Census Shows Need For More Learning

Posted: 11.12.09

My dear friends,

Included in this edition of the Florida Catholic are the findings of a census of black Catholics that was taken in the Archdiocese of Miami last year. The census revealed some interesting information about the people who self-identify as black Catholics in south Florida and what they need or want to receive from the Church.

The census is a gift from our Office for Black Catholic Affairs for our 50th anniversary as an archdiocese. I see it as a vital gift because of the knowledge we will gain from it and the opportunity it gives us to put that knowledge to work toward the goal of evangelizing our people.

While many of the census findings are unique to black Catholics, what I find most interesting is that their needs are not all that different from the needs of Catholics of other races and cultures. Chief among those needs is the need to know more, to learn more, about the workings of the Church and the tenets of our faith.

I am often amazed at the huge gap in knowledge that exists among many of our Catholics, even those who attend church faithfully. They lack knowledge of our history, our beliefs, our practices, why we teach what we teach and why we pray as we pray — all of which are basic foundations of a deep and abiding faith.

That is not always their fault. The Church in recent decades has done a less than phenomenal job of instructing its own people, especially in the formative years. I think we are finally rectifying that, but we must continue striving to be as effective as possible in this area. As Jesus said, we must be like the “wise man who built his house on rock” rather than the “fool who built his house on sand.” (Mt 7:24-27)

Catholics also are at fault, however, because many think that an eighth-grade understanding of their faith is enough to carry them through life. But the fact is that we are obligated to grow in our faith as we grow in life, for anything that stagnates dies — and that applies to our faith as well.

That is why I take this opportunity to urge everyone, from the oldest to the youngest, to avail yourselves of whatever opportunity you find for faith formation. Look for a parish that is offering Bible study classes or other courses (which are often listed in our online Events or right here in the Around the Archdiocese section).

Register for “Fountain of Grace,” a course offered by our Office of Lay Ministry and Adult Faith Formation which aims to familiarize Catholics with the basic tenets of our faith as outlined in the catechism.

Register for the ongoing courses offered by our Office of Religious Education. Although they are meant for those who teach religion to children in our parishes, they also are wonderfully beneficial for anyone who wants to learn more about his or her faith.

Look for parishes that offer “inquiry” classes for non-Catholics or fallen-away Catholics who might be considering conversion or a return to the faith. These also may help to shed light on tenets and practices that practicing Catholics may not understand.

This much is true: We cannot believe in what we don’t understand. We cannot practice what we do not believe. We cannot defend what we neither understand nor believe.

So I take this opportunity to thank all those who are involved in religious instruction in our parishes and schools and at the archdiocesan level. I also take this opportunity to thank Maria Jerkins of our Office of Black Catholic Affairs and her team of census coordinators and volunteers. Your gift of a census of black Catholics has shed light on the needs of not just one particular group of Catholics in our archdiocese. It is also a mirror from which we all can learn about our own needs.