Do you have any additional comments on your connection to the universal Catholic Church and/or the Archdiocese of VWXYZ?
I am new here, having recently moved into this archdiocese. Connecting was slowed significantly by having so much of parish life shut down due to Covid. I feel that physical health was prioritized WAY MORE than spiritual health by leaders in the Catholic Church. Good priests did what they could, but higher ecclesiastical leaders all over the world left us in the lurch. It is finally becoming more normal, but the bad message that was given was physical health was more important than spiritual health. The balance needs to be restored and we have to not do that again, shutting the Church down and damaging the spiritual health of the lay people.
My connection to the universal Church is damaged by so many bishops and cardinals even who seem not to believe in the faith once given to the apostles. We have a powerful cardinal right now who is saying teaching on homosexuality is wrong and needs to be changed. Such a cardinal should be catechized again or if that fails be demoted.
What two options below make it the most difficult for you to participate more in the life of the Catholic Church? *
I moved here recently and am fitting in. I would like to participate in adoration as I did for 25 years at my old parish but that was a victim of Covid and has only been partially restored. We need to spiritually recover from all the damage done by the Covid shutdowns.
Do you have any additional comments on your participation in the life of the Catholic Church?
I see the Church bifurcating into a Church of believing Catholics and a church of Catholics in name only. Some of those in name only people have a lot of power in the Church and are doing their best to change this Church from a place where Jesus Christ is Lord to a place of secularized narcissism. This is in reality a major denial of the faith, and even a betrayal of the letter of Vatican II, let alone the long history of faith before it, in favor of some other spirit. This causes trouble. It saps my enthusiasm.
We need to teach the authentic faith. We have a wonderful Catechism to assist in that. But we have more and more Catholics who are ignorant of their faith because we have so few willing to teach the faith and believe the faith they teach. St. MNOPQ's parish does well but so many Catholics are so confused, lost, even alienated from the authentic faith.
We need ad orientem returned and a reform of the reform.
What is the main reason you chose your answer to the previous question?*
That parish tries to be a faithful place and a place responsive to the Holy Spirit. Their liturgies are faithful and not clowning around. The homilies are good, and not therapeutic moral deism. Two others I recommend have more traditional liturgies.
How has your life been blessed within the last three months by participating in the life and evangelizing mission of the Catholic Church?*
I have been able to go on retreat, to go to confession twice, to have attended an excellent Bible study, and to have attended a conference. Most of that has been on the receiving end. I do wish the Church would make use of people who have something to offer so we can meet the mission of spreading the good good news of Jesus Christ to a world that needs it more than ever. We do not need to conform to the world but we need to reach into the nooks and crannies of the world to bring our savior the Lord Jesus Christ to those languishing without Him. We need to get beyond synod on synodality navel gazing and offer the salvation that comes from Jesus Christ. For that we need to in many cases relearn our faith, in other words the New Evangelization of pope John Paul II is needed to get us to where we believe enough again to bring Jesus to the world. Instead I see a lot of people who would happily cancel John Paul II and Benedict XVI. We have too many blessings to throw them away for Pachamama.
In what ways do you feel called to grow in your participation in the life and evangelizing mission of the Catholic Church?*
As my parish recovers from the Covid shutdown and as I get to know my new parish better, I think I may be called to assist with Alpha. Or maybe work on followups to Alpha which I call Beta and Gamma and Delta and Epsilon. I may be called to assisting with RCIA as a mentor. I know I am called to prayer, and will participate as the Adoration Chapel opens up again. We have several generations that are being lost to the faith and I feel the calling to help some of those people back into the barque again, helping them to find an adult faith in Jesus, the one who saves, and the community of faith. We need good priests and bishops and cardinals and popes to assist in that, and not to go shooting us in the foot as much as they do. We need people who accept the Bible and the Catechism and pray and live a life of moral example. I know such people are out there, but every obvious counterexample demoralizes people like me and gives Satan a short term victory and maybe more souls to take with him.