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I would rather be part of the Church our Holy Father has envisioned – smaller in number, but more faithful.

CHESAPEAKE, Va. (Catholic Online) - I hear this cry from so many other faithful souls, growing louder and more urgent with each passing day, and it is time to be heard. I am simply a laywoman, a cradle Catholic now raising her own family in the Church, watching the truths of the faith I love being diluted into unrecognizable, ineffective, politically expedient pep talks, in order that confused or errant Catholics might feel better about their “choices” and still be accepted as loyal members of the Church.

To the Bishops, Priests and Deacons of the United States I respectfully say:

“Gentlemen, please LOOK UP! Your flock is being scattered and devoured by the wolf! We need you to rise up, raise your voice, and start teaching the orthodox truth of the Catholic faith, and to instruct your parishioners that these truths are not optional nor are they negotiable! You are our Shepherds and we are in dire need of strong leadership. I am tired of seeing so-called Catholic politicians and public figures flaunting their Catholic heritage while at the same time supporting and lobbying for the destruction of preborn children, the government sanctioned “right” to kill the child in the womb, or the disabled, the elderly and the sick.

I am so tired of prominent, educated Catholics misleading the faithful in matters of Church teaching, paving the way for so many to follow them down the road of supporting the aforementioned so-called Catholic public figures, all in the name of “the common good.” The common good will never be fully achieved until all human life is held sacred and protected from the moment of conception until natural death, and those who propose to seek the common good without requiring that this first truth, this cornerstone be secured are deluding themselves and leading countless others astray.

Why are we not hearing from you? There are a few reliable, clear voices courageously speaking the truth, and to those fearless leaders I say THANK YOU! We would be even more lost in this dark haze without the light of holy men like Bishop Joseph Naumann, Bishop Joseph Martino, Francis Cardinal George, Fr. Frank Pavone, and others (including Catholic Online’s own Deacon Keith Fournier) who publicly proclaim the real truth and confront the error being portrayed as authentic Catholicism.

Catholics are largely responsible for electing the most committed pro-death politician in America to the White House. That is our great disgrace! Where were you last year when your faithful were rallying to the support of a man who has no regard for the sanctity of human life, who feels no need to even protect a child who had the audacity to survive the attempt on his/her life, who proudly proclaimed that his first act as President would be to sign into law the most outrageously LIFE-threatening legislation in history (FOCA)? Now, whether this lethal bill is ever fully introduced, it is being implemented piecemeal and the culture of death is on the march!

Where are you now that this same President has nominated Governor Kathleen Sebelius to the Health and Human Services Department, flaunting her Catholic religion to lend credibility to his mission of advancing the culture of death? It is demeaning and insulting to our true and holy faith, and all of you should be loudly opposing and denouncing this nomination and reminding the Governor and all the faithful that our commitment to protecting human life cannot remain just a private belief. We must live out in public what we claim to believe in private, or our beliefs are meaningless and our faith is dead!

In the absence of your voice, the United States is being led to believe that the Catholic Church will abide by its members deciding for themselves which teachings must be lived and followed and even what those teachings actually teach!

I beg you, for the sake of our Church and Her glorious faith, and for the sake of our souls, to break your silence! Proclaim the truth again, boldly and without exception. Require those who profess to be Catholic to actually live their faith in truth and in deed, and when they refuse, let them face the consequences!

It is time for the followers of Christ to show their loyalty to Him again to our nation and to the world. We cannot serve God and the Church and serve the agenda of moral relativism and death at the same time.

There will be many who do not want to hear you proclaim the truth or require them to heed and obey. They have forgotten the cost, the sacrifice required to follow Jesus. Their faith has been watered-down and confused by cleverly-phrased arguments that cater to their self-centered desires for a false “freedom” and the illusion of control. They have lost the conviction of their true faith -- they do not see how distorted and empty it has all become.

They are your sheep, wandering around in the darkness, following the loudest voice they hear, and too often, it is not YOUR voice!

Please hear us crying out for you to lead us! Take courage! I would rather be part of the Church our Holy Father has envisioned – smaller in number, but more faithful – than continue to see the Church in America divided and apathetic.

Be assured of our prayers and our gratitude for your faithful service. May God pour out His grace upon us again and refresh us with His love, and strengthen our faith to withstand the tests of our time. May we, the Catholic Church of the United States of America, boldly and unapologetically proclaim that Jesus Christ is Lord, that by His cross and resurrection we are set free from sin and death, and may we unequivocally declare that all human life is sacred and made in His image, and so work tirelessly to ensure the protection of all human beings, whether small and preborn, or aged, or sick, or disabled, whether friend or adversary.

Christ is with you, our dear Shepherds…lead us on!”

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Jennifer Hartline is a Catholic Army wife and stay-at-home mother of three precious kids who writes frequently on topics of Catholic faith and daily living. She is a contributing writer for Catholic Online.