That's the topic of this week's
Love One Another message from Milwaukee Archbishop Jerome Listecki. Pastors need to know the congregation's, or any audience's, level of knowledge. For examples, he notes,
"It is shocking to me the number of Catholics who don’t understand the teachings of the Church on the 'real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist.'"
and
"I have come to realize in the intervening years of my priesthood that the choir may not be singing from the same sheet of music. Perhaps we haven’t paid enough attention to those singing in the choir or sitting in the congregation. Attendance at Sunday Mass has decreased, the sacrament of reconciliation (confession) remains an almost forgotten source of grace... .
Recall that Herald of Hope column by Bishop Donald J. Hying in the
Milwaukee Catholic Herald of September 25, 2014 in which he wrote,
"We now have at least two full generations of Catholics who do not know the basics of the faith and who have abandoned the practice of it in droves."
From what I've seen, Christian Formation consists of spending very little time covering even less content. Pointing this out gets a response explaining why Nothing Can Be Done. Will a new generation of pastors and DREs do more than acknowledge the existence of this problem? If you can point to specific evidence of it, feel free to elaborate in the comments.
2 comments:
"why Nothing Can Be Done"*
*well, except of course those things which have been proven effective, like ad orientem worship, Catholic-core curriculum, and diocesan sacred music policies.
((well, except of course those things which have been proven effective, like ad orientem worship, Catholic-core curriculum, and diocesan sacred music policies)) Right on! And clergy adept at preaching and teaching.
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