Active Participation

These are just a few of the organizations at St. Stephen's in East Toledo, way back when.

I've always found it curious that almost everyone used to actively participate in the life of just about every parish.

Then someone decided to tell them they weren't actively participating unless they all had some sort of hoop to jump through in a souped-up "liturgy". Most of them were surprised. They thought being at Mass and praying with the priest, volunteering, being involved in organizations, and sacrificing to fund the church, school, etc. constituted active participation. Came as a bit of a shock to be condescended to and told that what they were doing was of no consequence.

Needless to say, the "old-fashioned" ways everyone participated were left to languish, and most people, who weren't interested in pretending to be the central element of the Mass, lost interest in being involved, at all.