October 29, 2004 Vol
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Inside Archbishop Buechlein . 5 Editorial . 4 The Question Corner . 11 Sunday and Daily Readings . 11 Serving the CChurchCriterion in Centralr andi Southert n Indianae Since 1960rion www.archindy.org October 29, 2004 Vol. XXXXIV, No. 5 75¢ Bishops to vote on adult catechism, elect new pr esident WASHINGTON (CNS)—When the get and finance committee. in opposition to Church teachings on the definition of marriage as being between U.S. Catholic bishops meet in Washington One of the most controversial public sacredness of human life and the obliga- one man and one woman following the in mid-November, they will be asked to issues the bishops have faced over the tion of government to defend it. court-ordered legalization of same-sex approve a first-ever U.S. national cate- past year will come up on the floor in the By the time the bishops meet on marriages in Massachusetts. chism for adults and elect a new president form of a report by their task force on Nov. 15-18, however, Election Day will be The bishops, who have called for pro- to lead them for the next three years. how bishops should deal with Catholic over. Political analysts will already have tection of marriage’s traditional definition Archbishop Daniel M. Buechlein is public officials whose policy stands con- spent countless hours on the air and tons by amending federal and state constitu- among 10 nominees for the presidential tradict Catholic teachings on fundamental of ink dissecting the role of the Catholic tions, will be asked to approve the writing and vice presidential elections. issues such as abortion. swing vote in the election and what influ- of a pastoral letter on marriage making it Among other USCCB assignments, This became a major issue in the ence this year’s debate within the Church the centerpiece for a multiyear National Archbishop Buechlein chairs the cateche- 2004 presidential election because the may have had on Catholic voters. Pastoral Initiative on Marriage. sis committee and serves as a consultant Democratic candidate, Sen. John F. Kerry Same-sex marriage has been another The clergy sexual abuse crisis that to the ad hoc committee to oversee the use of Massachusetts, is a Catholic whose hot-button issue this year with more than emerged in 2002 will have a place on the of the catechism. He also is a member of public policy stands on abortion and a dozen states debating state constitutional November agenda as the bishops are the administrative committee and the bud- human embryonic stem-cell research are amendments to protect the traditional See BISHOPS, page 2 Parishes enhance efforts to increase Photo by Sean Gallagher Photo by stewardship By Brandon A. Evans Twenty-seven parishes in the archdio- cese began piloting a new initiative last spring that will help members of their communities in cen- tral and southern Indiana to grow as Christian stewards. The new Mission Enhancement Initiative, as it is called, is formally titled Growing Stewards. The initiative is “a response to parishes’ stated interests in planning, evaluating ministry effectiveness, communicating ministry goals, and increasing parish- ioners’ understanding and practice of stew- ardship,” said Dena Perry, director of stewardship for the archdiocese. Perry said the three main goals of Grow- ing Stewards are to help parishes create a parish action plan, which is similar to a strategic plan, as well as plan a ministry fair and educate parishioners about stewardship. A ministry fair is usually a gathering of Archbishop Daniel M. Buechlein, second from right, prays the rosary at St. Mary Church in New Albany during a seminarian pilgrimage in August. booths that are staffed by volunteers Joining him are, from left, Deacon William Williams and seminarian Dustin Boehm, both of Our Lady of the Greenwood Parish in Greenwood, seminar- responsible for different programs, min- ian Sean Danda of St. Malacy Parish in Brownsburg, and Father Joseph Moriarty, vocations director for the archdiocese. Archbishop Buechlein will istries, services or committees in the lead a retreat for men considering the priesthood on Nov. 19-20 at Our Lady of Fatima Retreat House in Indianapolis. parish. The fairs give parishioners a chance to learn more about how to serve the parish community. Archbishop to lead priesthood discernment retreat Stewardship education in many ways builds toward the climax of the annual By Sean Gallagher followed, five of the retreatants decided Fatima Retreat House in Indianapolis. Called to Service: Parish Stewardship to affiliate with the archdiocese as semi- Father Joseph Moriarty, director of and United Catholic Appeal. It includes Last year, for the first time, narians and are now involved in priestly the Office of Priestly and Religious See STEWARDSHIP, page 16 Archbishop Daniel M. Buechlein led a formation at Saint Meinrad School of Vocations, explained that during the retreat for men who thought that God Theology and the Bishop Bruté House of retreat the participants will learn about might be calling them to consider the Formation at Marian College in the process by which a man becomes a priesthood. Indianapolis. seminarian and the priestly formation Eighteen men participated in that A similar discernment retreat will be in which they would then be involved. initial retreat. During the months that held on Nov. 19-20 at Our Lady of See RETREAT, page 2 Social doctrine text upholds dignity, common good VATICAN CITY (CNS)—The God- Paul II by the Pontifical Council for peace council said the book was reviewed given dignity of humans and the obliga- Justice and Peace, the compendium and approved by the Congregation for the tion to promote the common good of all explains Church teachings related to poli- Doctrine of the Faith because it pertains to the world’s people require the Catholic tics, war, the economy, the environment, the Church’s moral teaching. Church to speak out on behalf of social work and legislation impacting family life, The compendium said, “By means of issues, said the new Compendium of the among other topics. her social doctrine, the Church shows her Social Doctrine of the Church. Not counting the index, the English vol- concern for human life in society.” The Church’s social doctrine offers cri- ume presented to the press was 331 pages. While the text cautioned against trying teria for judging various aspects of public “Insofar as it is part of the Church’s to claim any one political party could rep- and social life, and provides guidelines for moral teaching,” the volume said, “the resent fully Catholic social and moral “conforming them to the demands of Church’s social doctrine has the same dig- teaching, it called on lay Catholics “to Christian morality,” said the book, nity and authority as her moral teaching.” identify steps that can be taken in concrete released on Oct. 25 at the Vatican. At an Oct. 25 press conference about political situations” to put into practice Drafted at the request of Pope John the volume, officials from the justice and See DOCTRINE, page 7 Page 2 The Criterion Friday, October 29, 2004 Catechism for Adults is a 456-page docu- formation of the CCT as a means to pro- BISHOPS ment in draft form sent to the bishops mote greater ecumenical understanding continued from page 1 before the meeting. and witness among those outside the NCC, It follows the four-part general struc- especially the Catholic Church and CNS photo from Reuters asked to approve the inclusion, in the ture of the Catechism of the Catholic Churches of the Evangelical and annual diocesan child protection compli- Church issued by Pope John Paul II in Pentecostal families. ance audits, of yearly data on new reports 1992—creed, sacraments, moral life and At the end of the November meeting, of alleged abuse in their diocese, how prayer. But it is adapted in many ways to Bishop Wilton D. Gregory of Belleville, many cases were resolved during the year address specific issues, concerns and Ill., completes his three-year term as pres- and associated costs. questions arising from the context in ident of the U.S. Conference of Catholic They will also be asked to adopt a con- which U.S. Catholics must try to under- Bishops and Bishop William S. Skylstad tingency plan to assure a 2005 compliance stand and practice their faith. of Spokane, Wash., ends his term as vice audit of dioceses in case the review and Each of the 36 chapters opens with a president. Their successors will be elected revision of the bishops’ child protection story or lesson of faith. These often draw during the meeting. charter, which calls for such audits, is not on examples from U.S. Catholic events or Bishop Gregory, elected in November completed by June 2005 as planned. the lives of American Catholics whose 2001, guided the U.S. Church through The bishops have received proposed names and contributions should be part of arguably the greatest crisis it has faced in revisions of the charter, but voting on a the common cultural awareness in the its history, the clergy sexual abuse crisis revised charter is not on the November U.S. Church. Each chapter ends with a that erupted in Boston in January 2002 agenda. Instead, they are being asked to meditation and prayer. and rapidly spread nationwide. He also hold structured consultations on the pro- In between are a narrative exposition was the first black bishop to be elected the posed revisions in diocesan and regional and application of the teaching of that conference president. meetings around the country and to mail chapter, sidebars, questions for discussion This year’s 10-nominee list for the Sen.