The Marginal Catholic: Challenge, Don’t Crush

Here is a book that you can tell by its title (see above). It is based on Msgr. Joseph Champlin’s 40-plus years of being a parish priest. It focuses on how the “keepers” of the sacraments should respond to marginal Catholics, especially for baptism and marriage.

The goal or ideal is to challenge peripheral Catholics who seek a baptism or marriage in the Church, but not to crush them. Pastoral leaders wish to communicate with forceful, persuasive clarity what the Church expects of its members, yet they do not want to snuff out what may be a weak flickering flame of faith.

Marginal Catholics are defined as those who do not participate weekly at Sunday Mass, or seldom receive communion or penance, or rarely volunteer for church activities, or never formally register with a particular parish.

The challenge for pastoral leaders in the church is to accept people at whatever level of faith they are, and give them reason to build and grow.

One excellent chapter is “The Process Called Conversion.” The major turning point for couples generally occurs when their child nears the age, even remotely, for First Communion. That frequently coincides with the parents’ arrival at their late 20s and early 30s—a statistically proven time for a return to earlier faith values and practices. Their flames have to be kept burning until then.

Champlin has a chapter on official Church directives followed by one with pastoral suggestions for both sacraments. I find them to be excellent.

You can read the books front and back pages, table of contents, and first six pages at Amazon.com.

Deacon Lee Hunt