Many Catholics Find Award Too Grim

And the Grim Catholic of the Year Award goes to … no one. There’s too much grimness out there to just pick one person.

A lot of Catholics just didn’t get it, said Mitch Finley, a Spokane resident and founder of the tongue-in-cheek Grim Catholic Institute of America.

Instead of seeing the humor in the award, Catholics turned on Finley for suggesting the light-hearted approach to the serious point he was trying to make.

“The intention was to give people a dig in the ribs and say, ‘Lighten up.’ Religion is a means to an end. It’s not an end in itself,” said Finley, who has written 16 Catholic books including “The Joy of Being Catholic.”

Finley began soliciting nominations last summer when he realized an increasing number of Catholics were becoming dour about their faith. He stipulated the winner must be someone of national prominence.

While a handful understood the humor and participated in the nomination process, hundreds of responses were negative.

The award was to be announced today, the birthdate of the Rev. Charles Coughlin, who used his radio show in the 1930s and 1940s to promote anti-Semitism.

Finley had in mind a person like Lincoln, Neb., Bishop Fabian Bruskewitz, who declared all Catholics belonging to organizations that espoused views opposed to Catholic teaching were excommunicated.

Instead, Catholics turned on Finley, accusing him of being judgmental.

“Things are even grimmer than I thought,” he said.

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Color photo