Effect of scandal on Mass attendance

  • Thread starter Thread starter marybobo
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
M

marybobo

Guest
Has anyone noticed a drop in Mass attendance at your parish in recent weeks and months? I have, and I can’t help but wonder if this is an effect of the recent sexual abuse scandals.
 
I have been looking to see if there’s a change. I usually go to 7:30 AM Mass, and have not noticed any substantial change. Some Sundays are slightly more attended, some slightly less, but on the average, about the same.
 
I haven’t seen a decrease in attendance at either of two parishes I attend. At one, the Sunday Mass seems as if there are more. Individual posts here, however, won’t reflect attendance overall.
 
“If” it affects attendance and not saying it does, then, it may well affect other things, charitable giving and so on. That’s sad.
 
Haven’t seen it in the 2 or 3 dioceses I’ve been in since this occurred. One of the places I attend is Philadelphia and I would think anybody who was going to quit going to Mass over clergy abuse scandals would have done so already when the Philadelphia grand jury report came out, some years ago. People around Philadelphia are also very aware that priests who are credibly accused are quickly removed from parishes now, as there have been several such cases in the news in the last few years.
 
There as been a decrease in attendance and in contributions in many parishes in my diocese.

I don’t know if it all has to do with the latest scandals, but it is definitely part of the reason.
 
Perhaps. Though the liturgically innovative teen Mass I attended yesterday at another parish because I was too sluggish to get to a morning Mass was quite packed.
 
Last edited:
No drop in attendance and no drop in parish funds…the other collections, we don’t know about.

Our parish priest is quite happy that is flock is here for Jesus
 
Not that I can see.

But in my own experience, I haven’t met anybody in the real world who stopped going to Mass because of the scandal.
I have seen lots of fallen-away Catholics who use this retroactively as an excuse to not come back.
 
I am pleased to hear that many of you who have responded have not seen what I have seen in my parish. I don’t know if the scandal is the cause, but it is sad to see.
 
Huge decrease at both parishes I attend. It isn’t so much the scandal as the refusal of our priests to acknowledge anything is going on. Many people have mentioned that if Father would just say something it would give them hope.
 
In my parish, a larger collection is around $10,500 per weekend, but lately there seems to be a dip. The attendees are predominantly retired people.

The diocese has about 40 priests and one was arrested and pleaded guilty to 7 felony counts. That was the big news, along with the bishop’s residence, the cathedral, and the diocesan offices being raided by the state police. I can’t tell if many are following the daily updates we seem to be getting from different sources .

We got a new pastor and he’s tinkering around, you know, fixing things that aren’t broken. And, he’s only 36. As with any new boss, he’s taking charge to show who is in charge.

Now we’re going to have fewer extraordinary ministers of the Eucharist and go to communion in a different order. Take that!
 
Yes I have noticed a dip generally but not in the Extraordinary Form.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top