That gave us Protestantism, the Enlightenment, socialism, communism, scientific materialism, agnosticism, atheism, nihilism, relativism.
Posted on 12/04/2013 2:17:07 PM PST by markomalley
Today is the 50th anniversary of Sacrosanctum Concilium.
What great fruits the liturgical reforms have produced! Jammed churches, long confession lines, full schools, lots of weddings and baptisms, convents bursting, seminaries churning out priests as fast as they can be ordained….
Back in 1967 when the reformers were creating the Novus Ordo, an experimental “Missa Normativa” was celebrated for a groups of cardinals and bishops. After this Mass, Card. Heenan of Westminster remarked to the Synod of Bishops in Rome:
At home, it is not only women and children but also fathers of families and young men who come regularly to Mass. If we were to offer them the kind of ceremony we saw yesterday we would soon be left with a congregation of women and children.
There is a good post at Cream City Catholic, which originates in Milwaukee, WI. He tackles the question of why fewer men go to Mass than women.
This article, appearing in The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, discusses various efforts being made by Milwaukee-area churches (Catholic and non-Catholic) to attract men back to the pews. [Reason #12 for SUMMORUM PONTIFICUM!!] The concern is that men are, for some mysterious reason, [Not mysterious to me.] checking out from liturgy or other Christian services.
[...]
According to a statistic presented in the article, the male/female discrepancy is especially felt in the Catholic Church, where 64% of parish life is comprised of women.
So why are the guys MIA?
This is another one of those instances within our local Church where you have a lot of people who subscribe to the conventional wisdom scratching their heads and asking “Why? Why? Why?” when the answer is not particularly elusive. This really isn’t a surprise to me, or to many others. I recall attending Mass in Rome at a local parish and, unbeknownst to me when I entered, it was a “Children’s Mass”. Start to finish, the liturgy was replete with childish, Sesame Street-styled songs and embarrassing hand motions. As I scanned the pews, only two groups of people were participating: the small children, and the women, especially the older women. The men, from young to old, were standing there, stone-faced, arms crossed, totally disengaged. It was painful. The music and everything else was thoroughly emasculating. No self-respecting man would participate in that. And they didn’t. If this is what is meant by “active participation” on the part of the laity, I and lots of guys, want nothing to do with it. Run for the hills.
This phenomenon has been replicated ad nauseam in the United States as well.
Authentic masculinity has been knee-capped in our Church. [OORAH!] This trend is conspicuously apparent in our liturgical life, as any manifestation of authentic masculinity is attacked as boorish male chauvinism, old manifestations of discrimination and oppression from a Church that is “unfairly” dominated by an all-male hierarchy. (The article cites an example of a parish in the Diocese of Madison where the pastor insisted on only boys serving as acolytes. Predictably, he received tons of criticism as a result. Fortunately, Bishop Morlino backed up his priest.) [Do I hear an "Amen!"?] What’s more, many of the “liturgical planning committees” have been taken over by women. The embellishments of many church buildings often look like a Jo-Ann Fabric was detonated inside. Pastel ribbons, crafts, baskets, streamers, quilts…BOOM!
What I’ve often referred to as the “Oprahfication” of our Church has had a direct effect on the number of men who opt out of liturgy. Much of our Church culture has imbibed a pandering, touchy-feely, soft sofa approach to dealing with real challenges, and guys don’t dig that. Coupled with a de-emphasis on the Sacramental life, the Eucharist in particular, many men simply see no point in attending Mass if all they’re “getting” is meaningless psychobabble and Stuart Smalley motivational talks.
[...]
Dead on.
Vast swathes of the Church have been wussified. Part of this is internal to the Church. Part of this comes from the decades long war on boys and men.
I think a huge part of this comes from the fact that our sacred liturgical worship is massively screwed up.
Bingo. The vast majority of liturgical music sounds as if it were written to appeal to ten-year-old girls. Sometimes it’s hard to tell if I’m at the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass or in a Disney movie.
Bring back the High Mass. You can do the sermon in English, if you like.
If it makes you feel any better, most of the Baptist or Interdenominational churches I’ve been in have suffered from the same “pandering, touchy-feely, soft sofa approach to dealing with real challenges”...
;>(
Because the Church has been chickified.
The NFL is now undergoing the same process.
After our son was born, and wanting the boy baptized my wife wanted us to attend church. The first Sunday going thru the doors she turned to me and said “Aren’t you afraid you’re going to burst into flames?” Boy, I had a great laugh at that.
Jazz hands for Jesus.
I refer to them as "Jesus is My Boyfriend" songs.
It’s not just what goes on at Mass. What functions attract boys to become part of parish life? At one time there were manly CYO activities like boxing. What is offered now?
Our diocese hold an annual “Youth Rally” that is mostly a lot of singing folky songs. Yeah, lots of boys can’t wait to go back the next year.
Southern evangelical churches have adopted “praise chorus” music.
I call them 7-11 songs. Repeat the same 7 words 11 times.
No mystery. You have to get dressed up and sit still/be quiet while some idiot blowhard with no real world experience wants to lecture you on how the world turns?
No thanks.
I’ll go back when Christians realize that Christianity is far too important to be left to the clergy. I read in a book on the Reformation how some of the Calvinists organized the front of their churches— pulpit in the center surrounded on either side by seats for the elders so they could yank the pastor out when he got stupid. Now that could be worth the price of admission.
I left church the day I left home. Have never looked back. I do attend services when a family member or friend is involved (married or buried) and I retain a respect for what Christianity has contributed to the broader culture, but those brief encounters simply reinforce a decision taken many years ago.
Not to be depressing, but older women outnumber older men. However, I do agree with what the author states about how sappy and inappropriate some of what happens during church service is. It’s off-putting to me.
Speaking for myself, it’s because my tolerance for BS is much lower than my wife’s.
When Jesus was on the cross why were there more women around then men?
That gave us Protestantism, the Enlightenment, socialism, communism, scientific materialism, agnosticism, atheism, nihilism, relativism.
From September to early February the answer is easy.
1. vapid, shallow sermons.
2. delivered by metrosexuals and homosexuals.
3. who don’t have families
4. who don’t have wives
5. who aren’t facing the same kinds of issues
6. yet they’re giving advice about these things they never face in their personal lives.
7. plus sermons that are more political than biblical.
8. in the case of some denominations, women pastors. can’t relate and don’t have the connection to God through them.
modern church service: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3RJBd8zE48A
Cause they feel guilty about really enjoying sex?
Need father figure?
More scared in general... no question of that
A few reasons
They drag the kids with em....that’s a big one
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