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Letters to the Editor

Can solutions-based journalism save Catholic media?

Rob Cullivan • Aug 17, 2022
I appreciated Greg Erlandson’s column “Is Catholic journalism yesterday’s news?” in the Aug, 12 issue.  I wrote full time for a diocesan Catholic paper from 1988 to 2006, and have freelanced (including for Angelus) for other publications since. For one, I believe Church leadership underestimated how much of a negative impact the abuse scandals had on the Church’s image. How many people want to trust their youngsters to an institution that ignored their abuse? There are now literally millions of people who will never take the Church’s pronouncements on ANY issue seriously because of what happened. I also think the Church wasted ample opportunities to build bridges with progressives over too many issues. The fact that certain Catholic hospitals, for example, have stymied labor organizing has done a tremendous damage to the Church, and I have repeatedly found people are shocked to know Catholicism actually preaches that workers have a right to organize to collectively bargain. St. Pope John Paul II was positively radical compared to even a lot of liberal Catholics on this issue, but you’d never know it by reading how some people perceive his pontificate.  I agree that a solutions-based journalism is the way to go. When I was writing full time, I’d try to outline a problem, say the plight of migrant workers, note what the Church’s official teaching was, and then outline how church folks were practically addressing it. This approach seemed to garner the most positive response from readers and also let “conservative” and “liberal” Catholics know they had more in common than they realized. — Rob Cullivan, Portland, Oregon 

Thoughts from a fellow ‘malade’

Lori Seyer • Aug 03, 2022
It was quite moving to read Jenny Gorman Patton’s article about her recent trip to Lourdes in the July 29 issue. I was also a “malade” (one who is sick) on that trip, and saw a little bit of what she went through at the time and knew something of her history of being a chronic sufferer. Seeing the pictures brought so much back. I remember well Jenny talking about how she felt unworthy to go to Lourdes as a malade when she was first issued the invitation, but she ultimately went. Unlike Jenny, I don’t have a disease that is chronic; it has been short and sharp. But I really admire her strength in withstanding suffering — and it’s suffering whatever form it takes — for such a long period. She is someone to emulate. The Order of Malta does so much good in bringing malades to Lourdes. The pilgrimage there helps us in so many ways, even unexpected ways. We don’t always get better in health, but the trip aids us in other things such as our spiritual lives. At the very least, we can meet other malades and see what they are going through, which, somewhat surprisingly, can be very strengthening. Seeing what others deal with stops us from dwelling on ourselves, no matter how sick we are. We learn a new, deeper meaning of humility. I am so glad to hear that Jenny is doing better. She really brings home St. Bernadette’s great saying: “My work is to be sick.” — Lori Seyer, Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church, Montecito

A parish proud of their son

St. Jude Church • Aug 01, 2022
Thank you for the article in the June 17 issue written by Father Brian Humphrey titled “Getting schooled in Rome.” Father Brian is the son of St. Jude Church and School in Elyria, Ohio, where his father, Patrick Humphrey, is our deacon. We look forward to sharing this article with our parishioners. The message is insightful and it’s a joy to see the pictures! — St. Jude Church, Elyria, Ohio

Of wars and men

Keith Jayawickrama • Jul 26, 2022
I found the July 1 issue cover article to have interesting and valid ideas, but a couple of wrong messages, too. I work at a large public university, and contrary to the article, do not see “typical college males” to be “paralyzed by insecurity and guilt.” Also, when did “harming the earth, and starting wars” become virtues to be recommended in a Catholic diocesan magazine? Every pope I have known has been a peacemaker trying to end wars, not start them. Claiming that to have happiness and energy men need to start wars and harm the earth, is completely against centuries of Catholic teaching (and basic logic).  — Keith Jayawickrama

Realizing the wreckage of porn 

Patrick Erlandson • Jul 26, 2022
As someone who works to engage men and specifically fathers in the prevention of human trafficking, I really appreciated the insights in Elise Ureneck’s July 1 cover article, “How to save men.”  I have been doing trainings on the link between pornography and trafficking for years now. The article references the 2,000 hours a year 7 million men spend on their screens, and too much of that is spent on porn, which is dismembering families and castrating faith at an alarming rate.  Men are losing their identity as God’s children, their moral authority, and their credibility in ways that are leaving children vulnerable to social media predators and traffickers.  — Patrick Erlandson, Rancho Palos Verdes 

Guy problems on campus

Lucia Morales • Jul 02, 2022
I appreciated the detailed treatment given by Elise Ureneck’s “Men in Question” cover story in the July 1 issue to the current crisis in manhood. Having recently graduated college, I noticed many of the same problems described in the article during my four years on campus. While my female circle of friends seemed focused and dedicated when it came to exploring career opportunities and looking for a future husband, the “guys” we encountered (most of them Catholic) seemed less interested and, as the article puts it, “distracted” by things like video games and sports. I think that there should be more research done on this phenomenon, especially on how it’s affecting young families. It’s important that we know the generation we are called to evangelize! — Lucia Morales, Santa Clarita

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