Lapsed Catholic
A lapsed Catholic is a person who has ceased practicing the Catholic faith by attending Mass. Such a person may still identify as a Catholic.
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[edit] "Lapsed Catholic" and "ex-Catholic"
According to Catholic belief, baptism "seals the Christian with the indelible spiritual mark of belonging to Christ. No sin can erase this mark, even if sin prevents Baptism from bearing the fruits of salvation."[1]
A "lapsed Catholic" who has stopped practicing the faith (going to Mass or confession or carry out other practices of Catholicism) is not necessarily an "ex-Catholic", a term that would apply instead to someone who no longer identifies as Catholic or has adopted a new religion.[2]
Catholics who have merely ceased to practice the Catholic religion need only return to its practice, without having to go through any special rite of "readmission" to the Church. Some may freely choose go through the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults (RCIA) for a refresher education in the faith.
[edit] Occasionally attending
Some who are seen and see themselves as "lapsed" may attend Mass only on special occasions like Christmas and Easter or for weddings or funerals. Such lapsed Catholics are colloquially referred to by such terms as Cultural Catholics, Two-Timers, Chreasters,[3] C&E Catholics,[4] Poinsettia & Lily Catholics,[5] CEOs (Christmas and Easter Only), CAPE Catholics (Christmas, Ash [Wednesday], Palm [Sunday], Easter), PACE Catholics (Palm [Sunday], Ash [Wednesday], Christmas, Easter), CASE Catholics (Christmas and Sometimes Easter), CMEs (Christmas, Mother's Day and Easter), Christmas Bunnies, or A&P Catholics[6] (for Ash Wednesday and Palm Sunday).
[edit] Example in literature
"He was of the faith chiefly in the sense that the church he currently did not attend was Catholic" (Kingsley Amis, One Fat Englishman (1963), chapter 8).
[edit] See also
- Apostasy
- Cultural Catholic
- Catholic guilt
- Cafeteria Christianity
- List of former Roman Catholics
- Recovering Catholic
- Sunday Christian
[edit] References
- ^ "The Sacrament of Baptism (§1272)". Catechism of the Catholic Church. http://www.usccb.org/catechism/text/pt2sect2.shtml#VII. "Incorporated into Christ by Baptism, the person baptized is configured to Christ. Baptism seals the Christian with the indelible spiritual mark (character) of his belonging to Christ. No sin can erase this mark, even if sin prevents Baptism from bearing the fruits of salvation. Given once for all, Baptism cannot be repeated."
- ^ "Dave Allen and other lapsed Catholics". Western People. 13 April 2005. http://archives.tcm.ie/westernpeople/2005/04/13/story24745.asp.
- ^ "Definition of Chreaster". Unwords.com. Nanovox Productions. http://www.unwords.com/unword/Chreaster.html.
- ^ "Don't be too quick to dismiss the "C&E Catholics" this Easter". Bearing Blog. 2007-03-06. http://arlinghaus.typepad.com/blog/2007/03/dont_be_too_qui.html.
- ^ "Why I hate Easter". Heart Songs. 2002-03-31. http://three-part-harmony.com/heartsongs/2002/03/31/why-i-hate-easter/.
- ^ "Search for "Catholic priest"". Everything2.com. http://everything2.com/index.pl?node=Catholic%20priest.
