I think we can certainly look at successful Protestant communities to glean what wisdom and best practices we can, but it’s not always the case that the grass is greener on their side of the fence. There are plenty of Protestant churches that struggle and plenty of Catholic parishes that are thriving.It seems like when it comes to certain things, a lot more is often possible in the Protestant world. So often they get so much more done.
There is a lot of truth to this. I’m a retiree, and its a lot easier to get paid work than it is to get volunteer opportunities.The time is coming in America where a volunteer will not be able to do anything, for any organization, without having to jump through hoops.
That’s AWESOME!At our parish, the new Associate Pastor obtained a CDC and then used our School Buss to go get folks from Retirement Homes and other’s who are not able to travel. He also then goes out to get some of the Teens that come to the 6 PM Sunday Evening Mass dedicated to youth. Just the fact that he engages often in this and other ways has made a great difference. Our Pastor who is one year from official retirement encourages him and others to do the same.
The problem is we often do not, simply because they are Protestant – or at least that’s the excuse. I think in reality the excellence in leadership and just plain hard work that’s common in many non-mainline Protestant parishes is just too much for typical Catholic parishes to even contemplate.I think we can certainly look at successful Protestant communities to glean what wisdom and best practices we can
You really don’t know that. I know C&E Catholics personally who would attend Sunday Mass each week, were it not for the condition of the local parishes. They “gut it out” for C&E and some other feasts, but that’s about it. If conditions (particularly liturgical conditions) in the parish were improved, their attendance would increase.Sadly, all of the items you note do nothing to the 75%+ of Catholics who don’t attend, or are CE’s (Christmas and Easter).
Presentations and “programs” tend to flop in my parish as well, and there is considerable hand-wringing over it. Yet it’s clear why in most cases if one takes a step back and simply observes with an open mind. Programs tend to flop in my parish due to the lay “coordinators” in charge of them. Sometimes it’s due to incompetence. More often it’s due to the fact that the coordinator simply isn’t liked by most people in the parish – a product of their own behavior over the years.We have been supporting, for years, the program which goes generally under the name of Catholics Returning Home. And we have had some success; but I ahve yet to be involved in one that has even 6 or more people attending. It is ones and twos mostly, with an occasional 4 or 5.
And as to adult catechesis, we offer it, but most of the attendees are over 50.
Some Protestant churches are small/autonomous. Others are quite large and wealthy, and/or connected with bishops and/or presbyteries. I don’t think you can make a blanket statement on this.I will say it again- Protestant Churches are usually small and autonomous.
This is correct. Mass attendance has nothing to do with “boring mass” and everything to do with lack of belief. Low attendance simply just matches the dwindling number of practicing Catholics.Ultimately it’s not about the frillings. If people find mass terrible but they believe it’s a must, they would still go
That’s true. Most of the mainline Protestant Churches are hardly “autonomous.” Most Protestant churches of all kinds aren’t small around here either. The smallest churches in town are Eastern Catholic and Eastern Orthodox which are also not “autonomous.”Some Protestant churches are small/autonomous. Others are quite large and wealthy, and/or connected with bishops and/or presbyteries. I don’t think you can make a blanket statement on this.
Naw. There are plenty of “practicing Catholics” that simply don’t practice each week.Low attendance simply just matches the dwindling number of practicing Catholics.
The thing with the Eastern Catholics is that they were just a tiny number to start with- yet many were well concentrated in milling and mining communities where they had the numbers to build and support their own churches.The smallest churches in town are Eastern Catholic and Eastern Orthodox
They were also divided along the 23 sui juris churches which resulted in truly tiny parishes. The EC church where I live has possibly 75 (at most) adult members. I read a blog years ago about the large number of EC parishes that have been closed throughout Pennsylvania. Now they are owned by various Protestant groups. Terribly sad that the ECers didn’t begin to evangelize back when things were still good.The thing with the Eastern Catholics is that they were just a tiny number to start with- yet many were well concentrated in milling and mining communities where they had the numbers to build and support their own churches.
Here in Pittsburgh, we have many EC churches. Andy Warhol’s old EC church in the Four Mile Run area used to be full of Rusyn steel workers. The mill is long gone, much of the rest of the neighborhood was razed for I 376, and most of the faithful, like Mr. Warhol left town entirely to pursue their lives outside the steel industry. I don’t know how many faithful they have in 2017, but it can’t be many. I saw a newspaper story of another EC church on the south side, they showed the church women preparing pirohy, the youngest was 57. The mills are closed over there, too, and yuppies are filling that area, few are eastern Catholics.I can’t speak about EC churches back East, but out here in the West, they are often their own worst enemies. Next to no outreach and self-imposed hard separation from the Latin Rite which is often justified by concerns of “Latinizations” that have never been part of EC history here in the West.
I still disagree with your premise.Well, considering that I have been involved in Catholics Returning Home for about 20 years or so, I would say that I am not without some experience with those not attending.
Not once in all of the people I have met through the program have I ever had anyone state they were not attending Mass because of any of the 5 issues listed in the opening post. And that includes being involved in the program in two parishes for awhile.
I mentioned a great deal more than that:And it is still my firm opinion that anyone who walks away from the Church over what they say is bland or irreverent Masses
One thing is for certain. The Church as a whole has a very poor record over the past 50+ years of identifying what would improve Sunday Mass attendance and then taking action. I truly think that just plain old apathy is the #1 stumbling block – NO action is taken at all.
- Celebrate ALL Masses in a highly reverent manner.
- Spend the resources to craft and support the Masses – good music and capable musicians, carefully selected and well-trained ministers, etc.
- If the parish is large enough, “tune” Masses to their audiences, e.g. Family Mass, Solemn Mass, Teen/College Mass, etc.
- Ongoing adult catechesis focused on the liturgy. (I would recommend 5 minute or less lessons that effectively complete homilies.)
- Fellowship hour following each Mass.
That isn’t that different from what a new (non-Catholic) church did where I live. They went around and did random acts of kindness type activties, small scale like giving someone a compliment or large scale like yard work for someone who wasn’t able. It worked. They continue to be the fastest growing church in my area.I think interacting with the community by doing good works in the immediate neighborhood of the church could bring in more people like me, who maybe be curious and already have a positive view of good works, but do not have many friends who are practicing Catholics.
This is another thing this church does. The church has a interesting name and it got my attention so I looked into them and they really knew how to use social media and technology to reach out and make ministries accessible. Many churches now do the same thing but these guys have continued to improve on what they already had.s a relatively younger person in my church… websites, social media, and technology would keep me feeling more welcome to organizations and more connected to my community. I like receiving texts, reading blogs about updates / positive things, and being able to explore well-designed websites. People my age get FOMO (fear of missing out!) which is frequently leveraged by the most tech/social media savvy people. Churches should take advantage of these aspects of my generation to drive up attendance.
So why aren’t these parishes evangelizing? Why aren’t they inviting these “yuppies” into their churches? They should be! It’s a good bet if they fail and their properties are purchased by Protestant fellowships that THEY will be very inviting to the people who physically live around these parishes.Here in Pittsburgh, we have many EC churches. Andy Warhol’s old EC church in the Four Mile Run area used to be full of Rusyn steel workers. The mill is long gone, much of the rest of the neighborhood was razed for I 376, and most of the faithful, like Mr. Warhol left town entirely to pursue their lives outside the steel industry. I don’t know how many faithful they have in 2017, but it can’t be many. I saw a newspaper story of another EC church on the south side, they showed the church women preparing pirohy, the youngest was 57. The mills are closed over there, too, and yuppies are filling that area, few are eastern Catholics.
What “evidence”? Your opinions? One thing I am certain of is that MANY, MANY things could be done to improve Sunday Mass attendance. The problem I see in the Church is that many of them take strong leadership and hard work.Well, you certainly welcome to disagree. I bring evidence, you bring opinions.