Stephen D'Agata

Well yes… but…

I guess the question should be: is Stephen still a Catholic? The answer would again be yes with the clarification that I am a (lapsed) capital P, Progressive Catholic.

When 8-year-old me (pictured) received his 1st communion, the Roman Catholic church was progressing with the reforms of the 2nd Vatican Council (Vatican II).

Consequently, I grew into a church which was actively exploring new ways to make itself relevant to modern society. Nuns were starting to show their hair, priests were discarding their collars, and the animosity between Catholics and other Christian denominations, was fast receding.

As I went to a secular high school, as a teenager, I chose to be an active member of the church by becoming a catechist and then youth group leader. Through this time, my faith development was heavily influenced by progressive priests, nuns, and religious scholars. As an adult, I maintained my involvement in the church by being elected to Pastoral Councils. It was during this time that I discovered firsthand, how hard the church hierarchy would try to suppress progressive views in the church. These losing battles against regressive forces coupled with the passing of my wife (who was always the more devout one) 10 years ago, led me to move away from active involvement in the church again. But my faith is a product of the Catholic Church, so have always considered my form of Roman Catholicism as valid as any other. If regressive conservatives don’t like it they can go and get…