On Saturday, the Catholic Church will celebrate what some consider to be its most holy event — the first official celebration of Jesus' resurrection at Easter — but the evening service will only attract the most committed among its congregation.
It is among this small crowd that Paul Collins, a former Catholic priest turned historian, writer and commentator on Catholicism, will be found at the Holy Trinity Church in Canberra.
Collins said for Christians, the celebration of Easter is far more important than Christmas, and the most central days for the Catholic Church were the Saturday and Sunday of Easter.
"It is the celebration of the death and resurrection of Christ, and that is absolutely central to Christianity," he said.
Father Mykola Bychok blesses worshippers during a Ukrainian Catholic Easter celebration in Melbourne last year. Source: AAP / Diego Fedele
Good Friday services, which commemorate the death of Christ, and those on Easter Sunday, celebrating his resurrection, would be the most well attended, but Collins said the main celebration in the Catholic Church was Saturday night's longer Easter Vigil service.
"In our parish, we'd normally get 400, 500 or more people at Mass every Sunday. We'd be lucky to see 100 there for the Easter Vigil, and it'll only be the ones who are very, very committed," he said.
"The fact that people go away with their family, with their friends, all of that is a good thing. It's an important time for families to get together. It's important for people to celebrate with their friends.
"I personally don't get too upset. It is just the simple reality, the social reality that we face today.
Worshippers during Mass at St Patrick’s Cathedral in Melbourne on Easter Monday last year. Source: AAP / Diego Fedele
The latest Census figures show the number of people identifying as Christians continues to drop, so it would be easy to assume the influence of Christianity is also in decline.
We'd be lucky to see 100 there for the Easter Vigil, and it'll only be the ones who are very, very committedPaul Collins
On a superficial level, Collins acknowledges that Christianity, which includes denominations such as the Anglican, Catholic, Uniting Church, Presbyterian, Lutheran, Salvation Army, Pentecostal, Latter-day Saints and Churches of Christ, has lost influence in Australia.
"Australia has become I think, an increasingly secular society, although I wouldn't push that too far," he said.
Is Christianity still relevant in Australia?
Back in 1971, an overwhelming 86.2 per cent of Australians described themselves as Christian according to the Census. The latest figures show this had dropped to 43.9 per cent by 2021.
Catholicism is the most popular Christian denomination, followed by 20 per cent of Australians. Next is the 9.8 per cent who identify as Anglican.
Aside from Christianity, the next most popular religion is Islam, followed by 3.2 per cent of the population, Hinduism on 2.7 per cent and Buddhism on 2.4 per cent.
Unlike Christianity, the popularity of non-Christian religions has grown from 0.8 per cent of the population in 1971, to 10 per cent in 2021. Yazidi, which is an ancient religion mostly from northern Iraq, has experienced the highest growth since 2016, increasing from 63 people, to 4,123 in 2021 — a rise of 6,444 per cent.
Those who report having 'no religion' has skyrocketed from 6.7 per cent to 38.9 per cent across the same period.
The popularity of Christianity has declined over time in Australia, while other religions and 'no religion' has increased. Source: SBS News
"In those terms, there's no doubt that Christianity is losing its membership," Collins said.
But Collins points to other statistics that tell a different story, and reveal how much Australians rely on Christian organisations in many sectors.
The Catholic Church employs more people than all of Australia's banks combined
Even excluding other Christian denominations, the Catholic Church is one of the largest non-government employers in Australia, paying the wages of more than 220,000 workers in health, aged care, education, welfare and administration, according to the Australian Catholic Council for Employment Relations. The majority of these workers are women.
"It's bigger than all the banks combined," Collins said. The Australian Banking Association estimates there are 185,000 bank employees in Australia.
"You're talking about an institution that is extremely significant in terms of its broad social impact."
Around 7200 Catholic priests and other religious workers provide pastoral service across 130 active parishes in Australia.
You're talking about an institution that is extremely significant in terms of its broad social impactPaul Collins
Australians being educated and cared for by Christian organisations
Around one in five Australian students attend a Catholic school, which educate more than 800,000 primary and secondary students.
"And that number is actually increasing," Collins said. "So it's clear that people are choosing to send their children to Catholic schools."
Faith-based schools, including those from other Christian denomations, Muslim and Jewish schools; educate around 30 per cent of all Australian students. Chaplains of all faiths can also provide pastoral care in public schools, although they are not allowed to advocate or provide religious instruction.
Catholic schools such as St Therese Primary School in Sydney's Mascot educate one in five Australian students.
Catholic Health Australia, which is the national representative body for Catholic-run facilities, says 19 public hospitals, 63 private hospitals and 350 aged care facilities are operated by different bodies of the Catholic Church.
It says 10 per cent of all hospital and aged care services in Australia are provided by its members, and it represents the nation’s largest non-government grouping of hospitals, aged and community care services.
Anglicare, an arm of the Anglican Church, runs residential aged care centres and provides other social services across Australia. Its Sydney operation has an annual turnover of more than $300 million, and employs more than 4,000 people.
A COVID-19 drive-through testing clinic at Bondi Beach in Sydney run by St Vincent's Hospital. Source: AAP / Flavio Brancaleone
Charity organisations provide a voice for Australians in need
Around 15 per cent of Australians have contact with a Catholic social welfare service each year including Vinnies, CentaCare, CatholicCare, MercyCare, Sisters of Mercy and Jesuit Social Services.
St Vincent de Paul, known for its popular Vinnies stores, says it provides more than $50 million each year in emergency relief including for accommodation and utility costs. It employs more than 3000 workers.
The Salvation Army, which runs Salvos stores, provided nearly $25 million of financial support in 2022/23. Its 2000 services offer support in areas such as addiction, employment, homelessness, aged care, and family and domestic violence.
Salvos raises money for Salvation Army services including help for those struggling with homelessness and domestic violence.
The Anglican-run Brotherhood of St Laurence works to alleviate poverty and delivers 25 youth and community programs. It regularly advocates for policy changes, including for an increase to the Jobseeker rate.
All of these organisations have pushed for better conditions for Australians, including on issues such as housing, income support payments, and financial regulation of Buy Now Pay Later products
"While at one level, yes, the church is losing its influence, at another level, its impact on society is still very, very considerable," Collins said.
"(It) is even possibly more now than it was in the past — through those institutions like education, social welfare, health care and aged care."
God is still mentioned in Australia's parliament
Western Sydney University sociologist Professor Adam Possamai said certainly since federalism in 1901, Australia has been a Christian majority country.
"And there's still reference to God in the parliament," Possamai said.
He also points out that some Australians who record having "no religion" in the Census, may instead consider themselves to be spiritual.
"There's an increase of people who are (saying they're) spiritual, but being spiritual doesn't doesn't mean that they're moving away from Christianity, it can be a spirituality within Christianity," he said.
He said some Australians may have a connection with Christianity through their upbringing for example, but not necessarily claim to be Christian.
There's an increase of people who are (saying they're) spiritual, but being spiritual doesn't mean that they're moving away from Christianity, it can be a spirituality within ChristianityProfessor Adam Possamai
'Christianity will have to take an entirely new form'
Paul Collins believes there will always be Christians in Australia but acknowledges numbers will likely continue to decline.
"Without a doubt, we are at the present moment, certainly in Catholicism, facing a major crisis, probably the greatest crisis since the Protestant Reformation in the 16th century," he said, referring to a movement that saw many religious groups separate from the Roman Catholic Church due to differences in doctrine.
Australian National University historian and philosopher professor Wayne Hudson, who is also Christian, said the religion was in a state of revolutionary change, and it hasn't been able to morph successfully as it has done in the past, to adjust to the scientific revolution.
"It will have to take an entirely new form because any spiritual movement has got to be enculturated in the real life of the society otherwise it's just a bit of nonsense going on, in churches at the top of the hill," he said.
Hudson believes the problem with Christianity is that it is "not bringing a higher ethical culture to the country". He attributes the success of the Roman Empire over paganism to it offering a higher culture.
(Christianity) will have to take an entirely new form because any spiritual movement has got to be enculturated in the real life of the society otherwise it's just a bit of nonsense going on, in churches at the top of the hillProfessor Wayne Hudson
Given modern challenges such as the rise of artificial intelligence and transhumanism — the use of technology to enhance human cognition and functions — Hudson believes the world needs a "new civilisational form".
"We now need an entirely different set of organisations, we need a different set of ceremonials and rituals, and we need different ethical performances," he said.
"The attempt to cling to medieval ones is simply hopeless.
"I think Christianity's job is to produce that civilisational form because I'm not sure anybody else will. There's not much evidence that the secular world will produce it."
Easter is a promise of a 'new and better way to live'
Anglican Church Primate, the Most Reverend Geoffrey Smith of Adelaide, said there continues to be war, violence and injustice in the world, but the fact that Jesus beat death is significant.
"The forces of death are still evident, and this can lead to a heaviness, a hopelessness, a weariness as we navigate and experience this reality," he says in his Easter message.
"But the resurrection means that these manifestations of death will one day know their defeat. The future is not one of death but life and new life."
Catholic Archbishop Timothy Costelloe of Perth, president of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference, said Easter was a time to recognise the seeds of hope despite seeing the horrors of armed conflict in Ukraine, the Middle East, Sudan, Myanmar and other places.
"In the face of all these problems we can feel helpless. But the triumph of Jesus over the powers of hatred and evil is a powerful antidote to this. It is the promise of a new and better way to live. It is a source of hope and equally a call to action."
