As you have already received your mailing from me regarding a possible pledge to the St. Catherine of Siena Forward with Faith Campaign, I am extending myself and asking that you prayerfully consider making a sacrificial gift to this campaign—for the betterment of our parish, our families, our faith and our Church.

What’s at stake? Our Catholic faith—and I mean our beautiful Catholic faith—is in a crisis. And while part of that crisis is certainly due to the priest scandal, it is only part of it. The crisis has been evolving since the end of Vatican II and the 1960s. The breakup of the American family, cultural changes highlighting “so-called freedoms” and attacks on family, faith and tradition—have all led to fewer people in the pews on Sunday and few people practicing their faith Monday through Saturday. But that does not mean that people have given up on God. In fact, many recent studies show that while more people may choose sports and other leisure activities—newly defined as “family time,” as if Church isn’t “family time,” over Mass attendance there is still a great thirsting for meaning and a desire to know our Creator. People remain spiritually hungry and the Church still fulfills that hunger.

All of our families have members among the “former Catholic ranks.” Even families with a priest among them have seen siblings give up on Mass and faith while searching for something to guide them in this life. Families who raised their children in faith formation classes, youth ministry and Sunday Masses now see their grandchildren unbaptized or older children attending family funerals without an idea of what to do (stand, kneel or bless themselves) at Mass—it is a foreign experience for many. Many are losing their Catholic identity as individuals and that will only have a hardening affect upon society as fewer Catholics attend to the Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy which in past has made America the most generous nation on earth. Our great-great-grandparents built our nation’s cathedrals; their children and grandchildren then established parish communities of faith and built a nation of families who believed and acted in Christ’s name; then their children created—through their generosity—the institutional Church’s networks of hope through Catholic Charities, food pantries, homeless shelters, Catholic hospitals and nursing homes, elementary and high schools not to mention universities and colleges—all leading to a stronger and healthier society. Today our generation needs to direct our Catholic works toward rebuilding the Mystical Body of Christ—the people of God—in knowing the Truth of what our faith stands for and the ability to defend it in action in the world.

Forward with Faith! Our goal here at St. Catherine of Siena is to build a new and powerful Faith
Formation program that will help us to begin the process of reigniting the faith of our Church not only among those of us who attend Mass regularly and time-to-time, but to reach out in a new and exciting way to the “NONES” – those who have no attachment or connection to faith or Church. We have a four-pronged approach:

1. Design programs to connect with 20 and 30 year olds who no longer practice their faith traditions. This population group is called “NONES” and is the largest growing segment of the US population. We need to find out what are their obstacles to faith and then go out and meet them where they are in life and bring them back home with honest and open conversations—dialogues—to build trust and hope. We have created a committee of 20 and 30 year olds called “Growing Catholics” to investigate why they no longer come to church and what it is about faith that turns them off. From their perspective, we need to identify the problems and address those concerns with them. In addition to programs aimed at answering their concerns we also have to create new ministries that enable them to express their faith in the real, modern world, so their concerns can be answered through new corporal and spiritual works of mercy;

2. The current Mass and Church attendees—“Established Catholics” –need to be more deeply informed about the relevance of their faith in the modern world. Far too many of us do not know fully what the Church teaches AND why it teaches what it believes. We need to find more ways to make our faith relevant in a changing society. Guest speakers on topical family subjects or societal concerns, programs and activities to provide an outlet to live-out our faith in everyday life;

3. Connecting Confirmation candidates to their post-Confirmation faith before they head off for college. One of the biggest barriers to keeping their faith alive is the challenges to faith which they hear and live in the college setting. Now free from family and church oversite, they are challenged often times by misrepresentations of our faith in the college classroom as well as in the dorm. What can we do to increase their knowledge of the depth and breadth of compassion and hope that is the Catholic faith—and what can we do to better equip them for the “real world” challenges; and,

4. Senior Catholics—after the children and grandchildren are raised and on their own, perhaps, now a widow or widower or caring for a sick spouse, even facing challenges themselves—now our faith is being tested in more practical and everyday ways; how can I hold on to my faith beliefs and live amid happiness and peace. These are, if we are blest, something which we may all face. Our goal is to work with a committee of “senior Catholics” and develop spiritual and practical support systems as we hope to enjoy our faith in later life.

The task ahead for our Church and parish is not easy—but has it ever been easy before? Life has its difficulties certainly, but faith gives us Hope and belief in a loving God who has an ultimate plan for us: To be with Him in joy for all eternity, the real meaning of life. For those who wonder about this Forward with Faith campaign and its relevance or necessity—I believe the above mentioned goals illustrate its eternal value. I also believe that with our prayerful dialogue we can and must see our role in making this come to fruition. For as our ancestors before
us, who had equal if not bigger challenges, succeeding through prayer and action—and now so must we. After all, we have great shoulders upon which to stand and see the horizon.

In prayer, it is my hope that you will consider being part of the Forward with Faith campaign and it’s endeavors here at Saint Catherine of Siena Parish. Thank you and God bless you!