Much of secular America, and especially the country's mainstream media, is almost wholly unaware of the tide flowing in the American Catholic Church, and would be shocked at rising numbers of Mass attenders in unlikely places.
If they looked, they would also find communities of fully integrated Americans of diverse ethnic and economic backgrounds, brought together by a common faith. The emerging Catholic Church in America has a huge Latino element which, like the Irish and Italian immigrant waves before it, is finding in the Church a steadying, welcoming, and comforting institution that they can trust. Earlier generations of Catholic immigrants from Mexico, Cuba, and Central and South America had already established themselves within the American Church, so this aspect of the renewal of the American Church is well underway. The future of a fully integrated America is already on display in the pews of the average Roman Catholic Church in California and throughout the west. Those worried about assimilation ought to realize that the Church is already on the job, as it has been for centuries.
Due to the leadership first of John Paul II and now of Benedict, the theology of the Roman Catholic Church did not suffer the same confusion as did the Liturgy, and the defense of traditional Catholic moral teaching on subjects such as the the need to defend all life from womb to natural death and to keep God's commands on the subject of human sexuality has been consistent even though many among the messengers were horrible hypocrites, sinners, and even criminals. The teaching made it through the terrible years and stands intact and uncompromised. New leaders not tainted by the scandals are raising up those teachings again, with great and persuasive power. Divisions with traditionalists are being healed, and discipline restored across the country, so that the Mass, other Sacraments, and doctrine are conducted and understood properly.
There really are no such things as "golden ages" when one measures human time against God's clock. But there are eras of clarity and purpose, and eras of confusion and discord. The American branch of the Roman Catholic Church has just departed from one of the latter and has just begun its first steps into the former. For that grace, many millions of Catholics are giving thanks. And after and during those thanks, they are setting about the work of building the Church parish by parish, school by school, and person by person.
The Roman Catholic Church in America owes a profound thank you to American evangelicals who, thoughout the last thirty years, stood in the gap created by a retreating Roman Catholic Church. In many ways they inspired and led the renewal in American Christianity while defending the teachings of the Gospel against the culture even as an enfeebled and wounded Church fell back in disarray. Now that American Protestants and Catholics are both entering eras of growth and confidence -- and they are -- the opportunities for genuine ecumenical cooperation are extraordinary. The 500th anniversary of the Reformation is around the corner. When it arrives, the United States will be a good place to assess how the breach has been, if not filled, then bridged for the benefit of both sides.
Hugh Hewitt is a law professor at Chapman University Law School and the host of the Hugh Hewitt Show, heard on radio stations across the country every M-F at 6 PM EST. He is a graduate of Harvard College and the University of Michigan Law School. His most recent books can be purchased at Amazon, including "In But Not Of: A Guide to Christian Ambition," and "The Good and Faithful Servant. He blogs daily at HughHewitt.com.
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