Becoming a Progressive Catholic in 7 Years Thanks to Catholic Social Teaching

Looking back in retrospect over the last 7 years, in some regards, my faith and practice as a Catholic have barely survived the growing threat of fascism in the Church, the mass exodus of young people leaving the Church over this, attacks from me becoming an LGBTQ+ ally, being a supportive Catholic mother of LGBTQ+ kids, the fierce surge of anti-intellectualism and anti-science in the Church, and calling out the Catholic/Religious Right for their support of fascism/Trumpism. To say that the backlash has been brutal is an understatement.

For me to make the journey to where I am today over the last seven years, for my faith and family to survive, I had to make a very needed, painful, yet liberating shift to progressive Catholicism and the Democratic party, away from the Republican party and rad trad fundie Catholicism. The primary supports which helped me survive this shift are and were Pope Francis, the Jesuits, the Paulist priests, other progressive faith leaders, affirming LGBTQ+ mother groups, and other reconciling Christian ministries. Without them, I think I would have walked totally away from my faith after being a life-long Christian who converted to Catholicism in 2015. Most people who convert to Catholicism converted in as ultra-conservatives. I was not the exception in 2015, before all of the above happened. If you have read all of my blog posts in Patheos, it’s hard to believe that I was ever a conservative.

The very needed, painful, yet liberating shift to progressive Catholicism and the Democratic party away from the Republican party and rad trad fundie Catholicism have made me a much better person and Catholic. The peace, joy, and serenity are beyond explanation. I went from living in a fluctuating state of fear, anxiety, depression, and shame to a reformed state of life, a much greater love of all people, joy, and self-acceptance.

If I could choose the largest factor of these shifts, it was me following the direction of the Chair of Peter, the main reason I became Catholic in the first place.  Following Pope Francis’ guidance by Catholic Social Teaching not only gave me incredible direction to leave and defeat the Catholic Right in my life, it gave me the ability to fully love God’s creation, all people without exception, animals, and the earth. Catholic Social Teaching was at the core and center of my faith shift, political shift, and triumphing to a full new life in Christ and His Church.

Let’s take a look at Catholic Social Teaching and review it from a previous Patheos of mine.  catholic-social-teaching-poster-adults-digital.pdf (usccb.org)