It is now officially spring in more ways than one. While many are concentrating on the new life visibly sprouting out of the ground, few are paying attention to the springtime of evangelization in the Catholic Church. In his final years, Pope John Paul II told us this was beginning to occur. With his 27 year reign, and now with the steady leadership of Pope Benedict XVI, the Church is in good hands. However, to note their wise leadership only touches the surface of the many great events and movements happening in the Catholic Church. A more orthodox and vibrant clergy continues to emerge, especially among the newly ordained. Vocations are up during the past few years, dramatically so in some areas. In addition to vocations, there is an increase in the laity defending the Church along with an increase in ancient traditions of the Church, whether it is Eucharistic Adoration or Marian devotions. Early last year I wanted to tell this story of new hope in the Church… but how?
Ask and you shall receive. On December 11, 2005, while in Adoration at my parish, I prayed for inspiration as to how I could help spread the good news that I saw happening in the Catholic Church through my newly created website, Catholicreport.org. While leaving the chapel, the words "the tide is turning" bounced through my head. I went home and in 45 minutes wrote a small article about good news occurring in the Church. I showed my wife, who enjoyed it. I posted it on my website early in the morning of December 12, 2005. The results were amazing.
Amy Welborn linked to the story as did Mark Shea and a host of other Catholic bloggers. From there the story was picked up by Joseph Bottum of First Things (firstthings.com) and subsequently was picked up by sports sites such as Notre Dame Nation (ndnation.com) as well as sites that were not so friendly, such as a couple of atheists forums, that ridiculed my thesis. What could have caused a small article written by an unknown writer on a new Catholic blog to be picked up by websites and blogs that are so diverse in nature? Perhaps it was motivated by hope, in the case of the orthodox Catholics, or fear, from those who detest religion. Whatever the reason, it spread around the blogosphere. The next month I spoke with Amy Welborn and her husband Michael Dubruiel at my parish. With their encouragement and that of many others, I was prompted to write a book on the relatively-unreported good news happening in the Catholic Church.
The book was released in December of 2006. The Tide Is Turning Toward Catholicism chronicled that good news: an increase in vocations, youth embracing a more orthodox approach, the laity defending the Church (as evidenced by an explosion of lay ministries and apostolates), and the growing trend of Eucharistic and Marian devotions. Another surprise was the number of noted Catholics who read the manuscript and signed on to give an endorsement or blurb for the book. Bishop Robert Kurtz CR of Bermuda, noted sports celebrities like Dick Vitale and Gerry Faust, along with entrepreneur Tom Monaghan, and writer Tim Drake put their names behind the book.
In addition to good news, the book has some basic apologetics concerning Catholic teachings as well as topical issues recently in the news. Historical events like the Crusades, where Catholics are often viewed as the aggressors, are discussed as well. I also examine the decline in liberal churches and who is coming to the faith, as well as the phenomena of the mega churches.
Readers of the The Tide Is Turning Toward Catholicism are often astonished to find that vocations are up across the country, dramatically so in dioceses where orthodox leadership prevails. In some areas of the world, for example Africa, seminaries and convents are full and candidates have to be sent to the US or Europe where there are open spots. Some readers are surprised to learn of the number of celebrities, especially athletes and coaches, who give much of their time to the Church for various causes or speak about their faith nationally once they retire.
Often I am challenged with, "How can the tide be turning if so many have left the Church and scandals are still fresh in the mind of the general public?" The answer is quite simple: the seeds of rebellion were planted 30-40 years ago while the seeds of faithfulness to the Church were planted in more recent times. The pontificates of Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI have witnessed great crowds coming to St Peter's. Many skeptics were fond of saying that people only came to the general audiences of Pope John Paul II because of the historic nature of his pontificate or because they were embracing a cult of personality. Yet, in the second year of his pontificate, crowds coming to see Pope Benedict XVI's Wednesday audiences and his other appearances are as large as or even larger than the crowds who came to see Pope John Paul II. The fortunes of the Church are changing for the better. Though we may still be under the chill of early spring, the wise know that soon the sun will have more hours to shine, the days will be longer, and better times are ahead. Indeed the tide is turning.