by Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann
Presidential elections reveal a lot about the state of our current culture.
It was troubling that many politicians made their defense of the so-called right to abortion, the ability to kill our own children, their top priority. The importance and beauty of motherhood has been so devalued in the popular culture that supporting the legal right to kill our own children was considered by political experts a plus for candidates.
Support for abortion was considered particularly important for gaining the votes of women, especially young, first-time voters.
Similarly, political action committees produced ads aimed at motivating young men to vote for candidates who would protect their access to pornography. Frankly, the failure to protect children from being targeted by the pornography industry is a national disgrace. Some political gurus thought so poorly of young men that they believed it was a political advantage for candidates to be on record in favor of protecting an industry that profits from addicting children to pornography.
Our culture for 50 years has protected the abortion industry’s ability to profit financially from killing our children. Now it is estimated that the pornography industry in the United States generates $12-14 billion in annual revenue. Not only is pornography available to our young people, we have made it almost impossible for young people to avoid it. Our entertainment industry encourages young and old to seek pleasure, fame and fortune as the key to happiness. We make cultural heroes of celebrities whose personal lives are usually a wreck.
What are the fruits of the secular culture’s promotion of pleasure, wealth and fame? Just study the concerns of our public health officials, who caution that our youth are suffering from epidemics of loneliness, anxiety, depression and even suicide.
It is easy to become discouraged with politics. However, Pope St. John Paul II maintained that culture is more important than politics. In a democratic republic, politicians do not determine but reflect the cultural priorities.
There is reason for hope. I find much hope in the young people in our Catholic schools, youth groups and campus ministry centers. Many of our young people are rejecting the dead ends that the secular culture is offering. I am pleased to share that the archdiocese just welcomed five young adult missionaries who are part of the Culture Project!
The Culture Project is an initiative of young people who desire to restore culture through the experience of virtue. The Culture Project missionaries are recent college graduates formed in Catholic social teaching who live in community in dioceses for approximately four to five years and are trained in giving different types of presentations to children in grades 6-12, their parents, college students and other young adults.
This is how the Culture Project describes its mission and dreams: “The Culture Project envisions a world where the dignity of the human person is at the forefront of every relationship, law and societal structure. We dream of a place where passion for fidelity glues husbands to wives, fathers to mothers and parents to children. We dream of a culture that fosters total human flourishing in the context of strong relationships and strong families. We dream of a world where the beauty of our sexuality is upheld, and love is not cheapened by ugly counterfeits. We aim for a culture where people are honest with their struggles, share stories to strengthen solidarity among their community and reject isolation on our paths to greatness. We believe in the unfathomable greatness of humanity and its infinite potential. And so, we have set out to follow the dream and to create a beautiful culture. Through conversation, friendship and speaking to our peers around the world, we hope to restore a culture fully alive. It begins with falling in love.”
The Culture Project missionaries will be sharing their vision and dreams for our culture in our schools, youth groups and college campus ministries. Even more, they will witness by their own personal and community life how these dreams can be realized.
Please pray for our Culture Project missionaries that Our Lord will bless and make fruitful their efforts. At the same time, let us embrace our own ability to transform culture by the choices we make in everyday life. Christianity transformed a pagan culture 2,000 years ago. We can do it again.
