Bishops to analyze Mass attendance, recent data on U.S. Catholic Church

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Orlando, Fla., Jun 12, 2008 / 01:56 pm (CNA).- Today the U.S. bishops are gathering to discuss current issues relating to the American Catholic Church at the spring meeting of the United States Conference of Bishops. In addition, CARA, a Georgetown-based research center will present findings from its study, “Sacraments Today: Belief and Practice Among U.S. Catholics.”

Over the course of their two day meeting in Orlando, the bishops will discuss a variety of pertinent topics to the American Catholic Church such as embryonic stem cell research, updates on the sexual abuse scandal, and the new translation of the Proper of the Seasons of the Roman Missal.

Not to be overlooked amidst the high profile issues are two presentations from the well-known research groups Pew and CARA, which will help the bishops take the pulse of the Catholic Church in the U.S.

Pew will present their U.S. Religious Landscape Survey and CARA, the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate, will provide the bishops with an overview of their study, “Sacraments Today: Belief and Practice Among U.S. Catholics.”

CARA Senior Research Associate, Dr. Mary Gautier explained to CNA that their 178-page study “points out some of the issues regarding belief and practice in the Church today.”

In regard to the state of the Catholic Church today, Gautier said that “Mass attendance has been stable at about a quarter of Catholics attending Mass weekly or more.”

Gautier further explained that the percentage of Catholics attending Mass has remained stable over recent years. Though the researchers had expected Mass attendance to drop due to the sexual abuse scandal, they found it to remain constant throughout the recent turmoil, she said.

The report adds that older Catholics are more likely than younger Catholics to attend every week. Reasons that Catholics do not attend weekly Mass were listed as: an “issue of schedules, health, or other responsibilities, while for others, the reason is related to their attitudes about their faith.”

Another finding of the report was that 80 percent of those who attend Mass weekly are: “proud to be Catholic, believe sacraments are essential to their faith, and think of themselves as practicing Catholics.” CARA also reports that those who attend Mass less frequently “are less likely to agree with these statements.”

Comments: 12

Subscriber comments:

Published by: Richard T. Gadwell
417 Andrews Ln. Crossville, Tenn 38555 10/18/2009 11:54 AM EST

Celebrate the Holy Mass the way it used to be. Come back with the Communion rail,Pried should face the Altar. Have confession daily. Altar servers go back to wearing Casaacs Red on Sundays and Holydays, Black on week days. Many or all parts should be in Latin. Thankyou

Published by: C. Harrington
Ireland 08/16/2009 01:12 PM EST

Humane Vitae went a long way towards emptying the churches.
After Vat II when everyone was going to holy communion at every Mass, those who still practiced contraception were excommunicated. The church invented a new Mortal sin for which ther was no Venial sin. Smart move. Congratulations. Thomas Aquinas would cringe. Augustine would hate this. Maybe women priests would have helped.
Conn.
(No hate mail please)

Published by: Mike Walker
Medford, Oregon, USA 07/17/2009 10:12 PM EST

Notice that people love to blame the Church and/or the clergy? Let's be honest. People don't go to church so much because they'd rather do other things. Many responses claim that if the Church did this or that (eg. Latin), people would all come back. I don't buy it. Many churches are preaching the full Gospel and are not overflowing with parishioners. It's frustrating, yes, but let's be honest enough to say that we as human beings are to blame. Younger people in particular see religious participation as optional. The attitudes of a secular culture are more dominant in the minds of the people than the small voice of the Lord inviting them to his Word and Sacrament. That being said, revival can and will happen when people learn that materialism and recreation are not the purpose for life. Cultural perceptions do change and when people are open to listen, they will respond in faith.

Published by: Christine Gill
Calgary Alberta 06/25/2008 10:56 AM EST

I found the celebration of Holy Mass in certain American cities deeply offensive! I could not believe what I saw and why are the bishops blind to this? Why?

Published by: Lin Arceneaux
League City, Texas 06/24/2008 04:01 PM EST

You didn't publish my previous comments . . . I can only guess that it was too much to the point and not "feel good" and politically correct enough. While my comments on this subject did not mince words and may have been harsh, they met your requirements listed below. I guess that is why our Bishops need surveys to find their flock . . .no one listens to the flock and all are too sensitive and busy trying to make everyone "feel good"

Published by: Karen
Central New Jersey 06/18/2008 06:28 PM EST

Hi, I would like to add that when one degrades the taking of the Most Blessed Sacrament; one should realize it will also influence how people react to all other areas of our actions with our faith. With the Most Blessed Sacrament the center of our belief, Jesus our Saviour, and no one caring about confession or marriage or anything, how can u expect more people to start coming to church? I hear preached at church social justice and love but nothing about how we are hurting the Sacred Heart of Jesus. There are thousands of parishoners in parishes across NJ and only 1 hr/week for confessions and not a word of encouragement to go to confession from our shepherds... It is certainly time to reflect on all these changes and degrading of traditions and church customs in exchange for ease and comfort and political correctness in our churches. God Bless.

Published by: Gianna
St.Louis Mo, US 06/17/2008 07:59 PM EST

The Bishops are wondering why Mass attendance is so low. Well look at all those changes that were made so that Mass would be more “fun”.
We seem to have lost the sense of respect through Holy Communion, modern Churches and the music.
For example- Holy Communion at the Tridentine Mass you kneel to receive Christ on your tongue. This gives a true sense of respect and humbleness for what you are doing and for whom you are receiving. When you are just in a line and eat Him like a potato chip –what sense of respect does that show to the King of Kings? NONE!!!
What sense of respect does that give yourself NONE!!! If you don’t have a sense of respect how are you to respect someone or something?
And a lot of people don’t have a sense of respect so they don’t see the big deal of missing Mass on Sunday. Why should they and can you really blame they?
We were so determined to make Mass “fun” that we threw away a lot of treasures that the Catholic Church has forever respected and treasured.
Hopefully through the Holy Spirit the Catholic Church will restore that sense of respect in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.
Godspeed
Gianna

Published by: Dan in Calgary
Calgary Alberta Canada 06/13/2008 03:20 PM EST

Rate: Excellent

OK, if this large gathering of Bishops wants to know why I am among the 75% of Catholics who stopped attending Mass regularly, here it is.

It's because Liturgy has been badly abused with too many flavor-of-the-year modifications, all in the name of pleasing the easily-distracted and the easily-bored, and all justified by numerous perverse misinterpretations of Vatican II.

Be it "liturgical dance", the banishment of kneeling and other displays of true reverence, English text infected with gender-neutrality and other doctrinally incorrect turns of phrase that are there to save time and avoid offending those who need offending, disorderly processions with tacky trappings, or daily new banal hymns churned out of Oregon Catholic Press, it is all bad.

Not to mention the banishment of non-instrumentation choral singing of traditional music in favor of out-of-tune and noisy guitar-plucking, drum-banging leaders of song who pound out that new trash.

Not to mention the limiting of choices for Liturgy in Latin (or Old Slavonic in the Eastern Rite), so that I am praying or singing the same prayers that my ancestors prayed and sang.

The North American clergy has forgotten that we were supposed to gather there to "worship" and to reverently receive the Eucharist - not to be amused, not to have our political biases or personal sensitivities catered to, nor to be offered diversions.

Dan in Calgary

Published by: Jeff Johnson
Collegeville, Mn 06/13/2008 01:58 PM EST

This reminds me of my misspent youth...in my 20's, Mass was not important, and now in my 40's it is vital.

We need to figure out how to get our young people to Mass. This will defend them from the shame I feel here in the future.

And everywhere, to attend daily mass is to stand with senior citizens...with the earth trembling, I know many young people are not aware that you can't wait till the end.

My parish priest this morning said in his homily that the point of existence is salvation. Can we afford to write off the 75% of American Catholics who don't attend Mass? Since I was once among them, I say no...reach out, make the argument, be the example, pray.

And get your kids to Church everybody...it should be automatic.

Published by: Joe
San Francisco, CA 06/13/2008 11:42 AM EST

Such studies do need to be done for a high- level national perspective. On the other hand, Catholic life is lived at the home and parish levels. What do the profiles say about those perspectives?

Published by: Michael R. Zboray
Montvale NJ 06/13/2008 07:50 AM EST

Rate: Excellent

The bishops need a study?
I can only sigh. They have neglected catechisis for 40 years. They let politicians like Kennedy , Durbin, and Pelosi, Schwartzenegger and Guiliani thumb their nose at Church doctrine and they wonder why the "man in the pew" does not see the need to attend mass.

Published by: Thomas
Houston/TX/USA 06/13/2008 01:30 AM EST

Rate: Excellent

First of all, I would like to thank CNA for posting these stories and my words. All I have to say and I am very passionate about what I say is that the USCCB needs to follow the Motu Proprio and move on to the scandal of annulments and divorce in this country. By their silence and inaction they are participating in the destruction of millions of children, not through abortion but by abortion through divorce. They are scandalizing faithful Catholics. They are bringing people to the point of despair. They are making people believe and think that the common opinion of men and the society is that of the magisterium. They must reiterate the Apostolic teaching. It is far past the time to worry if America or Americans object to what they have to say or if Bishops take heat over it. Souls are on the line, lives are being destroyed. No more documents, no more conferences. Apostolic action in every diocese is the only answer following the Apostolic and perennial teaching of the Catholic Church. Nothing else will suffice.

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