My small Ruthenian parish was founded as a mission in the mid 1980s, largely because things were quite difficult in the local and surrounding Latin Rite (arch)dioceses -- particularly when it came to liturgical matters. This parish has always been greater than 80% "traditional" Latin Rite Catholics with few converts over the years. I've long about two things:
First, while these "traditional" Latin Rite Catholics essentially made the parish financially possible at the beginning, yet they have also seemingly held it back over the past 30+ years with their desire to remain resolutely isolated from the local Catholic community, and really, the local community at large. The vocal disdain for the Latin Rite of the Church has been most uncharitable for a great many years.
Second, the (arch)dioceses that surround the parish have improved immeasurably over the past 10+ years, largely due to the impact of new (arch)bishops, giving the typical parishioner a number of reverent choices including the weekly celebration of a Mass in the Extraordinary Form at a solid nearby parish. This improvement, while not universal, is quite common throughout the Latin Rite in the US today. In simplest terms, 1988 is a world away from 2018.
I'm curious if different parishes/eparchies have looked critically at these changes and their potential impact to EC Churches in the US? I'm curious if parishes/eparchies have taken concrete steps in response to the changing times? Thank you.
