Blog Post #12: Church in the Present

Church in the Present

1. What were some of the main points in Thomas Groome’s book, “What Makes Us Catholic?” Do you agree/disagree and why?
   A main point that my group focused on was Groome's idea that spirituality and participation in the Church are separate but rely on one another. He talked about how some spiritualy Catholic people distance themselves from the Church because they don't agree with some church policies. Basically, you can be a spiritual person without participating in organized religion. However, Groome does believe that to maintain a strong spiritual relationship with God, it is not sustainable to not go to church or follow the Catholic Church. I happen to agree, as the Church has been a part of the people's lives for thousands of years.
   
   2. What were some new things that you learned about Pope Francis from the video clips?
   I learned that Pope Francis was a man of humanitarianism, and did all he could to alleviate sickness and poverty from the people of Argentina. His parents were Italian immigrants, and he loved salsa music. He was accused of conspiracy against two jesuit priests in 1976 during a period of political instability in Argentina. He did oppose gay marriage, as he believed that every child deserved two parents. One time, he gave his clothing and ID to a man who was being chased by the government.
   
   3. What are different changes that Pope Francis is making to the way popes usually do things?
   Pope Francis is trying to be connected to the poeple. He does not want to have other people like assistants represent him. He tries his best to stay present in the lives of civilians to fully understand their struggles. He has taken a vow of poverty, and lives an extremely simple life, unlike many extravagant and politically interested prists before him. Lastly, his main focus is humanitarian.
   
   4. 4.)What hopes do you have for the present day Catholic Church?
   

   I hope that the church becomes more inclusive of all people. I think that the catholic church should extend itself to people who arent fully included. The catholic church should also learn to connect to modern youth. Church life is a dying way of life for some people, and so the church should try and change to adapt with modern people's lifestyles.

   
   

   

   This is a personal photograph from when my eighth grade class went to Washington D.C. for a school trip. We went inside an American cathedral modeled after Gothic Catholic European Cathedrals. This was the first huge church that I ever saw, and it opened my eyes to alot of what Catholoscism is about.