By Alison Pope
Associate Director, Office of Evangelization and Catechesis
Since the Covid-19 pandemic began in March, I have heard from a number of people of varying ages who have felt disconnected from the church. This is understandable to a degree, because for a period we could not gather in person for Mass and were cut off from that physical connection to our faith. At the same time, I have also heard some express frustration in their perception that the parish staff or priests were not doing enough to reach out. While I’m sure we all could do a better job of connecting and engaging with parishioners who feel disconnected, some of this disconnect has been because we have been approaching the faith from a consumer mentality.
I cannot count the number of times that somebody would approach me while I was in parish ministry and share their great idea of a new program they wanted implemented, or a new activity they were sure would change the parish for the better. Yet, more often than not, when I would then invite that same person to take the lead on their own suggestion, I was told, “But that’s your job” or “I think Father should do it.”
The issue wasn’t necessarily that they weren’t qualified or weren’t supported. The problem is too many have adopted the mindset that faith is a consumer activity. We are there to be spiritually fed, entertained, or educated. Too often we forget that all who are baptized are called to participate in the mission of the church. The models of ministry that some parishes have maintained help to support this attitude of consumerism. They operate in such a way that people believe that only the priest or the paid staff can take on leadership of something.
While there is a need for quality, competent, and professional staff in our parishes to help oversee programs and ministries, it should not be the expectation that only the staff or clergy be actively administering all the various programs. We must allow the lay faithful to use their gifts to help further the mission of the Church.
As Pope Francis reminded us in Evangelii Gaudium, “All the baptized, whatever their position in the Church or their level of instruction in the faith, are agents of evangelization, and it would be insufficient to envisage a plan of evangelization to be carried out by professionals while the rest of the faithful would simply be passive recipients. The new evangelization calls for personal involvement on the part of each of the baptized. Every Christian is challenged, here and now, to be actively engaged” (EG, no. 120).
If our only involvement in the parish is to go to Mass and send our children to religious education, then we are not completely fulfilling our duties as baptized members of the church. We are not simply to be consumers of the faith. We are to have an active part of our own in the life and activity of the church. That activity will look different for each person based on their state of life.
The staff and clergy in the parishes must also be aware of their part in encouraging the move away from a consumer mentality. We must not be so concerned with maintaining power and control that we are not willing to allow others to take leadership roles and contribute to the life of the church. As the Catechism of the Catholic Church tells us, “Baptism gives a share in the common priesthood of all believers” (CCC, no. 1268).
I believe this time of pandemic actually gives us the opportunities to discover new ways to involve people in ministry. If you’re feeling disconnected from others in the parish, volunteer to organize a group to call parishioners to check in and see if there is something the parish can help them with or just to pray with them. If you have great ideas on how your parish can support parents in building up their domestic church, offer to help your catechetical leader put together resources that can be handed out to families. Do you have a concern for those who may not be able to leave their homes to get groceries or other necessities? Volunteer to organize groups who are willing to shop for others or who are willing to make porch deliveries to those confined to their homes.
Especially now, we must keep in mind that our faith has a communal aspect. It is not just about how something affects me, but how my faith affects the community. How can we use our talents and passion to contribute to our parishes, rather than simply waiting for somebody else to do it for us?
The US Bishops tell us in Coworkers in the Vineyard of the Lord, that “by their baptismal incorporation into the Body of Christ, lay persons are also equipped with gifts and graces to build up the Church from within” (p. 12). We must not buy into the mindset that our gifts are less than another’s. In St. Paul’s First Letter to the Corinthians, we are reminded that there are many parts to the body, but none is more important than the other. In fact, all of them are necessary so that the body can operate in an optimal way. The same is true for our faith communities. We need all members to contribute their individual gifts so that we can operate in an optimal way.
The challenge for all of us, especially myself, is to look for ways to help and serve, rather than waiting for somebody to come along to serve me. We each have passions, gifts, and talents that can be used to help build up the church. Are we going to live up to our baptismal responsibilities to contribute to the life of the church? Or will we continue to simply be a consumer and thus contribute to our own feelings of disconnection?