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Published: February 25, 2008
"A mixed picture"
Study finds Catholics who attend Mass less likely to divorce
A poll commissioned by the USCCB Subcommittee on Marriage and the Family Life and conducted by the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate has found that Catholics who attend Mass frequently are less likely to get divorced and are more likely to have large families, reports Lifesite News.
Archbishop Joseph Kurtz, chairman of the subcommittee, summarized the poll's findings: "Not surprisingly, the study paints a mixed picture. It gives us reasons to be grateful and hopeful. It also raises concerns and presents us with challenges."
 Kurtz noted one distressing point -- the fact that Catholics "are just as likely as the overall population to obtain a divorce."
However, the archbishop pointed out, Catholics who go to Mass frequently, and demonstrate a higher level of commitment to the faith, generally have lower rates of divorce and are more familiar with the Church's teachings on marriage. Those who rarely or never go to Mass are significantly more likely to obtain a divorce.
Kurtz stressed a number of other areas of concern. The study showed that only two-thirds of married Catholics have been married in the Church, and twenty-three percent of adult Catholics have gone through a divorce. Eleven percent of Catholics are divorced and remarried or are living with someone else, though the Church strictly opposes this practice.
There were also significant differences in terms of the age of the respondents, with younger Catholics generally demonstrating less knowledge of Catholic teaching, and a smaller degree of commitment to the faith.
"Older Catholics, especially those who came of age prior to Vatican II, are typically more involved in Church life and more frequently attend Mass than younger generations of Catholics," stated the executive summary.
However, the study found that agreement with Catholic teaching is highest amongst older (born before 1943) and the much younger (born after 1981) Catholics, with the least agreement with Church teachings found in the middle generation.
In conclusion, Archbishop Kurtz said the poll has given the Catholic Church an idea of which teachings are least understood. "This new research on Catholics and marriage confronts us with a sense both of urgency and opportunity," he said. "It identifies strengths and accomplishments on which we are eager to build. It shines a light on challenges and difficulties which we must address."
(Story courtesy of Catholic News Agency.)
Posted Monday, February 25, 2008 10:05 AM By Ann
Just attended my 50th high school reunion and was amazed at how many couples there have been married 50 years, which means right out of high school, and very much in love with each other still, despite severe illnesses, etc. Guess the 1950's was the last decade of sanity in the USA, and in the Church. How could we not expect scandals and other chastisements when we Catholics have contracepted, and aborted our children at the same rate as the pagans in our own neighborhoods. A local parish requires that every parent who has a child enrolled in a Sacramental program, MUST attend a number of classes on the teachings of the Faith during that year or two of preparation. This pastor recognizes that most Catholics have not been catechized in the past 40 or so years. We all need to be converted to put Jesus first, Others second, and Yourself third. Notice that spells JOY!
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Posted Monday, February 25, 2008 10:06 AM By Jess
Archbishop Kurtz said this poll has given the Catholic Church an idea of which teachings are least understood. Maybe that is because many priest don't teach anything about it, or about the consequence of sin. If the priest stands on the pulpit and tells his congregation that Christ died for our sins and that's all, then what does that leave for the people to do?? Oh hey, my dept has been paid, I don't even have to go to church, make sacrifices or go to confession because God loves me and we are all going to heaven. Oh, and I think of God all the time especially when I am blaspheming!! I've been to parishes that have had the odd priest that did stand up for Catholic teaching and found that soon after he was, literally, booted out of the church. OH! did I say booted out? I ment transfered!! I hope you don't find this message offensive or libelous!
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Posted Monday, February 25, 2008 10:47 AM By Grisha
Ann writes: "We all need to be converted to put Jesus first, Others second, and Yourself third. Notice that spells JOY!"
I'm going to put that in my "Quotable Quotes" file on my desktop. It really summerizes what we're called to do as Christians. I thank God that so many people in my parish live exactly that way!
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Posted Monday, February 25, 2008 12:22 PM By Janek
Gee that's an easy one for the Bishops don't they also know that providing the Traditional Latin Mass to all of our Altars in Churches, Cathedrals, Convents, Seminaries would pack the pews????? Of course it would, that's why our Holy Father gave us the Motu Propio, may God bless our Holy Father for he is returning us to Tradition after 40 years in the wilderness. Deo Gratias Benedictus XVI!!!!!
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Posted Monday, February 25, 2008 1:33 PM By Fr. M.P.
It's simple and obvious. People who live their faith will obtain more Grace to live a Godly life according to God's commandments. Those who love Me will keep My Commandments.
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Posted Monday, February 25, 2008 1:45 PM By Betty
Ann says that "most Catholics have not been catechized for the past 40 years or so. I agree with that. I am always a little surprised that many of my fellow Catholics know very little about the Catholic faith. They have a few vague ideas about Christmas and Easter and maybe First Communion and that's about it. I didn't know much about it either until I had a medical exam for my college application and my doctor asked me what I wanted to study. I told him that I wanted to be a doctor and he said "Well, if you're going to be a doctor, make sure you go to a Catholic college because you're going to see a lot of strange things in medical school." I followed his advice and went to a Catholic college and in those days Catholic colleges taught religion well. They don't seem to do that any more.
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Posted Monday, February 25, 2008 6:41 PM By Doug
Fr. M.P. says,"It's simple and obvious. People who live their faith will obtain more Grace to live a Godly life according to God's commandments." Thats true if you have been taught those commandments with their full understanding. These days you are taught to follow your concience. There are many people in the Catholic church who do not consider birth control to be a sin but a responsible choice. So much for the concience. And what about those "Catholics" who openly promote abortion and are still welcome in the church? What does that do to the concience of the young? It tells them this is acceptable. People need to be taught properly so they can learn to love God and not take advantage of his goodness. That falls into the hands of the Church and her priests who have sorely disappointed the world and led them astray!
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Posted Monday, February 25, 2008 10:11 PM By John L. Sillasen
There is an innate nature to man that causes him to desire God. The Patriarch Abraham was not taught anything more than any other pagan on the face of the earth, and at that time all were pagans. Yet, he responded to God. From that moment, it took another fourhundred years before God revealed His Law to His people. And then another 1200 years before Jesus was born. What an advantage we have today, when almost all people are literate enough to read, or can listen to Catholic teaching on the radio or TV! The teaching is present among us, and even more than His words. So, why do some people dance to the song of the market place, while others listen to God?
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Posted Tuesday, February 26, 2008 7:36 AM By Doug
To: John L. Sillasen
Why do some people dance to the song of the market place, while others listen to God? Because it's easier! Which brings us back to my point, if people are told you don't have to do anything but be a good person (whatever that means!) they are going to take the easy road. It's also true what you say about the abundant reading material, but again it has to be brought to more peoples attention or they don't know what they are looking for. God does give a person who is looking for the truth a helping hand, but there are lots of devils at work distracting those same people with false religions.
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Posted Tuesday, February 26, 2008 7:44 AM By vdicarlo
We can't look into people's hearts, but if you want to know who the really faithful Catholics are, it seems to me that one of the easiest ways is to look at those who uphold in their lives the teachings that are the most widely despised, especially by nominal Catholics. Notable among these is the teaching forbidding the use of contraceptives by married couples. I have heard remarkable claims of extremely low divorce rates among couples using natural family planning, which is approved by the church, both for achieving and avoiding pregnancy, as contrasted with contracepting couples. These claims seem plausible, and I don't doubt them, but they seem largely based on anecdotal evidence and small or flawed studies. It would be helpful to have a large study using the most reliable methods. I would bet that the results would be very instructive.
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Posted Tuesday, February 26, 2008 9:47 AM By Fr. M.P.
Doug, sadly you are very correct that so many Catholics have not been taught the truths of the faith. Perhaps one action that can be done with this type of survey is use it as the door-opener to many hearts. Since the world today is ripe with "experts" and surveys which grab people's attention, this survey can be shown to illustrate that what God truly teaches in the faith is backed up by real evidence. Then with the door opened, the fullness of the Catholic doctrine can be imparted. How about you catechists taking advantage of this survey? John L, it's that darn concupiscence, that's why.
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Posted Tuesday, February 26, 2008 12:20 PM By Dan
Fr. M.P. - Dietrich Von Hildebrand wrote that is it is a matter of Pride and Concupiscence, not just concupiscence alone. Well, I always liked the connection. Even though I have been a Catholic for 30 years ( I entered the Church as an adult) I am going back to RCIA classes with a friend who is entering and I am surprised to find how much I am learning or how much I am getting reacquainted with. As a convert, I find it quite amazing that there is no Catholic equivalent to Sunday School which I took for granted and to which I went for 20 years as a Protestant each Sunday. I couldn't conceive of Sunday worship without sunday school; in my college days there was college sunday school and evening college fellowship after the evening service. One reaps what one sows, and if the Church sows catechetical sand, it will reap a sandstorm.
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Posted Tuesday, February 26, 2008 2:34 PM By Steve
The Roman Catholic Church has lost more members than any faith tradition because of affiliation swapping, the survey found. While nearly one in three Americans were raised Catholic, fewer than one in four say they're Catholic today. That means roughly 10 percent of all Americans are ex-Catholics. Reasons for leaving vary. Janet Steele of Springfield Township cites the priest sex abuse scandal and the church's teachings on birth control among the reasons she's no longer Catholic. Her family joined Forest Chapel United Methodist Church in Forest Park, where she is now lay leader. The share of the population that identifies as Catholic, however, has remained fairly stable, thanks to an influx of immigrant Catholics, mostly from Latin America. Nearly half of all Catholics under 30 are Hispanic, the survey found.
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Posted Tuesday, February 26, 2008 4:52 PM By John L. Sillasen
Doug, your post makes sense to me, and in fact, I can testify to it from my own experience. Thanks for putting it so clearly.
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Posted Tuesday, February 26, 2008 7:21 PM By John L. Sillasen
Pride and concupiscence; why couldn't it be something easier to deal with? = )))
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Posted Tuesday, February 26, 2008 11:29 PM By Maria C
Doug you are right on what you are conveying, I see it alot with our local Catholic churches, with some priests not teaching the faith. But never fear, trust in our Lord to reveal His truths to His people in His own timing. I grew up in the Novous Sorto Mass ( I hope I spelled that correctly), I was never taught that taking birth control was a sin but for some miracle, God showed it me that it was wrong. So we never contracepted. Going to Mass, confessing my sins regularly and being faithful to our Lord and especially I was taught to have a personal relationship with our Lord Jesus Christ in the Holy Eucharist, I was raised to not take for granted our Holy Bible, I was raised with the truths that our church has apostolic truths because my grandmother taught me. I sometimes get saddened by the spiritual blindness on salvation that people have but that does not stop me from praying and continuing to trust in my Lord. I need that trust our Abba Father, to keep me going. He is the reason I continue to seek Him and pray to Him. I hope that can continue to share the truths we were shown by the mercy and love of our Lord to others because if we don't, then that is when we never heard and never walked the walk, we need to give great honor to our Lord and do our best in sharing truths. We cannot take for granted these very precious truths.
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Posted Wednesday, February 27, 2008 10:18 AM By Doug
To: Steve, I must comment on this woman Janet Steele because I feel that she probalby speaks for a majority of fallen away Catholics. First in regards to the birth control, how can a person believe that they are opening their hearts and lives to God when they deliberately do something to stop God from executing his will. When one takes birth control they are doing their will not the will of God. We cannot just quit being a Catholic and go to some other belief system because it suits us better. People need to realize that Christ established the Catholic Church, some guy established the United Methodist Church.
And in regards to the Priest sex abuse scandle, not enough people pray for priests! If all the cathilics did there duty and remembered their priest in their rosary and offered their mass for them at least once a month these priest would have gotten the graces they so desperately needed to overcome this disgusting compulsion. But as you are probably aware by now, no one thinks they need to pray anymore and so our priest and the rest of society must pay the price for their lack of charity!
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Posted Wednesday, February 27, 2008 11:27 AM By Grisha
Doug .. I don't know about your parish, but at ours, we pray for our priest all the time. We arn't worried about abuse, we're worried he'll be beaten down physicaly and mentaly by the load he carries in caring for all of us.
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Posted Wednesday, February 27, 2008 11:58 AM By Doug
To: Grisha, I am from a parish that sounds alot like yours. I have my parents firm faith, prayers, sacrifice and the grace of God to thank for that. My parents were thrown out of there parish church back in the early 70's for kneeling for communion! But God did not leave them in the dark for long, they found a good priest who still said the Trad. mass and to this day he still does. This is one example of how God directs those who are looking for the truth.
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Posted Wednesday, February 27, 2008 1:16 PM By Grisha
Doug ~ I've never understood that there was any prohibition against kneeling to recieve communion. Ican think of two instances when I've seen it done. Every now and then at Old St. Mary's here in San Francisco, people will kneel when the get to the priest in the communion line. Bear in mind that OSM is the "Crossroads of the World and people are perhaps followinmg thier own national or regional custom. When I'm in St. Petersberg I sometines go the the noon mass at Our Lady of Lourdes, where the New Mass is celebrated in Latin and it's the custom for *everyone* to kneel and recive the Lord on the tounge. I imagine I could stand and recieve in the hand, as I do at home, but I'm a "When in Rome" type of person. Even in the 70's I think your parent's priest was wrong.
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Posted Wednesday, February 27, 2008 2:16 PM By SNoel
I agree with Dan, as a convert from a Baptist church, I very
much miss the Sunday school classes for the children and the adults, The protestant church does a pretty good job of teaching and preaching. Most of them have church service on Sunday morning, Sunday evening and on Wednesday evenings. I still recall the Bible verses we had to memorize and the heros of the Bible we learned. In addition to all the fun we had at church on Saturdays. It was a "true family".
There is a real disconnect in the Catholic Church. Most catholics go to get their "required time" in and leave.
Of course The Liturgy is the most perfect worship and prayer we have and it is provided everyday, but in addition to it we have to educate the children and the adults as to why the Mass is so important and the teaching of The Church so truthful. Not only should the priests be educating from the pulpits but the lay people (all of us) need to be in charge of programs in the church that also educate and create bonding!
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Posted Wednesday, February 27, 2008 2:58 PM By Doug
Grisha.. Not only that, this priest demanded that my brothers, about 12 & 13 at the time who were serving mass for him, stand for communion. They refused and after the mass were scolded furiously and told not to come back. I have in my own life time experienced some priest'swho let me kneel and one that from the pulpit just a couple years back said if anyone knelt before him to take communion he would deny them. He said this was on the grounds that he had a bad back. This I thought was pretty much a lie as he leaned over just fine to give communion to small children. The act of kneeling was NOT officially prohibited but if you are one of the very few who do it you might find yourself in a very awkward position. If kneeling is not common in your parish then I suspect we travel in very different circles. People who kneel for communion in a parish that recieve standing have been called proud but this is very far from the truth. I am not by nature a person who like's attention brought on himself, I am only trying to adore our Lord Jesus Christ that best way I know how. I try and imitate the Saints who as we all know KNELT humbly to receive our Lord.
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Posted Wednesday, February 27, 2008 3:40 PM By Fr. M.P.
Dan, yes of course both pride and concupiscence. See 1 John 2:16 "For all that is in the world, is the concupiscence of the flesh, and the concupiscence of the eyes, and the pride of life, which is not of the Father, but is of the world." The Douay Rheims says this directly. Other translations are not so direct. Perhaps you can also take the lead for a Sunday school type program for continuing education. Doug and Grisha: kneeling for Communion is a perpetual right allowed Catholics, although many modernists abuse their position/authority and claim that one must stand. Nonsense. See this link: http://www.adoremus.org/Notitiae-kneeling.html. This is also specifically in Redemptionis Sacramentum 91 & 92: "... Therefore, it is not licit to deny Holy Communion to any of Christ’s faithful solely on the grounds, for example, that the person wishes to receive the Eucharist kneeling or standing. Although each of the faithful always has the right to receive Holy Communion on the tongue, at his choice ..."
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Posted Friday, February 29, 2008 12:02 PM By Betty
Doug, I just can't get over the idea that your parents were thrown out of church for kneeling for Communion. I just keep thinking and thinking. How could any priest throw out two of his parishioners for kneeling for Communion? If you don't mind my asking, did they fight with him, argue with him, write letters, etc. the way I would have done or did they just meekly accept his order and go away? As you may have guessed, I think most of my fellow parishioners are too darn meek and accepting. Priests actually need people wj\ho will fight back. I don't like writing about my own personal opinions that much (although I do it) but I really think they should have put up a holler and stayed right where they were and continued kneeling for Communion.
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Posted Friday, February 29, 2008 4:57 PM By Doug
Betty.. My parents were not overly meek but not the kind to get into a ruckus. So many things were changing in the church at that time and that was just the final straw. This priest was obviously not doing the work of God. To make things even worse he yelled at an 80 year old woman to get up from her knees. I think my Father wrote to the Bishop at the time but got no support from him either. You see they were all on the same page mainly the destruction of the church those who stood in there way.
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Posted Sunday, March 02, 2008 9:47 AM By Betty
If I were that 80-year-old woman, I would have stood up and slapped his face and then I would have called the local newspaper and told them that I had just slapped my priest for refusing to give me Communion and would they like to send a photographer to rake a picture of me doing the same thing tomorrow if it happens tomorrow. Well, I have a very hot temperm as you can see,
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Posted Sunday, March 02, 2008 2:17 PM By John L. Sillasen
Betty, if this will help ... twelve years ago, the parish I had been attending had a transfer of priests. The three new ones began the changes. One sunday I was leaving at the end of Mass, in the midst of a throng of people, I pushed open the very heavy large door, and let it go once I was out of the way ... I had no intention that the door then slammed back into the unsuspecting old modernist priest. Oops. Actually I did not know he was there, but thought there were lots of parishioners there who'd work the door. I still don't know how he got so close as to be immediately behind me ... and I guess the other folks just kind of gave him some room. He did make some sort of surprised noise. But I didn't look back.
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Posted Monday, March 03, 2008 7:30 AM By Doug
Betty..Good for you! If there were more people like that to stand up for Holy Mother church and the rights of her people then maybe the church would not be in the mess it is today. In regards to the mass and traditions of the church my father used to say " The father took the faithfull mother of the family and threw her out with all her belongings and moved in the concubine to replace her." These wolves in sheeps clothing that Christ warned us about were the ones driving her away. Those who stood up for the faith were severly persecuted. They were the ones accused of being traders to the church and of course "Holier than thou!" Our Holy mother has warned the world about this chrisis in the church many times through history and has given us the means to combat it. Is anyone out there listening! Unfortunately not enough, and certainly not the Vatican. Pray the Rosary and Pray for the Holy Father!
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