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Summary of Interfaith Questionnaire of Winter 2007-08

The Interfaith Ministry sponsored an interfaith family study, which was administered in print and online. Not each respondent answered each question. Percentages are based on the number of respondents that answered that specific question.

Demographics of the 32 respondents: 24 Female (77%) and 7 Male (23%)

• 75% (21) of respondents were married. The remaining were single (4) / divorced (1) / engaged (2)
• Length of relationships: 2 months to 48 years.
• Of the total respondents who identified themselves (25), 21 identified as Catholic (84%); 3 Protestant (12%) (incl. 1 Lutheran and 1 Methodist), 1 Other (4%)
• Spouses who were identified (31 total): 7 Catholic (23%), 14 Protestants (45%), 4 Jewish (13%), 1 Muslim (3%), 5 Other (16%)
• Marriage ceremony: 22 Catholic (75%), 3 Protestant (11%), 1 Joint Catholic/Jewish (3%), 3 Other (11%)

Marriage & Family:

In what ways can St. Charles improve in making interreligious couples feel more included in the church family?

A. Be a welcoming community

• Some non-Catholics already do feel very welcome. But it may help to talk about the differences, explaining why non-Catholics can't receive Communion, etc.
• We enjoyed Judaism events (Chanukah education/celebration in 2006), and would really like more, such as for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur as they teach us about our Christian roots.
• Hold events that promote dialog as well as purely social events.
• Provide more information and events on interfaith relationships, especially with our Jewish brothers and sisters to which we have a special bond.
• Invite non-Catholics to come forward during Communion to receive a blessing (3 requests for this).
• Acknowledge that some families will divide time between St. Charles and their other faith community.
• Provide resources for how non-Catholic can follow along during Mass.
• Identify ways that non-Catholics can participate and volunteer within the Church.
• Have a way to contact people who become ill or stop coming to church to let them know they are missed
  

B. Raising children:

• Help in raising children with an appreciation for both religions.
  

C. Couples counseling:

• Use St. Charles “healthy couples” to develop friendships and a support network (& not always focus on the religious questions).
• St. Charles is doing a good job welcoming the non-Catholic, but would like more events/discussions. A non-Catholic is sometimes uncomfortable at church because it is new, and is concerned whether she'd be accepted.
• Raise issues of marriage to a non-practicing Catholic as this can bring up specific issues, especially regarding issues in relationships, child-rearing, etc.
• Promote the Marriage Encounter retreat program, it is the best organization for inter-religious couples. Marriage Encounter/Share Circle is the only Catholic group my husband feels comfortable participating in because the emphasis is on strengthening the marriage, not converting him.
• As a Catholic dating a Muslim, we struggle with issues of marriage in a church and with discussions about raising children .

Conclusions

St. Charles strives to welcome newcomers and non-Catholics. The hope is that the Interfaith committee will be able to surface interested couples/families to take the lead in ministry to interfaith couples/ families. Please let us know if you are interested in helping to asses this survey and move towards making some of these suggestions come to life here at St. Charles.