Posted on 07/20/2003 8:16:12 PM PDT by Antoninus
Diocesan Survey Finds Catholics’ Needs Unmet
(Special to The Wanderer)
CLEVELAND — The Diocese of Cleveland on April 17 released the "preliminary aggregate results" of a parish survey involving 129 participating parishes and 46,271 area Catholics.
The results of the survey, available on the Diocese of Cleveland’s web site (www.dioceseofcleve land.org), presents a glaring disconnect between what parishioners expect to be done well, and what is done well.
For example, in the category "how important to me," the number one issue for Cleveland-area Catholics was "Masses that are prayerful, reverent, and spiritually moving." But "how well done" are Masses in the diocese? Not very. Masses ranked 21 on a list of 39; that means that Cleveland Catholics thought the diocese performed much better in 20 other areas, such as "a church large enough for worship," and "well-maintained facilities and grounds."
Number two in what parishioners consider "important" was "the parish as a supportive community"; but that ranked 18 in a list of 39 in the "how well done" category.
Another surprising finding in the survey is the items Catholics did not consider high-priority issues, such as "outreach to nonpracticing Catholics" (28); "the availability of the Sacrament of Reconciliation" (36); "devotional services (rosary, stations, evening prayer)" (38).
"The really important revelation is that the bishop is doing a poor job because of the disparity between what’s important and the performance relative to the importance," observed one area Catholic who did not want to be named.
"Another way to look at it is the ‘how well done’ scores show what’s important to the bishop and his priests. Heading the list are a lot of facilities, maintenance, and administration issues. Then to see the low performance on issues like ‘outreach to nonpracticing Catholics’ ranking 36 of 39 and ‘encouragement of religious vocations’ ranking 38 of 39, sounds like the bishop and priests don’t care; buildings and grounds maintenance are far more important to them."
The survey is part of the Cleveland Diocese’s three-year-long Vibrant Parish Life program, launched by Bishop Anthony Pilla to encourage parishioners to look at every aspect of parish life to determine how vibrant their parish is and to compare it to the closest neighboring Catholic parish.
One of Pilla’s major concerns, as he expressed it in a pastoral letter launching the project, is the shrinking number of priests and the growing burden on religious and lay parish "ministers." In 1970, there were 53 priests ages 70 or older and 240 under the age of 40 in the Cleveland Diocese. By 2002, the number of older priests rose to 115, while the number of priests under 40 dropped to 28.
While the administrative pressures on priests increase, morale has taken a nosedive in the wake of revelations, in the past year, that 145 Cleveland priests were implicated in sex crimes. Some of that number had died, and some were saved by the statute of limitations.
The survey results indicating the Diocese of Cleveland has a hard time meeting the needs and expectations of Catholics does not bode well for Catholics’ confidence that the diocese can adequately address issues related to the clergy sex scandal.
Nevertheless, in June, Bishop Pilla announced the diocese would contract with the National Catholic Risk Retention Group and use its program, Virtus, to begin training priests, teachers, and volunteers how to recognize, and report to state officials, the sex abuse of children.
Cleveland joins about 30 other dioceses using Virtus, while an additional 30-40 dioceses will begin using the program later this year.
Part of the program, which costs from $25,000 to $100,000 per year, depending on the size of the diocese and how many of its programs it uses, will be targeted to parents and teachers, who will be given workbooks for teaching children to be aware of abusers.
The Virtus program is separate from another program the diocese is considering using, a curriculum to teach children in Catholic schools and religion programs about sexual abuse.
Very sad.
I agree with you here.
In fact, the Vatican ought to undertake a thorough, top-to-bottom review of what attracts men to the priesthood, and what it would take for the Church to attract more men to the priesthood.
The more studies on attracting men to ministry, the better.
Good for you! Let's have more stimulation on the religion forum.
This place has been dead for a couple of weeks.
It looks to me like the Catholiiics of Cleveland have been so poorly catechized they haven't a clue about what Catholicism is.
I think this survey is pretty much like the one that the USCCB put out about six months before they got blind sided by the scandal. I am not sure if they ever published the results which they had promised to do.I stopped filling it out when I realized that my answers,which reflected a deep,disatisfaction with the loopy,goofy,lavender church of phoenix merely would show that I was very unhappy. I recognized that this could be ticked as an unhappy parishioner and THEY could tack any reason they chose as responsible for my unhappiness.
So whereas my complaint was/is that we are a bland,anything goes,be happy,way cool parish,they could attribute my discontent with a lack of community,uninspiring worship services,harsh church teachings,dislike of Rome and not enough innovation. I was so mad I could have spit nickels. It was crystal clear they wanted a study to undergird more sweeping changes and they had a tool designed to give them just what they wanted.
These surveys are designed to allow the same license to interpret them to their liking as the documents of Vat II did.
The survey printed out so small I was unable to read it,can anyone print it decent size on this thread? Thanks for posting it Antoninus,but it looks like bad news to me.I know that "prayerful,reverent,spiritually uplifting" services sound good,but for all we know they want prayers to the buddha,more somber,serious liturgical dancers and that old fuzzy,warm spirituality. However with their 156 priests charged with some kind of abuse they must have a whole lot of big,big problems and basically have a helluva lot of nerve starting a new project with the cancer still metastasizing.
Look at the Universities in the various Dioceses and whatthey teach and how they refuse the mandatum.
Look at the parochial Schhols System in the Dioceses and what they teach - especially the scandalous sex courses.
Look at the absence of Adult Catechesis. It does no good to blame the parishoners. Establish a real adult catechetical program teaching Catholicism and folks will flock to it.
Listen to the Sermons at your local parish in the Dioceses. Invaribly they are centered on things, issues, programs etc indistinguisshable from the Salvation Army. Necessary but insufficient. We Catholics need to hear the fulness of truth and to be Preached to about Christ Crucified and how our individual sins put Him on that Cross and how our lives must be radically changed. We need to be preached to about Jesus and His Church He established, His Sacraments, His Grace, about Death, Judgement, Heaven and Hell. Frankly, I have about had it being told how damn loveable and wonderful I am.
Look at the Seminaries in the various Dioceses. The younfg priests I have met have ben poorly insructed - one recent Ordained Priest wrote a letter to his parishoners explaining how Jesus went to Hell to preach to the lost souls there after the Crucifixion. Another recently ordained young man appears to think he was ordained a social worker.
Look at the Churches being "renovated" in the various Dioceses.
The Crisis in the Catholic Church is chronic and the responses, so far, have been weak and ineffective.
I think a Papal Legate is mandatory. Only an incredibly strong and Holy man can effect the changes necessary.
Business as usual will usually fail when it comes to things Spiritual.
Yikes! The Archdiocese of Philadelphia is at least twice the size of Cleveland, yet we only had 35 pedophile poofter priests in the past 50 years, and I think either a couple or none in the past ten. Of course, our seminary, St. Charles Borromeo, has a "DO ASK and DO TELL and DO KICK OUT" policy towards fags, and Cardinals Krol and Bevilacqua also didn't ordain them if found out.
Funny too, we also have a huge Catholic school population (I think its 80,000 kids) including in the suburbs, about 800 sisters teaching in the schools, a relatively large number of vocations, and a generally healthier attitude and level of trust out here. I'm also unaware of any "Call-to-Action" type of parishes. Think its related?
Some teaching from St. Thomas Aquinas is in order for you.
"Reply to Objection 1. When Christ descended into hell, all who were in any part of hell were visited in some respect: some to their consolation and deliverance, others, namely, the lost, to their shame and confusion." (Summa, Pt III, Q 52, Art 6)"I answer that, A thing is said to be in a place in two ways. First of all, through its effect, and in this way Christ descended into each of the hells, but in different manner. For going down into the hell of the lost He wrought this effect, that by descending thither He put them to shame for their unbelief and wickedness: but to them who were detained in Purgatory He gave hope of attaining to glory: while upon the holy Fathers detained in hell solely on account of original sin, He shed the light of glory everlasting. ...
"Reply to Objection 3. These words of Peter are referred by some to Christ's descent into hell: and they explain it in this sense: "Christ preached to them who formerly were unbelievers, and who were shut up in prison"--that is, in hell--"in spirit"--that is, by His soul. Hence Damascene says (De Fide Orth. iii): "As He evangelized them who are upon the earth, so did He those who were in hell"; not in order to convert unbelievers unto belief, but to put them to shame for their unbelief, since preaching cannot be understood otherwise than as the open manifesting of His Godhead. which was laid bare before them in the lower regions by His descending in power into hell." (Summa, Pt III, Q 52, Art 2)
Of course, I could be wrong...
Remember our go-round about those who die without baptism? Are you familiar with this verse from Samuel? This is news to me:
2 Samuel 12
22 He answered, "While the child was still alive, I fasted and wept. I thought, 'Who knows? The LORD may be gracious to me and let the child live.'
23 But now that he is dead, why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I will go to him, but he will not return to me."
Considering that David is speaking these words, it's reasonable to assume that David will eventually "go to him" in Heaven.
Given this Pope's views on collegiality, the probability of a legate in his papacy is very remote.
Why is this surprising? The need for Confession is rarely if ever preached. The obligation to evangelize is rarely if ever preached. I'm 41 and don't remember devotions of any kind. And I live in Massachusetts, where 50% of the population is Catholic.
Good point.
You said it. If I had to pick one, I'd say that the inanity is the worst.
As far as King David's son goes, St. Thomas held that children in the Old Covenant could be justfied by the faith of their parents:
"I answer that, As stated above (6), Christ's descent into hell had its effect of deliverance on them only who through faith and charity were united to Christ's Passion, in virtue whereof Christ's descent into hell was one of deliverance. But the children who had died in original sin were in no way united to Christ's Passion by faith and love: for, not having the use of free will, they could have no faith of their own; nor were they cleansed from original sin either by their parents' faith or by any sacrament of faith." (Summa, Pt III, Q 52, Art 7)
How then, can we say "Where sin abounded, grace has abounded more?" if in the Old Covenant, people could save their children through their faith, but today, it takes Holy Baptism? It is precisely because grace has made true faith much more widely known and easily obtainable, and Baptism is rendered so easy and certain in the remission of original sin from infants.
"On the contrary, Augustine says (Contra Faust. xix) that the sacraments of the Old Law 'were abolished because they were fulfilled; and others were instituted, fewer in number, but more efficacious, more profitable, and of easier accomplishment.' I answer that, As the ancient Fathers were saved through faith in Christ's future coming, so are we saved through faith in Christ's past birth and Passion." (Summa, Pt III, Q 61, Art 4)
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