SUGGESTED ACTIONS
Appreciation Possibilities:
Examples of Parish Voice Affiliates' Support for Goal #2
Efforts by individual parishes to support our priests include letters and prayer services. Below is a petition letter sponsored by St. Pius V in Lynn, MA, and a sample Prayer Service used at St. Agnes in Reading, MA. We are always looking for input from other parishes to share with all the membership.
Introductory Speech Regarding Letter of Support for a Priest
Hello my name is___________________________ . I would like to take a few moments to explain the books that you see placed around the Church.
Due to the difficult times in our Church, it has been trying for our pastoral staff, and especially for our priest, Fr. ________________. The latest articles in the Globe and the Pilot were so negative to the Priests' Forum that some of us St. Pius V parishioners got together before the 9 a.m. Mass last weekend to express our concerns for Fr. ________________. We thought that all parishioners should have a chance to give their support to them and the pastoral staff.
So, please stay after Mass this week or next week and sign a book and/or write a little note to them to tell our priest how grateful you are to him. Thank you and have a great day.
Sample Letter of Support for a Priest
Dear Father ________________,
The Vineyard here at our parish is rich, but the harvest is not easy. We parishioners know that you are devoted to our parish and the teachings of our Roman Catholic faith. We have found strength and great joy in your daily interactions with us and in your faith-filled leadership, which serve to bring the Gifts of the Spirit ever closer to us. You, and all the members of the pastoral staff, have truly been models of faithfulness to the Gospel. We thank you for the good work that you have dutifully, and so beautifully, offered to us. We offer up our prayers for you, as friends and parishioners, and we fervently pray for your continued ministry among us.
Name ______________________________ Message ____________________________
Educational Opportunities
Educating ourselves not only to the reality of the priesthood today (from seminary
formation to ordination and practice), but also taking responsibility for our
role, given in baptism, in the “universal priesthood” of believers. The Vatican
II model of church calls each to their particular vocation, and it is ours to
take it seriously. We can do this by reading, by inviting speakers on such topics,
and by recognizing that we, too, have supported the current clerical culture
by deferring to those who wear Roman collars.
Justice and Due Process
Every person deserves fair and due process of the law, and is “innocent until proven guilty”. As we seek justice for victims of abuse, so do we need to be mindful of the rights of those who are accused. This does not mean “taking sides” but reflects the Christian imperative to love as Jesus did and to pray for those most in need of forgiveness.
We learned that many priests were not even given the benefit of the details of an accusation, and have had to depend on their own meager resources to defend themselves, as well as to support themselves in the interim.
Knowledge of exactly what happens in any given diocese is a first step in knowing what to do on behalf of these men. They are, after all, our brothers.
Sharing information about the reality of this process (or lack of) in each diocese is helpful to all.
Here is an example:
A priest in the diocese of Boston was “credibly” accused of sexual abuse, and was told to leave the rectory. He was given no details of the accusation, except the date of the alleged abuse.
For weeks he languished in “limbo”, hearing nothing from the chancery at all.
Finally, one of his parishioners (a lawyer) located him and asked if he could help.
In Boston, one criteria for a credible allegation is being in a parish at the time of abuse.
Knowing this, the lawyer went to the Boston Public Library and discovered that in fact the priest was not even in the parish on the dates given.
The priest was reinstated shortly after, with no further word (not even an explanation or apology) from the bishop.
There certainly needs to be some way to publicize the exoneration of innocent priests when such a mistake occurs.
There certainly needs to be some way that protects the innocent from such agonizing situations.
Organizations such as Justice for Priests provide much needed legal advice to those in these circumstances. (www.justiceforpriests.org)
Other possible avenues to investigate and to be better informed on behalf of our priests are:
To investigate diocesan policies regarding employment practices, fair labor policies, priests’ pension funding, medical coverage, relationships between former employment pension benefits and diocesan pension benefits.
Prayer Services
Introductory Information about the Sample Prayer Service St. Agnes Parish Voice of the Faithful in Reading, Massachusetts, has instituted a bi-weekly prayer service "In Support of Priests." The concept was the brainchild of and was initiated by a husband-wife team on our St. Agnes Steering Committee, who head up our parish Working Group on the second goal of the mission of VOTF. The service consists of a participatory hour of prayer each week before the Blessed Sacrament. VOTF members are asked to anchor the service as available, and publicity is placed in the bulletin. The prayer vigils are held on the first Wednesday of each month at 3 p.m. and on the third Monday of each month at 7 p.m. People are encouraged to come even if they cannot stay the entire hour.
The format is flexible, honoring the need for spontaneous prayer; however, the service opens with a Bible reading, and every 15 minutes or so, there is another brief reading, including a thanksgiving and an excerpt from a biography of a contemporary model. The services have been well attended, and continue to be publicized in the Bulletin with plenty of lead time so that people can plan to attend. We are happy to report the appreciation and support of our priests. Our pastor has attended these sessions. (Included below are samples of our Bulletin announcement and one prayer service.)
St. Agnes Parish VOTF includes over 107 registered members with an active steering committee. We meet on a monthly basis, alternating educational speakers and general discussion sessions. Our speakers have included survivor/victims of abuse, theologians and priests.
Sample Announcement for Bulletin
PRAYER HOUR in support of Priests will take place on Wednesday, February 5th, 3 p.m. in the Eucharistic Chapel, sponsored by Voice of the Faithful. Come and join us for all or any part of an hour of informal prayer. Our aim is to provide prayer support for those priests who serve us so well here at St. Agnes and those who faithfully serve God elsewhere.
Sample Prayer Service
3:00p.m. Opening: 2 Timothy 1:6-14
3:20 The Priest: A Prayer on Sunday Night, from "Prayers" by Michael
Quoist
3:30 A reading from "A Cry for Mercy" by Henri J.M. Nouwen
3:40 A reading from "Seasons of Your Heart" by Macrina Wiederkehr, OSB
3:45 A reading from "A Cry for Mercy" by Henri J.M. Nouwen
3:55 A reading from the story of Père Jacques Bunol from "All Saints" by
Robert Ellsberg |
