Columns
Work is needed to keep sacraments from declining
Editor’s note: The following text is adapted from an address by Anchorage Archbishop Roger Schwietz, which he gave during the U.S. bishops June 12-14 general meeting in Orlando, Florida.
Older U.S. Catholics are more likely to say that they know and practice their faith.
Several recent studies, for example, show that 99 percent of pre-Vatican II Catholics (those born before 1943) have celebrated all the sacraments of initiation. Of the Vatican II generation (those born between 1943 and 1960) 94 percent have received all the sacraments of initiation. The decline continues with the post-Vatican II generation (born between 1961 and 1981) with only 91 percent and only 85 percent of the youngest generation — the Millennials born after 1981.
When it comes to celebrating the sacrament of matrimony, a recent report by the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate, an institute from Georgetown University, finds that 30 percent of married Catholics did not marry in the Catholic Church or have their marriages subsequently convalidated.
The youngest Catholic generation has the highest chance (41 percent) of being married outside the Catholic Church. In addition, among unmarried Catholics in this youngest generation, only 46 percent say it is either somewhat or very important that they be married in the Catholic Church.
It seems to me that the appreciation of the sacrament as well as the actual
experience of living it is declining as we look into the future.
Clearly, then, our efforts to teach the faith and invite community participation needs to be geared in large measure toward younger generations who will be the husbands and wives, the mothers and fathers, of tomorrow. This youngest generation is often difficult to reach if we think about using only the traditional outreach methods, such as diocesan newspapers and other printed materials. The average reader of a diocesan newspaper is a 62-year-old woman, I am told.
Our task is challenging, but we are not without reason for hope. Young adults take their faith and the call to service seriously even if their relationship with the institutional Church is tenuous.
It is interesting to note in the CARA study that young adults who attend Mass at lease once a month are most likely to observe Lenten practices. Additionally, nine percent of Catholic men and 15 percent of Catholic women still consider serving the church as a priest, deacon or religious. That amounts to some 4 million people who consider these vocations. The importance of our Newman ministries on college campuses is clear, since those who attend Catholic colleges and universities are more likely to consider a vocation as a priest, deacon or religious.
Marriage is also an essential vocation in the church and we must promote and support it among all generations of Catholics — beginning with young adults but not forgetting the older ones.
Efforts to strengthen marriages among middle-aged Catholics, where divorce rates are highest is also a priority. Thirty-eight percent of those born between 1943 and 1960 have experienced divorce as compared to 16 percent of all other Catholics.
Fidelity in marriage gives a positive example to younger generations, as indicated by the fact that married Catholics are more likely to have parents who are (or who were before their death) married to each other.
The areas that need our continued attention are: effective marriage preparation, support systems for young married couples, and renewed efforts to impart the church’s teaching on divorce and remarriage. Outreach to Catholics not married in the church (38 percent of all married Catholics) is also a necessity. These efforts must take into account the growing Latino population in our churches, especially the young adults, 45 percent of whom are Latino.
In the CARA research and in similar studies there is one consistent conclusion about marriage. It is simply this: religious affiliation, belief and practice are related positively to marital stability and the reverse is also true. There is a mutually reinforcing relationship between strong religiosity and strong marriages. According to the CARA research findings, people who attend Mass more regularly are more likely to adhere to church teachings about marriage, more likely to be married to a Catholic spouse, and less likely to be divorced.
A shared religious life is one of the most important predictors of a successful marriage.
There are several reasons for this. Religious institutions provide a support community and a cultural refuge for married couples and their children, and especially for recent immigrant families.
This kind of institutional support may be especially important today. Compared to decades past, childrearing families are demographically less dominant and the public sphere is less oriented to families with children. Parents face a less hospitable childrearing culture.
Religious belief in marital permanence is associated with higher levels of marital quality for both men and women. When couples see marriage as a lifelong commitment, they tend to make high personal investments of time, attention and affection in their relationship with the expectation that they will mutually benefit over the long term. They are less likely to indulge in day-by-day calculations of who is doing more and who is getting a better deal — a habit of mind that can lead to resentment, conflict and a emotional withdrawal.
Finally, shared religious observance promotes greater emotional investment in marriage by men. This is an important finding because today’s wives evaluate marital quality largely on the basis of emotional well-being.
This research confirms the wisdom of this bishops’ conference in placing, as a high priority, the strengthening of marriage among all Catholics. Recent research will help us focus anew and enhance our commitment to teach about the gift of marriage.
The writer is the Archbishop of Anchorage.
This disease can be overcome
Has anyone in your family suffered from the disease of alcoholism?
I have seen the effect in my family.
Fourteen years ago I had one of those quiet encounters with Christ in the Blessed Sacrament while in prayer. I heard this call in that deep place of the heart where God speaks: You now will only drink my Precious Blood.
I knew it meant that all alcohol would be given up. I had been to Russia twice already and had participated in the Vodka toasts that go on and on and leave the participants fairly drunk. As my Irish ancestors would say, "I took the pledge." I have rejoiced many times in these years of non-alcohol and I clearly see why the Lord had asked me to give it up.
I was not prepared for the devastation and pain and disorder this disease causes in families. I have a small parish of 250 people. I can honestly say all 250 are either directly dealing with the problem of alcoholism or are suffering from a close family member who may not even know he or she is alcoholic. I have invited Al-Anon speakers from outside Russia into the parish to help these family members but as of yet we don’t have a local Al-Anon group. (Al-Anon is a group like AA but for family members who suffer from the effects of another’s alcoholism. They gather to support and become healthy)
I have suffered the pain of not being able to help someone who can’t stop drinking, a good person, but a sick person. I have felt so helpless watching families grow sicker and sicker by the disease.
In one family, the mother laid paralyzed from many years of alcoholism, facing the cross of Christ at the foot of her bed. I asked her to embrace Christ and this cross and find peace before she died. She did. Her son was one of 30 street people who died from poisoning from bad "sama-agon," a Russian version of moonshine, which is often the cause of death or poisoning.
We recently sponsored a conference with some professionals from Poland for doctors, health care workers, teachers, and other interested parties. There were 150 participants. The greatest reaction was when speakers witnessed to their sobriety. I could see written on the faces of the participants this question, "is there a way out?"
The local center for rehabilitation is known as "the swinging doors." They come, they sober up, they leave and they come back. The professionals knew so little about AA and the help of the 12-step program. One great gift from this conference is there is now an AA meeting in this center run by the two small AA groups in Magadan.
Is there a way out? Sober alcoholics speaking to practicing alcoholics is the way out. AA is the way out. I have learned that sobriety is possible if you want it bad enough.
I have a young man living with me. I think my residence serves as a halfway house — a place to help a person begin to live a normal sober life after many years of drinking. I offer a place for one person at a time to sleep, to pray and above all work on the steps.
He hasn’t been sober for long but already he thanks God. For the first time he is thinking straight and not getting into fights. He has also just recently found a good job.
In addition, he is sharing what he has found and is attending AA meetings.
If you know someone who suffers from this disease or you yourself wonder if you are an alcoholic, know that there is a way out. Please hear me. I have to repeat this to myself 100 times a day as I see the terrible carnage left from this disease, but nonetheless there is a way out. Find the nearest AA meeting or Anon meeting and begin to become healthy, hopeful and happy. If I can find these groups in Magadan you can find them anywhere.
The writer is pastor of Church of the Nativity in Magadan, Russia. The church is a mission of the Archdiocese of Anchorage.
Be prepared when presenting your Catholic faith
Q — I am in the US Army and a Roman Catholic. It seems a large number of soldiers these days are attending extreme evangelical fundamentalist (non-mainline) churches. I mention to them that I am Catholic and baptized as a baby and they say that I am damned unless I do an adult baptism and profess to be "born-again" according to John 3:3 and John 3:7. What’s the best way to engage them?
First of all, be careful about engaging people whose intentions are to undermine your Catholic faith. As a soldier, you know that one should never wander into a hostile area without the proper resources. Never bring a knife to a gun fight. If you do choose to engage or simply cannot avoid it, then here are some things to keep in mind: 1.) Know your Catholic Faith. "Catholicism for Dummies" is a good start, but I suggest Bishop Wuerl’s book, "The Catholic Way," or Pennock’s, "This is Our Faith." 2.) Know your Bible, especially the gospels and the rest of the New Testament. People from certain fundamentalist traditions will surprisingly have knowledge of only those few passages which reinforce their position. Invite them to a more thorough knowledge of Scripture. 3.) Be very open about your own journey of faith and how you have come to find the fullness of the truth in the Catholic Church. No one can argue with you about your personal testimony of faith. 4.) Don’t feel like you have to have all the answers. If you don’t know something or are unclear about a certain point of doctrine, say so. Then use that opportunity to set up a time when you can both discuss the matter further. They will appreciate your honesty. Ignorance is no sin. Far better to admit you don’t know something than to give a distorted picture of the faith. 4.) Always be charitable. Never give in to the temptation of triumphalism or worse, name calling. Never be patronizing. Remember, you may have the fullness of the truth on your side, but "the truth without compassion is the hammer that destroys."
Q — I hear that you own an airplane. While I think that’s really cool, I thought that priests took a vow of poverty. What gives?
While it is true that priests in religious orders take the evangelical councils of poverty, chastity and obedience, as a diocesan priest, I do not. Instead, I take a vow of obedience to the archbishop of Anchorage and a promise of perpetual celibacy. Good question. More on this next month.
The writer is pastor at St. Andrew Church in Eagle River and a lifelong Alaskan. To send Father Leo Walsh a question, e-mail him at lwalsh@caa-ak.org
Death awakens mystery, raises questions
It was a wet, drippy morning, the leaden sky hanging low and mournful over the cemetery.
Our friend, Tom O’Grady, was being buried in Anchorage. Tom was killed in a private plane accident while flying Outside, and his death, at the youthful age of 57, was a shock to the community.
He was a wonderful man, but even though his children and mine went through our parish school together, I didn’t know just how wonderful until I heard the tributes to him during his vigil. People talked about how he had helped them, changed their lives for the better, opened his home to them.
Even though it was a premature death, by the standards of the living, it was joyful to experience the celebration of a life well-lived.
It was a similar experience, just a few days later, to hear about the death of Tim Russert, a devout Catholic and NBC’s "Meet the Press" moderator. I was shocked, feeling again almost as if a member of my own community had been taken away abruptly. How could we have an election without Tim explaining it all to us?
Someone remarked that the death of Tim Russert was a great occasion of evangelization — how many times did commentators mention his Catholic heritage and allude to his "Jesuit education" to explain his fairness, his conviction, his devotion to truth?
Just as Tom O’Grady’s vigil bore witness to a life lived according to Christian principle, Tim Russert’s death bore witness on a national scale. They both gave us something beautiful in death.
I suppose death has been on my mind more than usual for the past few weeks, because my own mother died in early May. Unlike Tom O’Grady and Tim Russert, my mother was very old. Her death was also the occasion for a celebration of a life well-lived.
But no matter what age or what the cause of death, death itself opens for us all kinds of questions. Our Christian faith provides us with many reassurances about life beyond death, and most cultures have experienced the truth of some kind of life continuing. But still, we are left with mystery, and a hollow place in our hearts.
Someone sent me these poignant words: ". . .and all who know this life will know it too briefly. . .and all who leave this life will leave it too soon. . ."
My brothers, who stood vigil with my mom as she died, told me that her death was like birth. They watched her struggle, and even timed her breathing. Right at the end, she opened her eyes which had been shut tight – she was blind with macular degeneration – and gazed wild-eyed at something in her future. Then she died. She was born into that future, but she left us behind.
The Irish Catholic theologian John O’Donohue, who himself died at a young age this year, has a wonderful section on death in his book "Anam Cara." He, too, talks about death as birth, and about the old Irish traditions surrounding death. Even among the pagan Celts, there was a belief that the souls of the dead are very near. This fits with our Catholic concept of the Communion of Saints, another beautiful mystery.
Facing our own death is probably the single most important thing we can do to live this life fully and well. And yet as a culture, we turn our faces away from death.
O’Donohue, in "A Blessing for Death" assures us: "You are not going somewhere strange. You are going back to the home you never left. May you have a wonderful urgency to live your life to the full."
The writer is a stewardship and hospitality coordinator at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church in Anchorage
iPods, shopping malls and quiet moments
In winter, although not often, schools and businesses enjoy the occasional snow day in Alaska.
Since the summers are so short in the Great Land, why can’t we have a couple of weather days in the summer as well, when it’s too nice to be inside? I asked my boss that before being admonished to get back to work.
But, it is so easy at times to forget the great beauty found in the state.
At the recent Alaska Catholic Youth Conference, I volunteered to help drive some of the participants to Flattop mountain. While waiting for transportation to the various social activities, I ran across a couple of kids, who were headed to Dimond Center Mall.
I can understand youth from Nome or Two Rivers wanting to go to the Dimond Center, but Anchorage youth? With its slightly musty, sour odor, I didn’t see the draw of that compared to the crystal, sweet, freshly scented Alaskan air on Flattop.
The youth responded that they had already climbed Flattop "like a billion times" this summer and wanted something different.
Before opening my mouth, I remembered the old adage about the pot calling the kettle black. Me, I am fortunate enough to have a spur of the coastal trail literally across my front yard, and I haven’t been taking full advantage of it until recently.
What an awesome gift. I kicked myself for not using the trail more. Especially after living in the flatlands of Indiana, I should know better.
Like many Alaskans, the rugged and beautiful lands of our state cry out
to me to set my sights heaven bound. I can’t help but see God in his creation
around our state.
On a recent evening, I took a walk on the trails around Westchester Lagoon. I paused, watching the ducks and the loons gracefully swim around and I felt like I was achieving full bliss.
The moments when I am truly happy are moments like that, in nature, or laughing and hanging out with good friends, sharing those moments.
I often get caught up worrying about money or longing for more. It’s during those moments that I must remember to simplify life and trust in God.
I ended up not driving to Flattop during the ACYC conference and went back to the office to get some work done.
That night, when I returned to the conference, some of the St. Benedict’s youth came running up to me, faces flushed, telling stories about how much fun they had sliding down Flattop in the snow at the top and of their other experiences on the mountain.
Youth preparing to go to World Youth Day with the archdiocese are giving up their iPods, cell phones and other technologies when they head for their Australian pilgrimage. Although many (and I’m sure I would do the same) balk at leaving technology behind, trip leader Bob McMorrow tells me that youth later appreciate the mandate because it allows them to focus more on God.
So instead of a day off from work, maybe I really need a day off from technology — a chance to simplify life, listen, even for a moment, and just be with God.
The writer is assistant editor of the Catholic Anchor
Editorials
Changes coming to the Anchor
The Anchor is undergoing several changes to accommodate new realities. The first change for readers comes next month, when we begin publishing once a month during the summer months (June, July and August). We will also publish once in December. The rest of the year, we will continue to publish twice a month. This enables us to cut operating costs during slower summer months. In addition, the Anchor is putting more resources into making our Web site dynamic with fresh content throughout each week. More details regarding the Web site are coming soon. As for now, the next Anchor will hit mailboxes on July 18th. Stay tuned for more.
Stewardship of the unborn
As recent developments in Juneau highlight (see page 15), Christians can never tire from sharing the Gospel.
Planned Parenthood is scheduled to open a new abortion clinic in the state’s capital this summer, where more than 200 Alaskan women will likely have abortions over the next year.
It comes as little consolation that the Juneau-based pro-life group, Alaskans For Life, plans to picket and protest the clinic’s opening.
The picketers might save some babies but the reality is that Juneau has allowed this gruesome practice to find a foothold into their community and it will be difficult to uproot.
It is not easy to determine the best and most effective response to the opening of a new abortion clinic. Ultimately, the hearts of men and women must change so that unborn human children are not viewed as commodities to either love or destroy as we please.
It takes courage for groups like Alaskans For Life to speak up for the unborn but it takes greater effort to match those words with the work needed to support a culture and infrastructure that fosters life.
Women who plan to have abortions in Juneau this year certainly need to hear that human life is immeasurably valuable. However, they also need concrete options, hotlines, support groups, free diapers, baby blankets, counselors and generous churches that will help them bring their babies into the world – a world of less than ideal circumstances.
This past year in Anchorage, a crisis pregnancy support group (Birthright) was forced to close, partly because there were too few volunteers to keep the program running.
Thankfully, Catholic Social Services Pregnancy Support and Adoption Services agreed to continue many of the services that Birthright provided. These groups need all the help and support they can get. They often run on a shoestring budget and rely heavily on donations and volunteers. Yes, we must proclaim the Gospel but we must also shoulder the burden when people agree to embrace the truth.
Below are the contacts for two local groups that could use support in helping pregnant women keep their babies:
CSS Pregnancy Support and Adoption Services: 276-5590
Crisis Pregnancy Center: 337-9292
Staying relevant
In order to be more than background noise, Catholics must be able to find common ground with abortion-rights supporters.
According to Ethicist Margaret Somerville, that might be easier than many think.
Summerville, one of Canada’s leading intellectuals, spoke May 28 to attendees of the Catholic Media Convention in Toronto.
Summerville regularly engages in public debates in Canada, where she is often at odds with those who advocate for abortion rights, euthanasia, embryonic stem cell research and human cloning. Despite the vast differences she may have with someone, Summerville said she tries to find some basic common ground at the beginning of the conversation.
"We must remember that most of our opponents are trying to do what they think is right," Summerville told the Catholic media. To find common ground, we must look for the areas of life where our values overlap with those who disagree with us, she noted.
It is not enough to use arguments based on religious beliefs, which many
people may not share, she explained.In arguing against abortion, for example, we must show how more widely accepted
secular values like freedom, care for the most vulnerable, and the profound
love between mothers and their children are all undermined through the violent
act of killing an unborn child.
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Unavoidable differences
The more my family discovers ways to practice our faith, the harder it becomes to avoid the stark reality that we are Catholic Christians.
My wife and I both grew up in devoutly Evangelical Christian homes, for which we are immeasurably thankful. Many of our dear friends and family members, however, do not share our Catholic faith – a faith we officially embraced four years ago this summer.
Our journey from Evangelical Protestants to Catholics was not quick or without struggle. After several years of soul searching, we came to believe that the Catholic Church was the original community that Christ founded in order to unite Christians to himself. Joining that community, however, meant that we would be distinguished from our loved ones who did not share our convictions about the Catholic Church.
Catholic traditions and practices make it nearly impossible to seamlessly meld into the Protestant Christian sub-culture of America, let alone the secular culture at large.
Take for example something as common as making the sign of the cross before and after prayer.
While this little gesture might come instinctively to many cradle Catholics, my wife and I have debated about when and where we and our three small children should make the sign of the cross. At home as a family – certainly. In church – definitely. But what about those occasions when we are the lone Catholics at a social gathering?
In these situations, crossing oneself is visible reminder to all present that we are members of that ancient church, which also claims to most fully embody Christ’s original intent for Christian community. This one little gesture makes us stand out a bit and at times it can be awkward.
Holy Days of obligation are another instance, especially during Alaska’s summer camping season, when being the lone Catholic family in a group creates an interesting dynamic come Sunday morning.
If there is a Catholic Church near the campground, we have an obligation to rouse our weary bodies in order to worship and commune with Christ in the Mass. Catholic teaching requires this for our spiritual growth, in order that we don’t forget the source and summit of our life. And yet, again, by leaving the campground to go celebrate the real presence of Christ, we tend to stick out.
Then there are the crucifixes hanging on our walls, rosaries in the car, baptismal water at the foot of the stairs and feast days and ash crosses on our foreheads to begin Lent. All these serve as red flags that we are Catholic.
It is not that these practices are intended to make us stand out. Their primary purpose is to help deepen our spiritual life and call us to greater prayer and devotion to Christ. It is one of the reasons my wife and I were so drawn to the Catholic Church in the first place. It just so happens that these practices also blatantly reveal our beliefs to the world.
As we mark our fourth year in the Catholic Church, and despite the occasional awkwardness during that time, I am fundamentally thankful for the many practices and reminders available to Catholics.
Yes, the rituals can become rote and robotic. Yes, it is possible to walk by the kitchen crucifix without noticing it or dash up the stairs without dipping a finger into the holy water. It is also possible to make the sign of the cross without even knowing it. But this shouldn’t be a big surprise. The great struggle of any Christian’s life is to remain present to God, to thank and praise him even when we’re tired or busy.
Four years after joining the Catholic Church, I still struggle to pray, battle old vices and need plenty of grace and forgiveness. But Catholic devotions and practices make it that much harder to drift mindlessly along.
The Catholic Church is certainly distinct (and often counter-cultural) but she is first and foremost a great gift from Christ and a guide on the long road to glory.