Msgr. Pope on Remnant Theology and Today's Church

"Recently on the blog we examined a survey conducted by the Pew Research Center that reported a decrease in the number of Catholics in America. The good news is that as many as 45% of Americans indicated some affiliation with Catholicism. That does not mean that they are all Catholics. Sometimes it means that they have a Catholic spouse or were once Catholic themselves but have fallen away, etc. What does remain sadly and soberly true is that only 20-25% of Catholics attend Mass weekly (as we are required to do).

"Frankly, as a Catholic and a priest, I am stunned at the decline in Mass attendance that has occurred during my lifetime. When I was a young child, I remember jam-packed Masses: if you didn't get there early you'd have to stand. In those days (the sixties) if you put up four walls, Catholics would fill them. There were waiting lists for the local parochial school. There were lots of religious sisters. There was not just one associate pastor or curate, there were two, or three, or even four. . . .

"There is no way to describe this decline other than 'stunning.' And I can hear all the usual arguments about why swimming around in my brain: We abandoned tradition! No, say others, we're not progressive enough! There are too many rules! No, say others, our problem is that we abandoned all the rules! I could go on and on. Everyone has an explanation and there are lots of disagreements about them.

"But what might God be doing? What might He be allowing? Now I know that I am walking on thin ice in attempting to consider this question, but please be assured that I am merely pondering it, not proposing a complete, definitive answer. I have often asked the Lord, 'What’s up with the Church? What has happened, Lord?' Now I don't claim that I received a bolt from Heaven in answer, rather I just came to a gradual and increasing awareness that what we are experiencing is really not new. There does seem to be a biblical precedent that God has frequently seen fit to thin His ranks, to prune and purify His people. Theologians call this 'remnant theology,' since a remnant refers to a smaller portion of a much larger thing.

"Remnant theology is seen in both the Old and New Testaments. The phrase refers to the fact that, of the many followers of God, many (if not most) fell away at critical periods, such that only a small remnant remained to begin again. . . ."

In a recent commentary, Monsignor Charles Pope (pastor of Holy Comforter-Saint Cyprian Parish, Washington, DC) reflected on the mysterious pruning going on in the Church and some of its effects.

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

Community in Mission: What Does Remnant Theology Have to Teach us About the Church Today? (9 SEP 15)