I sometimes fear that in our longing to hang on to parishes and parish services as we have always known them, we will unintentionally but eventually burn out our priests completely. While I sense that most Catholics in this archdiocese are no longer in denial of the priest shortage, they are still in quite a bit of denial about what is required of them if we are to keep the Church and the priesthood healthy. At base, this involves two things: first, for the 80% or so of us who do not contribute our share of time, talent and treasure to begin trying to do so; second, for all Catholics to become evangelized. The need for better stewardship is self-evident. If the laity don’t share more of the burden of ministry, our ministers (not only ordained, but lay professionals and volunteers as well) will be overwhelmed; and money problems will only make things all the worse.

But what does it mean for a Catholic to be “evangelized?” After all, we’re already baptized and catechized, right? We’re pretty sure we’re going to make it to heaven. What else is left? Just this: to be converted to the depths of our being to the message of Christ. Far too many of us are “cultural Catholics” – we were raised in the Church and take it for granted we will be married and buried in the Church, but the faith of the apostles, saints and martyrs rarely if ever informs our social, economic or political lives. To our co-workers, fellow citizens, and perhaps even our families, the fact that we regularly or occasionally go to Mass is the only thing that differentiates us from anyone else in this society. We are just as caught up in the rat race, the search for material security and happiness, the hatred of enemies, and “looking out for #1” as those who profess no faith nor belong to any community of believers.

When I meet Catholics who are fully evangelized, who have truly accepted the Good News and are on fire to live it out and share it with others, they never tell me it just happened by “going to church.” It was usually the result of conscious and deliberate searching, the kind that happens in Renew groups or on Cursillos or retreats, through Bible studies or being an RCIA sponsor, and in soup kitchens, homeless shelters and church-based community organizations like MICAH. When we come into direct contact with the Word of God, or the poor and outcast whom Jesus loved, or sometimes even just other searchers like ourselves, we are challenged to give up our comfortable ideas of Church as a place of security where we come to be affirmed and “fed,” and come to see it as a place of challenge, risk and giving ourselves up as food for others. And once you’ve been evangelized, you become an evangelizer. Those who go through the RCIA often get much more deeply involved in other ministries; Cursillistas never tire of inviting others to “come and see”; and those who come to know the poor often become social activists, trying against all odds to change the world out of compassion for those whom Jesus called “the least of these” and with whom he identified his very self. Sadly, though, such Catholics are too few and far between, and until that changes, I fear our current crisis will only deepen as the next generation sees church people as wrapped up in petty parochial concerns and uninvolved in the great issues of the day.

Many at our planning sessions have identified mandatory celibacy as the biggest obstacle to a renewed Church, and worry about how we will make the Church more attractive to our youth so as to “keep them in the fold.” I am far more concerned the world drowning in poverty, violence, and hopelessness. Celibacy may need some discussion but let’s keep the center of our focus on the challenge of the Gospel. If we want a Church that our children will be loyal to, we need to prove to them that this faith can not only work real changes in us, but in this world as well.

Mark Peters, Parish Consultants Office may be reached at 414-769-3392 or petersm@archmil.org