The history of American Catholicism is the study of change. Much of this change has resulted from the interaction of the American and Catholic cultures. Religion cannot escape the influence of history nor can it avoid the impact of culture. This change has brought new life to Catholicism. Like any living institution, it needs to change, and change it did. But opposition to change has intensified in the recent past, most especially during the pontificate of John Paul II. Since he has appointed most of the bishops throughout the world, they tend to mirror his concern for order and control.
The hierarchical church represents one dimension of Catholicism, a very bureaucratic aspect, and one that gains the headlines in the evening news. There is, however, another aspect of Catholicism, a church within the church, that is more attuned to the cultural influences of the past half-century. This is the people's church, rooted in the parish community. These two expressions of Catholicism, the people's church and the bureaucratic church, are like two ships passing in the night, each traveling in a different direction.
In the United States, a very vibrant expression of Catholicism exists at the local parish level. Surely not all parishes fit this description, but many do. In these communities, American culture is shaping the future of Catholicism. A spirit of democracy is evident in these parishes. They also manifest a lively, public worship in which lay men and lay women play central roles. Such liturgies mirror the culture of the people in language and song. The Vatican issues its edicts, but they do not seem to have much impact at this local level. The people are not disloyal to the pope or their local bishops. They just have other concerns to strengthen and sustain the spiritual life of themselves and their families.
As these two ships, these two expressions of Catholicism, travel into the future, what awaits them? Will they eventually follow the same course and support each other, or will they continue to go their separate ways? If they continue on their separate paths, what will be the consequences of such division? As change reshapes American society, the church must adapt. It has no choice. Otherwise it will become a lifeless relic of a mythic past. The future challenge for Catholicism in the United States will be to remain faithful to the Catholic tradition as it adapts to a modern American culture. The result will be a genuine American Catholicism, fully American and authentically Catholic.
