What is happening? Or not happening? I just don’t understand.
Recently, on a visit to Texas, I attended a traditional Catholic Church. It was large and unpretentiously beautiful. The congregation was extremely diverse: young, old, singles, couples, and lots of families of Asian, Hispanic, African-American as well as European-American origin. People were welcoming and seemed happy to be there. The Mass itself was conservative, with all the t’s crossed and i’s dotted, but, on the whole, innocuous -although it was conspicuously con-celebrated, used only the male gender pronoun for God, and all acolytes were boys. It felt as if I were in the 1950’s again, with acceptance and comfort with all the Church had to offer in the forefront, and any thought of challenge, protest, let alone angst, so far from present that I felt actually lulled into serenity. My neck and shoulder, which faithfully entangle all stress and anger into a tight and painful knot, actually relaxed…for a while.
According to the regulars, this was the “least attended” of the six weekend Masses. There were easily a thousand people there; pews were full. The church, however, holds 1,500 or more, and so I could only imagine the attendance at the other Masses. I didn’t need to. The Sunday bulletin gave me the stats: Registered households: over 7,500; weekly collection: $47, 400; monthly collection: over $208,000! This was, by far, not the only Catholic Church in this large Texas city. It was not located in its richest neighborhood. So, who are these people, I wondered. What are they – or are they just not – thinking?
Since I attend a “progressive” diverse, inner-city Catholic Church which, along with other liberal Catholic friends and the liberal Catholic media and publications, keep me informed, I know to speak out, to participate in rallies and witnesses and campaigns for all the inclusion, justice, and accountability the church needs. However, from these same communities, I also hear over and over that the Church is reducing in membership and influence, is exploding and/or imploding. I hear money is tight; people are leaving; it won’t be long until it all falls apart. Well? Tell that to those congregants in Texas who, I suspect, represent a large portion of our Church community. What’s the disconnect? How do we fix it?
I am shocked by the prosperity of that church and others like it. Are you? Do you wonder if they have even heard of the sex-abuse crisis, of the old and new attacks on the LBGTQ community, and the perpetual and perpetuating exclusion of women in leadership and ministry. Where is their outrage? And where is our outreach?
In the pew next to me was a teenage girl. At the end of the Mass, I was telling her that many of us say, “Our Father/Our Mother” at the Lord’s prayer. “We can do that?’ she marveled. Why not, I told her and I mentioned I was working for the ordination of women in the Church. She was both floored and delighted: “There could be women as priests!”
We progressives talk too much to ourselves, I thought. We
really ought to get out more!
5 Responses
Ellie,
Excellent perspective for us to connect with everyone.
It reminds me of Pope Francis’s urging to mobilize vs climate change when he said, “To change everything, we need everyone.” That means all of us being ‘out there’ everywhere making friends, finding common spirit. Thanks again.
There is no “fix.” The blame game is useless. The bishops will not move to ordain women until they absolutely have to. The patriarchal culture must evolve to the point of recognizing that, for the redemption and the sacramental economy, the masculinity of Jesus is as incidental as the color of his eyes. When this reality is widely recognized by a critical mass of the faithful, the ordination of women will happen, because there is no dogmatic impediment. All the “justice for women” arguments are theologically baseless and counter-productive. What really matters is the glory of God and the good of souls; and discerning the will of Christ for the Church today. The best we can do is to keep asking good questions, such as: “Do we really believe, with certainty of faith, that the risen Christ in today’s world still wants to call 12 males to represent the patriarchs of the 12 tribes of Israel?”
Thanks for the great story, have felt the same way in similar circumstances.
Trying to work on some kind of a response.
“To treat others as you would want them to treat you”, is basic to the hearts and beliefs of most good people, in their day to day practice of The Golden Rule! Raised among such people who believed that message was from God.
About the time Hitler would start the Second World War II, on the other side of my world, I would literally see God’s Hand but not be given another such “Sign” for over 25 years, and then only hear, the one Word of “Equality”, during a spiritual rebirth.
That same feeling felt during WWII, we face during now, close to a Nuclear War, that would surely put us back into the dark ages.
It has only taken a few, in religious, and political positions of control, those with a god like belief of superiority, who have then justified the manipulations and where necessary violence, to maintain the ‘Might makes whatever they want to call Right’ control.
Yet the original priestly versions of creation in Genesis 1:27 and 5:1 both say male and female are created in God’s Image.
Still over a long period of time, by only allowing males to write, controlling the freedoms of most and then translating scriptures using only male nouns and pronouns most have accepted God as being male! Keeping the female in bondage, as well as many of both sexes, in some kind of slavery, until very recent times.
Is it a worthwhile Goal to seek first the best kind of God Within, as well as without, to help find hope in non-violent, Loving ways, or legal lasting ways to stop the continued support of sexism, racism, or any kind of negative inequality?
In praise of women priests: in the novel “Chanting the Feminine Down.”
Good article and good questions, Ellie.
Living in Tucson, Arizona, I see the same phenomena here. Masses well attended, donations up, people apparently content. Clearly, some of their spiritual and community needs are being met.
The prophetic role of WOC and many of the other progressive groups is, in part, to let people know that not all is well, that God is calling us to greater justice, to full inclusion of those who are ignored or pushed to the margins by the institution.
Thanks for your great work.