My
intention is not to start 2022 with a melancholic post! But, I think
that I have to realize that is just where we are right now. Here are
some observations:
1. Church, generally, is becoming less part
of people's lives. I saw a cleric post that in 2019, church was full for
Christmas. 2020 was about half full. 2021 was about a quarter full.
Another priest friend told me that their collection is only a small
fraction of what they need to survive, and this is a mainline Catholic
parish. How can we stop this and convince people that our message is
still relevant? I am not convinced that they way is to make ourselves
more trendy, but to show the beauty and majesty of our tradition and
what it has to offer. But, if you've read this blog you know that
already.
2. Orthodoxy is in a right mess right now. There are a
large number of clerical obituaries and the churches are divided more
than ever. Churches are entering into the territories of others (which
is nothing new), but now there is larger expansion into other areas.
This will cause ripples that may not be easy to repair. A friend of mine
said that he was unsure how Orthodoxy managed to stay together all
these years, given the different political outlooks and machinations
present. I don't know that their togetherness is even possible anymore.
3.
Roman Catholicism. I am watching in real time as super parishes are
being created. This is nothing new, but the lack of vocations seems to
be very concerning to an outsider. So, they are facing the possibility
of large parishes with only a handful of clergy to reach out to
parishioners. They could current ordain deacons as priests for
assistance (this is really the only option since women won't ever be
ordained), but this will change the face of the church dramatically.
Latin Rite Catholics are generally unprepared for married clergy,
because they have touted celibacy for so long.
The mainstream
continues to hemorrhage clergy while there are vocations among
traditionalists. There are challenges with some of the clergy, because
of their perception of the modern church and Vatican II. Some
traditionalist clergy seem to have the same issues as other clergy
(despite the unfounded belief that traditionalist clergy are somehow
holier than others) regarding impropriety. Regarding the issue of
authority in the church, the Vatican thought it would solve this by
outlawing the Tridentine Mass. Unfortunately, there is a greater problem
now. For 13 years, more people have become attached to the Tridentine
Mass who are not taking the news well. The same is true for priests, who
are defying this action. The SSPX and independent parishes will swell,
and two Roman Catholicisms will continue to exist despite their
intentions.
Where does this leave independents? Well, as I have
said previously, we are fortunate. We have a free structure which
allows us to pivot and serve people quickly and in innovative ways. We
are generally not bogged down by buildings which are largely growing
more empty. This is, of course, a blessing and a curse because people
can be unwilling to go to the church basement of another church for your
services. But, the greatest gift is that we do not have to worry about
power. I was speaking to a dear friend who is in a "non-canonical"
Orthodox church recently who said "we don't have to worry about an
imperial church because our church was never viewed this way." I am
paraphrasing him but the essence is that we don't have to worry about
other churches encroaching on our territory. Or, we don't have to worry
about legislation that prevents our preferred form of worship. We are
free.
But, it also means that we need to do a lot more working
together. I have said this in the past and I will keep saying it. The
essence of what we are doing is to have other like minded people to rely
on and cooperate with so that we can be mutually successful. Our
ministry (no ministry, in fact) does not exist in a vacuum. Therefore,
we have to get to know each other and work together so that we can help
each other. It also provides a bit of a barrier to weed out the
ill-intentioned.
In the end, I am greatly consoled by the fact
that when church gets too much to bear it is the lay people who see us
through. Clergy will always be the most judgmental among us. I was
reminded of this when I visited an Orthodox Cathedral with an
independent friend in a habit recently. The lay people were not bothered
to ask "what denomination are you? What is your habit? Why are you
coming to our church?" They could care less. Those are the questions
that clergy ask. Similarly, Roman Catholics generally have no idea what
I'm asking when I speak about issues in vogue among clergy or a certain
group of active Twitter users. I don't take that as being flippant or
uneducated, they are simply trying to live their lives and do the best
they can without complications.
In the end, Church has always
been a mess. It is, after all, a hospital for sinners. So, we keep our
heads down and we do the work as we feel called. We try to work
together. As independents, we will always cling to the side of the
larger church and their issues affect us. This is why I have discussed
them above. But we can try to not let them get in the way and not speak
ill of individuals. I realize some independents have done well
lambasting the mainstream churches, but this is not the way. The way is
to build our part of the kingdom the best we can. And, even though our
footprint is small, we will never know its true impact where it counts.
This is illustrated in the proverb about the nail:
For want of a nail the shoe was lost.
For want of a shoe the horse was lost.
For want of a horse the rider was lost.
For want of a rider the message was lost.
For want of a message the battle was lost.
For want of a battle the kingdom was lost.
And all for the want of a horseshoe nail.
If you want to find rest here below, and hereafter, in all circumstances say‘Who am I?’ and do not judge anyone. - Abba Joseph of Panephysis
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