Australian research finds belief alongside varied Mass-going

The report, Absent from the Table: Catholics in Australia Who Do Not Regularly Attend Sunday Mass, was commissioned by the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference and was carried out by its National Centre for Pastoral Research. It was released on October 7.

Researchers surveyed 1973 self-selected adult Catholics online in 2024 and interviewed 67 of them from March to July 2025.

“Despite their irregular attendance, most participants remained deeply connected to their faith,” the executive summary stated. 

Some two-thirds of respondents said faith was very important to them, with 77 per cent stating Jesus is the Son of God and 64 per cent saying that they pray regularly. Just over half (55 per cent) affirmed the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist, while 24 per cent saw the elements as symbolic and 21 per cent were unsure.

In all, 74 per cent of respondents attended Mass less than weekly: 19 per cent monthly, 36 per cent occasionally, and 19 per cent not at all. The full report noted that the findings, based on a self-selected sample, “are not fully generalisable to all Catholics in Australia”.

The researchers identified 14 reasons for missing Mass. The main ones were Mass not being a priority, a crisis of faith, family or household issues, liturgical issues, challenges with the parish priest or other clergy, and the misuse of power and authority in the Church. Respondents also cited abuse, particularly clergy sexual abuse, as a significant factor affecting trust.

According to the bishops’ most recent national count in 2021, about 8.2 per cent of Catholics in Australia, or 417,000 people, went to church on a typical weekend.

Bishop Greg Bennet of Sale, the bishops conference vice president and bishop delegate for pastoral research, said the research is being entrusted to bishops to act on locally.

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Australian Catholics who skip Sunday Mass still keep the faith, bishops’ study finds (EWTN News)