BEING AMERICAN AND CATHOLIC: WHAT IS OUR MISSION?

What does it mean to be a Catholic in North America? What is our mission? What is our task? Fr. Anthony J. Gittens, a veteran missionary and theology scholar, addressed these questions in a recent essay. He writes: "We are confronted with the formidable task of the evangelization of America. Evangelization is not the same thing as convert-making. Evangelization is essentially related to a culture, to a community. Convert- making is geared to individuals It is essential to evangelize the American culture or the many cultures that make up the American people." Gittens then stated that we have "to look on America with the restless eyes of a missionary. If Christ comes to a culture in the process of evangelization, some things will live and something will die. Christ comes to fulfill every culture and to prophesy against every culture."

The question remains: what is our mission in North America? Will our evangelization reinforce the status quo in our church and country or will it give our church and land a new set of priorities? A cogent, though delicate, example hints at an answer to this question. Before the exposure of sexual abuse by church personnel, our priority was to avoid scandalizing the faithful. The status quo" required a culture of clerical prestige and privilege. But the Gospel enlightens us and demands conversion of mind, mores, and morals. The Gospel causes us to begin the walk the pathway of accountability, honesty, integrity, repentance and healing. It further alerts us to another task, that is, the need to develop a contemporary theology and spirituality of childhood and children. Evangelization motivates us to care for our children and to create a spiritual climate in which children, affluent and poor, can flourish. Evangelization of our ecclesial culture means that the old style of prestige dies and gives rise to a new style of care for those who need to be blessed, encouraged, and affirmed.

This example reinforces Gitten's point that, when Christ comes to a culture, something will die and something will live. Our task in the 21st century is to participate in the life of prayer and ministry and in serving Christ as a dynamic presence in the market plate. We've necessarily devoted much time and energy to shape the life of our church. We are just starting to focus on our mission and our engagement with the cultures, trends, and systems that function in North America.

We say that we are church: a sign and a sacrament. We state that we are present in society as a sign that carries a message. Human freedom, faith and salvation are mediated through Christ and in the cultures and systems that make up our society. Each church and each society promotes certain priorities. The church consistently critiques those priorities and presents various faces of evangelization to the world. Society and culture, too, critique the church and influence us through mutual dialogue, conversation, and action. Future columns will reflect on this mutual exchange between church and culture in light of U.S. Catholic history.