Thoughts on the Recent Pew Study
Oct 25, 2019
In a time where so many things seem to be upended and disjointed within the Catholic Church, it’s almost no wonder that a recent Pew Study revealed that 75% of Catholics don’t believe in the True Presence of Christ in the Eucharist. Clergy abuse? Check. Division within the Church’s clergy and laity? Check. Failures in catechesis at the diocesan, parish, and familial levels? Check. And the list goes on. So, now the majority of Catholics don’t believe in Christ’s true Eucharistic presence. Big deal. It’s just a fruit of everything going on in the Church...
Or is it?
Could it be that this fundamental doubt is the underlying source of the upheaval in the Church today? Bishop Robert Barron
notes this in his YouTube video discussing the Pew Study, saying that this doubt/disbelief is the fruit of a wedge placed long ago between catechesis and what’s often termed ‘social justice.’ Rather than uniting the two, they've been pitched against one another, distorting the vision of what the Church teaches. So many end up doubting the most fundamental teaching – indeed the very essence – of Catholicism.
So what’s to be done? It would seem this “wedge” described by Bishop Barron needs to be set aside. Properly speaking, the desire for caring for the poor as done chiefly in the name of social justice should instead be a fruit – and not just a movement of its own – of knowing who Christ is fundamentally and who His Bride, the Church, really is as well.
If you desire to go deeper in your faith – to really ask Christ Who He is and to make Himself known to you – St. Bernard’s School of Theology and Ministry could be a wonderful starting point for you to be more informed. Getting back to basics; wedding social justice and catechesis; providing masters degrees in theology, pastoral studies, Catholic philosophy, as well as an Mdiv program; and most importantly, offering an authentic encounter with Christ and His Church are things St. Bernard’s strives to do daily through compelling classes and monthly events – all of which can be attended virtually and conveniently.
“Who do you say that I AM?” (Matthew 16:15-17). Christ desires to make Himself known to you. Are you ready to ask Him Who He is?
Bernadette Bobrowski received her Bachelor of Arts in theology from Benedictine College, Kansas, and her Masters in Theological Studies from the Pontifical John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and the Family in Washington, DC. Working in the nonprofit world, as well as working in elementary education, have been her focuses since then. She married the love of her life a little over two years ago and is grateful for the wonderful privilege of working for St. Bernard's.
