May 13, 2007

Confirmation

A confirmation ceremony took place in the Catholic parish church yesterday and it was just finished when I passed by. Some look a bit confused, some look happy. Are they happy for the ceremony to be over, to receive an expected gift, for the party that may follow…? How many will go back to the church again – except perhaps for their marriage?

The Catholic Church was separated from the state in 1905. It is today estimated that some 40 million of our about 61 million habitants are Catholics, however only some 8% seem to go to church on a weekly basis and for the age 18-29 the percentage is only 2%.

In France we have also some 4 or 5 million Muslims, some 800.000 Protestants…

30 comments:

hpy said...

Luneray, not far from Fécamp, is a town with mostly protestants. It's not very common here in Normandy.

Kunterbunt said...

They look like an assembly of angels ...

I think the role of the church is not so important any more. For me, it's because of some statements they have given on certain topics. I can't agree to the pope's and the Catholic church's credos.

lyliane six said...

C'est quand même beau de voir encore les traditions de la France catholique.J'aime beaucoup, mais tout
disparait en France malheureusement...

Cheltenhamdailyphoto said...

Great photo of the young.

TORUŃ DAILY PHOTO said...

I really like this pic Peter. Here in Poland (being predominatly Catholic) it is also the first communion. It is a common sight to see small children (even younger than those in your pic) to walk around in their white robes.

TORUŃ DAILY PHOTO said...

Thanks for living your comments at Toruń DP. Please come and check again as have already replied to the one about Copernicus!

Anonymous said...

Nice photo Peter. I like it and the little boy in the bottom right side is interested in your taking it.

Church-goers are fewer and farther between these days. I think people got tired, somewhere along the way, of being preached into and out of Hell.

By the way, in this country when a person dies and they have a funeral for that person and all the family and friends of that person come and the casket or coffin is open, and the people are all seated, respectfully, and then a preacher or priest comes in and gives a kind of life story of the person who is dead. I have heard many of these tales over the 73 years I have been alive on Earth and I have never heard a preacher preach the man or woman into the Hell he promised many times they would go if they didn't change their ways. Amazing.

I have celebrated this day, Mother's Day in my country, with a magazine cover for my wife. I hope you can see it.

GMG said...

Nice-looking picture Peter!
About the percentages: do they have a figure for the percentage of Muslims that go to the mosques on Fridays in France? Or the Jews that go to the synagogues? It could be interesting...

Peter said...

gmg:

Difficult to find any exact evaluations.

Some estimations indicate about 1/3 of the French muslims to be real practicants = possibly about 1, 5 million.

Jewish practicants could possibly be sligthly below 15% = about 100.000.

alice said...

Thank you, Peter for visiting my blog and taking time to let a comment. I already knew your blog and have read many posts with interest but my English is not subtle enough to dare give my opinion...

Martel said...

Thank you for your passage on my blog on my town of Martel (where live much of English). The quercy is almost second fatherlands of English

my blog photographs on Martel

Peter said...

Alice:

Thanks for visits. I notice that there are many visitors who don't comment. It's a pity.

English or not is no problem. Comments in French or any other language are welcome. If someone would have a problem to understand, Babel Fish is available.

Martel said...

Yes, the 'Halle' of Martel is always used. for markets and festivals.

My blog photographs on Martel

Emilieee said...

Nice photo! The children are so adorable!

Nowadays the youngers are paying less attention to the surrounding despite the religion issue. That's what I think. No offence though. Even me myself have to admit that I'm not paying much attention to my country's politic issues. Well, enough said :p

Thanks for linking me and visiting my blog :) I'll add you in my list.

Have a nice day in Paris.

Cergie said...

En aube, ce semble être des traditionnalistes, non ?
Ma fille avait une robe que je lui avait cousue
C'est mon seul enfant qui ait fait sa communion et elle n'a pas l'intention de se marrier à l'église
Cela répond-t-il à ta question ?

PS : je retire ce que j'ai dit : il n'y a pas que des filles sur ce blog !

AHAHA !

Zhang Chunhong said...

Je fais partie des visiteurs qui commentent peu. Comme tu trouves que "It's a pity", je laisse des traces cette fois.

sonia a. mascaro said...

I agree with April, they look angelical!

Thanks for your visit, Peter! You are right about my Mom's photos. In the 1914's was really rare to take much pictures. But I have in my family many photographers. Two brothers of my grandfather were fotographers, so I have many boxes full of antiques's photos.

Nathalie H.D. said...

Je suis de famille protestante. En France c'est assez rare et quand toutes les copines partaient au catéchisme, je me sentais très différente !
Une conséquence positive : ça m'a donné le goût du soutien aux minorités !

I was raised a Protestant. As you mentioned in your figures, it's pretty rare and as a child I felt quite different. One positive effect of that : I have always supported minorities.

Nathalie H.D. said...

Forgot to tell you what a great picture that is ! Anyone related to you here ?

Peter said...

No, nobody related to me (as far as I know).

Cergie said...

Ah oui, tu as oublié les orthodoxes !
Il y a un monastère dans le vercors et j'ai raconté avoir discuté avec un fidèle qui se plaignait qu'ils soient oubliés en France !
Encore plus minoritaires que les protestants...

Peter said...

Probablement 200-300.000 orthodoxes en France.

Seda said...

What is confirmation ceremony?

Peter said...

seda:

This is quoted from Wikipedia (easier than try to explain it myself):
According to canon law for the Latin or Western Catholic Church, the sacrament is to be conferred on the faithful at about the age of discretion (generally taken to be about 7), unless the Episcopal Conference has decided on a different age, or there is danger of death or, in the judgement of the minister, a grave reason suggests otherwise (canon 891 of the Code of Canon Law). The number of Episcopal Conferences that have set a later age, usually between 14 and 16 years of age, has diminished in recent decades, and even in those countries a bishop may not refuse to confer the sacrament on younger children who request it, provided they are baptized, have the use of reason, are suitably instructed and are properly disposed and able to renew the baptismal promises...

Seda said...

Peter, thanks for the explanation however I didn't get the part of "danger of death"

Peter said...

Normally, the "confirmation", meaning the right to sacrament, takes place when a child is old enough to be supposed understand the meaning of it. In case there is a risk that a child will die prematurely, exceptions can be made.

Seda said...

OK! Now I got it. Thanks :)

hpy said...

Sanoit etta taalla voi kommentoida milla kielella tahansa. Myos suomeksi?

You said that we can comment in any language here. Also in Finnish?

Peter said...

I forgot to mention "except Finnish".

black feline said...

that's the price of secularism...i think