daughter’s previous Catholic school was the same. Ask yourself the same question I did: are parents sending their kids there because they want them to be AUTHENTICALLY Catholic or because they just don’t want them in private school? I didn’t like the answer I got when I thought about that. And then she brought home a Common Core math book. I did a lot of investigating and soul searching after that. And long story short, I have found that the diocesan schools are indeed teaching common core. At least the math part. I started looking around and found a non-diocesan school that follows a classical curriculum. So I sold my house and moved. She now attends this school and we haven’t looked back.
The bishop of Pittsburgh is so so. He’s not ultra lib but I’m not willing to call him a conservative either. Yes we have good priests around here but they are certainly the minority.
Should say: public school. Not private. Are parents sending their kids to Catholic schools to be Catholic or just to avoid the public schools
Hey MM: I’d be very interested in the impact of Pope Francis on mass attendance. The most faithful attenders have always been conservatives, and those are the ones he has alienated.
Even when that Catholic struggles with his or her faith?
Yes. But nothing wrong with being entertained and having an emotional response, and using that to draw people in. They are they byproducts of what I said anyway. Evangelicals do a terrific job at this.
The Catholic Church needs add to that. It needs to focus on helping us all get to heaven. The alternative is irrevocable.
How do you draw people in, entertain them, and generate personal fulfillment, when you’re telling them “here, YOU are not the focus”?
I wish I knew the answers. All I know is it should primarily focus on the sacraments and the liturgy and advising us on how to stay in a state of grace.
And that statistic doesn’t even touch the huge drops since Vatican II.
When the post Vatican II hierarchy starts to recognize the real problem then perhaps the problem/crisis can be resolved. Unfortunately, that hierarchy is a huge part of the problem because they bought into the problem hook, line and sinker and have been foisting it on the laity for decades.
That’s Christ the Divine Teacher in Latrobe. It’s actually an established diocesan regional school that is switching to a classical curriculum this year.
Holy Family Parish (where the school is located) is also the location for our weekly 1pm Extraordinary Form Mass.
Worship, in spirit and n truth, went way down in Sodom and Gomorrah too.
God was intreated of by the righteous and judged the unjust who refused to amend their evil hearts and wicked works; therein lies our example. Pray without ceasing.
When son and family move down that way, Mr S and I are thinking of moving as well, when we retire in a couple of years. I look forward to attending the Traditional Latin Mass every Sunday!
Thank you for the information!
We’re looking to continue growing the Latin Mass community at Holy Family. When you do move this way, drop me a line... I’d be happy to say hello.
My mother is in Johnstown and knows about the Latin mass offered in Patton but I will tell her about the Latrobe one. Thank you for posting.
It’s every Sunday at 1pm. Currently, the only Holy Day that the priests’ schedules allow is Christmas, also at 1pm.
There’s a little more information at the website: http://latinmasslatrobe.com/
I thought on your response for a day. If we can come to a new order mass unshakable in our faith and able to ignore the watered down religion of the past 50 years then I agree with you. However, if we are looking to reinforce the faith at Mass then there are problems.
At this time I also observe a distinction that I am a baptized Christian who happens to be in the RCC. For half of the AD years RCC and Orthodox were the same. I may just swim the Bosporus and become Greek...
How’d that strategy work for the Episcopalians,Methodists and Prysbyterians? Empty churches, many of which have been sold to other religions or used for housing or music venues.
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