More heartening developments for the Church, but...
Saturday, 2nd December 2006

Dear friends,

The long-awaited summary report of a two-year study funded by the Australian Catholic Bishops into the mindset of Catholics who have stopped going to Mass was released yesterday. It is well worth your study and we provide a link where you can read the summary report in detail. It takes about half an hour to do so. (The full report will be released later.)

We have held over Ian Elmer's column today so that you might concentrate your attention on this landmark qualitative study into the causes of the massive drift away from participation in the sacramental life of the Church.

I have my doubts that even armed with a study like this the institutional Church will have the guts to acknowledge the underlying problems as to why she is ceasing to be listened to. One hopes this study is not going to be yet another "make work" endeavour to give some appearance that work is being done out in the Lord's vineyard. In an editorial I explore some of the difficulties which this study points to but over which I expect there will be enormous reluctance to actually address the underlying problems. There is simply too much cultural inertia and loss of face involved to have to acknowledge that maybe some of the reasons why people have drifted away in such numbers might actually have some foundation in ultimate truth.

There's probably going to be some slight alterations in the coming days to when each day's bulletin is published. I'm off to Canberra on Monday early in the morning for the launch of the Bishops' initiative for people with disabilities. My beau, Amanda McKenna, has written the theme song and will be performing that and leading the music for the Mass. This trip will necessitate an earlier publication of the Catholica bulletin on Monday and possibly a later publication on Tuesday.

By the way, on a personal score, Amanda had a double celebration on Thursday with the completion of her entry for the World Youth Day song contest. All I can say is that the work she has put together with Gerard Patterson is sensational but she is up against stiff competition as we have heard on the grapevine that the WYD Office has been flooded with over 150 entries. Also on Thursday we were both pleased to be informed that Amanda's annulment has finally been approved and we can begin to plan our nuptials. This has been a long personal and professional partnership that was first sparked by our meeting through the CathNews discussion community more than five years ago. May you have great joy in your day as well!

The ACBC Report on Catholics who have stopped going to Mass — will it lead to changes that reverse the drift? We applaud the Australian Catholic Bishops for funding this important study. We ask will this study be enough though? Cranking up the volume of the same broken record, appeasing the insecure sectors of the Church, is not going to be enough to reverse the drift and re-evangelise the world. [more]

What we seek in our faith today... In almost serendipitous timing with the release of the Bishops' Report yesterday on the lapse in participation, Cindy has been having a chat with a few of the ladies in her parish on these same matters. They have a few suggestions for jazzing up the liturgy. Some of them seem as confused as the bishops though as to why their own children have given Mass the flick. You'll find much in what Cindy writes that gels with what you read in the ACBC report. [more]

Best wishes for a great day wherever you happen to be ... in life, and in our world,

Brian Coyne
Editor and Publisher
Catholica Australia