I recently had the opportunity to
attend two national Catholic gatherings within a period of three
weeks. The first was the Synod of the Ecumenical Catholic
Communion(ECC) held in Orange, CA where I attended as an elected lay
delegate from my parish Sts Clare and Francis here in St. Louis, MO.
The second was the 2012 Call To Action Conference held in Louisville,
KY which I attended through my position as program coordinator with
the Catholic Action Network, an affiliate organization of Call To
Action. It was a very interesting experience to attend these
national gatherings of Catholics within such a close time proximity.
It gave me a sharp sense of comparison between my differing roles in
both communities, and also what I observed and felt to be a very
different spirit present in each gathering.
While I went into the Call To Action
Conference with high hopes and energy for being with hundreds of
other progressive Catholics, I was surprised to find that I took on
the attitude of an observer or ally. Much of the conference,
including its keynote speakers, addressed the issues of needed reform
in the structure and lived practice of the Roman Catholic Church.
Presenters spoke to the Church being the people of God and calling us
to be and fight for the church we want to see in the world. Two of
the presenters mentioned that the Roman hierarchy is in schism by not
following Vatican II, and thus there is really no need to wait for
them to change or take orders from above, because they have
effectively separated themselves from the Church. The struggle of
women religious was lifted up and supported, and cheap shots were
made at bishops, cardinals, and even the pope when opportune. This
was a gathering of people who for the past 50 years since the second
Vatican Council have been fighting to live a different model of
Church, and have been fighting against a hierarchy that has not only
been unwilling to implement the many teachings and declarations of
Vatican II, but has been trying to reverse it all together. So given
the many messages listed and the present reality, why are all these
people still fighting 50 years later? Why not channel that energy
into being Christ in the world today, building the Church you believe
in, and serving your neighbors?
I found myself more an interested
observer at the conference, because I was no longer in this same
struggle. I have already freed myself, by the grace of God, from the
confines of the Roman Catholic hierarchy, and have been blessed to
find a church that is living who we want to be as Catholics in the
world today. I can continue to support those who are working for
reform within, but it's not personally my fight. My energy is freed
up to just be who God created me to be and welcome others into a safe
space to do that as well. I can focus my time and talents on
building a community that truly reflects the message and life of
Christ and desires my voice and opinion, rather than fighting against
a brick wall of men in fancy robes who have no interest in giving me
the time of day. This is the difference I noticed in myself between
the two gatherings.
The ECC has already fixed all these
issues that Roman Catholics are still fighting for. All who have a
vocation to the priesthood are welcomed: whether man, woman, married,
divorced, gay, straight, or transgendered. Your physical body or
your marital status is not the determination of who can/can't fulfill
the priestly role or participate in the life of the community. No
one is denied full participation in the image of God and Christ. We
all have different but equally important roles to fulfill in the
beloved community of Christ. And all are welcome to share in the
banquet feast, because as I was reminded during one of the liturgies
at the ECC synod, this is Christ's table we come to, and all are
welcome at the table of the Christ.
And the lay people have an equal voice
to the ordained! There are so many people within the Roman Catholic
Church whose voice has been consistently shut down or ignored.
People in the pews don't have any power regarding who their priest
is, or what decisions are made for the parish. The structure of the
ECC spreads the power of decision making around to the whole
community. With the house of pastors and the house of laity all
voices are lifted up and represented. It is the lay community that
calls forth its pastor to guide them and lead them in the celebration
of the Holy Sacraments. And it is that same lay community that could
decide to fire that same pastor if they feel they are no longer
living out their priestly role in a healthy way for the community.
We also get to elect our own bishops, and just like the priests, we
could replace them if we feel they have strayed from the mission and
faith of our community. There is collective power that is shared by
each individual being free to be who God has called him or her to be,
and to build a Christ-centered community together where all are
welcome.
All of these details in the structure
and lived practice of the ECC made for a powerful and spirit-filled
Synod. There is a limitless energy of creativity and hope of
infinite possibilities. We are and can continue to be the Catholic
Church we want to see in the world, and we can continue to evolve our
understanding of what that means and looks like. We are not shut
down in our thinking, and questioning, and visioning of where the
Holy Spirit is calling us to. The voices of our elected leaders are
encouraging us to go out to the world, and proclaim the good news.
We are a church of the resurrection, of renewed life in Christ. We
have shaken off our old chains of bondage and our spirits are free to
explore ever deeper, ever more present our relationship with this
dynamic God of life and infinite creativity.
There is an old church hymn that goes,
“And they'll know we are Christians by our love, by our love, yes
they'll know we are Christians by our love.” And I often think
about how the world views Christians and specifically Catholics
today. If they look only to the Roman hierarchy, who claim to be the
ultimate authority on all teachings and practices of the Church, then
it is not love we will be known by. But if they look at the people
on the ground serving their brothers and sisters, many of whom have
given up on Sunday masses because they too don't see love present in
the message of the priests or bishops, then maybe they'll see the
love. I think both gatherings of Catholics that I attended lift up
the best of the Catholic faith. These are people of love. Knowing
these people, I know the mark of a Christian is love. And while some
choose to stay and fight for reform within, fight to offer a voice of
love against a patriarchy of exclusion and condemnation, that isn't
my fight anymore. I choose to join my voice and vocation to love
with others who are building a new Catholic Church, one in which our
energy and time is freed up to truly practice the greatest
commandments given to us: Love God with all your heart and Love your
neighbor as yourself (which also implies you love yourself). And I
believe that the world will see we truly are Catholic, and they will
know it by our Love.
Learn more about the Ecumenical Communion here
Check out the work of Call To Action here
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