A Word from Father Trout

At a recent gathering of priests with Cardinal Cupich, Mr. Daniel Cellucci, of the Catholic Leadership Institute, gave an overview of national and diocesan trends on parish vibrancy and viability. While introducing his presentation by saying, “I am not the grim reaper,” he shared the following, based on six years of research on 130,000 Catholics in over 600 parishes:

• 91% of our children leave the Church
• Catholic marriages are down 55% since 1990
• 1 in 5 children baptized do not receive First Communion
• 2 in 5 children baptized are not confirmed
• 85% of children confirmed stop practicing their faith by age 21

Also, while 60% of the 22 million Catholic Baby Boomers practice today, only 5-7% of them provide 80-90% of the time and money that churches need to survive. Despite these daunting statistics, Mr. Cellucci maps the Church’s path forward in three words: Presence, the state or fact of existing, occurring, or being present in a place or thing; Authentic, of undisputed origin, genuine; and Impact, having a strong effect on someone or something. During the break, Fr. Kartje approached me and remarked that this is exactly what Community for the Kingdom exemplifies with its defining words of Authentic Friendships, Christ Centered, Helping Others.

In a recent Wall Street Journal article, Erika Andersen asserts that “a religious renewal could be on the horizon.” She cites Pew Research data noting there is “tremendous growth” in nondenominational evangelical churches with 42% reporting growing attendance. “House churches,” composed of neighbors meeting for informal services in their homes, are on the rise as well. Popular Christian leaders like Francis Chan, a former megachurch pastor, now advocate for house churches and offer free training for this model. 

This approach is not new; it was the model of church for Christ and the Apostles. All of Paul’s letters were addressed to house churches. This model is the foundation of the Catholic Church. It is our purest tradition and one that Pope Francis and his four predecessors promoted as the future of our church. Community for the Kingdom seeks to reinvigorate, refine and restore this. 

Lent is a time of initiation or renewal of discipleship. The gospels for each week of Lent are chosen specifically with this in mind. They also focus on Authentic Friendship, are Christ Centered and encourage Helping Others, leading to the pinnacle of the Paschal Mysteries: discipleship, where the presence and message of Christ continues in the world. 

One of the strengths of the Catholic Church is its diversity of peoples, perspectives and practices; as James Joyce aptly put it, Catholic means “Here comes everybody.” It is, indeed, an authentic presence that impacts, in and through its people, ministries and outreach, sharing Christ’s love, healing and peace. The Apostles’ great fear was that Christ’s movement would cease to exist. To prevent this, they acted with urgency. This Lent, let us look to their example and commit to establishing Communities for the Kingdom to ensure Christ’s gospel thrives on our watch. Let us not be the last generation of Catholics! Rather, may we cultivate “this rich trust with the help of the Holy Spirit that dwells within us” (2 Tim 2:14) to more abundantly make disciples, build community and inspire witness. 
- Father John Trout