The future of the Church

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mugglestruggle

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Hi everyone ! I was born and raised catholic but spent the last decade as an agnostic, looking into protestantism. Anyway this quarantine made me look into theology and catholicism and I finally decided to come back home ! :smiling_face_with_three_hearts:👏
The thing is
 I feel very lonely. I live in rural Quebec and religion here is a thing of the past. The church only attracts older folks on regular sundays, and maybe a few younger families on Christmas and Easter.
With too much time on my hands, I started overthinking the future of the Church, and I’m scared to see it disappear.
I know it will most likely never be a part of our identity and culture as it used to be, but it’s hard for me to accept that. I get sad thinking in a few years from now, we will have fewer and fewer Catholic Churches and it will be hard for my future children to follow this path.

Anyone else in this situation? I need to know I’m not alone. How do we make catholicism great again ? 😅
 
If we are tempted to overthink things and as a result get scared, remember that it is not us that ultimately keeps the Church alive. The Church is after all the visible part of a supernatural Kingdom. We have to trust in Christ above all.

Worry is useless.
 
Sadly many people have left the church. Gladly more and more are coming back!!! 2 years ago the USCCB reported over 33k people entered the church on that Easter. It is likely more left that year but i thought that was a great stat to see so many coming back.

Peace!!!
 
Praise God! Well, faith and Church attendance, waxes and wanes like the tides of the ocean. The Church is a living breathing entity and what you are seeing is exhalation. But, rest assured that it does not cease with empty lungs! It must take air in once again.

CCC 44 states that man is, by nature and vocation, a religious being. When fortunes turn bad, when plague or famine strike, the spiritual desire for God is rekindled.
 
Well I believe the Church is going to gradually shrink as a result of the scandals and corruption which are still prevalent in our church today. I don’t believe things are going to start turning a corner until this rot has been purged from within.

What gives me hope is that the true authentic faith is slowly being taught once again. The Traditions and teachings of our Church are becoming easier to find thanks to online resources and Catholic publishers reprinting books that are unapologetically Catholic.

Plus there are some good and faithful clergy who have stepped up during this crisis. So don’t lose heart but just be mindful that things are going to get worse before they get better.
 
Maybe the church itself will never disappear, but I meant, in my area. I mean it when I say religion is a thing of the past in my part of the world. If all nearby churches close, and catholicism is still looked down upon and people want it to disappear, well, that’s not a good thing.
 
Welcome back!
It’s sad to read what happened to your part of Quebec. I always thought Quebec had a lot of Catholics, or at least Montreal.
I definitely have seen declining Mass attendance over the years. But each of us can only do what is in our power.
 
I’m not alone in thinking that these tough years have left many part-time or luke warm Catholics behind. Unfortunate for them, but a good thing for the Church. Quebec is a sad case, but remember that the Church is growing and vibrant in other areas of the world. My advice to you is keep searching to find a parish with youth groups/ young adults. Join a Catholic volunteer group. Ask around to locate young Catholics. I’m sure you will find them if you seek them out.
 
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Thank you !
There might be a lot more in larger cities like Montreal or Québec city. Unfortunately I live in a small area close to the Ontario border. There used to be one church per village but not one or two out of three are closed. The local protestant church seems to attracts youth a lot more.
But still, the overall situation in our province is sad. It’s not rare to read articles about how they can’t wait to see catholicism disappear completely from the province. The 60s changed everything.
 
It is up to us to pray much and allow our Lord Jesus Christ to sanctify us! Then others will be attracted to Him and want to follow.

Jesus gave us a great gift when He gave us His mother at the foot of the cross. Our Blessed Mother Mary is a great intercessor, and we have the rosary where she takes us through the mysteries of Our Lord’s life.

Do not allow the evil one to use the tool of discouragement. Be not afraid! The Lord will never leave us.
 
mugglestruggle said:
Thank you !
There might be a lot more in larger cities like Montreal or Québec city. Unfortunately I live in a small area close to the Ontario border. There used to be one church per village but not one or two out of three are closed. The local protestant church seems to attracts youth a lot more.
But still, the overall situation in our province is sad. It’s not rare to read articles about how they can’t wait to see catholicism disappear completely from the province. The 60s changed everything.
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I think it’s tempting to see our little sliver of time and space and assume that the current trends will continue forever. We have to remember we’re seeing a snapshot of a story unfolding over millennia. We each get to see a five second snippet of a 10 hour movie. We can be pretty sure Catholicism isn’t going to have a huge resurgence in Quebec in the next six months. But in the next fifty years? The next two hundred? Who can say?

Maybe your job is to keep the lights on, to keep the embers burning as a lonely outpost of the faith so that people not born yet have something to rediscover and reinvigorate.

Pray for me, I’ll pray for you.
 
Thank you. This gives me hope! Maybe it’s harder for me these days since I’m reconverting but can’t go to church. And God only knows how long this will last

 
mugglestruggle said:
The 60s changed everything.
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No they didn’t. Certainly not in Quebec, where the Church crashed in the 1950s, and the damage was mostly done before Vatican II even opened.

There are reasons why the Church in Quebec collapsed like a souffle, but “the sixties” aren’t anywhere near the top of the list. Blaming things on “the sixties”, Vatican II, the “mainstream press”, the “media”, the “Hollywood elites” (in other words, the Jews), the Masons, TEH GAYZ or anyone else is a silly tactic to deflect blame from where it rightly belongs, on us Catholics. We failed to live our lives in such a way that others would be inspired to emulate us. Until we do that, the Church will continue to shrink away.

We Catholics were the source of the problem, and if there is any solution, it has to come from us.
 
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mugglestruggle said:

 With too much time on my hands, I started overthinking the future of the Church, and I’m scared to see it disappear. 

Click to expand...
It started out very small and grew so it can happen again. Remember the Gospel, Matthew 28
20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and behold I am with you all days, even to the consummation of the world.
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Unfortunately, secular humanism is very pervasive, only a few are faithful.
As for your local situation, maybe you need to be a light in the world and bring more people to the Truth. Like the Didache says: do as much as you can.
 
Hello! i am from Québec also. Bonjour!

It is true that Québec has moved heavily into secularism. And it is very true that the bulk of Catholics here are of the older generations.

But there are many churches and individual Catholics still very much active. The very best thing to do as a Catholic is to get involved in your local parish. Throughout history, many Catholics have had it much worst than we have. It is an uphill battle, but following Christ is sooooo worth it!

On lñche pas! Ça va bien aller 🙂
 
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I’m sure you are all wanting to hear an outsiders view! 😅

Religion is in a steep decline right now. I’m not sure it has ever experienced this before in its history in these numbers, but, it will not disappear. It will shrink until it is a small but strong community with the members being dedicated to their faith. What you are losing are the wish washy ones.

After shrinkage has ended, the smaller stronger church will be the light that leads the lost back. It may never be what it was but it will be what the faithful make it be. It may very well be better for it. It is up to those that stay to continue being that light. In other words, it’s up to you!
 
When I get depressed or feel despair when I think of the state of the Church such as my Archdiocese just announced that it will file Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization, how COVID-19 is affecting the Church, and when people attack the Church, especially those who seem to delight in doing it in my presence, I always remember Christ’s promise to Peter and to us, that it is His Church and the “Gates of hell will n milkot prevail against it.” Even if the smoke of Satan enters the Church as Pope Paul VI stated, and there are wicked men and women in the Church, even when Satan infiltrates the Church, the Church will not surrender and will never fail.
 
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