Fr Ian Taylor

The Catholic Church globally is in crisis. This is not solely from the priest scandals concerning cases of paedophilia, with the resulting expulsions from ministry and the several mega law suits, but the crisis extends to the loss in lay membership.

In the US, Canada, South America, the Caribbean, Western Europe and other parts of the world the Church is suffering very heavy membership losses to the Pentecostal/Evangelical denominations, the Mormons, Seventh Day Adventists, Jehovah Witnesses and other sects and to the cults, especially the New Age religion.

In Europe, Africa and parts of Asia, Islam has made great inroads. And of course, secularism has seduced many the world over. In Latin America the Church is losing Catholics at the rate of 400 per hour! That is 3.5 million per year.

Notable exceptions, which testify to growth are parts of Africa, Asia and Eastern Europe. Nevertheless, while globally we have experienced a net growth, the true picture is to be found with those who actually practise the faith.

In the US the weekly Mass attendance among Catholics is less than 25%, in Europe it is worse and the same pattern is seen in much of Western Catholicism.  So, though universally we claim about 1.1 billion Catholics, in reality we have much less than half those numbers who are actually practising.

Here in Trinidad and Tobago our situation is alarming. According to the National Population Census, the RC Church lost 17,000 members in 10 years (1980 to 1990). In the next 10-year period (1990 to 2000) we lost 41,000.

Thus, in 20 years (1980 to 2000) the Catholic Church in Trinidad and Tobago lost 58,000 members! That is a loss of one out of every six Catholics!

The RC population in 1980 was 347,740 and in 2000 it had dropped to 289,711. This is not just a crisis, it is a massive exodus. To compound the matter, it is estimated that only about 20 % or less of these actually attend Mass weekly!

Is it any mystery then that we are suffering an acute crisis in vocations to the priesthood and religious life?

Some people have asked: Has the Catholic Charismatic Renewal helped globally? Certainly. It has generated new life for so many Catholics who were lapsed or drying up and this helped stem the tide of the exodus.

It has also helped to produce several vocations to the priesthood and religious life. Nevertheless, it seems to have “plateaued” and is even dying in many places, especially in the US where it all began.

The Popes from Paul VI to John Paul II had expressed great hopes that the Renewal would renew the Church. Why has this not happened? As Cardinal Suenens lamented, the Renewal has not been welcomed into the heart of the Church.

The Church leadership has basically said, “Thus far and no further”. The prayer groups were allowed to hold meetings, conferences and rallies, and to “baptise” their membership in the Holy Spirit. But, the majority of the Church remained unaffected, since this Renewal was not accepted by most of the clergy, and was often resisted by them.

Furthermore, since the priests control the sanctuary, the Renewal was not allowed to renew the liturgies, sacraments and inner life of the Church.

What would happen if our bishops and priests personally accepted this Renewal and received it into the heart of the Church? The result would be a renewed priesthood focussed on Jesus and empowered by the Holy Spirit. Sunday worship and all liturgical celebrations would be alive, not boring as so many youths now claim.

The Word of God would be opened up to the people who then would not need to go seek it elsewhere. New life would be generated and the lapsed would hear about it and many would return. Evangelisation would come naturally to many Catholics who would excitedly and naturally share what’s going on at Church, with family members and friends.

So many of our people, in need of healing and deliverance, would experience freedom and health at the hands of their priests. Spritism (Obeah) and the New Age would lose customers as Catholics are fed by their own.

Youths would become numerous and vocations shall flourish. Persecution is likely to increase, but now it would be worth it since fruit would be borne and souls saved.

Recently, I witnessed such possibilities of renewal on the small South Pacific island of Western Samoa. Archbishop Alapati Mataeliga is a visionary and disciple of the Holy Spirit. He has always been a supporter of the Charismatic Renewal.

Consecrated Archbishop of Western Samoa just two years ago, he immediately embraced and began to implement, Pope John Paul II’s “New Evangelisation”.

Last year, he and 30 of his priests, mainly diocesan, including Fr Muliau Stowers, now in Trinidad, opened themselves up to the baptism in the Holy Spirit via a Fraternity of Priests’ retreat.

There is now a new fire in his archdiocese, as his priests can now lead the people in the power of the Holy Spirit. One priest testified to the saving of his whole priesthood through the retreat.

They have also formed themselves into a few Fraternity groups that meet weekly. The youths too have been empowered and trained. For three months last year, a large number of them went door to door evangelising and have successfully brought back several lapsed Catholics to the faith.

Many common-law relationships have been rectified. And, Samoan priests are now in mission work in California, New Zealand, Australia, in two dioceses in Jamaica, in Trinidad, and this year two of them will work in the Bahamas. The population of Western Samoa is merely 180,000! What made the difference? – Dependence on the Holy Spirit.

The Early Church was a creation of the Holy Spirit who caused it to grow rapidly and guided and preserved it. Isn’t it amazing that the Pentecostals who were ‘0’ in 1900 by 1992 had far outstripped the Eastern Orthodox Church worldwide, taking second place to the Catholic Church?

By 1992 the Orthodox were 160.7 million whereas the Pentecostals were a phenomenal 204.5 million! Catholics tend to grow by biological growth but Pentecostals, principally by conversions. Dare we continue on our present downward trend or are we humble enough to repent for resisting and ignoring the Holy Spirit, the Lord and giver of Life?

Now is the time for the renewal of the shepherds since they control the sanctuary and the people. Dare we admit it?

Renew the priests and you’ll renew the Church. Renew the Church, and only then can you renew the world! And, a good place to start would be the seminary, the place of priestly formation.

Simultaneously, those already ordained must be challenged to surrender control to the Holy Spirit. This will take much prayer, challenging of the status quo and courage. But, if we’re to survive and to fulfill Jesus’ Great Commission, then, let’s do it!