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Stem the Haemorrhage
Topic Started: Thursday, 12. August 2010, 12:41 (433 Views)
PJD

"With this im mindthe Church-churches are integrated parts of a consummerist sociey; this has been a development since the 1960s.
Think fashion/youth/music/TV/supermarkets; some may well then immediately think-oh of course Vat !!!"


Think also Tomais - charities act - tax/avoidance/?clever money move/when is a business not a business.

PJD
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Michael

There are so many reasons of falling congregation numbers, moving to where the work is for examle or worse sunday football at the pub, but my main gripe is that the Bishops and Priests dont seem to care with the "well they know were the church is" response or equally as bad "got to respect their privacy", but on the whole the impression i get is they are trying to manage the decline the same mistake as the CoS made, i am repulsed at any mention of selling any church Catholic or Protestant to be turned into another drinking or gambling den, i've mentioned it before but there is something far wrong with mainstream Christianity in the U.K when it is the minority groups like the jehova witnesses that are out in force chaping doors during our holy seasons such as Easter or Christmas, some people just need a one on one with a priest to help them back, but they are to busy on courses or inter faith meetings to do so
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Peter

I hope that more and more churches are realizing that they have to reach out to people to get them back into the fold, as it were and much appears to have been done in terms of publicity, PR etc. I believe that a couple of years ago there was a Christmas Appeal that hopefully had some success. On the ground, however, things appear a little different in some places.

Perhaps I'm being over sensitive but I am I the only person to not get a call back when I leave a message or perhaps email a parish? It's not that I do it that often, usually only if I'm away with work and want to make contact with the church in that particular area.

It's such a small thing but sometimes, to get a returned call can mean so much and it shows that the person on the other end of the phone/email actually cares.

Quite recently, my wife and I have been visiting different areas, therefore different churches. On a couple of occasions, after visiting ones that have been particularly nice, we have just dropped them an email expressing our appreciation but have had no response back.

Another time, last week in fact, we were visiting a different area where there is a religious community. There were no details available on a website regarding Mass times and so I just dropped an email to them to find out if it was permissable for us to come along if there was a public Mass. Again no response!

These are little things, I know, but little things can eventually become bigger.

I'm fully aware that we don't know other peoples circumstances and they might actually have too much to cope with but in all honestly, how long does it take to answer an email or return a telephone call?

Peter
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PJD

Yes Peter, I have experienced all this. Whether it is due to not caring, incompetence, or a mixture of both I don't know.

PJD
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Peter

PJD, actually an incompetent but caring person I can cope with! At least their heart's in the right place and we can all get things wrong at times.

Peter
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Rose of York
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Peter
Monday, 23. August 2010, 03:56
Perhaps I'm being over sensitive but I am I the only person to not get a call back when I leave a message or perhaps email a parish? It's not that I do it that often, usually only if I'm away with work and want to make contact with the church in that particular area.
Peter you are far from the only person to not get a response when you leave a message or email a parish. On this forum there have been many similar posts over the years. It all depends upon the wishes of the priest, unfortunately there appears to be little or no discipline exerted by the bishops. Image, a supermarket manager giving a low standard of service, trade slumps, customers complain to head office and the manager says "some people do nothing but moan. If they don't want to shop here I can't drag them to the store, its up to them." He would face the procedure, verbal and written warnings then the sack.

We had a priest who did not respond to requests for pastoral visits to sick people, unless they were on death's door, my family had personal experience of that. In contrast, when I was discharged from hospital a friend put me onto the website of Bodmin parish, their weekly Mass is recorded, audio only, but it is a start. I emailed me appreciation and in return received a delightful message of thanks for letting the parish priest know his effort is worthwhile.

One hurtful experience is enough to drive some people away from Mass attendance, but many remain Catholic in their hearts.
Keep the Faith!

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Peter

Lack of contact with parishoners or potential parishoners seems to be not that good in some places then which is a crying shame. I've posted elsewhere that I came back to the Church after a period away and in fact my wife is now also slowly but steadily making her way back. We have each other but what if someone, who without support wants to come back and is met with a wall of silence - where does that person go, what does that person do?

Peter
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PJD

Peter wrote:

"Lack of contact with parishoners or potential parishoners seems to be not that good in some places then which is a crying shame............. what if someone, who without support wants to come back and is met with a wall of silence - where does that person go, what does that person do?"

I agree that this is a problem; just as there are similar problems regarding e.g. 'confirmation' as discussed in the sacramental section**. Just recently I had recourse to look into the parish procedure regarding Baptism (had a personal request made of me - too long to put detail on here - at least at the moment). As a result it looks to me that many impediments are in place, the nature of which can actually discourage some from proceeding.

With the ever level of shortage of priests and some/or much developing-disorganisation through the system, it is becoming obvious that - take Baptism for example - there will be in some (or even many) instances of lay/family conducted baptisms in the future. And I suspect much of this might be going on at the present time.

Fortunately I have a meeting with a Spanish theologian before the end of the week and will be discussing this with him - will let you know the outcome.

PJD

[**as this also relates to another section I will duplicate it there]
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Gerard

Turn up, pay up and shut up!

If thats what we have to offer then its not surprising that people leave. And I do think thats largely whats on offer. Its unrealistic to expect the dwindling number of priests to do everything but yet they will not give us back our baptismal heritage of priest prophet and king.

I have said several times that I belive the Lord is taking away the priests in order to force the church to have a more active laity. This could, of course, extend to baptisms.

I note the earlier post about active involvement in the Legion of Mary being beneficial. People reallydo need something to do.

Gerry
"The institutional and charismatic aspects are quasi coessential to the Church's constitution" (Pope John Paul II, 1998).
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Derekap
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In 1951 I was transferred to another city. Once installed in my lodgings I sought a very near Catholic Church to find the times of Holy Mass. A Holiday of Obligation approached and something told me to double check the times which I did with the written weekly programme on the notice board within the porch. The outside painted notice board had not been updated. I moved lodgings but visited the church some months later - the notice board had still not been updated. So even before the era of the internet and e mails PR was not very good! A seaside priest in a holiday resort once told me he spent Saturday Evnings repeating the times of Holy Mass on the telephone during the holiday season. He often did so without the caller asking!
Edited by Derekap, Monday, 23. August 2010, 17:10.
Derekap
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Rose of York
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Paduan
Friday, 13. August 2010, 10:15
I am just wondering... if we perceive that the hierarchy isn't responding adequately in the fields of evangelisation and mission to the unchurched-but-Catholic, why are we sitting around complaining about it? Why don't we just get up and do something ourselves? If priests and bishops don't like it, well tough.
Give me the money and I will do something about it. I could suggest to the bishops conference that we take a leaf out of the Church of England's book and set aside a week, to encourage people into our churches. They are in a position to pay for radio ads and hundreds of thousands of leaflets.

http://www.indcatholicnews.com/news.php?viewStory=16681
Quote:
 
Back to Church Sunday to be promoted in radio ads | Back to Church Sunday
The Church of England is advertising Back to Church Sunday 2010 (September 26th) on the radio stations Classic FM and Heart FM, to deliver a message of welcome over the airwaves straight into the homes of 1.3 million people.

The adverts will support 400,000 personal invitations that members of over 4,000 churches will send to their friends, when the friend-inviting-a-friend initiative enters its seventh successful year of giving people returning to, rediscovering and exploring churchgoing, a very warm welcome.

Back to Church Sunday began in Manchester in 2004, spread to Wakefield Diocese in 2005, nine dioceses in 2006, 20 in 2007, 38 in 2008, and all 44 in 2009, when an estimated 82,000 people came back to church across the UK.

The radio advert can be previewed at www.audiopot.org/back2church, and will be heard by 1.3 million people an average of three times. It will be broadcast in the week running up to Back to Church Sunday on Classic FM in the Midlands and Heart FM in Essex and Kent - covering the initiative’s friend-to-friend invitation hotspots: the Dioceses of Lichfield, Chester, Chelmsford, Worcester, Rochester and Canterbury.

The Bishop of Worcester, the Rt Revd Dr John Inge, whose diocese is one of those investing in the advertising, said: “We’ve chosen these two stations as they get to places we can’t and talk to some of those we’ve lost touch with via the unique relationship people have with radio. Some three million people* said they would go back to church if invited - and the adverts are helping us give the people we’re missing that warm invitation.”

Every year thousands of people are inspired to return to church by a simple invitation from a friend and the ‘VIP reception’ they receive when they give it a try – but now the power of radio is being used to make use of the close relationship listeners have with their favourite stations.

Produced by Bradford-based Whistling Frog Productions with support from the Jerusalem Trust, the advert comprises a montage of ‘vox pops’ from real churchgoers around the country: ”It’s like a big family… There’s always someone to talk to... It makes me feel good about myself... Quite often I go there and I just cry because I’m so overwhelmed with the whole love I feel... It’s a shared experience... It’s a place where if I’ve had a rough week, I can just leave it all behind… To me it’s the greatest thing on earth… Friends, family, fun, I just love it…”

Colin Lowther of Whistling Frog Productions said: "Radio advertising is a cost-effective medium for getting a message across to lots of people at once, whether it’s about washing powder or why people go to church. Radio is a one-to-one medium even though it's not face-to-face, so the idea of an on-air invitation can still work well. With a national event such as Back to Church Sunday, it makes perfect sense to use a 30-second commercial to raise awareness of a single day that could change listeners' lives forever.”
Reproduced in full, with permission


The cost would eventually be recouped through increased collections and money spent by new people and returners, at fund raising events.
Keep the Faith!

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