Ugh Oh! A Dying Breed? Catholics Take Note

The Pew Foundation release a massive study of religions in the USA. We Catholics sailing on the Bark of Peter might see that there is an alert whistle blowing for us. Bishops and Pastors might look at the picture and reflect with many "Why this?" and "Why that?" questions. The following article published by the Pew Foundation is just a reflection of serious losses for the Church in the USA. We often hear remarks about the failure of the Church in Europe, especially countries like France, Sweden, even good old Italy. The color highlighting is from this bloggers computer not the Pew Foundation --- hopefully to draw attention to serious issues.

For access to the full report: http://religions.pewforum.org/ It is interesting and worth some time reviewing. Speaking with a seasoned cleric last evening, I heard of voice that I had not heard before: what is happening to the Church? Are we on a sinking ship in this country? What does the American Church have to do to regroup, especially its losses? I might add this question: Do we Catholics realize we might be crossing a threshold into a new existence as believers but especially as practicers of the faith? Furthermore, is it of value to point fingers at any one category, eg Bishops, Pastors, Priests? I think it is a distraction to waste time doing that. Little will be accomplished. More to the point might be this question: What has each one of us Catholics done to bring such serious losses in our Church? Why have individuals given up on Mother Church? Surely the institution is worthy of evaluation but more worthy of evaluation is each Catholic. Parents and Priests and Bishops --- all of us can ask what we have done to pass on the tradition and values of our Church. Perhaps it might be seen as an ADULT problem! Have individual Catholics been the models for others coming along the faith highway? Just a few thoughts before you read the article and, hopefully, take a look at the Pew Report.

February 25, 2008
Catholics Lose More Faithful Than Any Other Group
by Greg TrotterReligion News Service

In the marketplace of American faith, Catholicism is the big loser.
Catholics have lost more members to other faiths, or to no faith at all, than any other U.S. religion, according to the new survey released by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life.
The survey, based on interviews with 35,000 U.S. adults, found that 31 percent of Americans were raised Catholic, but only 24 percent still identify as Catholic.
Perhaps more worrisome for church leaders, while 2.6 percent of Americans converted to Catholicism, four times as many -- 10.1 percent -- of cradle Catholics have left for another faith or no faith at all. Roughly 10 percent of all Americans are former Catholics, the study reported.
Still, despite the loss, Catholics remain steady at one in four of all Americans, the nation's single largest religious group. That stability is fueled in part, researchers said, by waves of Hispanic immigrants, much like generations of Irish and Italians built up the church in earlier generations.
"It may well be that a factor in the Catholic numbers are the repeated waves of immigration," said John Green, senior fellow at the Pew Forum.
The study found that almost half of all immigrants coming to U.S. shores are Catholics, most of them from Latin American countries. Latinos now represent 45 percent of Catholics aged 18 to 29, but only 20 percent of Catholics in their 50s.
Much of Catholicism's loss can be chalked up to previous generations of immigrants who assimilated into American culture and as a result became less faithful to their ethnic identities and religions, Green said.
"That kind of assimilation is typical for any ethnic group," said Mary Gautier, senior research associate at the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate at Georgetown University. "And it affects all religions -- not just Catholicism."
Gautier listed interfaith marriages, a dwindling supply of priests and insufficient church facilities as challenges to keeping people in the pews.
Others, such as the Rev. Allan Figueroa Deck of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, cited a lack of manpower.
"The Church is falling behind," said Deck, executive director of cultural diversity for the bishops. "We don't have enough foot soldiers."
Deck downplayed the idea that church teachings are out of step with the times -- the church's stand on birth control has alienated many Catholics, observers say -- and said there simply aren't enough teachers to communicate the faith.
"It's our mission to evangelize," he said, noting that part of that job involves changing hearts and minds, "and we are failing that."
The Catholic Church also struggles to reach out specifically to the needs of minority communities, such as blacks, Asians and Hispanics, said Deck, who has spent his career in the Hispanic ministry. And the assimilation of immigrants into the church and also American culture is a tricky balance, he said.
"We have to be very careful," Deck said. "Our role is to promote the Gospel, not any particular culture -- not even American culture."