There is an interesting article in The Telegraph today.
Young, single men are leaving traditional churches. They found a more ‘masculine’ alternative
New parishes are planned across US to accommodate ‘tsunami’ of male worshippers who have converted since pandemic
It is perhaps going to be behind a paywall, which is annoying. If you want it, there is a “way back” way to get it, if you know what I mean.
The word “Catholic” does not appear in the article, which is focus entirely on the Orthodox Church.
Here are some snip of the piece, which is longish but drives home the point. Here is the lead, definitely not buried.
Young, single men are flocking to the Orthodox church after discovering the “masculine” Christian religion through online influencers.
Some converts said they felt disillusioned with the “feminisation” of the Protestant church and were attracted to the “authenticity” of Orthodoxy, which they claim pushes them physically and mentally.
Priests are now planning to open new parishes to accommodate the “tsunami” of young men who have converted since the pandemic.
They say that most of the new converts found the Orthodox church by watching YouTube videos or listening to podcasts.
[…]
A 2023 survey by the Orthodox Studies Institute of Orthodox clergy in 20 parishes across 15 states found there had been a 80 per cent increase in the number of converts to the Orthodox church in 2022, compared with pre-pandemic levels in 2019.
Of these, 60 per cent were men, compared with 54 per cent in 2019.
Many of them had been drawn to the “masculine” nature of church, which puts emphasis on denial and pushing yourself physically.
Worshippers must stand for long services, which can last upwards of five hours. They must fast, too, sometimes for up to 40 days.
This, some felt, was in stark contrast to other religious denominations where they felt the church had been “feminised”.
[…]
Mr Castillo is open about his faith with his thousands of online followers and receives scores of messages from young men interested in the Orthodox church.
He believes part of the surge in men converting to the Orthodox church is a rejection of the “feminisation” of other denominations.
“It’s unfortunate that feminism has kind of sunk its teeth into all of our organisations to include Christianity,” he said.
He said that at Protestant churches, the majority of the leaders “aren’t good, strong men”, whereas the Orthodox church leaders are more like “father figures”.
He said: “They look like men. They look like fathers, they’re strong, spiritually, mentally, physically… I think young men right now are yearning to follow a good father.”
Jesus Christ, he thinks, is the “perfect example of masculinity”, someone capable “of calling down all of Heaven’s armies to destroy his enemies” but who instead chose to serve others.
[…]
There is a little “concern” blah blah from a female prof about “misogyny”, but not much. It’s the obligatory drop in. Also, a few words about homosexuals. Nothing substantive.
Men interviewed about their conversion seem to have had some “mega-church” experience, which ultimately left them empty.
Meanwhile, one of the guys in my regular text group opined:
Of course. And bishops will not get the message. They’d rather have empty churches than have them populated by “those people”. The 1970s dream must be true, it will work, we just have to implement more modernization in the “spirit of Vatican II” even when it makes us do things the letter of Vatican II does not say or in fact rejects.
Yup. It seems as if the last thing they want is a “muscular” faith which appeals to men. Funny, that.
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Several large families at my local TLM had to sit separately today because there were no full pews left. The next nearest TLM is an hour north or an hour west.
Maybe our bishop is holier and less rapacious than I am, but I’d think natural prudence alone would dictate that adding a few more TLMs and reverent NOs could be an easy solution to any diocesan and parish financial problems.
Shocker
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“Young, single men are leaving traditional churches. They found a more ‘masculine’ alternative[.]”
When I read or hear a sentence like that, my question is always: define traditional. If those churches had remained traditional (or better still: Traditional), not nearly as many (young) men would have gone out to seek something more appealing to them, that is something I’m quite sure of. Our FSSP parish is not yet bursting from the seams, but definitely well attended with many young families (yesterday about 500 litres, or about 130 US gallons, of Epiphany water was blessed). Even though Orthodoxy has never been numerous over here, they too report an increase of conversions.
Of the many unsettling cultural trends of the last seven to twelve years, one that has disproportionately bothered me has been the misuse of “traditional” by secular media where “conventional” had been used in prior decades and would be more appropriate. More to the point of the article, I suppose I will never know on this side of the veil how exposure to a “more masculine” parish far earlier might have altered some of my poorer life choices; at least in terms of a vocation, there would seem to be an upper age limit somewhere in one’s twenties. After one’s mid-thirties, as for me, it seems to be more about making the best of one’s state in life (single and middle-aged, in a very specific profession stereotypically teeming with secular liberals, is not something other “trads” want their children to emulate), while thoughts of “what might have been” can be a stumbling block. On a lighter note, that is a great question about where all the Epiphany water goes.
Apologies for coming late to this conversation.
I would like to add that most women of a traditional leaning dislike the growing feminisation of the Novus Ordo Mass too (which I would say also say is “a growing childishness”) and have gone seeking alternatives. A happy-clappy noisy Mass with women, usually in trousers, prancing around, some acting as Eucharistic Ministers, soon becomes wearisome not only to most men and the young, but also to women who value Tradition and a sublimely beautiful traditional liturgy.
I have travelled in Eastern Europe where the Orthodox churches are full of men. The women there are modestly dressed in dresses or skirts with little scarves covering their hair, and yes, everyone is standing. There is great devotion and reverence in their liturgical celebrations. The Orthodox Church still retain something we have sadly lost in the West, except of course in the decreasing places (thanks to Pope Francis’ TC) where the Extraordinary Form is still celebrated.
Women want men to be men. Masculinity is not a dirty word… quite the contrary: Just as true femininity, not radical feminism, is beautiful. It fulfills God’s plan for mankind from the very beginning. Satan has cunningly attacked the root of our identity as either Man or Woman until now in our woke western culture we have this growing type of androgynous person appearing. It is pure evil.