Pentecost

Pentecost is the “birthday of the Church.” Jewish people do not like it when their synagogue or congregation is referred to as a “church.” The remind us that church is a Christian concept.

The experience of the early Church can teach us much about Pentecost.

·         It is the Holy Spirit that binds us together. It’s not common interests, sharing the same socio-economic status, national origin, or language. It’s the Holy Spirit. We look to the Spirit for unity.

·         The Spirit gives us all different gifts. First, that means we all have something unique to give or use to build up God’s Kingdom. Second, our gifts are different. But the Spirit brings us together.

·         We are all connected. We are not simply individual Christians. We belong to one another, and God’s Spirit call us to know, love, and serve Him, but knowing, loving, and serving one another.

The Vanishing Neighbor

Marc Dunkelman. The Vanishing Neighbor: The Transformation of American Community

He starts by talking about how neighbors don’t know one another any more. He then goes on with a number of changes in society. His basic thesis is that there are three levels of “friendship\acquantaince.”
1. Intimate, family, close friends.
2. “Middle rings” that form neighbors, fellow church members, co-workers from different areas of work.
3. People you might just say hello to. His theory is that the middle group is shrinking.

This adds to the diminishment of neighborhoods, churches, PTA's, etc. It would take an intentional effort to restore them.
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Bill Bishop

Bill Bishop. The Big Sort: Why the Clustering of Like-Minded America Is Tearing Us Apart

We have been clustering where we live (and with whom we associate) by “mixing” only with people who are already like us and who only affirm us, rather than challenge us.

Bill Bishop starts with the story of how he came to live in the same neighborhood where the Holy Cross provincial house was.

People had bumper stickers: "78704: A Way of Life." Indeed it was. Our most famous resident was Max Nofziger who sold flowers on a street corner. He ran for city council, won, and was re-elected. Others included Jim Hightower (elected as State Commissioner for Agriculture) and Molly Ivins. There was a specialty, independent coffee shop and bakery.

But "the Big Sort" is that we self-select into living with people "like us." The Big Sort, then, is not simply about political partisanship, about how Americans vote every couple of years. It is a division in what they value, in how they worship, and in what they expect out of life.

We do not come into meaningful discussion with people different from us. We never have to seriously consider a different point of view. We become more and more entrenched in our own opinions.

The bonds among people within groups are stronger. But the bonds holding the groups together are weaker. The political example is Congress. But the same can be true of a town, a school, a church, etc.





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Robert Putnam

The Diocesan Schools Office suggested Principals and pastors attend his lecture at Notre Dame. It was excellent. I am familiar with mych of his work. Here are some of his books. 

Robert Putnam. He has several books. They are all good. 

 

Our Kids: The American Dream in Crisis. His latest book. It is a good description of his own 

home town and how it has changed. He compares it to many other towns. His thesis is that the 

cities and towns have turned into separate groups by social class and no longer function as a 

whole. 

 

Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community. Probably his most famous 

book. It describes how voluntary associations—bowling leagues, PTA’s, churches, etc—are 

dying. 

American Grace Co-authored with David Campbell of Notre Dame. It is a study of American 

religious life. There is a good chapter on Catholics, including a section on Latino Catholics. There 

is also a section on ͞The Rise of the Nones.͟ 

 

Making Democracy Work: Civic Traditions in Italy. In this book, Putnam asks the question, ͞

Why does northern Italy prosper and southern Italy doesn’t͟ The difference is stark enough that 

some Italian politicians in the north would like to get rid of southern Italy because it is an 

economic drag. It is also where the Mafia thrives.  His answer is that the civic traditions and 

engagements of people working together, trusting one another, collaborating in northern Italy 

are much stronger. Civic engagement translates into social trust and social cooperation, which 

lead to strong institutions thriving on soc

Reflection on Community

There is a powerful trend in U.S. society. You can use different words to describe it but 

basically, we are segregating ourselves into communities that are like ourselves. No one is 

forcing us to do this; we are choosing to. Perhaps we do it because are simply less challenged 

and most affirmed there.  

 

But it is hurting us, at least in the long run. It is helping to ruin the social fabric that should hold 

us together. It is making us narrow-minded, seeing only our own points of view and unable to 

see another point of view. It is, in other words, helping to polarize us. It allows us to withdraw 

from a broader vision of public life. It makes us think that ͞our kids͟ are only our biological 

children and that we are not responsible for ͞all our kids.͟   It means that we don’t worry about 

͞those people.͟

This is worth reflecting about. While the discussion is often at the national level, it is also very relevant and even at the core of what a town and a parish are. 

I will post a series of books that are on point for this topic. 

This is an excellent read. It has a lot of stories and examples from his own experience as a priest and a pastor.

I find it a very good book because it raises some hard questions and challenges: Why do we exist as a parish? How well are we carrying out our mission?  I really encourage you to read it!

Bishop Rhoades came to St. Michael for Mass and a visit to the school during Catholic Schools Week. The children had a program in the gymnasium where students from each grade talked about what they liked about the school. Afterwards, Bishop visited each classroom and asked the children what they were learning in religion class. He asked them a number of questions, and they all did a good job of answering.