Chicago is My Kind of Town

It looks as if we're going to Chicago in a couple of weeks for a series of possible meetings, bloody meetings. Having been raised in the Midwest (Evansville, Indiana) and having attended Notre Dame undergraduate (University of Evansville, MBA), this writer has been of the opinion for years that the middle of the country is going to save America. The series of meetings that we hope to have could very easily be a turning point for America, and from there, the world.

This, on an interfaith level, is consistent with what Pius XI wanted in his transformation of "Catholic Action" into a vehicle for acts of social charity and social justice. Catholic Action has, in the opinion of this writer, been incorrectly interpreted as greater attention to individual spirituality and public acts of worship. That's all well and good, but what Pius XI had in mind, was an entire network of action groups with their focus on restructuring the institutions of the common good. The object is to bring those institutions back into material conformity with the precepts of the natural moral law so that they once again assist us in acquiring and developing virtue, thereby fitting us for our "final end."

This brings in politics: the art of the possible. What this writer tried to convey in Supporting Life was that, at least in the political realm, there is a common ground on which we can meet with those having even the most divergent beliefs and convictions. A primary objective, then, becomes organizing with like-minded others both to solidify support and present a united front. This is all the more important when the goal is, as Pius XI reminded us, "the restoration of [the social order] according to the principles of sound philosophy and to its perfection according to the sublime precepts of the law of the Gospel, Our Predecessor, Leo XIII, devoted all his thought and care." (Quadragesimo Anno, § 76.)

We'll let you know if anything happens.

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