Men in the US Catholic Church.
Nov 23, 2015 21:33:41 GMT -6
Nugget, Mystic Wanderer, and 2 more like this
Post by Charles1952 on Nov 23, 2015 21:33:41 GMT -6
Spirituality has long been seen as one of the special strengths of women. Not that guys can't have it, for every Mother Theresa there is a Father Damien, who ministered to the lepers quarantined on a Hawaiian island. For every Theresa of Avila, there is a St. John of the Cross(hugely great mystics). But in general, it's the women who are the spiritual bedrock of the country.
The Church has decided to take steps to get the men involved in the Church and in activities at the local parish. The newspaper of the St.Paul- Minneapolis diocese (mine), just began a monthly column to deal with the subject. The first installment can be found here;
thecatholicspirit.com/commentary/catholic-watchmen/acknowledging-the-catholic-man-crisis/
It's full of statistics on men's lack of interest in the US Church. A third of the men have left the Church, and about 55% of the remainder are casual Catholics who don't know or practice the faith fully. That leaves about 30% of the Catholic men as more or less serious about their faith. And about 2% go to Confession monthly or more frequently.
The statistics are pretty bad, but the article, at least in it's first installment, seems to think that "Emangelization," or calling men back to the Church is the solution.
Here is the response I submitted.
While some of my comments are directed specifically towards American Catholicism, perhaps taken as a whole they strike a chord with others. As always, your opinions are valued.
With respect,
Charles
The Church has decided to take steps to get the men involved in the Church and in activities at the local parish. The newspaper of the St.Paul- Minneapolis diocese (mine), just began a monthly column to deal with the subject. The first installment can be found here;
thecatholicspirit.com/commentary/catholic-watchmen/acknowledging-the-catholic-man-crisis/
It's full of statistics on men's lack of interest in the US Church. A third of the men have left the Church, and about 55% of the remainder are casual Catholics who don't know or practice the faith fully. That leaves about 30% of the Catholic men as more or less serious about their faith. And about 2% go to Confession monthly or more frequently.
The statistics are pretty bad, but the article, at least in it's first installment, seems to think that "Emangelization," or calling men back to the Church is the solution.
Here is the response I submitted.
Thank you for being willing to face the problem of Catholic men, and kudos to the Catholic Spirit for giving you space in which to address it. I anxiously await future installments.
But now that you have repeated the statistics showing that there is a problem, there are two more steps. Identifying the cause, then eliminating the cause. After that, we look at the situation again and repeat as necessary.
What might some causes be?
Men are disengaged from parish life, not participating in activities outside of Mass? There are priests who will not welcome, say, the Knights of Columbus into their parishes, and some who refuse to give them publicity and support. What parish activities are there for men? In order for to begin to be effective, it has to be an activity that men are at least mildly attracted to. Yes, a men's retreat is valuable, but only for the men who would be willing to go on a retreat to begin with. A men's book club is valuable, but only to the men who are inclined to read and talk about books. In the most extreme case, a men's sewing group is not a men's activity.
Not engaged in the parish? Well, setting aside for a moment the priests and the maintenance staff, what percentage of all positions are held by men? 25%?
And what about the liturgy? I hope this is under the seal of the confessional, but I confess that every time I hear "One Bread, One Body," or, "On Eagle's Wings" I have a hard time keeping a spiritual focus. In fact, I sometimes I have a hard time just staying in the pew. And if the song is not one of those two, it is always pitched so that it is impossible for any man, unless trained, to hit every note. After a while it becomes apparent that there is no sense even trying. When it's time for Communion, who distributes the Host? If it's not the priest, odds are very good that it's a woman (wearing a dangly little necklace thingy or pin as a badge of their solemn position).
They're not living according to the Church's teaching? Well, it may depend on the subject, but it may also depend on the presentation. What is the emphasis today? Is it Catholic Social Justice, which to the average person is the Democratic party platform with the exception of abortion, gay marriage, and euthanasia? Is the emphasis on bridging the gap between religions? To most, that's an administrative problem, nothing we need to care about.
What I don't see, and I suspect doesn't exist, is an emphasis on the struggle, the fight, the war, that Catholics are called to. Men don't abandon their unit in combat, they know they are in a life or death situation. They know there is a real enemy. they know that to lose is to die. The Church teaches that, of course, but it's no longer taught in an effective way. (At least that I've seen.)
Is Hell taught clearly? Has Dante ever been used as the basis for a sermon? Can people even begin to imagine the stakes involved with our decisions here? How many Catholics are really terrified at the idea of going to Hell? But that's the destiny for the "losers" in this spiritual war.
Are the enemies of Man clearly described, along with instructions on how to fight them? Catholics above all, with the role which exorcism has played in the Church, should realize that there actually are Demons. How can people believe in Angels without believing in Fallen Angels?
Are the enemies of the soul which go hide in Society clearly identified? Do we teach the dangers of relativism, or any of the heresies? Do we point out ideas which are gaining currency to reward the good and attack the bad?
Bring men together in groups of men. Teach them the importance of the battle, point out the enemies, encourage them to get in the fight, and reward them for victories at any level, then you might have something. Show them that they can get new marching orders at Mass, that they can "show the colors," so to speak by being there. Show them that their presence helps encourage the other men.
It's not for nothing that the Church on Earth is called The Church Militant, and those members in Heaven make up the Church Triumphant.
With respect, and my prayerful best wishes,
Charles
But now that you have repeated the statistics showing that there is a problem, there are two more steps. Identifying the cause, then eliminating the cause. After that, we look at the situation again and repeat as necessary.
What might some causes be?
Men are disengaged from parish life, not participating in activities outside of Mass? There are priests who will not welcome, say, the Knights of Columbus into their parishes, and some who refuse to give them publicity and support. What parish activities are there for men? In order for to begin to be effective, it has to be an activity that men are at least mildly attracted to. Yes, a men's retreat is valuable, but only for the men who would be willing to go on a retreat to begin with. A men's book club is valuable, but only to the men who are inclined to read and talk about books. In the most extreme case, a men's sewing group is not a men's activity.
Not engaged in the parish? Well, setting aside for a moment the priests and the maintenance staff, what percentage of all positions are held by men? 25%?
And what about the liturgy? I hope this is under the seal of the confessional, but I confess that every time I hear "One Bread, One Body," or, "On Eagle's Wings" I have a hard time keeping a spiritual focus. In fact, I sometimes I have a hard time just staying in the pew. And if the song is not one of those two, it is always pitched so that it is impossible for any man, unless trained, to hit every note. After a while it becomes apparent that there is no sense even trying. When it's time for Communion, who distributes the Host? If it's not the priest, odds are very good that it's a woman (wearing a dangly little necklace thingy or pin as a badge of their solemn position).
They're not living according to the Church's teaching? Well, it may depend on the subject, but it may also depend on the presentation. What is the emphasis today? Is it Catholic Social Justice, which to the average person is the Democratic party platform with the exception of abortion, gay marriage, and euthanasia? Is the emphasis on bridging the gap between religions? To most, that's an administrative problem, nothing we need to care about.
What I don't see, and I suspect doesn't exist, is an emphasis on the struggle, the fight, the war, that Catholics are called to. Men don't abandon their unit in combat, they know they are in a life or death situation. They know there is a real enemy. they know that to lose is to die. The Church teaches that, of course, but it's no longer taught in an effective way. (At least that I've seen.)
Is Hell taught clearly? Has Dante ever been used as the basis for a sermon? Can people even begin to imagine the stakes involved with our decisions here? How many Catholics are really terrified at the idea of going to Hell? But that's the destiny for the "losers" in this spiritual war.
Are the enemies of Man clearly described, along with instructions on how to fight them? Catholics above all, with the role which exorcism has played in the Church, should realize that there actually are Demons. How can people believe in Angels without believing in Fallen Angels?
Are the enemies of the soul which go hide in Society clearly identified? Do we teach the dangers of relativism, or any of the heresies? Do we point out ideas which are gaining currency to reward the good and attack the bad?
Bring men together in groups of men. Teach them the importance of the battle, point out the enemies, encourage them to get in the fight, and reward them for victories at any level, then you might have something. Show them that they can get new marching orders at Mass, that they can "show the colors," so to speak by being there. Show them that their presence helps encourage the other men.
It's not for nothing that the Church on Earth is called The Church Militant, and those members in Heaven make up the Church Triumphant.
With respect, and my prayerful best wishes,
Charles
While some of my comments are directed specifically towards American Catholicism, perhaps taken as a whole they strike a chord with others. As always, your opinions are valued.
With respect,
Charles
