Future of the Catholic Church in members?

[Wesrock]

That s cult talk simply

IF I decide to leave the Catholic Church then that is what I will do;period, and at that point all her teachings become null and void to me.

So no you cannot count those who have left of their free will and choice,

We have those here on CAF of course, former Catholics,strong Christians.

It is worrying that you can even think else. The Church does not own my soul or my free will.

The Church is not a club or a secular political party. You have been joined to the body of Christ and are forever a part of it. There is a higher mystery here, whether or not a person stops recognizing it.

 

[HelenRose]

I find recent Protestants such as those that originated from the 20th century are fierce attackers of the Catholic Church. They say it’s okay because they are just telling truth that Catholics doesn’t follow the Bible or demons or false prophets, a political tool of Constantine, merged with paganism, the Whore of Babylon, Pope is the anti-Christ, the usual. It’s very shocking, I guess that their strength.

[BDoes anyone here predicts that the Catholic Church’s members will dwindle? And they will join radical Protestants.** People that interacts with me here has good views of mainstream Protestants, maybe such as the Lutherans, Methodists, Anglicans even they attack each other in the past. But it’s the noisy, boastful and aggressive newer Protestants from the 20th century seems to be gaining upper hand here. They’re so convinced of Sola Scriptura while seem to have no idea how the Catholic Church made, compiled and preserved it.

When you figure that the Church began with Christ, twelve men and the Blessed Mother, it is pretty hard to predict the future.

 

[Sy_Noe]

The Church is not a club or a secular political party. You have been joined to the body of Christ and are forever a part of it. There is a higher mystery here, whether or not a person stops recognizing it.

Yet a Baptized/Confirmed Catholic may not have the Catholic faith or no longer hold it or lose such a faith at some point while still having faith they are among His body within another Christian community.

 

[Wesrock]

Yet a Baptized/Confirmed Catholic may not have the Catholic faith or no longer hold it or lose such a faith at some point while still having faith they are among His body within another Christian community.

Yes, but we’re talking about the number of Catholics, not the number of people participating in or believing the Faith. The Church isn’t thinking of this in terms of some secular or even simply worldly organization with membership.

 

[Sy_Noe]

Yes, but we’re talking about the number of Catholics, not the number of people participating in or believing the Faith. The Church isn’t thinking of this in terms of some secular or even simply worldly organization with membership.

I know we are. And the Catholic Church claims and counts up to a number that includes far more than those with Catholic faith beliefs. And they don’t even allow a person to defect.

forums.catholic-questions.org/showpost.php?p=13411600&postcount=2

 

[ConfusedLucy]

Have you never heard of those who are called “Cultural Catholics”? They may baptize their children in a Catholic Church. My parents did not regularly attend Mass or practice and baptized us. Later on after my father’s death when I was very young, my mother then began to more so and raised me in the faith. We were there every Sunday for 8 am Mass. And as the yrs went by, she became more involved in her the parish.

The work of the Catholic Church isn’t going to be carried out by people who only go to church for baptisms and weddings. Parishes with only a handful of elderly people can’t be kept open because of people who never go to mass but are officially Catholic. There may be a lot of Catholics on paper but when the faithful elders die off there aren’t going to be a whole lot of people stepping into their shoes.

I know a lot of former Catholics and some are practicing other faiths, some are hostile and refuse to baptize their children Catholic but most of the ones I know are indifferent about their faith. If these guys are the future of the Catholic Church then there is definitely going to be some decline, although there is a chance that some may revert it’s going to be a smaller church. Doesn’t mean the church can’t ever be built up again.

 

[Reuben_J]

I find recent Protestants such as those that originated from the 20th century are fierce attackers of the Catholic Church. They say it’s okay because they are just telling truth that Catholics doesn’t follow the Bible or demons or false prophets, a political tool of Constantine, merged with paganism, the Whore of Babylon, Pope is the anti-Christ, the usual. It’s very shocking, I guess that their strength.

[BDoes anyone here predicts that the Catholic Church’s members will dwindle? And they will join radical Protestants.** People that interacts with me here has good views of mainstream Protestants, maybe such as the Lutherans, Methodists, Anglicans even they attack each other in the past. But it’s the noisy, boastful and aggressive newer Protestants from the 20th century seems to be gaining upper hand here. They’re so convinced of Sola Scriptura while seem to have no idea how the Catholic Church made, compiled and preserved it.

I think Cathloics in the Western wolrd may suffer some losses as all Christianity are but Catholics are gaining in numbers rapidly in Africa and Asia.

I think somd forms of Protestantism will dwindle out eventually because they are
cults and fads. Eventually people will come back to the Catholic Church to find the fulness of truth.

 

[Wesrock]

I know we are. And the Catholic Church claims and counts up to a number that includes far more than those with Catholic faith beliefs. And they don’t even allow a person to defect.

forums.catholic-questions.org/showpost.php?p=13411600&postcount=2

I’m aware, but I’m willing to drop this discussion in this thread as it’s a tangent to the original topic, one which I’ve helped carry it down.

 

[Gertabelle]

The work of the Catholic Church isn’t going to be carried out by people who only go to church for baptisms and weddings. Parishes with only a handful of elderly people can’t be kept open because of people who never go to mass but are officially Catholic. **There may be a lot of Catholics on paper but when the faithful elders die off there aren’t going to be a whole lot of people stepping into their shoes. **

That is not the reality in this area of Denver.

We have tons of families with lots and lots of children. The elderly are our wise ones, the ones who started and continue(d) so many of our parish groups, and the ones who help our faith grow through their prayers.

That’s the case of the two parishes nearest me, as well as the Cathedral. Thanks be to God!

 

[Peter_J]

strange and worrying definition of membership

Hi Rosebud. Fwiw, I haven’t heard the aforementioned claim IRL, but I *have *heard it many times on this forum.

I guess I won’t be too surprised if, in a few years, we start to hear it IRL.

 

[ConfusedLucy]

That is not the reality in this area of Denver.

We have tons of families with lots and lots of children. The elderly are our wise ones, the ones who started and continue(d) so many of our parish groups, and the ones who help our faith grow through their prayers.

That’s the case of the two parishes nearest me, as well as the Cathedral. Thanks be to God!

I am very glad that there is better news elsewhere. My own experience concerns me, I grew up in a place where parish populations were artificially inflated by parents who wanted to send their children to Catholic Schools, you would often get large first communion classes and small or no confirmation classes because once these children had their secondary school places they were never seen again. The parish had very few teenagers and young adults attending mass.

I went to school with an awful lot of Catholics on paper who were indifferent to their faith. Approaching 30 few of them seem to be showing signs of returning to church.

The parish I am at now is similar in that it is mostly the elderly who get involved outside of mass. Many of these people have children who have left and never returned. There are some young families but again few teenagers and young adults. The parish in the next town who are merging will have elderly people who won’t be able to travel further to mass and maybe people who only feel a tenuous link to church who won’t want to travel further so that will be even fewer people.

I pray for a revival, for something to really shake up the faith in my area because between the young and indifferent and the faithful elders who haven’t passed on the faith to their children I don’t see it happening.

 

[Reuben_J]

I am very glad that there is better news elsewhere. My own experience concerns me, I grew up in a place where parish populations were artificially inflated by parents who wanted to send their children to Catholic Schools, you would often get large first communion classes and small or no confirmation classes because once these children had their secondary school places they were never seen again. The parish had very few teenagers and young adults attending mass.

I went to school with an awful lot of Catholics on paper who were indifferent to their faith. Approaching 30 few of them seem to be showing signs of returning to church.

The parish I am at now is similar in that it is mostly the elderly who get involved outside of mass. Many of these people have children who have left and never returned. There are some young families but again few teenagers and young adults. The parish in the next town who are merging will have elderly people who won’t be able to travel further to mass and maybe people who only feel a tenuous link to church who won’t want to travel further so that will be even fewer people.

I pray for a revival, for something to really shake up the faith in my area because between the young and indifferent and the faithful elders who haven’t passed on the faith to their children I don’t see it happening.

I agree with you about the shrinking church attendance. It is definitely a different scenario compared to the fifties or the sixties.

It is a common sight to see churches being half empty and attended by elderly people. One can count a few souls attending daily masses, and they are most elderly, practically without the young people. Where they are, you would perhaps see some Asians families in the midst.

That’s a recognizable phenomenon today.

While the church attendance may be less, Catholic population may not be proportional to it. It just means they are not attending church, or not attending church regularly, but some of those are still Catholics.

Sometimes they are just coming for the major occasions like Christmas or Easter mass, or when they get married or die.

It is not an encouraging state of affair. Without the young people actively practicing, it creates a gap in the generations of church attendance. When the elderly would be phased out through death, then the real problem would come unless there will be revival in the faith of the younger Catholics.

It is interesting to see how the Lord will work to address this but from time to time along the history of the Church, the Holy Spirit would bring about graces and transformation to call His people back home again.

 

[Wesrock]

The parish I attend in downtown Indianapolis has a vibrant young adult community and college campus ministry. The number of families in the parish has increased by five times over the last six years, about 60% of its parishioners are between ages 18 to 35, and marriages and baptisms and families with children are on the rise.

It’s definitely not bad news everywhere.

 

[ConfusedLucy]

The parish I attend in downtown Indianapolis has a vibrant young adult community and college campus ministry. The number of families in the parish has increased by five times over the last six years, about 60% of its parishioners are between ages 18 to 35, and marriages and baptisms and families with children are on the rise.

It’s definitely not bad news everywhere.

That sounds great, what do you think has led to such a thriving parish? Different areas seem so different but it would be great if we could learn from the thriving areas and put ideas into practice.

 

[adamhovey1988]

As hard is it is to believe, the Church is actually growing in the American Southeast. I think it would grow faster if it weren’t for the fact old prejudices die hard.