THE CHURCH HERE AND THERE
SURVEY SHOWSHIGH RATIO OF
SUNDAY MASS ATTENDANCE
More than 45 per cent of the “obliged” (obligati) faithful in the Archdiocese of Manila attendtbs SundayMasses.
Thiswas revealed in a survey conducted by a special committee headed by BishopBienvenido Lopez and composed of priestsand layleaders with thehelp ofable statisticians.
The projections and figures are a Summary-Report and anEvaluative- Comparative Study on Mass attendance and communicants containedin a pamphlet issuedbythe Arzobispado. The term OBLIGATI used here refers to Catholics of seven years of age and above who are obliged toattend Mass onSundays and Holydays andare bound bythe Easter precept.
1. The Archdioceseof Manila has:
a. 106 parishes, a total population of3,324,004 anda total Catholic populationof 2,843,747 (86,24*7) of thetotal population with 2,266,632 as obligati.
b.A total ordinary Sunday Mass-Attendance of1,037,198 that is 45.76*7 of the total number of obligati, 36.47% of the total Catholic population and 31.21*7 ofthe total population.
c. A totalnumberof 196,355 ordinary-Sunday Communicants; that is 18.95% of thetotal ordinary-Sunday Mass Attendance; 8.66*7 of the totalnumber of obligati; 6.90t>c of the total Catholicpopu lation and 5.91% of the total population.
2.7 he City ofManila has:
a. 33 parishes, a total population of 1,287,176 with a total Catholic population of 1,095,280 (85.09% ofthe total population) with 873,098 as obligati.
b. A total ordinary-SundayMass Attendance of 515,538; thatis 59.05% of the total number of obligati; 47.07*7 ofthe total Catholic population.
c. A total number of 87,272ordinary-Sunday Communicants;that is 16.94% of the total ordinary-SundayMass attendance, 10.00*7 ofthe number of obligati;7.97 r/c of thetotal population.
904 BOLETIN ECLESIASTICO DE FILIPINAS
3. Quezon Cityhas:
a. 16 parishes, atotal populationof 505,844 with atotal Catholic population of 431,390 (85.28% of the total population) with 358,150 asobligati.
b. A total ordinary-Sunday MassAttendance of 188,989, thatis 52.77% ofthe total number of obligati; 43.81%ofthe total Catholic population and 37.36% of the total population.
c. A totalnumber of39,200ordinary-SundayCommunicants;thatis 20.74% of the totalordinary-Sunday Mass Attendanoe; 10.95% of total number of obligati; 9.09% ofthe Catholic population and7.75%
of the total population.
4. Pasay City has:
a. 6parishes, with a total populationof 141,442and a total Catholic populationof 122,617(86.69% of the total population with 96,139 as obligati.
b. A totalordinary-Sunday Mass Attendance of40,033; that is 41.64%
of the total number of obligati; 32.65% of the total Catholic popula tion and 28.30%'of the total population.
c.A total number of 6,757 ordinary-Sunday Communicants; that is 16.88% of the totalordinary-Sunday Mass Attendance; 7.03% of thetotal number ofobligati;5.51%of the total Catholic population;
and 4.78% ofthe total population.
5. Caloocan City has:
a. 5parisheswith a totalpopulation of 220,631 and atotal Cotholic population of 194,168 (88.01% ofthe totalpopulation). 154,754 are obligati.
b. Atotal ordinary-Sunday Mass Attendance of31,821;that is 20.56%
ofdie total number of obligati; 16.39% of the total Catholic popu lationand14.42%of the total population.
c. A total number of 7,915 ordinary-Sunday Communicants; thatis 24.87%of the totalordinary-SundayMass Attendance, 5.11% of the total number of obligati; 4.08% ofthe total Catholic population and 3.59% of the total population.
6. The Province of Rizal has:
a. 46 parisheswith a total populationof 1,148,911 anda totalCadiolic populationof984,292 (85.67% ofthe total population), 784,484 are obligati.
b. A total ordinary-Sunday Mass Attendance of 260,817; thatis 33.25%
of the total numberofobligati; 26.50% ofthe total Catholicpopula tionand 22.70% of the totalpopulation.
THE CHURCH HERE AND THERE 905
c. A totalnumber of55,211 ordinary-Sunday Communicants;thatis 21.01% the total number ofobligati; 5.61% of die total catholic population and 4.81 % of thetotalordinary-SundayMass Atten
dance; 7.04% of the total population.
LARGEST — EVER NUMBEROF VOCATIONS Fifty-eight haveentered St. Mary’s seminaryin Santa Barbara, California (USA) this year. The event, rather unique ina period likethe present when religious vocations are scarce, has been celebratedbytheVincentianFathers (Congregation ofdie Missions), who in their 150years of existence inthe United States, havenever had suchalarge group of novices. Fifteen of the group came from St. VincentHighSchool in Montebello, nearLosAngeles;the others studiedin schools conducted by the Vincentians: Lemont, Illinois; Cape Girar deau inMissouri; andBeaumont inTexas.
COMMUNICATIONS FOUNDATION RELEASES
DOCUMENTARYFILM
“How doesdie Catholic Church with its institutions come to theaidof American society?” In response to this question the U.S. Catholic Conference has produced, in collaboration with the CadiolicFoundationof Communications a documentary film incolour, entitled “Youare mypeople.”
The shortfilm,whichlasts about 26 minutes, has beenproduced in New Orleans and showsthe activities of5,300 priests,sistersand laity workingin schools, hospital, social centers,andother places.
“Althoughproduced in New Orleans,”said Bishop Joseph Bcrnardin, Secre
tary General ofthe Catholic Conference,“the film hasa significance ofmuch wider scope and gives an idea of the actionof the Church in community service ingeneral.” Thetitle, “You are my people,” derives from a musical theme of the documentary whichisa liturgicalfolk song, composed andsung by the Damiens,a group of five seminarians from New, Orleans.
NEW MEMBERS OF COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION The Pope has added 11 new Bishop-members to diePontifical Commission for Communications Media. They are Archbishop Hannanof New Orleans, U.S.A.; Maronite-rite Archbishop Elie Farah ofCyprus; Archbishop Motolesc of Taranto. Italy; Archbishop Hyacinth Thiandoum of Dakar, Senegal; Arch
bishop Cantero Cuadcrno of Zaragoza, Spain; ArchbishopFortier of Sherbrooke.
Que; Archbishop Picachy of Calcutta,India;Bishop Wilhelm Kempf of Lim
burg,Germany;Auxiliary Bishop Muldoon of Sydney,Australia; Bishop Jobidon of Mzuzu, Malawi;and Bishop Lucien Metzinger, SS.CC.,oftheindependent prelature of Ayaviri, Peru.
906 BOLETIN ECLESIASTICO DE PILIPINAS
POPE PRAISES Y. C. W.
Pope Paul VI sent a messageofgood will to Rienzic Rupasinghc, presi dent ofthe Young Christian Workers (YCW). duringthe international Con
vention in Beirut, Lebanon.
Nothingthat this meeting follows similar onesinRome,Riode Janeiro and Bangkok, Pope Paul praised the organization for launching thefutureapostolate foryoung workers.- “These” he said, form one masive bloc, know thesame difficulties, livethe same, trialsand the same hopes, andare anxious and im
patientto make their mark on theworld.
“To these youths, the YCW movement offers a free and uncomplicated gift of fraternal friendship. In the small communities a fermentof the Church that fortifies thebest aspirationsof one for the otherand leads those young to the light of theGospel...thebest work of the YCW movement,today as yesterday.”
Praising the international scope of theorganization andthe love of neighbor it inculcates, the Popewent onto expresshisthanks to“thismovement which findsin every oneof itsgroups a cell ofthe Church. . . vivified by divinelife.” The Popeencouraged tha«delcgatesto “go forward, ardently and generously, calling all young workers around the worldto constitute with you thepeople of God in acommunity of love.”
SURVEY OF FRENCH CATHOLICS
Two-thirds of French Catholics responding to an informal survey bythe bishops favoured keeping theobligation of priestlycelibacy.
Of the50,000 lay personsresponding to the survey onthe life and ministry ofpriestsand bishops, 40% were opposed to priestsholdingnon-priestly jobs.
Mostofthe ■ respondentswere very cautious about political involvementon the part of priests.
The surveywas notscientifically conducted. Itwasmerelya consultation initiated withoutaprecise questionnaire by thebishops and carried on by various newspapers, organizations and Catholicmovements.
Almost all those responding were practising Catholics, but the socialclasses in Francewere very unequally represented. Oftherespondents, 2I7.4% were professional persons — although they make up only 4.3% of the population- and4.1% of the responsescame from the working class— whichis 29%'uf the population.
The survey orconsultation, was initiatedlast spring by thebishops to pre pare for thenational assemblies of bishops and priests in Mayand October.
THE CHURCH HERE AND THERE 907
The results have only nowbeen published by thebishops’commission for the lay apostolate.
Individual responses often stressed that diepriest is “the witness of eternal realities,” a consecrated man, separatedfromthe world. Many said they regret that diepriestdoes not pray enough,or is involvedin “activism.”
Responses also asked that priest be submissive to thePopeand the bishops.
Despitetheconservatismofmost response, a sizable minority expressed the viewthat the structures of the Churchmust be entirelyrethought,that priests should be able to work at non-priestlyjobsand that married men should beor
dained. Many respondents saidthat priests are too clerical and should be more concerned with cooperating with lay persons.
CATHOLICSTATISTICSFOR INDIA
TheCatholic population of India increased from 6,515,592 in 1964 to 7,607,694 in 1968;the number of priests rosefrom 7,751to 8,680; thenumber of foreign priests serving inIndia declined.
In the period 1964-1968; the number ofBrothersrose from 1,503 to 2,136 and the number ofSistersfrom23,673 to 30,305.Thenumber offoreignnuns workingin India fellfrom 2,115 to 2,007.
Allofthe 17 archdioceses inIndia areheaded by Indian-born prelates. Of the 56 residential bishops only 14areforeign-born.
The Indian governmenthasbeen encouragingtbe “Indianization”of Christ
ian missions, andhas repeatedly reaffirmedthat foreign missionaries will be permitted into the country only in exceptional circumstances when nosuitable Indianis available.
CATHOLICSTATISTICS FOR JAPAN
TheCatholic population of Japan increased by4.079 lastyear,the lowest annual increase since 1947, according to figuresreleasedbytheNational Catho
lic Committee.
As of June 30, 1969, there were 348,422 Catholics in a total population of 102 million.
There was adeclineof 4.516 inthe number ofcatechumens from 13,716 in1968to 9,200 in1969.
For the first time since 1947,infant Baptisms — 6,792 - - exceeded those of adults - - 6.445.
908 BOLETIN ECLESIASTICO DE FILIPINAS
The number ofJapanesepriests, Religious and diocesan, stayedabout the same: 716in 1969, compared to 713 in 1968. Therewas a decrease of 26 in the number of missionary priest, from 1,191 in 1968 to 1,165in 1969.
There was a decrease of 80indie number of major seminarians to a total of 1.595.
Japanese Sisters number5,125,an increase of 141; missionary Sistersdec reased by 46 to 1,002.
Thestatistics indicate diat Cadiolic educational institutions continue to grow, despite die extreme difficulty of maintaining private schools,and that Catholicactivity in the fieldofsocialwelfarealsocontinues to expand.
In 1967, for example, seven Catholic institutions cared for 602handicapped children; in 1969, 13 Catholic institutions caredfor 1,124.
