Revisiting External Markers of Our Faith

I have included 9 responses to archbishop Dolan's article below.

Archdiocese of New York by Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan

I don’t know if you had a chance to see it a few weeks ago, my blog on what I called “markers” of our faith?

Apparently quite a few of you did, to judge from the feedback!

In that posting, I just wondered aloud if we Catholics, over the last forty-five years, had tossed too many “external markers” of our Catholic identity out the window. The one example I mentioned was abstinence from meat on Fridays, as I reflected a bit on the decision of the bishops of England to restore that Catholic custom.

Not that these “external markers” – such as, for example, holy days, feasts, fasts, saints’ names, genuflection, holy water, candles, bowing one’s head at the Holy Names of Jesus, Ember Days, First Fridays, First Saturdays, frequent confession, parish allegiance, novenas, devotions, only to name a few other such “signs” of Catholic identity — are of the essence of the faith; or, not even to deny that excessive attention to them could cause superficiality. No, I just asked if we have lost some spice from Catholic life with their departure, and noted that scholars of religion report that such exterior marks of membership help make a religion cohesive and attractive.

I’m just wondering if we leaders in the Church are trying to attract people by making things easier. As one of my friends tells me, we’re too much into “Catholic lite.” And it’s backfiring, I’m afraid. I hear our Catholics tell me, “We don’t want Catholic lite; we want to be “lights to the world!”

Yes, a lot of Catholics are leaving the Church. This is a monumental pastoral challenge for all of us. Why do they leave?

The studies tell us that some who leave us just give-up any faith at all;

Some others who leave Catholicism join a religion they might consider more “liberal” or “modern” than the Church;

But, get this: most who leave the Catholic Church to join another religion, end-up as members of a church considered stricter or more conservative!

I just got back from a “high” of World Youth Day in Madrid: 1.5 million young people from every continent, race, nation, and language, for five uplifting days, with Pope Benedict. These young people want “the real thing,” not Catholic lite!

While there, I had the honor of presenting a teaching at a different church or site in Madrid to English-speaking youth on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday morning. After each teaching, I celebrated the Eucharist with my new young friends, usually 500-or-so strong. (On Friday, and then at a special Mass Saturday morning, it was even more, as we were in a sports arena, 15,000 strong.)

Now, to get back to my point . . . On each of those four occasions, the same interesting thing happened spontaneously. Each Mass was jammed; there were young people in every corner, up-and-down aisles, in balconies, even outside the space. Backpacks and sleeping bags added to the tight squeeze.

The planners of each Mass — wisely and thoughtfully, when you think about it — printed in the Mass booklet, and even announced before Mass, “Look, it’s so jammed in here, and you are all so hot and tired, why don’t you just stay seated during the Eucharistic prayer.”

Very practical . . . very wise . . . let’s make this simple and a bit more relaxed. Let’s “lighten-up.”

What happened? I’ll be darned, at all four occasions, all the hundreds, thousands of youth still knelt! They wanted to kneel in adoration! They didn’t want it simple or practical! They didn’t mind the challenge! They wanted it!

I realize it’s a trivial example, a little thing. Maybe I read too much into it. But I wonder as well if once again our people — our young people — are telling us something:

“We don’t like ‘Catholic-lite.’ Don’t pander to us! Call us to greatness! Call us to heroic virtue! Remind us that following Jesus calls for sacrifice, and that we long for ways to let ourselves, and the world, know that we are different. Don’t make things simple! Don’t cater to convenience!”

Jesus summoned us to be a “light to the world.” Nothing “lite” about that.

Have we put this lantern under a basket? Have we turned light into lite?

9 Responses to “Revisiting External Markers of Our Faith”
Jeannie Prather says:
September 13, 2011 at 2:13 pm
“Have we put this lantern under a basket? Have we turned light into lite?”

In a word Your Excellency; Y E S! I’m grateful for the question, thank you!

Ryan says:
September 13, 2011 at 2:36 pm
Archbishop Dolan,

As a 22 year old reconvert, I must say that it sometimes seems that the Church has a bit of an identity crisis. I think a return to the practices that you mentioned is essential in securing the answer to the fundamental question of who we are and what we believe. Likewise, because these practices have been absent for several decades, we are now in a position to critically examine them and look for the deeper meaning behind the ritual instead of blindly doing them, or doing them out of force.

Karen Foote says:
September 13, 2011 at 2:40 pm
I think the youth are right on!! I am 57 and had worked with the youth for over 20yrs. I have much hope in our Catholic Light!!! I know it will be restored!!! Keep up the great work Archbishop Dolan!!

Tricia says:
September 13, 2011 at 2:41 pm
How I realize thru your blog that the Lord has gifted me……I’ve taken advantage of each and every one of those external markers. Has my life been easier? NOT AT ALL……but the more you take advantage of those gifts the closer you become to the most important aspect of this life…..Union with GOD……..We, as Catholics have such a rich tradition of external markers. Having said that, I would like to know whoever made the decision not to make the Assumption this year a Holy Day of Obligation? Why? We were told because the Archdiocese didn’t think people would go to church on consecutive days…ie…Sunday and Monday……shame of them for that decision…..Ye of little faith……Keep up the good work Archbishop Dolan…..I pray for you daily

Maynor Alvarez says:
September 13, 2011 at 2:41 pm
Your Excelency,
As I was reading your article several things came to my mind: A. Did the Church forgot to take care of its Sheeps? B. Why do they leave? C. Church in Europe vs. Church in America? A. I had always thought that our church became lite because their consagrated priests did not welcome 40 yrs ago the decision to open the church to each ethnicity. They opposed such wonderful changed were Lay people were able to help during mass and also to take some role in decision making. B. Our Catholics left 25 yrs ago because the Church was not able to outreach, especially the poor. While instead other denominations came to the rescue and build schools, community centers, shelters and their own denominational church. Catholic church stood still as thinking “they would return soon”, but it never happened, they left for good. C. Catholic Church in Europe had been forgotten for almost 100 yrs, they opened their eyes and saw that no body care, and they left their large churches as monuments for tourist instead of offering Holy Mass on Sundays; while the Catholic Church in America (Central and South America) has been pouring seeds on the land for the last 300 yrs but the church did not reached out. We have seen wars, poverty, social injustice, but the church kept silent and forgot to bring the Good News of the Gospel. I don’t remember any more teachings after I made my First Communion and my Confirmation, I was left wonder by myself and my thirst for God became a dead and empty well. I don’t recall any priest coming to the streets teaching us the wonderful Good News from the Bible; and I can’t remember our church helping the youth. Now we heard the church focusing on the World Youth Day maybe because they see how our church is lacking priest. I am a humble servant of the Lord, I teach confirmation because I want to pass the Good news to our future generations; I also became a Charismatic member 15 yrs ago since I was looking for the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. I will await for your blessings and maybe my brief article can allow other readers understand why our Church had become “Light” let’s shout to the four corners of the Universe that Jesus is Alive!!!
Maynor Alvarez

Charles says:
September 13, 2011 at 2:55 pm
Thank you, Your Excellency! How wonderful to hear that our youth preferred reverence over “convenience”!!!

Without these external markers of our faith, how do we show to the world who we are? At the very least, how can we justify to Our Lord that we couldn’t be uncomfortable for a few minutes during the Eucharist Prayer, and then see Him on the Cross, suffering for our sins?

Our external markers are important- I also believe that our priests and deacons should wear ecclisial garb when in public. Even if the priest is going to the grocery, he should dress as such. I understand some concerns about permanent deacons wearing clerics in their secular jobs, but inasmuch as possible, I believe they should strive to be an outward sign of our Christian reality- that we are set aside from the world in a special way.

Again, thank you for this post! God Bless you, Your Excellency!

Arlene B. Muller says:
September 13, 2011 at 2:59 pm
I think that we have to look carefully at each item and see if it is merely for “Catholic identity” or whether it is an authentic form of devotion that actually helps bring us closer to JESUS CHRIST and to living the Gospel. I think that more important than “Catholic identity” is “Christian authenticity”. I don’t think that we are supposed to look for things that would make us consider ourselves superior to other denominations or feel smug or triumphalist, as often we were prior to Vatican II. However, we are to seek true devotion to the LORD and not merely look for “the easy way out”. Why do we do what we do? Are we doing it to have a list of do’s and don’t's and to become legalists? If so, then that is not good. Are we doing it to say, “Look at us–we’re Catholics!”. That, too, is not good. But if we are doing what we are doing out of true devotion and true understanding of what it means and if it is helping us to love GOD and love our neighbor and be so on fire for the LORD that we in turn help set others on fire, then it is not only good but very good.

Ken says:
September 13, 2011 at 3:04 pm
Tomorrow, Your Excellency, you can remove the post-Vatican II table altar from Saint Patrick’s and use the main altar full time. You can instruct the faithful to kneel at the altar rail and receive communion on the tongue. You can restore the lay acolyte (altar boy) ministry to males only, dressed in cassock and surplice. You can use Latin, and not just a Sanctus here and an Agnus Dei there. You can get your priests to do the same.

If those of us born after Vatican II are crying out for the disciplines, norms, language and traditions that were axed before our time, then why is the Archdiocese of New York not leading the way in actually restoring some of these practices? Words are great, but mandates (like meatless Fridays) are more effective.

Jeffrey Sharp says:
September 13, 2011 at 3:05 pm
Your Excellency, Thank you so very much for your insights & comments. As a recent convert (2003) to the Church, it is a profound & blessed surprise to learn something new almost everyday about our holy faith. Some years ago, we read a chapter from the book “Why Catholics Can’t Sing” in which, the author asserts that the people want reverence in the Mass. Feeling a bit brave, I asked a (now retired) bishop for his thoughts & he rather dismissively said that it’s up to the parish priest to create a areverent atmosphere. In a culture that simply cannot distinguish between reverent worship and entertainment, how is that accomplished? Please, forgive me if wrong but, it seems that to know the faith (which most of us don’t) is insufficient; that to live the faith is also insufficient. It seems that we are called to experience God – primarily in the Mass & other liturgical celegrations and to continue this toroughout our daily lives. That’s not Catholic-lite. Or, am I just crazy? Is that what our young people seek? Once, I saw a latin mass on the internet & understand why so many cry for reverence. Thank you again, for your teachings. God Bless, Jeff Sharp