Parish churches are emptying. Fewer people are coming for church services. Many priests are discouraged as they see people abandoning the Church. The rapid increase of secularism and the little importance society gives to faith are there for all to see. Meanwhile, religious movements that sprouted from the Vatican II experience continue to attract lay people, often ‘stealing’ from traditional lay associations and from the parishes.

Some priests serving in parishes are looking with envy at this phenomenon. They wonder why religious faithful do not seem interested in parish life and prefer other spiritual groups. Indeed, this dualism is unhealthy but, rather than complain, one should examine why this is happening. One important reason is the communitarian dimension of the faith which is tangible in the spiritual movements and often lacking in parishes.

In the past, villages were small. Everybody knew everybody else, and village life was communitarian. For them, attending church service was automatically a communitarian experience. Then villages started to grow with people coming from outside. Most of these neither mix nor are interested in village life. This is giving rise to anonymity and to individualism. For those who frequent their new parish for church services, the communitarian dimension is lost. They simply go for the service.

Those who desire to live their Christian life more intensely feel the need to live it in a community. Faith is not just a church service; it is a relationship with Christ as Saviour. Nor is it just a relationship between me and God; it is a relationship between us and God. The parish offers a service; most of the time it does not offer a communitarian experience. If the parishes want to attract these people they need to make parish life communitarian, a place where lay persons can share their faith with other believers, become an apostolic community and be participants rather than mere receivers.

Those who desire to live their Christian life more intensely feel the need to live it in a community

Priests serving in parishes need to strive for this to happen. Lay persons have to be treated as fully fledged members of the Church. They need to find enough room where they feel listened to, where their suggestions are taken seriously. They have to feel they are working with the priest, not for him. This already happens in some parishes and it is proving very fruitful.

Pope Francis is taking the Church in this direction. He is giving a strong message and example of this through the Synod on Synodality for which he has involved all the Christians of the world. It doesn’t mean that all that is proposed will be accepted; but it is going to be listened to and examined carefully with the conviction that the Holy Spirit inspires everyone, not just the hierarchy.

Members of spiritual movements should also involve themselves in the life of their parishes. They should become apostolic and use their enhanced faith experience to help other Christians go beyond attending services. If they isolate themselves from the rest of the community they won’t be really growing. The effort has to come from both ends.

 

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