Hey - why doesn't he threaten them with Hellfire and Damnation and the Outer Darkness (complete with weeping, gnashing of teeth etc) if they don't turn up... oh yeah, they already tried that, didn't they.
It must be because the OLD pastor was always ragging on them to go to church .
Excessive music? That is heart-breaking.
The music complaint sounds like ATE, but she might have approved of the sugar rush.
I have taken responsibility for the weekly sugar rush (aka Lutheran Coffee Hour) for the college students down here--also explaining to the chaplain how and why this is a central component of the mass. I'll let you know when I've got it all worked out.
Who can say why people don't attend mass? Surely it must be different reasons for everyone. When I was a child my mother made us walk to mass every DAY during Lent freezing our little butts off on the way. I swore when I grew up I'd never go again..but of course I do....every Sunday. I'm guessing that more than half of the people who DO show up every week are those who are ruled by guilt and not by devotion. The Catholic Church is an interesting institution. And the question about why people do not want to be removed from the rolls after years of not attending is an easy one. They want their funeral masses and their children's weddings to take place in the church just as if they have been pillars of the parish all along. Just like they want the front seat at Midnight Mass.... But as members of the faith community, I guess we should try to figure out who they are and invite them back, nicely, with a friendly letter, and let them know they are missed and would be welcomed back. Then let them make up their own minds!
He perhaps hasn't heard of the nation wide drop off in church attendance? Our church (Lutheran) lost about 3/4 of our congregation when our pastor of 20 years retired. Much wailing and gnashing of teeth and an unbelievable membership......er, I mean, evangelical drive ensued. We stabilized, but I think we're being heavily underwritten by Thrivent. Since we do own a pretty hefty chunk of Bay Area CA real estate, I think they could recoup the expense if they had to.
During Pastor Chu's children sermon last Sunday he was explaining how it was the beginning of the New Year and that Advent meant Coming. "And who is coming?" he queried.
Our children, no fools, chorused "Santa!"
This was also an issue that came up at a recent Elder's meeting at my (DOC) church. The minister - a relatively new and IMHO extremely good pastor - was wondering if it was him.
We assured him it wasn't.
It seems that EVERY civic/faith group I deal with has the same problem - lots of people who are "too busy" to attend the meetings. (my somewhat uncharitable response is, hey, I'm busy too, but I get there).
I don't know - I think it's a general issue of modern-day American life. People seem to be unplugging themselves from contact with others, especially in groups where there's a threat of being asked to volunteer to do something, for whatever reason. (Burnout? Fears of infection by whatever scary disease the news is hyping this week? Frustration with the lack of civility a few people display? They'd really just rather stay home and play video games? I don't know.)
As a former Catholic church organist, the music comment really hit a chord with me. (pun intended)
I was 15yrs old when I started playing at my church. Once, a woman was talking to my mother and found out she was speaking to the organist's mother. She said, "Oh good! Can't you ask her to play faster and speed things up a little?"
Yes, because the whole goal of religious worship is to see who can be done the fastest.
This must be why pedestrians take their lives into their hands walking through the church parking lot after mass. I would like to smite all those who are in such a hurry to get out of the lot that they nearly mow down children and little old ladies. "I've got my holy quota for the week, I'm out of here!"
The "how to snag more butts for the pews" discussion has never endeared me to any priest. I remember hearing it in place of the homily twice when I was in college, and thinking, "This is seriously the most important thing our pastor has to say to us? What happened to, oh, I don't know, explaining the Gospel or something?" I hope at least this discussion of yours isn't going on during Mass.
Besides the general attrition problem, another thing that might account for the low percentage of attendees is that people move, attend Mass at a new church, but never officially shift their membership to the new parish. At one church I used to attend, there were more than 800 people at each Sunday Mass. They sure didn't notice anyone who might be "visiting" for an extended period of time.
Not to say that I'm not concerned about Mass attendance, because I am. In fact, I'm concerned about my own, since I'm going through RCIA now, and am finding it hard to get used to the weekly commitment. (My boyfriend's Catholic, but doesn't know anyone at the parish where we live now, so he's reluctant to come to Mass with me, but I'm reluctant to go without him. Messy.) I just think lecturing the folks who do come is likely to be ineffectual.
(This comment is so long that maybe it should have been an email. Hope you don't mind!)
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