I'm not a recovering Catholic

I'm a Catholic Agnostic. I'm not ready to write off the possibility of a divine being and I mostly spent my life as a Catholic. I don't consider myself Catholic anymore, though occasionally I will call myself a Cultural Catholic. But I don't profess the Apostle's Creed, the Nicene Crede, nor do I partake in the sacraments. And though I try to live a moral/ethical life and consider Jesus of Nazareth a great spiritual teacher, I'm not a Catholic or even a Christian. However, I never refer to myself as a "Recovering Catholic."

It seems to be vogue to consider oneself a recovering something. In a committee hearing, Federal Reserve Chairman, Jerome Powell refered to himself as a "recovering lawyer" (1:19:06). The CPAs at Holden Moss consider themselves "recovering accountants." A woman on TikTok considers herself a "recovering Californian." And there is no shortage of former Catholics who consider themselves "recovering Catholics" (no links provided; just enter your favorite search engine, type in "recovering Catholic" and spend the afternoon clicking/reading/watching).

I primarily know recovery through addiction. Though not an addict myself, several people in my life - people with whom I am very close - are recovering addicts. Addiction is an insidious life partner. A few drinks with friends, which is socially acceptable, can turn into hiding gin in the bathroom water glass. I know recovering alcoholics. For these people, alcohol produces a dopamine surge beyond what is considered normal (see this synopsis by the National Institute on Drug Abuse and this one by the Yale Medical School). These are not weak-willed people; they are not lacking in moral character. They have a brain disfunction. And their journey of healing is called recovery.

Now I recognize that some people - too many, in fact - have experienced abuse within the Catholic Church; sexual, emotional, mental abuse. And I recognize that healing is important in those instances. But "recovering Catholics" seem to be different. From what I can tell, these are people who are no longer Catholic and, for some reason, are hurt and feel victimized. Again, I'm not including those people who were abused by members of the Catholic Church. They are legitimate victims.

For my part, I do not consider myself a "recovering Catholic." I'm not sure what I would be recovering from. I grew up in a Catholic home - an active Catholic home - and it was good. I went to a Catholic grade school administered by Franciscan women from Joilet, IL and later, by the Sisters of Notre Dame in Toledo, OH. I went to St. Francis de Sales Catholic High School, run by the Oblates of St. Francis de Sales. I studied for the Catholic priesthood at Saint Meinrad College. I went to Washington Theological Union in Washington D.C. which was a consortium of various Catholic religious orders and when I studied at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, CA I affiliated with the three Catholic schools: The Franciscan School of Theology, The Dominican School of Philosophy and Theology, and the Jesuit School of Theology. These were all good experiences.

My point is that leaving the Catholic Church does not require one to leave her/his Catholic heritage. Catholicism has a rich and deep tradition of spirituality, intellectualism, and ritual. There is nothing from which to recover.

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