A New Leader Confronts Catholics’ Disaffection {Catholic/Orthodox Caucus}

The New York Times ^ | 22-Nov-2010 | Laurie Goldstein

[Cronos]

Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan of New York, elected president of the nation’s Roman Catholic bishops last week, said Monday that the bishops faced the urgent task of stopping the huge exodus of Roman Catholics from the church of their birth...

he said there was now a movement among them to confront internal problems like the “sobering study” showing that one-third of Americans born and baptized Catholic have left the church. ...

Archbishop Dolan leaned forward as he cited recent studies finding that only half of young Catholics marry in the church, and that weekly Mass attendance has dropped to about 35 percent of Catholics from a peak of 78 percent in the 1960s.

[don-o]

Would you please stop beating around the bush and say what’s on your mind?

[ottbmare]

What do you suggest we do to combat this?

1. Return to traditionalism. I'm greatly blessed to be taken into a Catholic church that is quite traditional in its approach. The last priest set up an Adoration chapel; the current one instituted Latin masses every Sunday. They are MOBBED. You have to get there early to find a parking place, and the school across the street has been drafted to provide overflow parking. People are really hungry for this stuff. We shouldn't make it look up-to-date and trendy: people are thrilled by the traditional liturgy, music, and teachings. They want to feel the exaltation that only comes from the gorgeous old ways.

2. We have to do community outreach. The conservative evangelical Protestants are seriously good at this--they're not afraid to grab people by the collar and ask them "Do you know you're going to heaven? Have you accepted Jesus?" Catholics are far more reticent about doing this to strangers, but we should not hesitate to speak freely to neighbors, co-workers, and friends, to persuade and encourage them. And in order to do that we have to study, as well as to pray that the Lord will put the right words in our mouths.

3. I also think targeted advertising with many more sites like Catholics Come Home, a real PR offensive showing how the Faith can feed the hungering soul, will bring people back. Catholic charities need to be more visible so that people stop equating Catholicism only with child molesters.

[vladimir998]

The return to tradition is key. I attend a Latin Mass parish and our main Mass is stuffed to the rafters. We really need a new parish church and school.

Our parish has hundreds of children. Just about every family has five or more children. Some families have ten or a dozen. These young people know the faith pretty well and the overwhelming majority will remain Catholics, marry Catholics and have large families.

You see the growth in tradition in various ways: Latin Masses, the return of the Rosary, the growth of authentic Catholic universities and colleges, new loyal Catholic political and cultural groups, and some excellent new Catholic publications, books, magazines, websites, video programs, radio, etc.

It’s an exciting time.

[markomalley]

The Church is not and cannot be about numbers. As few as two will do. The Church cannot become a slave to trendiness and human whims.

Raymond:  … in such a powerful way, when they interact.  Talk for a moment about the New Springtime.  The Pope has talked a great deal about the New Springtime and you, yourself have laid out your own ideas.  Your vision is a little different from some.  Some see the numbers growing and everybody believing and dancing hand-in-hand (the Cardinal chuckles) into the millennium.  You see a different picture.  Tell us what that picture involves.  How do you see this Springtime evolving?

Cardinal: As I do not exclude even this dancing hand-in-hand, but this is only one moment.  And my idea is that really the springtime of the Church will not say that we will have in a near time buses of conversions, that all peoples of the world will be converted to Catholicism.  This is not the way of God.  The essential things in history begin always with the small, more convinced communities.  So, the Church begins with the 12 Apostles.  And even the Church of St. Paul diffused in the Mediterranean are little communities, but this community in itself is the future of the world, because we have the truth and the force of conviction.  So, I think also today it should be an error to think now or in 10 years with the new springtime, all people will be Catholic.  This is not our future, nor our expectation.  But we will have really convinced communities with élan of the faith, no?  This is springtime — a new life in very convinced persons with joy of the faith.

Raymond: But, smaller numbers?  In the macro?

Cardinal: Smaller numbers, I think.  But from these small numbers we will have a radiation of joy in the world.  And so, it’s an attraction, as it was in the old Church.  Even when Constantine made Christianity the public religion, there were a small number of percentage at this time; but it was clear, this is the future.  So we can live in the future, just give us a way in a different future.  And so, I would say, if we have young people really with the joy of the faith and this radiation of this joy of the faith, this will show to the world, “Even if I cannot share it, even if I cannot convert it at this moment, here is the way to live for tomorrow.”

- Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, 5 Sep 2003

[maryz]

"What I find is that people who were cradle Catholics and had the Catechism stuffed down their throats as children do not appreciate their faith very much;"

What age people are you talking about? I can only speak for around here (Boston) and the parishes I've known, but I don't think many people much under 60 had the "Catechism stuffed down their throats" as children.

Of course, the society is less supportive of Christianity than it was. Remember the 60s, when businesses closed at noon on Good Friday? (Just the example that occurred to me.)

[ottbmare]

Over and over, I hear cradle Catholics say the same thing: they complain about essentially unimportant things: some nun was mean to them, the church keeps asking for money, etc. And we have to nail them on this and say, “So some nun rapped your fingers when you were eight. How does that negate the truth the Church is teaching? If a PhD physicist was mean to me, does that negate gravity? There may be sinful people in the Church—I’m one of them—but so what? God is still God.

[wintertime]

showing that one-third of Americans born and baptized Catholic have left the church
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

It would be important to know:

1)How many of these former Catholics attended our collectivist, godless, government schools? ( If children attend godless schools, they **will** learn to think godlessly!)

2) The Barna Foundation research shows that children from strongly religiously active families have even **worse** retention rates if the children attend our collectivist, godless, government schools.

[sitetest]

Dear ottbmare,

Does your parish have an elementary school attached to it? It sounds like you have the critical mass of a parish population to support a school.

What would be a special grace would be for parishes like yours to have solid Catholic elementary schools to provide a rigorous, excellent Catholic education.

A solid, orthodox Catholic school run by believing Catholics filled with the Holy Spirit, providing an excellent Catholic education, both spiritually and academically, is one of the best tools of evangelization available to us. Schools like this help keep young Catholics Catholic, and evangelize non-Catholics who also attend.

sitetest

[ottbmare]

Yes, there’s a good Catholic K-8 school, as well as a Boy Scout troop.

[ottbmare]

"What I find is that people who were cradle Catholics and had the Catechism stuffed down their throats as children do not appreciate their faith very much;"

What age people are you talking about? I can only speak for around here (Boston) and the parishes I've known, but I don't think many people much under 60 had the "Catechism stuffed down their throats" as children.

I'm outside of Washington DC. I'm thinking about people my daughter's age, her friends and classmates in their early twenties, up to my age (mid-fifties). They were just forced to go to religious education classes when they didn't want to, and what kid does want to? I never went through these catechizing classes so I don't know what they consisted of.

My RCIA classes were absolutely fantastic, taught be some very brilliant women and our great priest, who's a lawyer, but I've heard repeatedly from longtime Catholics that our classes are uniquely wonderful.

[sitetest]

That is really wonderful! You are very blessed!

[kosta50]

Spreading the word to younger generations is one thing; caving in to their trendiness and trying to make the Church "hip" and teen-friendly in another. That was a mistake of the '70s, and '80s. And what fruit did it produce? In 1963, before the Vatican II, when the Church was still unyielding and stubbornly traditional, the Mass attendance was double of what it is today. There was also no shortage of priests.

If it is true that one third of cradle Catholics left the Church, it's only because the Church was seen as just another "alternative." I believe Pope Benedict XVI said shortly after he was elevated to papacy that the Church could become smaller. Perhaps ten people in the pews who attend Mass every Sunday is better then 100 who come in twice a year, remembering that the Church is the Body of believers, not trendy seekers.

[VidMihi]

It seems to me that Jesus said “preach the Gospel to all, baptize all “ . Is it not strange that the Code of Canon Law is longer than the New Testament. Is the Church to announce the Good News or to enforce a body of law? I strongly suspect you will find the reason so many no longer participate in our faith community in the various comments in these posts. Attitudes like do it my way because my way is the Church's way ( is it really? ) or get out. Check with those who are so arrogant about being right and ask if their own children and other family members go to Church. Are not many gone because we have driven them away?

[ottbmare]

I am greatly blessed, and wondering where God is going with this, but I'm chagrined that I wasn't in the Faith when my kids were young enough to benefit. Too late now.

[kosta50]

A "trendy" Church is like those parents who'd rather be a "pal" to their kids than parents -- they make crummy pals and that leaves no one being the parent

Memorable analogy! When the Church became just another "alternative" then it was no longer a sanctuary. And when everyone, down to the a local priest and congregation had a "say" in what the church will be, that it was no longer one Church, but like another First Baptist church down the road form another First Baptist church!

Some kept their statues and others turned their churches into protestant-like lecture halls. Some kept the Mass traditional and reverential and others turned it into guitar and cookie and grapefruit juice "masses" one can "experience" in other alternative "churches."

The alternative-friendly Church became fertile soil for weeds, such as Nanci Pelosi, Joe Biden, John Kerry, or Ted Kennedy types of "Catholics" who can say with a straight face that abortion is not incompatible with being a Catholic, who can promote and vote for abortion legislation, and remain in good standing in the Church, receiving the Eucharist whenever they show up in church.

[maryz]

They were just forced to go to religious education classes when they didn't want to, and what kid does want to?

Maybe I should have been more precise! ;-)

When I was in grammar school in the 50s, we used the Baltimore Catechism (I for grades 1-3 and II for grades 4-8). It was a catechism in the strict sense of the word -- questions and answers. We had to memorize it. (memorization has gone out of style, but we had to do a lot of it, and not only in religion!) It covered pretty much all the basics. What I liked about it was that it gave the proper terminology with a glossary of "hard" terms at the end of each chapter.

In the 70s, I was asked to teach Sunday School, and I did for a couple of years. The first year, I taught 4th grade (preparation for First Penance by then -- we did First Confession the day before First Communion, second grade); the books were a lot fancier than the old Baltimore Catechism -- glossy paper and lots of color pictures, but virtually content-free. I pretty much ignored them and just taught.

The next year I was assigned 8th grade. Same thing -- except the books were so bad, I went downtown to a Catholic bookstore and bought a dozen copies of an alternative that at least had some content related to Catholic doctrine. The books assigned had, for example, a chapter on mysticism(!! for kids who knew none of the basics) which -- for reasons still unclear to me -- did not mention even one Catholic mystic. There was another whole chapter on why it's better to do things in groups than alone, which I found -- and find -- totally bizarre.

From what I know from my younger sisters' experience, it was in the late 60s that there was a rapid transition from actual Catholic doctrine to "trendy"!

[Salvation]

For later.

[Salvation]

**anyone know more about Dolan?**

I know the NYSlimes hates Dolan almost as much as they hate Catholicism because he stands up to them!

[Salvation]

His Excellency, Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan

Timothy Michael Dolan was named Archbishop of New York by Pope Benedict XVI on February 23, 2009. He was installed as Archbishop of New York on April 15, 2009.

He had served as Archbishop of Milwaukee since he was named by Pope John Paul II on June 25, 2002. He was installed as Milwaukee's 10th archbishop on August 28, 2002, at the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist. Archbishop Gabriel Montalvo, papal nuncio to the United States, installed Archbishop Dolan.

Born February 6, 1950, Archbishop Dolan was the first of five children born to Shirley Radcliffe Dolan and the late Robert Dolan. In 1964, he began his high school seminary education at St. Louis Preparatory Seminary South in Shrewsbury, Mo. His seminary foundation continued at Cardinal Glennon College, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in philosophy. He then completed his priestly formation at the Pontifical North American College in Rome where he earned a License in Sacred Theology at the Pontifical University of St. Thomas.

Archbishop Dolan was ordained to the priesthood on June 19, 1976. He then served as associate pastor at Immacolata Parish in Richmond Heights, Mo., until 1979 when he began studies for a doctorate in American Church History at the Catholic University of America. Before completing the doctorate, he spent a year researching the late Archbishop Edwin O'Hara, a founder of the Catholic Biblical Association. Archbishop O'Hara's life and ministry was the subject of the Archbishop's doctoral dissertation.

On his return to St. Louis, Archbishop Dolan served in parish ministry from 1983-87, during which time he was also liaison for the late Archbishop John L. May in the restructuring of the college and theology programs of the archdiocesan seminary system.

In 1987, Archbishop Dolan was appointed to a five-year term as secretary to the Apostolic Nunciature in Washington, D.C. When he returned to St. Louis in 1992, he was appointed vice rector of Kenrick-Glennon Seminary, serving also as director of Spiritual Formation and professor of Church History. He was also an adjunct professor of theology at Saint Louis University.

In 1994, he was appointed rector of the Pontifical North American College in Rome where he served until June 2001. While in Rome, he also served as a visiting professor of Church History at the Pontifical Gregorian University and as a faculty member in the Department of Ecumenical Theology at the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas. The work of the Archbishop in the area of seminary education has influenced the life and ministry of a great number of priests of the new millennium.

On June 19, 2001 – the 25th anniversary of his ordination to the priesthood – then Fr. Dolan was named the Auxiliary Bishop of St. Louis by Pope John Paul II. The new Bishop Dolan chose for his Episcopal motto the profession of faith of St. Peter: Ad Quem Ibimus, "Lord to whom shall we go?" (Jn 6:68).

He is currently the chairman of Catholic Relief Services and a member of the Board of Trustees of The Catholic University of America.

On June 29, 2009, Archbishop Dolan received the pallium, a symbol of his office as an archbishop, from His Holiness, Pope Benedict XVI, at St. Peter's Basilica.

Installation Ceremony

Installation Mass Homily

Installation Mass Booklet

Solemn Vespers Homily

Cardinal Egan's Welcome Letter to Archbishop Dolan

Related Information

Archbishop Dolan's Blog - "The Gospel in the Digital Age"

Archbishop Dolan's Column - "To Whom Shall We Go"

 

Read the Archbishop's column from Catholic New York.

Listen to his homilies from St. Patrick's Cathedral.

[Mad Dawg]

, but I've heard repeatedly from longtime Catholics that our classes are uniquely wonderful.

I'm at St. Thomas Aquinas in Charlottesville and our RCIA classes are sound and detailed. But I've been part of a class taught by a deacon and it was downright heretical.

Catechesis of the young is a job everyone wants somebody else to do. It doesn't get thought about, monitored, improved, the way other aspects of parish life do. It's frustrating.