Why men hate going to Church.

[@fr.joelhastings7056]

A few thoughts as a priest who has served in several parishes over 25 years: some where there are men who take the faith seriously and are serious about practicing it (these were wonderful years of ministry); and others where men are little to be seen and women tend to be the primary voices of lay leadership (which have been the more challenging years of ministry): 1) Offer the sacraments as they are intended to be offered - not watering down or "innovating" in the rites, nor choosing the path of least resistance (aka, the shortest form possible), having true music (and not music fit for a Barney the Dinosaur show), and offering them with the humble reverence that is owed to God. 2) Priests need to give heroic witness to prayer and practicing what they themselves promised at the time of ordination - seeing in God the fulfillment of life and therefore, by their own practice, being ready to give testimony to this truth. 3) Relatedly, we need to preach Jesus as he really is - and that love is sacrifice. Enough with the false Jesus who is simply "nice." Men need to be shown Jesus' masculinity as the prototype, founded upon His self-offering on behalf of His beloved - which included his sticking to the truth (and principle), and not giving in to the whims or hearsay of people nor the criticism of detractors. 4) Promotion and living of devotion to Mary - who helps us to become truly who we are called to be. 5) Men need to be in fraternity with other men in walking in the faith - not as in the watered down version of Knights of Columbus (that are too often all about works and are therefore hard to distinguish from the Masons), but in living the true call of prayer and living true to their vocations as men. I pray that by the grace of God I may live up to my own words, and not be condemned as a hypocrite.

[@cybereye2]

You speak so much sense. I've found that when when I have my faith I can make progress, how when I sin then I find it so difficult to get to confession again.

[@cybereye2]

You speak so much sense. I've found that when when I have my faith I can make progress, how when I sin then I find it so difficult to get to confession again.

[@wilhelmorangenbaum2]

Thank you for your kind words of guidance Father, may God bless you always ❤

[@anninmichigan]

@@fr.joelhastings7056 thank you father!

[@liammccann8763]

Derry man here, residing in England since 1988, certified Catechist - recently informed by member of Archdiocese formation team that I was 'too manly' when I asked the team where the next generation of parish Catechists were coming from. Disappointing that the other members, of the formation team - seven women - where present and said nothing.

[@racheljames7]

Too manly? What a compliment. Keep going and keep being the manly man God made you to be. I'm proud to call you brother.

[@michellemcdermott2026]

That's why we are going to Latin Mass tomorrow

[@anninmichigan]

Good points. I’m disappointed to see so many women and women with kids without spouses at Mass, most have a ring on so they have a husband in many cases. Also many of the lectors and Eucharistic Ministers are women which is also disappointing. Don’t get me started on Alter girls…

[@philiphumphrey1548]

I'm male and I love church. But then, I'm the organist, also one of the readers and I sing in the choir in one of the other churches in my parish. I think one of the problems is that there's very little organised for men in most parishes. A men''s prayer or study group is one idea. Men should be involved in catechisis or young people's work. Too many churches have become feminised with the women doing everything, and it's not surprising the men drift away.

[@bigoneillcat5229]

You talk sense Robert , I see a lot of young boys lighting candles before Mass and it's beautiful I always offer up a prayer for more to follow

[@anthonypetrozzelli5429]

Many Novos Ordo parishes are run by women, and many men are turned off by this, including myself. The TLM mass is very beautiful, and it's very masculine. There are no altar girls, women, eucharistic ministers, or parish Karens. There are many men, including myself, to attend our TLM community. There are also altar boys, young and older men! Bring back the TLM, and the men will come back in droves!

[@teresaa96289]

WHAT!? It is in Holy Mother Church that I find my joy as a woman. Discovering God's love for me as a woman, healed me of a lifetime of self-hatred and depression. Daughter, sister, and bride, it is a blessing I am overjoyed to understand now.

[@tolkienlewis6887]

Very pertinent Robert. As the mother of two sons and as a sister to three men i see hiw true your words are. Thankfully in Africa it's different.

[@blueyedmule]

I converted to the Catholic Church around 2000 and for the next 20 years was awash in spiritual estrogen. I held my nose as long as i could. Swishy priests and felt banner liturgy, wimpy bishops--it was a long miserable couple decades before i finally exhausted my options and brought my family to the SSPX. What a relief.

[@thecatholicman]

Understandable given what is happening in some parts of the church

[@dermotquigley356]

There still are Old Style Parish missions in the SSPX. I should know, I grew up with them!

[@kdublock]

Well, speaking as a woman, I would never feel comfortable for me or my children to be at a parish with Cardinal Fernandez

[@thistlewood1]

Glad you survived the 12th Robert ,it can be intimidating on the 12th ,the dislike of the Catholic Church on the 12th of July ,is really the reason why they March , you can dress it up as tradition, but it’s far from that , the orange order doesn’t know is that the Catholic Church in Ireland is on life support ,it’s sorry to see , and your right leadership is the key ,another issue for men ,is the termendus pressure men are under , I pray everyday , try and get to blessed sacrament ,as a father and husband who has tried ,I just feel burned out with problems not of my making , financially life is a bigger struggle now , and men feel that greatly struggling to help thier families,as for me my family has grown up , but still the struggle is there . If I was to describe myself and a lot of men are the same ,some of us are closet catholics , and that means we are just trying to keep our heads above water. Thank you Robert for these video ,does stir the soul

[@wilhelmorangenbaum2]

It seems that some people put their "comfort", their feelings over Christ, even though He is the only thing that matters in Mass. In Mass we are witnessing a Sacrifice, so feel and act accordingly.

[@dermotquigley356]

There are LOTS of Vocations in the Traditional Movement. Perhaps the Holy Ghost is telling us something?

[@Johnathan.David.Trewhitt.]

There was no challenge in church, it seemed like the church of comfort or just a social event for everyone.

[@michaelarthur2652]

SSPX chapel where i attend (Ireland) has far more men regularly attending than women.

[@declanhart1617]

There are lots of men at the latin mass. It's the only church subgroup where I've seen surplus males.

[@xamurai00]

Going to mass isnt just an obligation.. Its something that we should need and want. They say the Bible is '' Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth'' , well going to Mass is practice for when we are in the Throne room.

[@davidmyhra4931]

I don’t like going to church ( though I do) because of the lack of serious Catholic teachings delivered by the Novus Ordo

[@philiphumphrey1548]

That sounds more the fault of the priest than the ordinary form mass. Was his homily empty platitudes? Did he fail to get his message across? Did he lead by example in the way he reverenced the altar etc.? If so it would have been the same no matter what form of mass he was saying.

[@scrutinycentralizer8891]

@@philiphumphrey1548 I have a little pocket breviary. "A Short Breviary for the Religious and Laity." It contains a form of the liturgy of hours--prayers, hymns, psalms, readings, and lessons to be performed in a personal or small-group environment. Having read the Roman Catechism, having gone to mass most Sundays since my conversion, having prayed the Rosary basically every day--I can say with some certainty that before I encountered this little breviary, I understood it nowise what it fundamentally meant to be a Christian. And the focus on the daily and thematic reading of the psalms contained in this breviary is principally responsible for that. You get a few readings at a NO mass and you get the responsorial psalms. I frankly consider the responsorial psalms to be an act of spiritual violence against parishioners. The way it's structured, I can never pay attention to what's being said because I'm too busy trying to interpret the refrain. On top of that, the psalms chosen are usually very abridged and truncated to a disrespectful extent. And the readings are honestly hollow without understanding the worldview that's being communicated in Psalms. Actual Christian edification isn't happening at the NO mass. You might be receiving edification on how to be a good person, but you aren't reading education on how to be a Christian. I don't know how someone from a NO tradition would be capable of recognizing Christ.

[@patricianolan4]

I agree, I hate when the NO gets bashed when it's the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass....we all need to be more reverent and different priests have different abilities.- I feel somehow when men see their place in the Church and know they are needed and have other men to show them, our society will change seismically.

[@davidmyhra4931]

@@philiphumphrey1548 I go to two churches because I go to confession at a parish that isn’t mine (it’s my buddy’s parish. We keep each other accountable). I think the problem is that I have Lutheran family members. I’ve been to their services. It’s indistinguishable from the new mass. I can’t get that out of my head. I go to Latin mass or the Byzantine Divine Liturgy whenever I can.

[@trudiliffey1399]

In my youth about 1955 men used to stand outside the church in the piazza talking until they thought the sermon started and then went into church.

[@joeberkemeier5904]

An episcopacy that measures on the scale of manliness somewhere on the far from manliness end of the scale and who have spent decades making the Church

[@martinhaughey6047]

We all need to go back to the TLM.

[@dcrisp8888]

Men need to live in Christ, and to show family and friends we live in the daily habit of following His word, attending confession at least each month, and attending mass and taking Communion at least weekly. I attend TMIY that man is you meetings as well as a core group of men who follow Christ.

[@hollyvondross9635]

There used to be organized groups like CYO in the church. I looked forward to it but sadly they were discontinued. Nice transition after confirmation.

[@sheiladumigan451]

Jesus Jesus Jesus 🙏❤️

[@evancawley3236]

Another thing the syond needs to look at is, how to make our liturgies more beautiful and authentic.

[@Zach-Hey]

Mr. Nugent, Thank you for your good work, and for raising this particular issue. What if you were to go back and watch this video from the standpoint of one of those men following the religion of masculinity. Are you asking enough of yourself in the way you are proceeding to persuade him?

[@M5guitar1]

I see a lot of women, men and children at the TLM that I go to. I don't listen to Modernist bishops.

[@thecatholicman]

The TLM definitely draws a lot more men

[@erikriza7165]

Eminence, There have been many failures, and not many measurable advances (that i know of, in the usa)

[@spencermarkham1]

While I agree that the Church is way too feminized but if men won’t go to Church for that reason or for any other reason when they should be going solely for Christ then I question who the actual weak and effeminate men are. I am an altar server at every Sunday mass at my parish. When my priest first became our pastor about 2 years ago he was very standoffish and intimidating. Even the deacon agreed! I even thought about going somewhere else. But I stuck it out mostly out of loyalty to my fellow parishioners and obviously to Christ and now my priest and I get along fine! He is much warmer and friendlier to me and I am glad I stayed. In the end mass is NOT about you or your feels and comfort! It’s about God!

[@joandmary0815]

Frankly, I am turned off by all the women on the altar at every holy Mass.

[@carolynkimberly4021]

Don't read Protestant books

[@philiphumphrey1548]

I disagree. You can learn a lot from authors like CS Lewis. If you understand the Catholic faith well, you should be able to listen to and reason with protestants, enjoy what we share in common, yet be able to answer their arguments against Catholicism.

[@carolynkimberly4021]

@@philiphumphrey1548 CS Lewis is an exception. I am tired of the Protestant arguments. They have no concept of Church history, the sacramental life, mysticism, or anything but their proof texting hermeneutic.

[@briandelaney9710]

Too narrow minded

[@cybereye2]

@@philiphumphrey1548I completely agree with you