Something New

Dear Reader,
I have been thinking a lot about the Catholic Church and my concerns, as well as hope for her future. My husband and I moved into a diocese recently that is causing us some major trials. It is a diocese, that in my opinion, is devoid of the vibrancy, beauty, passion, and love of the Church. It is one that can only be characterized as beige. I hope Fr. Barron will not mind my using his term "beige Catholicism." You see, for years I have sensed a blandness to the faith that has been encroaching ever more rapidly as time goes on. I never could find a way to articulate it until I heard him refer to some of the problems within the Church as "beige Catholicism."

My hope in starting this Catholic blog, is that others will be able to see the problems that perhaps they have only guessed out. The beiging of the faith is causing major heartache, confusion, and in my opinion, is destroying her counter-cultural purpose and appeal. Many people are bored, numb, and tired. They are frustrated by the onslaught of the world at large, but are not finding any rest in their parishes. Instead, it sounds like the same nonsense they hear at work, on TV, or see on the Internet. I want people to know that there is hope and that change begins with each one of us. Through Christ all things are possible and through prayer good will come to fruition.

I believe that God is calling me in some way to work for the Church. I have been accepted into a Master's program of Theology at Franciscan University. I will begin that program very shortly. There is much to be done and many people who need healing. I agree with Mother Teresa that our greatest poverty is loneliness and misdirection. Don't misunderstand me, there are areas where the Church is thriving. I have been a part of it and seen it. Being a veteran, I have had the opportunity to be a member of parishes in over 12 dioceses in the U.S. and in England. I have been able to survey the landscape and see what causes a parish to thrive and others that are falling apart at the seams. I am not claiming to be an expert, purely a lay member of the Church who is concerned. There is cause for concern; church attendance is falling and priest shortages are running some dioceses thin. These are just a couple of the issues facing the post-modern Church.

In future posts I hope to address issues that I am confronting in my home parish as well as others that are on a national or worldwide level. For those who are looking for a starting point I highly recommend Matthew Kelly's Rediscovering Catholicism. You can get the book for free on his website, you just pay shipping and handling. http://www.dynamiccatholic.com/

As always keep praying for the Church, our leaders, the laity, and for the world.