Survey for Synod on Pastoral Changes to the Family in the Context of Evangelization
Below are the results of the Our Lady of Perpetual Help portions of the papal survey.
In response to the invitation of Our Holy Father Francis, the parish of Our Lady of Perpetual help in Oakland, Bergen County, NJ has spent three weeks considering the state of the question regarding the pastoral care of the family. We discussed the Pope’s preparatory document. We explained that the archbishop of Newark has posted a survey on the archdiocesan website, and we recommended that all those who wanted to answer it, go to that website and provide answers. In addition, we designed a simplified survey for the parish to answer in the church on the third Sunday of Advent, or on our parish website the following week. What follows are the results of the surveys submitted through the parish, as they respond to the questions in the preparatory document from the Vatican.
A note on our methodology: We attempted, in tabulating the responses, to be as true to each individual survey as possible. Because of that, not all of our numbers add up exactly to 100%. Especially for the questions asked of in Section 4, Pastoral Care in Certain Difficult Marital Situations, many people chose not to respond, or to only partially respond. The numbers presented throughout the survey are rounded to the nearest whole number.
1. The Diffusion of the Teachings on the Family in Sacred Scripture and the Church’s Magisterium
a) 75% of 394 parishioners stated that they considered themselves well-informed about the teachings of the universal church regarding family life; 24% did not consider themselves well-informed of these teachings, and 1% did not respond.
b) Where the Church’s teaching is known, 39% indicated that they accepted these teachings fully; 52% said they accepted them somewhat, 3% said they do not accept them, and 6% did not respond.
d) When Church teaching and societal norms conflict in the understanding of family life, 57% said they more frequently follow Church teaching, 40% said they more frequently follow societal norms, and 4% did not respond.
2. Marriage according to the Natural Law
b) 69% said they were familiar with the concept of natural law; 30% said they were not familiar with the concept; 1% did not respond. For those familiar with the concept of natural law, 74% considered the concept relevant to their lives and 26% did not consider it relevant.
c) 55% said they define family exclusively as a married mother and father with children, all living together. 33% said they do not define family exclusively as a married mother and father with their children. 12% did not respond.
3. The Pastoral Care of the Family in Evangelization
b) 51% said they pray together as a family in their homes; 48% said they do not pray together as a family in their homes; 1% did not respond.
c) 61% judged that they have successfully passed on the faith to their children; 12% judged that they have not successfully passed on the faith to their children. 27% said they are not parents.
d) 47% said they would like parish assistance in furthering the spiritual development of their families; 52% said they would not like such assistance; 1% did not respond.
f) 68% said they felt that the church does offer support to couples in crisis situations; 26% said they do not feel that the church offers support to couples in crisis situations; 6% did not respond.
4. Pastoral Care in Certain Difficult Marital Situations
a-d) Parishioners indicated that the following groups of people exist and stated whether they knew people in each group who felt alienated from the church because of church teachings regarding their situations:
61% knew people who felt alienated because of their marital status 34% did not know people who felt alienated because of their marital status 47% knew people who felt alienated because of their family situation 44% did not know people who felt alienated because of their family situation 57% knew people who felt alienated because of their sexual orientation 36% did not know people who felt alienated because of their sexual orientation 52% knew people who felt alienated because of their use of artificial contraception 43% did not know people who felt alienated because of their use of artificial contraception 41% knew people who felt alienated because of their use of fertility assistance 52% did not know people who felt alienated because of their use of fertility assistance
e) 59% said they knew persons who felt excluded from the sacraments of Reconciliation and Eucharist because they are divorced and remarried. 41% said they do not know any persons who feel excluded from the sacraments of Reconciliation and Eucharist because they are divorced and remarried.
f) 74% said that a simpler process of annulment would be a positive step toward responding to the needs of people whose marriages have irretrievably broken down. 6% said a simpler process would not be a positive step. 20% said they were not sure whether a simpler process of annulment would be a positive step.
f) 68% would support a change in church law to allow divorce and remarriage without annulling the first marriage. 28% would not support such a change in church law. 4% did not respond.
5. On Unions of Persons of the Same Sex
a) In New Jersey, civil marriage is available to same sex couples.
b-c) 79% said that couples in same sex civil marriages in NJ deserve the same pastoral and ministerial care as is offered to heterosexual couples. 17% said that couples in same sex civil marriages in NJ do not deserve the same pastoral and ministerial care as is offered to heterosexual couples. 4% did not respond.
d) Based on the responses recorded below for 6 c-d, it seems that our respondents would reply by 92% that the church should not differentiate children of same sex couples from any other children in providing pastoral care in light of transmitting the faith.
6. The Education of Children in Irregular Marriages
c-d) 6% said that, in supporting parents’ efforts to transmit the faith to their children, the church should differentiate between children according to the marital status of their parents. 92% said that, in supporting parents’ efforts to transmit the faith to their children, the church should not differentiate between children according to the marital status of their parents. 2% did not respond.
7. The Openness of the Married Couple to Life
a) 81% said they are aware of the official teaching of the universal church regarding the use of artificial contraception. 17% said they are not aware of the official teaching of the universal church regarding the use of artificial contraception. 2% did not respond.
b) 19% said they accept this teaching; 81% said they do not accept this teaching.
8. The Relationship Between the Family and the Person
a) 91% said they are able to experience Christ with or through their family; 2% said they were not able to experience Christ with or through their family; 6% said they were unsure whether they were able to experience Christ with or through their family. 1% did not reply.
The demographic information regarding our populations is as follows
Relationship Status: Single – 22% Married – 61% Divorced – 5% Divorced and Remarried – 4% Widowed – 4% Engaged – 0% In a Civil Union – 1% Separated – 1% Living Together, Not Married – 1% Unidentified – 1%
Additional Comments
Although our survey did not have space for additional comments, a few parishioners took to the margins to share some thoughts on the survey. We felt it important to include them in this appendix. The questions from the survey are bolded, and all language, including grammatical mistakes, is pulled directly from the surveys.
Do you feel that the church offers support to couples in crisis situations? Yes – Effectiveness questionable due to “lack of experience” with being married or in giving support when situation conflicts with church teaching. No – At times the “church” is distant to families in trouble.
In supporting parents’ efforts to transmit the faith to their children, should the church differentiate between children according to the marital status of their parents? Yes – Everybody is different. To support, you need to do it differently for everyone.
In New Jersey, it is legal for same sex couples to marry. Do you believe that couples in same sex civil marriages deserve the same pastoral and ministerial care as is offered to heterosexual couples? Yes – Sexual orientation not a choice, but even if it was it is a choice of who to love, not a choice between good and evil. Yes, for the sake of the child only – if there are children involved.
Comments not associated with a question: I think what hurts the Catholic church the most is that people always point out how rich the Church is in Rome. It seems a contradiction with Jesus’ teachings. They are rolling in money while individual churches are struggling, and then telling us wealth is wrong.