Duane Crosland
I was born a cradle Catholic with 16 years of Catholic education at St. Mark’s Catholic School, Cretin High School and the College of St. Thomas, all in St. Paul. For 60 years I was an active practicing Catholic. Then a member of the family asked me why am I Catholic. I had no good answer. It was a very painful moment for me.
In the fall of 2014, Bishop Andrew Cozzens spoke at our parish. He started by asking two young gentlemen why they were Catholic. The first response was, “I was born Catholic and did not have much choice in the decision.” The second response was, “I was baptized Catholic” and then he shrugged his shoulders. Ouch! Then I discovered that Catholics sitting next to me in church faced a similar challenge.
Having a “meat and potato” type of personality, I felt a need to be able to verbalize “Why I am Catholic.” In retrospect, I was an active Catholic for six decades in what I would call “coast mode.” My relationship with God ran on automatic pilot. There simply was no need to question why I was Catholic.
In my parish’s perpetual adoration chapel, I found a book with the focus on the Eucharist written by Jeff Cavins. It is said that if you give God a chance to talk to you, he will. This book was God’s way of talking to me in the silence of the chapel as I searched for an answer. It was an hour with God that I will never forget!
At the same time, I was a volunteer for the faith formation program. Weekly, I sent a letter to the parents telling them what we had covered in class. I would add a paragraph about the golden treasures of the Catholic faith. I would begin this section of the letter with, “On a personal note, I am proud to be Catholic.” After writing letters to the parents for 10 years, I decided it was time to put my newly found treasures into a book. A 2019 update of “I Am Proud to be a Catholic: What is Unique About Being a Catholic?” was published with a nihil obstat and imprimatur from the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis.
Why I am Catholic: Jesus Christ, the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity, gave us the Catholic Church. Only the Catholic Church has the fullness of truth and fullness of the means of salvation. The Founder and Foundation of my Church lives!
The Church is (one, holy, Catholic) apostolic. Our bishops and priests of today share in the same gifts and graces that Jesus Christ endowed on his Twelve Apostles.
“The Eucharist is the source and summit of the Christian life” (Catechism of the Catholic Church No. 1324). In the palm of my hand, I hold the body of Jesus Christ; intimately, physically and spiritually. I possess the God who created the universe, the God who made me.
The seven sacraments were given to us and sanctified by Jesus providing nourishment for our souls. Every sacrament provides me with a personal encounter with Jesus Christ.
I am grateful for perpetual adoration, the Mass, Mary, our parish priests, the communion of saints and so much more!
Crosland, 77, is retired, married 50 years to Kathleen, a parishioner of St. Vincent de Paul in Brooklyn Park, Fourth Degree Knight, parish coordinator for Feed My Starving Children, graduate of the Catechetical Institute and JustFaith, and author of “I Am Proud to be a Catholic” (AuthorHouse, 2016, 2019), available at Amazon.com. He can be reached through his website at proudtobeacatholic.com.
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