Traditional Catholic Parishes Grow Even As US Catholicism Declines

[yankeesouth]

Traditional Catholic parishes grow even as US Catholicism declines - Washington Examiner

Traditional Catholic parishes run by one society of priests are growing in the United States, defying the trend of decline in the broader American church over previous decades.Over the past year, parishes run by the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter, a society of priests dedicated to celebrating...

www.washingtonexaminer.com

 

[Mark121359]

Good article. This coincides with the growth that has taken place at St. Alphonsus Shrine where I attend since the FSSP took over.

https://www-baltimoresun-com.cdn.ampproject.org/v/s/www.baltimoresun.com/maryland/baltimore-city/bs-md-latin-church-advent-20171205-story.html?amp_js_v=a2&amp_gsa=1&outputType=amp&usqp=mq331AQCKAE=#aoh=15727296183121&referrer=https://www.google.com&amp_tf=From%20%251%24s&ampshare=https://www.baltimoresun.com/maryland/baltimore-city/bs-md-latin-church-advent-20171205-story.html

 

[Dr_Meinheimer]

My mother started attending there once FSSP came in. She loves Father Kiefer. I am planning on taking my kids up there to experience the TLM for the first time soon. Great place.

 

[Feanor2]

It’s great that people are being drawn deeper into their faith.

 

[choose_to_love]

In fairness, I think most of the growth comes from people leaving “typical” parishes, though, no? Put another way, the growth of the new parish comes from people leaving other existing parishes, almost exclusively I would think, as opposed to converts. I go to an FSSP parish, but I do not recall anyone coming into the Church as adults, like an OF parish would have at the Easter Vigil.

 

[choose_to_love]

If you are making it as far as Allentown or Scranton, St. Stephen’s or St. Michael’s, let me know, Doc.

 

[twf]

There are also plenty of healthy thriving parishes with reverent OF Masses. If more parishes celebrated the OF Mass with “all the trimmings”, I think there would be much less demand for the EF. I know others will disagree.

 

[EmmaSowl]

There’s now an FSSP close to me, and I, too, may experience TLM for the first time. I’ve already resigned from lectoring in my current parish.

 

[choose_to_love]

Not sure I agree with what seems to be a false equivalence in your post - - - “all the trimmings” does not equal “reverent”; put another way, it is not the ‘trimmings’, whatever you mean by that, but reverence that attracts some people to the EF.

 

[twf]

I disagree. The “trimmings” (Latin, chant, incense, polyphony, etc) are external signs of reverence rooted in tradition. I’ve been exposed to both “traditional” OF Masses and EF Masses, and while I appreciate both, ill generally pick the former.
My parish has a “Latin Novus Ordo”, as the bulletin calls it, every Saturday. I know traditionalists will strongly disagree… but to me it “feels” closer to an EF than It does to the typical OF Mass. Those “trimmings” make a difference.

 

[1cthlctrth]

More churches should offer the Latin Mass.