Right up front I will say that I do not like the terms: inactive, lapsed or fallen away Catholic. I find those terms far too judgmental and certainly connote a negative judgment. They represent a judgment, on the part of the Church about people who, according to the Church, are not living the way it expects them to live. Most non church-going Catholics I have met understand themselves to be Catholic; they just don’t find themselves in the pews on Sundays for a variety of reasons, from having no time for church, or the Church is simply irrelevant to their lives and needs.
Over the past few months I have been using a term at missions, retreats and workshops that seems to have some traction with people. I have been using the term “dormant” Catholics. My belief is that they have faith, want more faith, and want a living spirituality that speaks to their daily lives. What needs to be done is to have someone, or a lot of some ones, fan their faith into a living flame once again. I believe that dormant Catholics are calling for prophetic leadership in the Church. They are calling us from maintenance to mission. They are challenging us to be about justice and peace making, engaging in environmental activism, truly making a fundamental option for the poor and oppressed, the migrant and immigrant, the homeless, hungry and powerless.
People seek to make a difference in their lives and the lives of others whether they are religious or not. We can be selfish or altruistic in our strivings. The Gospel calls for altruism, meeting the needs of our neighbors without counting the cost. The Gospel is a radical prophetic approach to all aspects of our lives. Jesus initiated a radical hope for personal and communal transformation working from the inside -- outward to all creation.
Being Catholic ought to mean a whole lot more than sitting in a pew on Sundays, or rattling off the same five sins in confession for the past thirty-five years. I am not saying going to mass or confession aren’t good things to do, but that they ought to lead us to a fuller and more abundant life for others and ourselves. We ought to be able to discern growth in our lives, progress in living and a discernable difference in our secular and religious communities in which we live. There should be more caring, healing, forgiveness and peace; and less homelessness, hunger, poverty and prejudice.
If we are going to touch and invite dormant Catholics back to being living flames of faith and hope, we need to be that for others and ourselves. We need to be communities of faith with doors wide open in welcome, a place of sanctuary, where all can feel safe and be nourished for mission.
Fr. Michael E. Evernden, CSP
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