Liberated from a failing institution
Terry Fitzpatrick4 July 2009 (Published in The Green Left Weekly July 4 2009)
On April 19, a huge mob of St Mary’s people made a pilgrimage out of a church and into the Trades and Labor Council (TLC) building, home of the Queensland Council of Unions.
They walked out of the church to the TLC, 200 metres down the road in silent vigil with candles and lanterns, banners and balloons – not unlike the Jews of the Old Testament escaping from the slavery of the Egyptians to the liberation of the Promised Land (minus the balloons).
We too feel liberated from the shackles of a failing institution caught up in dogmas and creeds that belong to another age. We felt it was time to take a stand from the constant bullying we have experienced for many years.
We have been bullied for standing up for the rights of women and giving them a voice. For challenging and changing the sexist language and images of God in the liturgies and celebrations we have as a community. For ensuring women are given equal roles in the decision-making processes of the community.
We have been bullied to make us stop blessing the unions of gay and lesbian couples, baptising their children and allowing them to celebrate and use the church like any other group.
We have been kicked out of our church for giving people with a sexual orientation that departs from the mainstream a voice and a place within the church.
We have been ostracised for taking a stand with those who have suffered abuse at the hands of state and church-run institutions. For setting up the Esther centre in Lotus Place, a place of advocacy and support for people who have experienced abuse in human service or faith communities.
We have been marginalised for signing a treaty with the Indigenous people of the land we are on, for recognising their prior ownership and sovereignty. We believe as many Australians do that this recognition lies at the heart of addressing the injustices carried out against the Aboriginal people of this land.
For these and many other reasons we have been liberated from the constant bullying and shackles of a failing institution unable to change.
As a people we feel optimistic about our future. We have had enormous support nationally and internationally. We have tapped into a nerve, a frustration, a boiling-over anger at an institution that continues to deny the rights of so many.
This huge Roman Catholic corporation continues to win the sympathy and ear of governments afraid to challenge its bullying, standover tactics.
The days of its unchallenged reign are numbered. The tide is turning and new ways of expressing and celebrating spirituality are being forged. We are delighted to be a part of this new movement. As one wise sage said:
“When the winds of change blow/Some build walls/Others build windmills.”
It is time for many new windmills.
[Father Terry Fitzpatrick is a member of the St Mary's congregation in Brisbane.]
15/02/2012 at 2:46 am Permalink
Christ said “whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” If the Catholic Church teaches something then Christ is teaching it. The Catholic Faith is a package not a pick and mix, you can’t just choose what you want to, and not want to believe in. You are no longer Catholic and have become Protestants and by turning your back on the Catholic Church you have turned your back on Christ and are in grave danger of loosing your souls.
08/04/2012 at 4:40 pm Permalink
Brad, faith in Christ and faith in the church are two separate entities. You have to draw a line somewhere. If you don’t then you will follow these other humans (the Catholic church) into error. They are admittedly highly educated and devoted philosophers and theologians who study scripture daily. They are academics. Are they balanced and worldly wise? Some maybe, others not so. To blindly follow would be to state that they have never made errors. Is that what you are suggesting? At what point do you acknowledge that they are erring? Do you ignore errors and attribute them to individuals or is there a problem with the ideology? Errors and misjudgements in all walks of life are being highlighted and shot down on a daily basis. As I’m sure you are well aware; there is a climate of transparency and universal knowledge unfolding due to advances in global communication. The practical application of ideologies is being studied on a daily basis. This exiled group of people believe, rightly it appears, that certain injustices exist. This makes for uncomfortable reading for the church. You add nothing to their struggle for justice by stating that they have turned their back on Christ. I think their point is that they have not. They have been unable to affect the Church from within and are tired of the intolerance brought to bear on them. What is your intention? To cause them guilt and fear? I feel sorry for you if that is how you have been raised. Is that what the Church teaches you? People like you are the reason they left. I could shame you by asking what good you are doing, but I am above mind games and torture.
I’ve said my two cents and I only visited here to see what masses were on in Brisbane on Easter Sunday.