Dear Parishioners

The Catholic Church began the moment Jesus sent the apostles forth, “to preach, teach and baptize until the end of time”.

That instruction is still with us today. Since Jesus’ ascension, the Church has gone through different eras of time, with each

era having it’s good and bad aspects. In each era, the Church has struggled and has grown through the Holy Spirit.

In the first 500 years of the Church the doctrines and teachings were confirmed and the Church went from a time of persecution

to a time of privilege as it became the favored religion of the Roman Empire. That in itself brought its own problems

from wealth to some persecution on the part of the Church.

Next came the “Dark Ages”. This time period saw the collapse of the Roman Empire and the loss of knowledge, engineering,

stability, clean drinking water, as well as medicine. The Church became the one single force in the Western world,

however with the loss of so much knowledge, much superstition evolved in the church and society.

The Dark Ages only ended when Crusaders began to bring back knowledge of engineering and medicine along with

Greek philosophy from the East. In the 1200s the Church began many of the universities of Europe, as the Church was a

major patron of education and scientific inquiry. That brought new challenges for the Church which saw some of its teachings

challenged and power slip away.

Over the past 400 years the Church has become a major supporter of scientific and medical research. Clergy, sisters,

and monks have contributed to various fields of science and medicine. The Church has funded numerous hospitals and

research institutions worldwide. The Church’s teachings have often emphasized the compatibility of faith and reason, suggesting

that both science and theology seek truth.

In the last 50 years the Catholic Church has recognized the importance of scientific findings in areas like evolution and

environmental science. Pope Francis had integrated scientific conclusions into his teachings and emphasized the need for

true stewardship of the environment based on scientific understanding. Science and the Catholic Church have had a mix of

conflict and collaboration, with rising tensions at times, while being a major advancement of scientific knowledge. The

relationship highlights the potential for needed dialogue between faith and science.