The Message Monthly -- for Catholics of Southwestern Indiana 5
Your parish should be family of believers
you've ever watched the
show "Cheers,"
a've probably witnessed the
of Norm Peterson. Norm
portly everyman character
OCcupies the same barstool
on end, alternately
mugs of beer, ban-
his buddy Cliff, and mumbling in-
of realistic wisdom such as: "It's a
world out there, and I'm wearing
Ea underwear!"
ch time Norm walks into Cheers M that's
of the fictitious Boston tavern -- and
, everybody", he hears a chorus of
Saout: "Hey, Norm!" And you know im-
Norm is home. He has entered a
he feels welcome and comfortable.
on his barstool, you recall these
the program's theme song: "You
go where everybody knows your name."
Catholics spend at least 60 to 90
our parish churches each week with
or hundreds of fellow believers. Car-
would not want or expect everyone
turn to you and shout: "Hey, Jane!"
John!" as you enter the building. But
at home? Do you feel welcome?
that you are there, or are you
dy that hovering, ever-vigilant
ueeze into a crowded pew?
is -- or should be -- so much
just the place where you "go to
Commentary
By JUSTIN CLEMENTS
Director of Development
i church." A parish is a commu-
nity; it is a family of believers
who share similar values and
dreams, who support and care for
one another, who espouse the
same faith and try to follow the
same gospel message of Jesus
Christ. Ideally, every member
should feel attached to this family: cared about
and cared for, as well as caring for fellow mem-
bers.
But it doesn't take a Ph.D. in Sociology to
observe that, even as we welcome eager, enthu-
siastic new members into our Church through
marvelous R.C.I.A. programs in our parishes, we
are simultaneously losing many life-long
Catholics to other religious groups or to no par-
ticular religion at all.
In addition to those we are losing there are
many people in our churches every weekend
whose faith and involvement in parish life is
non-existent. As a perceptive friend of mine
once observed: "I look at some of their glazed-
over expressions and conclude that they are
spiritually dead -- they just haven't been buried
yet!"
A pastor recently told me that every time
someone leaves his parish for reasons other than
moving to another town or neighborhood, he
feels a personal hurt; somehow his parish has
not served that person or family well. To his
great credit, he makes an effort to contact them
to find out what caused their decision. In most
cases, the response is the same: "We just didn't
feel part of things; we didn't feel welcome; no
one seemed to care if we belonged to the parish
or not."
Well, you might say, just whose fault is that?
Do the people in the pews have a responsibility
to step forward and become involved, or must
the parish family reach out and draw them in?
The answer is: both are responsible, the parish
needs to provide a wide range of ways to engage
its parishioners, and members must take advan-
tage of opportunities to become involved.
But most of us are not aggressive "joiners."
We need to be sought out and invited in. In addi-
tion, we need to find ways to energize and en-
courage those who do step forward into the ac-
tive life of the parish community.
Business leaders agree that it takes ten times
more effort and energy to make a new customer
than it does to keep an existing one. We put
enormous amounts of time and manpower into
our programs to prepare and welcome new mem-
bers into our parishes - and that is certainly not
wasted effort. But we need to rethink the way we
nurture, engage and encourage our old friends as
well.
One way many parishes are addressing this
issue is through programs of Stewardship Con-
version focusing on Stewardship of Time and
Talent. In future articles, we will take a closer
look at some of the ways parishes are attempting
to include all of their members in the life and
work of the parish family.
Synod: The demands of the law are written in our hearts
my uncle were a . mixed-up world if we don't shelf, we have changed some laws, but not our
Senator and a i spend a minimum of 15 minutes lives. We would be doing worse than simply
diplomat. And he Commentary . every day entertaining the divine spinning our wheels. We would be killing what
say he'd arrive on By FATHER SY Guest in our hearts, the Spirit is trying to accomplish in this Synod.
evening and would LOEHRLEIN Jesus put it this way: "Re- For "the written law kills, but the Spirit gives
sit with me on Thurs- form yourlives! The kingdom of life" (2 Corinthians 3:6} .....
arrived on heaven is at hand. (Matthew Lord God, we have been praying for our up-
evening, I'd tell him, 4:17). We reform our lives by giv-
get up early to get to work. But I ing up hope of finding true happiness in the coming Synod. We have been asking You to "as-
like to sleep in. Feel free to raid the lovely things God created. And we find our hap- sist us in living holy lives". How can we do that
en you get hungry. And I'll be back to- piness "at hand," that is, He is in our hearts. If without prayer? Jesus, can we expect You to
". What would you think of my this invitation of Jesus is not the primary pur- "empower us with Your Spirit to use fully the
le I have an important guest at pose of our upcoming Synod, I think we are in many gifts You have given us" if we don't let the
my own agenda out- for a major disappointment, spirit speak to our hearts? How can we have the
Some may think the main purpose of the wisdom "to see Your plan for the Church" and
exactly the way we often treat Synod is to pass some laws to make our diocese the humility to allow "our plans to be faithful to
confesses to God: "You were run more smoothly. Certainly, there should be Yours?"
I was outside, and it was there some laws passed. But if that's al! we do, we are
for you. In my unloveliness, I dealing in externals; we are forgetting that the If each of us did little more than spend 15
:o the lovely things which you cre- "demands of the law are written in our hearts" minutes a day praying for the Synod, we cer-
Office Readings, Wednesday, (Romans 2:15). tainly would accomplish a great deal. If we don't
in Ordinary Time). I don't see how If all we do is pass a few laws and write commit ourselves to daily prayer, how can we
can keep our sanity in today's crazy, them into some books and put them on the hope to accomplish anything?
New state law bans assisted suicide
WILLIAMS scribe, or dispense pain med- questing aid from family percent "contribution," or come and poor Hoosiers. The
icConference ication that might hasten or members, and report to the tax, on hospitals continues to program drew criticism for its
increase the risk of death. Ad- legislature at the end of the fuel debate, large number of services but a
has a law pro- vance health care directives, year. A proposal to reduce eligi- relatively small group of par-
suicide, such as the living will and Earlier in the session, law- bility for pregnant womeh ticipants.
signed durable power of attorney, makers concerned about the and children struck the ICC Rising costs of services, in-
30, ini- are also exempt from the law. actions of Dr. Jack Kevorkian as bad public policy, creasing number of eligible
ban on as- An interim study commis- in Michigan and others who "Our concern is for those persons, and reporting of
with a Class C sion on assisted suicide is- might follow, responded by low-income pregnant women abuse of the program boosted
sues is also established under passing SB 477 which the who may no longer receive a study of program funding
:Ontains excep- the new law. The commission governor approved, prenatal care necessary for a and operation. Limiting set-
health care will examine difficult cases, Now into a special session, healthy pregnancy," said Dr. vices offered and cracking
administer, pre- such as a terminal patient re- the Indiana General Assem- M. Desmond Ryan, ICC exec- down on abuse were some
bly continues to battle over utive director. "The state initial ideas on the table for
the budget. Controlling a bur- should not attempt to solve saving money. However, the
, /. geoning Medicaid program budgetary problems by in- total $900 million cut
stymied progress in the legis- creasing lurdens on families needed, according to the gov-
Box 68 • Montgomery, Indiana 47558 lature. Controversy surrounds and children." ernor, to close the gap re-
- mains a struggle for
Traylor funding measures proposed Indiana's Medicaid pro- lawmakers.
Phone: 486-3285 by the governor and both par- gram provides health and
ties in the Statehouse. A one nursing home care for h)w-in- Legislators now have an
extra 30 days in which to
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