Dec 8, 2019 5 min read

Editor’s note: This is the last in a series about the challenges facing the Catholic Church.

The Rev. Albin McGinnis is well aware of the challenges facing the Catholic Church: a more than 40% decline in Mass attendance, severe financial strains compounded by the clerical sexual abuse crisis, and a decrease in the number of Catholic priests.

But McGinnis, administrator of St. Mathias Parish in Greene County, remains focused on the mission of the church: offer a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ.

“We’re going through rough times, but the church is not going to disappear. For 2,000 years we’ve gone through this. We’ve gone through a lot worse than what we’re going through now,” said McGinnis. “There will be people in the pews, and we need to grow that.”

Sharon Serratore, pastoral associate at St. Alphonsus Church in McDonald, echoes McGinnis.

As secularism rises – 24% of Americans aren’t affiliated with any religion, according to a 2016 Public Religion Research Institute survey, up 8% over the previous five years – evangelization is a key component of growing the church, Serratore said.

“The story of Jesus Christ is timeless, but it needs telling anew,” said Serratore. “The church needs to make disciples, and to reach out to those who have grown lukewarm in their faith or have been marginalized. That is really key.”

The trend away from religion has especially increased in younger generations, where more than a third of people ages 18 to 29 are unaffiliated, compared to just over 10% of people ages 65 and up.

As part of the Diocese of Pittsburgh’s On Mission for the Church Alive! revitalization initiative, churches are ministering to youth.

When Bishop David Zubik announced the parish groupings as part of the diocese’s plan to consolidate its parishes through six counties from 188 to 57 multi-site parishes, he said, “We must respond to the reality that populations have shifted, that many Catholics have drifted away from Mass and that we will have fewer priests. We need to share and mobilize our resources to draw people deeper into the faith, seek the lost, and serve those in need.”

But, there are challenges, including a decline in the number of priests. The diocese had 338 priests in active ministry in 2000, compared with 170 today, and expects to have just 110 priests by 2025.

For example, St. Mathias Parish was restructured to include St. Ann, St. Hugh, St. Ignatius of Antioch and St. Marcellus churches.

In McGinnis’ parish, he and the Rev. Francis Frazer are responsible for the four churches, which cover 570 square miles and encompass five school districts.

“Our time gets eaten up with traveling,” McGinnis said.

A once-active youth group in Greene County now struggles to draw participants, he said.

“Kids are influenced more by what goes on in their schools than what goes on in their church, and we’re looking to say, how can we build this back up again, to have them see there’s something there for them,” said McGinnis. “We’re continually trying to grow participation among kids, but when you have kids from five different school districts with different schedules, you have a hard time getting them together.”

More parishes are offering worship services with contemporary praise music to attract young people, said diocesan spokesman Bob DeWitt. A monthly Festival of Praise that has drawn hundreds of worshipers in South Pittsburgh is now being held at other parishes in the diocese.

Spiritual awakening programs such as ChristLife and Alpha are being well-received across the diocese.

And the diocese is supporting Vagabond Missions, which serves at-risk youth in Pittsburgh’s urban neighborhoods.

“Churches have been doing their best to bring this spark back and to light a fire in the hearts of their parishioners,” said Elisabeth Keener, a member of Washington Area Young Adults, a group of Catholics in their 20s and 30s that meets weekly at Our Mother of Miraculous Medal Church in Meadow Lands for fellowship.

Keener said the Young Adults struggles to get large numbers, but “our small group has made a difference in everyone’s lives that has come to stay, whether it be on a personal or faith level. My faith has been such a large part of my life and has always been a constant. The appeal to the tradition of the Catholic Church for me is how steadfast it is through all the turbulence of the times.”

Jerome Zufelt, spokesperson for the Diocese of Greensburg, said despite challenges, the Church is compelled to continue spreading the Gospel message.

“The Diocese of Greensburg exists to serve the parishes and support their sacramental ministries and evangelization efforts,” said Zufelt.

Consolidation has provided an opportunity for fellowship among members of different congregations who now worship together, McGinnis noted.

The churches are fuller because Masses rotate among the church buildings in the parish.

“When it’s full, it’s exciting,” said McGinnis. “The whole idea of our celebration of Mass is communal; we recognize we are the body of Christ. When the church is empty, it’s like, ‘Really?'”

Notably, membership among the Latino community has grown, with more than 40,000 Latinos living in the diocese. Spanish language Masses, faith formation and Bible classes are offered throughout the diocese.

Serratore remains optimistic that the church will continue to play an important role in the lives of the members of the Diocese of Pittsburgh.

“We pray at Mass every week to learn Jesus, love Jesus, live Jesus. There’s uncertainty and there’s change, and change is difficult, but I am nothing but heartened about the future,” said Serratore. “It’s challenging, and maybe the numbers aren’t there, but my work, our work, is to bring people to relationship with Jesus Christ.”