In the comments below, RL asks:
“So here's the question: Granting that my upbringing had some significant lacunae from a Catholic perspective, how would I go about finding a Catholic parish with anything approaching that level of seriousness about studying and applying the Scriptures? The outsider's perspective is that Catholic parishes and Catholics in the main aren't very interested in catechesis, and when they are, they're more interested in what one might call "Catholic distinctives." Or is that perspective hopeless provincial as well as Protestant?”
The short answer is that I don’t have a good answer. Of course, I won’t let that slow me down.
Now, before we go any further, I have to preface what follows with one significant caveat. I live in the eighth largest diocese in the country (or so I recently read somewhere). Every type of Mass and every type of parish is available within an hours drive. I can get to a Traditional Latin Mass, or a Latin Novus Ordo complete with Gregorian Chant. I can go to some of the goofiest modern Masses you can possibly imagine, where the priest is the master of ceremonies and the musicians get wild and can really rock the house down. I go to a parish where the Mass is in English, but celebrated with a great deal of reverence. With a bit more of a drive I can go to an Anglican Use parish in traditional English celebrated ad orientem (they’re an hour and 15 minutes away). There are churches in the shape of a cross, or churches in the shape of a donut (and some with no obvious shape at all). You can get English, Latin, Polish, Spanish, Korean, Malayalam, Vietnamese, Ukrainian, Nigerian, and at least two dialects of Chinese.
If you live in the eighth smallest diocese in the country, my perspective might not really matter much to you. Your options will be rather limited, and my advice well neigh worthless. Keep this in mind, and factor in your own area as you need to.
The most direct answer I can give to RL’s question is this – Trial and Error. Go to a lot of different parishes until you find one that fits your needs. Ask around your area and see what you can find. One great resource in my area is our one-and-only Catholic bookstore. They seem to know everybody. If there’s one in your area, ask about the kind of programs (Bible study, etc) that interest you. Check parish websites or bulletins and see what kind of programs they have, and maybe talk to the people in charge.
Now, to the question that underlies the original question.
I’ve taken to calling the modern period of Catholic history the Dark Age of Catechesis. (Now, that’s saying something really. Having studied the Dark Ages rather extensively, I think I may have just insulted everyone that lived in the period immediately following the collapse of the Roman Empire. Yes, it can get that bad at times.) I consider it the Dark Age of Catechesis for a couple of reasons.
First, the average catechetical experience in the average Catholic parish seems to be pretty dismal. For whatever reason, many parishes teach what I call Least-Common-Denominator Catholicism. It’s a version of the faith that dilutes the hard teachings, and wants to ask less and less of the pew-sitters. This Least-Common-Denominator Catholicism is responsible – directly or indirectly – for the likes of John Kerry being Catholic while supporting every abortion law possible, or Sean Hannity claiming that the Church has no business saying anything about contraception. Kerry and Hannity are both Catholic, but in a minimalist kinda way.
Second, without question, the primary reason people leave the Church is that they don’t understand what it teaches. I’ve seen it time and again over the past few years. People leave in their teens because someone hands them a tract on the Immaculate Conception, with biblical quotes explaining why the Catholic position is wrong. These seem, on the surface, to make sense to the un-catechized. They are utterly unprepared for such challenges to their beliefs, and fall from the Church like leaves in autumn.
Now, all these things are, very slowly, being corrected. There is a serious movement within the Church to correct these catechetical problems. Catholic radio and TV shows – such as Catholic Answers – are a great example. John Martignoni getting an hour-long show to explain the scriptural supports for Catholicism is another great example. Blogs like Jimmy Akin’s and Mark Shea’s are great points. Lay apostolates like The Catherine of Sienna Institute work to help this situation as well. There are loads of others that I’m not going to try to mention in one post. But the bottom line is that things are getting better in this area.
There's one point where I just can't agree. People go parish shopping to find a parish that meets their needs. The problem is that they start thinking their needs are what matters. Better to stick with your local parish and do as much good for everyone there, rather than running about doing an imitation of Goldilocks with the porridge.
To be honest, I don't have much patience with people who are handed a tract, swallow it without question, and say they'd been taught a lie. Yes, there's plenty of blame to go around. There are priests who get it wrong, though they're not as common as the blogosphere pretends. Yes, there's a big problem with laypeople who have taken on responsibility for teaching catechism, without always being well qualified. But the real root of the problem lies in the fact that everyone is responsible for learning what the Church teaches, but few actually bother to do it. If they're gullible enough to swallow the first line of bull they read in a Chick tract, it's their own fault for not accepting their responsibility.
Jeffrey,
I agree completely that apathy is a problem, but I don't think it's a primary problem. It's at least equal, and apathy gets beyond just the laity.
I have personally tried to make a difference at one of those massive suburban parishes that sometimes border on heresy. It's just not that simple to say that you want to help make it better when some parishes just don't want you to. My family wife and I didn't go parish shopping to suit our needs. We went because we wanted to make sure that our kids had a proper understanding of the faith, and because we knew - after 4 years of trying - that we weren't going to make a difference.
And saying that a potential convert is doing an imitation of Goldilocks really doesn't get at what a convert is going through. For some people, it's just not that easy. You need something specific to help you through the threshold, and that something is the type of parish that teaches the truth. That is, after all's said and done, what most converts are after....the Truth.