French Catholics are so intrigued by a new group in the Church that they have invented a new word for them – tradismatiques.
These “tradismatics” are both traditional and charismatic, easily switching among liturgies to express their faith. In effect, they bridge the gulf between proponents of the old rite and the Novus Ordo, a division that has troubled the French Church since the Second Vatican Council in the 1960s.
“They move from Gregorian chant to Renewal hymns with the same ease,” the Catholic weekly Famille Chrétienne wrote. “Mass is not a casus belli.”
Growing up a minority in a secular and multicultural society, these new Catholics often mix the evangelical enthusiasm of some immigrant congregations with the reverence they find in traditionalist rituals.
The Archbishop of Marseille Cardinal Jean-Marc Aveline, president of the French bishops’ conference, welcomed the new trend.
“It reflects these young people’s desire for transcendence, their spiritual quest, and their need for guidance,” he said, but added that he doesn’t like the term tradismatiques.
“I have always tried never to label people,” he said. “The current trend toward self-affirmation must not become a pretext for identity-based tensions.”
The need for guidance is central to the bishops, who are now studying how to integrate these youths into the mainstream Church.
Some big city churches now have packed “mega-Masses” with thoughtful preaching, music and liturgies appealing to young adults. “Catholic jargon is kept to a minimum here,” one student said. “I didn’t know one could see so many young people at Mass,” another commented.
Many are students and young professional city dwellers, but there are also new Catholics from surrounding areas attracted through social media to travel to these churches or occasional church assemblies – a phenomenon that can create tension.
“We’re seeing jealousy among parishes, because these so-called ‘affinity Masses’ are emptying local parishes of their young people,” one priest told La Croix.
It also widens a gulf with rural France, where local churches are sparsely attended by aging congregations.
According to a recent poll, 30 per cent of all regular Mass-goers live in the greater Paris region, which makes up only 19 per cent of the national population.