MARQUETTE, Michigan (CWN) — In an interview with Catholic World Report, Bishop Alexander Sample of Marquette, Michigan, sees contraception as a major cause for the deterioration of American Catholic parishes.
Bishop Sample, who was ordained a bishop at the age of 50, describes himself as a member of “the first lost generation of poor catechesis”. He spoke with Catholic World Report about the critical need to restore proper religious education in order to bring young people back to the active practice of the faith.
When asked if the prevalence of contraceptive use is a problem for the Church, Bishop Sample responded clearly:
“Absolutely. Not everyone wants to talk about it, but that is a clear factor in the decline of the Catholic community. When I speak to my pastors, I hear them ask, ‘Where are the children?’ We’re struggling to keep our Catholic school population up. This is true in our public schools as well.
“My pastors want to have flourishing schools, but the children just aren’t there to fill them. Couples are using artificial contraceptives to limit the size of their families, and sterilisation is also becoming a common practice.
” Families think they have the number of children they want, and then close off any further openness to life that God might want to bring into their family.”