Catholicity

This past week I attended a Catholic Peacebuilding and Reconciliation workshop in Cagayan de Oro, in the north-central part of the island. The workshop was organized by the Catholic bishops here, the Catholic Peacebuilding Network, and Catholic Relief Services/Philippines. The workshop was intended to be a resource for Catholic Sisters, priests, lay people, and bishops here in Mindanao. The aim was to empower these church leaders to carry out peacebuilding and reconciliation in their communities, particularly with the Muslim population. There is much animosity between Christians and Muslims, history is blurred to place blame on either side, and there are serious biases and prejudice. I was privileged enough in the workshop, however, to hear Christians struggling to come to terms with their biases against Muslims, disown these biases and try to turn over a new leaf for peacebuilding. There was such a positive energy and spirit by the end of the conference. None of the participants thought this work would be easy, but the conference did its job in empowering them to know that they can do it.


Personally, I was in my element at this workshop. I was at ease speaking with priests and Sisters and bishops. I enjoyed the humble and sincere prayer for peace. The theological and scriptural presentations brought me back to my undergrad days. My heart was full of joy as I saw women stand up among the men and represent a Catholic diocese, and as I heard Sisters rail against nuclear power and environmental degradation. This workshop reminded me of why I stay Catholic.

A beautiful new church in Cagayan de Oro

One of the things I wanted out of this field experience, as I chose a secular organization as my internship placement, was to know how I would feel working in a secular organization. I was raised Catholic all my life and was a leader in my youth group in my home parish. In undergrad I worked with the U.S. Bishops and went to a Catholic university. I then spent a year working with the Sisters of St. Joseph. Now I am at Notre Dame. I am the near epitome of a cradle Catholic. And if its not Catholic, I'm usually trying to soak up some other religious teaching or spirituality by reading Thich Nhat Hanh or attending Nordic prayer services at the Lutheran church. What would it be like if I worked in a secular organization? Well, I now know the answer. It’s fine. But I get a particular joy in working with an organization or a movement that has a Catholic (or at least religious or spiritual) character to it.

But as some of you may ask or feel -- but the Catholic Church is on the wrong side of a lot of modern issues, why be a part of that? How in anyway can that be fulfilling? I know, I ask myself the same questions often. I do have many issues with the church. But I still cannot leave the church. I have come to terms with the ambiguity of loving the church and being frustrated by it at the same time. While I don’t judge those who want to leave, I think they have perfectly good reasons. I want to stay and try to bring about the reform, while slow, that does take place in the Catholic Church. I would love to do peacebuilding within the Church. I also stay because Catholicity is deeply rooted in my identity and as much as I try to shake it, I can't.

During the workshops a presentation was given on the Catholic imaginary (this theology is being developed and written about by Fr. Robert Schreiter of CTU). The Catholic imaginary is this sort of mindset, the way Catholics see the world, even if they don't realize it, based on how we have been taught to be as Catholics. Everyone has different imaginaries based on religion, family upbringing, ethnicity, etc. The Catholic imaginary is distinguished by such things as sacramentality (the belief that one can find God and God's grace in the things of this world), ritual, eucharist, and a hope for a better future , even in the midst of wrongdoing and hurt in the world. The workshop also presented the long tradition of Catholic social teaching, its modern defense of human rights, the church's move from pacifism, to just war theory, and now, slowly, its coming to a strong defense of nonviolent resistance. Yes, the Catholic Church, while it has these great traditions has a long history of violence, prejudice, and corruption. And yes, on many issues today it is not moving forward, it is not getting the full concept of inclusion or human rights, for example. But it still does have this amazing tradition from which I can draw inspiration and hope for the future. As a person imbued with the Catholic imaginary I say yes to all the issues, and then look forward to the hope for a better day.

Most importantly to me, the church is made up of its people, everyday people, working hard to make a difference and trying to bring something positive to this world. And the church, as shown above, has a number of resources to help these people find meaning and inspiration for their work. Yes, there are a bunch of men in another place that are hurting many people, including myself, deeply. But I can't turn away from the spiritual and theological tradition that motivates nuns to protest and get arrested at the School of the Americas every year, or priests to risk their lives to reach out to "the other" in their communities, and lay people to take up leadership positions for social justice, peace, and prayer.

There are many other ideologies and religions that motivate people to do these same things. And I could work for peace and social justice in a number of different ways. But I was imbued with the Catholic way of seeing how to do these things. And I can't ignore that it is what most powerfully motivates me to stand with these Sisters, priests, and lay people to support them in their work.

It's a new day for peace!