Well, another devout Catholic has left us.
It’s true because it was right there in The Star’s obituaries today: “He was a devout Catholic…”
I’m not going to say who he was, not going to name him, because I don’t want to cast aspersions on any single person who claims — or whose family claims for him or her — the mantle of “devout Catholic.”
When I was a Catholic, the term didn’t particularly bother me. Can’t say I even paid any attention to it. The turning point came after I jumped ship — that was more than a decade ago — and became a Protestant, a member of the Disciples of Christ denomination, to be precise.
Then, I started wondering about the “devout Catholic” designation and gradually began recoiling at the words.
Some Catholics continue to think of themselves as part of a special religion because of what they see as a direct line from Jesus Christ to St. Peter to their parish priest. No zigzags, no historical breaks, just one seamless, clear line from Christ to them on their knees in the pews.
My father was among those who hewed to that school of thought…When hesitantly I broke the news to him in the mid-2000s that I had left The Church, he said, “Well, keep one foot in the door because it’s the one, true church from way back.”
Once at arm’s length from Catholicism, it began to register with me, partly through the obituaries, that within that “one, true church,” there was a more elite group, an upper crust, if you will. It was they who merited the tag “devout Catholic” in their obits.
Since developing this particular prejudice (mea culpa, mea culpa…), I have been looking in the obituaries for a “devout Lutheran” or a “devout Methodist” or a “devout Jew” or a “devout Muslim.” (These days, the latter designation could get you arrested, I suppose.)
Nary a one. And so it struck me that one of the benefits of my non-seamless spiritual journey is that I had landed among a more egalitarian crowd. That’s a good thing, right? Remember the first beatitude? Blessed are the poor in spirit; for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Still, humility aside, I aspire to bring down the wall between the devout Catholics and the rest of us.
So, here’s how I want the first line of my obit to read…
“James C. (JimmyC) Fitzpatrick, 99, of Kansas City, died yesterday. He debuted as a Catholic but left the earth a devout Protestant.”
JimmyCsays: At the juncture of journalism and daily life in KC 
As ever, good read, Jimmy!
Here’s a joke you may enjoy…
There was a man who was stranded alone on a desert island for many, many years. One day, while strolling along the beach, he spotted a ship in the distance. This had never happened in all the time he was on the island, so he was very excited about the chance of being rescued.
Immediately, he built a fire on the beach and generated as much smoke as possible. It worked! Soon, the ship was heading his way. When the ship was close enough to the island, a dinghy was dispatched to investigate the situation. The man on the island was overjoyed with the chance to be rescued and met his rescuers as they landed.
After some preliminary conversation the man in charge asked the man on the island how he had survived for so many years.
The man replied by telling of his exploits for food and how he was able to make a fine house to live in. In fact, the man said, “You can see my home from here. It’s up there on the ridge.”
He pointed the men in the direction of his home. They looked up and saw three buildings. They inquired about the building next to the man’s house and he replied, “That’s my church – I go there to worship on Sundays.”
When asked about the third building, the man replied, “That’s where I used to go to church.”
Good one, BB…Many of us can point to more than one building where we “used to go to church.”
O, c’mon … if you’re going to stick around to 99 why not just make it an even 100?
“Debuted…” Good one.
This *must* be a bee in your bonnet — you wrote about it two years ago. Still haven’t rectified it, huh? I *thought* this sounded familiar. :-)
If I ever write a book (doubtful, too lazy and it would cut too deeply into golf), I want you as my lead researcher, Gayle. I FORGOT I HAD WRITTEN ABOUT THAT!
Here’s the link..https://jimmycsays.com/2015/02/10/9132/
(I see that the wording in my current, prospective obituary is different than it was back in 2015. Today’s version is better and more accurate: I don’t go to that church any more.)
Yes: short, succinct and to the point — just like a good journalist.
Instead of “devout [name your religion],” how about “So-and-so was a devout person”? I’d want any piety folks might have perceived in me ascribed to my love of humanity rather than any particular sectarian expression of it. I’d be happy to be identified later in an obit as a happy member of my particular faith community, along with professional associations, alumni groups, etc. Not to hide my faith, but not to imply the “devout” ascription arises from a singular tradition.
My first doubts? My paternal grandfather was an ordained minister of the Southern Baptists. I had a nomadic childhood, and I suppose in an attempt to satisfy the inquiries of my grandfather, my mother (the daughter-in-law) sent me to Sunday School at whatever church was geographically nearby (except for the Catholic churches, which were attended by the fish-eaters).
I remember the constant pleas for monetary donations, even the children’s pennies, to send missionaries to undeveloped countries to “save” all the natives, who would never be “saved”, would go to eternal hell if they were forever denied the word of God.
Even as a very young child, it seemed quite unfair to me — how could anyone worship God/Christ if they had never had a chance to learn about a divine presence? That was, I guess, when I began to pull away from self-praising religions, from any religion that claimed an exclusive hotline to God him/herself.
In doing some research for this post, Peg, I read about Martin Luther and his motivations for splitting with the Catholic Church. His main reason was that he strongly disagreed with the Church’s view, at that time, that indulgences reducing one’s time in Purgatory could be purchased with money. Paying the Church, that is.
Of course, he had a plank in his own eye that he was oblivious to…Wikipedia says: “In two of his later works, Luther expressed antagonistic views towards Jews, writing that Jewish homes and synagogues should be destroyed, their money confiscated, and liberty curtailed.”
Maybe they should just put down whatever church they attended and forget the stuff about devout since The Star is hardly the final source determining that issue.
Obits are typically written by the families. And no editorial staff edits them.
I should have been clearer, Mike. No one down here gets the final word, so it doesn’t matter what the obit says. (However, you did give me a great idea for my going away present to The Star.)
Why are you only giving yourself 99 years? Patty mandate? The world — especially ROWest HOA–needs logical, conceptual, and devout people, such as you!
Jim, you’re going to receive annual reviews, even after you check out and go to the great beyond. You will be expected to maintain your productivity – no excuses!
Purgatory…forever.
It’ll be OK, Jim. We’ll all be together, and there won’t be any layoffs!
Take to the pulpit, Julius.