On a Wednesday morning at eight, you may expect to find some members of the Syracuse University community heading to class. But today some are heading to the Alibrandi Catholic Center for Ash Wednesday. Ash Wednesday begins the 40-day period of Lent. Gerry Waterman, seen here on the left, is the Catholic Chaplain at Syracuse University. He says the 40-day period allows for people to do a little spring cleaning in their lives. There are a total of five services scheduled throughout the day. Two at the Catholic Center and three at Hendricks Chapel. Waterman expects to see a couple thousand people throughout the day. He says this time of the year can help religious people focus on their spiritual lives.
“For us as Catholics we try to be good disciples. And life gets in the way sometimes and you get busy and you don’t focus on your spiritual life. This is just that opportunity every year to do that as a Christian.”
Now even though Father Waterman is expecting a lot of people at these services, there is still a problem with Catholic Church attendance.
Last year, Gallup news reported that an average of 39-percent of Catholics attended Church from 2014-2017. They say that number was six-percent higher from 2005-2008. Father Waterman is aware of the declining attendance and says the recent sexual abuse scandal has not helped. He also believes the personality of people can lead to the decline.
“I think people are just more egotistical, more self-centered and more about them self than about others than God.”
For Catholics, Waterman says they can invite others and be enthusiastic about their faith to help with the issue. Santino Primerano, N-C-C News.
People gathered Wednesday morning at the Alibrandi Catholic Center to receive ashes for Ash Wednesday.
Ash Wednesday is the start of Lent, a 40-day period. Lent is a period of time where people can do a little spring cleaning in their lives, Gerry Waterman, the Catholic Chaplain at Syracuse University, said:
“For us as Catholics we try to be good disciples. And life gets in the way sometimes and you get busy and you don’t focus on your spiritual life. This is just that opportunity every year to do that as a Christian.”
The service at the Alibrandi Catholic Center was the first of five “Ashes to Go” services. Three of the remaining four are at Hendricks Chapel. The fifth is back at the Catholic Center. In total, there are expected to be a couple of thousand people at these services, Waterman said.
While there are a lot of people expected to be at the services, Catholic Church attendance has been dropping. From 2005-2008, 45 percent of Catholics said they went to church, according to Gallup News. This is six percent more than 2014-2017, according to Gallup News.
Waterman is aware of the declining attendance, however, Waterman has not seen the issue of church attendance on Syracuse University’s campus, he said.
If you do see declining church attendance, Waterman encourages you to invite others and be a good example. He said he can also help with the issue.
“To be the best Priest possible,” Waterman said about what he can do. “To be the most welcoming, inviting, animated, enthusiastic.”
