Neither Retreat nor Accomodation

Several times this year I've been away from my home church, Calvert Chapel, for Sunday Mass. Twice I sat through service on hotel chairs, those stackable, armless things in halls. Both times I came away distinctly unsatisfied and ill-nourished. The first was on Independence Day, at a meeting of Communion and Liberation in Scranton. The other was in September, at St. James Parish Family in Phoenix. The two places are vastly different, from opposite ends of the ideological spectrum of American Catholicism. [To review, I define the two ends as Hierarchical and Communitarian. Hierarchicalists prefer Latin, Gregorian Chant, and Mary. In the Avery Dulles schema, their church is strong on Instiution and Sacrament. In society, they focus on abortion and other life issues, and lean more heavily Republican. Communitarians prefer vernacular, Marty Haugen, and the Holy Spirit. In the Dulles model, their church is strong on Servant and Mystical Communion. In society, they focus on poverty and other social justice issues, and lean more heavily Democrat.] I'm going to talk about my experiences at both places. The comments are going to lean toward the critical, as you might have guessed from the title. They propose two views of the future of Romanism in the United States, and both are lacking.

St James Parish Family

I arrived about 20 minutes early for a 6 PM Mass. As I walked into the obviously new, non-landscaped building, I was struck by the lack of ornateness. The bulletin said "In Wendo Kani Dichiel Kende", but there were no greeters. (That's "You are a Stranger here but once" in Luc. The phrase appears on the bulletin in thirteen languages.) I thought I had entered the parish hall by accident; there were no Stations of the Cross on the walls. The mostly youth choir was there, and I could see a tabernacle in the corner (enclosed, interestingly, in glass doors), so I figured it out. The youth choir was practicing. As I waited, the church filled; by the start of Mass, basically every seat was taken with people standing in the back. Encouraging, though I was distracted by the severe amount of talking before Mass. It felt very Protestant. The Mass that followed had a few peculiarities. We began with an introduction to our neighbors. The Gloria was not sung, although there was a baptism, which might explain it. (No, I don't know all the rules.) Also, people talked during the homily, a meditation on mercy through the Prodigal Son, that day's Gospel. After the homily, two community members came up to remind us of the miserable Catholic phrase, "Time Talent and Treasure." (I've threatened violence on the Calvert financial person if that phrase ever becomes part of a campaign.) Then, the baptism. A few other things were missing during the service. the "Deliver us from Evil" after the Our Father and the new GIRM rules - though there were complaints about how the new "GIRM" forces us to use metal vessels, and how much that cost. On the other hand, I didn't know there was a song for the sign of peace; apparently there is. And there was plenty of applause - seven times, in fact. And plenty of announcements. And plenty of modern songs.

I have a copy of their bulletin, which has a schedule featuring AA meetings, Weight Watchers, Boy Scouts, a Financial Workshop, and a concert by a youth choir published singer. To be fair, it also includes a prayer group, a retreat weekend, and adoration. It's very hard to qualify on the PLSJ ratio, as both appear low. [Haven't heard of it? It's one of my inventions, the Pro-Life Social-Justice ratio. Go into a Catholic church, take the bulletin, and count the number of references to Hierarchical issues like pro-life groups and Marian prayer, against the Communitarian references like homeless pantries and social action groups. Bonus points are awarded for pulpit announcements.] Maybe I'll introduce a new dimension, the Family Support axis. If I had to pick, I'd call it Communitarian, because of the Mass. In reality, though, it felt very Protestant. I almost expected "Shine Jesus Shine" to break out in the parking lot. From my visit, St James was a great example of Accomodation - adapting evangelical megachurch and secular marketing practices and techniques.

Communion and Liberation

I was invited and attended a portion of the East Coast summer gathering, teasingly called "vacation", over Independence Day. I flew out Friday evening. However, United decided that my luggage shouldn't accompany me. This was a problem that I could temporarily solve, as my Marriott Rewards Visa with its $9000 credit limit bought me new shorts and shirts, which had a side benefit of replacing some old ratty stuff. Purchasing postponed my arrival until after the group had left on an excursion. (The luggage eventually arrived Sunday night.) When I arrived, I noticed the dining hall requested pants and discouraged T-shirts at dinner. As I hadn't purchased new pants, I arranged with the desk clerk to meet with the maitre'd if needed. Later, the community returned. There was a nice talk, a low-quality Mass, making the glaring omission of not knowing the name of the local bishop, and then dinner. I expected folks to take time to change. There were other groups, including a family reunion, who at least followed the spirit of the regulations. Instead, seemingly 200 people - almost all violating the posted code - flooded the dining hall and demanded immediate attention from the overwhelmed staff. The next evening, there was an announcement that the staff had promised to improve dinner service because of complaints. I cringed in embarrassment, and instead made a point to compliment the waitstaff when I left. Since my hostess had been unavoidably detained until Sunday afternoon, I took a explorer's approach - sitting down with a group, introducing myself, and talking. Some people took the approach better than others; I met people I liked, and some I didn't.

I'd talk about the bulletin or program, except that there wasn't one. Instead, the leaders announced just the next activity and its time. This led to mass chaos. For instance, Sunday morning the activity was to travel to a nearby park. The departure time was 10:00, and it was announced as vitally important to leave on time. Because of my luggage hassles, I wound up leaving at 5 after, terrified I would be embarassingly late. I was first to arrive by 6 minutes. Perhaps because my outsider status implied knowledge, two people asked me if I knew the time of Sunday Mass. It was squeezed into roughly thirty minutes between a play (a very good one) and Sunday night dinner. The PLSJ ratio was Hierarchical; there was plenty of time for the Angelus, and the speaker in the political discussion focused firmly on Magisterium issues including local control. Over the weekend, there were lots of references to the Founder, Luigi Giussani. Some reached cultic proportions. For instance, there was a half hour of classical music each morning, because the Founder said that people should listen to it. (Somehow I managed to miss that part.) The adornment of the conference room described the slogan for the year, describing Christ's Victory as the Victory over Nothingness. That Nothingness is the key. From my visit, CL was a great example of Retreat - emphasizing Catholic distinctiveness, viewing the world as depraved (nothingness, as the saying) that must be avoided or escaped.

So What's Wrong?

First, organization. Perhaps it's the fact that I'm a statistician, and my job involves order. Or perhaps it's that lots of my volunteering at Calvert House involves planning about seating depth and traffic flow and holy water vessels. Or perhaps it's some hidden Germanic part of my ancestry. In any event, I expect good organization. I want greeters and ushers that work, proper schedules, events on time that flow smoothly. Neither place did well, and that's not good. The question then becomes if the lack of planning is due to incompetence or malfeasance. It's a judgment call, really, particularly since nonprofits and churches don't attract a lot of logistical types. In my mind, the problems at St James are not serious. I did arrive very early, perhaps before the ushers. Also, given the style of service, a strong presence would be difficult to establish. (More on the service later.) While I'd like things to flow more smoothly, one could say that at almost every house of worship.

CL, on the other hand, showed a deliberate attempt to control its membership through confusion. Even though there were turn by turn instructions to the various fields and trails, it was apparently too difficult to publish a schedule of activities. Furthermore, the verbally stated times were not upheld. This led to viciously and painfully rushing the Masses, the high point of a retreat, to scamper into the dining room on time. Some people have suggested that this casual attitude came from the Italian background of the leadership. I'm not willing to accept that. Not taking care of the membership is harmful and sinful. There were members physically unable to attend the more demanding activities. How would they know when the next event started? Like the Mass, an obligation of us Catholics? How could a member, or a visitor like me, prepare for a talk or play or discussion properly? The activities, including the remote location, looked suspiciously like milieu control.

Although practical issues are important, you're likely more interested in the theological stuff. Why not Accomodation? Why not Retreat? Let's start with St James. The St James service misses a lot of what's distinctive about Catholicism. There's no saints, no Stations, no rosary, no chant. And while American Romanism in my mind has gone too far towards Mary, it can't be abandoned either. If our Masses become a Protestant service plus trans-substantiation, that's no good. Evangelicals are better at that type of service; they have less restrictions, they have better music, they have more energetic preachers. Even worse, though not a real problem at St James, is attempting to imitate secular culture. It's just a little noticeable, like the concert by a young choir member. To the unchurched, can that concert be as exciting, as electric, as say Britney Spears? I have this term, the "Britney Effect", for when pop culture explodes at its finest. It is distracting; it is alluring; and like evangelism, not a game Catholicism can win on those terms. The message, the philosophy, the hope of Catholicism differ. We need natural law and morals, we need witness, we need to show the Jesus thing. Someone once commented after they met me that I looked different; I was one who for which life was not pointless. The difference is part of the Christian message and what St James lacked.

CL has no problem with the distinctions of Catholicism; instead, they miss the commonalities. Twice a speaker said that "outside the movement - excuse me, church - there is no salvation." The unguarded pause reveals a great deal. Members described to me how they often left their normal parishes to concentrate on group things. There was a heavy reliance on one man, the founder. (Although that's a bit suspicious, I am not calling CL a sect or accusing it of pernicious influence, unlike Opus Dei.) American guitar music was treated as some secret to be enjoyed under the stands, but not a serious part of worship. There's a lack of outwardness. The earth does not contain nothingness; it was created by God, it has beauty and romance, we're called to speak with it, we're called to evangelize it.

Most importantly, both Retreat and Accomodation miss the fifth and final basic Dulles model. Neither is very strong on kergyma, or Herald. They're not set up to proclaim the Christian message; one refuses to engage, while the other dilutes. That frustrates me. It's almost embarassment at the idea of being Catholic or Christian or religious, either by making it more palatable and relevant or making it a private manner. I'm not ashamed by my faith. Over the past 30 years, Evangelical Christianity has realized the power of proclamation. Not only does it increase numbers, as the last versus of Matthew impose, it can strengthen the internal life of members through commitment and support. Until the two places I've seen, and Catholic leadership in general, realize the necessity of strong proclamation, I'll continue to walk away lacking.

Written in mid-November, 2004. With the thesis, there are so many other priorities that it takes a while.