Catholic Mass decline is Blamed on Dads
I found this interesting bit of info about declining Gen X attendance in Roman Catholic religious services. According to a 2000 Swiss study posted on the AD2000 website it is attributed to the lack of church attendance by the children's fathers.
“In summary, if a father does not go to church, no matter how regular the mother is in her religious practice, only one child in 50 becomes a regular church attendee. But if a father attends regularly then regardless of the practice of the mother at least one child in three will become a regular church attendee.�
Anglican Vicar Robbie Low is quoted as saying, "when a child begins to move into that period of differentiation from home and engagement with the world 'out there', he (and she) looks increasingly to the father for that role model. Where the father is indifferent, inadequate or just plain absent, that task is much harder and the consequences more profound."
The disinterest of fathers in Catholic worship services apparently contributes has the following reality: "The drop-off in young people attending Mass has now persisted for some decades resulting in a "graying" of the Mass attending population. As of 1996, Mass attendees in their twenties and thirties were substantially under-represented, making up just 20 per cent of all attendees, although they constitute 39 per cent of the Catholic population."
And that was as of 1996. That percent would be much worse now.
But, instead of lamenting spilled beans, I would suggest creating Church worship services that speak to father-less Gen-Xers. I mean like --do it --get on with it. If Boomer dads are disinterested in boring traditional Roman Catholic mass how much more so will Gen-X find it?
We live in a fractured world --and that is the reality. Live with it, understand it, and respond appropriately. Why is it that the “church,� even with the knowledge of what is happening, can never get past some traditional approach? It is a form of denial and major self-centered sinfulness in my mind. People should always come first –just as Jesus demonstrated, even at the cost of his life! Did Jesus ever put on a traditional religious service? No, never, he much preferred the casualness of the hillside, the local well, homes, and leper colonies. Oh, and wasn’t Jesus God incarnate? Hmm, what a statement from God! Hey “church� it’s time to get real!
3 Comments:
I personally believe religion to be a personal thing that does not need buildings. I think in some ways church gets away from some of the really good things about religion and focuses too much on ceremony. To me a decrease in church going is a good thing if backed up by a more personal and social way of religious expressing unfortunetly it isnt and a decrease in church going just means an increase in apathy.
I think the underling problem is that there is not enougth done to show people the joy of religion. A lot of people feel that going to church is a chore and it shouldnt be.
I think Jesus is a great example to follow church should get out more and meet new and interesting people and talk to them about how religion makes them feel and what is great about religion.
sorry Ive rambled on and not really made a point but that is what I feel. Personally the institute that is the church is what put me off certain religions.
Stewart
I am a twenty-something Catholic, and I would like to take issue with some of your points.
You –“But, instead of lamenting spilled beans, I would suggest creating Church worship services that speak to father-less Gen-Xers. I mean like --do it --get on with it. If Boomer dads are disinterested in boring traditional Roman Catholic mass how much more so will Gen-X find it?�
Me- To a degree you are right. Depending on the parish, homilies could be more engaging and relevant, people could participate more, and the flock could talk the talk and walk the walk. However, I disagree with your grouping of boring and traditional. All that is traditional is not boring. The Catholic Mass is meant to engage the senses and lift us to worship. The high ceilings, the statues, the stained glass are all supposed to focus us on God and not on ourselves. The Catholic Mass is not “media driven�, or “in your face�, and it does not flood the senses. It is meant to gently focus us on God in a beautiful and awe inspiring way. For me, I can drive my truck to “rock-out� modern worship tunes like “You are My King�, but I cannot worship with them. The words may be Christian and true, but they are not put to sacred music.
I do not attend Mass for a well delivered homily, excellent music, or a warm congregation. I attend Mass because Jesus said “Do this in remembrance of me� (1 Corinthians 11:24). I attend Mass because I receive the body and blood of Jesus in the Eucharist (John 6:56). I attend Mass because the Church Jesus founded (Matthew 16:18) asks and requires that I attend. Finally I am Catholic because Catholicism has the fullness of the truth. This may sound arrogant to many ears, but I did not create Catholicism, Jesus did. Does Jesus want 30,000+ denominations, even if they claim unity by being non-denominational? I don’t believe that was what Jesus had in mind, so one “denomination� with the fullness of truth, guided and preserved by the Holy Spirit, is not so far fetched.
You- “We live in a fractured world --and that is the reality. Live with it, understand it, and respond appropriately. Why is it that the “church,� even with the knowledge of what is happening, can never get past some traditional approach? It is a form of denial and major self-centered sinfulness in my mind.�
Me- This “fractured world� needs more that ever a place that is not like the rest of their world. It needs a place to pause, be silent, pray, to hear the word of God, to recollect our sins, and to receive the Eucharist to strengthen our souls against the daily onslaught of evil, despair, and temptation. Mass seems boring because it is not entertaining. If young people don't understand it, don’t realize the weight and transcendence of it, they will no doubt prefer their X-Box.
You – “People should always come first –just as Jesus demonstrated, even at the cost of his life! Did Jesus ever put on a traditional religious service? No, never, he much preferred the casualness of the hillside, the local well, homes, and leper colonies. Oh, and wasn’t Jesus God incarnate? Hmm, what a statement from God! Hey “church� it’s time to get real!�
Me- Jesus did “put on a traditional religious service� at the last supper. (Matthew 26:26) I don’t imagine the disciples were chatting away when he said he was giving them his body and blood. I imagine them realizing the weight of the moment and struggling to comprehend his shocking words. This is how Catholics should be at Mass. Jesus “put on� a “new Passover�, perfectly fulfilling the old Passover. Get real? That is what the Catholic Church is all about. For centuries the clergy and laity in the Church have rejected the false and clung tightly to what is real and true, even when it cost their lives. The first five popes were martyrs, that’s what I call dedication.
In conclusion there is nothing wrong with the Mass itself. I agree it could be celebrated better but not changed fundamentally. The problem is the faithful. If we Catholics knew our faith, lived it, and shared it, we wouldn’t be able to keep people from attending Mass.
Interesting.
As a non-practicing Catholic, I'll dare a few points. For one, I was not aware that Jesus founded the Church. I understood that a Church was founded upon Jesus' name and reputation. Jesus was too busy being Jesus to found a Church wasn't he?
HOMILIES: I think I finally know what makes for a good one. It is one in which the priest is able to reveal or illustrate the divine in everyday life. Jesus is not 'up there.' He is right here in the ordinary. He is realized in the compassion between strangers for instance. Because he is in the ordinary, and because he is divine, therefore everywhere and everything is a revelation of the divine.
ATTENDANCE: Is this really that important? I'm not so sure anymore. What matters attendance if the mass does nothing to connect the faithful to the divine? Is it better to have a congregation of obligation or one that actually finds a profound connection to the divine? Nothing can be loved of obligation. It is an irreconcilable contradiction. Therefore the increasing of attendance rates misses the more important point, that there is something lacking in the mass and it is not entertainment value. Superior entertainments are to be found everywhere else except in the mass. The Church cannot compete without a thorough subverting of its nature. The mass is not supposed to be entertaining. It is supposed to be a facilitator for spiritual experience. Figure this out, and the mass stand a better chance of being saved.
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