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As the U.S. Catholic Church struggles
with the dwindling number of priests
and financial resources, it also must
consider growing dissatisfaction within.
Many Catholics are leaving the Church
in search of a different spiritual experience.
In February 2008, the Pew Forum on
Religion and Public Life released results
from a survey of the American religious
landscape. This survey (religions.pewforum.org/reports)
interviewed 35,000 adults over the age of 18
in the United States. It found that, if
shifts among Protestant denominations
are considered, 44 percent of Americans
do not practice the faith in which
they were raised.
About one in three Catholics in the
United States no longer identify themselves
as Catholic. That means that 10
percent of Americans are former Catholics.
(The number of Catholics has
actually grown, though, because of
Catholic immigrants.)
It used to be that religious searching
was not very common. But now, many
people advocate a conscious choosing
of religions. People search for a religion
that they can actively become
involved in because they find a connection
with the community and the
message. For some, this approach is
healthy.
On the contrary, other people see
selecting a religion as a consumer activity,
like shopping for cars or switching
TV stations. It’s almost as if God has
become a commodity.
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Like it or not, changing faiths happens
more often these days. The debate
should focus on why so many Catholics
are leaving the Church. Dissatisfaction
is found among many
Catholics, but especially among young-adult
Catholics.
“Young adult Catholics have a strong
Catholic identity but do not feel much
of a commitment to the institutional
Church or its moral teachings,” according
to James A. Davidson and Dean R.
Hoge, authors of American Catholics
Today: New Realities of Their Faith and
Their Church.
Many cite the clergy sex-abuse scandal
as a reason why people are leaving
the Church. In my experience as a
young-adult Catholic in college, however,
the sex-abuse scandal is not the
foremost reason. Many young adults
disagree with the Church on issues
including women in the clergy, homosexuality
and contraception.
In many cases, young Catholics are
not sure why the Church teaches what
it does. After Vatican II, “Too much of
Church teaching was irrelevant to people’s
experience because it was
expressed in terms from medieval philosophy
and theology that was incomprehensible
to contemporary people,”
says Thomas J. Reese, S.J., former editor
of America.
Thus, to break down this disconnect
between the hierarchy and everyday
Catholics, “It is the job of theologians
to come up with new ways to explain
the Gospel message. This requires hard
work, creativity and freedom to experiment,”
says Reese.
Not only do some Catholics struggle
with Church doctrine, but they also
do not have a strong connection to
the Mass. Some 36 percent of Millennial
Catholics (age 18-30) attend Mass
at least once a month, compared to 64
percent of Catholics born before Vatican
II, according to the United States
Conference of Catholic Bishops. This
gap may be caused by dry or irrelevant
homilies or lack of involvement in the
parish community.
Thus, many young adults choose to
leave the Catholic Church and explore
other religions. Currently, megachurches
are drawing in Catholics,
along with their base of former Baptists,
Lutherans, etc. These nondenominational
churches are message-oriented
and focus on providing contemporary
services with relatable sermons and
modern music.
Presenting a message that connects
with daily life helps to integrate faith
into everyday life, instead of simply
being an isolated hour out of the week.
Instead of discounting the megachurches,
the Catholic Church can
adopt their visibility and fervor. When
Pope Benedict XVI addressed young
people in New York on April 19, he
asked: “Who bears witness to the Good
News of Jesus on the streets of New
York, in the troubled neighborhoods
of large cities, in the places where the
young gather, seeking someone in
whom they can trust? God is our origin
and our destination, and Jesus the
way.”
Another place to start is for priests to
focus on trying to deliver modern,
applicable homilies.
The Catholic Mass, however, should
not abandon its traditions to be like
a nondenominational church. These
traditions and sacraments help the
community build and develop a relationship
with God. But aspects of the
Mass can be changed to appeal to specific
groups, such as having Masses
with more modern music.
Parishes and dioceses could also establish
programs that address specific
social issues, prayer groups, service
organizations, etc., for all ages, with
heightened focus on young-adult programs.
If young adults feel they are
part of a community, they will be more
likely to be active in the Church.
“Repeating the same answers in a
louder voice will convince no one,”
says Father Reese. Unless changes are
made, people will look to develop a
relationship with God outside of the
Catholic Church.—Kathryn Rosenbaum, intern
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