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The
Measure of a Voice
As Catholic archdioceses
go, Boston’s must be credited for the clarity it brings to parishioners,
to priests and to its lay ministers who may have an interest in or are actively
engaged in Church service. Indeed, recent actions surrounding the tenure
of much-loved pastor Fr. Walter Cuenin at Our Lady Help of Christians in
Newton, MA can be regarded as a warning shot across the bow of the entire
American Catholic effort at renewal.
Continuing its history
of infantilizing priests, the Church here is advising all diocesan priests
that if they have any thoughts of their own on any subject on which the Church
comments – the kind of thoughts that grow in a mature and maturing conscience – do
not speak of them. You are to be mouthpieces, followers, shadows of the men
you might have been and all of this for the glory of the bishop and the honor
of obedience, obedience, obedience.
Parishioners are to follow
suit – ask no questions, demand no answers, Father knows best and, by the
way, we still want your money. The parishioners of OLHC have one captain
and he lives in the chancery. The parishioners of Our Lady’s may THINK they
contributed to the fact of this parish’s place on the short list of all-time
success stories in US parish history, but the truth is that a reputation
for welcoming, for Christian charity and for joy in giving is far less valuable
in diocesan-speak than a reputation for obedience, obedience, obedience.
And what of the 35,000
lay ministers now filling in the ranks of priests “gone missing,” the 100,000
catechists, the 18,000 lay people in training? These good people may see
a new day dawning in the oft-illumined “communio” of which so many clerics
speak but if Boston is any model, and I believe it is, that’s no sun on the
horizon – it’s brass. All their talk about lay involvement doesn’t mean what
you think. The Church is needing you, thanking you and counting on you for
obedience, obedience, obedience – and your money.
Nothing is worse than
what this Church has already done behind our backs – raping children and
covering it up is as low as holy men can go. Shutting down parishes and schools
in the ham-handed way demonstrated in Boston and/or ignoring sitting parish
and finance councils in order to fire an outspoken priest on the most laughable
of grounds, constitute in the end a clarion call to Catholics to act out. If
lay people think this Church is going to get better by itself, we must think
again. We can thank the archdiocese of Boston for clearing that up. The larger,
more relevant question is what are lay people going to do about this
latest assault? Will Catholics continue to support the charade of holy leadership?
No Christian faith can
long withstand the kind of battle being waged in Boston against someone whose
whole life speaks of inclusion, community and Gospel values. The good news
is indeed good news, if you can take the long view: It isn’t lay people who
are leaving this Church – it’s the hierarchy.
It remains to be seen
what will come of the Our Lady’s travesty. Priests and lay people need each
other. Voice of the Faithful has understood this dynamic from our earliest
meetings, incorporating the care of the priesthood as our second goal. A
march last Sunday drew over 1,000 supporters of Fr. Cuenin and included more
than a few courageous priests speaking to the public (wearing their collars).
Their presence was a profound moment in this archdiocese. One would like
to think that this may be the renewal of a beautiful relationship – as it
was in our beginnings. Time will tell.
PLT
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