Catholics on SCOTUS: Soon 6 out of 9?
Supreme Court credit:Courant
Twenty five years ago when a handful of St. Louis women gathered to publicly defend Catholic Church teaching, the immediate topics were feminism, abortion and women’s ordination. Within a couple of months and many enthusiastic letters from faithful Catholic women, we understood a national organization was in the making, Women for Faith & Family:
WFF Beginnings
In September 1984, six St. Louis women gathered around a dining room table to discuss their concern that the US bishops, who had announced their intention to write a pastoral letter on the subject of “women’s concerns”, might not receive an accurate picture of Catholic women. The women were concerned about the impression given in the media that most Catholic women feel “alienated” from the Church, and dissent from Church teachings on issues ranging from abortion to ordination. They were aware that feminist theology had influenced many women and Catholic leaders. They wanted to do something positive to overcome this distorted image of Catholic women.The result of the women’s discussions was an eight-point statement of fidelity to Church teachings on a wide range of issues. They began to circulate the statement, called the Affirmation for Catholic Women, among their friends and colleagues, inviting them to reproduce the Affirmation and to help collect signatures…..
At the time we were — and are as far as I know — the only grass-roots Catholic women’s organization whose aim is to defend church teachings. We took on all the hot-button issues. Still do.
I remember trying to explain to all and sundry, i.e., those non-Catholics who didn’t quite see the point of what we were doing, that for the foreseeable future the country’s culture wars would be played out primarily in the Catholic Church, the West’s last, largest bastion of traditional Christianity. So — it seemed obvious to me – it would be in the self-interest of non-Catholics, whatever their viewpoints, to learn more about the Catholic Church.
My suggestion was politely received and, as far as I could tell, pidgeon-holed.
I thought of that on Saturday morning, May 16 of this year, when a FOX News anchor interviewed Archbishop John Myers, Newark, in preparation for President Obama’s Notre Dame appearance. Twice — not once, but twice — the FOX anchor addressed Archbishop Myers as “Mr. Archbishop”.
Now, a couple of weeks later, I issue the invitation again: President Obama has nominated Sonia Sotomayor, described by the White House as someone who
was raised as a Catholic and attends church for family celebrations and other important events
If Judge Sotomayor makes it through the confirmation process — whatever sort of Catholic she is – she will be the sixth Catholic on the Supreme Court.
Six out of nine.
If you scroll down from this link immediately above, you will see a list of Chief Justices, beginning with John Jay, Episcopalian (N.Y.) who served from 1789-1795. He was in the company of plenty of Episcopalians then and from then on. John Roberts, a Catholic, became the first Catholic Chief Justice only in 2005.
And it isn’t without irony that a direct descendant of John Jay, John Jay Hughes, is a Roman Catholic priest in our St. Louis archdiocese. Fr. Hughes has written of his conversion from the Episcopal Church, an often painful conversion, in his current book No Ordinary Fool: A Testimony To Grace.
Will we begin to see headlines fretting over Catholics taking over our nation’s legal discourse? Not if the writers are au courant on the state of Catholicism in the United States!
However the national conversation plays out following the Sotomayor nomination, you’ll want some background. It is in your self-interest:
To get up to speed on Catholic/political/cultural news, go to Catholic World News.
To find what the Church teaches, go to the Catechism of the Catholic Church.
For answers to specific questions, go to Catholic Answers.
For instance, when you next converse with an archbishop — and you don’t want to call him “Mr.” — here’s what Catholic Answers suggests:
“Your Excellency” or if he happens to be a cardinal “Your Eminence”.
Now, as a practical matter, many people will simply say “Bishop”, “Archbishop”, “Cardinal”. Actually, even “Father” is appropriate.
Sherry Tyree, 66, a graduate of John Burroughs School and Washington University, is a founding member (1984) and Vice President of Women for Faith & Family, a national Catholic women's organization that supports and defends traditional church teachings. Sherry is married to Dr. Donald A. Tyree, professor emeritus, School of Business, St. Louis University. 
Why ‘Your Excellency” or “Your Eminence” when Jesus was simply “rabbi”?
skippy, the short answer is that one must always remember that the Catholic Hierarchy has many of the trappings of royalty, including titles and trappings of nobility.
I would pose this one: is this a good thing for SCOTUS to be 2/3 Roman Catholic in religious perspective? I would suggest that RC beliefs do not represent 2/3 of the population.
Unless of course we subscribe to the theory that personal experiences (including religious inclination) do not influence judicial thinking.
If I am not mistaken Clarence Thomas is not practicing. Obviously neither is Sotomayor. Being baptized Catholic and actually living the faith are two different things.
wowee - you hit the nail on the head - it’s called cafeteria Catholics.
Some people do refer to an archbishop as Mr…as a term of civility, but not respect. Respect must be earned. It doesn’t come with a job description.
Why is it in my self-interest to learn official Catholic teaching? The Supremes are supposed to rule on the basis of law, precedence and common sense, not the precepts of popery. As far as how to address clergy: the AP stylebook and other books of manners are good enough guides for me. I would be scared if Ms. Sotomayor were a placard carrying Catholic. I am glad she is not. The majority of Americans have some cradle religion which is mixed into their personal culture. The original American Catholics were socially liberal (being outcasts in this country) interested in social justice, working for the poor, downtrodden, sick, etc. and fiscally conservative, because they were poor. I don’t know what American Catholics are now, other than just like the rest of us.
“The original American Catholics were socially liberal (being outcasts in this country) interested in social justice, working for the poor, downtrodden, sick, etc. and fiscally conservative, because they were poor. I don’t know what American Catholics are now, other than just like the rest of us.”
Susan-
Catholics today are still interested in the ideals that you just listed. The largest social service provider in the state is Catholic, for example. However, in a bid to gain social acceptance, many Catholics such as JFK essentially sold their souls and compartmentalized their faith separate from their public persona. I could write a whole book on this, but I will spare you.
Just to make my point, the compartmentalization of the faith and the disastrous interpretation of Vatican II has made most Catholics no different from their neighbors. That is a travesty and we are in the midst of a corrective era.
the increase in latina population in this country will once again put the Catholic church back in the driver’s seat in the struggle for religious control of the government.
Susan,
You state, “As far as how to address clergy: the AP stylebook and other books of manners are good enough guides for me.”
The 2008 AP Stylebook, page 230, states: “CARDINALS, ARCHBISHOPS, BISHOPS: The preferred form for first reference is to use Cardinal, Archbishop or Bishop before the individual’s name…on second reference: [the prelate's last name] or the archbishop.”
Susan,
For the most part, where you thought Catholics stood in the past remains true today. Catholics are still socially liberal and are one of the largest providers in the St. Louis area for the poor, elderly, and disabled. But do not confuse socially liberal with the right to life argument or gay marriage. I would rather not start a conversation regarding this other than to say that the right to life principle taught by the church extends to the death penalty as well, not just abortion.
CENTRISTS,
Cafeteria Catholics? No such thing! It only shows the reality that people do turn away from their faith. It only means that they are not practicing Catholics just as some are not practicing Baptist, practicing Lutherans, practicing Latter Day Saints, practicing Jehovah Witnesses etc.
Sometimes people walk away from their faith because of hypocrisies witnessed within their Churches. Many of these people truly want to worship God in Spirit and in truth and can see that their church is far off that mark.
My hope is that they have not walked away from God/Christ and if they have, my hope is that they find Him again no matter which religious affiliation they find Him through. It is only important that people worship God/ Christ in Spirit and in truth rejecting all things that are contrary to God’s instruction just as it shows some did through our reading of the “seven letters to the Churches”.