In
the Vineyard
November
3, 2005
Volume 4, Issue 15
"Hope
has two lovely daughters: anger and courage. Anger at what's
wrong; courage to set it right." St. Augustine’s adage
as quoted by Richard Taylor in this issue’s Book Review
This issue
of In the Vineyard begins our fourth year of e-gathering
and using our voices on behalf of our Church. Our Vineyard archives
hold 1000 pages of your words and your work; published monthly
since October 2002, this newsletter is now a bi-monthly.
Thank you for keeping up this vital conversation! We look
forward with ever-increasing hope to continuing what we started
in 2002.
VOTF at
Work in the World
Ireland’s
Ferns Inquiry report stuns many – An eerie uniformity
prevails in the recently released text of the first Irish
government inquiry into clergy sexual abuse of children.
Remove the place names surrounding events in the Diocese
of Ferns and one could be reading about any American Catholic
scenario of sexual abuse by clergy and corrective efforts
that fall well short of genuine concern for children.
- The
VOTF web
site has links to the Executive Summary,
as well as the full report; also on the VOTF web site,
VOTF Ireland
coordinator Sean O’Conaill explains the history of Ireland’s
Stewardship Trust. “Although it was set up in 1996,
most Catholics were unaware of the Stewardship Trust
fund until
2003. In Feb 2003 the Irish Times reported that most
Catholic dioceses in Ireland had taken out insurance
in 1987 against
liability for clerical child sexual abuse, and that
the Stewardship Trust fund had emerged out of the
collapse
of that insurance cover in 1996.”
Making
the case for vigilance: An astounding chronology of events
about a Worcester, MA priest is finally publicized. Thanks
are due VOTF Worcester’s Daniel Dick, who has been doggedly
pursuing the story of a Worcester diocese priest apprehended
for alleged lewd conduct while in Las Vegas a year ago. All
relevant data have finally made it to the public eye – and
Bishop McManus. See Vigilance
at Work
- SNAP
is pulling out all the stops in Ohio as Senate Bill 17
approaches a hearing on November 10. Their work is a model
for affiliates everywhere. See Vigilance
At Work
Score
1 for Chicago Archdiocese – NRC rep from Region 13
Frank Douglas points to the Archdiocese of Chicago for
a positive step toward financial accountability. The Archdiocese
has established a financial misconduct hotline administered
by a third party. For details, go to Archdiocese web
site.
Witness
in Washington – Both the USCCB and VOTF National will
be present in and around Washington, DC this month. The VOTF
National Representative Council (do you know who
your representative is? Click here.) will be holding
their second meeting (after hundreds of e-hours since
their last meeting in July); and VOTF’s executive director
Ray Joyce and interim communications manager John Moynihan
will be available alongside VOTF regional representatives,
SNAP and others for witness at the USCCB annual Fall
meeting Nov. 14-17. See what to expect under VOTF
Witness in Washington, DC.
- Bishops
to consider lay ecclesial roles (that’s most of VOTF,
according to the recently released VOTF Study) during
November meeting. Read
more.
- For
an overview of the meeting’s agenda, click
here.
The
October 23 presentation by the Boston College Church
in the 21st Century Center, “Voice of the Faithful:
Findings from a Study of a Social Movement within the
Catholic Church,” drew 400 attendees to a four-hour
symposium with three pairs of academic analysts from
four colleges and universities, as well as the research
team of Drs. D’Antonio and Pogorelc.
VOTF
president Jim Post comments on the
significance of the report. (The Study summary
will be posted shortly on our web site at www.votf.org.)
Let us know what you think at pthorp.ed@votf.org)
|
VOTF
national officer elections to be held in late
winter. See Report
from VOTF Board of Trustees.
VOTF
continues to “go out from here,” as
Christ asked of His followers.
- Update
from Ohio on Senate Bill 17 in Affiliate Updates; also,
SNAP is promoting a November 9 event sponsored by the Ohio Coalition
on Sexual Assault, SNAP and VOTF in support of SB 17 (see
Vigilance at Work). Meanwhile, all six area dioceses are
lobbying against its passage.
- A
public forum was organized in Philadelphia to address
concerns
and actions around a grand jury’s scathing conclusions
about the Philadelphia archdiocese’s handling of
sexual abusers – go to www.votfgp.org for
coverage. In addition: The Philladelphia
Daily News (subscription required) and The
PhillyBurbs.com offer additional coverage.
- In
the 10/28
issue of NCR, Maureen Paul Turlish,
a Sister of Notre Dame de Namur and a member of Voice
of the Faithful,
wrote of the crisis of confidence in the Philadelphia
archdiocese. Also, read, “Philadelphia District Attorney
Lynne Abraham has responded to attacks on her
credibility by calling on the Philadelphia archdiocese
to release 45,000
pages of secret church records that document sexual
abuse of hundreds of children”
- Boston parishioners
continue to develop and act on steps to address the
forced resignation of their pastor – go to Ourladysfriends.org;
Abp. O’Malley promises
transparency and full disclosure of diocesan finances;
Remember the RCAB Parish Reconfiguration Oversight
Fund? VOTF Board of Trustees Chair David Castaldi,
appointed
by Archbishop O’Malley to direct this effort,
provides an update. See RCAB News
- Whose
church is this, anyway? The “jury is out” in
Oregon. Read
more.
- Archdiocese
of Hartford, CT will pay $22 million in
abuse case settlement. Click
here.
Los
Angeles: From a National
Catholic Reporter (NCR) editorial: “With
the release Oct. 12 of a 155-page report describing decades
of sexual abuse by clergy in the Los Angeles archdiocese,
there now exists compelling and preponderant evidence that
at least three living cardinals of the Catholic church
in the United States have been complicit in what any reasonable
observer would term criminal activity.”
Survivor
Support: Get a jump start on your Christmas Cards
AND support survivors. VOTF Winchester Area is back with
VOTF Christmas cards, designed by their own members. All
proceeds benefit abuse survivors. You can view the cards,
and print out an order form by visiting their web
site. For more information, contact Bob Morris
at rmorrisvotf@aol.com.
- Prolific
author of books and articles, the one-time Roman
Catholic priest A. W. Richard Sipe has important reading
for survivors,
their families and friends, and all who support the
survivor community. Read “UNSPEAKABLE DAMAGE, The Effects
of Clergy Sexual Abuse” at www.richardsipe.com.
BOOK
Watch:
Interview
with VOTF Phila. member Richard Taylor, author
of a forthcoming book Love in Action. Dick’s
book is available in manuscript form for $10 sent with
your mailing address to Richard Taylor, 609 East Allens
La., Phila., PA 19119. Dick is distributing his text in
this way to get feedback prior to seeking a publisher in
2006.
Review of The
Priesthood of the Faithful – Key to a Living Church by
Fr. Paul J. Philibert. If there is such a thing as a “feel
good” book at this time of crisis in our Church,
Fr. Philibert has written it.
Site-Seeing – This
sentence jumped off the page when visiting a new find by
VOTF member Sr. Betsy Conway – “Staying with
powerlessness in the face of societal or ecclesial impasse
is not an easy task. Our Western minds want to move toward
fixing it; getting the strategy right; bringing closure to
the problem as quickly as possible. But engaging impasse
invites us to stay with it.” Engaging impasse? Click
here.
Letters
to the Editor: We could fill at least a
dozen pages with letters of support, prayer and gratitude
from correspondents on the priests’ messages published
in the last issue of In the Vineyard. We include
only a few with thanks to all. Please send your comments
and/or inquiries to pthorp.ed@votf.org.
QUOTE for
our time: “The faith is strong in the ranks of the
priests and parishioners in our Church; a serious problem
continues in its upper echelons.” Msgr.
Harry J. Byrne, Bronx, NY, commenting in a letter to the
editor following the release of Los Angeles documents on
clergy sexual abuse in that diocese.
NEXT issue
of In the Vineyard: November 17.
REPORT
from VOTF Board of Trustees – Next VOTF officer
elections
VOTF’s
election of national officers will be held in late winter.
The Board of Trustees has announced that the election of national
officers (president, vice president, treasurer, and secretary)
will take place in February 2006. The Board approved moving
the election from the end of the year to February because of
the high level of activity in the national office at the end
of the year. The Board also believes that the organization
will benefit from increasing the term of office for officers
from one year to two years.
Two committees
have been formed to implement the election process. The Nominations
committee will receive and review all nominations. The Elections
Committee will oversee voting procedures and the accuracy of
results. The Board of Trustees is pleased to announce that
Elia Marnik (MA), who served on last year’s Nominations
Committee, has agreed to chair the new Nominations Committee.
The Board is pleased to announce that Bill Casey (VA) has agreed
to chair the Elections Committee.
Nominations for the national officer positions
will be open from November 15 until December 15,
2005. More information about how and to
whom nominations should be submitted will be forthcoming
from the Nominations Committee, as well as information
about the nominations process, including job descriptions
and key dates. These will be posted on our website
at www.votf.org
Candidates will be interviewed by the nominations committee and
the election slate finalized by January 15, 2006. Voting will take
place on yet-to-be-specified dates in February 2006. The Board
has accepted the recommendation that all voting be conducted on-line.
Provisions will be made by the elections committee to ensure appropriate
voting procedures.
Vigilance
at Work
VOTF member
Dan Dick has been pursuing the facts of this story for months,
even providing the Vineyard with a copy of the Worcester
diocese Code of Conduct and following up with Church and civil
authorities until the “lights went on.” Here is
another astounding chronology of events about a Worcester,
MA priest apprehended for alleged lewd conduct while in Las
Vegas a year ago. All relevant data have finally made it to
the public eye – and Bishop McManus. Once again, the
most stunning detail of this episode is the bishop’s
handling of information he had last winter. Go to Worcestervoice.com (this
is not a VOTF site). Kathleen Shaw has been covering the story
for the Worcester Telegram & Gazette at www.telegram.com
(subscription required). The
Boston Globe .
In
Ohio, SNAP’s model for grassroots organizing is
an inspiration. A letter was distributed recently literally
inviting one and all, excerpted below.
NOVEMBER
9, 2005 EVENT – 3 Important Events
(with a pizza supper in the middle)
Time: 2:00 – 4:00 Victims
Speak Out (explanation below); 4:00 – 5:00
Go to House of Representatives Members Offices
and drop off flyers; 6:30 – 7:30 Candle
Light Vigil
FYI: In between events we will meet over
Pizza (everyone buys their own drinks – canteen machines,
we’ll provide the pizza & salad). Anyone else want
to bring brownies or cookies?
Why: The Senate Bill that helps keep kids
safe in Ohio and helps victims heal (Senate Bill 17) passed
unanimously in the Senate in March. Since then the bill has
been stalled in the House of Representatives. The bottom
line is that we have been unable to get the chance to bring
victim testimony to the House of Representatives.
On Nov 10 the House Judiciary Committee will hear testimony on
Senate Bill 17 but they refuse to hear from victims on that day.
They claim they will only hear testimony regarding the Constitutionality
of the Bill. We know that unless the legislators hear voices and
experiences of the victims they won’t vote for the Bill.
Since they won’t allow us to speak to the Committee at their
hearings we plan to hold our own hearings. We will invite all the
Representatives and Senators and their staffs to come to hear the
victims. We’re also inviting all the press so we can publicize
that the Representatives aren’t taking victims’ testimony.
The event will be sponsored by the Ohio Coalition On Sexual Assault,
SNAP, and VOTF. Any one who has been sexually assaulted or cares
about victims will be permitted to speak at the event: this includes
survivors, victims, family members, friends, supporters, educators,
therapists, doctors, nurses, social workers, etc.
It is extremely possible that at the hearing on Thu Nov
10, the legislators could decide amongst themselves to amend
the Bill to make it “constitutional” and take out
the only part of the bill that will help victims and kids (the
window). But it will be extremely difficult for them to do that
if we are successful in getting loads of folks in Columbus and
getting some of the victims’ stories on the news the evening
before and in the paper the morning of the hearing.
Please consider calling every legislator starting with Speaker
Jon Husted and letting them know we need their support on SB17.
(If you are able to stay over in Columbus until Nov 10 please plan
to do so. We will silently sit in the chambers while the Judiciary
Committee listens to the testimony on SB 17. Hearing will take
place at 9:00 or 9:30 in the a.m. and probably – no guarantees
here – be over before noon. (Professor Marci Hamilton will
be providing testimony for SNAP.) Please keep in mind though that
it is far more important for you to be there on Nov 9 than to attend
this hearing. If you can only come one day, please make it on Nov
9.)
We are holding the “Victims Speak Out” at 2:00 p.m.
in the hopes that some of you who have less than 2 hours to drive
will be able to take just the afternoon off from your jobs and
still get to Columbus in time. But if you can’t take off
from work, please come when you get off. The Candlelight Vigil
will end by 7:45 p.m. so that everyone who needs to drive home
that evening can do so and still get home before 10 or 11 p.m.
We’ll send more details soon.
Christy Miller, SNAP Cincinnati Co-Leader, 513 383 2198
Claudia Vercellotti, SNAP Toledo Leader, 419 810 5375 day of event
call 419 350-9234
Susan, SNAP Cleveland Leader, 216 210 1243
Barbara Blaine, SNAP President, 312 399 4747
David Clohessy, SNAP National Director, 314 566 9790
Interview
with Richard Taylor
There
is a growing perception that fear has taken hold among laity
and that Catholics are, generally speaking, fearful of repercussions – either
spiritual or practical – and therefore are reluctant
to seek reform in a pro-active manner. Do you think Catholics
suffer more from fear or uncertainty/ignorance about their
role in the governance and guidance of the Church?
In the past,
when it came to speaking up in a way that challenged the Church,
fear certainly was the predominant emotion. People feared repercussions,
for themselves and their parishes. What I’m hearing more
now, however, is not fear, but anger, outrage and grief. Because
the bishops have been so complicit in covering up the abuse,
they have lost a lot of the credibility they had formerly.
People’s anger and their abhorrence of what so many bishops
did is pushing them to be willing to speak and act in ways
they wouldn’t have in the past. They’re starting
to live out St. Augustine’s adage, “Hope has two
lovely daughters: anger and courage. Anger at what’s
wrong; courage to set it right.”
I spoke to an 82-year-old, lifelong Catholic just recently. She
was so totally upset about what’s happened in the Church.
She faulted the bishops’ cover up even more than the abuse
itself. When I told her that local VOTF was going to have a procession
and prayer vigil in front of Cardinal Rigali’s mansion on
Nov. 5, she said, “I’d love to be there, but at 82
I’m not sure I could walk very far.” I said, “It’ll
be about a half mile.” She said, “Oh, I can make that.
I hope I can be there.”
This is one reason that I have so much faith in gospel nonviolence.
It channels anger into constructive action. It gives people a way
to be courageous without have to strike out in hostility or violence.
Recent releases of scathing documents and/or summaries in
Los Angeles and Philadelphia underscore the day to day reality
of abuse and its management by Church leadership. In a faith
grounded in love, forgiveness and justice, how can Catholics
best honor all three? How can Church leadership best honor all
three?
“Scathing” certainly is the right word. So long as people were hearing
that 5% or so of priests did the abuse, they could think, “That’s
terrible, but the bishops can fix it.” But when they learned from the Grand
Jury report that the bishops honored and promoted and moved around priests with
known records of sex abuse, they saw that the bishops were as much the problem
as the priests. As someone said, “They didn’t rob the bank, but they
drove the imperil car.”
In light of these revelations, people ask themselves, “Should
I just leave the Church?” (Several of my good friends have
done just that.) “Can I do anything but complain and bear
it?” What I love about gospel nonviolence is that it gives
a third way – the options are not just “submit or leave.” The
third is “resist.” Nonviolent action give a way of
resisting that honors the values you mentioned – love, forgiveness
and justice.
I had the honor and privilege of being one of Dr. Martin Luther
King, Jr’s field staff in the late 1960’s. I attended
retreats and planning meetings with him and joined him in actions.
It gave me a first-hand look at the power of nonviolence to overcome
entrenched, centuries-long, carefully-rationalized structures of
segregation and white supremacy. It was out of that and other experiences
with nonviolent direct action that I wrote my book, “Love
in Action: A Direct Action Handbook for Catholics Using Gospel
Nonviolence to Reform and Renew the Church.” (For a copy,
send $10 to Richard Taylor, 609 E. Allens La., Phila., PA 19119.)
It describes the philosophy and theology of gospel nonviolence,
outlines a 12-step process for building an effective nonviolent
campaign, and gives 82 different methods of nonviolent action that
are applicable to Church reform and renewal. It also gives nearly
200 illustrations of how the methods have been used by ordinary
people (not just Gandhi and Dr. King) in the past, plus 40-some
suggestions for how these methods can be used by us today.
How can Church leaders honor love, forgiveness and justice? By
admitting that they’ve allowed terrible things to happen
and by inviting the laity to have a real voice in Church decision-making.
They can’t make it without us. If we – moms and dads,
aunts and uncles – had been at the table of decision-making
in the 1980’s, when Fr. Tom Doyle warned the bishops about
the time bomb of widespread sexual abuse, you can bet that we would
not have swept it under the table. We would have dealt with it
immediately and forcefully. These are our children!
The bishops need us. As NCR’s Tom Roberts said, it’s
as though the bishops are sinking in quicksand, and the laity are
standing around with ropes, offering to pull them out, and they’re
saying, “Oh, no, we can handle this ourselves.”
When dialogue fails on the parish and/or diocesan level,
what is the laity to do in a pro-active way without alienating
other Catholics who prefer silence, prayer and hope as a path
to reform?
I hope and
trust that my book, Love in Action, will provide a bunch of
ideas for pro-active efforts. Also, people who are open to
the Holy Spirit’s guidance are endlessly creative. I’m
sure they’ll be led to many new approaches not mentioned
in my book. VOTF around the country has already started using
these methods to great effect – the Rockford, IL meeting
in banned space, the parish occupations in Boston, etc.
With regard to alienating other Catholics, we have to face the
reality that no strong social movement has ever developed without
alienating some people. If you read about the early Montgomery
Bus Boycott, you’ll see all the opposition Dr. King faced
from other ministers and civil rights leaders who thought his methods
were too radical. We just have to stay in loving dialogue with
those who initially are alienated, explaining what we’re
doing and why, showing that we really love the Church and affirm
the faith.
Discernment
is a longstanding practice in Christianity. Would discernment
be a good tool for introducing thoughtful conversation around
any or all of the above – both for those fully committed
to active engagement in Church reform and those not ready
to do so?
In my book, “Love
in Action,” I draw heavily (implicitly and explicitly)
on the concept of discernment, e.g., as a way to decide whether
or not one is ready to join direct action, as a way to choose
the most appropriate actions, etc.
What
in your Quaker foundation, if anything, do you bring to your
book, to your understanding and care for the Catholic Church?
Quakerism
has a rich heritage of social concern and active nonviolence.
I first “cut my teeth” in nonviolent Quaker demonstrations
way back in the ‘50’s. I’ve been delighted
by how warmly Catholics have welcomed the gifts and experience
I received as a Quaker.
Book
Review
The Priesthood
of the Faithful – Key to a Living Church by
Fr. Paul J. Philibert. Liturgical Press, 2005.
In the ongoing
struggle among many Catholics to sort through the complexities
of the past nearly four years of crisis and crimes in our Church,
it is with great relief that someone is reminding us of something
other than our rights and responsibilities – the very
heart of our faith is precisely why we struggle and precisely
why we are so able to do so. Faith, we see in this short book,
is knowing, not just hoping, that everything will be all right.
Fr. Paul
Philibert begins The Priesthood of the Faithful with
the understanding that Christ is acting on the baptized through
the Holy Spirit at all times. “Because the role of the
Holy Spirit pervades the sacramental life of the Church, it
is useful to think of the church in terms of an ecology of
epiclesis.” He notes that the word ecology refers to
an interdependence of living and nonliving in the natural environment.
Epiclesis reflects a similar complex interrelationship between
the human and divine. We are asked to look at a “graced
sacramental action” according to three stages: symbolic
matter (such as the liturgy in our sacramental lives); a graced
sign (the presence of the invoked Spirit into life-giving water);
and a realized mystery (one body, one Spirit in Christ effected
in Eucharist). Philibert moves from here into a brief look
at the “how” of our good works in our daily lives
concluding that it is the Spirit’s anointing that makes
each of us a graced sign. This anointing is what brings all
the faithful into the “only priesthood that there is – the
priesthood of Jesus Christ.”
It is Philibert’s
discussion of the rediscovery of baptismal priesthood that
brings the most comfort to those of us who carry the dis-ease
of the past few years into our churches and out again and to
those who are unable to embrace the routine of regular attendance
at Mass because we just don’t feel “at home” any
more. “The Mass does not belong to the ordained” is
one of the most beautiful sentences to be found in this book
but it doesn’t come from Philibert alone. It grew out
of the work of theologian Yves Congar and others and their
impact on the Vatican II document “The Constitution on
the Sacred Liturgy.”
Congar’s
touching disappointment in the opening liturgy of Vatican II
speaks volumes and, in fact, this opening of the Council will
strike many as antiquated, even foreign, for the enormous distance
that was so fixed between the clergy and the congregation.
The event comes across as a performance by the ordained, the “elect,” and
all others are observers – invited to passivity. In fact,
the German liturgist Jungmann noted, “A High Mass without
distribution of communion…. Perhaps the idea was to make
clear [what we have to leave behind] in matters liturgical!”
‘The
Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy” changed all of this
and was the first document of Vatican II to be published. It
established the principle that “in every Christian liturgy,
the primary celebrant is Christ Himself.” The decades-long
move toward an inclusive liturgical expression of the solidarity
of Christ with His Church succeeded and, arguably, underscores
the energy behind today’s reform efforts. These efforts
attempt to reconcile the artificial distance between the priesthood
of the ordained and what Philibert calls the “priesthood
in the ordinary.”
There is
much here for every Christian reader (and not enough space
to cover it all!) – for those who feel somewhat battered
during this time of horrific revelations and for the masses
of Catholic laity, so often presumed incapable of understanding
what the ordained among us have been thinking, reading and
writing. Philibert provides both a bridge across what divides
us one from the other and a companion for the journey.
Just before The
Priesthood of the Faithful concludes with “An
Open Letter to Religious,” Philibert gifts us with
this reflection:
A flourishing
laity are first of all people who know that they are loved
and who feel important in the life of the church. We find
in 1 Peter an appeal to the newly initiated to appreciate
their value in the life of the church. “You are a chosen
race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own
people, in order that you may proclaim the mighty acts of
him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.”
A marvelous
light, indeed!
PLT
If you read
this book on your own or for a book club, please send comments
to pthorp.ed@votf.org.
Paul
J. Philibert, O.P., S.T.D., is professor of pastoral theology
at the University of Fribourg in Switzerland and was the
Distinguished Visiting Professor of Church and Society at
the Aquinas Institute of Theology in St. Louis. His published
works include Stewards of God’s Mysteries: Priestly
Spirituality in a Changing Church (Liturgical Press, 2004).
AFFILIATE
Updates
This is a progress
report from VOTF Cleveland, OH on Senate Bill 17, which would “…require
clergy to report known or reasonably suspected abuse or neglect
of a child by any other member of the clergy.”(VOTF
Cleveland, OH web site – www.votf.cleveland.org) This
is the bill that was passed by the Ohio State Senate in March
2005 and was then sent to the House. The bill’s author
is Senator Robert Spada. The following update comes from
VOTF’s Tom Byrne.
Parental groups and
one teaching association are endorsing SB-17. The House Judiciary
Committee is chaired by John R. Williamowski of Lima, OH (Toledo
diocese). Because of an economic downturn the Republican-controlled
legislature said they wanted to focus on business items and
let “social” concerns wait until after election
day on Nov. 8. Yet Williamowski has scheduled a hearing for
Nov. 10 for “constitutionality” issues on this.
Both SNAP and VOTF are very concerned this might be a method
to let the bill “die-in-committee.” The State Senator
who has worked on this for 3+ yrs is Bob Spada, who has joined
VOTF and was in Indianapolis in July. Law enforcement groups
are now endorsing passage, notably the Buckeye State Sheriffs
Association. We would like to get all VOTF members in the state
to write to Williamowski. VOTF National has given us direction
as to how to accomplish this via e-mail. Disgraceful but true – all
six Ohio dioceses are actively lobbying against this.
RCAB News – from
a report to the Pilot, the Boston archdiocese newspaper.
The following is provided by David Castaldi
To All Members Of
The Boston Archdiocese,
On August 11, 2005,
Boston newspapers reported that the Vatican’s Congregation
for the Clergy has taken the position that the Archdiocese
erred in claiming the assets of suppressed parishes. The Rev.
Mark O’Connell, an Archdiocesan Canon Lawyer, is familiar
with the suppression decrees and the discussions between Archbishop
Seán O’Malley and Vatican officials. Fr. O’Connell
and the Archbishop are meeting with pastors and finance councils
of the affected parishes.
Fr. O’Connell
recently provided an overview of the issues concerning the
suppression decrees to The Parish Reconfiguration Fund Oversight
Committee (PRFOC). Key points of discussion are summarized
below:
- The Congregation
for the Clergy has not yet issued a ruling. A draft of a
possible ruling has been circulated between Vatican and Archdiocesan
officials.
- Future
rulings are expected to uphold Archbishop O’Malley’s
suppression of closed parishes and the procedure he used
for the suppressions.
- The Congregation
for the Clergy has reviewed the facts of the cases sent to
them in Rome. In response to cases of territorial parishes,
in which the decree of suppression designates the territory
of the suppressed parish to go to another parish, they have
determined that there is an issue in the way the decrees
are drafted. Although the suppression could be upheld, the
assets from these parishes would go to the receiving parishes,
rather than the Archdiocese of Boston.
- The Congregation
for the Clergy recognizes the original intent of the decrees
and offered Archbishop O’Malley a suggestion to bring
about the intended results. The Archbishop is meeting with
the pastors and their finance councils personally and through
Fr. O’Connell, to request they designate their suppressed
parish assets be sent to the Archdiocese. The Archbishop
asserts that he has been clear since the beginning that suppressed
assets will be sent to the Archdiocese “to be redistributed
for the greater mission of the Archdiocese.”
- The Archbishop
committed to the pastors that he will fund any expenses directly
related to the receiving of new parishioners.
- The Parish
Reconfiguration Fund Committee does not know if the Congregation
of the Clergy will accept a late appeal from parishes that
did not appeal their closure. The Congregation of the Clergy
has wide discretion as to whether it will continue to accept
the late appeals of concerned parishes.
- Ethnic
parishes are not included in the ongoing discussions because
the Congregation for the Clergy has indicated these decrees
are properly executed.
- The Archdiocese
is modifying all new and existing decrees dating from May
2005, to rectify the issue.
The Parish
Reconfiguration Fund Oversight Committee does not have any
information that would suggest that the Congregation for the
Clergy will overturn any closure decision. Discussions continue
between the Archdiocese and the affected pastors to resolve
the matter concerning the assets.
Respectfully
submitted,
The Parish
Reconfiguration Fund Oversight Committee:
David L. Castaldi, Chair, Central Region
Maureen Corcoran, Central Region
Joseph F. Finn, Jr., Archdiocesan Finance Council, West Region
Nan-Marie Jaeger, South Region
Norman Sabbey, West Region
Kathleen Rabe, North Region
Timothy J. Schiavoni, Merrimack Valley Region
The Parish Reconfiguration Fund Oversight Committee
(PRFOC) is composed of independent, volunteer Catholics charged
with the responsibility of providing oversight and advice on
the financial aspects of parish reconfiguration.
VOTF
Witness in Washington, DC – USCCB meeting Nov. 14-17
VOTF PLANS FOR USCCB
MEETING - November 2005
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) will be
meeting in Washington DC in mid-November and VOTF will be there.
Although the bishops do not have any official business related
to the sexual abuse crisis, it is expected that updates will be
provided by the National Review Board and the Administrative Committee,
which is overseeing Vatican approval of the Revised Charter. Voice
of the Faithful will hold a press conference on Monday morning,
November 14, to apprise media representatives of important developments.
Voice of the Faithful has important business to conduct in Washington
as well. The National Representative Council will be meeting in
nearby Arlington,VA on November 12-13. The agenda for this second
meeting of the new national Council (the first was in Indianapolis
in July) includes discussion of national campaign strategies based
on the Convocation recommendations, a variety of administrative
issues, and action proposals from the regional representatives
(e.g., investigation of the financial integrity of priests' retirement
funds).
On Sunday, November 13th, metro-DC Voice of the Faithful affiliates
will also be "witnessing for justice" by showing "Twist
of Faith," a powerful documentary about the impact of sexual
abuse on one survivor and his family.
John Moynihan
will be providing a daily update from Washington, DC on these
events. Watch the web site at www.votf.org for “Witness
in Washington, DC.”
Message
from VOTF president Jim Post
WHO WE ARE:
RESULTS OF A STUDY OF VOTF AS A SOCIAL MOVEMENT IN THE CATHOLIC
CHURCH
On Sunday,
October 23d, Catholic University of America researchers William
D'Antonio and Anthony Pogorelc presented the results of a two-year
study of VOTF members as part of their continuing research
on VOTF as a social movement in the Catholic Church. A crowd
of more than 400 participated in a symposium that was sponsored
by the Boston College Church in the 21st Century Center.
Bill and
Tony described the demographics of VOTF members, including
age, Catholic education, and active involvement in Church ministries.
Six nationally known experts in the sociology of religion field
--Professors Nancy Ammerman, Michelle Dillon, Mary Hines, Fr.
Robert Imbelli, Robert Gamson, and John McCarthy-- analyzed
this data through their expertise and offered observations
about the significance of the data.
For me,
three questions were answered:
- Who
Are VOTF Members? Based
on their Catholic education, current faith practices, and
involvement in church ministries, VOTF members are deeply
connected to their faith. As Professor Nancy Ammerman commented, "VOTF
is as Catholic as it gets."
- Do
Members Understand VOTF's Purpose? The thousands
of members who were surveyed display a clear understanding
of VOTF's mission and goals. VOTF has a clear mission and
has steadfastly adhered to its three goals. It needs to
improve its communications, according to Fr. Robert Imbelli,
but has already effected a shift in the way the Church
(clergy and laity) understand the importance of sexual
abuse and the need for reforms.
- Will
VOTF Succeed? The experts pointed to the need
for VOTF to build a more diverse membership base, citing
the age and ethnic statistics of the study. (VOTF leaders
agree with this observation.) Prof. John McCarthy analyzed
sources of strength in VOTF membership and identified many
opportunities for VOTF to engage more members in tasks
that can help advance the movement.
VOTF can succeed as a social movement within the Catholic Church,
the experts agreed, but it must respond to new needs and new
realities if it is to do so. That is a challenge we face together,
as a community of committed Catholics, as VOTF enters the next
phase of its role in the life of the Church. How we respond is
up to us!
VOTF will
post on our web site the full Executive Summary, charts and
graphs. Go to www.votf.org.
LETTERS to the Editor
Write to pthorp.ed@votf.org
“I
was both delighted and saddened to read Fr. Tony Ercolano's
letter. Delighted because he has the courage to speak the truth
to power, but saddened because he has left, if perhaps only
temporarily (such is my hope). He is precisely the prophetic
voice we need to encourage our own, and he is a priest we desperately
want and need.
And thanks for being a strong advocate for our children, and a
powerful voice of truth for our times.” Sister Joyce
Gadoua, CSJ, Sisters of Saint Joseph of Carondelet, Waterford,
NY 12188 or samsmaid@nycap.rr.com
“The
more honest, outspoken priests we have, the more hope there
is for our Church. Fr. Mac seemed to have proved it with the
increased attendance. I am from the Boston area and have always
been baffled by the lack of spoken truth from so many clergy,
and good men at that. Is it fear? Of what?” Lois
Wrightson
“ Thank you for publishing the words of priests expressing that they do
not accept the lies and cover-ups, even that they are removing themselves from
ministry. Unfortunately, when lay people speak these same words, it doesn't carry
the same weight. Every time another priest speaks out in anguish over what has
happened, it gives me hope.” former church employee
“I
would like to paper my office wall with the words shared by
priests and published in the Vineyard. Indeed, these provide
the only hope I’ve had in decades for reform in our Church.
I thank God for VOTF and for all who simply tell us the truth
and/or go after it." Fretful in Albuquerque
“It
occurs to me that if priests (whose livelihoods depend on bishops
who lie) can speak out, so can the rest of us. Every Catholic
in the country should work on and ask aloud ONE question of
their priest AND bishop. It might be noisy but isn’t
that how it (this Church) all started?” C. Allyson
“The
idea that a Fr. Ercolano is driven to leave his ministry and
Cardinal Law got a cushy promotion begs the question – do
we who are the Church realize we have been turned on our heads?
I, for one, have chosen to stand on my feet again. I look around
and I know where I am NOT going. Until this Church gets back
on track, I am practicing my faith with the Episcopals. They’re
not perfect, either – but they have a shorter history
of lies and deception. And I will continue to speak out against
the crimes I see.”
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