The Tide Is Turning Toward Catholicism: The Laity

CatholicExchange.com ^ | July 16, 2007 | David Hartline

[Salvation]

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The Tide Is Turning Toward Catholicism: The Laity

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July 16, 2007

It started with anti-Catholic flyers on the windshields of cars in a Catholic church's parking lot.  One could argue that the modern post-Vatican II Catholic apologetics movement started with that act.  San Diego businessman Karl Keating became so upset about these flyers, he felt called to take action.  He subsequently started Catholic Answers and one of his first employees was Patrick Madrid.  For over 25 years, Catholic Answers has been providing Catholics with answers about their faith along with Scriptural, Catechetical and other faith enhancing materials.  My book, The Tide Is Turning Toward Catholicism, tells the stories of many individuals who have had their own epiphanies and decided it is up to them to help spread the Faith handed down from the Apostles.

Some say that Vatican II itself was the ultimate empowering agent for the Catholic laity.  While that may be true, it has been those Catholic men and women who have supported the Church's teachings and adhered to orthodoxy that have helped the Church grow and prosper.  By the 1980s, many Catholics, especially those born in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s, had come of age lacking the basic understandings of much of their faith.  As the group born in the 1950s began having children, they craved a better understanding of their faith for themselves and their children.

Bible and Catechism studies were needed to help explain the faith, but establishing these programs in parishes was often derailed by opposition.  As the 1980s and 1990s wore on, Catholic lay people began to become involved in other means of understanding and spreading the faith.  In 1996, Catholic radio had a paltry 30 stations compared to nearly 2,000 Protestant, mainly Evangelical, stations.  However, because of more Catholic lay involvement over the last decade, more that 200 Catholic radio stations can now be found on the air. 

EWTN is a giant in Catholic mass media.  It is hard to imagine where Catholic teaching and learning would be without the faith and perseverance of Mother Angelica.  Without the hundreds and thousands of lay employees and volunteers at EWTN and other Catholic apostolates, one can hardly imagine where the Church would be.  Shows like Mother Angelica Live and Marcus Grodi's The Journey Home would not be possible.  Who knows how these shows have affected the countless millions who have stayed faithful to the Church or have come home to the Faith?

A shining example of Catholic lay involvement is the Internet and specifically the Catholic blogosphere.  While Catholicism has been playing catch-up in radio and television, that is not the case with the Internet and the blogosphere.  Catholic laity are in the forefront of evangelizing and defending the Faith.  While there are thousands of Catholic websites that zealously defend the Church, there are but a handful of heterodox or liberal Catholic websites questioning the Church's teachings.  Pope John Paul II's call for a springtime evangelization of the Church has been answered.  Indeed the tide is turning!

 

David J. Hartline was a Catholic school teacher, coach, principal and diocesan administrator.  He founded the CatholicReport.org website in 2005.

[rjp2005]

Yes that is it’s present state. But I’m talking about years down the line when the next Charlemagne comes to Europe’s rescue.

[Salvation]

That has happened to me in person too!

[Salvation]

I think it all takes time. The Pope is replacing many bishops from the Bernardin era with orthodox bishops.

[Salvation]

** Europe recovering it’s faith and being rebuilt as a truly Christian nation again.**

This too, will take lots of time. Pray for Europe right now.

[Salvation]

I saw that too, but decided not to ping him. God bless you.

[trisham]

Wow. What a shame that he’s not contributing to the discussion now.

[Clemenza]

Although not a member of the Church (haven’t been for years), it used to appall me how the Church would push immigration and natural birth, but do NOTHING in terms of outreach to evangelize in the United States. This appears to be changing.

[Salvation]

**To make a long and horrible story short, the DRE wanted suggestions to improve the parish to come from the Protestant churches in the area. Any suggestion of Catholic (like an explaination of the sacraments by the Knights of Columbus inserted in the bulletin) was poo-pooed.**

Huh! I hope more people vote with their feet and tell the priest why.

[Salvation]

In my judgment, it is changing. Look at all the Catholics here on FR! Many of our ping lists are lloonngg.

[trisham]

I wonder how many there are? It would be interesting to know, I think.

[Salvation]

Didn’t know that at all.

[Pinkbell]

I have a membership at Catholic Answers. I’ve asked the apologists three questions. They answered one. I’ve never participated on the forum, but I do read it. It seems like some of the posters there are liberal Catholics. For example, it seemed there were some supporting homosexuality. I also read posts from Catholics who seem to really know their faith. Overall, though, the best Catholics I have found are right here at FR.

[Salvation]

**Overall, though, the best Catholics I have found are right here at FR.**

My opinion too! We tend to keep each other in line. I am always asking for advice from a couple of them.

[Ransomed]

Every Church in our area seemed to be liberal at one time. A few years ago we got a new Bishop and although he was considered a liberal by some in his old diocese, compared to what we had this Bishop seems very strict. Thirty years of “anything goes” from the old Bishop, however, has left the area I live in a wasteland — you shoulda seen the religious ed. I received, after I was done I don’t reckon that the Unitarians woulda took me. Hopefully this will change under the new Bishop, who isn’t especially conservative, but does enforce church teaching (I hope he doesn’t realize what he could get away with around here if he wanted to...).

Freegards

[Ransomed]

Yeah, I think you are right — but Catholics shouldn’t have to wait THIRTY YEARS or so for bad teachers to be corrected/removed. Waiting THIRTY YEARS only entrenches those elements that bad Bishops teach amongst the laity, to the point that the laity will not even realize that something is wrong with their understanding of the faith.

Freegards

[Pinkbell]

Actually, a lot of Catholics here are more conservative than I am when it comes to the Tridentine Mass. I think it is wonderful the Pope brought it back, but I enjoy the Mass in English a lot. My favorite Mass is a youth Mass at one local Church that has a youth, contemporary choir (drums and guitars). My dad doesn’t like it as well because he is more traditional. However, I love it. I always feel very close to the Lord when I go to that Mass.