I like "Wherever You Go," too. It's a wonderful expression of fidelity. It's actually the words of (pagan) Ruth to her Jewish mother-in-law Naomi. After she was widowed, Ruth pledged to stand by and support her husband's mother:

Wherever you go, I shall go,
Wherever you live, so shall I live.
Your people will be my people,
And your God will be my God, too.

Wherever you die, I shall die,
And there shall I be buried beside you.
We will be together forever,
And our love will be the gift of our life.
(Gregory Norbet, paraphrased from the Book of Ruth)

I don't want to deny the bad Catholic church experiences people have expressed here. I've had my share of them, too; and I've spend a lot of time working to try to ensure that things are done in the Church with justice and compassion. Part of the reason why I lost my job as parish adult education director this summer was that I was smeared unfairly (and incorrectly) by a fundamentalist priest from another parish, who claimed I was teaching heresy. It hurt. I'm not quite sure what my function in the parish is now, but I no longer get a paycheck.

On the other hand, I work for four nuns at a center for impoverished women, and it's a wonderful place. Aroung the corner is the headquarters of a very effective and extensive food bank network, founded by a Catholic priest. On the other side of downtown Sacramento is a dining room and care center for the homeless, founded by a former priest and directed by a nun. All of these are well-run charities with roots in the Catholic Church, staffed by volunteers from many denominations.

So, while I've had bad experiences, most of what I've encountered is good - or else I've worked to make it good.

-Joe-