I chose not to make this a caucus thread so it had better not turn into another perpetual virginity battle.
It’s not just Catholics. The entire Christian church is failing men. The Curcillo movement was created after WW2 to bring men back into the Roman Catholic church in Spain and it spread to become Via de Cristo for Lutherans, Walk to Emmaus for Methodists, and Presbyterian Pilgrimage for Calvinists.
But, the pilgrims on weekend retreats are largely women. The problem is that the role of men as spiritual leaders of the family has been destroyed by society and by their ex-wives and current wives. Since men can’t even be the spiritual leader of their family, they just give up and let the priest/pastor be the spiritual leader of the wife and kids who do attend church. Another case of the husband/father becoming irrelevant in today’s family.
What is your take on why people are fleeing the church?
The feminization of the Church get seriously going in the 12th Century.
The bishops and priests of 1968, determined to maintain their popularity, allowed the faithful to adopt the practice of sodomy (contraception) en masse.
The bishops allowed the Quakers and leftist Jews to ethnically cleanse major American cities—systematically driving Catholics into the suburbs, where they were socially isolated and no longer a political force to be reckoned with. It all happened under the bishops’ noses, and they didn’t lift a finger.
It’s not about perpetual virginity. Not at all and if it were, then one has to at least attempt to explain why it is a recent phenomenon.
Anyway: A local parish, in existence in the past quarter century, has traditional music, well done, I’ll add, at Masses. The celebrants process the Aisle in gran fashion for every Mass.
NOT theatrical, grand. Reverent.
One Sunday Mass per week is in Latin. And not the mumbling irreverent pre Vatican II, but Novus Ordo, with the translation easily recognizable - same sequence so those who complain with INSANITY that they cannot understand what’s going on - don’t get me started.
No girls on the altar. They would not dream of joking from the altar. There is no clapping not ever.
The choir is in the loft to the rear, where it belongs. It’s not a Disney production.
The music is sing able not some atheistic off beat impossible out of tune dora the explorer torturous demonic cacophony no one knows, no one cares to know and everyone hopes is over soon.
It does not suggest the congregation live like this always just one hour a week for heaven’s sake Literally.
It is a hint of heaven, otherwise, why would anyone want to go to Mass..
The priest is in vestments at all times, and garners due respect. He visits the Vatican regularly, he is not some renegade.
NO Eucharistic ministers, only deacons or seminarians and himself, on the tongue, kneeling at the rail
Full consecration, not hogging thirty minutes to joke about sports and film and UGH AAGH! welcoming out of towners, to scream through the consecration at breakneck speed to haul up every sleevles faded demin flip flop wearing gum chewer from the congregation in fifteen minutes while the congregation sits doing nothing , or tries to tam impatient kids and husbands, who have nothing to draw on in terms of envisioning heaven and if THIS is heaven, who WOULDN’T want to skip this bastardization of the mass, blamed completely erroneously on Vatican II, which does not call for this ugliness at all.
And there is NOT any hand holding, no greeting people after consecration for a handshake of peace.
All in keeping with the Magesterium and the Vatican.
These Masses are where the men can be found. Both in the congregation and on the Altar (where there are no girls allowed - there has never been a girl on that altar).
This is how to get men involved. I’m a girl, though, so what do I know?.
Gregorian Chant . That and the music - less Mass early AM.
When G.K. Chesterton wanted to answer the question, “What’s wrong with the world?”, he answered, “I am.”
A man's position is more like that of a sheepdog, always at the Shepherds side, always ready to search out the stray and bring it back to the fold, and always ready, willing, and able to take on the wolf that tries for the flock.
That is a task and imagery that I feel most men could get behind, and that would bring more men back to the church.
This is nothing new sadly.
So few males are willing to grow up and be men.
Christianity teaches that a man should rule his appetites not be a slave to them. This is not a happy notion after you have been raised with a boys will be boys mentality.
It is easy to say that it is just this day and age but it is not. For centuries males have treated church as a social club and religion as something only for children, women and perhaps old men.
In historical paintings, how many of them picture young men in church, reading the Bible or praying?
Now how many show them fighting or at play?
Every denomination begins to implode and shrink into itself when it is no longer Biblically accurate and no longer culturally relevant.
While it will isn’t seen by the militant FRoman Catholics, the Catholic church is in this position today. It is in the position of recruiting priests from the Anglican tradition and from overseas.
The Catholic church is a mission field today. Those who rejoice in seeing men come to saving faith in Christ, rejoice along with the angels when one comes to faith.
What does Rome intend to convert men to???
Prayers up for this movement.
Getting the females off the altar is step 1, IMO.
I wonder how Judaism is faring without all the extra help Christians get - if they are doing better then it is possible that not holding man accountable is what is doing the damage.
Then there is the issue of that other prophet Mohammed who is creating a revulsion towards any God, as are the demands of the Gay community who have their own churches - MAN is the problem.
Bkmk