Updates from
VOTF’s National Assembly

Report from Optional Celibacy Workshops

Led by Ron DuBois and Mary Freeman, each workshop began with 40 minutes of discussion with the participants who responded to questions Ron and Mary posed.

In answer to questions about the closing of parishes and the declining number of priests, people responded with the following comments: people leave; there is a difficulty combining because of different cultures; 1 pastor with 2 parishes, so little contact with people; burn-out of pastors; no more communion services without a priest; lack of training of priests for handling mergers and the combining of parishes; clusters of two parishes where one has large debts and the other has none; one cluster with parish councils and financial councils combined with very few problems; fatigue and loneliness of priests; fewer Masses; lay parish managers is a positive; imported priests from Africa who are more clerical and with different cultural values; ageing priests.

Both workshops came up with essentially the same solutions: married priests; women priests; return to active ministry of priests who have resigned; women deacons; importing 3rd world priests; ordaining permanent deacons to the priesthood.
When asked if we should ordain women, all agreed. When asked if VOTF should support the ordination of women, all but three agreed. When asked if we should return resigned priests to active ministry, all agreed. And when asked if VOTF should support the return to active ministry of resigned priests, all but two agreed.

Clearly, there is great concern about the closing of parishes and the declining number of priests. The suggestions for solutions basically called for locating new pools of priests or ordaining groups now barred from priestly ministry. Ron noted that CORPUS, which seeks the readmission of retired priests, has existed for 40 years without obtaining positive results. Those resigned priests are now in their 70s, 80s, and 90s, and are not a long-term solution.

We had a long discussion about the ordination of women. Ron pointed out that although VOTF supports the ordination of women to the diaconate, because we try to work within the Church we do not at this time support the ordination of women to the priesthood.

Near the end of each workshop, Ron presented the petition VOTF had sent to the bishops calling for a new Pastoral Provision to ordain married Catholic men (viri probati, i.e. adult men tested by real life experiences). He said the time is right to ask our bishops for such a new Pastoral Provision. Pope Francis has called for a return to collegiality, so that bishops of a country or a region could adopt practices that respond to local needs but are not applied throughout the universal Church.

Francis also has often said that we need to move away from “uniformity to unity within the richness of diversity.” Again, this would allow regional and national bishop conferences to request and apply the new Pastoral Provision only in that area. Ron provided people with tips and talking points for meeting with their bishops on this issue, and strongly encouraged them to seek such meetings. He plans to follow up with the participants via email to further encourage them to meet with their bishops and to communicate results back to Donna Doucette.

Clericalism Workshop at VOTF’s Assembly
Anne and Ed Wilson led a couple of workshops on Clericalism. Some notes on the workshop follow:

• We, the laity, are the prime “enablers” of clericalism.

• There was a short debate about the indelible mark of Baptism and the meaning of ontological: the Aristotelian concept of what something “is.” For example: a ship made of wood, the planks of which are fully replaced over many years, is still a ship but the wood is different.

• The effects of Baptism make one “embraceable.”

• Dualism of natural and supernatural.

• Doctrine of character is medieval.

BUT “What has this to do with Brooklyn???”

• Priests are taught and believe that they are different.

What CAN we do?

• A story was told of a woman growing up with priests and religious in the family. They were treated with respect but had no sense that they were so different as to lord it over others. This was different from her experience with a pastor who, when she questioned what she was told, said, “I am your shepherd and you must follow me.”

• A number of priests spoke up, supporting the notion that we need to keep sharing the love and warmth of Jesus.

• Also recognized the importance of laity being integrated into service.

From priests:

• A LaSalette priest spoke of the dangers of clericalism ... and the emptiness of priests who just go through the motions but whose hearts are untouched.

• A Redemptorist priest reminded us that clericalism exists in all denominations: marriage and female priests won’t guarantee clericalism doesn’t continue to exist!

• Lay/cleric distinction is Christian dichotomy ...

• Fear is an element of clericalism: those priests who dare to speak out are not rewarded, and in many ways are punished.

• Lay people don't always treat clerics honestly and are over-respectful.

We must be adult in our relationships (clergy/laity) and live our baptismal rights (as prophets, priests—in the universal priesthood—and leaders)

Lessons That Will Continue ...
In February, we in the National Office received an interesting request from Alice Shea and her student Higera Nawass, an eighth grader at Bruce Whittier Middle School in Maine. Ms. Shea and a colleague had developed a research curriculum for students in this rural school, so they could compete against other Maine students and, if they succeeded at the state level, present their work in a national competition sponsored by the History Channel in Maryland.

The 2014 National History Day theme was “Rights and Responsibilities in History” and Ms. Nawass chose the sexual abuse scandal erupting in 2002 for her topic. Could we assist her with interviews, was Ms. Shea’s request.

We were happy to enlist potential interviewees, and we are even happier to note that Ms. Nawass qualified for the state competition with her report. We also are happy to pass along this note of thanks she sent:
“I've learned a lot about myself from this research. I don't think I knew I could be so passionate about a school assignment. It opened my eyes to see that the world isn't always a good place. Thank you again for all the help and support. – Sincerely, Higera Nawass”

You can see the impressive web site Ms. Nawass constructed for her research report here: http://16801461.nhd.weebly.com/home.html

Registration Open for Online Women Deacons Seminar
Learn more about women in the diaconate--what it was historically, what it is today, and what we can seek for the future--from the FREE online seminar led by three scholars who have done so much to educate the faithful about the roles for women in the Church.

Best thing about the seminar? You can participate from anywhere: at home, at work, on vacation, from the top of Mt. Everest or on a tour of the Everglades; if you have an online connection, you can join in.

From this page, you can learn what the course will cover and how to register. 

Sign up NOW. The course begins June 9 and runs until July 8.

Focus

Highlighting issues we face working together to Keep the Faith, Change the Church

Roman Catholic Bishops from England and Wales Call for Church to Allow Priests to Marry
“Roman Catholic bishops have called for the Church to take the historic step of allowing priests to be married amid growing signs of liberal reform under Pope Francis.” By Jonathan Brown, The Independent

Pope Francis Asks Forgiveness for Clergy Sex Abuse Scandal
“In his strongest personal remarks yet on the clergy sex abuse scandal, Pope Francis on Friday (April 11) asked forgiveness ‘for the damage’ that abusive priests have inflicted on children and pledged that the Catholic Church ‘will not take one step backward’ in efforts to address the crisis.” By David Gibson, Religion News Service
-- Pope Francis Asks Abuse Victims for ‘Forgiveness, By Maya Rhodan, Time
-- Pope’s Request Abuse Victims Forgive Church Draws Calls for Action, By Christine Hauser, The New York Times
-- Pope Takes Responsibility in Priests’ Abuse Scandal, By Elisabetta Povoledo, The New York Times
-- Pope Asks Forgiveness for “Evil” of Church Sex Abuse Epidemic / Survivors Highlight Concrete Actions He Must Take If Serious, By Center for Constitutional Rights
-- Why Pope Francis’ Apology Isn’t Good Enough for Sex Abuse Victims, By Barbie Latza Nadeau, The Daily Beast
-- Pope Francis Asks Forgiveness for Priests Who Sexually Abused Children, By Daniel Burke and Laura
Smith-Spark, CNN

Communion for Divorced Catholics?
Pope stirs Communion debate with call to woman, By Daniel Burke, CNN Belief Blog Co-editor 

An Engaged Laity Demands Answers on Finances, Abuse
“This issue brings together two strains of church life that NCR has been tracking for some 30 years: the sexual abuse of minors by clergy, and the finances of dioceses. It is in these two areas that church leaders are at their most vulnerable.” Editorial by National Catholic Reporter

Words and Deeds from the Pope
“Each time Pope Francis speaks out, he seems to be evolving in his view of how well the Roman Catholic Church has been dealing with the grave historical legacy created by priests who raped and abused children.” Editorial by The New York Times

Twin Cities Task Force Reports’ ‘Serious Shortcomings’ in Archdiocesan Policies
“Too much power in too few hands. Inadequate oversight. Broken communication channels and compartmentalized information. An outdated record-keeping system, and no meaningful program to audit and monitor compliance. Those ‘serious shortcomings’ emerged from a lay task force's six-month independent review of the policies and organizational structures within the St. Paul-Minneapolis archdiocese related to the prevention of clergy sexual abuse of minors.” By Brian Roewe, National Catholic Reporter
-- Past Members of Sex Abuse Commissions Tell of Struggles with Bishops, By Jason Berry, National Catholic Reporter
Click here to read the rest of this issue of Focus ...

Calendar of Events

There are two programs left in this academic year at Saint Susanna in the Parish Hall, 262 Needham Street, Dedham. Both programs will be held on Monday evenings from 7:00 to 9:00 pm. as follows:

April 28 – Film: Taking Root: The Vision of Wangari Maathai . (A co-presentation with Saint Susanna Peace and Justice Committee, Pat Ferrone Chair) features a film about the founder of the Green Belt Movement who also was the 2004 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate and a noted author.

Wangari Muta Maathai was born in Nyeri, a rural area of Kenya (Africa), in 1940. She obtained a degree in Biological Sciences from Mount St. Scholastica College in Atchison, Kansas (1964), a Master of Science degree from the University of Pittsburgh (1966), and pursued doctoral studies in Germany and the University of Nairobi, before obtaining a Ph.D. (1971) from the University of Nairobi, where she also taught veterinary anatomy. The first woman in East and Central Africa to earn a doctorate degree, Professor Maathai became chair of the Department of Veterinary Anatomy and an associate professor in 1976 and 1977 respectively. In both cases, she was the first woman to attain those positions in the region.

May 5 – Father Steve’s Book Group (Three Sessions) In what is now a tradition, the group will read and discuss a current book in the area of Faith and Religion, specially selected by Father Steve Josoma, Pastor of Saint Susanna Parish. Father Steve has selected as this year’s book Quest for a Living God, by Elizabeth A. Johnson, CSJ, Professor of Theology at Fordham University, New York (Continuum Publishing, 2007). It was originally last year's selection until the Marathon bombings led Father Steve to select the Kushner book dealing with issues of bad things happening to good people. Quest for a Living God is available in hardcover and paperback online at Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble’s web sites. It can also be obtained through almost any book store, but call ahead, as they may have to order it for you. You can also contact your local library, which should be able to order it for you through its library consortium. Minuteman Library Net, which services Dedham and Needham, has several copies.

You are expected to read the first third of the book for the first session on May 5, so now is a good time to get your copy. (On this page, Quest for the Living God is the last book on the second row of icons. If you click and order from that icon, VOTF receives a portion of your purchase price—a nice way to buy a good book and donate at the same time.)
May 12 – Book Group continues.
May 19 - Book Group concludes.

There is no pre-registration requirement and there are no fees, although voluntary donations are gratefully accepted to cover our costs. For map and directions, go to the Directions Page at http://www.saintsusanna.org/. In case of cancellation due to inclement weather, we will make every effort to post our web site, so check the site for a notice if the weather appears threatening. Come and See!

Writer, Scholar Marian Ronan on American Catholicism and Teachings on Sexuality and Gender 
St Mark’s Lutheran Church, Morristown NJ
 MAY 4, 2014
Plan to join us for a thought-provoking discussion by Marian Ronan, Ph.D., a writer and scholar of religion specializing in contemporary Roman Catholicism -- Catholicism since Vatican II.
From 2000 to 2009, Dr. Ronan was on the faculty at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley CA where she taught contemporary Christian theology and American religion. She is currently Research Professor of Catholic Studies at the Center for World Christianity at New York Theological Seminary in New York City.

She will speak on her book Tracing the Sign of the Cross: Sexuality, Mourning, and the Future of American Catholicism, published in 2009. In that book, she considered the ways in which the Catholic culture wars, especially over sexuality and gender, have protected many American Catholics from engaging and working through the losses they and their Church sustained during the last third of the 20th century. This was done in a series of close readings of novels, memoirs, and essays by four American writers with distinctively Catholic imaginations: James Carroll, Mary Gordon, Donna J. Haraway, and Richard Rodriguez. She found they pointed the way toward a more faithful and productive American Catholic future.

Dr. Ronan will also comment on her new book, Sister Trouble: The Vatican, the Bishops, and the Nuns, discussing how Catholic teaching on sexuality and gender will, and won’t, change under Pope Francis.   
FOR MORE INFORMATION
info@votfnj.org  
www.votfnj.org
973-539-8732 

Family Synod Responses
 As cardinals gather in Rome this month to welcome newly named cardinals and prepare for the October 2014 synod on the family, some of the formal responses to the synod questionnaire are emerging.

Last week saw publication of the German bishops' response, a preliminary report from Switzerland, and publication of questionnaire results by the Diocese of St. Petersburg in Florida. This week it's the Japanese bishops' report.

All of the reports stressed the gaps between Vatican thinking and pastoral realities. The report from Japan added criticism of the questionnaire itself, which presumed a "Christian majority" image of family and a Western viewpoint of cultural life.

As a companion effort to the U.S. questionnaire distributed by dioceses, Voice of the Faithful joined other groups in the association Catholic Organizations for Renewal (COR) to host an online questionnaire. Results from that compilation were sent to Rome in December. A complete report is now available online.

Here are links to some of the reports made available online:
Germany
Japan
St. Petersburg FL
Independent COR-sponsored questionnaire

Letters to the Editor

This is my first assembly. While I agree fully with the laudatory comments by the attendees and applaud any effort to clean up the mess, I wonder whether the mess can be cleaned up without much more radical proposals than the ones I heard on April 5th. The two major talks were barely concealed cheer leading for Pope Francis (whom, by the way, I admire and like enormously and whose daily homilies I watch with a warm heart). With the speakers, I hope for the best from him. But the aims and means suggested in the addresses and in the sessions on clericalism and women’s issues (excellent sessions) are meliorist rather than reformist. We sound as if we want a better RCC, but what we need is a different RCC.

I am convinced that the only way to eliminate clericalism is to eliminate the clergy, lower and higher. The clergy-lay distinction is not Christian though it seems to be Catholic in the way and with the effects that the clergy decides. The meliorist solution so attractive to Catholics would change the personnel and some of the practices but not get to the heart of the problem as it has developed over sixteen centuries. Clergy as a distinct bunch within the church now hold the deeds to the property (literally and metaphorically) and clericalism is the ideological/doctrinal superstructure that supports the clergy in their good and bad deeds. The solution is to make them Christians like the rest of us, and pull them out from under the dogmatic umbrella of apostolic succession, petrine succession, and infallibility.

I am NOT suggesting that the church doesn’t need leaders such as bishops and popes. I AM suggesting that the popes and bishops and priests are no more than or superior to ordinary Christians. So: down with the ontological change!

With every best wish and hope,
W. Shea
William M. Shea, Ph.D.
Adjunct Professor of Religious Studies
College of the Holy Cross
1 College Street
Worcester, MA 01610„2395
wshea@holycross.edu

I am sorry I was not able to attend VOTF's conference, but I am with you all the way! I do what I can here in Delaware, including letting Pope Francis and the press know what my thoughts are . His latest comment about “asking forgiveness” from victims is sure to turn more away from the church. I hope and pray he will hold the hierarchy accountable, but it does not look like that will happen without a miracle!
L. Kilby

Questions, Comments?

Please send them to Siobhan Carroll, Vineyard Editor, at Vineyard@votf.org. Unless otherwise indicated, I will assume comments can be published as Letters to the Editor.