It was announced recently that an old, established Roman Catholic Church in Jamestown — Saints Peter and Paul — would be closing its doors. That church has been here forever it seems, at least in my memory.

Though the decision is being appealed, it was just one of many churches being closed by the Diocese of Western New York consolidating them with other local parishes.

Though it came as a “surprise,” it really shouldn’t have. Church attendance has been falling throughout Christendom, especially in the old, established Christian denominations that are spread out across our country.

The crisis has displayed itself not only in declining church attendance, but in the decline in the ranks of the clergy. There are fewer priests and pastors being ordained to undertake the important work of leading congregations. As one communicant put it to me: “We used to have a monsignor, two priests and two or three nuns in our church. Now, we are sharing one priest between two or more churches. It is sad.”

I should quickly add that these sentiments not only apply to Catholic churches, but to most of what in Protestantism have been called “mainline churches.” Attendance at traditional Methodist, Presbyterian, Lutheran and similar such churches has also been shrinking.

Some more conservative churches may be holding their own, but, in general, even there, church attendance and membership in America is on the decline.

I have heard that the problem was greatly accelerated by the COVID pandemic. Gatherings of all kinds were cut back then, and in the case of many churches, attendance has not bounced back to pre-pandemic levels.

I write these reflections not because I have any great insight or way to turn this around. But, to me, it is sad. I can remember the day when the Latin Mass was said in the Catholic Church and the church was full, and when at least one service each week was preached in Swedish at some of the Lutheran churches in town. Kids went to catechism or confirmation classes after school – it was a part of our upbringing.

It wasn’t a perfect system but through it, you learned about values, morals and humility… standards established under the watchful eye of a creator as taught in the Church. Such teachings were a part of the social fabric in our communities.

Change, they say, is inevitable, and secularization is now an accomplished fact in America. That doesn’t mean that I like all of it, nor does it mean that I am not worried about its repercussions. The churches taught us that life is more than just a compilation of our personal wants and desires.

What will there be to replace them?

Rolland Kidder is a Stow resident.