Jennie, whom everyone in Lyndhurst knew, loved and trembled before was the matriarch of la famiglia LaCorte. Short, and anything but petite in stature, she was known by all simply as Mama LaCorte.

I met Mama the first day of my first assignment at Sacred Heart parish only three weeks after ordination in mid-1972. Sadly our introduction was at the wake for her recently deceased husband Joe.

Everyone in the two mile square town had come to pay respect, including the four parish priests and all the sisters from our convent, even though Joe wasn’t particularly remembered for his liturgical attendance. Joe’s wake was a bit of a command performance. It was also my introduction to a style of Catholicism practiced a bit differently, but no less fervently, than we had in the seminary or even my home suburban parish.

What I remember most about the wake was the incredible number of floral arrangements. Besides the requisite floral clock showing the time Joe had expired, there were two other pieces that are still emblazoned in my memory. A floral tow truck symbolized Joe’s livelihood. The other was a large floral moose head with antlers, a tribute from his lodge brothers.

Throughout the six years I served at Sacred Heart, Mama LaCorte was one of a handful of parishioners who attended 7:00 AM mass daily. Each morning she took her favorite seat, first row, center aisle. Neither speaking nor understanding much English, Mama communed with God throughout the Mass by praying her rosary. Whether listening attentively to my homily, joining others around the altar for the Eucharistic prayer, exchanging the Sign of Peace, or standing next to me holding the chalice as my Eucharistic minister, Mama’s beads were wrapped around her fingers. And you could hear her softly praying in Italian.

For over twenty years our family has been a member of what would be considered by many a progressive parish and very much aligned in spirit to the so called “American Catholic” parish I had served. It was a very good spiritual community for Marian and me to raise our children in our faith tradition. We’ve come to know and love many of the families in the parish as close friends.

These days, however, I find myself connecting more personally with the spiritual and even liturgical stance of Mama LaCorte. At the same time, I also find myself more connected to the spirituality and non-liturgical style of her husband Joe, the man I never got to really meet.

While Marian and I still actively participate in the social and fiscal aspects of our parish, I find myself growing more and more distant from Catholic liturgical expression. Similar to Mama LaCorte who could not pray the English prayers of the liturgy, I am finding it more and more difficult to connect to the tribal, old cosmology based theology of most of our public Catholic worship.
I almost find myself wishing that I could be praying the rosary or perhaps even attending a non-English liturgy so that I might participate actively, but not have to translate each prayer into faith statements I actually believe.

At this point in my journey, my relationship to the Spirit of God resonates more with the transcendent theological perspectives of Teilhard, O’Merchu, Morwood and Spong, than the early Church Fathers. I find comfort in knowing that there are catholic theologians who could smile and agree with the bumper sticker I saw in Mississippi … “Born OK the First Time.” And I know that I am not alone.

Nationally and even internationally, CORPUS is much more aligned than it ever before with other groups championing the cause of a truly inclusive reformed ministry within our church. And it is even more critical for us to be in this place than ever before.

But I’d like to challenge our development even further.

I am certain that significant numbers of those who have joined the ranks of the Catholic Alumni have done so not because they do not believe in the presence of God, but because they believe in a God greater than traditional or even Vatican II Christianity.

Pouring old wine into new wineskins won’t change what is fundamentally flawed. Even when the Catholic Church reaches the point of officially celebrating the ministry of women and men, married and single, GLBT and straight, and the right of all to lead liturgical worship we will not have stemmed the growing tide of alumni.

As long as we allow the Catholic Christian message to communicate that we are not worthy, that Jesus died to satisfy a vindictive god, that only some are God’s chosen people, and only the chosen of the chosen can be leaders, we will not have advanced spiritually at all. We will just have changed who can deliver a message that is at odds with the Good News of Jesus.

We must encourage …
… the poets among us to retell the unfolding creation story in a way that speaks to a worldview enlivened by Galileo and Darwin
… each other to speak of our searching and finding God in the midst of our lives, our families, our play and our work
… the sharing and bonding of spiritual journeys among our friends from differing religious traditions
… our church to understand the belief of “non-believers” and grow beyond tribal boundaries
… true inter-religious dialogue that celebrates a mosaic or tapestry of spiritual traditions
… each other to be servants and stewards of one another and our planet.

As we accept leadership roles where we are planted we will be leading our church to a deeper celebration of the only God present in all. The most important challenge for the rest of our days is following in the humanity of Jesus who never led a liturgical celebration but lived the incredible generosity of God which knew no boundaries.

Namaste

Russ Ditzel
01.01.09

[Sidebar …]


The Faith Divide (blog)
All religions have both types of people – the tribal and the transcendent. The tribal type see in the particular narratives of their tradition a narrowing of concern, and therefore care only about the people who look like them, talk like them and pray like them.
The transcendent see in the same particularity a universalizing of care, and therefore focus their energies on all people, especially groups most in need, regardless of creed.
If tribal religion wins, it necessarily pits groups against one another based on identity – religion will destroy everything.
If transcendent faith wins, it opens the possibility for different identity groups to use their particular narratives to articulate a collective vision that includes everybody.
If that isn’t the future, there will be no future.
Eboo Patel, founder of Interfaith Youth Core, a Chicago based non-profit promoting interfaith cooperation.


Russ Ditzel, former CORPUS President, lives in New Jersey and can be reached at:
russ_ditzel@embarqmail.com