Diversity

In my course this semester on the Multicultural Church we are reading and discussing journalist John Allen's The Future Church, a look into world trends that are dramatically changing Roman Catholicism. Gathered at the table are two Vietnamese Americans, a Micronesian, one Hawaiian, a seminarian from Rwanda, an Anglo raised in China, someone born in Vietnam who came here after high school, another Vietnamese who was born in the United States, a professor of mixed heritage with Japanese grandparents, another seminarian who was born and lived childhood in Poland, two who were born in Mexico, one with a Filipino parent, and only four Americans with Western European heritage.

We meander through Allen's trends--the rapid expansion of Catholics into Africa, Asia, and Latin America where the majority of Church-goers now reside; the morally conservative but socially liberal views prevalent in third world countries; the seminaries at capacity in Africa and the sending of Southern Hemisphere priests to the United States and Europe; the indifference toward religion in the  Western world; the rise of Islam and tension with Muslims; the shared tenets of faith that might ally Muslims and Catholics in grappling with secularization; the challenges of a multicultural church at the parish, diocesan, national, and global levels; and the hope that these trends can be recognized, embraced, and utilized for the betterment of God's Kingdom and Christ's Body.

Just as important as the content, though, is the meeting of minds. How is it that such a diverse group of people that could choose to do many other things with their lives come to meet here at Mount Angel Seminary twice a week in preparation for future ministry as priests? The mystery of God brings us to gather. We are drawn to something greater, more ancient, more lasting than any of the careers or aspirations we might otherwise know.

That's not to say every statement and conversation we speak is wise or that we avoid the typical temptation to nod in and out of attention, but we share a journey in our diversity, a purpose in our presence, and that is enough to intrigue. As we sort through the muddiness of culture clashes, religious fervor, historical shifts, and the need for humility in this rapid, charged era of the world, we fill our minds with the direction needed to lead people effectively, whether in ordained ministry or elsewhere. The seminary experience is one with high demand of our time, intellectual exploration, cultivation of virtue, commitment to prayer and divine relationship, and formation of our temperament, character, and skills. In settings like this classroom we see foretaste the fullness of the eternal, immense, diverse Church, and we are invited to explore as far as we are able. I thank God for the opportunity.