The French Catholic Church is dying

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Historically, France has been called the “daughter of the Church”, but now people of my age or younger are either atheists or don’t care at all about God.

The only Churches which are still growing and dynamics are evangelical ones, whereby people experienced conversion and radical changes of their life.
I wish this would also exist in Catholic Churches.

It would be a miracle of French people came back to God.

The only advantage of this situation is that the people who keep going to Church are most often serious Christians, who really believe in Jesus.

I’m living in Eastern Germany, and I feel no longer ashamed to speak of my faith with friends, they all need an unconditional love which can only be found in God.

Lovely greetings from Germany
Liebe Grüße aus Deutschland

Lothars Sohn - Lothar’s son
lotharlorraine.wordpress.com
 
Lotharson said:
Historically, France has been called the “daughter of the Church”, but now people of my age or younger are either atheists or don’t care at all about God.
The only Churches which are still growing and dynamics are evangelical ones, whereby people experienced conversion and radical changes of their life.
I wish this would also exist in Catholic Churches.
It would be a miracle of French people came back to God.
The only advantage of this situation is that the people who keep going to Church are most often serious Christians, who really believe in Jesus.
I’m living in Eastern Germany, and I feel no longer ashamed to speak of my faith with friends, they all need an unconditional love which can only be found in God.
Lovely greetings from Germany
Liebe Grüße aus Deutschland
Lothars Sohn - Lothar’s son
lotharlorraine.wordpress.com
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My mother is from Luxembourg and it is the same problem there. She told me after her visit that most people there have forgotten God. The cathedral where she was baptized is more like a museum for tourists than a house of prayer. It was quite upsetting for her.
 
History should teach us never to underestimate the resiliency of our faith or the Holy Spirit working in the lives of the faithful. The Church in France and in other parts of Europe has known darker days than what it presently endures. One need only research the history of the French Church during the French Revolution and the Napoleonic era to see how much the Church has endured and overcome in France. Though the Church in France may be changing, it is not dying and those who reject the faith in youth often return to it in their maturity. Do not lose hope or despair that the Holy Spirit is not acting among us.
 
Tsuwano said:
History should teach us never to underestimate the resiliency of our faith or the Holy Spirit working in the lives of the faithful. The Church in France and in other parts of Europe has known darker days than what it presently endures. One need only research the history of the French Church during the French Revolution and the Napoleonic era to see how much the Church has endured and overcome in France. Though the Church in France may be changing, it is not dying and those who reject the faith in youth often return to it in their maturity. Do not lose hope or despair that the Holy Spirit is not acting among us.
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You are right when you say that those who reject the faith in youth often return to it in their maturity. when your young most of us only think about freinds, girls/boys, having fun etc but one tends to start thinking about the real world about life and would want some questions to be answered in which GOD can only give them
 
There is no French Catholic Church, there is the Catholic Church :), and it isn’t dying. There are some geographic areas going through tough times and other areas going through okay times and other areas going through great times.

I have much admiration for you staying faithful in such a hostile environment. 👍 You are doing more than you know simply by staying active in it from week to week. Future generations will be able to look back and see that the faith was never broken.
 
TK421 said:
There is no French Catholic Church, there is the Catholic Church :), and it isn’t dying. There are some geographic areas going through tough times and other areas going through okay times and other areas going through great times.

I have much admiration for you staying faithful in such a hostile environment. 👍 You are doing more than you know simply by staying active in it from week to week. Future generations will be able to look back and see that the faith was never broken.
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Agreed
 
Hallo irenaeuslyons, das isch a wohnsinn, mir kinne doch e bischle uf lothringisch rede, gell? 🙂

Lovely greetings from Germany
Liebe Grüße aus Deutschland

Lothars Sohn - Lothar’s son
lotharlorraine.wordpress.com
 
TK421 said:
There is no French Catholic Church, there is the Catholic Church :), and it isn’t dying. There are some geographic areas going through tough times and other areas going through okay times and other areas going through great times.
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This. I live in France, and I do not see a dying Church in my area. I have, however, seen much cause for concern elsewhere in France. I think it’s like that in all countries, though: there are some areas in which the faith thrives, others in which it holds its own, and still others in which it’s losing ground.

The ICRSS is present in my archdiocese, and their community is growing steadily—so much so that it appears to be something of a challenge for them to keep up with it. So no, it’s not just the evangelicals…although I recognize their ranks are swelling quite rapidly.
TK421 said:
I have much admiration for you staying faithful in such a hostile environment. 👍 You are doing more than you know simply by staying active in it from week to week. Future generations will be able to look back and see that the faith was never broken.
Click to expand...
It’s this sort of perseverance that will insure the future of the faith. :yup:
 
From what I hear, most of what you say is true. However, I hear that traditional Catholicism is booming in France.

I can’t remember where I heard it, but someone once told me that almost 50% of Catholics who attend Mass every Sunday in France go to a Latin Mass (of course, about 2% of all French Catholics attend Mass weekly from what I understand, so in total numbers that’s still not many people).
 
I suppose it depends on where you are in France. When I visited Reims this past March, I found a very reverent, zealous group of Catholics at the renovated Seminary that we stayed in. They communicated that even a few of the men were considering Priesthood — Praise God!

However, I would agree with the aforementioned statements about some Churches being more of a museum and less of a place of prayer. When I went to the Cathédrale Notre-Dame (in Paris) they were shuffling people through like it was something in Wisconsin Dells. I understand the historical significance and the fact that many people from all walks of life wish to see the Cathedral and learn about it. I suppose it’s up to the Archbishop what they should/would do with it.

As far as numbers go, I attended Daily Mass a few times and there were a comparable amount of attendees to what I typically find here in America at some of our Daily Masses. I suppose we should all continue to pray for the Church in France, and especially for the Priests, Seminarians, and Religious of the country. :highprayer:

Blessings & Baguettes,

-CMC
 
It is pretty much the European state that has reached the most advanced stages of the secularist disease comparable to Norway, Sweden, and Finland, but it just so happens to be Catholic. If nothing changes, it will soon be followed by Italy, Spain, Portugal, Germany, and a while after that the Eastern European countries. Quebec is in a similar state to France or Italy, and the United States, while a religious stronghold compared to those nations, will probably be comparable to contemporary Europe in about 20-30 years–again, if nothing changes.

The question of the fate of the Cathedrals and historic churches is indeed interesting. As I understand it, many European dioceses have sought UNESCO Heritage status for their buildings in order that any financial struggles they experience due to the near-zero active church-going population can be circumvented by the support of UNESCO’s finances.

One day, perhaps within the next century, it is not hard to envision African and Asian missionaries venturing into the hostile lands of Europe and North America in an attempt to convert the dark, Pagan wilderness!
 
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