An example of the people's church in contrast to the official church

[hedgehog]

And I don't mean people's church vs. official church. I just enjoy noting from time to time that the things the people consider important tend sometimes not to be the same things the "official" church considers important. The example at hand: The Holy day of Obligation, All Saint's Day, could probably vanish tomorrow and wouldn't be missed (although Halloween would somehow survive.) The holy day with emotional resonance is All Soul's Day. I don't know how it is treated in other countries, but in the US it is officially one of the second place holy days worthy only of an honorable mention. Yet it's been a long standing tradition in our parish to memorialize the parish's dead this week-end by listing the name of those who died the last week-end in October and lighting a candle in their names.

[The Jacobin]

1. Article from CNS

Mass absence – Poll reveals most American Catholics believe Sunday Mass attendance not obligatory

11/11/2005
WASHINGTON (CNS) -- A national survey of U.S. Catholics reported that 76 percent of the respondents said they could be good Catholics without fulfilling the weekly Mass obligation.

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A majority also said that a person could be a good Catholic without obeying church teachings on birth control, on abortion and on divorce and remarriage.

There was also overwhelming support for belief in the resurrection of Jesus and in Mary as the mother of God.

The results were discussed at a Nov. 10 news conference in Washington organized by the National Catholic Reporter, an independent newspaper published in Kansas City, Mo. The newspaper was one of the sponsors of the survey and had published the results in late September.

. . .

http://www.catholic.org/national/national_story.php?id=17580