Msgr. Pope on Being Faithful during the Winter of Faith

"As I write this, it is mid-winter in the Northern Hemisphere. Like each season, winter has its time, its three months. To many of us, there seems to be a metaphorical winter in the Church and in our culture, one that has lasted for years. 

"Those of us who are older probably remember a time when Masses were crowded. The church parking lots were packed full, and if you didn't arrive early enough you often had to park elsewhere and then stand during Mass. Catholic Schools had long waiting lists, and parents made sure to put their children on the list long before they reached school age. If you put up four walls, Catholics would fill them.

"Beginning in the mid-sixties, however, weekly Mass attendance by Catholics began to drop. . . . Open dissent from Church teaching grew among the faithful and the clergy, especially after Pope Paul VI’s 1968 encyclical Humanae Vitae, which re-affirmed the rejection of artificial contraception. The autumn of our discontent and the 'falling leaves' of defection of clergy and religious sisters from their vows and the faithful from their pews ushered in a long winter from which we have yet to emerge. Added to this are scandals of the worst kind, rooted in a loss of faith by the very ones sent to prophetically announce that faith. . . ." 

In a recent commentary, Monsignor Charles Pope (pastor of Holy Comforter-Saint Cyprian Parish, Washington, DC) reflected on the importance of being faithful in doing our work (living the faith, passing it on to our children, and insisting on what is true) - it will eventually bear fruit.. 

To access Msgr. Pope's complete post, please visit: 

Community in Mission: In the Winter of Faith Just Keep Working (13 FEB 19)