June 23, 2008 issue
Reality of post-Christendom
By Stephen KrissPage:
- 1
- 2
While spending a couple of weeks in the United Kingdom, at the home of British Anabaptist leader Stuart Murray Williams, I read a headline that stated something like, “Bishop Orders Consolidation of Churches.”
Stephen Kriss is a teacher, writer, pastor, student and follower of Jesus living in Philadelphia.
It was like a kick to the stomach. These were the parishes of my own immigrant forebears in Amishman Joseph Johns’ (Schantz) city in the Alleghenies — Johnstown, Pa.
Constructed out of love, with blood and sacrifice, these edifices were shining monuments to the story of European Catholic immigrants. The story was concluding, and the reality of post-Christendom began to ring clear for me.
It’s not going to be an easy journey.
I’ve visited the parishes infrequently, gone to admire the architecture and celebrate at festivals over food and music. At first blush, my reaction is nostalgia — a certain longing for a day that I’ve never known.
It no longer makes sense for these five parishes to populate a neighborhood that has dwindled to a quarter of its previous population. But it’s heartbreaking to think that St. Stephen’s Slovak Catholic Church will be shuttered.
My great-grandparents sacrificed much to construct something that would remind them of the places they came from in the mountains of Slovakia. It was, and is, an anchor of identity.
Identity is the contested space in the postmodern world. We have virtual and professional identities, ethnic and religious identities. We can make and remake, move and shuffle the specifics easily.
We’re in an age of rapid movement and migration. Identity — once rooted in ethnic, religious and tribal realities — is both heightened and contested.
With the closing of these ethnic parishes, I feel a sense of loss, malaise and rootlessness.
Page:
- 1
- 2
Comment on the article Reality of post-Christendom
The purpose of comments is to engage in dialogue. We expect commenters to treat authors and each other as each would want to be treated. Respectful criticism is welcomed; offensive comments or parts of comments will be removed by the site administrator. Name and comment will be posted; email address is for follow-up only and will not be made public.
Download
Download a free PDF showing the populations of
Mennonite groups and other Anabaptists.
