Church programs

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Not really sure where to put this, since similar topics have been shown. But does anyone think the decline in
yearly retreat attendance is due to more flexible changes since Vatican 2?
 
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I don’t think most Catholics know what a retreat even is.
 
I think people have so many demands on their time these days it’s hard to make room for a retreat. In addition, people seem very uncomfortable with silence or extended prayer time. If someone is going to take a weekend away it’s more likely to be at a spa than a retreat house.
 
In my area, there just aren’t many retreats in the parishes so not much opportunity.
 
Only one retreat house in another diocese. We have a special day for “retreat like spirituality”. Transportation is an issue for many.
 
Probably not because of Vatican II, it’s just because less people are attending Church. In addition to that, the people that attend Church aren’t always faithful to the point where they want to hang out with a bunch of other Catholics for spiritual development. And then out of the small faithful willing to consider retreats, time, money, and work gets in the way of things.
 
Just a thought, but along with the lack of people interested in attending mass etc., when new ideas were brought in to traditional-oriented Catholic retreat themes, maybe it didn’t appeal to the devout Catholics, and they left because ideas were being included like Zen, yoga, new age perhaps. it wasn’t what they came for. And with the decline in numbers of those who wanted to come, the retreat houses couldn’t stay open?
 
margaret42 said:
Just a thought, but along with the lack of people interested in attending mass etc., when new ideas were brought in to traditional-oriented Catholic retreat themes, maybe it didn’t appeal to the devout Catholics, and they left because ideas were being included like Zen, yoga, new age perhaps. it wasn’t what they came for. And with the decline in numbers of those who wanted to come, the retreat houses couldn’t stay open?
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Yup. My church is having a “charismatic catholic” retreat. Definitely not going to that.
 
I don’t know. In the last few years two retreat houses near me have closed. One offered more traditional retreats, one offered newer type themes. Both ended up the same way: closed.

We’ve tried offering mornings of rejection in my parish during Advent and Lent but not many people attend. I wish I knew what would catch people’s imagination and interest.
 
And with the “parish missions”, people will often go the first day/night and decide about tomorrow’s visit based upon the preacher’s talk.
 
Interesting question!

IMHO, the cost for many “live in” retreats is quite high.

http://www.campion.asn.au/retreats-2018/

They have an eight day silent retreat which is $1040 (live-in), and no “live out” option. They have weekend themed retreats for $260 (live-in) or $190 (live-out). (Prices are in Australian dollars)

The average Australian worker earns around $1200 per week and with tax and superannuation taken out $875.87, or around $62k a year. (Australian dollars, in America dollars that is around $46k).

So yeah, living costs, mortgages, childcare, transport costs—there isn’t much money left to spend 1/4 of your monthly wage on an eight day retreat.
 
Probably there are more retreat possibilities after Vatican II especially for lay people. It is just that less people are going to church today than say, in the fifties. And much less from these are really committed Christians.

I am in a particular group in our diocese where we go for retreats regularly and conduct them for the parishioners as well. We do get invited to other parishes and other countries to conduct seminars cum retreats.

So I have seen lots of retreats by lay people, from children, youth and adults.

It is really a matter of the individuals - how is their spiritual lives? Other than that, do they practice their spirituality at home; do they bring up their families to be steep in the Lord?
 
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Thanks for the posting. I don’t think Vatican II contributed to a decline in this practice. I can only comment on what I see in my part of the US. There is a large decline in the number of Catholics actively practicing their faith 35-40% mass attendance), and a shift away from parish centered activities that would groups of people to attend retreats.

Some will say there is less time, but I don’t think that’s the case. I think there are just so many more secular activities that people choose to participate in rather than religious activities.
 
I agree with all the answers and think it is probably a combination of all those factors mentioned.

I go on retreat twice a year and go many states away for them. We have now 4 catholic retreat centers in my state. Only two guarantee daily mass for private retreats: one is a yoga type place and the other is SSPX. I can’t afford the yoga place and can’t go SSPX.

Group retreats are largely cursillos, marriage oriented or you have to belong to the parish hosting it.

The retreat center I visit is so busy it is sometimes hard to get a bed. It offers adoration, mass, confession and good food pretty much every day of the year though.
 
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Would you kindly link me to the flexible changes in retreats that was decreed by “Vatican 2”?

Honestly, retreats are attended by people who find the topic interesting. Folks who schedule retreats need to listen to their community, schedule topics that will attract, have child care, get the word out on Social Media instead of just an announcement during the “liturgy of the bulletin” etc.
 
That is one problem, people can become very blocked by tunnel vision. If THEY are excited by the topic/speaker they assume everyone else will be.
 
Even the term “mission” is lost on many people.

There are more converts, more mixed marriages. To a convert, a “mission” is when you go out to witness/minister on the street or to a distant land.

We have to use language that is clear.

For example, our parish does a Living Stations of the Cross drama each Good Friday. This past Lent, I advertised it as a “Living Passion Play Drama” and we had twice as many people attend.
 
I didn’t mean that Vatican 2 caused it, since it helped more people try to join the Catholic church.
what I mean to say is that about about thirty years into it, something happened when non-traditional ideas were brought into the itinerary of “conferences”.
I remember a retreat I went on maybe 15 years ago, that turned out not to be what I was looking for, and left before it was over. And maybe traditional Catholics were turned off by it.
 
I agree that getting away from the orthodoxy has caused problems. I hear people sputtering about disagreements they have had with retreat programs that are doing things that go against the teachings of the Church.
 
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