Barbara Bryans still plans to coach volleyball and sing in the contemporary choir of her parish.

        But the Montgomery woman called the bank last month to see if her check to the Archbishop's Annual Fund Drive had cleared. Mrs. Bryans wanted to cancel the donation to protest how she feels the church hierarchy has mishandled allegations of child sexual abuse.

POLL FINDINGS

A Gallup poll conducted in March asked:     • Has the Catholic church done a good job or a bad job in dealing with the problem of sexual abuse committed by its priests?     Bad job: 72 percent.     Good job: 20 percent.     • Is the Catholic church more concerned with protecting its own image or solving the problems of sexual abuse by its priests?     Protecting own image: 74 percent.     Solving problems of sexual abuse: 17 percent.     • Impact of the scandal on the faithful:     — 30 percent of Catholics say they are less likely to contribute money to the church.     — 23 percent say they are less likely to follow the church's teachings on matters of faith and morals.     — 22 percent say they are less likely to go to Mass.     Survey method: Based on telephone interviews with 522 Catholics ages 18 and up conducted March 18-20 and March 22-24. Margin of error is plus or minus 5 percentage points.    Source: Gallup poll

        “I grew up Catholic, and I won't sit quietly and let them tear us apart,” Mrs. Bryans says. “We're going to clean up the garbage. These people are going to be exposed. I don't want them hiding in our churches.”

        With American cardinals summoned to the Vatican next week, some Tristate Catholics have expressed hope that the unprecedented meeting signals a new willingness to address the problems of sex abuse. Still, members of local parishes are divided in their responses.

        Some have stopped going to services. Others say they're praying even more.

        And then there are those like Mrs. Bryans. They support their local parishes and priests but lash out at church leaders in the dioceses and in the Vatican.

        “There's a certain "hunkering down' going on in the Catholic church,” says Tom Noonan, a member at St. John Fisher in Newtown. “They're turning toward their parish, toward the things they know and are comfortable with.”

        A Gallup poll in March found a third of Catholics surveyed say they may contribute less to the church, and 22 percent say they are less likely to go to Mass because of the sex abuse cases.

        The Rev. Jerome Britt says he's seeing the same attitude toward the church that people have with Congress.

        “They may have a negative opinion of Congress, but they seem to think their congressperson is doing a good job looking out for them,” says Father Britt of Immaculate Heart of Mary in Burlington.

        “There are people who truly do wonder what is going on here, and there are people who are concerned about whether their own house is in order,” he says. But “this doesn't touch upon the essence of belief.”

        For Mark Faust, the church's problems have strengthened his faith. He believes the church, led by Pope John Paul II, will respond swiftly and justly. The father of four, with another baby due in two weeks, has doubled his giving to the church.

        Catholics who withhold their tithe hurt the poor, hungry or homeless, not the bishops and other church leaders, he says.

        Furthermore, he sees the church's problems as bringing members of his parish, St. Gertrude in Madeira, closer together.

        “People aren't running away from the issue. They're openly talking about it in a prayerful manner,” Mr. Faust says. “I've sensed it's making the parish community stronger, more attentive, and grateful that we're in a structure that can openly deal with even the worst of issues.”

        Members at St. John Fisher held a meeting this week to hash out their concerns. The parish is halfway through a $1.6 million capital campaign to build a sanctuary. So far, the scandal hasn't appeared to affect giving.

        “I have had people say, "None of this goes downtown (to the Archdiocese), does it?” Mr. Noonan says.

        The church needs to weed out its problem priests, says Pat Sederberg. But the Alexandria woman is frustrated that all the media attention is focused on the misdeeds of a few rather than the good work of the majority.

        “The priests who truly are good human beings, who have dedicated their lives to serving good, I've prayed harder for them so the people of the world can better understand their work and sacrifice,” says Mrs. Sederberg, whose brother is a Marianist priest in Cincinnati.

        At St. Boniface in Northside, many of the 900 members have purposefully stopped by after Mass to offer the Rev. Joe Robinson their support and prayers. But a dozen or so people also stopped attending services because of the scandals.

        Father Robinson says he still wears his collar and is proud to be a priest, but admits these are difficult times.

        “Everybody is suffering because of this. It's a breakdown of trust,” says the priest, who was ordained in 1964. “Those who stay away from church are losing out on something good because of a few bad apples. The church is still good, prayer is still good. The liturgy and sacraments are still good.”

        When Mrs. Bryans talks to her 13-year-old son about the situation, she tells him there's a difference between a religion and an institution.

        “An institution is run by people, and people are weak. They're human,” says Mrs. Bryans. “What we believe is bigger than the people who run it. Just because there's this bad thing happening in our church doesn't shake my faith.

        “It's my faith that helps me get through things like this.”

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