A recent Irish Times/ MRBI poll, dealing with weekly attendance at Mass, showed that only 40 per cent of Catholics in Ireland considered this practice "very important".
Within that figure it was found 14 per cent of young people (18-24) considered attendance at Sunday Mass "very important". The poll was carried out in September last among a national sample of 1,000 electors at 100 sampling points throughout the State.
For many reasons these findings are disturbing. But are they surprising?
While the Christian churches in Ireland obviously have a major part to play in their principal role of bringing people nearer to Christ, there are basic, practical things some might consider doing which, if left undone, will simply aid and abet the present drop-off in church attendance.
For Catholics, the Mass is the centrepiece of public worship and prayer. Why is it then that so many in Ireland don't consider going to Mass on Sundays "very important"?
Well, for one thing, if I fail to understand the meaning of the words used at Mass, then how can I be influenced or motivated by them? That is the reason the church switched from Latin to the vernacular. So now we all understand the meaning of the words used? Not so.
Consider this: in almost all Sunday Masses these days, there are readings from the Old Testament, and there is but little hope of understanding the meaning of the texts. And, even if we did understand, there is the question of relevance to Massgoers in the third millennium.
Most of us do not know who Micah or Ezechiel were, for example, or have little interest in what is being said by or about them because it is so obscure.
To add to this failure to communicate a part of the Mass, we have a situation where, nowadays, the reader of the Old Testament is very often a lay person. That usually means someone who has less education in Bible study than the clergy. Since many clerics will admit they don't understand a lot of the Old Testament, what hope is there for the untutored?
Yet the official line on the liturgy demands it be read, because it is part of the totality of the readings of the day. In essence then, never mind whether the faithful understand it or its relevance, you can't change the routine. No?
Then what about the change from Latin to the vernacular? Or the use of general absolution in the Sacrament of Reconciliation? Or Mass on the vigil being a replacement for Mass on Sundays? Or the introduction of lay readers and ministers of the Eucharist? So changes have been made.
The dropping of Old Testament readings could result in the weakening of the expressed view of many lapsed Massgoers that it's no use going to something they don't understand. It could also do a lot for those who are regular Massgoers.
A second thing the Catholic Church in Ireland might tackle urgently is the lamentable standard of homilies. Many priests attribute this to scanty training and if that is true, what is the church doing about it?
The founder of the Christian church used the art of preaching as one of the most effective ways of bringing the Word of God to people. Why don't our priests do the same?
They have a captive (albeit dwindling) audience for 30 to 40 minutes every Sunday. And they have endless interesting and topical subjects to talk about.
True, it takes training, plus time and practice during the week, to achieve the desired reaction from a 4-5 minute homily. But what a golden opportunity to leave the pew occupants with something they understand and find worthy of thought for the coming week.
Lastly, the cry "mumbo-jumbo" from the disaffected young when explaining why they can't be bothered going to Sunday Mass is also tied in with the sacred mystery of transubstantiation - the quintessential nucleus of the Mass.
Which shows the need for explanation by priests about the things which are beyond human understanding but in which we can still believe.
If those in the age group 18 to 24 were to place a stethoscope on the heart of Christianity in Ireland today, what arrhythmia would they detect?
After a listing of some of the symptoms, examination and diagnosis, what about trying some treatment? Is there a really good doctor of divinity in the house?
Al Byrne is a freelance journalist, broadcaster and writer.