C.AR.A. SURVEY CONTRASTS MASS ATTENDANCE WITH BELIEF IN HEAVEN AND HELL............

C.AR.A., the Cemter for Applied Research of the Apostolate, based at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., USA, has released a survey of American Catholics, contrasting the percentage of Church members who attend Mass frequently or irregularly, with the percentage of Catholics who believe, or do not believe in the reality of Heaven and Hell.  C,A.R.A. findings are that 25% of Catholics in the United States who attend Mass weekly or more often, say they believe in the existence of Heaven and Hell; while 28% of Catholics who respond as rarely or never attending Mass, say they belive in Heaven and Hell.  As for those who state their belief in Heaven, but doubt the existence of Hell, 15% are at least weekly worshippers; while 44% describe themselves as nearly never attending Mass.  And among those who doubt believing in both Heaven and Hell, 8% are daily and weekly Mass attending Catholics; while 77% are rarely or never Mass attending Catholics.  The C.A.R.A. study also finds that only 15% of Catholics who do believe in the reality of Heaven and Hell, celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation and go to Confession at least twice a year; while a plurality of 42% do not receive the Sacrament.  As for Catholics who believe in Heaven, but doubt the existence of Hell, 10% go to Confession more than once a year; while two thirds, 66%, do not celebrate the Sacrament of Penance.  Finally, only 4% of Catholics who doubt the reality of Heaven and Hell, receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation more than one time annually; while 65% indicate they never go to Confession.  What first strikes me about this C.A.R.A. survey of American Catholics and their beliefs in these Church Teachings versus their Sacramental practice of the Faith, is that a quarter of a century later, it confirms anew what Bishop Francis Anthony Quinn said in his Ordination to the Priesthood day homily to me and my seminary classmates, about the increasing number of Catholics he described as the, 'Popular Church'. They proudly call themselves Catholic, but seldom attend Mass, or receive the Sacraments.  What is even more revealing by reading these statistics, is that the so called Popular Church Catholics who irregularly, if ever practice going to Mass or Confession, have responded with a higher ratio of belief  in both Heaven and Hell, by three percentage points, 28% - 25%.  By a scant three percent the non-practicing outscore the practicing in affirming this faith belief.  This leaves a further 47%; who are undecided or unresponsive.  All totaled, 24% - 47% of American  Catholics views are not accounted for in these findings, which causes me to wonder if we now have three categories of Catholics :  the Practicing; the Popular; the Pondering; ?............Fr.  Troy