Catholic Mass attendance plummets in Poland

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According to the latest figures from the Polish Institute of Catholic Church Statistics, only 39 percent of declared Catholics take part in Sunday Mass.
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The figure marks the first time Mass attendance has dropped below 40 percent, head of the Institute, Wojciech Sadlon told Polish Radio.
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“People who go to church merely spurred on by tradition do not experience a deep personal commitment, and have started to stop practising the faith,” he said.
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thenews.pl/1/9/Artykul/175942,Catholic-Mass-attendance-plummets-in-Poland#sthash.2YTDkXL1.dpuf
 
The strong faith of the fathers of the Solidarity movement
that toppled the Communists haven’t been successfully
passed on to the NEXT generation! I know personally of
a LARGE polish family whose sons DOUBT the priest’s
authority on matters of faith and chose their OWN ways,
sad, but true!

Saint Michael the Archangel defend us in battle…
 
I am not surprised at the low communion numbers (they are pretty similar to the low Hispanic numbers) but I am somewhat surprised at the big drop in Mass attendance. This is significant.
 
St. John Paul the Great, pray for Poland and the world!!
 
Well, it simply means the soil is more than ready for planting seeds via the New Evangelization.

I think Fr. Brarron said the general statistic is 1 in 5 Catholics actually goes to mass on Sunday… I’m not 100 certain on that stat though, nor am I certain if it was for the U.S. or globally, but I think that was for the U.S.

So let’s start lighting some candles and planting seeds!! (mixing metaphors, I know…😉 )
 
We might not be in the Great Apostasy, but it sure would not surprise me if we are. European Mass attendance rates are just horrific, the USA and Canadian rates are not reallly that far ahead of Europe. Fornication, living together, rejection of the Real Presence, rejection of Sacramental Marriage, etc…they are all in steep decline with no real end in sight.

Perhaps we are in a time of chastisement, or perhaps we are just reaping what we have sowed into the cultural landscape…either way, faithful Catholics are small percentage.

Keep in mind that just 50-60 years ago Mass attendance rates were at 70-74% with Catholics also attending Holy Days of Obligation and Real Presence belief was much higher. Today, 70% of Catholics do not even hold a belief in the Real Presence. That is a massive drop in a half-century.
 
There is no place safe from the pollution of false teaching that eventually morphs into a rejection of Christian truths and the loss of faith. This is such a difficult time to be living in, and one that was warned about. I fear for so many that will be lost.
 
Tigg said:
There is no place safe from the pollution of false teaching that eventually morphs into a rejection of Christian truths and the loss of faith. This is such a difficult time to be living in, and one that was warned about. I fear for so many that will be lost.
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In this world, there has never been a safe place for lay Catholics to live away from the spiritual pollution–and we are not called to live apart from the world, we are called to be right in the middle of the spiritual battle and we are called to be the salt and light to this world. We cannot be the salt and light if we seek a safe refuge away from those who have no light.

IMO, the greatest thing we Catholics can do is to take the Real Presence seriously. It is, after all, Jesus. I recommend we all find time to go to our local Catholic Church (daily) and say rosaries and other prayers before the Blessed Sacrament (either during adoration, or while the Lord is in the Tabernacle, He is truly there). I suggest we pray for everyone we know ‘BY NAME’ and beseech the Lord to convert them, to save them, and to guide them (including us). We should also beseech the Lord to do the same for all peoples and nations across the globe. We should lift up our prayers in the same way every single day, and never give-up hope…beseeching and begging the Lord to help and asking for Our Lady’s intersession. In the process we might help save many souls.

Bombs, guns, militaries, and overpowering physical force cannot compare to genuine prayer.

Think of what happened when Jonah went to Niniveh!

Jesus Christ is the answer to everything that falls upon the world. We need to stop talking, and start praying–every day before the Lord. 🙂
 
_Abyssinia said:
World Youth Day is in Poland in 2016.
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Frankly, I don’t think another Polish Pope can turn this around, not for the long-term anyway. Habits of going to Church every Sunday and Holy Day are hard to make, easy to break.
 
ProVobis said:
Frankly, I don’t think another Polish Pope can turn this around, not for the long-term anyway. Habits of going to Church every Sunday and Holy Day are hard to make, easy to break.
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There has to be reason given for the hope that we hold–coupled with constant and daily prayers…constant mental prayers throughout the day asking for the Lord’s intersession on behalf of those in our lives. Prayer can and does bring amazing results.

What has fallen away can be restored, if we small percentages of faithful Catholics do what we are called to do. Remember, in the early Church, a small band of men (along with the prompting of the Holy Spirit) lead to billions becoming Christian over the centuries.

We must stop talking–and instead start praying.

We are not called to ignore the millions falling away–we are called to do everything we can to help them see the light of Christ. We must not stop trying just because things are tough today. Even if we are living in the literal Last Days (which I do not think we are), we must try to help save as many souls as we can.

Wars have been won–walls have fallen down–and entire peoples have been saved through the power of prayer! 🙂

Pray–then pray–then pray–and when you are sick of praying, pray again. Say a rosary in the car on the way to and from work, say a rosary when you are exercising…say mental prayers for everyone you come across and ask the Lord to bless, save, convert and guide them.

Pray ceaselessly–make it such a habit that your day would be strange without it.

When we pass Catholics Churches, do the sign of the cross in acknowledgement that the Lord waits for us in that Church, and ask the Lord to bless, save, convert, and guide everyone you know.

Make prayer lists of people in your life, including yourself, and ask the Lord to bless, convert, save and guide them all–by name. Add names whenever someone new comes into your life–recite each person’s name individually, not as a package deal–make your prayer personal and heart felt.

Do we mean what we say? Are we willing to put our own time and effort on the line, or will we just lament the terrible conditions of today’s world?

PRAY-PRAY-PRAY–all the time PRAY. 🙂
 
paperwight66 said:
Source? What size was the sample? In what countries was this survey carried out?
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The source was a Gallup poll taken years ago…it is highly unlikely that in the intervening years that belief in the Real Presence (as the Real Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus) had gone up.

Also, considering the horrible rates of following Church teachings across the board, and the horrible rates of Mass attendance, those are enough to prove a lack of belief in the Real Presence…people who believe they are receiving God are not likely to want to stop receiving God.
 
irishpatrick said:
The source was a Gallup poll taken years ago…it is highly unlikely that in the intervening years that belief in the Real Presence (as the Real Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus) had gone up.

.
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Can you find out what was the size of the sample, how respondents were recruited, in what country or countries the poll was conducted, how were they balanced for education, and above all, what was the exact question asked.
For example, if the question was ‘Do you believe that Jesus is physically present in the Blessed Sacrament’ the answer would have to be ‘no’, but this might be interpreted as non-belief in the Real Presence. Interpreted wrongly, of course, as the Real Presence is sacramental, not physical.
 
paperwight66 said:
Can you find out what was the size of the sample, how respondents were recruited, in what country or countries the poll was conducted, how were they balanced for education, and above all, what was the exact question asked.
For example, if the question was ‘Do you believe that Jesus is physically present in the Blessed Sacrament’ the answer would have to be ‘no’, but this might be interpreted as non-belief in the Real Presence. Interpreted wrongly, of course, as the Real Presence is sacramental, not physical.
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Yes, if I desired to do the research I could post that. However, I am not sure what good any of that does. In truth, anyone who looks around the state of the Church in the USA, Canada, and Europe, has little doubt that belief in the Real Presence has plummeted, along with belief in a great many things. Catholics abort in high numbers, they contracept at close to the same rate as the general population, they live together, they fornicate, they do nearly all the same things that the general population does, and Mass attendance has plummeted in the same period that Catholics have walked away from their faith.

All of these “things” mirror each other. If Catholics believed that the Eucharist is truly Jesus/God, than they would not do a great many things they do. Further, if a majority of Catholics believed that the Eucharist is truly Jesus/God, than weekly Mass attendance rates would not not be in the 25-30% range (which is the exact mirrior of the Gallup Poll reflecting only 30% of Catholics believe the Eucharist is truly Jesus/God). In the 40s and 50s, Mass attendance was around 74%, with more strict pre-Mass fasting regulations and more Holy Days of Obligaton.

Belief in the Eucharist as being truly Jesus’ Real Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity, is something that transforms and converts people–Catholics who believe the Eucharist is Jesus/God will think twice before getting abortions, divorcing, living together, etc…it is all linked together and it all mirrors each other.

Finally, if belief in the Real Presence were held by say 80% of all Catholics, than confession lines would be stacked full (like they used to be back in the days of 74% Mass attendance).

All one has to do is to take a look at the practices of lay Catholics to understand the truth.
 
My impression from the Polish family I know
is that WORLDLINESS has crept in to their
lives, they are doing well work-wise and are
financially healthy, but they smoke and drink
and party to disco-rock music, it disgusted me
to be at their Christmas party!
 
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