Karen Dill wanted to return to her Catholic faith, but she was carrying around too much anger toward the church after her divorce.
That was nearly 20 years ago, long before the clergy sexual-abuse scandal or the church closings that have alienated even more Catholics in recent years.
Now, Dill, 60, of Manchester, N.H., is not only back, she’s helping other Catholics find their way through a program called “Welcome Home.” She runs it with the Rev. Gary J. Belliveau, pastor of St. Kathryn Church in Hudson, N.H.
The seven-week program offers counseling, speakers and perhaps most importantly, Belliveau and Dill say, a chance to be heard.
And other local churches, like St. Mary’s in Chelmsford, for one, see it as a ray of hope to drawing others back to their faith.
Divorced and away from the church for 15 years, Dill felt “let down” by the faith that was once an important part of her life.
“I was very angry at what I perceived was a lack of compassion” from a church that does not allow remarried Catholics to receive the sacrament of Holy Communion or to remarry in the church, she says.
Also, Dill says she was angry with the church’s stand against abortion and birth control.
In 1985, while Dill was exploring other faith communities, a friend suggested she revisit the Catholic Church, saying, “the church had changed.”
On a whim, Dill walked into a church in Manchester, where Belliveau was the newly ordained associate pastor. She sought guidance for an annulment.
“And I liked what I saw,” says Dill. [Source]
What this article totally lacks is any hint of conversion. A conversion story without a conversion. No hint about how she overcame her objections or whether she still had them. It just seems like such an obvious question in a story like this even in Massachusetts, especially for someone running a ministry for fallen away Catholics.
13 comments
I guess she found the Church had converted to her (or a parish that creates that illusion), and she’s showing her magnanimity by welcoming the Church back into the fold. “Karen Dill, I have sinned against Woman and against you….”
Of course, the phrase “I liked what I saw” fits nicely with “exploring other faith communities.” As who should say, “I came from a loyal Chevy family, but I explored other options, and when I visited the Toyota showrooom, I liked what I saw….”
Me again. Just noticed — “Chelmsford.” Of course you know what “Chelm” is in Yiddish folkore? The town where everyone’s an idiot.
Wierd. Brand loyalty in religion? Catholic Church finally got that ingredient she was looking for?
Cacciaguida got there before me, once again.
Sigh. New Hampshire. Granted, Hudson is pretty close to the Massachussetts border (it’s the next town East of Nashua, North of Salem NH). But we have lots of problems here too. Granted, the RC church in NH isn’t in as bad of shape locally as the Episcopalians, but the fact that there isn’t a single NFP only OB or Family practice doc in the state is pretty dismal. Not even at either of the two “catholic” hospitals.
Please check out holyfamilyacademy.org. Several students from this church attend this Catholic school where the school year begins with faculty taking an oath of submission to the magisterium of the Catholic church during the celebration of the mass!!!
Please people, read the facts!! This pastor has a heart for Christ! His parish is offering a welcome home to many fallen away Catholics who are seeking Christ. If they can’t find it in us, then they will look to other churchs.
The welcome home program allows people to express why they left the church and it allows healing to take place so that people may return to our Lord. I know because I am one of those fallen away Catholics and a similiar program helped me find my way home!!
The article sited is from a liberal daily publication that HATES catholics! It is a miracle that they ran such an article. A devote Catholic friend of mine wrote for the religion page of that paper and her work was substansially edited to fit their “format”.
The curt jester was not slamming the church program but the fact that the article did not mention a change of heart, a conversion story! That I can agree with.
Theresa,
I have been interviewed several times by reporters. They will take down what you say but they put their own spin on it so that it does not necessarily come out the way you meant it. They do not always put statements in the order or context in which they are originaly stated.
We as christians MUST be careful not to assume to know the HEART of the person being quoted. This leads to judgement, which only Jesus can rightously do. I know;this is one of my many sins!!
I think that we need to keep all of our lost Catholic brothers and sisters in prayer with the hope that they will open themselves to a program like WELCOME HOME.
God bless.
Thank you again, Karen. From the example I provided, along with your comments, it appears this article is a gross mischaracterization. I’m thinking that speaking to reporters must be somewhat treacherous going. You remind me of the time when, after my brother’s ordination (which coincided with the sex abuse scandal), a cadre of reporters were on hand to speak with him and our family. My uncle quietly counseled us to be careful to whom we speak, that it would be likely they would twist our words.
Theresa,
You have a smart uncle.
All,
Anyone who has been interviewed or intends to ever be interviewed by the media (MSM which includes “Public Radio”) needs to be VERY AWARE of the process called editing. Context will NOT be maintained. Your intent will not come through but sections of your words will. Context will NOT be maintained. Period. Paragraph. Stop and consider this.
In Broadcast there is the very real limit of time. In Print the concern is space. Journalists learn to write in a fashion that allows major sections to be removed and the coherence (that they intended) will still remain intact.
Note that I say “that they intended”. Reporters, editors and the organizations that they work for DO have observable biases. Some of us were taught in American History about the period of “Yellow Journalism” in the History of the United States. It was a very strong political bias, editorial bias, public statement of opinion by the print media of the late 19th and early 20th century. There are still biases present in today’s media. (generic examples do follow)
In most cases an effort is made to act (or at least appear to act) in an unbiased fashion. Quite simply, I do not believe that an unbiased opinion is possible from the media. We all think and speak from our individual biases.
At times these biases are subtle. Remember from Genesis that “The Serpent was the most subtle of creatures.”
My wife refuses to be interviewed for anything other than background unless she is allowed to pre-approve any quotes.
I live in the diocese of Manchester NH. I work for the Public Radio station for New Hampshire. I am not a journalist, nor do I wish to play one. I am a Broadcast engineer by training and career. Any observations are personal and practical and NOT intended to be cynical. To follow the usual disclaimer from work … “these remarks do not reflect the opinion of my employer, underwriters, or any other member/donor of … ”
I heard from a friend who works for the Diocese that when he was interviewed by a co-worker of mine, the questions established a direction and an intent to direct the interview to a pre-established position / conclusion. Knowing the reporter and the topic, I was not surprised. (Right to life issues – need I say more)
NPR and the NPR member stations do make an effort to “present all sides”. The problem is that this approach is not inherently unbiased. The flaw is glaringly obvious when the assumption is made that “everyone knows what ‘normal’ is and it does not need covered”. IMO this is done on a far too regular basis. Likewise coverage of certain opinions and lifestyle choices can at worst glorify them. At the very least, the more an opinion is covered the more it is “normalized”. “Oh yeah, I heard about that on…”
There is also an unfortunate tendency for NPR to present a very balanced story and then at the end make “zinger” comment. The comment establishes the reporter’s (or corporately the Network’s) opinion. The NPR Ombudsman commented to me in an email (personal complaint about a specific report) that (paraphrased) “The audience is intelligent enough to determine that what was expressed was the reporter’s personal opinion”.
As Mother Angelica was reported to have remarked: “Applesauce!”
How often do any of us really listen to a news report that critically?
There is a Journalistic “culture”. In my opinion there is one for most careers. They each have their slightly differing worldviews. Law and Medicine come immediately to mind. These cultures are not necessarly bad. They do have their individual mindsets. But, we should be aware of our biases and how they influence our actions.
The MSM is not necessarily “bad”. They do provide a valuable service. Hey, I listen to NPR by choice as well as for my job. My opinion is that many in the media are unaware of their biases. Then there are those like the reporter I mentioned. In some cases a bias is “expected”.
What this really means is that we should listen more carefully. I’ll repeat the word “subtle”. The more these opinions are normalized, the more they become part of our culture, our language, our expectations, our laws, our legal precedents, and even our “civil rights”.
Too often we unwittingly let our work culture(s) supercede our Catholic culture. Too often the surrounding “Culture of Death” (per JP-II) is overriding our Catholic culture. I am a Cradle Catholic. I have, over a multi-year period, re-devoloped a sensitivity to a bias against an orthodox Catholic viewpoint. It has everything to do with my prayer life, and my personal commitments.
My personal sensitivity shows when I yell at the radio every time I hear “Why can’t the American Catholic Church just change this doctrine?”
However, I am prudent enough not to yell at the radio while at work.
I pray that by my example and quietly expressed observations I am able to be “salt, light and leaven” to my work environment. St. Michael the ArchAngel defend us in battle.
Excellent points, John! It is bad enough we have to be careful when talking to people who are not aware of the gapping culture gap that stands between Catholics and just about everyone else, but when the person you are talking to has “creative control” over the final product of your own words, that makes the situation much more dicey.
Is the solution then to completely shut ourselves away from the press? I do not think so. Disappearing from the world has not really worked for the Amish and disappearing from the the world of the MSM would not work for us, either.
I say, if they are going to misrepresent, then let them misrepresent. Leave it between them and God to explain how they wanted to fair to Satan’s point of view (I’m sure that will go over real well.)
A misrepresentation is another word for a lie — a hole in the fabric of truth created either out of a malicious desire to deceive or any number of personal motives to skew the truth. Lies kind of have a way of catching up us and Dan Rather. In time, if there is just enough Catholic representation in the media, the sheer quantity should bring people to the point where they see the manipulation for what it is.
Until then, we as faithful Catholics know the MSM is deceptive. This is bad for the state of our democracy, but at least we know it. And knowing is half the blah blah blah. This is how you go about reforming people’s ideas and reforming the media — which is the secular church of our day — a belief buoyed by the widely-held but mistaken idea that secularism is for some reason the reasonable “common ground” for the exchange of ideas across cultures.
It is not. Secularism is a “religion” in itself — and one that is incredibly hostile to all other forms and expressions of faith.
Fight the power!
This is good thread, and brings up some great points. Good discussion.
On that note, I live in NH and can confirm that Fr. Belliveau is an orthodox pastor.
Please continue to pray for the Church in NH. We have lots of problems here, but there are a few good pastors here and there. Fr. Belliveau is one of them.
Medium, Message & me
This was triggered by a post and comments at the Curt Jester. Anyone who has been interviewed or intends to ever be interviewed by the media (MSM which includes “Public Radio”) needs to be VERY AWARE of the process called…