Why do Catholics leave the Church? It’s a fair question that occupies the minds of Church scholars and leaders. It also occupies the hearts of people sitting around kitchen tables because almost every Catholic knows another Catholic who does not practice his or her faith.
A son or daughter, sister or brother, parent, loved one, friend or neighbor, one of those folks in our lives has ceased coming to a Catholic Church to join in the celebration of the holy Mass.
They may still call themselves Catholic, a member of the Church that they entered at baptism and perhaps in which they were educated. But in practical terms they have walked away.
Certainly, the sexual abuse crisis in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia does not encourage Catholics who may be on the fence about going to church. Nor do tensions about earlier school closings, future parish consolidations or the serious financial condition of the Archdiocese do anything but dampen morale.
These may be seen as excuses, but Catholics hold these feelings nonetheless.
Last fall professors from St. Joseph’s and Villanova universities aimed to learn about this dilemma in a study that polled 298 self-identifying Catholics in the Diocese of Trenton, N.J., who do not attend Mass.
In the recently published study, those people generally reported their views in two classes of issues: non-negotiable Church teaching on holy orders (ordination), and human sexuality (contraception and same-sex marriage); and issues including liturgical practices, image of clergy and Church fundraising.
Overall the respondents reported they drifted away from the Church they left, and were ambivalent as to why. Many still identified themselves as belonging to a parish.
Clergy, religious and lay Catholics who attend Mass regularly, and who pray for their brothers and sisters who do not join them more often, might see something of a silver lining in this study.
The challenge on the one hand is to present Church teachings more pastorally and with greater clarity. On the other, an opportunity exists to constantly improve divine worship in the liturgy and make the parish community a warmer and more welcoming family of faith.
Both the challenge and the opportunity are rooted in the hope of the resurrection of Jesus. His disciples today need to witness their faith in Him just as His earliest disciples did. That witness changed the world, and it can do so again.
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The Novus Ordo post-Vatican II Church is not the same Catholic Church that existed prior to the 1960s. Over and over again, I hear Ctholics saying, “The Mass today seems so Protestant, even evangelical. It doesn’t even seem Catholic.” I am not making this up. Thank God for the Orthodox Church. The Orthodox Church does not tolerate novelities or change for the sake of change. Vatican II is partially responsible for much of the clergy sex abuse we see today. Very sad. The Catholic Church needs to return to tradition.
I particularly enjoyed the part about the sex abuse scandal being merely an “excuse” for leaving the Church. If criminal sexual abuse of innocent children placed in the care of the Church, systematically denied and covered up for decades isn’t a good reason to leave, what is? I turned my back on this degenerate, criminal organization years ago and haven’t looked back.
Restoring trust is a huge goal, but having the church be more responsive to the needs of the people. All this talk about money especially when people are losing their jobs. Some parents are unable to pay the balance of their child’s tuition. Where is the mechanism in place to have someone maybe sponsor these families instead of giving the child an empty report card envelope. I would like to see it here at St Bridget in East Falls. Oh that’s right, you closed our school and are about to close the regional school because the tuition was increased more than the other local schools. So I guess you do not watch the news of the economy. Well let’s face it you really messed things up here to the point of no return.
I converted to the Orthodox Church because of the liturgical self destruction in the Catholic Church after Vatican II. The Orthodox Church has kept its ancient liturgical rites and has not attempted to modernize them, either with lay ministers, communion in hand, a revised and “updated” liturgy, altar girls, redesigned modern churches that resemble Protestant churches, etc. The glorious Orthodox Divine Liturgy has remained intact; ditto for the fasting rules, the habits worn by the nuns (unlike Catholic nuns, who sometimes resemble social workers in hoop earrings). The Orthodox Divine Liturgy won me over–I was so tired of hybrid Protestant Masses in suburban Catholic parishes with semi-secular pop hymns, as well as a “do it yourself” Mass which often duplicated a Lutheran or Methodist service. Pope Benedict said, “Everything rises or falls with the Liturgy,” and true those words are! Sadly, the Novus Ordo Mass is a heartbreaking ordeal.
Jude, If this is the answer then why are the churches you scorn the ones that are overflowing, drawing Catholics away, and seeing great participation both in the church buildings and in the followers’ personal lives. These are faithful people and they are building churches, not closing them down. This is not just the case in the USA but around the world.
. How to help Catholics come back to church? Another Perceptive!
Why do Catholics leave the Church? The Church’s scholars and leaders certainly believe the “sexual abuse crisis” in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia did not encourage Catholics to continue going to church that may have been on the fence about going to church anyway. These clergy leaders also believe by adding in other items, such as school closings, future parish consolidations or serious financial conditions along with sexual abuse crisis would somehow diminish the gravity and importance of their cover-up of the sexual abuse crisis. In fact these leaders would have you believe overall that these Catholics just drifted away and were mostly undecided as to why. These untrained Catholics’ morale was dampened by parish or school closing, perhaps Church fundraising, or may be the sexual abuse of priests. Just not sure as to why they left the Church. Really!
Let’s be real. The reality is this lay Catholic person cannot believe that high-up clergy lied, paid others for silence and failure to alert other Catholics and non-Catholics of the dangerous sexual abusing priests living in rectories for over seventy years.
The reality is:
This was more than one clergy member manipulating children into sexual abuse.
This was more than hundreds of clergy members robbing children of their innocents and causing emotional wounds to them and their families.
This was more than magisterial members paying millions of dollars to thousands of families for their silence.
This was more than higher-up clergy members sending their criminal brother priests for treatment and ignoring the results of continuing sexual abusive priests.
This was more than strict secrecy among thousands higher-up clergy members over seventy years (that we know of) in order to protect their Church at the sacrifice of thousands of known and unknown child victims.
This appears to be the largest deliberate act of betrayal and neglect toward children and the vowels of well formed consciences the world has ever known.
If the above is an over statement, please advise the event and circumstances that surpasses it.
I think the above perception is closer to the real truth of why Catholics left the church and may never return! How do you continue to trust an institution dedicated to teaching God’s love that chose, over many years, to ignore their individual and collective consciences.
If this was a real attempt to assist victims of clergy sexual abuse and all citizens then someone needs to explain how morally educated clergy could perpetuate the above crimes.
Accountability and openness on the part of the leadership of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia would certainly go a long way in encouraging Philadelphia-area Catholics who have been absent from the liturgy to return and participate in the life of the Church. The two most notable and important areas where accountability and openness is lacking and needed concerns the protection of our children from sexual abuse and a complete, thorough financial report on the assets and expenditures of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia.
A “restoration of trust” requires signficant steps be taken on the part of the leadership and management of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. Words alone have not been, nor will be enough to bring Catholics back to the liturgy.
Michael – There is no place safer than the Catholic church when it comes to abuse. No other entity has been more severely scrutinzed in recent years. Also, the steps taken to protect children are unprecedented and I doubt they exist in any other church or entity.
Also, the financial accouting of the Archdiocese has just been released and is on the website.
If these issues were keeping you or someone you know away from the Church, all I can say is “Welcome Back”!