Why I'm Not Leaving the Catholic Church

I've been hearing of sexual abuse allegations against the Catholic Church for as long as I can remember. This has been an on-going scandal throughout the nation and nothing is more appalling than what these priests, deacons, and bishops are being accused of. We have three young children and I find myself worrying at times about how safe they are in a place where there should be no question of their safety.

But I'm not leaving the Catholic Church.

We were confirmed in the Catholic faith in April 2017. We spent a year researching, going to RCIA, and studying, to be sure that this was the right move for our family. We decided it was indeed the best choice for us and we made the commitment to continue in this faith and to raise our family in it.

We knew there had been past allegations. Speaking for myself, I knew that there would probably be more. There were a few reasons why I still felt we needed to move forward.

Reason 1: A friend had told me during a discussion about accusations against the church leaders that Satan is not lazy when it comes to making attacks on the Church. What better way to discredit the Church than to corrupt its leaders? I am tempted by Satan everyday and I'm just a parishioner. Of course he's going to try and bring those most devoted to Christ down to hell with him. I do not condone this as an excuse and I do believe Satan weasels his way into even the most sacred places and they deserve to be brought to justice.

Reason 2: I am not a Catholic to serve the priest, who is man. I am a Catholic because it is based on the guidelines that Christ gave his disciples. I am Catholic to serve Christ and to experience his presence in the Eucharist.

Reason 3: How can we help the Church if we leave it? If we, the parishioners, don't stay to fight for our Church. To listen to those that feel uncomfortable, to address accusations and hold our leaders accountable, what does that say about us? If we leave because we don't want to be affiliated with the problem, rather than staying and fixing the problem, nothing will change. It is up to us lay people to keep our families, our parish, our faith safe in all aspects.

Reason 4: Sexual abuse is not only occurring in the Catholic Church.

So what am I doing?

I'm talking to my children about appropriate vs inappropriate behavior. Whether it be in church, in school, at the park, even at home. We talk to our children about what to do if they feel uncomfortable in a situation and who they should go to. We listen to our children. This might not seem like a lot to change the course of decades long accusations, but this is the best we can do.