Why the Church must change

Before the Bishops sent their message on the need for Church renewal, some priests were already making a difference

The Church needs to update its structures to make Mass more appealing by, for example, not allowing a boring priest to celebrate the most well-attended Sunday Mass, according to theologian Rene Camilleri.

It’s a complex problem since not all priests have good communication skills

“It’s high time to review and update the structures... It’s a complex problem since not all priests have good communication skills... A priest who delivers a monotonous sermon is not likely to change his ways,” he said.

So, he added, certain long-term difficult decisions had to be taken, such as more rationalisation that would, for example, reduce the number of Masses held each day in a church, and not allowing those with poor communication skills to celebrate the 9 a.m. Sunday Mass.

In a pastoral letter to mark the first Sunday of Advent, Archbishop Paul Cremona and Gozo Bishop Mario Grech said the Church risked turning into a historical museum and its liturgy becoming theatrical unless it was vigilant and renewed itself.

The bishops urged the clergy to reverse the monotony and make the message of the Gospels more appealing in a culture where constant repetition could smother Christian life.

Fr Camilleri agreed with the message saying something had to be done. “We [priests] exist to respect the people and to give them what they really need... We also need to have self-respect. If I realise I am boring people I need to do something about it,” he said.

He criticised a part of the pastoral letter that spoke about how going to Mass had become customary and consequently the congregation failed to appreciate the beauty and power of the Eucharist.

This, Fr Camilleri said, was unfair to those who kept going to the same Church, even though they complained, out of dedication.

“Speaking in commercial terms, the Church is a product. Until recently it took it for granted that people’s presence meant the product was being sold. But today, if the Church does not market itself well... there is a problem. People are opting not to go to Mass or to choose [another church], and rightly so. They go where they feel comfortable and find a Mass that makes sense to them,” he said.

Some priests were managing to attract people from various localities and such spaces should be invested in, he said.

One such priest is St Julians parish priest Claude Portelli who has made a difference in his locality. Throughout these years he has seen people from all over Malta attend his Masses.

“I work with my team to try and make sure people feel they belong and that the Church is not just of priests... I try to ensure I deliver the message of the liturgy in a way that is relevant to people and keep it down to earth. I live in the same world and mingle with people so I know what the main concerns are and what people want to hear about,” Fr Portelli said, adding that he was not the only one working on such values.

In fact, several churchgoers also mentioned the Mass celebrated by Fr Charles Tabone in Sliema and the interesting homilies of Fr Hilary Tagliaferro in Paceville.

Fr Portelli said one of the main problems was that people felt emarginated during some Masses and could not understand and relate to what was happening. He tried to make sure his Mass was animated and even organised a Mass for children once a month.

“The message is the same but it’s the way we transmit it that has to change by, for example, using modern technologies,” he said.

If I realise I am boring people I need to do something about it

UK Church communications expert Jim McDonnell, who came to Malta last year, had said the Church needed to reconnect with the art of telling stories, something people craved, to make sense of the world around them.

Most people out there, he said, perceived religion to be a boring subject filled with irrelevant information. But people were interested when they heard talk of ethics and spirituality, without realising these too were part of religion.

He pointed out that, nowadays, people were constantly bombarded with information and messages sent out by different media in this pluralistic society. The Church had to compete with that and make itself relevant and interesting.

A recent EU survey showed that being Christian was one of the main characteristics of Malta’s identity, according to nearly one in every three Maltese. The last census in 2005 showed Sunday Mass attendance had dropped to 52.6 per cent.

The word of the congregation

Repetitious, long and tedious homilies need to go if the Church is to encourage more people to sit through a whole Mass and listen to God’s Word, 31-year-old Brenice Zammit feels.

She finds that some priests are not in tune with the realities faced by the people so they do not manage to connect with the congregation at Mass.

“What bothers me the most is the repetition... There are times when it’s difficult to understand what they’re talking about... having said that, I think that whoever wants to go to Mass will go... But I know people who stopped going because they feel they are not getting anything out of it and refuse to go just to keep up appearances,” she said.

Her mother, Giovanna Scerri, 64, agrees with her and says she has seen the number of people attending Mass in Valletta dwindle over the years.

“Something has to be done to attract the young people,” she said as she pointed out there were rarely any choirs in churches nowadays.

A 28-year-old woman, who did not want to be named, said she would like to see priests interact more with the people during Mass.

Although she went to Mass on Sundays she often found her mind drifting since she lost interest in what the priest was saying. She was glad the bishops had finally opened their eyes to this.

In contrast, 80-year-old Francis Lia goes to Mass everyday out of “obligation”.

“I go everyday because it’s like the rent I’m paying for this life... I do not get bored and look forward to listening to the priest... But sometimes I realise others in the church are getting impatient when the homily goes on for too long because they pretend they are coughing,” he said.

A 56-year-old woman said Mass had evolved over the years as she remembered a time when the priest gave the congregation his back. It was now time to evolve further to help people feel more included.

Joanna Grech, 38, has mixed feelings about going to Mass. She is put off by priests who perpetuate the message of hell and brimstone and constantly frown upon today’s realities, from cohabiting to gays and working parents. Instead, they ought to open up a discussion to help the congregation deal with certain issues.

“It’s not the first time I’ve actually stood up and left Mass halfway through the homily because I felt so angry, especially in the run-up to the divorce referendum... Having said that, there are Masses where priests are making a difference and, when I do manage to go to one of them, such as that of Fr Charles Tabone at Nazzarenu church in Sliema, I emerge feeling blessed with a sense of spirituality,” she said, adding that the bishops’ pastoral letter was a pleasant surprise.

Commenting on timesofmalta.com, Dominic Carbonaro said the Church did well to review itself.

“However, I feel that we need to review ourselves by putting aside the indifference to spirituality,” he added.