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Quik-Click Guide
Schedule
of Listening Sessions for Inactive Catholics
What Inactive Catholics Should Know
Some Good Reasons to Become Active
What You Can Do When You're Ready
How to Assess Your Relationship to the
Church
How We Can
Help
“Do people today find it difficult
to encounter God in our Churches?
Has our preaching lost its salt? Might it be that many people
have
forgotten, or never really learned, how to pray in and with the
Church?
…We need to discover, as I have suggested, new and engaging ways
of proclaiming this message and awakening a thirst for the
fulfillment
which only Christ can bring.… What is needed above all… is a
renewal
of that apostolic zeal which inspires her shepherds actively to
seek
out the lost, to bind up those who have been wounded, and to
bring
strength to those who are languishing. And this, as I have
said, calls
for new ways of
thinking….”
—Pope
Benedict XVI in remarks to the U.S. Catholic bishops, April 16,
2008.
The
Catholic Parishes in Waterloo Announce
Listening Sessions
for
Inactive Catholics and
Catholic Seekers
Current
Schedule of Listening Sessions:
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Listening Sessions meet at
7:00pm. in Room 1
at Kimball Ridge Center
(former Schoitz Hospital)
2101 Kimball Ave., Waterloo
Are you angry about some church-related issue? Have you been
hurt or rejected by a church person? Do you feel a little
uncomfortable or guilty saying “I’m a spiritual person but I’m
not religious?” Does your present marital status leave you
feeling estranged or unwelcome in the Catholic Church? Are you
participating in another church but still feel that “I’m a
Catholic and I’ll always be a Catholic.” Would you like to talk
about the events, people or circumstances which brought you to
your present religious status?
These listening sessions are an opportunity to visit with
representatives of the local Catholic community in a safe,
understanding, and confidential atmosphere. We’re here to
listen, not to judge. If there is someway we can be helpful to
you in your present spiritual circumstance, we will arrange
whatever additional help or assistance
you desire as a followup
to the listening session.
For more information contact a member of the parish staff or
Director of Adult Faith Formation
Phone:
319-234-9912
Email:
DBQ208s3@arch.pvt.k12.ia.us
______________________________________________________________________
Are you or someone you know an inactive,
alienated
or former Catholic?
The Catholic parishes in Waterloo are eager to encourage and
support our sisters and brothers who no longer participate
regularly in the spiritual and sacramental life of the Catholic
community.
There are a variety of opportunities and options for inactive
or former Catholics who wish to resume, or wish to explore the
possibility of resuming full participation.
We invite you to dialogue about your past or present relationship
to the Catholic Church even if you do not plan to resume active
participation in the future.
______________________________________________________________________
What
Inactive Catholics Should
Know
About Being Catholic
Individuals are incorporated into
the Catholic faith through the Sacraments of Initiation. These
sacraments establish a spiritual and legal relationship to the
Catholic Church.
This relationship can almost never be completely revoked or
renounced. Baptized Catholics are members of the Catholic
Church for the rest of their lives, unless they take a deliberate
public action to renounce that membership.
However, membership in the Church assumes continuing
participation in the spiritual and sacramental life of the
Catholic community. Active participation generally
includes regular participation in Sunday Eucharist, personal
prayer, an effort to grow in faith, commitment to Catholic moral
principles, a contribution of time, talent and financial support
to the faith community, and service to the broader human
community.
In fact, the level of an individual’s participation may
vary from time to time and person to person, depending upon a
wide variety of circumstances.
There are many reasons why
baptized Catholics do not participate fully or regularly in the
spiritual and sacramental life of the Church.
Some limit their
participation because of their marital status, past experiences
which left them feeling alienated or rejected, and for other
personal and spiritual reasons. Others have gradually
drifted away for no particular reason or have found spiritual
support in another church. Some feel unwelcome or excluded
because of certain Church laws or community attitudes.
You should know that church laws and customs which seem to
exclude individuals under certain circumstances are often
misunderstood or mistakenly applied. Most inactive Catholics
are still Catholics. Most may resume participating in the
spiritual and sacramental life of the Church if they wish to do
so.
Resuming full participation or reconciling your relationship
to the Church under present circumstances is a deeply personal
and sometimes difficult challenge; for most inactive Catholics
it is a gradual process of spiritual growth and personal
healing. For many who have made that journey, it is like a
long-delayed homecoming which fills a spiritual void they have
experienced for a long time.
______________________________________________________________________
What Inactive Catholics
Should Know...
• Inactive, divorced or
remarried Catholics are not excommunicated.
• Divorced Catholics who have not remarried may participate
fully in the spiritual
and sacramental life of the Church, including Mass and
Communion.
• Divorced Catholics remarried outside the Church may
participate in many
aspects of the Church’s sacramental and spiritual life,
although they may not
receive Communion.
• Divorced and remarried Catholics may have their children
baptized, and may
enroll them in a Catholic school or religious education
classes.
• Inactive Catholics who are not divorced and remarried outside
the Church may
celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation and resume full
participation in the
Church’s spiritual and sacramental life.
Click here for information for
and about Divorced Catholics
______________________________________________________________________
Some Good
Reasons to Think About
Resuming
Active Participation
in the
Catholic Church
Are you ready
to resume active participation in the Church? Here are some
common signs which may suggest that you are ready to consider
resuming active participation in the spiritual and sacramental
life of the Catholic community:
__You feel personally or spiritually lost.
__You sense that something important is missing in your life.
__You feel socially or spiritually unconnected.
__You sense a need for more encouragement and support.
__You feel like you do not have the emotional or spiritual
resources to
face difficult situations or problems.
__You worry about how your non-participation in the Church is
affecting
your marriage or your children.
__You feel less angry or bitter about the Church.
__You have more positive feelings about your past Church
experiences.
__You are experiencing major changes in your life, or are more
aware of
growing older.
__You are concerned about “starting over” or “getting things in
order.”
______________________________________________________________________
What You Can Do ... When You’re Ready
Here are some steps you can take if you are an inactive
Catholic who is interested in
resuming
participation in the spiritual and sacramental life of the
Church.
1. Find a Catholic parish where you feel welcome.
Begin attending Mass; participate in other parish activities to
the extent that you are comfortable. This is the most important
thing you can do. At first you may feel uncomfortable and
strange; eventually you will get to know more people, and begin
to feel more comfortable. If not, you may want to visit with a
parish staff person, or try another parish. (You do not have to
officially register in a parish in order to attend Mass and
participate in most parish activities. However, when you are
ready to resume full participation in the Church, you should
register in the parish where you plan to be active.)
Click here for a current schedule of
Masses in the Waterloo parishes
2. Take
advantage of adult formation and education programs
where you can learn
more about the Church, the sacraments, and
Catholic teaching.
• The Catholic parishes in Waterloo sponsor listening
sessions for inactive and alienated Catholics; these provide an
opportunity to ask questions and clarify your relationship to
the Catholic Church. In addition, information and support is
available in a confidential private setting throughout the year.
• The Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) and the
Rite of Christian Reception of Adults (RCRA) are formation programs for
non-baptized persons and non-Catholic Christians who are
interested in becoming Catholics. However, they are also an
excellent opportunity for inactive Catholics who have been away
from the Church for a long period of time.
Click here for information about
RCIA and RCRA
• In addition, many parishes have adult faith-sharing and
bible-study groups or intergenerational formation programs which
give inactive Catholics an opportunity to share their personal
experiences, questions and concerns in a comfortable and
supportive atmosphere.
Click here for information about adult
formation and education programs
3. Choose a spiritual guide or spiritual director with whom you
are comfortable
discussing your faith experience, your questions about the
Church, and your participation in the Church.
A spiritual guide can walk with you on your spiritual journey,
even if you are not planning to resume active participation in
the Church; he or she can help you evaluate your experience,
recommend resources which will help you grow spiritually, and
can suggest opportunities for fuller participation. A friend
who is active in the Church might be a good spiritual guide. At
some point you may need to visit with a priest or a parish staff
person who can answer specific questions about Church teaching
or law.
4. Seek healing for painful personal experiences
which may have left you emotionally
or spiritually scarred,
alienated from the Church, or angry at God.
Sometimes an understanding spiritual guide can help heal these
painful experiences. However, in some cases professional
counseling may be necessary to heal serious emotional and
spiritual hurts. The Archdiocese of Dubuque provides free,
confidential assistance to individuals who have been sexually
abused by church employees. This assistance is provided by
independent professionals, not church employees.
Click here for information about
assistance for victims of clergy abuse
5. Investigate what might be done to resolve official barriers
to full participation.
In most cases an invalid marriage can be reconciled through the annulment process. Inactive Catholics often assume that validating their
marriage is too painful or legalistic. In fact, many people
experience this process as a
positive opportunity which provides a sense of personal
wholeness and spiritual peace. A parish staff person can
recommend someone who is trained to help you work through the
annulment process.
Click here
for information about annulments
6. Celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation.
When you are ready, this is the most appropriate way in which to
renew your participation in the sacramental and spiritual life
of the Church. You can celebrate Reconciliation as part of a
parish communal penance service during Advent or Lent; however,
if you have been away from the Church for a long period of time,
you will find it more helpful to celebrate Reconciliation
privately with an understanding priest who will guide you
through the process. (Generally, an inactive Catholic should
not begin receiving Communion again until he or she has
celebrated the Sacrament of Reconciliation.)
7. Here are some other steps you can take toward resuming active
participation:
• If you have children, enroll them in a Catholic school or
religious education
program. Participating in your child’s religious education is a good way to
prepare yourself for more
active participation.
• Subscribe to a Catholic newspaper like The Witness,
a newsletter like Catholic
Update, or Catholic magazines
like America, Liguorian, St. Anthony
Messenger, or U.S.
Catholic.
Click here for a Guide to Catholic
Reading online
• Become active in a Catholic service or social justice
organization like the St.
Vincent de Paul Society or the
Catholic Worker House.
Click here for service opportunities
• Attend a renewal experience like the Christian
Experience Weekend, Marriage
Encounter or Beginning Again
Experience. These experiences can help you
appreciate the
relationship between your personal spirituality and Church
participation.
Click
here for a guide to Spiritual Renewal
Programs
• Use the exercise suggested below to evaluate
your current relationship to the
Catholic faith community.
______________________________________________________________________
How to Assess Your Relationship
to the Catholic Church
[Copyright Protected by
Dave Cushing]
Our relationship to the
Church or other religious organizations is not unlike other
personal relationships.
In a healthy personal relationship we have
certain expectations of the relationship and
our partner. When a
relationship breaks down, it is usually because our partner has
failed to meet some or
all of our expectations.
We expect the relationship
to be
__ mutual
__ fair
__ honest
__ safe
__ challenging (in a positive way)
__ life-giving
__ (you may add other expectations)
We expect our partner to be
__ truthful
__ respectful
__ appreciative
__ attentive
__ responsive
__ helpful
__ caring
__ committed
__ faithful
__ loyal
__ understanding
__ accepting
__ forgiving
__ accountable
__ responsible
__ (you may add other expectations)
In our relationship to the Church,
we have
similar expectations which we expect the Church to fulfill. A
breakdown in our relationship to Church occurs when we perceive
that the Church or its representatives is not fulfilling those expectations. In assessing our relationship to the
Church,
it is helpful to identify which of our expectations the Church
does not meet.
This is
something we identify at the feelings level. It is not
first of all a matter of facts or truth, but our
perception of what has happened.
The following steps may help
you develop
further insight into your relationship with the Church:
a) Assess
what expectations are most important to you. (Objectively,
all of our
expectations are important; but some may be more important in your
relationship to the Church than others.)
b) Identify which of your expectations the Church does not meet.
c) Identify
which expectations the Church does adequately fulfill for you.
d) Identify unrealistic expectations you may project onto the Church from
your
personal experience or needs.
e) Identify which expectations the
Church has which you may not
be able to fulfill
f)
Consider how well another church will be able to fulfill your expectations.
This process helps us
examine our relationship
to the Church in a broader perspective. It helps us
identify more clearly why
our relationship to the Church is damaged or broken.
Just as in any other
personal relationship, the knowledge and insight you gain may
help you repair or rebuild the relationship, or it may simply
confirm that the relationship cannot be reclaimed at the present time.
In either case, it should
help you to move on with greater serenity and help you be more
intentional about what you seek in your relationship to another
church.
______________________________________________________________________
How
We Can Help
The
Catholic parishes
in Waterloo are eager to encourage and support our sisters and
brothers who do not feel at home in the Catholic faith
community.
If you or someone you know is an inactive,
alienated disillusioned or former Catholic, we welcome the
opportunity to discuss your concerns and questions in a safe,
understanding and nonjudgmental environment, even if you do not
anticipate resuming participation in the Catholic faith
community.
The Catholic parishes in Waterloo provide the following
opportunities:
Listening Sessions
These open-forum opportunities for Catholic Seekers and inactive Catholics held periodically
throughout the year in a
non-church location
A Seekers’ Faith-Sharing Group
This
faith-sharing group meets monthly to discuss the spiritual needs of Catholic
Seekers, inactive and alienated Catholics who are troubled by
their past or current relationship to the Catholic Church.
Click here for more information about the
Seeker's Group
Companions on the Journey
These small faith-sharing groups
meet monthly and provide an opportunity for spiritual discernment
under the direction of a professional spiritual director.
Click here for
more information about Companions on the Journey
Fundamental Issues Series
This developing series of adult formation
programs is designed to examine fundamental issues which many
believers take for granted and many Seekers want to explore.
Click here for more information about the Fundamental Issues
Series
Continuing Adult Formation,
Education
and
Spiritual Growth
Opportunities for Adults
The parishes sponsor a variety of continuing
formation, education and spiritual growth opportunities throughout the year.
We suggest that individuals who have been away from the Church
for some time may want to consider participating in a program
like Catholic 101 or The Rite
of Reception for Adults.
Click here for a Directory of Adult Formation Opportunities
Click here for Highlights of Adult
Formation Opportunities This Month
A Private Appointment
We would be happy to arrange a private, confidential appointment
with a pastor or
a pastoral staff member at any time.
If you or someone you know is an inactive, alienated or former
Catholic who
is interested in discussing their relationship to
the Catholic Church,
please contact a pastor or staff member at one of the Waterloo
parishes
or contact:
Director of Adult Faith Formation
320 Mulberry Street, Waterloo IA 50703
Phone: 319-234-9912
Email: DBQ208s3@arch.pvt.k12.ia.us
Posted 12.18.07
• Last Update 08.26.08
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