Jamie Manson in the National Catholic Reporter:
Joining the ranks of established church reform organizations were members of the newly formed Occupy Catholics, a group that is an exciting sign of new life for the church justice movement.
Inspired by Occupy Wall Street’s phrase, “We the people have found our voice,” Occupy Catholics is dedicated to challenging the institutional church to uphold its social justice teaching. More than half of the group is made up of young-adult lay Catholics.
Nathan Schneider and other organizers from Occupy Catholics came to the cathedral to support the vigil.
“The people in front of St. Patrick’s Cathedral are speaking as Catholics,” said Schneider, a writer and activist in his late 20s. “It looks like a protest, but there is actually something deeper going on here. This is a part of the church acting as a part of the church.”
Although the groups were united in a common hope that the Congregations for the Doctrine of the Faith would stop its investigation, some have differing hopes about the outcome of the LCWR’s struggle with the Vatican.
This united Vigil gives me hope, encouragement and the subsequent determination to always advocate for the Christ’s teaching of seeking Truth and Justice .
As a young-adult lay Catholic myself, and as one affiliated with the progressive Church reform movement, I am always inspired when people my age realize that we truly are the Church and that we have the right to act on that realization. Thank you for standing up.