Who are we?

Yes, "The Cranky Catholic" is a "we," more than a "me." (Just like the Holy Trinity, yo!)

We are a family who, through tragic genetic and personality quirks, are generally critical of most everything. This gets tiresome when applied to ourselves, but we have learned to live with the trauma.

Geographically, we are from the Northeastern US, and enough said about that for the present. Dad is a so-called Cradle Catholic who grew up in a Catholic neighborhood and attended Catholic grammar and high schools. Mom is a "convert" (a detestable term, but more about that another time) who has been a Catholic for about 8 years. Son 1 and Son 2 are a junior and freshman, respectively, in high school. We are a churchgoing family -- every week unless it is more stressful to go than not. Dad and Mom co-taught Sunday school for many years, and Dad is working on a masters degree in Catholic Lay Ministry - a smattering of philosophy, theology and Church history.

We'll decide when and how to use our names. Right now, that's still in the family debate stage.

We are to the left of most people politically and are probably best described as social justice Catholics, to distinguish us from the Rosary Catholics, single-issue (i.e., anti-abortion) Catholics, papolatrous Catholics, Lite Catholics, Easter/Christmas Catholics and Marian Catholics.

We think we represent a hitherto unrecognized branch of Catholicism that doesn't get a lot of attention. At least that's our little conceit.

Having a couple of young 'uns in the nest, we were really torqued by the recent priest sex abuse scandals. We have made an unspoken commitment to never let the Church off the hook for that heinous bit of skulduggery. We are devoted to keeping the Church accountable, denouncing its lies and obfuscations, and kicking its butt to keep it in line. As baptized Christians who share in the priestly, prophetic and kingly roles of Christ, it's the least we can do.

We too are the Church. And in spite of attempts to isolate and dismiss us, we are staying. We hope to be the institutional Church's worst nightmare: loudmouth lay people who don't give unearned respect to the clergy and aren't awed by authority.

Somehow, we have this crazy idea that this is what Jesus would do. After all, the only people that got him cranky belonged to institutional religion or wanted to. Like it or not, doing Jesus's work of making "churchies" miserable makes us feel all happy.

And now, to work...

Welcome to the Cranky Catholic! Or not...

Greetings! Now go home!

OK. Fine. Stay!

The Cranky Catholic is a website for people like me who are sick and tired of being marginalized by lunatic, judgmental Catholics who have nothing better to do than to pressure good people out of the Church. It's also a place to vent about idiot priests, clueless bishops and New Age nuns with their butterfly poems. It's a place to complain when the Church gets in way of our relationship with God. Down in front!

It's also a place to hear about when the Church gets it right, not that it knows how to blow its own horn...

Are you parish's masses crappy? Do you have a prima donna choir leader or a deacon who thinks he is Christ almighty? Do you have priests who spend more time alone in the rectory than out on the street? Do your kids spend more time in religious ed class cutting out construction paper hearts than talking about Jesus? (Do they even know who Jesus is?) Is your youth minster inordinately obsessed about talking about masturbation?

Are you sick of the Church beating up on gays and women? Sick of Shiite Catholics bleating about being discriminated against? Sick of getting preached to about abortion without a word about genocide, sexism, homophobia and economic injustice? Tired of being patronized, ignored and condescended to by priests, liturgists and church staffs that think only they have a line to God?

Sick of being kept in the dark about the the Church's worst sins and best teachings? Tired of tepid homilies, lame music and empty promises (Vatican II, anyone?)

Do you wish that Church was about the best we can offer insead of the easiest?

Then, have a seat and have a listen. The Cranky Catholic will give you a place to get away from the lousy liturgy, dopey priests and pussilanimous bishops. Learn to love the Church, even as you're kicking it in the rump.