I just saw this on Titusonenine. Grace Church in Newark, New Jersey is purposefully reaching out to dissenting Catholics. Of note, Grace Church is home to Louie Crew, a well-known gay-rights activist in the Episcopal church. Here is an excerpt from their program toward Catholics:
At Grace Church you will find:
Traditional Catholic worship, offered with care and reverence
Worthy liturgical music, including Gregorian Chant
A respectful approach to Scripture and Tradition, without fundamentalism or authoritarianism
A diverse congregation that embraces divorced persons, gay men, and lesbians as fully as it embraces all others.
This attitude is not really new. Episcopalians have been convincing Catholics for years that you can have 110% of the beauty with only 10% of the guilt by becoming Episcopalian. And I am sure most of that guilt these days is over things like shopping at Wal-Mart or calling God “he.” In fact, many Episcopal churches have a large ex-Catholic population, driven in part by the Episcopal church’s more liberal outlook.
I am not upset by this outreach. In fact, I kind of think it is a good idea. First let me say I never think it is a good thing when someone leaves the Catholic Church. However, There are a lot of Catholics out there that aren’t really that, well, Catholic. They probably would find a better home in the Episcopal church, rather than trying unsuccessfully to change the Catholic Church into something it is not. I believe it is proper for Catholics to reach out to disaffected mainline protestants, so in fairness, I believe mainline protestants should be allowed to reach out to disaffected Catholics.
One thing I want to add is that the Catholic Church does reach out to gays and lesbians, albeit on different terms than the Episcopal church. The Catholic Church reaches out to all types of sinners, saints, and folks in-between, and I know gay people who feel very welcome in Catholic parishes. However, while the Catholic Church welcomes all people, it does not affirm all behavior, which is why I and many others receive the sacrament of confession frequently.
David Bennett
Jennifer
asimplesinner
Fr. J.
Chad Toney
Jorge Flores
Jonathan B
carmelbennett
nicenehobbit
Jason S
jaybird68
papaz
December 14, 2006 at 3:28 am
The thought that ANYONE be invited to leave the Catholic Church goes against the grain in my book.
Having said that, there are some so dead-set against various tenants of the Catholic faith, if they were to actually leave, they would only be finally having the integrity to now identify themselves accurately: Protestants.
As our good buddy Ken Follis is often fond of saying: “Catholocism is not for wimps.”
The flip side of that? To claim to be Catholic while hosting major mental reservation (and openly expressing it) about the Faith, is rather wimpy.
December 14, 2006 at 12:39 pm
Grace Church, Newark, used to be a real Anglo-Catholic parish but is now just a liberal (Broad Church) and gay mainline one with high trappings.
To be fair, real Anglo-Catholics never tried to convert Romans.
Tolerant conservatism including charity to people of all orientations is authentically Catholic. One need not mention orientation much. All are welcome to come and pray in a Catholic church. Not the same as a gay parish, which Grace Church seems to have become.
For the most part today the Episcopalians don’t directly compete with the RCs - different audiences based partly on, yes, social class. Even liberal RCs won’t switch for a couple of reasons, the class one (’I'm Cat’lic because I’m Irish’ etc.) along with what Grace Church itself alludes to, the high liturgics and artistic conservatism that liberal RCs don’t like both for class (reverse snobbery - ‘none of that hoity-toity stuff for me’) and theological (Modernists hate it) reasons.
No, Episcopalians are really competing for an upper-middle-class white liberal demographic (shrinking because they don’t have many kids and fewer and fewer bother with church) with their nearest neighbours culturally and demographically, the United Church of Christ and the Unitarians, followed by other liberal mainline churches (ELCA Lutherans, United Methodists, PCUSA Presbyterians).
Scratch the surface of a politically correct militant liberal and you get a 19th-century nativist decrying the papist menace.
But in a way I’ve got to admire places like Grace Church for their anti-Catholic honesty. (Not just anti-Roman, anti-Catholic.) Better than condescension/dishonest niceness I suppose.
December 14, 2006 at 1:07 pm
P.S. Simply being divorced is also a non-issue in a Catholic parish. Divorce and remarriage is another matter. Like the difference between accepting those of all orientations (Catholic) and approving homosexual behaviour (not).
December 14, 2006 at 1:10 pm
For fairness’ sake:
is now just a liberal (Broad Church) and gay mainline one with high trappings.
Change ‘is’ to ’seems’.
No, Episcopalians are really competing for an upper-middle-class white liberal demographic
True of the liberals in charge in most places but certainly not of all Episcopalians, not all of whom are liberal!
December 16, 2006 at 2:32 pm
On second thought no, Grace Church is dishonest about being Catholic, which it’s not.
December 16, 2006 at 11:13 pm
Simply being divorced is also a non-issue in a Catholic parish.
Believe it or not, one is still required to get the permission of one’s Ordinary in order to make a marital separation permanent (which I guess would be the case in civil divorce). So it is an issue, but it’s not one that — unlike divorce plus civil marriage — needs to be resolved in the external forum.
December 17, 2006 at 5:57 am
“The Catholic Church reaches out to all types of sinners, saints, and folks in-between, and I know gay people who feel very welcome in Catholic parishes. However, while the Catholic Church welcomes all people, it does not affirm all behavior, which is why I and many others receive the sacrament of confession frequently.”
David, these last sentences are a testament to humility and, in being such, beautiful. And so we all come to Christ and His Church asking mercy.
December 17, 2006 at 10:06 pm
“However, while the Catholic Church welcomes all people, it does not affirm all behavior,”
So hard to ‘be perfect’ in this imperfect world - the more obvious imperfections many churches have falsely taken to be the norm …
but the more subtle imperfections we are all guilty of:
anger, - yes who knows not anger, who knows not rage in haste
hate, - yes we subconsciously say I hate this and I hate that, but no matter how big or small, we should not hate at all. After all if we are to ‘hate’ terrorists for killing 3,000 on 9/11 or, Saddam for killing 3,000 kurds, what should we feel for Bush and the US and the death of 300,000 Iraqies. One hunbdred times more hate???
jealousy, and I don’t simply mean the jealousy that our lover may inspire if he/she spends more time or lavishes more attention one day on another, but the petty jealousies for others luck or reckless freedoms - after all it is the nature of the inner beast to make us all sinners just the same
And then there are sins by default:
Should I really care for the sick and dying - what are they afraid of??? - will I let them deceive me and make me afraid like them.
Of course sickness and pain if we have a remedy we should apply. I don’t know in Aussie, but in England with a £90 billion NHS, I don’t know how the medical profession and the pharmaceutical induastry have the gall to refuse patients treatment or surgery - if patients cannot pay.
Doctors & Hospitals have already been paid once and paid well, yet they’d extort from patients in their moment of need even more, It is these money changers and ‘flase’ priests Christ said had usurped the places in His Father’s House … and turned it into a den of thieves
And clever theieves they’d be appealing to the poor to give yet more - to keep them in the manner they’ve become accustomed. I guess with Medicine charity really begins at home, the doctor’s home or extension or ’surgery’ or pool or luxury car.
So having said my fill, I’ll rant to more today - and wish you all well and a very fine day - and week ahead. season greetings One & All
December 18, 2006 at 9:39 pm
Hey Quasar,
This is a religious forum, not a place for you to spew anti Bush and anti American spite. Keep your worthless political blather to yourself.
December 19, 2006 at 5:38 pm
Hate, - yes we subconsciously say I hate this and I hate that, but no matter how big or small, we should not hate at all. After all if we are to ‘hate’ terrorists for killing 3,000 on 9/11 or, xxxxxx for killing 3,000 xxxxx, what should we feel for xxxx and the xx and the death of 300,000 xxxxxx. One hunbdred times more hate???
How about now nicenehobitt -
can you see the point being made