In panel discussion, Great Lakes bishops say evangelization starts at home

Plymouth — With the U.S. Supreme Court preparing to issue a ruling on same-sex marriage in the coming weeks that could dramatically reshape the religious liberty landscape for faithful Catholics, Bishop Earl Boyea says he often hears suggestions that the Church should “get out of the civil marriage business” in order to protect itself.

He disagrees.

“We have a role in the public arena because we believe what we teach,” the Lansing bishop told a gathering of 300 Legatus members attending a Great Lakes Marriage and Family Assembly on June 3 at the Inn at St. John’s in Plymouth. “What we hold from God is not only good for us, but it’s good for our society, our world. We may at some point be pushed out, but let’s go out kicking and screaming.”

Bishop Boyea was one of four bishops to take part in a panel discussion on marriage and family life during the assembly of members of the international organization for Catholic business leaders from the six chapters of Ann Arbor, Detroit, Detroit Northeast, Grand Rapids, Lansing and Toledo, Ohio.

Joining Bishop Boyea on the panel were Detroit Archbishop Allen Vigneron, Toledo Bishop Daniel Thomas and Grand Rapids Bishop David Walkowiak. Gaylord Bishop Steven Raica and Detroit Auxiliary Bishop Michael Byrnes were also in attendance.

Archbishop Vigneron echoed Bishop Boyea’s remarks and referenced conscience protection measures currently before the state legislature that would protect faith-based adoption agencies from being forced to violate their religious principles in child placement. The archbishop noted that while the legislation stands a good chance of passing, if it doesn’t, the Church would in fact be forced out of providing such a service.

“I don’t know if our fellow citizens really take us seriously,” he said. “I was asked on behalf of all the bishops to write a letter to the governor of Michigan saying that if we don’t get protection, we’re going to have to give up this ministry.”
“It strikes me as quite peculiar that people might think we’re bluffing,” the archbishop continued. “But we will not be able to cooperate in a way that is immoral. Sometimes that’s not easy, but we have to be part of this world, and we’re going to have to find our way forward.”

Several of the bishops spoke of the distractions and obligations that increasingly threaten family unity and togetherness, and the importance of family in evangelizing the culture.

“Families seem to be torn in all different directions,” said Bishop Walkowiak. “The mother seems to be a chauffeur, and the kids are eating in the car,”, adding that devices, cellphones and social media all contribute to a loss in quality family time, causing young people to have “less and less of an ability to interact on a human level” as they grow older.



He noted that families are “the first school of love,” where children learn not only their faith, but also how to have compassion, intimacy and understanding for their fellow human beings.

“The apple really doesn’t fall very far from the tree. Children internalize the example the parents have given,” Bishop Walkowiak said. “Parents really need to step up and realize they are the first and best educators of their children in the ways of faith.”

Archbishop Vigneron pointed out that the deteriorating condition of the family in poor areas such as Detroit can be traced as one of the main causes of blight and dysfunction in the community. The archbishop called on Legatus members, who often hold positions of civic prominence and influence, to be drivers of social change and promote policies to lift up the family.

“You are people who in some ways elected officials are more likely to listen to than pastors,” the archbishop said. “In your political involvement, as you speak to state and Washington congressmen and women, keep very much in mind that any effort to improve the lot of anyone in our nation is always also about families. Any program, any initiative that isn’t focused on the family, doesn’t advance family life, is not going to help.”

He also pointed to studies showing engaged fathers as the most predictive factor of whether children adopt the practices of their faith as adults. The archbishop said families need a “new approach” for passing on the faith to their children, which he said must consist of “an explicit witness to Jesus Christ as the greatest good that I have” and “an explicit invitation to your children and grandchildren to share Jesus with you.”

He encouraged Legatus members to use the creativity and resourcefulness that made them successful in business to find ways to engage with parish pastors and offer new ideas for bringing people back to the faith.

The panelists also spoke highly of various initiatives aimed at supporting marriages, such as the World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia and the statewide Year for Marriage sponsored by the Michigan Catholic Conference, which includes parish resources at www.michigancelebratesmarriage.com and a statewide ad campaign.

Bishop Thomas, who before becoming bishop of Toledo was an auxiliary bishop in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, said he would soon be returning to his former home as a pilgrim. He said one of the challenges of modern society is communicating the ideal of the family in a culture in which many families are broken for various reasons.

“For one reason or another, families look different,” Bishop Thomas said. “We cannot stop striving to say that the goal of family is a mother, father and children, but we must do everything we can to help those that might struggle because they don’t look exactly like that.”