Father's Day Mass nearly empty

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Why is the Church so full during Christmas and yet my nearly empty in the summer time like today for Father’s Day. Happens year after year. Any thoughts do these people go to confession for missing Mass., are they really all in with Catholicism?
 
Wasn’t that way at my parish. I go to our 7:30am Mass and it was packed. KOC pancake breakfast could’ve played a role.😉
 
Minnesota1 said:
Why is the Church so full during Christmas and yet my nearly empty in the summer time like today for Father’s Day. Happens year after year. Any thoughts do these people go to confession for missing Mass., are they really all in with Catholicism?
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I would say one never knows. The Vigil Mass at my parish was full yesterday. How many Masses does your parish hold? How many people go away and you are unaware?

Wiser not to judge others but rather to pray for them. One can never authentically judge the heart and intent of another; that is God’s responsibility, not ours. 👍
 
Minnesota1 said:
Why is the Church so full during Christmas and yet my nearly empty in the summer time like today for Father’s Day. Happens year after year. Any thoughts do these people go to confession for missing Mass., are they really all in with Catholicism?
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Did you think that perhaps they attended Mass at another time this weekend? Or at another parish? I would be quick to give the benefit of the doubt and slow to make a judgement on this. Many times we attend a Sunday evening Mass at a parish other than our own because of family or work obligations. Sometimes we attend the Saturday Vigil Mass in our own parish and sometimes it’s the later one on Sunday mornings. Just because Mass wasn’t full this morning doesn’t mean fellow parishioners were skipping out on their Sunday obligation.
 
It seems that on special days like Father’s Day lots of people travel or have events that take them to Mass other than their usual time. We had lots of visitors today.
 
Minnesota1 said:
Why is the Church so full during Christmas and yet my nearly empty in the summer time like today for Father’s Day. Happens year after year. Any thoughts do these people go to confession for missing Mass., are they really all in with Catholicism?
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I don’t think it is any of my business who or how many attend any Mass. If one misses Mass for no good reason, then one must go to confession before receiving Communion, but again it is none of my business who goes to confession or what they confess.
 
My guess would be that, since for many folks, school ended this past week that many have gone on vacations. As a result, they may be attending mass in the city/town of their destination.
 
The 9 AM EF Mass I attend was packed today. There seemed to be a quarter more people than usual.
 
Minnesota1 said:
Why is the Church so full during Christmas and yet my nearly empty in the summer time like today for Father’s Day. Happens year after year. Any thoughts do these people go to confession for missing Mass., are they really all in with Catholicism?
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A friend of mine used to refer to the C and E crowd…those people that my just come twice a year. We should pray God leads them home weekly. As for confession and their
in with Catholicism only God knows.
 
Our 8 am was packed - that said - school doesn’t get out here until the 26th so no vacations yet.
 
Boy, our church was almost standing room only for 830 Mass today. Easter was packed but i think today there were more people. of course today was our first Sunday with our new Priest.
 
Minnesota1 said:
Why is the Church so full during Christmas and yet my nearly empty in the summer time like today for Father’s Day. Happens year after year. Any thoughts do these people go to confession for missing Mass., are they really all in with Catholicism?
Click to expand...
Our 9:00am Mass today seemed to have a different crowd than the usuals. Some were people I’m used to seeing leave when I arrive and others were ones I’m used to seeing arrive when I leave. But there were no fewer people (and perhaps even more people) than usual.

I do usually notice a drop-off in attendance in the summer. I also see this on holiday weekends. My parish is fairly well off and a lot of people take off to visit family and to vacation on holidays and in the summer. More people seem to leave than have family come and visit.

On days like Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Game Day, etc. people tend to attend different Masses in order to allow them to prepare for or attend personal functions.

But unless one attends EVERY Mass on Saturday evening and on Sunday I don’t think one can say that less people attend Mass on Father’s Day and in the summer; And even if Mass attendance is down in the summer it does not necessarily mean that those people are not attending Mass.
 
SMHW said:
And even if Mass attendance is down in the summer it does not necessarily mean that those people are not attending Mass.
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I am much more likely to find a church anywhere close by to wherever we are - we do ALOT of weekend travel during the summer - mostly day trips, but oftentimes we hit a church up closest to where we are … if we’re on the way home on a Saturday afternoon we might do it then since we are already and out and about. I just catch up with the collection the following week.

As far as Catholics being “all in”, who’s to say? Its pretty obvious to me (looking at the confession lines) that many people are attending Mass that aren’t receiving the sacrament of confession… before I was “all in” I only went once a year during lent and I know I needed to go much more often that that! Honestly, I’m just glad to have people in church.
 
Minnesota1 said:
Why is the Church so full during Christmas and yet my nearly empty in the summer time like today for Father’s Day. Happens year after year. Any thoughts do these people go to confession for missing Mass., are they really all in with Catholicism?
Click to expand...
Our Masses are typically full year round, though Christmas and Easter Masses are packed beyond full because the Chreasters are in attendance for the Holy Days.
 
Our parish is rarely full even in the best of times. But today there was only a handful of us - maybe 1/2 dozen men, twice that women, and a sprinkling of kids. I figured they were busy with Father’s Day activities - fishing, picnicking, visiting out-of-town family.

Beautiful weather for whatever they might have been doing! 😃
 
MaryT777 said:
A friend of mine used to refer to the C and E crowd…those people that my just come twice a year. We should pray God leads them home weekly. As for confession and their
in with Catholicism only God knows.
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Thanks that is my speculation. I just see a wave every year, Church vastly more full during Chirstmas/Easter., attendance drops off substantially during summer.
 
I think that several reasons play into why mass was half full, or extremely full. Yes it is Father’s Day, but were also in summer. Most families will have plans with their families so in order to accommodate their family plans, they might go earlier than usual, or even on Saturday evening. We went to church last night, it was approximately 80% full.
 
chero23 said:
I think that several reasons play into why mass was half full, or extremely full. Yes it is Father’s Day, but were also in summer. Most families will have plans with their families so in order to accommodate their family plans, they might go earlier than usual, or even on Saturday evening. We went to church last night, it was approximately 80% full.
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I know in my parish, many of our retired folks leave for the summer and go to their second home elsewhere in the states… 😃
 
Minnesota1 said:
Thanks that is my speculation. I just see a wave every year, Church vastly more full during Chirstmas/Easter., attendance drops off substantially during summer.
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I definitely agree that more people attend Mass on Christmas and Easter. That has been going on for years.

However I am wondering why you are comparing summer Sunday Mass attendance to Christmas and Easter as opposed to comparing summer attendance against a more “normal” Sunday Mass in the Autumn through Spring time-frame.
 
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