Comments for Data Mining and Stock Grading at http://www.thecatholicthing.org , comment 1 to 15 out of 15 comments http://www.thecatholicthing.org Wed, 22 May 2013 16:55:58 +0100 FeedCreator 1.7.3 http://www.thecatholicthing.org/columns/2011/data-mining-and-stock-grading.html#comment-8672 @ Graham Combs: You write, "I'm afraid statistics and pouring over them don't help much." Perhaps. But the data are food for thought. Considering the Pew statistics, we (laypeople and our priests and bishops) may reconsider what the Church needs now: what should be proclaimed in homilies; what we teach our children; how we catechize adult converts. - Brad Miner Tue, 25 Oct 2011 18:07:31 +0100 http://www.thecatholicthing.org/columns/2011/data-mining-and-stock-grading.html#comment-8671 At mass Fr. Espinoza asked the congregation how many thought he was "all set" as a Catholic -- that there was no doubt he was going to heaven. A few raised their hands. Smiling he said, "hey, I'm a nice guy, I go to confesson once a month." The congregation laughed and a few more hands shot up. His point was that "no one is all set." We're all struggling toward that end. Yet what stayed in my mind was the number of times he went to confession. I immediately recalled a scene from the film WILL PENNY when the pioneer woman new from the east asked Penny how many times he bathed, "Once a month?" she suggested. "Once a month!" the old cowboy cried out -- stunned at such an expectation. I felt the same way about Father. Once a month! I barely go once a year. Yet I do attend mass every week and also special occasions or holy days of obligation -- All Souls Day or Vespers for St. Therese on October 1st. I also try to attend mass at least once during the week (since becoming unemployed). Yet it is the infrequency of confession that bothers me more. For a convert there are Catholic practices that are particulary hard. So I try not to be judgmental. (Yet I'm guilty of that too!) I'm afraid statistics and pouring over them don't help much. - Graham Combs Tue, 25 Oct 2011 17:57:33 +0100 http://www.thecatholicthing.org/columns/2011/data-mining-and-stock-grading.html#comment-8669 The 9 percent attending at least one week day seems right in my parish. Especially during school when the kids march over on some days. I go most Wenesday evenings and I used to be surprised at all the people there, but now I expect it. - Rex Tue, 25 Oct 2011 08:07:11 +0100 http://www.thecatholicthing.org/columns/2011/data-mining-and-stock-grading.html#comment-8668 Dear KC, I did NOT say tat Trish was a relativist. I simply stated the relativists use the condemnation of judgement-making as a way to cover their undermining of the faith. Personally I have no information about the private lives of others, so I'm sure how you know about people committing the same sins repeately after going to Confession. We are all, however, know of poeple who public defy or lie about what the Chruch teaches. When huge numbers of Catholics do not know--keet alone believe--what the Chruch teaches, should know that we are in trouble. So when a priest says public to raucus applause that the Last Supper was not the Frist Mass and the Christ did not ordain anyone, we do not have the right to remain silent. - Thomas C. Coleman, Jr. Tue, 25 Oct 2011 05:50:25 +0100 http://www.thecatholicthing.org/columns/2011/data-mining-and-stock-grading.html#comment-8666 PS - While I admit that Catholic education about Catholicism is weak, is it really so weak that most Catholics are ignorant of the Commandment to keep holy the Sabbath? No, these "Catholics" not attending Mass just don't care...too inconvenient for the convenience culture...period. On the other hand, with the kind of "gnostic catechesis" going on in dioceses like El Paso right now (see Michael Voris), it's amazing that the 33% keep going to Mass on Sunday. - Chris in Maryland Tue, 25 Oct 2011 05:17:21 +0100 http://www.thecatholicthing.org/columns/2011/data-mining-and-stock-grading.html#comment-8661 Well, the picture is lousy...the glass is not even half full. The Church seems kind of low on "Pharisees," but has plenty of "Sadducees" if you know what I mean. Perhaps, in fact, this distribution has actually been the norm over the centuries. The article mentions the problem of education. Catholicism is a smart religion, but, as Father Barron of "Word-on-Fire" notes, much of the Church's own "education" infrastructure teaches "dumbed-down Catholicism." My high school in Long Island, NY for instance...considered one of the top boys' Catholic high schools in NY, like the "top school" in Chicago recently noted by Fr. Barron, had a very weak Catholicism course, compared to the higher quality of the secular course material (Barron calls it "coloring book"). The Church needs to take itself more seriously, and that includes very openly assessing its schools, colleges and seminaries. Since Fr. Barron rightly notes that The Church is not meeting the bar of excellence in educating Catholics about Catholic theology, philosophy and culture, the quality of Catholic parishes, schools and colleges is thus measured by the Pew study, at very least as a lagging indicator of the abysmal quality of our education effort in the 1970's and 1980's. - Chris in Maryland Mon, 24 Oct 2011 19:55:55 +0100 http://www.thecatholicthing.org/columns/2011/data-mining-and-stock-grading.html#comment-8659 I doubt very much that 9 percent of Catholics attend mass during the week in addition to Sunday. Almost 1 out of 10? No way. We have 10,000 people in my parish and there are about 30-40 at any one daily mass during the week. There should be about 900 people there every day if that poll is correct. Way off. - Mike Mon, 24 Oct 2011 19:30:22 +0100 http://www.thecatholicthing.org/columns/2011/data-mining-and-stock-grading.html#comment-8658 Trisch, good call out. I know of all too many people who go to church every Sunday and confession, and somehow think that by going to church a lot, they are "religious" when in fact they don't have a clue about faith and the Holy Spirit. They are what's called cultural Catholics. The ones who are the worst role models are the ones that do really shameful things and then go to confession and think they are white as snow afterwards, then do the same thing again the next week,and go to confession again...it's a joke and an abuse of what confession is supposed to be. And contrary to to Mr. Coleman's response to Trisch, there's NOTHING "relativist" about what Trish said. She spoke the truth, the Biblical truth, and he is putting what she said into false light, just like what a serpent would do. - KC Mon, 24 Oct 2011 19:14:03 +0100 http://www.thecatholicthing.org/columns/2011/data-mining-and-stock-grading.html#comment-8655 Trish, I know that you mean well, but what you wrote is exactly the kind of thing that is said by relativists who say that the scarment of Penance is not necessary and that the Church must modernize and conform its teachings to contemporary secualr values. Such people also claim that the only thing that matters is recognzing that Jesus was a socilalst and that if there does happen to be a Heaven, only those who support the confiscation of wealth get there. No, I'm not remotely suggesting that you are modernist, relativist, or evena secret or virtual Marxist, as are many who judge those who judge. It is not playing hte Pharisee to want protect one's loved ones from the heresy and indifference that leads people to ignore Sacraments. After all, who cares about a silly communal meal, which is what the modernizers have made of the Holy Sacrafice of the Mass. - Thomas C. Coleman, Jr. Mon, 24 Oct 2011 11:11:02 +0100 http://www.thecatholicthing.org/columns/2011/data-mining-and-stock-grading.html#comment-8654 Some faithful Catholics are in nursing homes or assisted living facilities. A few years ago I had the privilege of taking communion to such a group and praying the rosary with them. Some of them were taken to mass once a month by family members. I don't know if there are enough folks like that to skew the percentages. The local priests were too busy to say mass at all these places. Pray for more priests. - Rex Mon, 24 Oct 2011 10:38:46 +0100 http://www.thecatholicthing.org/columns/2011/data-mining-and-stock-grading.html#comment-8653 What I would like to see are the percentages comparing cradle Catholics to converts. That should give us pause! - Zen Mon, 24 Oct 2011 10:27:26 +0100 http://www.thecatholicthing.org/columns/2011/data-mining-and-stock-grading.html#comment-8652 What do you think the percentages would be if the Pew study only focused on those Catholics who were in traditional chapels, parishes? The future of the Church lies with "small, convinced communities." Pope Benedict XVI Precisely. - Manfred Mon, 24 Oct 2011 09:53:13 +0100 http://www.thecatholicthing.org/columns/2011/data-mining-and-stock-grading.html#comment-8651 How many people are challenged to live life in the Faith against the false promises of the world vs how many are 'subject to judgement' in that the voices of the official church they hear give them passing grades and a free ticket to heaven without any effort to change their lives? Maybe 'not judging lest ye be judged' includes judging someone innocent as well as judging someone guilty? - Ben Horvath Mon, 24 Oct 2011 08:31:09 +0100 http://www.thecatholicthing.org/columns/2011/data-mining-and-stock-grading.html#comment-8646 This state of affairs is easily explained by the observation that the USCCB is not reliably Catholic! Keep in mind that the USCCB controlled Catholic Campaign for Human Development was ( and in some cases may still be ) funding organizations that support abortion on demand and gay marriage. Until we and those bishops who still remain serious about Catholicism take this catastrophe seriously the problems will worsen. Supposedly we believe abortion is an unspeakable crime as per Vatican II, and "murder" as per Blessed John Paul II in Evangelium Vitae, so we have the USCCB indirectly funding organizations that support legalized murder. Where is the outrage Catholic Blogosphere? EWTN seems ok with this? Imagine if we were talking about funding some racist organization? Surely someone would be fired, The CCHD would have very visible reorganization etc... I see none of this. The problem starts at the top. Not all the Bishops are with the program, The ones who are need to stand up, the faithful will follow. Those of us in the pews need to start making the case for why this is a must. - mdepie Mon, 24 Oct 2011 04:05:09 +0100 http://www.thecatholicthing.org/columns/2011/data-mining-and-stock-grading.html#comment-8645 A grading system would be horrible unwise. One of the fastest ways to pride, and ergo to perdition, would be to know where you stand in relation to everyone, like, "Gee, I'm an A+ Catholic! Those other 'Catholics' are only C-." That would be quite the slippery slope! You never know what's going on in someone's heart. Even if one is in that 9%, he could only be going through the motions so as to look holy. And surely there are folks in the once-a-week crowd who would really like to get to Mass every day but live in an area where there are multiple parishes to a pastor and daily Mass just isn't available. I'd rather be in the position of the publican (even if I actually was an A+ and happened to be awful only in my own estimation) than have the vainglory of the Pharisee. - Trish Mon, 24 Oct 2011 04:00:38 +0100