
Cuchculan
What you have here are parents making choices for their young children. It is the parents who don't want the kids to learn religion. I have always called it ' double standards '. Why? Over here you make your holy communion. That happens when you are seven. You will see all kids make that. With the odd exception of a child not from Ireland, now living here, who is not catholic. The church is starting to fight back. Making the child and parents attend mass for 4 months leading up to the holy communion. Their way of saying ' you are not going to use our church for one day only '. Even the holy communion has lost its meaning. All about who looks the best and how much money you can make. Then at about aged 11 / 12 you make your confirmation. In between communion and confirmation, chances are the kids and their parents have not seen the inside of a church. Why stick with a tradition if you have no faith in the religion? Again the kids make more money and get to dress up.
Enter the weddings. You will be asked when was the last time you attended the church. Chances are it might have been for a funeral or a wedding of a friend. So those two don't count. I know of some churches who refused to allow their church to be used like this. Just for one big day. I do see their point. You don't go to church as a rule. You never have. But you want to get married in their church.
Funerals. Irish people are going back to old traditions with funerals. No body to the church the evening before. That is all but done away with. Back to the coffin in the family home for a few days before the funeral. This is one thing the church has never refused. A funeral. They are a bit annoyed that the old ways are coming back. Because that means the church is still been used for the one day only.
I will add in that a lot of Irish people have lost faith in the church. Because of all the abuse that went on. It was covered up for decades. It was wrong. The people might still believe in their God. Might still believe in prayers. It is the church they have an issue with. To the point were mass has had to be cancelled a few times due to hardly anybody showing up. Numbers attending are at an all time low.
Having said all of that I don't believe the church should just allow people to use their place for weddings, communions and confirmations. 3 times you might see the inside of the church. They are right to try and get people back to using the church. They have tried everything else and failed. Case of, you want to use us, come visit us a few times first and then we will allow you to use us. Don't visit us and you won't be allowed to use us.