Parents put off by Mass timings, says survey

INCONVENIENT Mass timings are putting off non-practising Catholic parents from returning to church, according to new research published on Thursday, writes Liz Dodd.

A survey of baptised parents with children at Catholic primary schools, conducted for the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales, found that a majority only attended Mass occasionally because they said the time of Sunday services was not ­family-friendly and clashed with their busy lives, and that in some cases other members of the congregation did not appreciate having noisy children in attendance.

But many of the 146 respondents stressed they felt drawn back to the Church because of its “spiritual benefits” and that they were more likely to go to Mass regularly if there was a good children’s liturgy and they were personally invited.

The research, commissioned by the Department for Evangelisation to help understand why people stop going to church, found respondents had a latent Catholic identity based on a belief in God and a ­resonance with Gospel values.

It found that key moments for parents re-engaging with their faith were in the preparation for their child’s First Holy Communion and for their Confirmation. Many felt drawn back because of a sense of belonging to the parish community and the wider Church, citing a connection to Pope Francis.

But the findings also showed a perception that Mass times appeared to be set to suit an older generation and that parents had a “limited faith vocabulary”. In some cases, parents believed that before preparation for a sacrament it was necessary to have enough money for the celebration. And Catholic schools proved to be a crucial link between the Church and Catholic parents.

(See Parish Practice, page 16.)