- Feb 5, 2002
- 182,801
- 66,272
- Country
- United States
- Gender
- Female
- Faith
- Catholic
- Marital Status
- Married
- Politics
- US-Others
“It’s happening again this year. It happens every year.”
That’s how I opened a post that appeared in this space two years ago. Sure enough, it’s happening this year too.
It begins right after Ash Wednesday, when we begin to notice some new faces in the congregation at the little chapel where we attend the early-morning Mass on weekdays. Many of the same faces show up throughout Lent, and when Easter arrives, more than a few continue to come to daily Mass. So bit by bit, the congregation grows.
When we first began attending Mass daily at this chapel, we could expect maybe a dozen people, on average, at the early Mass. Now the congregation usually numbers over 20, and empty pews are hard to find.
Yes, I know; these are tiny numbers, in just one little rural town. But as I observed in another piece on the same topic, posted here threeyears ago:
Continued below.
www.catholicculture.org
That’s how I opened a post that appeared in this space two years ago. Sure enough, it’s happening this year too.
It begins right after Ash Wednesday, when we begin to notice some new faces in the congregation at the little chapel where we attend the early-morning Mass on weekdays. Many of the same faces show up throughout Lent, and when Easter arrives, more than a few continue to come to daily Mass. So bit by bit, the congregation grows.
When we first began attending Mass daily at this chapel, we could expect maybe a dozen people, on average, at the early Mass. Now the congregation usually numbers over 20, and empty pews are hard to find.
Yes, I know; these are tiny numbers, in just one little rural town. But as I observed in another piece on the same topic, posted here threeyears ago:
We all know the statistics about the decline in Sunday Mass attendance: the steady downward spiral, stretching out for decades, in most of the Western world. But if my experience is not atypical, there is another trend, less often noticed: a steady increase in the number of Catholics making a special effort to attend Mass daily.
Continued below.
The under-the-radar growth of Catholic commitment
If my experience is not atypical, there is another trend: a steady increase in the number of Catholics making a special effort to attend Mass daily.
www.catholicculture.org
