BEING CATHOLIC IN A DIVERSE

WORLD

Honoring the Pluralism of Christ’s Kingdom

A LOOK AT OUR AFTERNOON

1:00 pm Lunch

1:45 pm Talk

2:15 pm Personal prayer and reflection

2:30 pm Sharing

3:00 pm Rosary & Benediction

3:30 pm Departure

FROM SUPPORTIVE CATHOLIC CULTURE TO

RELIGIOUS DISCONNECT

Catholic identity reinforced in the neighbors through cultural traditions

Neighborhoods changed as evidenced by parish closures

New immigrants from Asia, Middle East

Social networks: http://www.ourcatholicneighborhood.com/

RELIGIOUS TRADITIONS IN MASSACHUSETTS

As of 2000, there were 3,092,296 Roman Catholics in Massachusetts, representing nearly half of the total population.

The largest Protestant denominations were: the United Church of Christ, 121,826 adherents;

the Episcopal Church, 98,963;

the American Baptists (USA), 52,716,156; and

the United Methodist Church, 64,028.

The 2nd-largest religious affiliation is Judaism, with about 275,000 adherents in 2000.

The Muslim population the same year was about 41,497 people.

Though membership numbers were not available, reports noted that there were about 57 Buddhist congregations and

20 Hindu congregations throughout the state.

About 35% of the population were not counted as members of any religious organization.

UPSURGE OF SECULAR CULTURE

The number of people who identify themselves as atheists in the United States has been rising, modestly but steadily, in recent years. Our aggregated data from 2012 show that 2.4% of American adults say they are atheists when asked about their religious identity, up from 1.6% in 2007.

Not all atheists see a contradiction between atheism and spirituality. A quarter (26%) say they think of themselves as spiritual people, and 3% consider themselves religious people. Four-in-ten atheists (41%) say they often think about the meaning and purpose of life.

Atheism gained ground in reaction to the religious right of the early 1980’s, aftermath of 9/11, discrimination, and new popular books articulating the atheist and humanist concerns.

CATHOLICS IN RELATIONSHIP WITH OTHER

FAITHS AND THOSE WITH NO RELIGION

The first encyclical of Pope Paul VI in 1964: “The Church must be in dialogue with the world.”

Vatican II: In the Church’s relationship with non-Christian religions, she considers what is in common and what brings fellowship. Man is united on the deepest of questions from existence of himself, to that of other things which he cannot fully comprehend.

St. John Paul II:

“Helping all the faithful

to respect and to

esteem the values,

traditions and

convictions of other

believers is a

commitment which no

local church is exempt

from duty…”

In Addition to the Church’s

MissionConstitutive of our Mission

GO AND MAKE DISCIPLES: CATHOLIC

EVANGELIZATION IN THE USA

“Interreligious dialogue presents an opportunity to learn about other religious traditions and to explain our own. Such dialogue, however, must never be a camouflage for proselytizing. Rather, it should be approached with the utmost respect and sensitivity. “

National Plan of USCCB 2002, #43.

FOUR TYPES OF CATHOLIC DIALOGUE

The first is the dialogue of life where

believers of different religions bear

witness before each other in daily life to

their own human and spiritual values,

and help each other to live according to

those values in order to build a more just

and fraternal society.

The second is the dialogue of works

and action where collaboration with

other faiths is opportune in the social,

economic and political to build a more

humane society.

The third is the dialogue of

theological exchange and often

involves specialists and leaders in

different faith traditions in search for

ultimate truth.

Finally the dialogue of religious

experience is an opportunity to share

prayer and religious experiences in our

common search for the Absolute.

TWO CHALLENGES FROM POPE FRANCIS

Our relationship with the followers of Islam

has taken on great importance, since they

are now significantly present in many

traditionally Christian countries, where they

can freely worship and become fully a part of

society. We must never forget that they

“profess to hold the faith of Abraham, and

together with us they adore the one, merciful

God, who will judge humanity on the last

day”. The sacred writings of Islam have

retained some Christian teachings; Jesus

and Mary receive profound veneration and it

is admirable to see how Muslims both young

and old, men and women, make time for

daily prayer and faithfully take part in

religious services. Many of them also have a

deep conviction that their life, in its entirety, is

from God and for God. They also

acknowledge the need to respond to God

with an ethical commitment and with mercy

towards those most in need. Joy of the

Gospel 252

As believers, we also feel close to those

who do not consider themselves part of

any religious tradition, yet sincerely seek

the truth, goodness and beauty which

we believe have their highest expression

and source in God. We consider them

as precious allies in the commitment to

defending human dignity, in building

peaceful coexistence between peoples

and in protecting creation. A special

place of encounter is offered by new

Areopagi such as the Court of the

Gentiles, where “believers and non-

believers are able to engage in dialogue

about fundamental issues of ethics, art

and science, and about the search for

transcendence”. This too is a path to

peace in our troubled world. 257

Dialogue with IslamDialogue with Secular

Culture

COMMON GROUND: CONVERSATIONS AMONG

ATHEISTS, HUMANISTS AND RELIGIOUS BELIEVERS

The Xaverian Missionaries organized an international conference of dialogue November 2013

Common Ground meetupgroup organized in NJ/NY area with 33 members.

We are organizing a conference at Rutgers University for the fall 2015.

We hope to present a panel presentation at the Parliament of World Religions in the fall of 2015 in Salt Lake City.

WHAT WE ARE LEARNING IN DIALOGUE SO FAR

Dialogue is helping us change our minds about each other.

Dialogue is opening up the possibilities of creating bridges of hope in a divided world in ways we never thought of.

Dialogue is demanding we reflect well our own tradition and appreciate much more the powerful contribution that Vatican II and the post-counciliorwork made in the Church and the world.

Dialogue is requiring us to think more deeply about what the Kingdom of God is and how honoring our plurality is part of this.

Dialogue is pushing us to face our contradictions and the challenges we are still trying to meet in the mission of the 21st century.

QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION AND SHARING

In the presentation for today, what surprises you?

What are things that have been confirmed for you?

Are there favorite scripture passages that help you

see the Lord in the challenges of dialogue across

faith and conviction boundaries?

What is to be gained by dialogue with other

religious traditions and with secular culture?

What questions does this pose for you in our

commitment to evangelization and to bring others to

Christ? What does it mean in a world which is so

diverse and pluralistic?

RESOURCES TO GO FURTHER

Start with the Interfaith Dialogue page of our website which provides lots of information and useful resources to learn more of the Catholic commitment to interfaith dialogue at; www.xaviermissionaries.org/interfaith-dialogue/

The Religious Pluralism Project of Harvard University is a very useful: http://www.pluralism.org/

YouthLead of Sharon, Massachusetts is a hopeful interfaith project that is having a big impact with youth: http://www.youthleadonline.org/

Reach out to your neighbors and friends who of different faith traditions and learn more.

Fr. Carl Chudy, SX

12 Helene Court

Wayne, NJ 07470

973.942.2975

provincial@xaviermissionari

es.org