Catholic Sensibility

A throng appears at the narrow gate: don't we wish Thursday this week was Back to School night. My admiration for my new pastor went up a notch or two. He commented on the total turnover of clergy in our parish, mentioning that our school children have only ever really known his predecessor as their pastor. Challenging as a new shepherd may be for staff, he pointed out that parish children, especially those who were close to the other priests, are also seriously affected by such change. Spontaneous applause when he said he and the new associate would be a frequent, if not daily presence in the school. He also spoke to a matter close to a liturgist's heart. He favorably compared our parish school to the two prep schools in our neighborhood. Our school is unique, he said, because of the faith dimension. But for parents to take full advantage of what a parish offers them for the religious formation of their children, Sunday Mass attendance -- as a family -- is essential. His message was gentle and appropriate, yet unmistakably strong. I tend to doubt many of my readers here avoid their parishes in particular or Sunday Mass in general. So this is largely preaching to the choir. Studies (sponsored I think by the NCEA) show that the difference in religious awareness and articulation between teens schooled publicly with or without RE and kids educated in Catholic schools is virtually nil. I'm not surprised by these numbers. The single most important factor in examining the faith habits of young adults was the degree their parents were involved at Sunday worship. Not Catholic schools. Not orthodoxy. Not Vatican II. Not good catechists. Some people are alienated (for good reasons and bad) from their parishes. Alienation, by itself, does not instill religious sensibility in young people. Parents are obligated to drive six extra minutes or six extra hours, whatever it takes, to bring their children to church for a family participation in the celebration of Mass. Some people are alienated from the Church -- even for good cause. These parents, too, owe it to their children to search far and wide for a parish that will assist in their healing and return to God. I wouldn't be exaggerating to say that it would be better for a family breadwinner to quit a job if time was too short for such a spiritual search. (Jesus would probably say better to endure bankruptcy, unemployment, and starvation than to miss passage through the narrow gate.) Obviously, this means the Sunday parish liturgy needs to be on its best behavior at all times. More on that later.