Bucking a trend, these churches figured out how to bring millennials back to worship

[LittleFlower]

Yes, if a large amount of young adults in a parish wish for similar expressions of faith found in the EF Mass, then it should be made available to them.

Here in Melbourne we have an EF parish, which caters for the entire Melbourne community every day of every week in that manner. They also have bible study groups.

My experience is that the majority of young people are not looking for that expression of faith. It’s just a very vocal online Catholic minority. Those who are somewhat lukewarm in their faith practice won’t be posting online articles about it.

It’s the same confirmation bias that I was raising with the survey.

 

[Xantippe]

I’ve always thought that Protestant churches have a good idea by setting aside Wednesday night as a “church night” (At least, I think many do). Choir practice, child care, youth group, Awanas, etc can all happen at the same time, so the whole family may be doing something there, instead of Mom shuttling kids around at different times.

Our old pastor had the same idea (we live in the South). CCD and adult classes would run on Wednesday night, with child care for small children.

 

[Xantippe]

I have a bit of a confession to make.

I’m a mom of “just” three school age children, and we currently have the following evening events because of the kids:

–music lesson
–community music group (Big Girl is going to be performing at a nursing home with her group soon)
–junior high church youth group
–high school church youth group
–confirmation prep class (NOT the same as high school youth group and NOT at the same time as junior high youth group–all three events are at different times)
–mandatory school events and parent meetings

In all honesty, I don’t really want to go to any optional evening mom or adult church events on top of that. My mom prime time is from about 3 PM to 10:30 PM (the big kids’ official bedtime)–as a mother of school age children, those are actually my main work hours.

The one thing that could possibly tempt me is the bible study that meets during CCD. Funnily enough, this Bible study has been meeting 20+ years (!) but I just learned about it this year, after having kids in the parish programs for several years. And yes, I’ve attended a lot of parent meetings over the last several years–the Bible study was only mentioned at the parent meeting this year.

So, I kind of see how the whole “only old people come” thing happens for parish events. Our dance card is full right now with kid events, but we will probably start doing non-kid parish events once we are “old people,” too.

 

[Duesenberg]

I’ve read through many of the responses here and I’m rather confused. @Duesenberg hasn’t, at least in my reading, suggested changing anyone’s Mass or eliminating the need for attending Mass. It’s not about adding guitars or more Latin. It’s not about becoming more charismatic or more traditional, it’s about exploring the needs of parishioners instead of making assumptions based on status quo or who the current largest segment attending mass happens to be.

You GET IT! Hallelujah! A non-reactionary THINKER! Please post MORE!

The suggestion being made is that Catholics parishes aren’t addressing their parishioners needs and desires. You can do that and not change a thing about Mass.

Amen.

The Catholic Church, as a whole, provides phenomenal levels of outreach and good to the world; but, at the local level, the level that gets parishioners to actually show up for Mass. In my experience, and the experience of other posters here, we stink at it!

Amen! Many simply cannot face this fact that is common in many parishes.

I would LOVE to grow in faith in the more structured setting of a Bible study group. The only one my Church offers is, occasionally, at 10 am on Tuesdays, the few evening activities I have seen are at 6 and don’t provide childcare options.

Now I’m wondering if we attend the same parish?

I would love to volunteer but I couldn’t tell you the ministries that my Church participates in because the meeting times aren’t included on the calendar and the website has the very helpful advice to “call Janice” to inquire about opportunities/schedules. I understand I could call; but, really? This isn’t 1965. The church has a website, Facebook, a calendar… if “Janice” needs help keeping those updated POST TO FACEBOOK AND ASK FOR HELP. I’m sure someone would be willing but they won’t ask.

This reminds me of the old days at my parish. The “liturgy committee” (before it was suppressed) actually used to keep its meetings a secret. If one wanted to ask a question of the committee, one had to submit it 72 hours before the unknown date/start time of the meeting.

I only learned about the committee because I happened to be in the parish office and was asked to drop in to the meeting because they had questions for me (that was FUN!)

So, ok, maybe I don’t “need” these things but they sure wouldn’t hurt my faith life and would like be a big help.

I hear you!

 

[Duesenberg]

They funny thing is, Little Flower, I DETEST facebook. So, joining FB is also a disqualifier, wouldn’t you say? But yes, it would be too easy to just put it in the bulletin, I suppose. : )

Why and why???

 

[Duesenberg]

That’s where you lose me. I haven’t seen a “great deal of material support” for the Traditional Mass from the bishops. More often I encounter or read stories of reluctance and skepticism on the part of the bishops. I’ve never seen or heard of any sort of promotional material promulgated by a diocesan office that offers, for example, catechetical or historical seminars on the TLM. The TLM just kind of exists because SP says it has to, and the bishops have to oblige. So, it is there to be sought out by those who are looking for it or to be stumbled upon by those who aren’t, but to say that it enjoys a “great deal of material support” from the bishops is contrary to everything I have found (perhaps with the exception of a diocese like Lincoln, NE).

Why not make an effort by calling the two forms of the Mass – the OF and EF Mass by the names Pope Benedict XVI asked us to call them? It would be a start at being taken serious. I really mean that and would like to hear your response.

 

[ConfusedLucy]

I think you do often have to be pushy and persistent to volunteer in the Catholic church. They don’t seem to like making information easily available and often calls and emails aren’t responded to.

I can see both sides of the time issue. In my part of the UK it’s dark at 4.30 pm right now and I understand why older people prefer to meet in daylight however most millennials here are unlikely to be able to retire much before 70, that’s an awfully long time to wait to have a chance to serve in church.

 

[Duesenberg]

Yes, we do have a personal parish that is EF, but honestly it is in just about the worst part of town. When there is a shooting in our city, it is usually within a few blocks of the EF parish.

That’s very interesting. One reason why I don’t believe there would be such as thing as an “EF parish.” EF Masses should be celebrated as needed in any old Latin Rite parish church.

It also bring up another point. A cardinal rule of those who carry concealed firearms is to simply avoid dangerous places whenever possible. I would have a tough time attending ANY parish church that I knew was in a dangerous place.

 

[Clare]

I think we firstly need more priests and deacons, then we can have more Masses that cater to different ages, where I am it’s one priest for two parishes, and the majority of the people in those two parishes are retired, so between the two there’s only one evening Mass. All the others are in the morning because the elderly people don’t like to travel in the evenings. This is weekdays, Sundays it’s only one Mass per parish too, with the one also having a Saturday vigil as well.

More people would attend on a Sunday at a more convenient time for them, right now families don’t go as there’s kids sports events on during Mass and they have to take them to this place or that place instead.

I happened to go to a Latin Mass once, wasn’t planned I was in London for the day and happened to go to the Cathedral at the right time for it, I wouldn’t go again, not without some serious lessons on it first, I didn’t understand it at all.

 

[babochka]

R_H_Benson:

That’s where you lose me. I haven’t seen a “great deal of material support” for the Traditional Mass from the bishops. More often I encounter or read stories of reluctance and skepticism on the part of the bishops. I’ve never seen or heard of any sort of promotional material promulgated by a diocesan office that offers, for example, catechetical or historical seminars on the TLM. The TLM just kind of exists because SP says it has to, and the bishops have to oblige. So, it is there to be sought out by those who are looking for it or to be stumbled upon by those who aren’t, but to say that it enjoys a “great deal of material support” from the bishops is contrary to everything I have found (perhaps with the exception of a diocese like Lincoln, NE).

Why not make an effort by calling the two forms of the Mass – the OF and EF Mass by the names Pope Benedict XVI asked us to call them? It would be a start at being taken serious. I really mean that and would like to hear your response.

I don’t recall Pope Benedict asking us to use these terms. He simply pointed out that the there exist two forms of the Mass in the Latin Rite, the ordinary form and the extra-ordinary form. He used the terms and it became convenient for others to use them as well. Here is the quote, from the letter which accompanied Summorum Pontificum.

This fear is unfounded. In this regard, it must first be said that the Missal published by Paul VI and then republished in two subsequent editions by John Paul II, obviously is and continues to be the normal Form – the Forma ordinaria – of the Eucharistic Liturgy. The last version of the Missale Romanum prior to the Council, which was published with the authority of Pope John XXIII in 1962 and used during the Council, will now be able to be used as a Forma extraordinaria of the liturgical celebration. It is not appropriate to speak of these two versions of the Roman Missal as if they were “two Rites”. Rather, it is a matter of a twofold use of one and the same rite.

Perhaps he made an actual request in another document.

 

[Tis_Bearself]

My concern is that, during this process of making young people feel welcome, the alienated most of their current members, writing them off as casualties of change.

Yeah, they basically just acted like a business that decided it wanted to “sell” to millennials and get rid of all the older customers, so they changed everything and lost half their existing customer base in order to get twice as many younger customers.

It would have been better to have two services - one at 10 in the morning with suit and tie for the older people,and one at 4 in the afternoon in jeans for the young people with a get-together afterwards. And this is what I see some successful Catholic churches doing. One parish, which has the only Lifeteen program in a densely populated city, has a Mass geared to teens at 5:30 pm on Sunday, with “contemporary” (read: Christian rock performed with a live band) music, and the Lifeteen meeting is after the Mass and teens from any parish are welcome. But the priest still has the 10 am Sunday Mass with the regular music for people who like that.

I tend to think Catholics are actually way more open about having different kinds of services for different “audiences” than a lot of Protestant churches are. In my experience, many Protestants put a huge emphasis on their church having one image and everybody fits into it. For example, if the image is “suit and tie” then there is no room for the people in jeans. If the image is activists in jeans, then you have to be that in order to be a member. This is part of the reason why I don’t like to put too much emphasis on any one outfit or activity or attitude for Catholic parishes. People with all kinds of preferences and interests should be able to find a place in an inclusive parish.

 

[CilladeRoma]

I would have a tough time attending ANY parish church that I knew was in a dangerous place.

Then you must not get to very many Churches in mid-sized to large cities.
My own Cathedral, which was once in a middle & upper middle-class neighborhood as few as 10 years ago, is now one of the most dangerous parts of the city.

Demographics change, yet the Church remains. And when people have the attitude you do, that is why parishes close. Instead of working together to make things better, hands get thrown in the air and we discard what is no longer useful or easy, whether it be Churches, neighborhoods or people. Very sad.

 

[Loud-living-dogma]

Facebook is creepy about privacy issues, such as searching your email files. They collect your info and sell it to 3rd parties. I HATE it that a lot of organizations require us to sign in to Facebook to see their info. Why can’t they just put it on their webpage? Ugh.
Seriously, Duesenberg, you don’t know that Facebook has a lot of “issues” about user privacy?

Facebook Is Playing Games With Your Privacy And There's Nothing You Can Do About It

Facebook carried out a test on users' privacy without their permission, trialling location-based friend suggestions. Meanwhile, it's made truly private profiles effectively impossible.

www.forbes.com

 

[Gingersnaps4]

This is how my parish is. CCD for grades 1-5 is on wed evenings as well as classes for adults and there is childcare available for younger children. I love it as I teach CCD and can bring along my kids and they can play while I teach! We also have CCD for older kids and even a class for teenagers that have been confirmed on Sunday evenings. There are most likely classes for adults that night too. I love my parish, it is large and vibrant, something for everyone.

 

[babochka]

Duesenberg:

I would have a tough time attending ANY parish church that I knew was in a dangerous place.

Then you must not get to very many Churches in mid-sized to large cities.
My own Cathedral, which was once in a middle & upper middle-class neighborhood as few as 10 years ago, is now one of the most dangerous parts of the city.

Demographics change, yet the Church remains. And when people have the attitude you do, that is why parishes close. Instead of working together to make things better, hands get thrown in the air and we discard what is no longer useful or easy, whether it be Churches, neighborhoods or people. Very sad.

In addition, “dangerous area” is relative and subjective. One person’s “dangerous area” is simply “home” to someone else. Certain entire countries would be be dangerous areas to many Americans. Thank God the Church is there.

Our Cathedral is in the same neighborhood as the state Capitol. Lots of homeless, drunk, and mentally ill people hanging out among the state workers and church - goers.

 

[TheLittleLady]

What if there is no priest in the area who is trained to celebrate mass in the Extraordinary Form? Who is going to pay to send him off to train? Who will cover his masses while he is gone?

It is not as simple as it looks. In much of the world, there is not a full backbench of priests to step up. Pastors have to cancel trips to see dying relatives because there is simply no one else to say Mass.

 

[Xantippe]

Then you must not get to very many Churches in mid-sized to large cities.

I don’t know how dangerous it is, but we do all of our family youth programming in a poor inner city neighborhood (we normally go to a Newman Center for Mass that doesn’t have CCD and youth groups). The inner city parish is the biggest Catholic entity in our area–church, rectory, elementary school, high school, plus they managed to score some of a public school’s shiny new facilities when the school closed.

So yeah, if local Catholics were to give up on that parish (which has a concentration of resources unique in the city), we’d lose a lot.

 

[Loud-living-dogma]

That’s very interesting. One reason why I don’t believe there would be such as thing as an “EF parish.” EF Masses should be celebrated as needed in any old Latin Rite parish church.

Well, it’s easy to assume that any priest would be able to celebrate the EF at the drop of a hat. In reality, though, there is a special seminary for the FSSP, and these guys really know a lot of specifics about it. How to chant it properly etc, that I doubt if most priests who are trained in only the OF could easily pick up.

 

[starlady]

Also, I think that part of the issue is our 24/7 work schedule that many people have. I work for an organization that tries to do programming that might attract millennials, and often they just don’t show up. They are busy, they work, they go to school, etc. It is often the older people that have the time and the interest to attend parish events.

I am a “millennial” and my husband is too. I see different activities advertised in the bulletin that look interesting, but as you said, we often can’t make it to everything that we would like to do, or if we can, only one of us could go because the other as a previous commitment.

It was easier (to an extent) when I was single, because I just decided what I was doing and when I was doing it, but as a single, it was hard then too because many things I saw at that time (different parish than our current one) were during the day, when I was at work. I went to Mass every week, but I longed for the feeling of belonging. Especially having moved to another city after college, with few friends and no family, I felt very alone. Oh, the young women’s circle? It’s for young married mothers with small children and it meets once a month at 10:00 am. Not helpful for a single woman with no kids who works full time. And when I tried to work with some people in the parish office to get something going for young adults, it ended up not being what I wanted and it didn’t really hold together very long anyway.

In some ways, I think I just have to wait until we have school-age kids before I can finally feel like we are part of the community. Even then, we still have to wait more time as we are only now just expecting our first.

 

[Loud-living-dogma]

Hi Starlady,
I see several things in our city that are called “Theology on Tap” that are held at local bars. I think they specifically say “age 21-40”, and they seem popular, but then, it may be the kind of thing where people don’t want to show up alone.
Now I’m too old to go to them! : )