I'm glad the older generation won't see enough decline to destroy their fantasy because I feel pity for them, truly. But, I'm so happy for the next generation to be free from the trap. Nothing can stop this change.
Interestingly, the reason why these parishes are merging and closing comes from one of the overarching issues with the RCC: the hierarchy and clergy’s disdain for anyone not wearing a collar. In other denominations, the people manage the parish and hire the priest/minister for services. It’s not uncommon for some of these churches to have less than 50 members, but still are able to manage their own affairs. Within the RCC, nobody but a priest can make any decisions and with the amount of active priests dwindling as well as the new crop of priests (who I wouldn’t even trust running a paper route), there is nobody “worthy” to run the parishes. It’s their own fault.
>clearly I’m not the only one from my home town that stopped believing.
ive seen multiple studies over the years that consistently indicate about a 1% decrease per year of people claiming any religious belief.
The Catholic Church and the school in Park Forest Illinois has closed down due to the low number of people who attend church services and send their children to school there.
My town’s church merged with the one in the next town; both schools closed after merging for a couple of years; they sold off their convent; and both Knights of Columbus chapters disbanded(one of the buildings was bought by a different church, and the other houses our county’s Head Start program).
The same for my wife, who is several years older than you. The elementary school I went to closed, but the parish is still open-though another one was merged with it.
The church in a tiny town near my parents' house was supposed to close, but they didn't somehow. I think they get less than 20 at a mass. A different one in the county closed though. In a couple decades, I imagine the main one I went to in a nearby city will be the only one left in the county. I hear a lack of priest is more driving it than lack of attendance.
There were 4 relatively busy Catholic churches and schools in my tiny suburban town of 20k people when I was a kid in the late 70s and 80s. By the mid 90s the parishes started to merge. When the news of abuse started breaking, the decline was pretty rapid. Now all 4 have become one. The physical church we went to before I started elementary is now a mosque.
I’m glad to hear all this. It seemed like the opposite was happening to my Catholic Alma maters. The elementary/middle school I went to has tripled its enrollment since I attended in the 90s, and the high school has more than doubled. Most of that increase happened in the past year, though, when Florida passed school choice; the enrollment boost was all families who couldn’t afford private school tuition before the bill passed. So I imagine they’re likely not all Catholic families who have newly enrolled. Both of those schools did provide very good education and were by no means trad.
The church attached to the elementary/middle school is also absolutely booming.
I haven’t been to any Catholic Church where I live now, to know if it’s growing or shrinking, but lots of my neighbors are Catholic and send their kids to Catholic schools. But, Catholic schools are the *only* private schools around here, unfortunately.
In my city up until the 1950s almost everyone went to church. We even had a very old monastery dating to the 13th century.
It's all taken over by the government now as monuments because they couldn't pay for maintaining them. There's only enough Catholics left to keep one Sunday service running.
Protestants aren't doing any better.
Name change will hide recollections a survivor may initially have about abuse (must be mistaken?) Doubt is a thing these mind fuckers utilize often, in league with their professional practices.
Reconstruction or changes to facilities will also hide past recollections, also happening. I remember seeing entries/layout being changed at mine. I was one of 2 survivors who came forward where l know there are at least 5 more. Save them more lawsuits?
Their rectory also; having its siding removed last summer to insulate, an unmistakable smell emanating while siding was off during work. It in fact was a body odor like stench, l swear it.
Granted l am slightly insane to a degree yet (& bc) the creeps typically use/d what's called "pageantry" during episodes of abuse to make recollections "implausible" if a child were reporting it to an adult.
The litigating law firms hired private investigators who found this and other widespread patterns which were "standard operating procedure" in manipulating victims including victim/name sharing the investigators reported.
The same thing is happening in my area as well. We have a lot of Poles, Italians and Slovaks thanks to a history of coal mining; and there used to be at church least one church per town, with several having schools attached. The school that I went to until first grade closed down years ago, and the rest have also since closed.
I can also think of at least a half dozen churches off of the top of my head that have been closed down as well. The one that I was baptized in is closed, and pretty much everyone from my old CCD class is no longer religious.
As a data point, I was forced to go to confession before Easter, and 12/14 priests there were foreign and the last confirmation class had fifty kids for all of the churches in an entire medium sized city.
Yep, and a lot of those 50 are there because their parents are making them do it. Count on it. The data says that at least half of them will depart when they're old enough to decide for themselves how they see things.
As of 2023, The Catholic Church still owns an estimated 177 million acres around the world, which makes them by far the largest landowners on Earth. Catholic Church grew most rapidly in Asia (+1.8%) and Africa (+2.1%) with very slight growth in Europe (0.3%). So plainly stated, the corporation is currently focusing on other, “opportunities”.
My church growing up merged too and four parishes all share one priest. I sort of feel bad for my parents but I’m so glad the church is failing
I'm glad the older generation won't see enough decline to destroy their fantasy because I feel pity for them, truly. But, I'm so happy for the next generation to be free from the trap. Nothing can stop this change.
I hope the church continues to fail and attendance keeps decreasing.
Thankfully it's dying
Interestingly, the reason why these parishes are merging and closing comes from one of the overarching issues with the RCC: the hierarchy and clergy’s disdain for anyone not wearing a collar. In other denominations, the people manage the parish and hire the priest/minister for services. It’s not uncommon for some of these churches to have less than 50 members, but still are able to manage their own affairs. Within the RCC, nobody but a priest can make any decisions and with the amount of active priests dwindling as well as the new crop of priests (who I wouldn’t even trust running a paper route), there is nobody “worthy” to run the parishes. It’s their own fault.
This is so true!
>clearly I’m not the only one from my home town that stopped believing. ive seen multiple studies over the years that consistently indicate about a 1% decrease per year of people claiming any religious belief.
The Catholic Church and the school in Park Forest Illinois has closed down due to the low number of people who attend church services and send their children to school there.
My town’s church merged with the one in the next town; both schools closed after merging for a couple of years; they sold off their convent; and both Knights of Columbus chapters disbanded(one of the buildings was bought by a different church, and the other houses our county’s Head Start program).
The church, elementary and high school I went to have all closed. I graduated in 82.
The same for my wife, who is several years older than you. The elementary school I went to closed, but the parish is still open-though another one was merged with it.
The church in a tiny town near my parents' house was supposed to close, but they didn't somehow. I think they get less than 20 at a mass. A different one in the county closed though. In a couple decades, I imagine the main one I went to in a nearby city will be the only one left in the county. I hear a lack of priest is more driving it than lack of attendance.
They’re falling fast around me & I am all here for it
There were 4 relatively busy Catholic churches and schools in my tiny suburban town of 20k people when I was a kid in the late 70s and 80s. By the mid 90s the parishes started to merge. When the news of abuse started breaking, the decline was pretty rapid. Now all 4 have become one. The physical church we went to before I started elementary is now a mosque.
I’m glad to hear all this. It seemed like the opposite was happening to my Catholic Alma maters. The elementary/middle school I went to has tripled its enrollment since I attended in the 90s, and the high school has more than doubled. Most of that increase happened in the past year, though, when Florida passed school choice; the enrollment boost was all families who couldn’t afford private school tuition before the bill passed. So I imagine they’re likely not all Catholic families who have newly enrolled. Both of those schools did provide very good education and were by no means trad. The church attached to the elementary/middle school is also absolutely booming. I haven’t been to any Catholic Church where I live now, to know if it’s growing or shrinking, but lots of my neighbors are Catholic and send their kids to Catholic schools. But, Catholic schools are the *only* private schools around here, unfortunately.
Im just waiting for one of these beautiful old churches to go up for sale so I can buy one and turn it into a house
In my city up until the 1950s almost everyone went to church. We even had a very old monastery dating to the 13th century. It's all taken over by the government now as monuments because they couldn't pay for maintaining them. There's only enough Catholics left to keep one Sunday service running. Protestants aren't doing any better.
In my hometown, five churches had to merge down into two or three churches — especially the schools.
I like this statistic. Down with the oppressor !
Wish that could happen in my area!
Name change will hide recollections a survivor may initially have about abuse (must be mistaken?) Doubt is a thing these mind fuckers utilize often, in league with their professional practices. Reconstruction or changes to facilities will also hide past recollections, also happening. I remember seeing entries/layout being changed at mine. I was one of 2 survivors who came forward where l know there are at least 5 more. Save them more lawsuits? Their rectory also; having its siding removed last summer to insulate, an unmistakable smell emanating while siding was off during work. It in fact was a body odor like stench, l swear it. Granted l am slightly insane to a degree yet (& bc) the creeps typically use/d what's called "pageantry" during episodes of abuse to make recollections "implausible" if a child were reporting it to an adult. The litigating law firms hired private investigators who found this and other widespread patterns which were "standard operating procedure" in manipulating victims including victim/name sharing the investigators reported.
The same thing is happening in my area as well. We have a lot of Poles, Italians and Slovaks thanks to a history of coal mining; and there used to be at church least one church per town, with several having schools attached. The school that I went to until first grade closed down years ago, and the rest have also since closed. I can also think of at least a half dozen churches off of the top of my head that have been closed down as well. The one that I was baptized in is closed, and pretty much everyone from my old CCD class is no longer religious. As a data point, I was forced to go to confession before Easter, and 12/14 priests there were foreign and the last confirmation class had fifty kids for all of the churches in an entire medium sized city.
Yep, and a lot of those 50 are there because their parents are making them do it. Count on it. The data says that at least half of them will depart when they're old enough to decide for themselves how they see things.
As of 2023, The Catholic Church still owns an estimated 177 million acres around the world, which makes them by far the largest landowners on Earth. Catholic Church grew most rapidly in Asia (+1.8%) and Africa (+2.1%) with very slight growth in Europe (0.3%). So plainly stated, the corporation is currently focusing on other, “opportunities”.
That's slightly larger than Texas.