Whenever you consult with Catholics in regards to the church today, especially younger Catholics, a frequent grievance is that the church shouldn’t be a welcoming place. L.G.B.T. individuals are fired from their jobs for no reason or find their existence condemned by church members. Women should not given any authority or are lectured to. Parishioners scowl at talking children and their parents or say inappropriate things to people of color. Homilies are boring or talk right down to people.
Truly, as we take a look at the feedback from our membership and those that have left the church, what they’re telling us is that we’re within the midst of a crisis of welcome. In the ultimate segment of America’s recent documentary, “People of God: How Catholic parish life is changing in the USA,” producer Sebastian Gomes and the America film team visited St. Cecilia Parish in Boston and checked out how they work to deal with that concern, how they seek to be a community of welcome.
The key of St. Cecilia’s success appears to be that they really attempt to see and listen to the needs being expressed of their community.
The key of St. Cecilia’s success appears to be that they really attempt to see and listen to the needs being expressed of their community and to answer them. Why did St. Cecilia start a digital ministry? They saw that individuals were hungry for it and had nowhere else they felt they may go. Why are they committed to L.G.B.T. ministry? Mark Lippolt, a gay parishioner, identified just about everyone today has L.G.B.T. relatives. The community wants their parish to be a spot where they and people relations can feel secure. (Frankly, the identical is true for a lot of celibate gay priests, brothers and nuns. In some places within the church you only don’t feel prefer it’s okay to be yourself.)
There are a pair passing moments within the story where we see parishioners sitting within the very cozy-looking renovated parish gathering space. In a single shot it’s a family with a young child; in one other it’s some older parishioners, at the least one with a walker. In each cases they’re watching the Mass. It appears that evidently the parish has decided to make its gathering space available to individuals who wish to be at Mass but for some reason can’t be within the church itself. Once more, the parish’s selections appear to be drawn from the precise needs of its people.
One other parish might address questions like their online presence or serve L.G.B.T. Catholics and their families in other ways. Their problems could also be different as well. The necessary query is, are we listening to what our individuals are saying? And the way are we responding?
Watching the story of St. Cecilia, I’m reminded of the parable of the abilities. St. Cecilia was generous when people needed somewhere to worship throughout the pandemic and provided a way for them to feel connected and an actual a part of their worshiping community. Some might need feared how they’d sustain that, but in truth as a substitute of draining their resources it looks like it generated recent ones, including tremendous good will. To those that have given much, more shall be given…
Questions for reflection and conversation
- What are the large issues you see in your parish? How is your community responding?
- In what ways is your church a welcoming community? In what ways is it not?
- Looking around your community on a Sunday, who isn’t there? What kinds of individuals don’t appear to be coming to your community?
- What sorts of spaces have they got in your church for welcome and fellowship?
- For individuals who worship online, what about that have brings you life? How does it compare so that you can worship in an actual church?
Listen next:
On this bonus episode of the Jesuitical podcast, hosts Ashley McKinless and Zac Davis speak with Jim McDermott, S.J., and Sebastian Gomes, the producer of “People of God,” in regards to the rise of the “distant parishioner” within the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.
