LAREC

I just returned from speaking at the Los Angeles Religious Education Congress held in Anaheim.

My mission preaching partner, Jeanne Hunt, and I had two workshops: 1) on different types of parishes and strategies for successful ministry; and 2) on eight basic human needs and how the Catholic Church tries to meet them.

As anxious as I get about such speaking opportunities, I find the experience energizing, inspiring and informative.

Total attendance at the four-day congress is 35,000 Catholics (of which 10,000 are youth).

It is energizing to see this huge crowd of Catholics gather for talks, for liturgies, for informal discussions about Church and the Gospel, about religious education and faith formation.

The ethnic diversity of our Church is more obvious in southern California than in the midwest. I suspect Asaians and Hispanics outnumbered the rest of us by far but there was no racial or enthnic tension.

The only "negative" sound was the fundamentalist evangelical standing with his bull horn outside the convention center excoriating us for being Catholic and assuring us that we were destined for the fires of hell. (I personally found his diatribe comedic.)

Being able to gather with fellow believers for Mass as celebrated in the Hawaiian islands or with a Celtic flavor touches the soul and resurrects awareness that ours indeed is a worldwide Church.

The music is inspiring, whether born of Africa or Ireland or Mexico or the South Pacific. The dress of the Chileans and the art work of the Nicaraguans subtly but forcefully draw us out of ourselves and reflect Jesus' commission, "Go, make disciples of all nations..."

There were more than 225 talks and workshops (obviously more than anyone could attend), appealing to the interests and needs of Church ministers involved in education, catechesis, parish administration and a litany of other parish ministries.

Some are speakers little known (my category) and others are famous worldwide, such as Ronald Rolheiser, Barbara Fiand, Donald Senior, James Martin, Richard Rohr, Joyce Rupp, Kieran Sawyer, Michael Crosby, Richard Gaillardetz, John Allen.

There were concerts (e.g., the "Festival of Cultures"), art exhibits, live radio broadcasts, prayer sessions, the dance for young adults, and an exhibition hall full of vendors selling books, religious articles, vestments, and services. David Haas, Tom Kendzia, Liam Lawton, Michael Sparough spoke, played, sang, and moved our souls.

The public witness was obvious. Catholics could be found all over the area --in shops, restuarants, motels, and probably in Disneyland (though I didn't go across the street to check).

The private witness was equally strong --love of the Gospel, hunger for religious education, opennes to faith formation, eagerness to fulfill the variety of ministries a parish implies--and assuredly inspiring.

I think it would be safe to call LAREC the "mother of all Catholic religious education conventions." It is a shot in the arm for all who participate, an energizing, inspiring and informative opportunity to all who love the Church.

I was anxious about speaking there, but the experience easily turned anxiety into joy. I can't wait 'til next year.

Knowledge of God

I came across the Pew Research Center's report, U.S. Religious Knowledge Survey, released September 28, 2010. The researchers questioned 3,412 Americans age 18 and older about their knowledge of religion.

One of the surprising results of this report is that atheists and agnostics scored higher than Jews, Mormons, Protestants and Catholics.

The survey asked 32 questions. On average the atheist/agnostic group answered 20.9 correctly, while white Catholics scored 16.0. Other groups included Jews at 20.5, Mormons at 20.3, white mainline Protestants at 15.8, Hispanic Catholics at 11.5, and the "nothing in particular religion group" at 15.2.

Most Protestants did not know that Martin Luther inspired the Protestant Reformation. About 43% of the Jews did not know that Maimonides, the highly venerated 12th century rabbi, was Jewish.

Of the Catholics surveyed 45% did not know that their Church believes that the bread and wine of the Eucharist do not merely symbolize but actually become the body and blood of Christ at Mass.

These results are rather discouraging, especially the report about Catholics and their understanding of the Eucharist.

The New Testament directs all believers, "Always be ready to give an explanation to anyone who asks you for a reason for your hope..." (cf.1 Peter 3:15).

The Pew research suggests that many Catholics are not prepared to do so.

Fifty years ago most U. S. Catholics could respond to questions about their religion with the concise answers they memorized from the Baltimore Catechism. Most grey-haired Catholics today can still tell you what a sacrament is: "...an outward sign instituted by Christ to give grace."

The problem with question-and-answer catechisms was their simplicity. The answers were helpful but they left a lot unsaid. The Vatican's Catechism of the Catholic Church does not use the old method. Truth tends to require more nuance than the questions-and-answers would allow.

The Pew survey asked whether respondents read books about religion, or went online for such information. About 48% of those affiliated with a religion said that they seldom or never read books or consult websites about their own religion, and 70% said they seldom or never read about other religions.

If the results of this Pew survey are valid, then it is clear that Catholics need to catch up on their knowledge of the word of God.

Catholics need to be evangelized, that is, be presented the Gospel in such a way that they say, "Aha! Makes sense!"

Catholics need to be catechized, that is, presented the facts and insights that enable them to say, "I see it more clearly."

Catholics need some familiarity with theology, that is, to recognize that the truths of faith are often complex and require ongoing exploration, as when we say that God is one but triune.

Catholics need to participate in the liturgy, that is, to celebrate God's word and pray over its consequences for our lives.

Catholics need to be missionary, that is, to share their faith convictions with others; to evangelize.

Catholics need ministry, that is, to translate the Gospel into action, to be servants of the word.

Catholics need to hear, learn, study, celebrate, give witness, and become involved --ways in which we gain knowledge of our religion.

Baptism and Confirmation imply that a Christian is expected to hand on the Gospel to others. A Catholic must not simply consider himself Catholic; he has to be one.