I've spent several months lately in the Diocese of Sacramento, California, and am amazed at how crowded the parishes are here. Typical Sunday Mass at the Church I attend has parishioners out in the parking lot, peeking inside through the open doors. Daily Mass attendance is also very good. Other churches I've visited are the same. Is there a better sign of a lively faith than crowds such as these? My adopted parish isn't about entertainment either, but seems to have a good piety. Our liberal Mainstream Protestant brethren must feel lonely, with their nearly empty churches.
Perhaps parish closings in Saint Louis may bring back the crowds in the churches that are left, and with it a better parish life and more opportunities for evangelization, both in the world and within the parish itself.
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