I've been thinking about that last post since I wrote it. My head spins when I think about where we've come as a church. Today as I sat with a group of parish staff-type-people, we discussed the upcoming Catholics Come Home initiative, and one of them lamented "but what are we calling them home to?" I think the morale of Catholics in our area is worse right now than it was in the height of the scandal- worse, and different. Different because in the throes of things back then, we could cling on to hope that the challenges hitting the Church would cause change for the better. Now, several years later, things have not gotten better.Now I don't know where to go with this post. I feel all gloomy- and that's not what I want this blog to read like- but anyone who knows anything about the state of our Archdiocese, who still cringes at the mention of the word "Catholic" in the news, who reads blogs that expose our local leadership as failing in a big way, must be finding it as hard as I am to feel hopeful. I think that part of my job as a pastoral minister is to expose people to the positive parts of our Church, to the faith, to the Truth it contains. But it's hard to ignore that we are in crisis.
Posts
2 comments:
Margo I do not have an answer for you. All I know is when I read about the moving and shaking going on at your church, in family involvement, in the way your Masses are so welcoming, etc I do feel hope. I have to grit my teeth and make myself go to our church somedays, the atmosphere is so indicative of the larger Archdiocecen problems. To my heart,your little corner of Catholisim is church how it should be.... hope this helps.
It seems to me that people are beset on all sides with this -- our economy, our employers, our government, our health care, our education systems, AND our churches are simultaneously in difficult times. Sometimes when I think about it, all I feel is fatigue -- too tired to try to do anything to change it beyond trying to micromanage my own personal life/budget/time/space.
Like you, I have a positive work situation (finally), but in a less than positive organization. My hope is that everyone has at least one life-raft to cling to, and through that experience can show others that there is hope. My heart goes out to those who feel they have nowhere to turn.
Post a Comment