Spotlight need for Church to pay attention to singles

By MAUREEN MCGUINNESS- | Comments: 0 | Leave a comment

When Pope John Paul II designated a Jubilee Day for single people in April, the goal was twofold: to celebrate the gift of single people in society and the Church, and to draw attention to their needs.

For some single Catholics, that was a step in the right direction. According to Dennis Mason, a 43-year-old single Catholic who attends both St. Margaret Mary and St. Vincent de Paul churches in Albany, there are times when single Catholics can feel out of place in the parish.

Many parish activities and ministries are geared toward families, but single people would like to be involved in parish life as well, he said. That's one reason he enjoys attending St. Vincent's, which has a single professionals group that sponsors activities for single members of the parish.

Called

According to the Secretariat for Family, Laity, Women and Youth of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops (NCCB), single people have gifts to offer the Church community and should be provided with the opportunity to do so.

The call to single persons is the same call given to all of the laity of the Church, states the NCCB in its document, "The Jubilee Day for Single Persons."

It adds that Scripture provides many role models for single people: Jesus, Mary Magdalene, Martha, Lazarus and Paul. Hebrew Scriptures offer Miriam, Jeremiah and Elijah.

Vocation

In previous generations, living out a single vocation had more support. "We still see it as a vocation, but you don't hear about it much," said Mary Moriarty, associate director of the Family Life Office for the Albany Diocese.

While the single life can be a vocation, it can also be a time of searching, she added. As people take the time to discern their path, there may be a delay in making a commitment, causing people to be single longer.

"We are seeing later vocations, both to the religious ordained life and to married life," she said.

Many singles

Mrs. Moriarty pointed out that the single population in the Church is diverse. According to the NCCB, "There are young adult singles, mid-life singles, and older singles. Each of these populations requires and deserves specific attention from our Catholic faith community. Some are single by circumstance and some are single by choice. There are those who are single yet open to the prospect of marriage, priesthood or religious life, and there are those who feel called to live the vocation of the single life. Some find themselves single again after separation, divorce or the death of a spouse."

Both individuals and the Church need to provide single people with support, Mrs. Moriarty said. "Stop nagging," she said. "Don't push them into something they're not ready for."

Instead, she advocates listening to their needs and dialoguing with them. "Open up a conversation on religious vocations with the person," she said. "Perhaps they hadn't thought of it before. But also ask how you can support their choice to be single."

Ministry

Ss. Peter and Paul parish in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, asked single parishioners how the parish could provide support and a new ministry was created: "Single Vision."

According to Monica Meagher, pastoral associate, more than 300 people are active in this ministry, which meets the spiritual, social and community needs of the parish's single population.

The parish learned of the needs of single people by hosting a "dinner dialogue" program. During the meal, a facilitated discussion was held among participants.

Many needs surfaced at the dinner, Ms. Meagher said. "They want to meet other single people with similar values," she said, "not necessarily to marry but to have as friends."

The parish's ministry to single people now includes faith-sharing opportunities, service projects and social activities.

(Resource information about the Jubilee for single persons can be found at www.nccbuscc.org/laity/singles.htm.)

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