Amy Welborn wrote a great post regarding Joseph Bottum's piece in First Things on Catholic Culture in America. The post and the piece are both excellent and should be read entirely. To focus on just one thing mentioned - the removal of the Friday fast (abstaining from meat) was called a mistake. Welborn says it was "an important touchstone for Catholics" and Sandra Miesel comments that there is "no reason why Catholics can't do it voluntarily". This is true - I don't eat meat on Friday, and also don't take communion in the hand. I receive communion only from priests and deacons and I always bow during the incarnation lines in the Creed. Unfortunately these things are not done by most Catholics and so there is no sign of unity there. Not eating meat Friday may not seem like a big deal, but the point is that it was a sign of unity, and the ending of the fast was a part of the collapse of Catholic culture.