DEATH OF A THOUSAND CUTS

As we have been observing, the Church in Europe and America is failing.  In some places, the condition is critical.

There is a great reluctance on the part of many to even admit there is a problem.  Many Bishops and Pastors appear to be eagerly and willfully ignorant of the crisis within their local churches.  

To put it bluntly, the Catholic Faith is dying as we once knew and experienced it.

If there is to be a reversal of this negative trend, then Church hierarchy and committed members of the faithful will need to act.  

But the first step must be a willingness to confront the reality that Catholicism has become increasingly irrelevant and meaningless in today’s world.

As we will examine this month, the Church in Europe is in critical, if not terminal, condition. The outlook in America is no brighter, and largely because the Bishops and Catholics themselves continue to refuse to recognize and resolve problems before they become irreversible.

Why has the Church suffered such terrible losses?

Perhaps, there are some common indicators which would explain or provide a framework of understanding for this pitiable phenomenon.

The first indicator, to which I have already alluded, appears to be the fact that no one seems to be concerned over the reality that the Church is declining numerically.  

Fewer people, especially among younger generations, are exposed to the Scriptures and Church doctrine.  Still fewer pay any attention to Church discipline.  Liturgical practice and the reception of the Sacraments (especially Reconciliation) is at an all time low.  And no alarm bells sound.

When was the last time your local Bishop or Pastor called Catholics within the spheres of their influence to accountability and the need to seek the Sacramental absolution of their sins?  

When was the last time you heard your Pastor or parish Priest speak about the fallen state of humanity resulting from Original and personal sin?

When was the last time the Bishop or a Pastor reminded Catholics of their “Easter Duty” to confess the serious sins of which they are aware and to receive Holy Communion within the Season of Easter?  

How is it possible that Pastors do not call to accountability the parents of children enrolled in their parochial school for not attending Mass on weekends?

These and so many other areas which impact and define personal sanctity are hardly ever addressed anymore.

The evangelical counsels of the Scriptures have been replaced by a social agenda which falsely promises that human resource and treasure can solve everyone's problems, a promise so often made and broken that no one takes it seriously except the Bishops themselves.

When you listen to Bishops and a goodly number of Pastors speak about life in the Church today. you could only conclude that everything is splendid, even in the face of report after report of increasing parish closures or mergers. 

When someone challenges that fantasy, they are labelled as cynics or pessimists.  

And so, the downward spiral within the Church continues as though nothing serious is happening.

The state of denial among the Bishops and  some Clergy is staggering!

Of course, there are some (a distinct minority) who sense that “something” is wrong in the Church.  But, so often, they respond in one of two ways. Do more of what we are doing that has proven ineffective. Or, secondly, seek a “magic bullet” program, emphasis, or even new Pastor. The church does not really need to change; it just needs an adjustment.

Here is where the Bishops collectively (by way of the USCCB) shine.  The number of “magic bullets” fired off and funded by the Conference continues to boggle the mind.  Not only are these programs ineffective in reversing the negative trends, but they come at a great cost to the financial security of dioceses and parishes.

Someone once said:  “Success has many fathers; failure is always an orphan.”  This is especially true when it comes to the failure of the “magic bullet” programs and initiatives inspired and encouraged by the Bishops and some Pastors.  

No one claims responsibility.  When these hair-brained schemes and strategies fail, then the blame game starts.  It’s the parishioners’ fault.  It’s the pop-culture hostile to Christian values.  It’s the folks who have stopped practicing the Faith.

When Bishops and Pastors, who promise that this program or effort will achieve remarkable success, fail to deliver successes, the level of frustration and anger rises giving cause to even greater alienation or abandonment of the Faith by many.  

Divisions and factions within the local communities are heightened and the Church becomes demoralized.  This gives rise to even greater losses of membership as congregations war within themselves or with neighboring parishes.  Young people witness the lack of unity and quarreling and want nothing to do with it.  Eventually, weekend worship becomes desolate. More and more pews are empty.  

The few who continue to attend Mass desperately seek to save their parish from oblivion.  They will try any new idea to “save their parish”.  Door to door canvassing of fallen away Catholics, social events, medical screenings, fund raising...anything to ward off the inevitable reality that their parish is beyond any realistic hope of surviving.

Finally, when the closure is announced or the merger with another parish is enacted, many simply and quietly walk away.

How many parishes have been merged or consolidated in recent years!  Yet, I have yet to see a single report of the status of the new consolidated parochial community.

How many Catholics attended Mass at each of the parishes before the merger?  How many are attending afterward?  What was the amount of financial support at each of the parishes before the merger?  How much is it afterward?

The Bishops and Pastors will not be honest or transparent about these numbers.  I suspect that is because mergers and consolidations are total failures.

The longer the Bishops and Pastors wait to make substantive changes, the more difficult it becomes to reverse the downward spiral. 

What is most remarkable is this:  nearly nine out of ten (90%) of the parishes that die are in communities that are growing.  The problem is not a shortage of people. The problem is a shortage of courage to enunciate the clear teachings of the Word of God and the moral doctrines of the Church.

Until and unless Bishops and Pastors are at least willing to honest admit that these are the facts, until and unless the faithful are told the truth, the Church will continue to die a “death of a thousand cuts”.  

It is painful to watch and still more painful to experience.  

May the Lord come to our rescue and provide us with honest and bold leadership and with fervent and devout members of the faithful.

God, bless Your Church, today and always, please!