Post-Traumatic Church Syndrome
This afternoon, WCPO in Cincinnati, Ohio, reported a story with the headline: Archdiocese of Cincinnati douses enthusiasm for ice bucket challenge in Catholic schools.
According to the report, Archdiocesan staff in Cincinnati received a directive on Tuesday instructing that they not participate in the challenge as representative of Catholic schools. The directive was issued based on concerns over embryonic stem cell use in ALS research. It read:
“If your school is planning an effort to raise funds, you should immediately cease such planning, or direct your fundraising to another organization with a similar goal, but whose practices are consistent with the Church.”
The reasoning behind this letter was explained by a written statement by the Archdiocese: “The beneficiary of the ice-bucket challenge funds a study using embryonic stem cells, which can only be obtained by destroying embryonic life.”
I felt immediately angry when I read this. Incensed, even.
One of my favorite books is Until I Say Goodbye: My Year of Living with Joy by Susan Spencer-Wendall, who suffered (and recently passed away) from ALS. It is a beautiful story of living life to the fullest. I’ve cheered on behalf of the Spencer-Wendal family–and every other individual and family that struggles with this devastating disease– each time one of my friends has taken the Ice Bucket Challenge in the past week.
The Ice Bucket Challenge enthusiasm has been much-needed great news in the midst of other terrible events in the US and the world. It’s been an unprecedented, country-wide pep rally. As Spencer-Wendall would have said: Delight.
I stopped reading the report and got really, really angry at the Archdiocese. Like, stomp-around-and-scare-the-dog angry. Ugly angry.
Who do they think they ARE? I yelled at the hummingbirds in the garden. (Who flitted away, no doubt frightened of my rage.) THEY WANT TO PROTECT EMBRYOS OVER LIVING, BREATHING PEOPLE WHO ARE LITERALLY WASTING AWAY!
And, morality issues aside, Why didn’t they simply inform parishioners that the ALS Association allows donors to stipulate that funding not be invested in stem cell projects?
Ugh. What bothered me the most was the lack of affirmation for how FANTASTIC this whole challenge has been– not only for the ALS community, but for the American community as a whole.
I felt the Archdiocese was choosing to focus on religious minutia instead of real life. Everywhere we’ve turned lately, it’s been dark, dark, dark. And the Ice Bucket Challenge has been nothing but a ray of light.
I sat down to write a scathing blog post that began with: “I’m taking the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, and I’m challenging the leaders of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati….Oh wait, you THINK IT’S A BAD IDEA TO HELP PEOPLE WITH ALS.”
Then I realized my anger was not helping the situation. I took some deep breaths. I tried to suspend my judgment of the Archdiocese’s judgment. I thought of all the good things the churches do in Cincinnati. I sat back down and started reading. I dug around a little more.
The Archdiocese was offering an alternate option. Their website directs readers to a post on thecatholictelegraph.com, which instructs: “Raising awareness for diseases and ethical research for patient care and potential cures is a good thing and there’s no reason Catholic’s can’t participate. The key is making sure any donations, of challenges issued for others to donate, are directed toward places that participate in licit, morally responsible research. An alternative to the ALS Association is the John Paul II Medical Research Institute.”
And tomorrow morning, according to a press release, “Jim Rigg, Superintendent of Catholic Schools for the Archdiocese of Cincinnati and Tom Otten, principal of Elder High School, will take the popular ‘ice bucket challenge’ to support medical research against ALS at 10 a.m….In conjunction with the challenge, they will each make a contribution to the John Paul II Medical Research Institute…”
I’m glad I didn’t write my first post, because I would have been wrong.
Sometimes recovery from Post-Traumatic Church Syndrome looks like speaking to crowds and blogging, but most of the time it looks more like taking a moment to breathe. It looks like choosing to focus on the outcome (ALS awareness and funding increasing) instead of the background noise.
I still don’t agree with their moral reasoning, but in these dark times we have to seek the light wherever it may be found.
Sometimes to unite instead of divide, we have to hold hands with people we disagree with. So I plan to cheer when Rigg and Otten get buckets of ice over the head tomorrow.
And I wonder if , somewhere, Susan Spencer-Wendal might cheer, too.
Reba Riley is the author of Post-Traumatic Church Syndrome: A Memoir of Humor and Healing in 30 Religions, about her journey through thirty religions and chronic illness in the year before her thirtieth birthday. She is the founder of the PTCS community online.
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