To Be Catholic, and Proud of it! # 2of 2

To Be Catholic, and Proud of it! # 2 of 2
wwwcinopsbegone.blogspot.com/ Sunday, March 2, 2008.
Here is the second part of Russell Shaw’s mind-boggling article that appeared in the Columbia, the monthly publication of the Knights of Columbus in August, 2001. It may take time to digest the seriousness of its contents and we continue tomorrow with Thirty million ex-Catholic American Lost Souls.

“Catholic intellectuals, academics and opinion leaders soured on the (Catholic) subculture, set out to dismantle it and largely succeeded. Much of its infrastructure disappeared. Much of that remained “CATHOLIC IN NAME ONLY.”
(As an organization, I am proud to say, the Knights of Columbus withstood this assault – something whose importance is by no means as widely recognized as it deserves to be.)
In his shrewd popular history American Catholic (Times Books, 1997), Charles Morris call what happened a “ fearsome exercise” – no less than “the dangerous and potentially catastrophic project of severing the connection between the Catholic religion and the separatist American culture that had always been the source of its dynamism, its appeal, and its power.”
And that power includes political and cultural clout. The ability – and often, the desire – of Catholics to influence public policy and public institutions in light of Catholic values sharply declined along with their identification with their Church.
And now? Given the magnitude of the problem, there is no easy solution. But the outlines of the answer are clear.
It comes down to reconstituting a viable new Catholic subculture in the United States. This is more than restoring the subculture that was – American Catholicism as it existed in 1930’s and 1940’s. That can’t be done and should not be attempted.
The need instead is for a new subculture, with institutions reflecting the Second Vatican Council and the pontificate of John Paul II. It should serve as a kind of cultural home base, a source of formation, preparing Catholics to engage – and in time let us hope, evangelize – secular culture, rather than join it on its own terms. As sociologist Joseph Varacalli remarks in Bright Promise, Failed Community (Lexington Books, 2000), Catholics need to “roll up their sleeves and start the painful process of putting the pieces … back together again.”
To say it will be hard is a huge understatement. Along with much else, careful thought and planning are essential.
Here is a suggestion. Earlier this year (2001), the Pope John Paul II Cultural Center opened its door in Washington, D.C with generous support from the Knights of Columbus along with other groups and individuals. As part of its program, it will house a team of scholars engaged in research and reflection on the Church and culture.
The suggestion is that they concentrate on what needs to be done to rebuild a strong Catholic subculture in the United States and other countries that have experienced a process – and results – similar to those American Catholicism has suffered. It will be a huge job. Let’s begin.”

George H. Kubeck, Duplicate and or translate into Spanish and Vietnamese.