Newspaper Page Text
Thursday, October 26, 2000
The Southern Cross, Page 5
Everyday Graces
Stray dog teaches lesson
S he didn’t behave like an spoke, she’d wag her tail.
ordinary stray. As soon .. It made no sense to try
as I pressed the garage door % V&A to keep her. We had two
button to let out the cat, ^ large dogs already, both
she entered the garage | ^ females, who wouldn’t
wagging her tail. She m ^ M % like her intruding in
walked right up to me, her flt •<&'& 1 their space. They were
head bowed as if waiting 'Mk 4 ■ in the fenced backyard
for a pat. Stray dogs had Hj|L and apparently unaware
come around our house of her presence in the
before, but they were ar ^ 00 ar * garage. For a few sec-
always skittish, circling the trash onds, I envisioned a scene, like
cans, waiting for a chance to make a something from an old Lassie
meal of our garbage. This dog acted episode, where we’d nurse her back
as if she was coming home. to strength and she would become a
I didn’t have to take a good look devoted family pet. But just caring
to know she was a long way from for our healthy dogs and cats was a
home. Her skin fit so tightly around burden at times. The time and
her bones she looked like a cartoon expense involved in caring for this
drawing of a dog. Her eyes were one would be too great. And what
runny, her nose raw. She’d once if she died after all?
been a beautiful dog, a hunting So I drove her to the shelter. She
dog, I presumed. She had the face was too weak to jump into the back
of a beagle, the body of a much of the van, so I had to lift her. It
larger dog. Her coat was a hound’s was raining, and the parking lot
brown and white. was full of puddles. I had two of
When I fed her some dog chow, the children with me, and trying to
she began to eat ravenously then keep them dry and get the dog
pulled away after eating only a inside the shelter was a challenge,
small portion. She lay on a blanket When I got the dog out of the van,
we had set out for the cat. And she stood fast as I tugged on the
there she stayed while I drove the leash. Shortly, a shelter employee
children to school, checked the lost met us at the car and led the dog
and found ads, called the animal inside. She took the dog to a back
shelter. When I’d open the door to room while I filled out a form. She
see if she was still there, she told me if the dog was healthy
wouldn’t rise. She’d turn her head enough, they’d keep her. But
to look at me and groan. When I they’d have to examine her first. I
told her I’d call later to check on
the dog’s condition.
The rest of the day was busy, and
I didn’t think much about the dog.
By the time I returned home from
car pools and errands, it was late,
and when I got around to calling the
shelter, it had closed for the day.
The next morning, I called and
spoke to the director. She told me
they’d kept the dog overnight, but
the dog’s condition hadn’t improved
and she wasn’t eating. The dog had
been euthanized earlier that morning.
She went on to tell me that some
hunters don’t feed their dogs be
cause they believe hunger makes
the dogs more aggressive. She said
this dog was not the first she’d seen
in such pathetic condition. I told
her I’d been particularly touched by
the dog’s affectionate nature.
But it wasn’t just the dog’s gentle
ness that affected me. I was also
moved to reconsider my attitude to
ward keeping her. Because it had
been so easy to rationalize that tak
ing her to the shelter was the right
decision, I was reminded of how
easy it is to extricate myself from in
volvement in other areas of my life.
On one level, caring for a starv
ing dog can’t be compared to
Christ’s call to care for “the least”
among us. I’m the first to argue
that human life is intrinsically more
valuable. But on another level,
when I consider the call to be com
passionate and generous, even—
especially—when it’s inconvenient,
I can see how frequently I fail.
Throughout my life, God has
offered me countless opportunities
to serve others, some appearing as
obvious as a stray dog walking
right into my garage. So many
times, I can rationalize not to help.
The man on the roadside holding
the “will work for food” sign might
be dangerous. The lonely young
mother in my neighborhood might
become too friendly and rely on me
too much. Regularly volunteering
at the elementary school might
become too time-consuming and
take away from my family life.
Just as I delivered the dog to the
shelter, I can find excuses to
absolve myself from responsibility.
I’m busy with the children. I can’t
spare the money. I might get hurt. I
might fail.
What I did for that stray was pret
ty good. At least, I wasn’t cruel.
Taking her to the shelter was some
thing any decent person would do.
Still, her appearance in my garage
on a rainy autumn morning was a
reminder that, as a follower of
Christ, I am called beyond doing
what’s decent, what’s expected. 1 am
called to serve as he would.
Mary Hood Hart lives with her
husband and four children in
Sunset Beach, N.C.
Who are the
By Cathy Gilligan
e have said that the number of lay minis
ters in the church is growing but who are
they, how are they getting trained and what are
they doing in the church? The answers to many
of these questions are found in two books pub
lished last year. Parishes and Parish Ministers:
A Study of Parish Lay Ministry by Monsignor
Philip J. Mumion and David DeLambo of the
National Pastoral Life Center and The Catholic
Ministry Formation Directory 1999, editor
Bryan T. Froehle, Center for Applied Research
in the Apostolate (CARA).
Froehle’s directory indicates that in 1998-99
there were 29,137 students enrolled in 287 lay
ministry formation programs in the U.S. Many
of the training programs are sponsored by a dio
cese or archdiocese. There are programs in 150
dioceses, and programs exist in every state and
the District of Columbia. There are programs
being taught in English, Spanish, Portuguese,
Navajo, and American Sign Language. Women
enrolled in lay ministry programs outnumber
men by a ratio of nearly two to one. About one
in four students in the formation programs is
under 40. More than 60% are between 40 and
60. Seven percent are under 30. The students are
71% white, 23% Hispanic / Latino, 3% Black,
lay ministers in the
2% Asian, and 1% Native American.
From the research of Mumion and DeLambo
we leam that women are 82% of the lay parish
ministers. The percentage of men and women
religious serving as lay parish ministers declined
from 42% in 1992 to 29% in 1997. In 1997, lay
parish ministers were in 63% of U.S. parishes; in
1992, they were in 54% of parishes. In 1997,
80% of lay parish ministers had a college educa
tion and 53.5% had at least a master’s degree.
The roles taken on by lay ministers fall in five
major groupings: general pastoral ministers, reli
gious educators, liturgists, music ministers, and
youth ministers. Outside of the parishes lay min
isters are found more frequently serving as chap
lains. In 1997, there were approximately 2,730
certified members of the National Association of
Catholic Chaplains. At the same time 55% of the
American Catholic Correctional Chaplains
Association were lay. Until 1990 all prison chap
lains were ordained. Of the 35 members of the
National Catholic Conference for Seafarers, 9
are now lay ministers. The Catholic Campus
Ministry Association has 900 lay members who
care for Catholic college and university students
on non-Catholic campuses.
In another study, Catholicism USA: A
Portrait of the Catholic Church in the United
Church today?
States by Bryan Froehle (Orbis Books), we
leam that the numbers of lay pastoral ministers
are disproportionately lower in the Northeast
and the South, and highest in the Midwest and
West. All recent studies of lay pastoral ministry
point to the fact that Catholic population in the
United States continues to grow (6% since
1992) and at the same time parish leadership by
the laity continues to increase. Mumion and
DeLambo’s research indicates that since 1992,
lay pastoral ministry positions are more formal
ized with job descriptions, contracts, perform
ance evaluations and staff meetings. Salaries
have also been improving and the median is
actually close to that for all employees in the
United States.
Diocesan offices are more significantly
involved in parish lay ministry through recruit
ment, training, continuing education, staff
development, and inclusion of lay pastoral
workers in diocesan life. Continuing and
expanded partnership between parishes and
diocesan offices is desired by pastors and lay
parish ministers.
Cathy Gilligan is director of the
Diocesan Tribunal.