That's a long an wordy introduction to a question I will get to later for those of you who are still regularly present in Catholic pews.
I am fully steeped in Catholic Social Justice teaching, and served on the Social Concerns/Social Justice groups in two different parishes over a period of many years. However, in my former parishes and other Catholic parishes around here, the radical social justice teachings seem to have given away to the pro-life ministry, plus a few standard charitable causes that almost every house of worship in our area participates in - including the many Jewish congregations, the local Muslim congregation and school a mile down the road, and every variety of christian congregation around. These include the school supply collections every August, clothing collections monthly, the mittens and hats collections all winter, the turn at providing meals at the homeless shelter three or four times/year, the monthly groceries for the soup kitchens collection etc. All of these good works (except pro-life) are performed by every religious group in the area - and it's great that they all work together to meet the needs of the less fortunate in the community.
But, they don't seem to ever go beyond and address the structural issues, at least in the Catholic parishes I know. I assume it's because some think that quoting Jesus is "too political'. But isn't it the job of the religious leaders - to teach the gospel?
What is your experience, all you active Catholics?
I thought about this because the Adult Forum speaker next weekend at our Episcopal parish will be talking about "Reclaiming Jesus". This is a multi-faith movement meant to counteract the religious conservatives, comprised mostly of evangelical protestants and EWTN type Catholics, and demonstrate that not ALL christians agree with their point of view..I first learned of it last Lent from Sojourners.
The letter had only one Catholic signer - Fr. Richard Rohr. More than 1000 people met recently at a DC church to walk to the White House to publicize the Reclaiming Jesus message. The photos did show a Roman collar or two, but the Catholic church was not really visibly present and I don't know if any Catholic parishes around here publicized this event.
What I am finally getting around to is this from Richard Rohr, quoted in the article at NCR.
The church service that began the evening featured more than a dozen leaders from evangelical, mainline Protestant, Catholic, and African-American churches, including Franciscan Fr. Richard Rohr, founder of the Center for Action and Contemplation; Jim Wallis, president and founder of Sojourners; theologian Walter Brueggemann; and the Most Rev. Michael B. Curry, presiding bishop and primate of the Episcopal Church, among others. .......
Rohr,... expressed the concerns that led him, at the urging of Wallis and Curry, to join the Reclaiming Jesus effort.
"We Catholics, we have such magnificent social teaching on paper," he said. "It's one of the least preached things from the pulpit in the ordinary parish, and I think the evidence is, although no one would knock it publicly, the bishops and preachers don't tend to really be invested in it." [Note - our local Episcopal bishop is VERY invested in the messages of this movement and she regularly brings these issues up for parishes to think about).)
Referencing the other faith leaders present, Rohr added, "These churches, representing so many denominations, have often told me that we have the most coherent argued position, and yet the corner church in town knows nothing about it. It's amazing there could be such a split between teaching and practice. But I think we're afraid of the division it will bring. No one likes to get hate letters on Monday morning after your Sunday sermon."
Is Fr. Rohr right?
Anne - I would say that Richard Rohr, who is a national public figure, is in a better position to assess the state of the Catholic church in this respect than most of us are. Most of us go to one or a handful of parishes week by week (or however frequently we go), and can't really speak first-hand what goes on beyond that limited range.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking for myself, I do try to weave social justice teachings and themes into my preaching - I hope it's evident in what I post here. I don't give an explicitly social-justice homily every time. Nor should I; there is a good deal more to our faith than social justice.
Beyond preaching - our parish is good at some things, and in some things, we can improve. We're relatively good at local community outreach, if it involves helping and assisting others. Perhaps that's not truly justice work; maybe it falls more into the category of almsgiving and charitable ministry, although I do think those activities help raise awareness of justice issues. We do have a group that does prison ministry, and a group that tries to raise awareness about domestic abuse. Those, and our pro-life group, probably are as close as we come to social justice work.
Anne, your comment about how the social justice groups have given way to the pro-life groups is interesting. I wonder if some of that could be a function of your local situation; I believe you are in the Arlington diocese? If Arlington's reputation is reflective of reality, then what you describe doesn't surprise me. That sort of thing happens less, I think, in Chicago.
There is no organized, parish-sponsored group in our parish working on immigration issues, or living-wage issues, or racism, or climate and conservation issues. There are diocesan offices that do work on most of these things (not sure about climate change).
Thanks for this post - now you've got me thinking :-).
A timely question in light of what's going on here. Friday the Nuns on the Bus end their 2018 tour at an open-air theater on the waterfront, followed by a last stop "journey to Mar-a-Lago." We will see how that goes.
ReplyDeleteI had lunch today with an aging (like me) priest who is beloved and respected by movers and shakers of all faiths and Catholics of Pope Francis's faith. He said Francis is too old to get where he is trying to go against the entrenched way of doing things and the entrenched bureaucrats who don't want to go with him.
That sounds about right to me. We win some, but we lose a lot that, according to our theology, ought to have been slam dunks if the people who are supposedly with us showed up. Which is why aging (like me) priest says we need a big shake-up and won't see it in our lifetimes.
Tomorrow is All Saint's Day, a hol'day'bligation (as we used to say). One of the guys at the meeting this morning wondered why it's barely mentioned beyond a murmur or a line in the Bulletin. Wise guy said the pastors don't want to disturb the faith of the people who wouldn't come even if they knew they should. If pastors can't be tough about what even the right-wingers like, how can we expect them to say something controversial, or attend the Nuns on the Bus rally? (I know who will be there. And who won't.) Air conditioning needs updating; roof needs fixing, diocese asking why collections are down, Vatican has received a delation...
The Catholic Democrats of Nebraska mailed the following letter to all the pastors of Catholic parishes in Nebraska:
ReplyDelete"October 24, 2018
Dear Pastor or Parish Administrator:
"We believe that, as a pastor, you recognize that when partisan messages are advanced in a parish they can divide the faith community. We want to make sure that you are mindful this is happening in Nebraska and how it is affecting Catholics this election. We also offer some suggestions as to what can be done in the final week of the campaign to prevent partisan politicking in your parish.
In the past year, Catholic Democrats of Nebraska has heard from many Catholics, from across the state, who have shared troubling stories like this with us:
I am a lifelong Catholic who attended Catholic schools and college. I am also a Democrat who worships at my local parish where I hear and see partisan messages I haven’t experienced before. Like most people, I go to Mass to be inspired within a spiritual community and to receive Communion. Too often however, I leave feeling alienated, unwelcome, and even angry.
As fellow Catholics, we are writing you on behalf of the 60% to 70% (according to Pew Research Center polls) of our Catholic sisters and brothers – Democrats, Independents, and Republicans – who feel that partisan messages and candidate endorsements, however subtle, should be kept out of our parishes.
Helping the poor and vulnerable and believing that Jesus is present in the Eucharist are among the two most important factors of our Catholic identity animating our daily lives. When partisanship finds its way into our spiritual homes, particularly during Mass, it divides us as Catholics at the precise time when we are called to be community in Christ and leaven for the world.
Our Catholic tradition calls us to bring both our faith and reason to bear on the moral issues of our time. We do this through our prayerfully informed conscience, our understanding of the Catholic tradition, and by applying our own prudential judgment to the moral issues confronting society, including our voting decisions. Unfortunately, too often over the past decade, we have witnessed many of our parishes reflect the spiritual-partisan divisions within our society rather than acting as bridge builders to heal them.
As we enter the final days before this election, we ask that you help keep your parish free of partisan activities and messages according to the guidelines of the United States Conference of Catholic bishops. Some practical suggestions are included on the flip side of this letter.
Father, we know that being a pastor is one of the toughest jobs in the world and we regret the burden this election season is putting on you. We sincerely hope and pray these suggested measures will protect the bond of Catholic faith that unites us as one in Christ."
I would have just posted the link, except that is was in the form of a Facebook comment. And I don't know how to format that; I think you have to have a Facebook account to access it.
My only criticism of the letter is that it was addressed to the wrong people; or maybe I should say too narrowly addressed.
I have actually only heard one priest's homily that got a little political lately. The worst offenders are my fellow Catholics in the pews. There are some who have totally internalized that there is only one issue. They leave offensive voter guides under peoples' windshield wipers in the parking lot. They post prayer intentions in the adoration chapel for specific outcomes of political processes. They are sometimes vocal in social settings about Democrats and "liberals". Sometimes I do feel "othered" and alienated by these types of things.
I should clarify that I'm not a member of Catholic Democrats of Nebraska. I'm a fallen away Republican who identifies as an independent. But I haven't changed my party registration, in order to vote against jerks in the primaries.
DeleteI heard this on NPR this morning:
ReplyDelete(Host DAVID) GREENE: This is Ronnie Mitchem. He runs a roadside church in Crosby, a town outside Houston. His passions include God, country and football.
(Small town Texas high school football coach RONNIE) MITCHEM: I love football, love coaching. I had a coach who taught me as a young man, as a Christian, you know, how important football can be used to help teach Christianity, purpose, desire, respect and commitment.
...
(He told his kids not to take a knee like the pros do to protest cops killing black people. Two players, African-American, did. He kicked them off the team even before the kickoff. The community split. Someone shot a hole in his church's sign. GREENE noted that the pastor was trying to teach respect, and wouldn't it have been a good lesson if he respected their strong feelings?)
MITCHEM: I believe that a lot of what people don't realize is that, as Christians, we see the globalists and we see President Trump as a nationalist. I'm a nationalist because I believe in my country.
GREENE: I'm just wondering if you have a bullet hole in your church sign because this issue has become so prominent in the national political conversation.
MITCHEM: Hell, I think it's just sign of the times. I think a country can only reject God so long until they begin to start falling apart at the seams.
That's a man who is reclaiming Jesus his way.
Tom, that interview makes me despair - is there any hope?
ReplyDeleteKatherine, I think the letter was right. I am a once Republican like you. But I did re-register as Independent. MD is a deep blue state anyway. However, along with the letter’s recommendation to keep politics out of the homilies, it should have recommended that the pastor announce that no political materials should be distributed on the premises and will be confiscated if found, including in the parking lot.
Jim, I think you are right to be low key on the social justice themes during homilies. Sadly, too many Catholics and evangelical christians equate social justice to godless communism or something. If you low key it, one hopes that some of the message gets through.
I do not live in the Arlington diocese, but DC. Two of our sons went to a diocesan high school in the Arlington diocese (20 mins away). I had been blissfully unaware of how conservative that diocese was - until my sons told me that in that diocese the girls were not allowed to serve at the altar, and wine was banned during the eucharist. Red flag. Had I known this, they would not have gone there. DC's two most recent Cardinals were McCarrick and Wuerl. Scandals aside, they were considered center to moderately progressive. Neither would refuse to give Pelosi communion!
Pro-life ministry was one part of the social justice ministries at my former parishes. The social concerns/ justice ministeries included pro-life, social justice, and charitable outreach. The specific social justice teachings were taught by being the subject of some kind of extracurricular activity - speakers might be invited, reading/discussion groups might discuss various issues. Materials that clearly summarized the church's social justice teachings were created and made available in the literature rack with the "how to go to confession" type brochures. Their existence would be mentioned during announcements at mass, and each year we offered an evening presentation about them. At one time we fought tooth and nail to get the parish council to approve buying Fair Trade coffee for the coffee hour, but could only get them to do it once/month. They complained that Fair Trade coffee was too expensive - this in the wealthiest parish in the entire archdiocese. My husband and I are not deprived financially, with two good professional incomes, but by the standards of 75% of the members of that parish, we were practically impoverished . We provided literature on Fair Trade at the coffees and once invited a speaker from CRS to give a talk on Fair Trade. We did similar things for other social justice concerns. One former parish had a prison ministry but does not have it anymore. The Social Justice Steering Committee (of which I was a member) pulled off a real coup when we got Sr. Helen Prejean as a speaker (notifying other parishes). A big enough name that the entire church was filled. .
Today my former parishes have the pro-life and the charitable outreach, and that's about it. I have also noticed a big change in my former parishes in terms of how conservative they have become as Catholics. When I was there, the pastors were V-II generation, and maybe that's the difference between then and now. The new, younger, pastors seem much more aligned with EWTN. They provide EWTN schedules in their literature racks, along with the National Catholic Register. I often stop by mid-day when it's quiet for CP , and check out the literature racks. You can learn a whole lot about a parish that way! My son and his wife are very much SBNR with no use for organized religion, but are looking at Catholic schools for their son. I'm looking at websites and bulletins for the parishes where they are looking at schools to help them steer clear of the uber-conservative ones. The bible studies at my former parishes now use materials developed by the evangelical-turned-Roman Catholic types like Scott Hahn and Jeff. They are also very big on Robert Barron.
After writing my last comment, I looked up the bulletin at one of my former parishes, which I had not done for a while. I was sad to learn that the priest who did our marriage prep (one on two, no group), an amazing priest, has died. Fr. Duffy was so kind, and he not only allowed us to have a full nuptial mass, he invited my Protestant husband to take communion.
ReplyDeleteHe moved parishes, as priests do, and ended up at Blessed Sacrament, Brett Kavanaugh's parish. And E.J. Dionne's parish. When Msgr. Duffy retired, Dionne wrote this column
I always thought Methodists and offshoots had a pretty good stance on social justice when they weren't freaking out on temperence. This Methodist mega-church pastor whose congregation is politically divided seems germane to the discussion on how you talk about social justice without alienating political factions:
ReplyDeletehttps://the1a.org/shows/2018-10-30/mega-church-mega-issues-pastor-adam-hamilton
I admire Catholic social teaching, which seems like a worthy end in itself--it conveys a world that Jesus tried to help us envision. But I admit that I find myself going off theology, spirituality, and the hereafter as time wanes. I get some good out of a homily that asks us to consider how we can help fulfill Christ's mission, less good out of homilies urging personal piety, and I switch off sermons about parochial/political matters entirely.
ReplyDelete" It's amazing there could be such a split between teaching and practice. But I think we're afraid of the division it will bring. "
ReplyDeleteI think this is largely right. There is something about American Catholic culture that is not comfortable with prophesying. To preach about social justice is to wear the prophet's mantle, because there is so much social injustice, and to preach about it is to call it out. And to work for it is to run smack into conflict. But Catholicism, at least as I grew up in it, is not about prophecy and conflict. It's about unity and sacramentality and collaborating and operating in a thick social network. I think Catholicism needs to tend to its prophetic responsibilities.
I am told that, when my parents were young, preachers were quite willing to be prophetic about sin - to call sinful behavior what it was, and to cry out for change. Even that has sort of evaporated. Nobody wants to be prophetic about anything anymore, at least from the pulpit.
Another factor, closely related, is that so many of us (and I am first in line for this) have filters, or blinders, or something, that prevent us from seeing clearly what is right in front of us and all around us. Or we see but we don't understand. We see homeless people sleeping on park benches and just think "Eewww" instead of, "That is an exigent symptom of the gigantic gaps in mental health services in our community, and we should do something about it."
Jim, I think you are right that the Catholicism we grew up with "...is not about prophecy and conflict. It's about unity and sacramentality and collaborating and operating in a thick social network." Those are good things, and we're good at them. Or at least we were. We have to work through polarization these days. It's hard to finesse prophecy. Unfortunately some people think speaking prophetically means going all Savonarola about sexual issues or culture war stuff.
DeleteI don't think there are enough homilies about our obligations to others in our parish.
DeleteBut, then, this is a parish where the Church Ladies told me to bring four loaves of bread for a funeral on Wednesday, and "don't spend a lot; whatever's on sale will be good enough."
It seems to me that when somebody croaks, you dig a little deeper and provide the nicest loaves you can to show the family that the parish cares about their grief.
Jean, please always keep updating us on the wisdom of the Church Ladies. They seem to be a cornucopia of moral minilessons. I'll bet you could do a real job on imagining the NT as rewritten by the Church Ladies.
DeleteYou mean like, Blessed are they who mourn, for they will be comforted with the cheapest bread at the store?
DeleteJean, They are a book. Later a play. (Is Betty White still available? Finally, a movie. No fooling.
DeleteI vent about the Church Ladies here among e-friends, but I draw the line at satirizing them for general ridicule. Pretty sure they could give you an earful about straying sheep like me. So what you get on here is it.
DeleteAll Saints Mass was nice. First time I have seen the new priest in action. He admonishes us to pray for people "in a special way" and noted that he would be praying for all the people who have died in the two parishes tomorrow "in a special way."
He is zippy, and that might account for why the final Ode to Joy hymn sounded less like a dirge than usual.
Jean, so did your old priest pass on? I know you said he wasn't well.
DeleteHe is still hanging on, poor man, but has been sick for years and on hospice about 18 months. He has started asking the new priest at our sister parish to say Mass more often. His tenure has been a very sad one.
DeleteJean, you actually made me LOL with the latest on the Church Ladies and buying stale bread for funerals.
ReplyDeleteEverything you write about the Church Ladies in the Methodist church in town seems good. I wonder if it would seem that way to all the members, or if they are dragons also. The Methodists in general seem to do a great job when it comes to social justice and charitable outreach, both locally and internationally.
I guess it would be funny if you weren't me. Maybe they were sent to test my faith. If so, I flunked.
DeleteThe Methodist ladies serve senior meals at their center five days a week, so that's where I take my girlfriends when they visit. We always pay double the suggested offering (which is still a deal), and the Church Ladies always hug us and come over to chat while we're trying to eat. That's the only drawback I can trick out so far.
But, yeah, maybe they're absolute horrors behind the scenes.
My experience is that the average RC pew potato can suffer through almost ANYTHING during a homily. Howsomever, getting them out of the pew and onto the streets ………. Even if 10% of the alleged membership numbers would become active in such things, what an impact that would make! Don't there is much danger of that, though.
ReplyDelete