Good Fruit of Francis’ Revolution – TLM Attendance Skyrocketing in US

+JMJ

Finally some hard numbers to put with the numerous anecdotes about rapidly increasing TLM attendance over the past few years.  I know from surveys and speaking with many of the recent “converts” to the Traditional Latin Mass, many of these folks are seeking out sanity and good Catholic liturgy and doctrine directly as a result of the errors being taught in their former parishes, and the horrific example of Francis which is often cited in those former parishes as reasons for rejecting and contradicting the perennial belief and practice of the Church.  Thus, in spite of himself, Francis and his cohort of aging hippies and Peronists are accomplishing much good in helping strengthen the Catholic counter-revolution.

The Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter has put out some attendance numbers at a few representative parishes and they all show tremendous growth, whether very new or long and established.  I do not have attendance numbers for the other Ecclesia Dei communities or diocesan TLMs, nor the SSPX, though on the latter I have had discussions with a half dozen or more people who frequent SSPX chapels who say they have seen solid growth in the past year or two.

Halfway through the FSSP’s annual October census, Fraternity parishes and chapels around the country report major increases in Sunday Mass attendance compared with last year.

Newer apostolates have seen dramatic growth, some doubling their numbers over the last year, such as Los Angeles, which went from 250 per Sunday to 500. The apostolate did not even have its own church until 2018, so finally settling down in a small church in San Fernando provided needed stability, contributing to the significant increase it saw this past year.

“The main obstacle right now is a lack of space,” said Fr. Federico Masutti, assistant pastor of St. Vitus, talking to the Missive over the summer. His words echo the sentiment of so many other FSSP apostolates that find themselves outgrowing their buildings, but it’s really a great problem to have.

“When we were at 200 people,” said pastor Fr. James Fryar, “we decided to add the fourth Mass, and just adding that one Mass, from one week to the next, another 200 people came.”

“The growth was amazing,” confirmed Fr. Masutti.

In Naples, Florida, the FSSP has been operating for less than two years, and is at nearly 400 people per Sunday, up over 20 percent from last year.

“A plethora of young families are coming, attracted by the sacred beauty and reverence of the Mass, the traditional catechesis and true parish family life,” said pastor Fr. Jonathan Romanoski…………

“It’s more than just the Latin Mass—they’re coming for the community life and all of the groups we have—for adults, for kids, for catechesis,” he said. “They come because we are two priests, we are a small community where everybody can get to know each other and the families can truly bond.”

Two new apostolates established last year—in the dioceses of Philadelphia and Providence, Rhode Island—have started off strong and now have 400 and 300 parishioners, respectively. Both locations have inherited magnificent churches that should accommodate their communities for a long time………..

……….Even apostolates that have been established for a long time (by FSSP standards) have seen significant increases, but most report constraints of space that inhibit their growth and they look forward to building or buying new churches.

St. Anne Parish, our apostolate in San Diego, for example, was established in 2008, and despite having a small church that can seat approximately 200 adults, had reached more than 800 parishioners by 2018 with three priests offering five Sunday Masses. Now, they are averaging over 1,000.

“At some of our Masses we will have as many as maybe 350 people and so not everyone fits and so people are actually sitting outside the doors looking in through open doors,” said pastor Fr. John Lyons.

Other long-established FSSP parishes that have seen strong growth include our first North American apostolate, Mater Dei in Dallas, established in 1991, which has seen its Sunday congregation grow 24 percent from 1250 to 1550 in the last year. [It’s way north of 1600 now and touching on 1800 some Sundays.  It was about 200 in 2009.]

St. Joan of Arc Parish, our apostolate in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, has gone from 650 to 840 in the past two years, an increase of about 29 percent. Likewise, St. Francis de Sales in Atlanta, established in 1995, has grown 30 percent over the last year. In October of 2018, it averaged 460 people each Sunday; so far this month, it has over 600. +

Other established parishes like St. Rose Philippine in Kansas City have also grown a great deal.

Overall, it does seem the traditional Latin Mass continues to grow and thrive in virtually all locations where it has found a home.  If you have news of your local TLM parish or diocesan parish offering a TLM, please share.  This data is  very helpful, and encourages others to seek out and experience the Mass of all ages.  We’re not weird freaks!  We have many good and devout souls and lots of normal and fun people!  We’re all finding out way through this time of unprecedented darkness within and without Holy Mother Church as best we can.  Most of all, we need to all get together and support each other, whether SSPX or ICRSS or FSSP or CMRI or whatever.  Sure we may have differences, but what binds us together, and what threatens all of us, is much, much greater.

More to post later as I have time.  Good news from Las Cruces which I hope to get to early this week, and a report on Bishop Athanasius Schneider’s spectacular Pontifical High Mass at Mater Dei in Irving on 19th Sunday after Pentecost, October 20 2019.