Reply #38: Add me to the ranks..

[ElaineinIN]

I grew up Catholic in Connecticut in the 70s and 80s. I always found solace in the ceremony and symbolism ... there really can be a mystery to to that adds to the spirtuality, at least I always found it that way. But as I got older I found that two things were happening (or had happened, and I was finally old enough to realize it). The Church was simplifying the litergy to the lowest common denominator in order to attract more people. At the same time, the anti abortion/anti euthanasia clique came to dominate the social circles and the heirarchy of the Church. I know there are lots of liberal Catholics concerned with the death penalty, social justice, etc, but some how, their voices were silenced. I had always been a pick and choose Catholic, but was never really comfortable about it... the Church is not a democracy, they believe what they believe, and frankly, it ought to be that way, at least IMHO.

On day in the early 1990s, I was living in NYC and went to mass at St. Patrick's Cathedral, where the sermon was all about how I was going to hell because I wasnt' chaining myself to the gates of Planned Parenthood--failure to actively support the anti-choice forces was a sin of omission. I never went back to Church in NYC. Shortly thereafter, I went to church at the parish I grew up in when at home for Easter. I am not kidding here--we held hands, and sang Kumbaya to a mom dad and two kids wielding an acoustic guitar. I walked out of church, depressed, without any sense of joy (hard for Easter)--the litergy was gone and the social conservatives told me I was not wanted. So I left, and have only been back for funerals and weddings.

My husband and I found a wonderful Anglo-Catholic Episcopalian church in NYC, and since 1993 have been active members. I was married there, both my husband and I have been confirmed there, my daughter was baptized there. All the ceremony; none of the guilt!