2022/04/10 Renew My Church REFLECTION

-Jim Fitzgerald, Member of Finance Council

Over the years, I have wondered why I continue to be active in the life of the church when so many of my family and friends have left it behind. One explanation that seems to make sense to me is that I was extremely fortunate to go to a Jesuit high school and college. Both these institutions allowed me the freedom to explore my faith with friends and faculty in a very safe space. There I was able to create my own relationship with Jesus and my faith without the judgment and the “noise” often associated with Catholicism.

Today, I find my faith challenged by a number of things about the Catholic Church that make me sad:

• I am sad about the statistics that show declining

  • vocations both male and female

  • mass attendance

  • retreat attendance

  • receipt of the sacraments

• I am sad about the sexual abuse scandal that seems so pervasive

• I am sad about the church’s position on homosexuality

• I am sad about the dogma that often seems to overshadow all the good things about our Catholic faith

So why do I keep coming back week after week? I keep coming back because my Catholic faith grounds me and provides a framework that I can use to navigate the good and the bad that this world throws at me day after day. I keep coming back because Saint Clement is a place that has welcomed me from the first moment I set foot in the chapel over 30 years ago. This was made even more clear to me when I spent five years overseas and realized that one of the things I missed the most was the Clement Community.

I asked to be a part of Saint Clement’s participation in Renew My Church because I wanted to learn more about the current state of the Catholic Church here in Chicago. I have to admit that at the first meeting I was a bit put off when terms like “evangelization” and “missionary discipleship” were thrown about because my faith life has always been very personal and private. However, as I thought more about it, I realized that the Renew My Church initiative gave me an opportunity to reexamine the reasons I am still active in the life of the Church and these challenges to my Catholic faith. I came to realize that I can do more to help people feel welcome in the church and create their own personal relationship with Jesus. I also realized that I have a very powerful ally in this process – the Saint Clement parish community. There are so many great things happening here that it is hard not to get excited about the potential we have. If you have any doubt, scroll through this entire email or pay attention to the number of announcements after each mass. 

I am personally challenging myself to make a conscious effort to be open and honest about my faith and about my active church life. All too often I fail to mention any church activities when talking about plans to friends and family. I am also challenging myself to extend personal invitations to family, friends and acquaintances for opportunities to participate in the many activities offered by Saint Clement. I know the power of a personal invitation in my own life so if it works for me, why wouldn’t I try it with others.

I encourage you to think about what brings you to mass each week and why you keep coming back despite things in the church that make you sad. My hope is that your reflection will suggest ways to share your concept of “church” with others, which I believe will lead to an increase in participation in the life of Saint Clement and the church.   

At the end of the day, each of us has a part to play in the renewal of our church and I hope and pray that we are successful.