A lapsed Catholic is a person who has ceased practicing the Catholic faith, in the sense of attending Mass

Mass (liturgy)

"Mass" is one of the names by which the sacrament of the Eucharist is called in the Roman Catholic Church: others are "Eucharist", the "Lord's Supper", the "Breaking of Bread", the "Eucharistic assembly ", the "memorial of the Lord's Passion and Resurrection", the "Holy Sacrifice", the "Holy and...

. Such a person may still identify as a Catholic.

"Lapsed Catholic" and "ex-Catholic"

According to the Catholic belief, a baptized person cannot be "de-baptized". Baptism

Baptism

In Christianity, baptism is for the majority the rite of admission , almost invariably with the use of water, into the Christian Church generally and also membership of a particular church tradition...

 is said to "seal the Christian with the indelible spiritual mark of belonging to Christ. No sin can erase this mark, even if sin prevents Baptism from bearing the fruits of salvation."

A "lapsed Catholic" who has stopped practicing the faith (one who does not go to Mass

Mass (liturgy)

"Mass" is one of the names by which the sacrament of the Eucharist is called in the Roman Catholic Church: others are "Eucharist", the "Lord's Supper", the "Breaking of Bread", the "Eucharistic assembly ", the "memorial of the Lord's Passion and Resurrection", the "Holy Sacrifice", the "Holy and...

 or confession

Confession

This article is for the religious practice of confessing one's sins.Confession is the acknowledgment of sin or wrongs...

, or carry out other practices of Catholicism) is not necessarily an "ex-Catholic", a term that would apply instead to someone who no longer identifies as Catholic or has even adopted a new religion.

"Accuse a non-practising, non-participating, non-contributing Catholic of not being a Catholic and almost invariably they will be quite offended. Thousands of them continue to describe themselves as Catholic, in the census returns, for instance, but they have no intention in the world of going to Mass or saying prayers or contributing to the curate's collection – you must be joking! Yet they are Catholics and, in a set of given circumstances expect, even demand, certain services from the Church."

Catholics who have merely ceased to practice the Catholic religion need only return to its practice, without having to go through any special rite of "readmission" to the Church. Some may freely choose go through the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults (RCIA) for a refresher education in the faith.

Occasionally attending

Some who are seen and see themselves as "lapsed" may attend Mass

Mass (liturgy)

"Mass" is one of the names by which the sacrament of the Eucharist is called in the Roman Catholic Church: others are "Eucharist", the "Lord's Supper", the "Breaking of Bread", the "Eucharistic assembly ", the "memorial of the Lord's Passion and Resurrection", the "Holy Sacrifice", the "Holy and...

 only on special occasions like Christmas

Christmas

Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...

 and Easter

Easter

Easter is the central feast in the Christian liturgical year. According to the Canonical gospels, Jesus rose from the dead on the third day after his crucifixion. His resurrection is celebrated on Easter Day or Easter Sunday...

 or for weddings or funerals. Such lapsed Catholics are colloquially referred to by such terms as Cultural Catholic

Cultural Catholic

"Cafeteria Catholicism" is a pejorative term applied to Catholics who dissent from Roman Catholic doctrinal or moral teaching. Some examples would be Catholics who dissent from Church teaching in regards to abortion, birth control, divorce, premarital sex, masturbation, or the moral status of...

s, Two-Timers, Chreasters, C&E Catholics, Poinsettia & Lily Catholics, CEOs (Christmas and Easter Only), CAPE Catholics (Christmas, Ash [Wednesday], Palm [Sunday], Easter), CASE Catholics (Christmas and Sometimes Easter), CMEs (Christmas, Mother's Day

Mother's Day

Mother's Day is a celebration honoring mothers and celebrating motherhood, maternal bonds, and the influence of mothers in society. It is celebrated on various days in many parts of the world, yet most commonly in March, April, or May...

 and Easter), Christmas Bunnies, or A&P Catholics (for Ash Wednesday

Ash Wednesday

Ash Wednesday, in the calendar of Western Christianity, is the first day of Lent and occurs 46 days before Easter. It is a moveable fast, falling on a different date each year because it is dependent on the date of Easter...

 and Palm Sunday

Palm Sunday

Palm Sunday is a Christian moveable feast that falls on the Sunday before Easter. The feast commemorates Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem, an event mentioned in all four Canonical Gospels. ....

).

Comparison to other religions

Similarly, a Muslim

Muslim

A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...

 who does not fulfill the ritual obligations of, for instance, saying the five daily prayers does not thereby cease to be a Muslim. Judaism

Judaism

Judaism ) is the "religion, philosophy, and way of life" of the Jewish people...

 is normally passed down through the mother, so being nonobservant does not entail being a lapsed Jew.

Example in literature

"He was of the faith chiefly in the sense that the church he currently did not attend was Catholic" (Kingsley Amis

Kingsley Amis

Sir Kingsley William Amis, CBE was an English novelist, poet, critic, and teacher. He wrote more than 20 novels, six volumes of poetry, a memoir, various short stories, radio and television scripts, along with works of social and literary criticism...

, One Fat Englishman (1963), chapter 8).

See also

• Cultural Catholic
  Cultural Catholic
  "Cafeteria Catholicism" is a pejorative term applied to Catholics who dissent from Roman Catholic doctrinal or moral teaching. Some examples would be Catholics who dissent from Church teaching in regards to abortion, birth control, divorce, premarital sex, masturbation, or the moral status of...
  
  
• Catholic guilt
  Catholic guilt
  Catholic guilt is a term used to identify the supposed excess guilt felt by Catholics and lapsed Catholics. It is a concept that many non-Catholics have, partly based on a strict definition of sacraments by Martin Luther that diminished the role of Confession in many Protestant Churches and on the...
  
  
• Cafeteria Christianity
  Cafeteria Christianity
  "Cafeteria Christianity" is a derogatory term used by some Christians, and others, to accuse other Christian individuals or denominations of selecting which Christian doctrines they will follow, and which they will not.-First use in print:...
  
  
• List of former Roman Catholics
• Recovering Catholic
  Recovering catholic
  The term "recovering Catholic", is used by some former practitioners of the Roman Catholic faith to describe their religious status. The use of the term implies that the person considers their former Catholicism to have been a negative influence on their life: something that must be "recovered" from...
  
  
• Sunday Christian
  Sunday Christian
  A Sunday Christian or Sunday morning Christian is a derisive term used to refer to someone who typically attends Christian church services on Sundays while not strictly adhering to the doctrines or rules of the religion....