Yet, only 22% of American Catholics attend Church once a week. Where are the other 78%? Why have they fallen away from Church attendance yet they are still proud to call themselves Catholic? I don’t know why I am so shocked by this number but I am. I am in Church every Sunday with my husband and four children. I know as a busy mom how many other tasks I could complete in the time it takes to get a family of six ready for and attend Mass. However, attending Mass with my family is my top priority on the weekends. I posted this question on Face Book and only 2 people replied. One said something to the effect of time just gets away from you and you don’t go to church. Another said “It needs to be a good habit.”
In our culture we multi task our lives and fill it up with our To Do Lists. We accomplish what we consider to be our top priority daily. If the other 78% of American Catholics considered attending Mass once a week to be a top priority then our pews would be filled. I am just trying to figure what made Mass get bumped from the To Do List for so many people.
I would love to hear your comments on this subject. If you go to Church weekly or you have not been in years. I, like so many others would love to try to figure this out. Please leave a comment and let me know your thoughts….
The answer is simple. It is not a priority. They would rather sleep in, watch TV or sports events, enroll their children in sport events that occur at that time or occupy themselves with other menial things. All very sad, but true! When something is important (a priority) to someone, they do it! When it isn’t important (a priority), they usually don’t do it. Hence the empty pews.
I have asked people (who do not regularly attend Mass), why they don’t attend Mass regularly? I could count the reasons on my fingers and have a few fingers left over. Most are based in self (I don’t get much out of it, I don’t like the music or the priest, I don’t feel it has meaning, I…, I…, I…). Translated – it’s all about me!
Wake-up-call: It’s not about you. It is about worshiping God, giving thanks to Jesus Christ by participating in a marvelous Sacrament. When you change the focus from “me” to Him, you will experience fulfillment, growth and meaning.
If you don’t go to Mass, your children won’t go to Mass. If your children don’t go to Mass, chances are extremely high that your children’s children will not even know God! Is that what your legacy will be?
It is sad, isn’t it? Sadder when it happens within your own family, too. My husbands parents were Catholic – his brother has decided to leave the faith, too. To become a pastor in something Christian that is still yet to be decided. But, they still think it is fine to go at Christmas/Easter???While I don’t mind it…I don’t understand it. But, on my side…my brother has done stupid things and thinks he wont be forgiven so he only attends at Christmas with all of us when we are visiting then. I HAVE NO CLUE WHY CHRISTMAS AND EASTER ARE MANDATORY TO THEM, but the rest is not?! I know why it is to my husband and I, but what in the world??? Um, maybe they don’t understand that that missing Mass means missing out on more than just a homily and a few readings. Maybe they don’t know it is a sin to miss Mass at all. Maybe they have become too involved in their own lives that they are too busy to make time for the One who made it all possible to begin with. It really is amazing to see how packed the building becomes those 2 days of the year and how empty it is on a holy day of obligation. Granted, we used to not attend those days in the beginning either. But we see the importance now.
Our priest told us that (when speaking of Sunday school starting up/school starting etc), if we aren’t doing what we know is right in the Faith, how are we ever supposed to think that our children are going to continue being Catholic. That thought made me wonder what happened with my husbands brother. Of course, we talked about it and WOW. I sure learned a lot about their childhood – Catholicism was never actually taught even thought they did all the things they were supposed to. They (yes, my husband, too) did not know anything about WHY they were Catholic. Maybe this is why there is only the 22%??
Sorry for rambling!!
Wow! Thomas Zordani, well said. I heard an actor say that Hollywood is the devil’s megaphone. Yet we pipe it into our homes and now tv has set the moral standard for us all. Sloth, one of the deadly sins has a firm grip. But, we 22%er’s need to kick it up a notch and share the wonderful Catholic Church story with everyone. God bless you all!