Exploring the Faith of Catholic Men

5/14/ 2015 –National Catholic Reporter (on-line)                                 Matthew James Christoff has highlighted a crisis of faith for Catholic men. 

1st) Somewhere between 11 and 15 million men who were raised Catholic but have left the church.  2nd) Only about one third of Catholic men attend Mass weekly.  3^rd) 4 out of 10 Catholic men do not believe that the Catholic Church contains any more truth than any other religion.

Christoff also notes that 60 percent of Catholic men are what he calls “Casual Catholics”. In other words, they don’t ‘really know their faith’ and don’t practice it appropriately but id asked they would own-u! Only 10 percent of Catholic men are what he calls “committed Catholics.” These are Catholics who are regular communicants, go to confession frequently, and are active participants in various Catholic groups and activities. Perhaps most telling, according to Christoff, only 18 percent of current 18 to 29 year-old Catholics say they are sure they will remain Catholic in the future. Clearly Christoff has put his finger on the pulse of a serious challenge which needs to be honestly confronted with real concern for the church today. His suggestion for correcting the problem, however, is problematic to many as well.

Christoff points to men from Evangelical churches that are more passionate about their faith, which would suggest that something is missing from our Catholic faith experience. Yet his answer appears to be only too familiar. If we simply explained our faith better, and encouraged men to frequent the sacraments and pray more - we could solve this problem! You know, a return to the Catholicism of the 1940s and 50s – Hat for Men and Veils for the Ladies but is it a cure or does it seems to have “NO REAL EFFECT” and will only to perpetuate the causes of the present lukewarm male response to the faith.

Maybe we need to look at why there is so much passion among evangelicals today and consider how we can capture some of that. In one of his earlier lectures, speaking about Evangelical Christianity,

Fr. Raymond Brown commented that he had spoken to many Catholics who had converted to evangelicalism. These former Catholics would make such telling statements as, “I found Jesus, and I love him.”

Perhaps we need to encourage a more personal (and Honest) relationship with Jesus. We need to encounter Jesus not just in the sacraments or only on Sunday but with the Scriptures, inquiringly- asking questions and researching + Open Discussions with each other, and with the world around us. It could be precisely the emphasis on performing certain tasks, rituals, or devotions that are seen as repetitive, routine and non-inspiring or spiritually exciting or thought provoking and which without such efforts, have fails to reach adult men emotionally and rationally.

It would be comforting to hear a guy say,”You know, I just read that…! Or “I never knew or thought about that before?” “Where did you hear or read that? How about you and I discussing that….?

If only +/- 10 percent of Catholic men are finding what they need for spiritual growth in Catholicism, the idea of doubling down and doing more of the “same” or adding  a big handful of GUILT doesn’t seem to be sufficient or probably the solution. We need to explore the realities and riches of the Christian tradition, not just Catholicism, and find new ways for bringing men as well as women into a deeper faith and understanding for and with a stronger commitment to the Lord Jesus, the Christ, His Church and all people

(Ever read the biblical Book of Amos? Yeah, I had never done so either! Actully I don’t think that I was even sure that it was a Book of Amos in the BIBLE – He seem like the guy who wrote some of “Jesus’ scripts and statements” Like what I like - a caring, present day Liberal Politician - Stressing our participatory function and need as well as God’s way and support to feel for and with the less fortunate, the marginalized as Pope Francis sees and calls them and to act in their behalf! Read Amos – if you want to! )