Ever Ancient, Ever New: Why Younger Generations are Embracing Traditional Catholicism

The Church is enduring one of the worst crises in her history. There has been a collapse in the number of laity, clergy, and religious participating in the Catholic faith. According to the Index of Leading Catholic Indicators: The Church Since Vatican II, approximately 460 million Catholics have left the Faith since Vatican II. Not only is there a crisis in participation, there are a plethora of surveys which reveal the extent of heterodox teachings in the modern United States Church. Despite this rapid decline in Catholic demographics, there is hope. A recent study conducted by the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter found that while Novus Ordo (that is, the 1969 Mass of Pope Paul VI) parishes have been shrinking, parishes that offer the Latin Mass have been growing. Another study conducted by Dr. Joseph Shaw found that the average traditional parish has larger family sizes, younger attendees, and higher male attendance. What is the explanation for this? In Ever Ancient, Ever New, millennials enthralled with the traditional devotions of our Faith which have been left largely abandoned since Vatican II explain this phenomenon. These authors include Alexander Tschugguel, Stephanie Nicholas, as well as Timothy and Stephanie Gordon. Ever Ancient, Ever New offers the path forward for the Church’s future: her past.

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