Friday, May 2, 2014

The Times They Are a-Changin'...

Since it was posted on Fr. Anthony Chadwick's blog, I have been giving thought to the article here. Essentially, Fr. Chadwick discusses the idea of "basic ecclesial communities" and their growing importance. I will admit my bias first: I have always found myself to be within the relative "fringe" of Catholicism. Therefore, small communities are something to which I have become accustomed. In speaking with an Episcopal rector friend recently, I noted that it is something that they have also come to expect. He noted that it was great if they had 20-30 at a liturgy. This is in a church that could seat 150.

So, what does this mean for our future? More and more churches of various denominations are experiencing this phenomenon. Whole books have been written on it, in fact. But what does it mean to those of us in the Catholic periphery? I think it means that we will see more and more mission communities. Groups of people who no longer have access to the finer means of worship--a building, a large parking lot, a social hall, etc. Among some groups of liturgical Christians, this has been the norm. Many Orthodox, Continuing Anglican, and "Extraordinary Form" Roman Catholics have met in hotels, community halls, etc.

This is, frankly, a hard thing to sell. People generally do not like to "jump" into things. There is a certain level of comfort in going to a packed church and being anonymous. It's why many young people in America are drawn to "Faith, Grace, TVChurch, or @Church" named groups that allow you to come as you are and interact as much as you want. It is relatively terrifying to go to someone's house with 4 other people to assist at Mass.

But, I think an increasing number of groups do not have a choice. We are already seeing these "base" communities within the Ordinariate. More communities are meeting within their local Roman Catholic churches. Will they themselves grow into a community that can support a parish? Perhaps. Or, if the articles lamenting the slow growth of the Ordinariate are correct then perhaps not. But, maybe that is not such a bad thing. Great communities now exist where 3-4 congregations share a church building but each has its very distinct charism and style. 

In such a model the role of community becomes increasingly important, because people are much more visible to each other. This can be terrifying, sure, because there is much more accountability to each other. Some will drop off and others will rotate into such an arrangement. Still others will come semi-regularly and there will be an initial and awkward conversation that we clergy always have when we see someone in the street. "Oh Father, I am sorry I haven't been to Mass because I have been busy doing..." 

Priests in this model will be forced to be "priest workers," or priestly men who also have a vocation in the secular world. We will have to release ourselves from the idea of a priestly caste, or a group of men whose vocation it is to be a priest all day, every day exclusively without other means of financial support. But, we may have no choice...

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