Don’t Look Now, But the Pews Are Getting Crowded, by Phil Lawler

By Phil Lawler, Catholic Culture, June 16, 2023

It’s happening again this year. It happens every year.

At the little chapel where Leila and I go every weekday morning, it’s more and more difficult to find an empty pew at the early Mass. If you’re thinking of joining us, don’t worry; there’s still plenty of room. But you might have to ask someone to scoot over and share a pew. A few years ago, would rarely have been necessary.

As I observed last year, before just before Lent began, there is a regular pattern: Right after Ash Wednesday, a few new faces begin to appear at daily Mass along with the people we’ve been seeing day after day for months. Obviously they have made a resolution to go to Mass every day during Lent. But then when Easter arrives and their resolution has been fulfilled, at least a few of those continue to come every day, and soon they are numbered among the daily “regulars,” with their own favorite pews. …