Building a Strong Domestic Church Together

I just finished reading today's Wall Street Journal article entitled, "Thank God American Churches are Dying".  (Click here for the full link to the article.) It surely raises feelings for those of us both in leadership and membership of parishes in our country and beyond.

The author, Erika Anderson, writes that "it’s true that denomination-based churches—Methodist, Baptist, Episcopal, Catholic—have been on a downward slope for years. But nondenominational evangelical churches are growing in number, from 54,000 in 1998 to 84,000 in 2012, according to the Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion."  She adds that "Pew Research data show a similar trend continuing to the present, with steep declines among mainline churches as evangelical ones keep popping up. And 42% of these new congregations report growing attendance, data from Lifeway Research shows."

The article certainly begs the question, Why!?

Anderson offers one answer, sharing that new churches are "armed with modern ideas to attract and tend to a new generation of believers", and she adds that "can be exactly what a community needs."  She explores the impact that millennials and nones have had on the numbers as well.

The parts that I find most interesting relate to the ability of the "new Churches" to cater to specific needs, the concept of house churches, and the manners in which believers seek to live faithfully in less structured ways. These concepts are not new for Catholics.  For years, in fact, since the Second Vatican Council, Catholics have been urged to develop the domestic Church, that is, the family. (Lumen Gentium #11)

We have known and believed that it is in the context of the family that we first learn who God is and to prayerfully seek God's will for us. And while today's Churches in general, and local parishes in particular, despite their sizes and complexities,  can surely better take the pulse and respond to the specific needs of its people, the following bullet points offered by the United States bishops offer some suggestions on how to better build a “domestic Church” through a life of prayer that can help all the members of one's family.

• Begin praying as a family and reading from Scripture daily, certainly before meals, but also first thing in the morning or before bed. Find a time that works for your family. Use the liturgy of the Church as a model for prayer, and try to include heartfelt unstructured prayer as well.

• Pray a Family Rosary (each member leads a decade, and everyone shares intentions).

• Have a crucifix in a prominent place in the home, and in every bedroom.

• Make the Sacraments a regular celebration – take the whole family to Confession and Mass!

• Begin family traditions based on the seasons celebrated in the liturgical calendar.

• Make your vacation a holy pilgrimage by visiting the shrines and saints of our land and the world.

• Make worshiping God a priority. Never miss Mass, even while traveling – go to: www.MassTimes.org. . . to find a church near you!

• Teach stewardship and charity to your children, through word and example.

• Demonstrate love for your spouse, your children, your neighbors, and the world. Remind their children that they are loved by God and have been given gifts to serve others.

• Talk freely about the presence of God in the joys and sorrows of your life.

• Welcome into your home and support priests, brothers, sisters, deacons, and lay ministers in the Church.

• Participate in the lay ministries and activities of your parish community.

• Allow your children to witness you in private prayer. Encourage your children to pray daily on their own, to listen for God’s call, and if heard, to respond.

• For more ideas on how to build your home as a Domestic Church, go to: www.domestic-church.com. . . or visit The Family Fully Alive. . . , sponsored by the Knights of Columbus.)

Building stronger domestic Churches builds stronger and more faithful families.  It may follow that then these families can build stronger Churches, where particular needs can be better addressed and where people can be better cared for. And while the numbers tell part of the story, my hope is that by strengthening families, all people can have more more meaningful spiritual relationships. RSM

The Modern Priest's Journey

Recently I was asked to celebrate Mass and preach to the members of The National Organization for Continuing Education of Roman Catholic Clergy who were visiting our Archdiocese.  In my homily, I cited a USA Today op-ed, written by Tim Busch, the founder of the Napa Institute.  The article is entitled, In this time of great scandal, faithful priests need your love more than ever.  It opens with these words:

"There’s a crisis in the Catholic Church that no one’s talking about. It’s not abuse. It’s not cover-ups. It doesn’t spring from Vatican infighting. It starts much closer to home, with the shepherds who guide the flock. Many good and godly Catholic priests are struggling with their vocation."

Busch editorializes that priests are exhausted, because of two trends. First, the number of priests in America is shrinking, both in size and in percentage engaged in active ministry ... and second, the number of Catholics in America continues to rise.  He adds that fewer and fewer priests are being asked to do more work for more people, all in a culture that’s increasingly hostile to faith.

While trying to offer some insight and even consolation to the group gathered, offered by the Scripture reading of the day from the letter of James, Busch's words really struck a chord with me. Perhaps it's because many of us who serve as priests know only too well that some, including many Catholics, have little sympathy for us and our Church these days. Clearly, the anger in the pews and other venues is palpable.  Given the scandals, people are demanding answers about what happened, what’s still hidden, and what’s coming next.

And while most of us agree that these feelings are understandable, even justified, its frustrating because we priests aren’t the ones setting Church policy nor covering up crimes and scandal.  Unfortunately, while more remains to be done by so many of us in every corner of the Church, the expressed anger being taken out on priests has driven holy men to desperation … to walking away from their sacred vows and in some cases … even worse.

As priests, men like so many on the journey of faith, we wrestle with the bigger question, "what are we to do?" Without a strong and vibrant priesthood, without a well-educated and nourished priesthood, without a humble and servant priesthood, the mission of the Catholic Church cannot be fulfilled.

Despite having heard, even from experts, that priests are no different from the rest of God's people, we know one difference is that priests and other clergy oftentimes are idealized and held to a standard that we feel like we can't ask for help. After all, we are the individuals that other people come to for assistance, and so it creates a dissonance and lots of stress when we ourselves feel like we can't seek support. Consequently, we allow ourselves to go down without reaching out to professionals, to one another or to our good people, who in so many cases really love us.

In this generation priests seek a sign … one for sure that only the Lord can give, but one that communities of faith can also express in every parish where faithful priest serve and serve generously.  The Scriptures in so many places walk us through the practice of living the Christian faith. God's word exhorts us to maturity and holiness.  In these days, priests need for communities to take the abstract concept of faith and make it concrete alongside with them.

Perhaps folks can take some time to learn more about who we are, what we do, what we say, what we feel, and what we have. Faith communities cannot be afraid to address each of these areas boldly, courageously and compassionately.

I know God is present in our Church – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Perhaps the words of St Teresa of Avila can help, she said: “We must have a determined determination to never give up prayer.” We pray for each other, as together we walk the journey of faith in our respective lives.

Blessings to you!

RSM

Let's Talk About Teen Mental Health

Dear Friends:

Given some recent events, I was researching and found an article entitled, "Mental Health and Teens: Watch for Danger Signs".  The link to the full article is below. Because it has some really important information, I thought I'd share it with you and hope you will share it with your friends and family too!

We all know that adolescence isn’t an easy time for parents. As children move through the various transitions that accompany adolescence — physical, emotional, hormonal, sexual, social, intellectual — the pressures and problems they encounter can all too easily seem overwhelming. The article notes that for many teenagers, these and other pressures can lead to one or more of a variety of mental health disorders; all are matters of concern, and some are even life-threatening. 

It offers some key tips for parents and the rest of us too:

Keep communication constant, open, and honest: Your children should not only know that they can talk to you about anything, you have to be committed to broaching topics of concern and do so openly. 

Understand that mental health disorders are treatable: Arm yourself with information about the most common mental health disorders among adolescents; speak with your child’s pediatrician, your local health department, your religious leader, and your child’s school representatives about what sorts of information are available from them.

Be attentive to your teen’s behavior: Adolescence is, indeed, a time of transition and change, but severe, dramatic, or abrupt changes in behavior can be strong indicators of serious mental health issues.

The article also lists some "Red Flags”:

- Excessive sleeping, beyond usual teenage fatigue, which could indicate depression or substance abuse; difficulty in sleeping, insomnia, and other sleep disorders

- Loss of self-esteem

- Abandonment or loss of interest in favorite pastimes

- Unexpected and dramatic decline of academic performance

- Weight loss and loss of appetite

- Personality shifts and changes, such as aggressiveness and excess anger that are sharply out of character 

- In addition to peer pressure, mental health issues can lead adolescents not just to experiment with alcohol and drugs, but also to use substances for “self-medication.” 

The article recommends that concern about your adolescent’s mental health should first be addressed with your child — fostering open communication goes a long way toward fostering sound adolescent mental health habits. Then, if your concerns are serious, discuss them with your pediatrician as well as health care and other professionals. 

As a community of faith, please know how important your family is to us - and count on us to walk the journey with you especially if you have teens. While there are never any easy answers to the complicated challenges of life, knowing that others are there with you can help even in the most challenging of times.

And as always, please never hesitate to contact me if any of us here at St Teresa's can help in any way.

Blessings!

RSM  

Source: https://www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/teen/pages/Mental-Health-and-Teens-Watch-for-Danger-Signs.aspx