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You are right, but I don’t think it will happen on the scale needed. I have not given money to “the church” since 2002. I give a small amount to the parish, but generally try to give of “time and talent” rather than “treasure”, because I have no control over how the church spends that “treasure” and unfortunately, the pastor is required to give a share of parish’s money to the Chancery. The case of Hope’s husband being summarily fired by a new pastor after being the Music Minister there for so long - a man in his 60’s - demonstrates that the pastor can be an unjust steward in his parish if he so chooses. And he did so choose. I am familiar with similar cases in my former parish. The pastor ignored the diocese’s own personnel requirements in his actions in firing several staff over a period of about three years. At least one of the lay ministers requested a formal investigation, but she never heard one word back from the diocese. Their “personnel” policies were not worth the paper they are written on. She chose not to bring a civil lawsuit, but some of us wish she had. She was only one of several lay ministers who were fired unjustly because they dared to disagree with the pastor on some facet of parish activity (not theology or liturgy!). This man wanted lay ministers and a parish council who would serve as rubber stamps only. Writing to most bishops is a complete waste of time and effort. I have written respectful letters on several issues to the Cardinal in my archdiocese, but of course, have never even received as much as a form letter in reply. I am a non-entity.
So I struggle in conscience even with giving my small weekly donation to the parish - even though my new parish has an excellent pastor who actively solicits the insights and opinions of the entire congregation in addition to the ideas of his staff and parish council. Amazing! He is the boss - he makes the final decisions. But, when people are respected, it is easier to go along with him, even in those cases where honest people disagree. We understand the need for one “boss.”
It is quite easy for me to send monetary support directly to the various social service agencies supported by the Diocese, and it enables me to decide which of those social serv ice agencies funded by the Appeal best spends the money. It may not be much, but I don’t want it wasted.
In the last few years, I have become very discouraged, because I see such apathy in the church among the “mainstream” Catholics, who are neither as “left” as Call to Action nor as far to the “right” as The Catholic League and EWTN. (Fr. Richard McBrien of Notre Dame recently wrote an interesting, and discouraging, series of columns on how the church hierarchy’s attitudes in recent years have in effect shifted the definition of the Catholic “center”, marginalizing the vast majority of Catholics as “dissenters.”) Most Catholics seem to tune out the larger issues - as long as their own parish is functioning all right, and their priest is OK, they just pretty much do as they please (practice birth control, ignore the regular admonitions to go to confession, etc., ignore the continued resistance of the hierarchy to calls for openness and transparency of priest records in the sexual abuse cases to financial transparency, etc.). Several priests and lay ministers I know agree that the Church’s stand that it is OK to deny a sacrament to people based exclusively on gender is simply wrong. But, none care enough to do anything. The parish clergy would risk their careers if they dared speak up. A brave few have on different issues throughout the country, and look what happens - exile! And they figure it won’t do any good, anyway, because the lower clergy and the laity are simply ignored - unless of course they have a LOT of money. Then they are invited to dinner at the Chancery.
I try to be patient, knowing the church moves glacially in everything, but think more and more think that to attain some peace of mind during the years I have left I may have to join an Episcopal community again. I did that a few years ago, and loved the priests and the homilies from both the male pastor (a wonderful homilist) and the women priests. The homilies of the women priests often reflected my experiences and insights as a woman, making me feel less like I am invisible in the church because of my gender, and also gave the men an entirely different perspective on the gospels than they have ever heard before. The intellectual AND spiritual environment of the Episcopal parish I attended was much greater than that in my Catholic parish - the people seem to CARE more, they pray and study on their own a lot, are very involved, are highly spiritual, and maybe it’s because they go to church because they want to instead of because of having it drummed into them from early childhood that it’s a “mortal” sin to miss mass and you’ll go straight to hell if you don’t show up on Sunday. However, the Eucharist is only celebrated on Sundays and Wednesdays. And my childhood inculturation as a Roman Catholic has been very hard to overcome!
It’s the little straws that finally break us I think. Like the parish priests suddenly changing the words of the creed from “…for us and our salvation” to “…for us men and our salvation” - this may have been that straw for me. Most people haven’t even noticed though because they go on automatic during mass, mumbling through the prayers with half a mind. For me, it’s like Chinese water torture from the Church - drip, drip, drip and it’s finally driving me crazy! The attitude of so many young is troubling too. Too many of the “younger” priests (ordained under age 40) reflect the thinking of the pre-Vatican II church, all the way down to their condescension for the laity (studies from Catholic University and elsewhere document that the “JP II” priests consider themselves to be “superior” to lay people and that the priesthood is “superior” to marriage), and especially condescending towards women (except Mary, of course. If we women would just keep to our God-ordained roles as wives and mothers, deferring to our husbands, and not bother our little heads with things like theology and justice, there would be no problems. Oh, and by the way, don’t forget to join the Sodality - we need more good women to arrange flowers and iron the altar cloths. What do you mean women aren’t equal in the church? They are shocked at the mere suggestion. Women are “equal” - they are just different and have different jobs. Just ask an African-American about that statement!) The vast majority of young Catholics seem to be like their parents - cultural Catholics who would “never” leave the Catholic church (like one of my own sons, who basically has nothing at all good to say about the church, but who still defines himself as Catholic and intends someday to send any kids he has to Catholic schools. ???) but who pretty much tune everything out. That leaves the active roles to the “neo-orthodox” young - a group that seems mostly to be seeking the safety of black-and-white answers and “traditions” because they seek a solid mooring, and the secular society of the last 40 years has moved so far to anything-goes, tradition-bashing that they are understandably insecure. But they have not developed the capacity to realize that the only solid mooring is their relationship with God - and this mooring depends primarily on themselves, with the support of organized religion, but religion alone does not provide ALL the answers!. Two things may happen to them - they will eventually become so totally disillusioned by real life (discovering that the rosary or Adoration don’t provide a magic wand that solves all their problems) that they will blame God and leave not only the church, but their own spiritual journey. Or they will never advance beyond adolescent religion - although they mature chronologically, they will not mature spiritually. Just follow the rules and everything will be OK. We see this not only in the Catholic church among the young (and even the not so young), but in the rapid growth of the funadmentalist movements in almost all major religions of the world, with Islam being the current headliner in this. But, it’s true in Judaism too, and certainly in the rush to fundamentalist Christian denominations from the mainstream. It’s far easier to be told what to do and what to believe and how to act than to have to struggle with it one’s self.
However, progress is generally measured in two steps forward, and one step back. It has been less than 100 years since women achieved the right to vote in our secular society, and African-Americans less than that - and they still have to struggle to make sure they are accorded their rights everywhere and at all times.
I just think it’s very sad that the very institution that should be leading the movement to recognize women as fully equal, not only in society and before God, but in the church, is the strongest force in the west trying to stop it. Its efforts will fail, eventually, but it will take a long time.
It would come much faster if there was a “strike” - women do 80% of the practical work of the church, much of it for no pay. Yet, they cannot be priests nor are their insights and wisdom taken into account when the church writes its various teaching documents. Until the church fully accepts women as equals, it is operating with half a brain!
(And if one more person replies with a variation on “the hand that rocks the cradle” - and teaches CCD - is “influencing” the church as an “equal”, I will definitely give in to despair!)
;)
Peace to all!
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