Today the Catholic Church—like all faith institutions—lives in a very different and ever-changing American culture. Gone are the days when Sunday Masses were not just packed but was the priority of the day—over sports, work and other scheduled items—for everyone. Holy Days of Obligation were actually obligatory, and Catholic sports teams and musical bands were part of a town’s everyday life.

As in other locales, here in the Archdiocese of Hartford we too are faced with many Sunday “options.” This situation has been studied and assessed—and plans are underway to address and work within these new and cultural parameters.

Believing that the future is bright even in the midst of this change we must (and have) repositioned our par-ishes to best meet the changing needs of both Catho-lics and culture. Many parishes have been merged so that larger and stronger faith communities may cele-brate the sacramental life of the Church and carry out her corporal works of mercy. This must be accom-plished with more power and more determination as we seek to save souls, go forth to feed the hungry, educate the ignorant, shelter the homeless, train the unemployed, and provide medical care and compassion to those who have none.

I have heard some people and pundits call this “retrenchment,” but that is looking at the glass half empty. Truly it is a repositioning and reenergizing of our parishes and our faith—to build for the future—and meet the needs of a new time and place. However, don’t mistake these changes as a “new and improved” message. While the culture is changing around us, the mission and ministry of Christ and His Church remain the same: Save souls, make life better on earth for those in need, and preach Christ’s message of peace and salvation for all.

Change is often hard for people to accept—the Church included—as she is both a human and Divine institution. However, there is a common denominator in all change, including the change(s) we see in our Catholic parishes, and that common denominator is: “Change is inevitable, growth is the option!” I wish I could claim credit for this pithy and spot-on phrase, but it belongs to Father Terry Kristofak, C.P. of Holy Family Monastery in West Hartford.

Growth is the option! Just as in every other part of life, this simple and true philosophy is realized when we choose to understand truth and not some “softer” and often believed easier, more palatable untruths. Growth is the option when we work together, valuing others and respecting their beliefs and opinions while at the same time not giving up our own beliefs. Growth is the option when the debates—even the arguments—end with a solution, not disrespect.

Recently, I listened to an interview with two sisters seeking political office in Michigan, one a Republican, one a Democrat. Their story unveiled that their parents taught them to debate each other but come to a solution, not simply end with one victor and one loser. One sister said whether one of them is the “a left wing” or a “right wing” (thinker), their wings are part of the same bird.

For us Catholics and for our parishes, we need to remember that even with all our individuality, we truly are One God, One Faith, and One Church.  To that end, parishes need to grow.
We need to grow by learning new ways and opportunities to make our faith—the one given to us by Christ—realized as relevant in an ever changing modern culture. Obviously God’s love, through Christ, is immutable. Obviously the need to show compassion to the hungry, teach the wandering and offer hope to the fearful is the same. The Truths that Christ first gave to the world more than 2000 years ago—that God made man and woman in His Divine Image and Likeness, that He loves us and desires us to be with Him for all eternity, and that He calls us to love others as we love ourselves—remains the same. With that secure in our thoughts and actions, our
parish life will be secure also. How do we then choose growth?

Growth is made a reality when we are no longer content with doing what we always did. When we no longer just unlock the doors of the church each day, but rather welcome people in. That’s means those from the neighboring parish that closed—and accept them and their ministries as part-and-parcel of the newly formed parish. No longer is it good enough to say, “welcome to our parish and we hope you join our rosary club.” We need to merge the two, to take the strength from both and marry them—we supposed to be good at that—and then dove tail them so that the Two Become One. We must welcome different cultures, not make them sub-sets of the “original parish.” And when it comes to our Catholic brothers and sisters who no longer practice their faith in community, we need to find them and meet them where they are—and draw them
back again. While we are all on the same journey, none of us are traveling at the same speed. Christ was the original and most effective “grassroots organizer.”  He went to where people were, ate and worked with them, healed their wounds, changed their ignorance into knowledge and welcomed them anew. Like Christ, we need to reach out to the other “imperfect disciples” and show them the goodness and love of the faith community and their vital role in it.

Forward with Faith! This is more than just a campaign slogan—it needs to be a parish and personal way of life. It all begins with the leadership of the parish—priest and laity alike. We need to be committed to passing on our faith to our children and to the community around us. As with the original disciples and Apostles, the commitment to eternal life lived in the present is required. We must be confident and clear in our beliefs and proclaim them to others. We do that first and foremost via the integrity of our lives—living our faith in the caring, forgiving and sharing of God’s blessings which we offer to others.

In the practical sense, we must understand that people are thirsty and need to drink. Everything
from our music to the homily, in new forms of teaching religious education, diversifying our youth
ministry program, offering new and additional programs for adult faith formation and illustrating the applicability of our Catholic faith in the modern world; and, even—God forbid—a new ministry or two. As the culture changes, maybe the ministries should to? What do new families need? How have the needs of the elderly changed? What draws people to listen to a homily—or not.

It is not easy certainly. and it doesn’t happen overnight. But to grow means to make oneself
more applicable to everyday life. For me as a priest, it must be remembered that our title is “Pastor” which means to be pastoral. While Christ and His teachings remain the same, the situation of every person is different—and the level of faith which they have varies. The role of the priest is not to chase away the struggling Christian, but rather to work with the imperfect disciple and lead them to a higher place.

More on ways to achieve this in coming bulletins.