Running head: CULTURE OF CATHOLICS

Culture of Catholics
Abigail Hansen
University of Kentucky

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There is typically some tension between Catholics and Christians and the differences
between their faiths. Even though they share many common values, there still typically seems to
be a rift between the two. I grew up as an Evangelical. My parents had been raised Catholic, but
changed faiths by the time they were married, and often spoke out against Catholics. Due to my
misunderstanding of the Catholic faith, I decided to do some research so I can better define the
differences between the two and understand what causes such a rift between such similar faiths.
Through it I found some main differences in how to interpret the Bible, praying to Saints or
Mary, and the seven sacraments.
One issue my father often proclaimed of was how the Bible was interpreted by the Priest.
He believed we should all be allowed to make our interpretations of the bible and that the bible
was left for everyone to read and understand, not to have the message delivered by only a Priest.
However, after interviewing Brigit Millet, I found that the Priests message can help people
decipher the Bible. She said, but I feel its a good way of taking the Bible and putting it into
realistic perspective,(B. Millet, personal communication). Another interviewee, Gracie, said,
my priest does a nice job connecting the Bible to everyday life, (G. Millet, personal
communication). I found people better understand the message of the Bible through the Priest
because he relates to the culture of today and our own society. As time can change many things it
can be very hard to relate messages from years ago to today and the current culture. Although
some people of the Catholic faith find it hard to relate these messages to what they believe today
such as subjects of gay marriage. On the National Public Radio, they interviewed three
Catholics, one of whom said, I started to become more politically aware and aligning myself
with issues that I felt were really important morally; like, equality for everyone, in terms of
marriage. It wasnt even like I was disagreeing with what my church was saying. I felt what they

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were saying was immoral, (Kunz). Kunz felt everyone should be allowed to marry even if
theyre gay which caused her to doubt her priest, and she felt the priest was wrong to speak out
against gay marriage. Other people agreed and said they felt a gap between themselves and the
church with these controversial issues. Many catholic people were glad when Pope Francis came
out and brought more liberal ideas to the faith (NPR). Showing conservatism to be another
wrong stereotype of Catholicism. After researching Catholicism Ive found many Catholics have
liberal ideas while still practice Catholicism, and I believe Pope Francis is helping to bring a
better light onto Catholics. Villareal, another Catholic from the NPR interview commented on
Pope Francis and said, You know, he says we cant be obsessed with these hot-button issues of
contraception and gay marriage. I think Francis is calling us to discuss these issues from a
standpoint of humility, of service, of mercy, of love (NPR). Villareal showed me Catholics are
not straight conservatives and dont believe their values supersede caring and understanding one
another no matter what their belief.
Besides being commonly judged as conservative, another common difference between
Catholics and Christians is Mary and other Saints. My father commonly complained of how he
felt praying to Mary was similar to worshipping her, and as the Bible states youre only allowed
to worship God. However I found many Catholics do not worship these people, but simply see
them as examples or role-models to follow. The Catholic church of Boston states, We are
devoted to Mary, the mother of God, and see the saints as true examples of
holiness,(Archdiocese of Boston). Wuerl, a Bishop, says, we can certainly emulate [Marys]
faith that says, although Gods ways are mysterious and I do not always understand the unfolding
of Gods plan and Gods providential order, nonetheless, if God calls I accept. If God challenges,
I respond (Wurel). This shows some Catholics pray to Mary to ask her for help in showing the

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same amount of faith that she did; meaning, they do not worship her and thus are not breaking
any commandments. They simply use praying as a way to communicate with other holy people.
Another typical difference between Catholics and Christians other than praying to Mary
are the seven sacraments. In my faith, we practice Baptism and rebirth; however, we do not
follow the seven sacraments as devote Catholics do. Therefore, I was interested in what they
were and what their purpose was. Providence College explains, Yet Catholics believe that
despite its limitations the church has been chosen and sanctified by God to be a sacrament of
Jesus Christ, to embody his person and mission and to both point to him and make him present in
the work that it does in his name (Providence College). Devoted Catholics want to become as
close to Christ as possible by emulating him and purifying their bodies. To start, people are often
Baptized, especially babies, to wash away all their sin including their original sin (Wuerl). This
made sense to me as it is a way to become new again. Also, it allows us to better connect with
God since sin often separates us from Him.
The next sacrament, which I was unfamiliar with, was confirmation. It is one most
Catholics partake in and is usually performed once the person is old enough to understand what
they are doing. It is the initiation where people receive the gift of the Holy Spirit from the bishop
and strengthens their Christian faith (Wuerl). After learning more about confirmation I realized it
was similar to point in my faith when I prayed with one of the churchs leaders to ask Jesus into
my soul so I could become a better Christian and strengthen my faith in God. Finding such a
similarity showed how practices I once considered odd were actually quite similar to my own.
Another sacrament most Catholics follow is Communion or Eucharist. Wuerl explains
this is the time when, the priest consecrates the bread and wine making them the body and
blood of Christ, the holy sacrifice of Christs death on the cross and his resurrection to new life

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and re-presented for us, (Wuerl). Many other Christian churches follow this sacrament during
their own services, including my own. I understand this is to remind me of Jesus death for my
sins as it does for Catholics as well. So far Catholic sacraments are very similar to my own
practices in my faith making Catholics less different from Christians. Even though the rituals
may differ slightly or may be performed at different times, it does not change the true meaning of
what they represent.
Another common sacrament for many Catholics is reconciliation. This being when a
person confesses their sins to the priest and thus acknowledging they sinned and seek forgiveness
from Christ. In my religion we do not practice this sacrament, however we practice something
similar which is praying for your sins. Often when I felt I did something awful I would pray
directly to God and ask for his forgiveness and his help in improving myself so I would not
commit this sin again. So even though non-Catholic Christians do not typically follow this
sacrament, I believe many still practice it in their own way. They still follow the main idea of
asking for forgiveness for the sin that they committed.
However, the next sacrament tends to differ from most Christian faiths, and that is the
sacrament of healing. In the sacrament of healing, the priest, functioning in the person of Christ,
forgives sins in the name of and with the power of Christ (Wuerl). If a person is sick physically,
mentally, or spiritually, they may ask the priest for help healing. In my faith we do not practice
this; however, it is encourage to pray to God and ask Him to heal our wounds when we are sick
or injured, and also to guide us if we lose faith. Many Christians typically pray to God for others
who may be hurting or in need of guidance. To me it seems we simply take a more direct
approach in such dilemmas. Some may argue which is right approach, but it doesnt change the
result we are striving for which is healing.

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Marriage is another sacrament some Catholics may choose to partake in. It is the union
of a couple in a covenant for lifelong support and procreation of children Marriage is viewed
by the Church as a sacrament at the service of the whole church the communion of believers
(Wuerl). Although this is something many non-Catholics also participate in, the ceremonies tend
to differ. In many common marriages the ceremony is more focused on the individuals whom are
being wed, however, in many Catholic churches this act is seen as a service to the church. The
idea being you create a family and have children whom you will spread Catholicism to and
through your family help develop the Catholic community.
The next sacrament for more devoted Catholics is the Holy Orders. It is when a person is
entrusted by Christ to continue to work for the Church until the end of time (Wuerl). This is
when a person become a priest, bishop, or deacon. This sacrament is very unlike my own
religion in which the priests are allowed to marry and have training, and become a priest after
several years of training. They do not consider theirselves as an apostle of Christ, but rather as a
guidance to the Church. Also there are no higher orders. There is simply the priest or missionary
who works in the Church to help people understand the Bible.
After all this research I concluded that although we follow many different practices, we
still share common beliefs and values. Even though we interpret the Bible differently, it is still
the Holy Book that we strive to follow and understand. Although we may not pray to Saints, we
all still want to act in Christ-like ways. Finally, even if we do not follow the seven sacraments,
we still follow practices quite similar to them. So I see my parents outbursts as their own
misunderstandings. Though they did not agree with how many Catholics practice their religion,
they also failed to see such similarities between the two and what theyre disagreeing over tends
to be smaller details. I believe if more people can understand this, there can be less division

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between the churches of how to practice and better community built through our common beliefs
to act as children of Christ, the need to help and care for others, and the life of working towards a
better community.

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Sources
BostonCatholic.org. (2014) Being Catholic. Archdiocese of Boston What Does It Mean to Be
Catholic? Retrieved from: http://www.bostoncatholic.org/BeingCatholic/Content.aspx?id=11316
This article discuss what it means to be catholic today in the church of Boston. It lists
many examples and practices of whats expected. This article provided me with
information on what being Catholic means in different regions. It also showed me some
common practices of Catholic faith.

Marten, Rachel. (2014) What It Means To Be Catholic In 2014. Retrieved from:

http://www.npr.org/2014/03/23/293255049/what-it-means-to-be-catholic-in-2014
This article is a transcript of an interview between Rachel Marten, the host, and three
Catholics. They discuss what it really means to be Catholic today. This article gave me
more perspectives on what being Catholic means today. It also gave me some views from
common Catholic people rather than the Churchs point of view.

Millett, Brigit. Personal communication, 2014.

Millett, Gracie. Personal communication, 2014.

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Providence College. (2014). What does it mean to be Catholic. Retrieved from:

http://www.providence.edu/mission-ministry/about/Pages/default.aspx
This article talks about what the church expects from someone who calls their selves
Catholic. It talks about how they are expected to act and what they are expected to do
during their life as a Catholic. This article helped me understand expectations of
Catholics from the church. It also gave me an understanding of what the church expects
from its people.

Wuerl, Donald. (1999). What it means to be Catholic. Catholic Education Resource Center.
Retrieved from: http://www.catholiceducation.org/articles/apologetics/ap0167.html
This article is an explanation from a bishop and what it means to be a true Catholic
follower. He talks about the history of Catholicism and rites of passage. This article is
very in depth which gave me a broader understanding of what is expected of Catholics. It
also talks about some of the history in the Bible and how it relates to Catholicism.