A lot of it in Europe was indeed "political". My father was very "anti-clerical". Like a lot of Italian men he stopped attending church when he was confirmed. That caused me a lot of anguish when I was young because I was a very religious little girl. When I wanted, at the age of 12-14 or so, to be a Carmelite I thought he'd have a heart attack.
Then I discovered boys and gave him different worries.
Still, if you had asked him, he would have said he believed in God and was a Catholic. It's something my American friends don't understand.
Things are totally different in the U.S. because the Church has never held political power. It makes it easier to be religious, if you get what I mean, because there's not so much baggage from the past.
There's still resentment, however, but the cause is different. It's usually because of the rules controlling sexuality (especially homosexuality), divorce, contraception, etc. Meanwhile, while people weren't looking because they are now out of the church and don't even speak to people who are still "in", the emphasis changed in the church. No priest is going to tell you it's a sin to use contraception, the rules for annulment are so loose that it's almost like divorce, the only real "sticking" point is the practice of homosexuality and abortion. I don't think the latter will ever change.
There's an awful lot of what we call "cafeteria style" Catholics. They "choose" which rules they will take seriously: yes to the central tenants of the faith, and no to the sort of "lifestyle" rules with which they disagree.
I'm of two minds whether the Church is being smart in loosening some of these rules, although I approve of the end results. Certain people would be satisfied with nothing less than a total acceptance of all kinds of sexual expression, third term abortions, etc. Even then, I think it's questionable whether they would come back to the church. The proof is what has happened to the "mainstream", liberal, Protestant congregations, which are disappearing. The growth is in the conservative Protestant churches.
Among the very conservative Catholics, of whom I know a few, there are those who believe in the "Faithful Remnant" evolution or de-evolution of the Church, similar to what happened with the Hebrews. The true believers will remain, and the rest will fall away. I think that's probably what will happen.
Another phenomenon is that very conservative Catholics sometimes become Evangelical Protestant Christians because the Church has gotten too "soft".
As to the saints listed above, they are not the saints who are or were "in" people's lives in the modern era, if that makes sense. When I was growing up it was Francis of Assisi, St. Therese, the Little Flower, St. Joseph, maybe St. Bernadette, St. Jude, Mary, of course, especially through her appearances at Lourdes, Fatima and "Yugoslavia".
The only questionable one, imo, is St. Anthony of Padua, who was actually Portuguese, a disciple of St. Francis. He was very popular with older Italians. I think he's still popular in the Portuguese and Spanish speaking world. All that was emphasized to us was his piety, humility, and his love of the Christ Child. Later on, however, I discovered that he did a lot of preaching against the Italian "Cathars". Francis should have stuck to his original instinct to be suspicious of oratory and too much intellectualization of faith. That's apart from the fact that I think the Cathar "religion" was a crock.
This is what devotion to St. Francis was all about:
"
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me bring love.
Where there is offense, let me bring pardon.
Where there is discord, let me bring union.
Where there is error, let me bring truth.
Where there is doubt, let me bring faith.
Where there is despair, let me bring hope.
Where there is darkness, let me bring your light.
Where there is sadness, let me bring joy.
O Master, let me not seek as much
to be consoled as to console,
to be understood as to understand,
to be loved as to love,
for it is in giving that one receives,
it is in self-forgetting that one finds,
it is in pardoning that one is pardoned,
it is in dying that one is raised to eternal life."
Prayer to St. Jude, also a biggie when I was growing up, and still now. Danny Thomas named his hospital for children after him.
Most holy Apostle, Saint Jude Thaddeus, friend of Jesus, I place myself in your care at this difficult time. Help me know that I need not face my troubles alone. Please join me in my need, asking God to send me: consolation in my sorrow, courage in my fear, and healing in the midst of my suffering. Ask our loving Lord to fill me with the grace to accept whatever may lie ahead for me and my loved ones, and to strengthen my faith in God's healing powers. Thank you, Saint Jude Thaddeus, for the promise of hope you hold out to all who believe, and inspire me to give this gift of hope to others as it has been given to me.
