The Development of U.S. Roman Catholic Church Lay Leaders
For a Future with Fewer Priests
A dissertation submitted to the
Division of Research and Advanced Studies of the University of Cincinnati
in partial fulfillment of the Requirements for the degree of
Doctor of Education (Ed.D)
in the Urban Educational Leadership program of the College of Education, Criminal Justice, and Human Services
2013
by
Gloria Jean Parker-Martin
B.S., University of Cincinnati, 1974 M.B.A., Xavier University, 1979
Committee Chair: Mary Brydon-Miller, PhD
ii
Abstract
The Catholic Church of the United States is facing a future with fewer priests. The diminishing number means many more parishes will be without a resident pastor, and some parishes will no longer have a priest available to them at all. The trend makes it more likely that new models of ministry will need to be launched to maintain Catholic faith communities throughout the country. It is likely more and more responsibility for the growth of such churches will rest with lay leaders. This study looks at the problem through the lens of Change Theory with the methodology of Action Research. This report examines the effects of the priest shortage trends on St. Anthony Parish in Madisonville, and the efforts to define the best ministerial and administrative structure for its lay people to position the parish within a Pastoral Region in the
Archdiocese of Cincinnati. For the U.S. Church to survive the laity must begin to take on roles that priests once held. There is a new vigor for the laity, particularly women, to assume stronger roles in the parishes. Lay people, church members who are not ordained, have always had some role in the Catholic Church. It was largely “pay, pray and obey,” until the late Twentieth
Century. Today there are more opportunities and a new urgency for the people to move from the passive parishioner stage to the engaged lay volunteer. This study discusses the challenges in that transformation, and highlights the urgency to develop training programs for lay leaders. The laity will play an important part in the church in the future, but at this point, they are not even at the table to participate in the discussion. With the shortage of priests comes a new vigor of the laity to take on more leadership roles in the church.
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
“and, realizing that I cannot hope to achieve these objectives by my own strength, I rely upon the power of God, for I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me"1
I wish to thank the S.A.L.T. committee Patricia Fedders, Malachi Lawrence, Richard
Taulbee, Sally VonLehman, and Rev. Leonard Wenke for bringing to life the wishes of a community of believers. Special thanks to Rev. Leonard Wenke for creating an environment where parishioners felt comfortable in expressing their opinion.
I would like to thank St. Anthony Catholic Church. The parishioners took the time to participate in a process that could change their way of thinking about the Catholic Church. They shared their hopes and concerns about the future of the church.
Thank you to my committee members, Mary Brydon-Miller, Rev. Jeffrey M. Kemper,
Patricia O’Reilly, Vanessa Allen-Brown, and Cheryll Dunn. You have been with me during this long journey. I value your insight into my topic and how you have helped me formalize the vision of how things can be for those in the struggle and how we as Catholics can influence the future of the church.
There are so many others I would like to thank, the editors, and there were many, members of the parish who encouraged me. I would like to acknowledge the prayer warriors that over the years have lifted me up when “things were not going well”.
Lastly, I would like to thank my mentor Vincent F.A. Golphin. We spent hours on the phone discussing the approaches about the paper and what process to use to help people understand their power in an institution with so much power over them. We also discussed the need for a Ministry of Service Program; I hope that those who read this dissertation will also see the need.
1 Philippians 4:13 iv
Dedication
“Only you are holy only you are worthy only you are wonderful for there’s no one else like you who is faithful ever true all my love my heart my life is a testimony”2
I am the great great-granddaughter of Elizabeth, great granddaughter of Jenny, granddaughter of Carrie and the daughter of Ruth. Today I stand on the shoulders of some very strong women. And so, I dedicate this journey to them. I especially dedicate my journey to Ruth
Parker Freeland my mother who passed on many years ago, yet she is constantly with me. She instilled in all of her children the importance of education. I dedicate this journey to Dale
Freeland who in his quite way made it possible for my mother to present educational opportunities to her children. I am the oldest of seven. As the oldest, it was my responsibility to be the role model for those behind me.
I dedicate my journey to my sisters and brothers. They are Barbara, Leonard, Sandra,
Dale, Darrell and Darnella. Now it is your turn to encourage your children to take the journey.
And to my son Damon and granddaughter Damonique, I want to thank you both. You were my inspiration to finish my journey. Now it is your turn.
To my husband and love, George Martin thank you for being so patient with me during this journey. It has been a long and sometimes very challenging journey yet you supported and encouraged me at each stage.
2 Words from the song “Only you are Holy” by Donnie McClurkin 1
Table of Contents
CONTENTS ...... 1
Personal Narrative ...... 5
Chapter 1 ...... 8
Introduction ...... 8
Why Change Theory? ...... 11
What are the approaches? ...... 12
What Model do we use? ...... 13
Approach to Change Theory ...... 14
Methodology ...... 16
Catholic Church of the United States ...... 16
Canon Law ...... 17
Only a Priest ...... 18
Shortage of Priests ...... 19
Laity ...... 20
Archdiocese of Cincinnati ...... 21
Futures Committee ...... 22
Priests of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati ...... 24
Significance of Study ...... 27
Research Questions ...... 27
Summary ...... 28
CHAPTER 2 ...... 31
Literature Review...... 31 2
Stages of Change Theory ...... 31
Principles of Change ...... 34
Leadership ...... 37
Changes in the Congregation ...... 40
Resistance to Change ...... 43
Implementation of Change ...... 43
Action Research ...... 45
Ethics...... 48
Action Research Process ...... 49
Purpose of Study ...... 51
CHAPTER 3 ...... 52
Methodology ...... 52
Research Questions ...... 52
Parish...... 53
St. Anthony Parish ...... 55
“What If” Committee ...... 58
CHAPTER 4 ...... 61
Research Process ...... 61
Stage 1 ...... 64
Archdiocese of Cincinnati ...... 68
Stage 2 ...... 74
Stage 3 ...... 83
CHAPTER 5 ...... 87 3
Summary ...... 87
Themes ...... 91
CHAPTER 6 ...... 96
Conclusion ...... 96
Introduction ...... 96
Change Theory ...... 99
Changes in the Congregation ...... 106
CHAPTER 7 ...... 109
For Future Researchers ...... 109
POST DISSERTATION ...... 111
GLOSSARY ...... 112
REFERRENCES ...... 116
APPENDIX ...... 124
Appendix A Responses to the Deanery Chair Questions ...... 125
Appendix B The Results of the Brainstorming ...... 127
Appendix C Training Session for the Facilitators ...... 128
Appendix D Change is Constant ...... 129
Appendix E Proposed Discussion Timetable ...... 134
Appendix F Leader’s Guide ...... 136
Appendix G Calendar ...... 138
Appendix H S.A.L.T. Small Group Gatherings ...... 140 4
Appendix I Summary of Questions ...... 153
Appendix J “Why should we reinvent the wheel? ...... 156
Appendix K Ministers of Service Program ...... 163
Appendix L Ministers of Service Program Course of Study ...... 166
Appendix M The Way We Were ...... 175
5
A Personal Narrative
I am only one, but still I am one, I cannot do everything, but still I can do something, and because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do something I can do.3
My first experience with the Roman Catholic Church was as a child in the West End of
Cincinnati. I lived in an all Black community. There were several churches in walking distance of my apartment, mostly protestant churches. However, across the street from me was Holy
Trinity Catholic Church and Jackson Public School, a school for Blacks. In 1954, an Italian group of priests, Sons of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, popularly known today as the Comboni
Missionaries arrived at Holy Trinity. Their U.S. mission was outreach to Native Americans and
Blacks although most of the international order’s work was in the Sudan and other parts of
Africa.
Their work during the late 1940’s and late 1950’s converted many Blacks to Catholicism.
During this period, there were over one thousand Blacks converted at Holy Trinity. I attended
Jackson School but was released early to attend classes at Holy Trinity. I was one of the many who attended Jackson School, but because of certain rules that were put on parents by the church, I was not able to attend Holy Trinity full time.
My mother, as many parents in the West End, felt that Catholic schools had the best education, but for me to become Catholic someone in my family had to be Catholic. This was a rule of the church. There were no Catholics in my family at that time. I continued along with my sister and brother to attend the classes. My experience was with the Sisters of the Blessed
Sacrament and the Comboni Fathers. They were all White. I did not experience any African
3 Frederick Douglass 6
American ministers until I saw Father Clarence Rivers many decades later. After Holy Trinity closed because of urban renewal, I continued in public school. I did not go to another Catholic church until seven years later.
My next experience in the Catholic Church was when I was in high school. My family relocated because of urban renewal and we ended up in the Avondale neighborhood of
Cincinnati, within walking distance of St. Andrews Church. It had been a while since I had attended a Catholic church. I entered the church and sat in the back. Their service was about the same, but there was something different. In the old Holy Trinity, the congregation was Black, but here the congregation was predominately White. There were a few Blacks but they were scattered in the church. There were four priests at the parish serving the community. I continued to go each Sunday, over the years, I moved closer to the front of the church. I moved because there seemed to be more room closer to the front. I noticed that there was more room because there were fewer people in the pews. It would seem that all the White parishioners were leaving and only the Blacks were still at the parish.
I was very active in St. Andrews. I was baptized, married and my son was baptized at St.
Andrews. I was introduced to the Minister of Service Program at St. Andrews. The program opened my eyes to the relationship between the church and the laity. The program was created to empower lay leaders. The mission statement of the Minister of Service Program was, “We have a commitment to educate and develop indigenous African-American leaders and others who minister to parishes located in predominately African-American communities within the
Archdiocese of Cincinnati”. I received training and spiritual guidance from the program. I graduated in the third class. 7
We later moved from Avondale to Bond Hill. We were required to become members of
St. Agnes. My son was part of the original kindergartners at St. Agnes School. I was very active in the parish and school. After my son graduated from high school and went to college, I decided to change parishes. I had some friends who had moved from St. Agnes to St. Anthony and they spoke highly of the parish. I visited and decided to stay. This has been my experience in the church. At each of the parishes, I have always been active even when I disagreed with the policy of the church. In writing this paper, I have a new appreciation of my role as a layperson in the church.
It was only logical that I wrote about the changes that would affect St. Anthony.
However, the changes are affecting all the parishes in the Archdiocese of Cincinnati and parishes in the U.S. My experience in the Catholic Church has given me an insight into the turmoil that parishioners have gone through. I lived through the Vatican II and felt the uncertainty of where the laity fit into the structure. My decision to select the topic for my dissertation came after a long talk with one of my advisor Dr. Pat O’Reilly. During our discussion, I shared that I was active in the church and had some questions about the church and its policy. She said, “then write about them”. And so, another stage of my journey with the Catholic Church begins.
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Chapter 1
Introduction
“…give us, O God, leaders whose hearts are large enough to match the breadth of our own souls and give us souls strong enough to follow leaders of vision and wisdom...” 4
The ancient philosopher, Heraclitus said, “only one thing never changes: change itself.”
The saying means that change is inevitable. Change will occur whether we want it or not. That thought drove Kurt Lewin (1951) and subsequent theorists such as Michael Fullan (1983, 2001,
2002) and Ronald G. Havelock (1995) to expound the concept of Change Theory, which applies the principles of Social Psychology and Education to real-life conflicts.
Change is an inconvenience. It is uncomfortable insofar as it makes us move from our safety zone to the unknown. When we think about change, we think of those things that confront us, that will challenge us as we move from the illusion that we control our lives toward the realities we cannot control. The shift in people’s behavior must come from his or her understanding of the things that need to change. Kurt Lewin (1951) formulated a three-stage
4 From a prayer written by Joan Chittister, OSB 9 model of change known, as the unfreezing-change-refreeze model requires that prior learning be discarded and replaced. The key is how individuals, organizations, and communities will change based on the new information. Lewin’s three-stage approach is evident in the sociology, psychology, and policy of the U.S. Catholic Church. The decrees of Second Vatican Council in
1963 sent clergy and laity into a spin. After centuries of tradition, the council conclusions offered new visions on the sacraments, role of the clergy and the laity, and the position of the
Church in the world. Congregations throughout the world have been impacted and struggled with the effects that evolved from those deliberations. One of the key results, an unseen consequence of bringing the sacred closer to the secular, is the rapid decline of vocations to the Catholic religious life, which led to a near-extinction crisis in priests, brothers, and nuns. Those groups were once the main elements in the administration and operation of Catholic ministry. For a global religious community that still largely has ordained members at its core, Change Theory is a useful lens to analyze the struggle to develop a new vision.
As a researcher in this study, I asked people in a faith community to unlearn a long-held conception of leadership. The goal was not to change core beliefs, but to ask the faith community to look again at their thoughts, perceptions, feeling or attitudes about the new information presented. As people experienced change, I noticed that counter to Lewin’s experience a dynamic force of resistance did not occur. Many of the participants were open to the idea of change. I will discuss my direct experience more thoroughly in later chapters.
Reading Lewin and other change theorists helped me discover that in the use of Action
Research, which was my main method, it is important to be very careful not to alienate the participants. People put up walls to protect their emotions, attitudes, and viewpoints. As part of 10 the Change Theory, the researcher must be able to present to the participants how the change will make a “better way” for them and the organization.
There is an expectation of learning in Change Theory and the fear of not being able to learn can cause anxiety on the part of people. An environment of psychological safety should be put into place to reduce anxiety within the participants. Knowing how participants receive and accept information will help the researcher determine the best environment to expose them to the process. When people feel at ease about the process, they will be open to share information with the researcher.
The researcher’s role is two-fold. He or she must balance the treatment of anxiety about the process with how to present the new information. The relationship with the participants has to be one of trust. The goal is to work slowly and carefully to give the participants the chance to absorb the information so that they can make conscious decisions about their acceptance of the change. Unfortunately, many projects are time driven and there may be little time to develop relationships. For change to take place there must be an acceptance of the process.
Researchers take on the role of motivators. They design strategies to get the participants to be able to accept the new information. One strategy is to involve the research subjects in the process of change by inviting them to participate in the process. In this process, there is a joint responsibility at each stage.
Change Theory should not start with assumptions. Researchers should investigate through surveys or interviews to find out what the subjects view as the cause of the circumstances. For example, Lewin studied a case about a gang of Italian Catholics who disrupted a synagogue service on Yom Kippur. The officials assumed that the Catholics, especially the four youths arrested for the incident, were anti-Semites. The psychologist created 11 a research team of Catholics, Jews, Negroes, and Protestants who first got the arrested youths into the custody of priests and the Catholic Big Brothers. The researchers brought together the widest possible group of members of the community. The research revealed that the action resulted from intercultural hostility, anti-Semitism. Instead of sending boys to prison, the research led officials to attack the problems that frustrated residents. They built better houses and recreational facilities, and expanded public transportation. The anger came from some
Catholics’ impressions that Jews automatically had more access to resources. In line with his broader theory, Lewin suggested that to allow people of different backgrounds equal access would bring about integration (Greathouse, 1997).
The understanding that can arise from the Action Research process helps guide those who want to guide change to achieve long-term goals. This information gained from the erasure of misperceptions may or may not conflict with the community’s stance but the process of presenting the new information will determine how the community will react.
Why Change Theory?
There is a need for good theories of change for those individuals who are involved with the development of communities, organizations, and individuals. Change theory helps researchers understand complex social processes that happen within to a community when major issues come up. The Theory of Change is very useful in helping a community that is looking at complex issues to be able to visualize how the change would be a benefit to them. As change agents, we need theory to help us ask the right questions which would help us to not only understand the issues, but prepare us to be able to determine the best process to assist communities to determine their own directions. By using a Change Theory, it puts the stakeholders on the same page when looking at the needs of their organization. The key to the 12 theory is to learn and observe change processes that already exist. There is no need to reinvent the wheel.
What are the approaches?
Problem solving is a process where an issue or problem is identified and procedures are coordinated to research, review, implement, and evaluate the process. One of the key elements of problem solving is the evaluation. The process can be set up in a sample environment to see how effective the change will be. If the process is not successful, then new parameters are set and the sampling is performed again. In this process, an outside consultant would work with the system to help in the process. This approach is good because it helps the participants to imagine a desired outcome (Evers, 1982; Fullan, 1983, 2001, 2002; Havelock & Zlotolow, 1995).
In the Community Builder’s Approach to change, the goal is to direct the community to think about what is the best method to bring about social change. Andrea A. Anderson (2011) while at The Aspen Institute Roundtable on Community Change introduced the approach. In this approach, it is necessary for the stakeholders to know the type of changes they would like to see.
For each stage of the process, Community Builder’s Approach (CBA) requires the participants to plan what the changes are, the time span for the process, and predicts the outcome. Pathway of
Change as defined by CBA is the road map that starts with the issues and directs the participants to the final destination, outcomes, with stops along the way. Indicators are a large part of the process, as they will record the success at each stage of the process.
For change to succeed under CBA, it must include vision, mission, culture, communication, strong leaders, and participation (Mabin, 2001). Change must make sense to those who choose to participate in a change process. The hope is that the stakeholders would 13 have some sense of the issues. For change to be successful there needs to be strong leadership, leaders who have the capability to visualize not only the process, but see the final goal.
What Model do we use?
For communities and organizations to go through a process of change there must be a formal process at each step of the change. The approaches described above are approaches of
Action Research. The goal is to identify variables that need to change and then visualize the outcome. A model for the participants is designed to take them through the stages of change.
Action Research brings that formal process for people to participate in change. Action research is a process that identifies problems and systematically determines a process to bring about change. Action Research gives the participants the opportunity to decide how change will take place at each stage of the process. Action Research allows the participants to buy into the process they design. This approach demands the researcher along with the people make a joint commitment to the research process. Action Research is the process by which change takes place. As such, Action Research has its own approach to change theory.
1. Planning - information is collected about the community and its issues; related
problems are reviewed and analyzed; at this stage all the stakeholders are on board.
2. Action - the plan of action is designed; evaluations are also put in to make certain the
results are achieved at each level; unpredictable factors are factored in at this stage.
3. Data Collection – data are collected and reviewed to make certain enough data are
collected to make final decision; problems can be discerned and solutions designed.
4. Interpretation – evaluation takes place at this stage, outcomes and impact on the
changes, accountability, and learning. 14
5. Outcome Reports – facts are shared with stakeholders who will be affected by the
change (Coghlan & Brannick, 2005; Sokol, 2004; Yukl, 2002).
Action Research by its very nature brings about change. At the completion of each of these stages, there is an opportunity for participants to review outcomes and determine the next steps in the process. Within the process, this gives the researcher a chance to connect the previous step in the process to the current.
Approach to Change Theory
When I first approached Change Theory, I was looking to understand how to change a religious institution to allow people to grow in the knowledge of how they become stakeholders in the structure. How this hierarchical structure governed from the top down would through a change process, allow those at the bottom of the structure to change an institution in place for over two thousand years. My knowledge as I began told me the institution would not allow this to happen. As many of the participants at St. Anthony’s Church, I saw the laity as passive participants in the institution, but discovered that those at the bottom of the hierarchical church have the capability to change their understandings of their role within the structure.
The laity has the capability to liberate themselves from old habits and ideas. Paulo Freire in his book Pedagogy of the Oppressed tells us that, “The pedagogy of the oppressed is the pedagogy of people engaged in the fight for their own liberation” (p. 35). Freire goes on to say,
“The pedagogy of the oppressed cannot be developed or practiced by the oppressors” (p. 36).
Granted the behavior of the laity has been learned over the centuries. The Catholic Church has taught their own practices and beliefs without regard for any input from the laity. Freire sees the oppressed writing their own story if they are to free themselves from the traditional pedagogy that they had been taught. They are struggling with trying to make sense of beliefs that they had 15 accepted in the past but now are causing conflict within them over issues that may have been relevant in the past but now seem obsolete. There is an opportunity of change because of a new way of thinking. Therefore, my approach had to change.
The approach was not to develop a process of change for the institution (oppressor), but to look at how a community of believers (oppressed) could engage in a process to liberate themselves from old habits and thoughts. My aim became to help the people to develop their own process of change. Fullan (2001) in his book The New Meaning of Educational Change states “The problem of meaning is one of how those involved in change can come to understand what it is that should change and how it can be best accomplished, while realizing that the what and how constantly interact and reshape each other” ( p. 8).
I am not talking about just any institution but a religious institution that has for centuries determined how a congregation behaves. Now with so many issues affecting the religious institution, “congregations need to learn how to assess their own situation and learn how to experiment in the uniqueness of their own setting” (Rendle, 1998, p. 4).
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Methodology
The methodology used for this study was Action Research, in which, “The researcher is not an omniscient observer but an active member of the organization, faced with the real problems confronting the organization” (Sokol, 2004, p.10). I am not only a member of the parish, but also hold a leadership position there. As Chair of Parish Pastoral Council and a member of St. Anthony in Madisonville, I have a stake in the outcome of the process and can influence the final decision. Action Research along with Change Theory was used to engage the parishioners in a process to determine the future of their parish. The traditional method of research would have the researcher observing the people, taking notes, and maybe collecting statistics about the subject. The parishioners would be outside of the process.
However, Change Theory demands that the researcher participates along with the people to bring about a change. They must be inside the process, which is the essence of Action
Research. This study looked at the St. Anthony parishioners’ abilities to understand the significance of the issues they faced. Overall, the goal was to help the parish members to decide what they can do to be able to continue as church.
The Catholic Church of the United States
The Catholic Church of the United States is facing a future with fewer priests. The diminishing number of priests means that many more parishes will be without a resident pastor.
Some parishes will no longer have a priest available to them at all. That means the liturgy and the sacraments, at which only priests can officiate, will be available on a more limited basis or not at all. The Catholic Church is facing a future where there will be a limited number of priests to baptize new members to the faith, preside at Mass or offer the sacrament of the Eucharist every week in every parish church. Historically, since the Middle Ages, the Catholic Church has 17 been perceived as being controlled by White men. These men, the Pope, Cardinals, Bishops and
Priests, are the ones in authoritarian control of the Catholic Church. They set the directions for the church, make decisions about the participation of the laity and women religious and set the framework within which the local churches would function.
Canon Law
Canon Law is the official law and regulator of the Catholic Church. The laws are a body of rules enforced by the Catholic Church. Section 1008 of the Canon Law states,
By divine institution, the sacrament of orders establishes some among the
Christian faithful as sacred ministers through an indelible character which marks
them. They are consecrated and designated, each according to his grade, to
nourish the people of God, fulfilling in the person of Christ the Head the functions
of teaching, sanctifying, and governing (The Vatican, 1983, Book IV).
It further goes on to state in Section 1024 “A baptized male alone receives sacred
ordination validly” (The Vatican, 1983, Book IV).
These two sections of the law clarify who can be accepted into the priesthood. Only men can be ordained priests. They must be unmarried, and obey the law of celibacy to receive the
Holy Orders, the rite of ordination, within the Catholic Church. An ordination is a sacrament received by those who have accepted the teachings of the church and have taken on the role of
Jesus Christ.
The priesthood is not a job it is a vocation. “They understand that it is their noble duty to shepherd the faithful and to recognize their ministries and charismas, so that all according to their proper roles may cooperate in this common undertaking with one mind” (Pope Paul VI,
1964, Chapter IV 30). They are helpers to the bishop who, appointed by the Pope, shepherd the 18 people of God in a specific area. The priest is accountable for the rituals of their role, teaching the doctrine of the church, to spread the word of Jesus Christ. They are responsible for the life of the communities they pastor. Throughout the nation, the Roman Catholic population has grown
21 percent since 1985, while the clerical ranks have declined by 15 percent. As of 2005, the average age of Catholic priests was 56. As time goes on, experts say the numbers of priests are expected to face a steady decline. So, what will happen to the faithful when there are no priests?
Only a Priest
Only a priest can preside over the Eucharist. The celebration of the Eucharist (Mass) each
Sunday commemorates the Last Supper that Jesus had with his Apostles before he was crucified.
This act of ‘coming to the table’ to celebrate the Eucharist, is one of the central act of worship of the Catholic Church. Catholics believe that the Eucharist is the substantial presence of Jesus (in the Thomistic sense). They further believe that the Catholic priests are specially ordained with the power given to them through the unbroken apostolic tradition (i.e. the handing on) from
Peter, upon whom Jesus conferred the first power of priestly ordination.
The Sacraments are a major tenet of Catholicism; they are what defines the Catholic
Church, which is why Catholics are concerned about the future of their church. They are concerned about how the decline in the priest community will affect their spiritual life and them coming together at the table of the Eucharist. “The Eucharist stands at the center of our life as
Catholic Christian believers. We can’t be Catholic Christians without it, said Archbishop Daniel
E. Pilarczyk” (Christopher, 2005, pp. 22). In 2004, Pope John Paul II announced a year dedicated to the Eucharist. He stated, “The Eucharist stands at the center of the church’s life”
(Catholic News Service, 2004, pp. 24). He goes on to say, “A better understanding of Christ’s 19 presence in the Eucharist will lead to a better prayer life, which in turn will favor evangelization”
(Catholic News Service, 2004).
Shortage of Priests
There have been many discussions about why there is a shortage of priests. Andrew
Greely in his book Priests in the United States stated that most young men were encouraged to the priesthood by priests. Yet in 1970, there was a sharp decline in the recruiting efforts by priests. In his survey, he discovered that over time priests who shared “modern” religious values began to struggle with loneliness and celibacy (Greeley, 1972). They did not want to encourage others into a life of which they had personal concerns about the traditions of the church. Over the years, there has been a change in the attitudes of the community towards vocations. Parents are not willing to give their sons up to the Church as in the past. The social prestige of the role of priesthood has declined. The controversy about sex scandals has been a factor. Another factor is that the Roman Catholic Church does not believe in the ordination of women. The controversial nature of not permitting women to be priests and the controversial nature of not permitting married men to the priesthood have not only limited the number of candidates but also has affected the encouragement of priestly vocations. While this exclusion of these people from ordained priesthood continues to limit the number, these people will be leading the parish without a priest. The Vatican at this time has considered the issue closed, but they continue to speak on the role of women and married people in the church. My research is not to focus on why there is a shortage of priests, but the effect the shortage of priests has on parish life. The parishioners have the opportunity to start preparing themselves for the future without priests.
20
Laity
The hierarchical Roman Catholic Church, along with the laity, must use their skills and knowledge to begin to work together to develop a process that will reform the Church.
Currently, and even more in the future, the laity must take on roles that will be left vacant by the priest shortage, yet few are qualified. Many do not know all the changes in the church nor have the opportunity to be trained in order to take on pastoral leadership. The laity must begin to change how they perceive the role of the priest and look at some changing roles, not only of the priest, but also at the changing roles of parishioners. In the pastoral letter, “What we have seen and heard” (1970), the Black Bishops of the United States described the role of the laity and the relationship with the priest. In the Study Guide for “What We Have Seen and Heard”, the bishops list:
It is the responsibility of the laity to:
1. become more aware of their responsibilities and their opportunities for furthering the mission
of the church;
2. not passively wait for directions or even an invitation from the clergy;
3. seize the opportunity for initiative and creativity in place of complaining about what cannot
be done.
It is the responsibility of the clergy to:
1. facilitate, inspire and coordinate the work of the whole Christian community;
2. call upon lay women and lay men to join in the work of spreading the Good New and
authorizing and encouraging them to do so;
3. involve laity in the formulation and execution of programs. (A Study Guide for, 1970, p. 21)
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Archdiocese of Cincinnati
The Archdiocese of Cincinnati, as well as other dioceses in the United States, has begun to look at the priest shortage. Archbishop Daniel E Pilarczyk, of the Cincinnati Archdiocese, sees an “upside” in the issue of priest shortage. In an interview with the St. Catherine Review, he stated:
Most of us, of a certain age, grew up in a church where there were nuns and
priests. The nuns taught school and the priest did everything else.
Everything…The priest did it all. There was a time when that church [Good
Shepherd] would have had four priests--in the ‘good old days’--and nobody else
would be doing anything. I think happily we have moved away from that. We
have moved now into a Church where the priest in the parish maintains
responsibility for holding the community together, for preaching and teaching,
and for offering the sacraments. (Rose, 1998)
Archbishop Pilarczyk is not suggesting we do not need priests in the future; just that we do not need as many. “Gone are the halcyon days when priests staffed every parish, sacramental theology made sense to most laity, and an abundance of nuns educated and formed five million parochial school students” (Appleby, 1996, p. 370). Many generations of Catholics have grown up with this life experience of the Catholic Church. Of course, with fewer priests, roles have to be redefined and with the recognition that the laity also has to take a more active role in the church. “The upside is that, by and large, priests are gradually being enabled to do that which they have been called to do as priests: preach, sanctify, and administer the sacraments. They don’t have to worry about other things. They have other people to collaborate in their ministry”
(Rose, 1998). 22
The Catholic Telegraph (2005) a weekly magazine of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, reported that in 1968 there were 435 full-time priests in 19 counties that make up the
Archdiocese of Cincinnati. In mid-2003 there were 195 and by 2020 it is projected that there will be fewer than 70. The age of those 70 priests will also have an effect on the way the parishes are structured. Currently the average age of a priest in the Archdiocese of Cincinnati is 61 years old.
The mandatory age for retirement from being a pastor is 75, yet many of those who are past retirement age continue to minister.
Futures Committee
In 2004, the Archdiocese of Cincinnati had 224 parishes with 205 active priests (The
Archdiocese of Cincinnati, 2006). Throughout the Archdiocese churches are closing, priests are serving at more than one parish and Catholic schools no longer have nuns and priests assigned to them (Amos & Horn, 2004, pp. 1-A8). For the past several years, the Archdiocese of Cincinnati has attempted to prepare all parishes for this eventuality. Priests of the
Archdiocese worked on a consensus document entitled Future with Fewer Priests. Archbishop
Daniel E. Pilarczyk formed the Futures Committee in 2000. In his letter to the Catholics of the archdiocese he stated, “As some of you may know, our Archdiocese is facing a future with fewer priests than we currently have. Two years ago I established a Futures Committee to help advise me on preparations for this situation” (Pilarczyk, 2002). He goes on to write, “In light of the declining number of priests, the purpose of this Project is to raise the level of awareness among lay persons and all the Church’s ministers (e.g. deacons, pastoral associates, religious educators, youth ministers, principals, business managers, and administrators)” (Pilarczyk, 2002). This
Committee was formed to look at several options for the Archdiocese in the future: 23
Closing or consolidating parishes that are not big enough or affluent enough to
survive in the future.
Reducing the number of daily and Sunday Masses to relieve the pressure on the priest
who is ministering in two or more parishes.
Replacing some Masses with “Sunday Celebrations” that feature a lay minister rather
than an ordained priest.
Developing more Deacons and lay ministers to preside over weddings and baptisms
where a priest is not required by church law to be present (Horn & Amos, 2004, pp.
A1-A12).
The Futures Committee retained a consulting firm to help them develop the process. The committee consisted of eleven priests from the archdiocese. The committee, along with the consulting firm, determined a three-stage approach to the issue.
1. The committee would first publish facts in order to determine the level of awareness that
the parishioners have about the situation concerning priests in the future. This was
accomplished (starting in April of 2003) by publishing information in the local Catholic
newspaper.
2. A survey would be available to everyone. Those who expressed some major
concerns about the issues would be targeted to get their thoughts.
3. The final stage was to hold focus groups. The focus groups were held between late
2003 and early 2004.
Many of the priests on the committee began to inform their parishioners about the issue.
As a way of involving the laity, the pastor at St. Anthony in Madisonville, who was a member of 24 the Futures Committee, shared much of the process and information with the Parish Pastoral
Council. St. Anthony’s parishioners were able to get first hand information because of the relationship with the pastor and his understanding of the critical issues the parish will face. The
Parish Pastoral Council of St. Anthony received information on how to get the survey; the information was also put into the church bulletin. Based on the timetable set by the committee, the Archbishop would receive a report by spring of 2004.
Priests of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati
The priests of the Archdiocese are also feeling the tension of their numbers declining. In a statement written in 2002 at their annual convocation, they wrote, “We are growing ever more aware of the diminishing number of priests. With fewer priests, we must look at the priest’s role so that he is involved primarily in those tasks that flow directly from his vocation” (Priests of the
Archdiocese of Cincinnati, 2002, p. 1). In their reflection, the priests of the archdiocese agreed that a new form of pastoral leadership was necessary to be able to minister in the future. They revisited the role of the priest and came up with the statement, “The ordained priest is to act in the person of Jesus Christ as servant leader working with the bishop in the local Church (Priests of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, 2002, p. 1). They went on to describe the ‘tasks’ of the ordained priest as:
presiding at the sacraments, especially the Eucharist;
preaching the Word;
empowering others to seek the perfection of holiness;
being present to community members, especially in their spiritual needs;
leading consultations through which the community finds direction;
serving as a bridge between the larger Church and the local community; 25
Priests are also struggling with the difficulty of how to continue to be servants to the people of God and take on more roles as their numbers decrease. “With far fewer priests, it is important for us to call attention to the physical, spiritual and psychological health of those who remain” (p.1). In their statement, they challenged the Futures Committee to take into consideration the role of the pastor, but also the role that the laity should assume in the future.
“The expectations of the laity as well as the laity’s legitimate rights and duties and their equally essential calling to serve God’s Kingdom must be part of our consideration (p.1).
The Futures Committee, as directed by the plan set forth by the committee and the consultants, collected information from the priests of the archdiocese, laity, and coordinated data received from the focus groups. There were 3100 surveys, 20 focus groups, and 5 regional consultations with lay ecclesial ministers (LEMs). The committee also reviewed as resources four documents, vocations, pastoral priorities, allocation of priests and administration. It was important for the committee to get input from the priests said Father Dave Brinkmoeller, Dayton dean, “in part…because of our responsibility as a presbyterate… (and) because any recommendations will depend upon us for their implementation” (Christopher, 2004, pp. 1).
The eleven recommendations were:
1. Establish parish vocation recruitment plans;
2. Establish pastoral regions;
3. Develop pastoral regional plan;
4. Revise the allocation process;
5. Create and distribute written job descriptions;
6. Establish an annual performance review process;
7. Incorporate pastoral administrators and parish life associates; 26
8. Develop specific training curricula for pastoral administrators and parish life associates;
9. Develop specific training curricula for the ongoing education of priests;
10. Develop an ongoing communication plan;
11. Modify the assignment of permanent deacons.
Of the 11 recommendations, numbers 7 and 8 apply most directly to this study. Even though these associates would be paid staff, the church still needs to look at ways to encourage lay volunteers to participate in the church. As we face the issue of fewer priests, we also face the decision of how to continue as church if the priest is not present to perform all the duties he once performed. Where does that leave the laity? What roles can they begin to take on to assure that there will be a community of believers?
27
Significance of Study
The objective of this study is to develop a training program for the laity that will prepare them to take on roles previously assigned to priests, and therefore allow the parish to continue in the absence of a full-time priest. Change Theory gives us an opportunity to present to the parish a method to help people understand the issues with fewer priests and how, as a parish, they can begin to become proactive in determining how the parish can respond to the shortage. I developed the project at my home parish, St. Anthony Catholic Church in Madisonville.
However, the research outcome can have an effect on other parishes in the Archdiocese as well as any catholic parish. Change Theorists and those interested in Action Research will have the opportunity to study the process used to bring about change. Because this was an action research project, there was no set time for the completion; the effort and research are still ongoing. Using
Action Research as an approach, the parish determined the process for change using a case study called Be the Change. As a researcher, I worked on the “What If” committee created by the
Parish Pastoral Council. The Parish Pastoral Council gave the charge to the committee to look at ways to position St. Anthony as a viable worshiping community in the future with fewer priests.
The committee will be the change agent for the action research project.
Research Questions
1. Given the increasing shortage of Roman Catholic priests in the Archdiocese of Cincinnati,
how can Change Theory best be used to develop and implement an instructional program to
train lay leaders in parishes to continue an acceptable level of administration and ministry?
2. How can an Action Research approach help the stakeholders to facilitate the project?
3. What method should the organizers use to assess the effectiveness of the project? 28
Summary
The laity will play an important part in the church in the future, but at this point, they are not even at the table to participate in the discussion. With the shortage of priests comes a new vigor of the laity particularly women to take on more leadership roles in the church. Vatican II laid the groundwork for the laity to share in greater responsibility and activity. Vatican II
(1964) documents states,
The term laity is here understood to mean all the faithful except those in holy
orders and those in the state of religious life specially approved by the Church.
These faithful are by baptism made one body with Christ and are constituted
among the People of God; they are in their own way made sharers in the priestly,
prophetical, and kingly functions of Christ; and they carry out for their own part
the mission of the whole Christian people in the Church and in the world (Pope
Paul VI, 1964, Chapter IV 31).
The Apostolic Exhortation Christifideles Laici goes on to state,
The Council, then, makes an earnest plea in the Lord's name that all lay people
give a glad, generous, and prompt response to the impulse of the Holy Spirit and
to the voice of Christ, who is giving them an especially urgent invitation at this
moment (Catholic Church. Pope (1978-2005: John Paul II) & John Paul, 1989, p.
11).
That is to say, the laity must get involved with the church. Vatican II took the laity from being a witness in their workplace and vocation to being ‘sharers in the priestly, prophetical, and kingly functions of Christ’. Since Vatican II, the laity has had the responsibility to become more active in the church, yet there was little encouragement. There were enough ordained ministers to serve 29 the people. Now the church faces the problem of fewer priests to perform these duties and the laity is being intimidated into volunteering to take on some of the duties of the priests. It is not for the laity to solve the issue of the priest shortage but to work with the ordained to find a way to continue to bring Christ to the community of believers. The goal is that this study will be a roadmap for other dioceses and archdioceses to encourage their Pastoral Regions to begin to look at engaging their parishioners in a process of change.
St. Anthony has not only begun to look formally at the issues of fewer priests, but the parish itself has already experienced some of the effects of fewer priests. In 2003, the three churches in the general vicinity, St. Anthony, St. John Vianney, and St. Margaret of Cortona, were first faced with the reality of fewer priests. The pastor at St. John Vianney died. To maintain the ministry at each of the parishes, the two remaining pastors decided to change the mass schedule to be able to cover all three churches. The pastors made the decision and then brought the decision to each of the parishes. St. Anthony eliminated its Saturday Mass so that the pastor could celebrate the Saturday Mass at St. John Vianney, the parish without a priest.
The pastor at St. Margaret of Cortona now celebrates Mass on Sunday at St. John Vianney and then celebrates Mass at his own parish St. Margaret of Cortona. The positive outcome was that the parish without a priest was not closed. The negative outcome was that some of the parishioners who attended the Mass on Saturday at St. Anthony chose not to go to Mass on
Sunday at St. Anthony and chose not to go to St. John Vianney where the pastor was presiding on Saturday, thus resulting in some loss of St. Anthony parishioners. But, in the final analysis, where we once had three pastors for three churches, we now have two pastors for three churches, and except for the loss of some membership the changes were accepted in all three parishes quite well. 30
St. Anthony, as well as other parishes, must now look at ways to develop people in order for them to determine their own future. The Catholic Church must begin consciously looking at itself to decide if the current structure is the best for the faithful. Much of the literature today sees the Catholic Church structure and certain doctrinal positions as hindrances to the growth of the church. The priests and bishops must recognize the rights and roles of the laity in the church today. This is not only a critical time for St. Anthony, but also for other parishes across the country, that is facing the same issues. The findings of this project will be shared with other parishes as appropriate to their needs.
The purpose of this study is to research options for St. Anthony Parish in responding to a future with fewer priests. The goal of this study is to position the parish within the deanery and
Archdiocese of Cincinnati, to determine the best ministerial and administrative structure for the parish, and to look at training programs for the development of volunteer lay leaders with the use of action research and change theory. The hope is that the findings will encourage future researchers to use Action Research as a method to bring about change.
31
Chapter 2
Literature Review
“In every change He faithful will remain”5
There is an old African saying. “If you wait for tomorrow, tomorrow comes, if you don’t wait for tomorrow, tomorrow comes.” We can approach change with anticipation or dread.
Change is inevitable. Like tomorrow, it will come whether you prepare for it or not. The ways we approach change will determine how we will accept the outcome. For change to be effective, it must be planned. For example, a leader is aware of some major changes that will happen in the future and have determined the effect the changes will have on the organization. Then the question is how will these changes be implemented long term into the organization?
Stages of Change Theory
Kurt Lewin (1951) was one of the earliest theorists to develop a change process. In his book Field theory in social science, he proposed that the change process be divided into three phases: unfreezing, changing, and refreezing. In the unfreezing stage, people recognize there is a problem; in the changing stage, people begin to plan for change; and in the refreezing stage, people accept the change and it becomes a part of their lives. Lewin’s Change Theory states information that has been learned and accepted must now be removed to allow the introduction of the new information. At each stage of the process, there must be an evaluation before moving on to the next stage.
According to Lewin, “change may be achieved by two types of actions. One approach is to increase the driving forces toward change (e.g., increase incentives, use position power to force change), the other is to reduce restraining forces that create resistance to change (e.g., reduce fear of failure or economic loss, co-opt or remove opponents)” (Yukl, 2002, p. 275).
5 Words from the song “Be still my Soul” written by Katharina von Schlagel 32
Kenneth D. Benne, Robert Chin, and Warren G. Bennis (1985) have suggested we look at strategies as a way to affect the change process. There are many approaches to plan change but they insist that one-step in any approach “is the conscious utilization and application of knowledge as an instrument or tool for modifying patterns and institutions of practice” (Benne,
Chin, & Bennis, 1985, p. 22). Of course, researchers also will have to understand the emotional response that will occur in the participants, resistances, anxieties, and threats to morale, conflicts, and disrupted interpersonal communication.
Benne et al (1985) looked at the behavior of people, and why they decided to go down a certain path or chose to hold on to a certain idea. They suggest that the researchers equip themselves with the different types of tools to increase their knowledge of the participants. This is an opportunity for the researchers to learn why people are not willing to give up a behavior they have learned over a period of time. It is the hope that people will recognize the need to change because of a logical presentation of bringing new information to the table. The issue is presented and steps are determined to reach the goal. Yet there are obstacles that prevent people from wanting to change.
Ignorance and superstition are two obstacles that can prevent change. For the participants in the project for St. Anthony Parish, these obstacles came up because of the lack of knowledge about their role in the Catholic Church. They were only aware of a limited knowledge about their role. They were not encouraged to get additional information about and were not knowledgeable about all the power they had in the church. Education is the key to eliminate any threatening hindrances to the change process. By educating people, old habits and beliefs are replaced with new knowledge. 33
Benne et al (1985) introduced a radical strategy call Utopian thinking. The rationale is to see the future. “If the image of potential future is convincing and rationally persuasive to men in the present, the image may become part of the dynamics and motivation of present action” (p.
30). If people are able to see the future and relate to it, that is they can see how the change will be positive for them, they will work towards the change. This brings about optimism by the participants and a new excitement about how the change will be an improvement for them.
Benne et al (1985) normative-re-educative Strategies of Changing looks at people’s behavior. People want to fit in a group; therefore, they have developed certain norms to be accepted in the group. They feel that people are a product of their environment. They write,
“Men are guided in their actions by socially funded and communicated meanings, norms, and institutions, in brief by a normative culture. At the personal level, men are guided by internalized meanings, habits, and values” (p. 31). For researchers to begin to facilitate change at this stage they must first understand what the participants’ values are and the habits and behaviors they have developed over generations. One of the solutions that Benne et al suggested is that the researchers must interact with the participants. That is to develop a collaborative relationship to begin to understand what the participants needs are and then look at ways to help the participants to move from old habits and values to a behavior that the participants can accept. It is important that the participants play a part in the process. Within the process, the participants will bring to consciousness the root of their actions and attitudes. In the normative-re-educative approach, the change agents take on a very important role. They are the facilitators who will intervene into the process of change for the organization or community. They are the ones who will assist the organization to develop a plan of re-education in collaboration with the people to bring 34 awareness of old practices and help them to develop new practices that are in line with the changes.
Principles of Change
In a chapter from the book, Children’s Success in Schools, Nancy A. Evers (1982) asks readers to look at the principles of change. Evers proposed four factors to consider as we review the ideal of change, which are:
The social interaction strategy
Problem solving
The research, development and diffusion strategy
Linkage
The social interaction strategy is the creativity that is created to have those affected by the change buy into the process. Therefore, communication is important to the implementation of the change. A strategy of involving the stakeholders in the process will go a long way in having the change accepted with a minimum amount of stress. Dialogue should take place at each stage of the process. Informality is the key to the dialogue. Discussion can happen in the hallways, in the lounge, in any informal setting. In such non-threatening environments, participants are able to discuss the process and make recommendations to the success of the process.
Problem solving is a process where an issue or problem is identified and procedures are coordinated to research, review, implement, and evaluate. One of the key elements of problem solving is the evaluation. The process can be set up in a sample environment to see how effective the change will be. If the process is not successful, then new parameters are set and the 35 sampling is performed again. In this process, an outside consultant would work within the system to help in the process.
The research, development, and diffusion strategy is completely different from problem solving and social interaction. Research, development, and diffusion start with the solutions.
Change is viewed as a logical process that follows a predetermined procedure; conducting basic research, conducting applied research, developing and testing prototypes, mass-producing and packaging, and disseminating the packages to the user.
Linkage is the process to pull all of the strategies together. The linkage recognizes the communication in social interaction identifies the problem in problem solving and accepts the innovations in research, development, and diffusion strategies. Finally, Evers gives us a presentation of how the principal strategies can work in a school setting, but I am interested in how these principals can also be used in an institution like a Roman Catholic parish.
In reviewing the four concepts for change, I can see how each concept could have an impact on an organization. Along with Action Research, the participants are able to determine the process of the change. They are now aware of the change and can prepare for the changes that would happen in a future with fewer priests.
Change is constantly evolving due to internal and external factors (Fullan, Miles, Taylor,
& Program on Educational Policy and Organization, 1981; 1980). Organizations must identify those things that can be changed, and then, make specific plans to make those changes.
Communities and organizations have several ways to approach change. Change can be viewed as a friend or as a foe. Change takes courage. “We have to know what change feels like from the point of view of the teacher, student, parent, and administrator if we are to understand the actions and reactions of individuals” (Fullan, 2001, p. xi). Fullan was speaking of the educational 36 system but it can also relate to organizations, institutions, and religious organizations. Fullan goes on to say, “We must combine the aggregate knowledge of these individual situations with an understanding of organization and institutional factors that influence the process of change as governments, teachers, unions, school systems and communities interact” (p. xi).
Organizations must also be very careful about too many changes resulting in too little change “The fear of too much change is the fear of being out of control” (Rendle, 1998, p. 9).
Gilbert R. Rendle in his book Leading Change in the Congregation wrote about the changes that take place in a religious organization. Many religious communities are going through changes in their congregations. Congregations are experiencing changes to worshiping style, new music must be learned, leadership changes every six years and the laity’s role in the worshiping community is changing. There is a growing concern that change will grow too fast and those who are affected by the changes will not have control over the changes. Yet we are also faced with the issue of too little change; that is the problem of not getting anything done. There is a concern that practices and long traditions have been entrenched within organizations for so long, that there would be resistance to any attempt at change.
It is important that the members of a change team begin to educate themselves about the change process before they embark on a process of change for their organization. Fullan (1983) has written that the members should educate themselves about the change process. They should have knowledge about the process to be able to refine it at each stage. Fullan feels it is important that members continue to update themselves about the literature and the methods that are available to bring about change. With this knowledge the members through reflective action, will be able to test their knowledge against other researchers.
37
Leadership
A leader could be a part of the organization or outside of the organization. Leaders ask the hard questions about the progress of the organization. “Are we doing the right things?”
Leaders are able to see possibilities in the future and recognize the best action to take to achieve a stated goal. “Major change in an organization is usually guided by the top management team, but any member of the organization can initiate change or contribute to its success” (Yukl, 2002, p. 273). For change to take place, we need leaders. Organizations and institutions develop leadership from inside the organization. They are paid staff. In a Catholic parish, most of the leaders are volunteers who have accepted an invitation from the pastor or other parish members to take on the role of leaders. They are the Parish Pastoral Council members, chairs of committees, and religious education teachers. These stakeholders along with the members of the parish will identify the researcher for the project and set the direction for the outcome.
The Cultural Change Principal is a leadership style that Michael Fullan (2001) discusses in much of his work. He sees the principal as the head of the school system who has the responsibility of leading teachers and other administrative staff to achieve future goals. Yet the leadership style can also be attributed to institutions and organizations. “The Cultural Change
Principal- must be attuned to the big picture, a sophisticated conceptual thinker who transforms the organization through people and teams” (Fullan, 2002, p. 17). The principal should not be bogged down with just instructional roles but should also be able to grow a school system, institution or organization to see beyond just maintaining high standards. The principal is the catalyst who brings the vision of change that will provide a lasting influence on the organization.
For leaders to effect change, they must understand the change process. The Cultural Change
Principal has a responsibility to enact change in their organization but it is not limited to their 38 organization. The principal must be concerned with how the change will affect other organizations in their region. The leader works within the system to build relationships.
Educational change is highly complex; inviting other voices in the process and valuing different opinion will help to insure a successful process. The goal is also to develop other leaders. The new leadership could come from schools, institutions, or organizations that have a stake in the development of participants. All the stakeholders should have some appreciation of the change process. Long-term changes will occur when all involved have a clear understanding of the process and have input into the outcome.
The change agent is the leadership style developed by Havelock & Zlotolow (1995).
They state the change agent is key to the success of a process of change. These leaders will be the “catalyst”, solution giver, process helper, and resource linker for the process. (Havelock &
Zlotolow, 1995) “Anyone who intervenes in the problem-solving efforts of a social group or organization can be described as a “change agent” (p. 8). As catalysts, researchers challenge the practicality and effectiveness of the way things are. Their role is to help people move from their comfort stance to a new vision of what the organization should look like. The researchers should also be ready to give solutions to the issues without getting in the way of the solutions.
However, they must be very careful that their allegiance to a particular idea does not get in the way of understanding the issues they are trying to solve. The researcher is seen as the process helper, based on Havelock’s writing on the roles of the change agent. The role of the process helper is to work within the system to assist the participants at each stage of the process with the knowledge acquired or to involve others who can help the organization understand the issues better. The change agent must consider the guiding principles that direct the process. In their 39 book The Change Agent’s Guide, Havelock & Zlotolow (1995) gives us seven stages of planned change:
1. Care: Establishing the Need for Action
2. Relate: Building Relationships To and Among Clients
3. Examine: Understanding the Problem
4. Acquire: Seeking and Finding Relevant Resources
5. Try: Committing to Solutions
6. Extend: Gaining Deeper and Wilder Acceptance
7. Renew, Re-C-R-E-A-T-E, Terminate
At each stage, there is an opportunity to review the process, but it also offers the opportunity to go back to a stage.
Pielstick (1998) brings a different type of leader to the table called the transformational leader. In his research, he learned that these leaders work to change a norm and patterns by presenting to people the problems that are affecting the organization but also presenting to them a powerful image of what the organization could look like. The transformational leader develops a picture of what the organization would look like in the future by taking the ideas and vision of the stakeholders. The leaders take all the ideas and begin to develop an image for the “common good”. “The single defining quality of leaders is the capacity to create and realize a vision”
(Rosenbach & Taylor, 1993, p. 213). The leader’s role is to create excitement about the vision so much so that the participants are eager to work toward the outcome. It is their vision that was developed by the leaders and therefore they are more likely to insure that their vision come to fruition. The energy created helps gives credence to the proposed change. “In addition, when participants engage each other in establishing and achieving a shared vision, the dynamic nature 40 of the process may result in an evolving vision as times and circumstances change” (Pielstick,
1998, p. 22). Here in this environment, the transformational leader listens to the participants in order to understand their needs. Building relations is the action approach to shared behavior. It is the role of the transformational leader to develop vision and to communicate the vision. The leader more than often comes from outside of the organization. Therefore, there is a process where the leader has to begin to build trust within the group. Trust must be created between the leader and the community to be able to successfully work together to bring about change. When people are able to tell their story, there is an opportunity to reshape their culture.
The major responsibility of the transformational leader is to teach. The teaching role includes mentoring, coaching, and guiding the process. They are leaders as well as learners.
They have the opportunity to learn from the participants. Leaders must speak the truth when there is an issue concerning morality or “doing the right thing”. Of course, this process method to determine the “what is right” is participatory. This method can help bring issues to the table and bring the participants together as a way of unifying the organization. Team building is a principle of the guiding implementation. When decisions are made in a team setting, the shared vision part of the process is made stronger.
Changes in the Congregation
The challenges for leaders in the congregations are to manage change in an environment where so many voices are raised and many more are not raised. Rendle (1998) saw change as a time of shifting paradigms. That is the fiber of life, constantly changing, and we who are a part of this life struggle finding it hard to keep up. Catholic congregations can no longer look to the hierarchical church for solutions; they have to look within themselves to begin to start a process of change. 41
Gilbert R. Rendle (1998) in his book Leading Change in the Congregation wrote about a woman who approached him after he did a presentation and stated, “What you’re saying, Gil is that we old dogs are going to have to learn new tricks. Is that right?” (p. 1). Yet another man approached and said, “Thank God, this report might finally get us unstuck and moving on the things we really need to be talking about” (p. 1) These two different tones of voices represent the many types of people’s concern about the changes that are happening in the churches today.
For generations, church culture has determined the cultural pattern of the congregations.
Everyone did the same thing. “…congregations were understood to be made up of similar people practicing faith in a similar manner” (p. 5). Although it may not seem like it, this is a wonderful time for congregations. Because of so many changes that are taking place, the congregations have the opportunity to evaluate the things they have learned over the centuries and see if they are relevant to them today.
Loren Mead (1991) in his book The Once and Future Church does an excellent job of describing a cultural pattern of congregations he calls Christendom Paradigm. The Christendom
Paradigm is the philosophy of old church. For the people the church became the center of their lives. Everything that was done was done for the church. There was sameness about this form of church. Everyone did the same thing. People developed attitudes and habits that supported the structure of Christendom. People were no longer individuals but a part of a structure that expected allegiances without questions. Under this paradigm, people begin to change towards each other.
At one time, as a congregation of believers, they supported each other in an environment that was very hostile to them. However, they moved from being a congregation to a parish. The parish was set up based on the geographic region; therefore, everyone who lived in the region 42 became members. Not only were the people to become members but also schools, institutions, and organizations would become part of the oneness of the parish. Christendom Paradigm
“made sense of life, though at the cost of oversimplifying it. But for the Christian, it cut the nerve of personal involvement and responsibility for witness and mission” (Mead, 1991, p. 17).
Now with so many issues facing the church today there is a shift from sameness to difference (Mead, 1991; Rendle, 1998). Many denominations are faced with congregations struggling with the problem of moving from old church to the emerging church that do not want to inherit the old ways of doing things. The questions then becomes what are we facing.
Research in institutions, organizations, school or religious institutions must determine what type of problem is facing the people. For congregations there may not be problems but transformation concerns.
Transformation is one of the more challenging forms of change to introduce to people.
Leaders must be very careful how they approach the people with the issues. Transformational leaders in a congregation should be prepared to warn the people about problems in the current doctrine of the church and compel the people to begin to plan for the future of the church.
Leaders must introduce to the congregation new situations and new ways of thinking, their goal is to change behaviors and attitudes by presenting them with new and sometimes difficult issues.
Bass (1997), Pielstick (1998), and Yukl (2002) have extensively written about the role of the transformational leaders. Bass feels that transformational leaders should display conviction, stress trust, take stands on difficult issues, present their most important values, and emphasize the importance of commitment (Bass, 1997). Yukl (2002) adds to this by writing that a transformational leader strengthens the existing vision or builds a commitment to a new one in a clear and appealing way, convinces followers that the appealing vision is attainable, empowers 43 them to achieve it, and helps them to have faith in it. Pielstick (1998) suggest that the roles of the transformational leader are: creating a shared vision, communicating that vision, building relationships, developing a culture, guiding implementation, exhibiting character, and achieving results.
Resistance to Change
Resistance to change is a problem that most leaders will face. People are set in their ways. Institutions and organizations have been around for centuries and have developed a certain learned behavior. The idea of change brings with it a process to unlearn unacceptable behavior. The leader works with the organization to determine the nature of the resistance and to put into place procedures to eliminate or reduce the effect of the resistance. “When leaders are confronted with resistance to the change they are proposing, they often, quite naturally, take the opposition personally” (Rendle, 1998, p. 10). A strong commitment from the stakeholders will help neutralize any resistance. Gorton (1998) in many of his works designed steps for the implementation of change that can reduce much of the stress of change that can cause resistance to the suggested change. He suggests that leaders must know and understand the participants.
One of his suggestions, which also goes along with the concept of action research, is to have the participants help design and plan the process. He as well as other theorists feel that it is also important that all the stakeholders should be involved from top management on down. The hope is the participants understand the process and they see the value in the change.
Implementation of Change
Many theorists have their own stages to implement change. In this paper, I have written about Evers, Fullan and Pielstick’s approaches to introducing change. For my research, I looked at Gorton and Snowden (1998) seven-stages of implementing change. For me their process 44 shows how change theory actively introduces action research in their implementation of change.
They bring about change thru the process. It has the simple concepts that most of the committee members could understand and it has the action research feel that I was looking for. At each of the stages, we were able to evaluate the progress and move to the next stage. Gorton and
Snowden (1998) seven-stages of implementing change are:
A. Conduct a needs assessment – Evaluate the need for change.
B. Orient the target group to the proposed change –The needs of the participants should be
reflected in the process.
C. Decide whether to introduce the proposed change. Evaluate the outcome.
D. Plan a program of implementation – The leader along with the team should develop and
present a proposed implementation plan to the organization.
E. Implement the proposed innovation – The leader along with the team and support of the
stakeholders will implement the proposed innovation. The goal is to involve all those
who have a stake in the outcome. A feedback process should be set up so that the leader
is aware of any problems.
F. Conduct in-process evaluation – a constant program of evaluation should also be
implemented with the plan. Identify the impact of the change internally and externally.
G. Refine and institutionalize the Innovation – Design a plan to refine, if necessary, and to
make certain the plan becomes a part of every aspect of the organization’s life. The
desired outcome of change must be clear, legitimate, widely understood, and shared.
Identify several communication means to ensure that the data get to the participants so
that they are aware of the desired outcome (Gorton & Snowden, 1998). 45
Action Research
My study is problem-solving research; therefore, my method is action research rather than the traditional statistical research. Action research is a very simple yet intense research.
Reason and Bradbury (2006) in their definition of action research stated:
There is no ‘short answer’ to the question “what is action research?” but let us say
as a working definition that action research is a participatory, democratic process
concerned with developing practical knowing in the pursuit of worthwhile human
purposes, grounded in a participatory worldview which we believe is emerging at
this historical moment. It seeks to bring together action and reflection, theory and
practice, in participation with others, in the pursuit of practical solutions to issues
of pressing concern to people, and more generally the flourishing the individual
persons and their communities (p. 1).
Action research is a process that identifies problems and systematically determines a process to solve the problems within an organization or community. This process of change is determined by engaging the people in the community or organization in the process. Action research has been defined as “a spectrum of activities that focuses on research, planning, theorizing, learning, and development. Its purpose is to develop or discover aspects of a system’s operation that can lead to change or improvement. It describes a continuous process of research and learning in the researcher’s long-term relationship to the organization and its problem” (Cunningham, 1993, p. 4).
In partnership with the Change Theory, Action Research gives the researcher and the community the opportunity to change and learn more about the structure of the organization. The expectation is that there will be a long-term relationship between the researcher and the 46 community especially in this situation where the researcher is a part of the community. Zuber-
Skerrit and Fletcher (2007) state that Action Research occurs when:
People reflect and improve their own situations by interlinking their reflections and
action
People make their experience public to other participants as well as other persons
interested in and concerned about their work, and
There is participation in problem posing and decision making,
There is power sharing and the relative suspension of hierarchical ways of working in a
conscious move towards social democracy; and
There is self-reflection, self-evaluation and self-management by autonomous and
responsible persons and groups (Zuber-Skerrit & Fletcher, 2007).
Action research is ongoing. “Reason (2001) has written that action research is participatory research that has a double objective to produce knowledge and action directly useful to the organization and to empower the organization through the constructing and use of its own knowledge” (Sokol, 2004, p. 43). I will be using the participatory research method. I will be participating in the research as a participant and researcher. The goal is to work alongside the community to determine the future of the organization. This process of transformational change will empower the community to accept the change that they have designed. Participants are a part of the process from the initial stage to the reporting. “Action research has a long history, one often associated with the work of Kurt Lewin, who viewed action research as a cyclical, dynamic, and collaborative process in which people addressed social issues affecting their lives” (Stringer, 2007, p. 9). Lewin’s appearance in 1940 brought with him a process of solving problems in the workplace through working with the organization 47 to move them to an “action” viewpoint that would change their surroundings. This research allows those affected by the changes to determine the future structure of the organization and what programs are needed to make the changes.
For action research to work at St. Anthony, it will be important to engage the entire parish in the process, to use every device at our disposal to reach every parishioner in the parish.
Action Research is just that action. Its purpose is “to empower community groups so that they become better-organized and more proficient advocates for themselves and their constituents, as well as better able to control the resources that will contribute to their further development”
(Strand, 2003, p. 41). The hope is that the process will empower the parishioners to set the directions for their future rather than waiting for the Archdiocese to determine how the parishes will be organized. Stringer, in his book Action Research in Education, focuses on the education system, but action research is used within communities and organizations as well. There will be more of an acceptance of the plan when the stakeholders participate in the process. “Participants are active co-creators of the research process and their decisions regarding action determine the course of the research itself” (Brydon-Miller, 2001, p. 256). The hope is that the What If committee will be able to involve the parishioners in the process. Participation by the parishioners is key to the success of the research. “One of the purposes of action research is to engage the natural expertise and experience of all participants. When people are able to see that their worth is acknowledged by the activities in which they are able to engage, high levels of personal investment—of resources, time, and emotion often result” (Stringer, 2007, p. 35). With the participation of the parishioners, the committee will be able to determine the best process to encourage the laity to take on more roles and responsibilities for the parish when there are no full 48 time priests. The parishioners must take ownership of the process and outcome. The team must listen to the parishioners. We cannot have preconceived ideas about the outcome.
Ethics
“Action research is insider research” (McNiff, Lomax, & Whitehead, 1996, p. 11). I will be participating in the research as not only a member of the What If committee but as the chair. As a member of the parish, I too have an opinion about the changes in the parish. “In action research, ethics involves authentic relationships between the action searcher and the members of the client system as to how they understand the process and take significant action
(Coghlan & Brannick, 2005, p. 12). In this project, I had to walk a double line –leader and analyst. I was leading a project that could change the way our parish operates, but I had to maintain a distance in order to make unbiased observations on the process. Rowan (2000) notes, that when we move toward qualitative research, action research, collaborative inquiry, and the like, new ethical questions arise. Our own authenticity comes into question. We are now talking about power. I was part of a team who would be listening to the community and carefully assessing the needs of the community. I had to make certain that my own personal partiality did not affect the outcome of the research.
“William Torbert has suggested that a certain developmental maturity is needed for what he calls ‘action inquiry’. It is only when we have grown to a certain level of self-awareness and self-understanding that we can take the necessary risks” (Rowan, 2000, p. 103).
I liked the concept of Action Research, especially the collaboration of the stakeholders.
The concept is quite simple, but as a researcher and a member of the team, it put me in a delicate position.
49
Action Research Process
There are many outlines for an action research process. I preferred Stringer (2007)
(Stringer, 2007). He describes five stages to the process.
1. Research Design
2. Data Gathering
3. Data Analysis
4. Reporting
5. Action
In the research design, the researcher is identified. Others are added to the process as information is collected about the “problem”. Literature is reviewed to help determine and understand the why of the problem and how best to approach the issue. One significant and important process at this stage was to get to know the community in which the researcher would be working. Data gathering are determined by the decision made in the research design stage.
Some of the options are interviewing, observing, and reviewing documents. There were several ways of interviewing; one of course was using small groups rather than the one on one. The committee decided to use the Small Christian Community model as the parish was more familiar with that model. The next stage is to analyze the data. Here is an opportunity to determine if the process should continue to the next stage or go back to gathering data. Reporting is key to the process because it informs the stakeholders of the outcome of the research. The action stage is just the beginning of the next process. As we evaluate our process, questions of quality and validity may come up. Bradbury and Reason (2006) listed these issues concerning quality and validity as:
Ensuring the quality of participation and relationship in Action Research 50
Reflecting on the value of the practical outcomes of work
Drawing on and integrating diverse ways of knowing and using different methodologies
appropriately and creatively in the context of our Action Research
Evaluating the value of our work against its purpose of creating a better life and world for
us and others; and
Achieving systematic, systemic change over time; this means the enduring consequence
of our work, by integrating “the three manifestations of work; for oneself (‘first-person
research practice’), work for partners (‘second-person research practice’) and work for
people in the wider context (‘third-person research practice’) (Reason & Bradbury,
2006).
To synthesize the research reported in the literature, we conclude from our own experience that authors of quality action research need to meet certain requirements, listed below:
practice-oriented (improving practice);
participative (including in their research all stakeholders and others who will be affected
by the results of the research);
focused on significant issues relevant not only to themselves but also to their
community/organization or fellow human beings in the wider world;
use of multiple perspectives of knowing, triangulation of appropriate methods and
theories, and connecting their own judgments to discussion in the current literature;
rigor in their action research methodology and creative, innovative, contributing
something new to knowledge in theory and practice within and across systems;
51
explicit about their assumptions so that readers and examiners may use appropriate
criteria for judging the quality of their work;
and reflective, critical, self-critical and ethical;
Purpose of Study
The purpose of this study is to research options for St. Anthony Parish specifically in responding to a future with fewer priests. A second goal of this study is to position the parish within the Pastoral Region and Archdiocese, to determine the best ministerial and administrative structure for the parish, and to look at opportunities for the development of lay leaders. Using the information from the research, the parish will be able to position itself for the future.
52
Chapter 3
Methodology
“…never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world… indeed it’s the only thing that ever has…”6
As presented in chapters one and two, the purpose of this action research is to find options for St. Anthony Parish specifically in responding to a future with fewer priests. A second goal of this study is to position the parish within the Pastoral Region and Archdiocese, to determine the best ministerial and administrative structure for the parish, and to look at opportunities for the development of lay leaders. Using the information from the research, the parish will be able to position itself for the future.
The following research questions were the focus of my study. The first question addresses the issues that are facing the Archdiocese of Cincinnati and in turn St. Anthony, which is a parish in the Archdiocese. The next question addresses what method was used to collect data to help the stakeholders bring awareness to the issues and lastly what process is needed to evaluate the outcome.
Research Questions
1. Given the increasing shortage of Roman Catholic priests in the Archdiocese of Cincinnati,
how can Change Theory best be used to develop and implement an instructional program to
train lay leaders in parishes to continue an acceptable level of administration and ministry?
2. How can an Action Research approach help the stakeholders to facilitate the project?
6 Margaret Mead 53
3. What method should the organizers use to assess the effectiveness of the project?
Parish
The Parish is central to the spiritual life of the Catholic Church. The buildings, or house of worship, are most often noticed, but the concept is about much more than a structure. It is a community of people united by a system of beliefs and traditions. The parish is where the sacraments or sacred rituals are received. Social events are held to strengthen bonds in the community. Traditionally, a parish must have a pastor, who must be a priest, an ordained member of the clergy. The priest resides in the parish. Of course, in recent times, because of extreme cases, some parishes are assigned to the care of a permanent deacon, which in Roman
Catholic tradition is a member of the clergy with limited sacramental powers, or an un-ordained person from the community. The parish sits within the boundary of the community.
In the past, you were obligated to go to the parish in your area. This made sense as communities developed. Geographic and cultural boundaries were formed because of the migration of different ethnic groups of people and the absence of automobiles. For example, the
Germans would move to a neighborhood, and there would be a church named after a German
Saint, possible with a German-speaking priest. The Irish would move into another community, and those who migrated from Polish or Italian villages would move into communities of people who shared the same ethnic uniqueness. In some cities, housing ads identify neighborhoods with the names of churches. The ad would say one bedroom near St. Bridget’s Church. Readers would get the hint that only Irish need apply. The ranks of the clergy grew because of second and third generation immigrants urging their young men and women into religious life. They truly became a community of believers with the same history and culture, speaking the same language and worshiping in a parish that focused on their needs. Everyone understood his or her 54 role and how they fit in the boundaries of parish life. The priest and nuns were considered the head of the parish. They were the ones responsible for the sacraments and the day-to-day running of the parish. Boundaries began to change and the need to worship together changed with the passing of time. Now Catholics can go to any Catholic Church no matter where it is and call it their parish. The goal was to become a community of believers rather than people coming together because of location. The parish church is where the Mass, or main worship service, takes place daily and on Sundays. Confessions and weddings are performed at the parish. As the church began to experience fewer priests, many of the social activities and prayerful gatherings that did not need a priest are now being lead by the laity. The staff of the parish includes the pastor but also other paid staff members. The staff also includes the administrative personnel who in most cases are lay; there could be a consecrated religious nun and another priest that is assigned to the parish but is not the pastor and a deacon may also be assigned to the parish. In addition, a Parish Pastoral Council, which includes the leadership of the parish, acts as an advisory group to the pastor.
The Parish Pastoral Council is a consultative body consisting of people who
represent the parish community. It forms a united body with the pastor in
discerning how the parish can best carry out the ministry of the church. The
purpose of the Parish Council is to lead the parish in constant renewal and
spiritual growth toward our parish mission (Saint Anthony Parish Madisonville,
2011).
The Parish Pastoral Council was the driving force in setting the directions for the What If committee. The parish community elects the members of the Pastoral Council. They come from the parish. They are laity that has taken the next step to participate fully in the church, by 55 committing to working with the pastor to help bring about a change in the parish. They are a consultative body to the pastor but they represent the community of believers. The Parish
Pastoral Council shares responsibility with the pastor in the life of the church.
This call to shared responsibility and the participation of the laity in the life of the
church is manifested on many different levels in the Church. On the parish level,
the Parish Pastoral Council is an important instrument of shared ministry (The
Archdiocese of Cincinnati, 1998).
The Canon 536 of the Code of Canon Law, of the Roman Catholic Church, also states “Through the Parish Pastoral Council, the pastor is able to discern more wisely how best to fulfill the mission of the Christ in this particular parish” (The Vatican, 1983). There are twelve members on St. Anthony’s Parish Council. The parishioners of the church elect the members annually.
The pastor and staff of the parish are non-voting members of the council.
There is very little literature on the process needed for parishes to begin to look at life without a priest. The organizational structure of the Catholic Church is unique in comparison to other religious denominations. Each diocese or archdiocese has its own leader, a bishop, archbishop, or cardinal. All bishops and cardinals in the United States report to the apostolic delegate who is appointed by the Holy See as the representative of the Pope. The Archdiocese has already stated there will be one priest for a Pastoral Region in the future.
St. Anthony Parish
St. Anthony Parish, built in 1891, is located in the City of Cincinnati, Ohio in a neighborhood called Madisonville. The community of Madisonville is a diverse urban neighborhood with 44% White and 54.3% African Americans. Only a small percent of the
Madisonville community attend St. Anthony Catholic Church. The parish is approximately 85% 56
White, 10% African American, and 5% other multi-racial members with members representing over 52 different zip codes. In addition to ethnic diversity, St. Anthony is diverse in socio- economic status, household composition, worship style, and political viewpoint. The members of St. Anthony come together not because of convenience of location, but because of the dynamism represented by the worshiping style and the diversity of the parish. In 2005, the
Inclusion Network honored St. Anthony for its leadership role in recognizing and embracing diversity in the parish by “knowing how to tap into diverse talent, those who believe in the power of inclusion and practice it” (The Inclusion Network, 2005).
St. Anthony is a part of the St. Francis DeSales deanery. A deanery is a geographical division of the archdiocese. The Archbishop appoints Deans of the deaneries. They meet with the Archbishop quarterly to discuss issues in their deanery. There are 22 parishes in the St.
Francis DeSales deanery. The parishes are then divided into pastoral regions. St. Anthony is in a pastoral region with St. Cecilia, St. Margaret of Cortona and St. John Vianney, which are all located in the same surrounding neighborhoods. The pastor and I are members of a pastoral region committee that is also looking at the issues of fewer priests and how it will affect the pastoral region and its parishes. The goal is to explore ways we can combine or eliminate some programs or service and still be able to minister to the parishioners in each of the parishes.
Everyone is welcomed at St. Anthony. St. Anthony’s mission statement states “St.
Anthony Parish's vision is built upon solid Catholic tradition, blended with current community characteristics, and consistent with our mission of growing people closer to God through the work of the Spirit.” I was a part of the Parish Council when it developed the vision statement for 2002-2008. The vision statement came out of the collective works of the parishioners of St.
Anthony and Parish Pastoral Council guided by the pastor. St. Anthony is one of twenty-one 57 churches in the Madisonville area, and it is the only Catholic Church. The parish is one of the founding members of the Madisonville Education & Assistance Center (MEAC). The parish is very active in working with the Madisonville Habitat for Humanity. Over the years, many of the parishioners have helped build Habitat homes in Madisonville. The church is also participating in a twinning relationship with a parish in the Caribbean island, Dominica. There have been several exchanges of delegates going to Dominica from St. Anthony and Dominicans coming to
Cincinnati.
Action research was an excellent approach for the parish to collect data from the parishioners. In this way, the parishioners participated in the process. “Action research is collaborative in that it values people’s involvement in the creation and application of knowledge about them and their world rather than a lone researcher creating knowledge apart from those on whom she has conducted the research” (Sokol, 2004, p. 46). The process helped the parish leaders get a better understanding of where the parishioners were in their understanding of what could happen to St. Anthony with fewer priests. The research was on the What If committee that was created by the Parish Pastoral Council. It is not the role of this committee to change the core belief of the parishioners. The committee will not challenge the Catholic Church’s teachings. The hope is that the process helps the parishioners develop a new understanding of their role in the church. The goal is as members of the parish to begin to develop an awareness of their responsibility to the parish and the church. It was certainly not the intent of the committee to develop a new church, rather a different understanding of how the parishioners could participate and carry out vital duties that priests used to perform when there were sufficient numbers of them.
58
What If Committee
During my last year as Parish Pastoral Council chair, the committee was faced with a major issue of consolidation of parishes because of a shortage of priests. The vice-chair and I along with the pastor attended several archdiocesan meetings concerning putting parishes into
Pastoral Regions. The regions include parishes that are in close proximity to each other. The
Archdiocese called the meetings to get parishes to begin to look at ways to share ministries and programs. After attending the meetings, I had a concern about how the changes would affect St.
Anthony. Most of the information we received was on an archdiocesan level and not on the individual parish’s level. I recommended that the Parish Pastoral Council form a committee to look at how to position the parish in the future with fewer priests. They accepted the recommendation and created the What If committee. The Pastoral Council recommended several members to the committee. I became Chair. One of the members appointed by the
Pastoral Council was the vice chair of the council. This was an important communication aspect because I was going off council and he would become the chair. In this way, we were able to keep communication with the council with the current chair and future chair as members of the committee.
There were seven participants in the case study research group. The average age of the committee members was 50 years old. There were four women and three men. There was one
African American woman, three women, one African American male and two white males. I was the African American woman on the committee. The committee members mirrored the parish ethnic and gender populations. This was an important factor, as we would be representing the parish. One of the noticeable areas was the lack of youth on the committee. There are 59 youths in the parish, but the concern was that our meeting schedules at the parish and meeting with pastoral region parishes would be too overwhelming for the youth especially with them in school and doing other outside activities. We decided to make certain their voices are heard. All the participants are members of the parish. Two of the members were on the parish council. The
Pastor was also a member of the committee. Although the Catholic Church has been experiencing a number of serious problems and conflicts, the committee had a goal not to lose focus on the current issues affecting the parish or the universal Church. The committee’s job was to bring information to the Pastoral Council that would help them make decisions for the entire parish regarding what roles the parishioners could take on in light of the shortage of priests. As this was an action research project, I participated in the research not just as an observer, but as a participant also. C.S Hall (1978) compiled a list of points concerning working on an action research project that will help the committee formulate ideals and procedures to bring back to the
Parish Council. The research:
1. is of direct and immediate benefit to the community
2. involves the community in the entire process from the formulation of the problem to
the interpretation of the findings and discussions of how to seek solutions
3. is seen as part of a total educational experience which increases community
awareness and commitment
4. is viewed as a dialectical process, a dialogue over time and not static
5. fosters mobilization of human resources for the solution of social problem and
6. requires the researcher to be conscious of the ideological implications of research
(Hall & Lindzey, 1978)
60
There were three phases to this entire process: the committee meetings, the committee involving the parish in the decision-making, and finally the reporting to the Pastoral Council.
61
Chapter 4
“Indeed, all of us lead in some measure. We may be heads of offices and departments. We may be catechists, or liturgical ministers. We may be youth ministers and pastoral associates. We may be counselors, teachers, principals and volunteers. Or people who simply warm the pews. We are deacons, priests and bishops. We are consecrated religious, Knights and Ladies, Vincentians, Catholic Christians, we are ministering to the poor and desperate. In other words, we are leaders: Symbols of hope for communities plagued by signs and experiences of despair, we are persons of prayer.”7
Research Process
My first meeting was with the pastor in the Parish Center. The building is located across from the church. The Parish Center is a multi-use facility. On the first level, a chapel also substitutes as the meeting place for Parish Pastoral Council and other committee meetings.
There is also a kitchen and dining room on the first level. The dining room also substitutes as a meeting place when there is a need for additional meeting space. On the second level are offices.
The Pastor’s office is on the second level. The secretary, Religious Education coordinator, music director and development offices are also on the second level. On the third level, the
Pastoral Administrator office is located. This building at one time was the home of the nuns who taught at the school and who worked in the parish and community. The school is closed and the nuns are no longer at the parish.
We met in the pastor’s office. The room was quite large with quite a lot of technical equipment. The pastor stands about 6’5”. He is a very tall and slender man in his late fifties. He celebrated his twenty-fifth year as a priest in June of 2004. The intent was to work with him to set the direction for the committee’s responsibility. As the pastor for the parish, he has the
7 From a speech by Bishop Joseph N. Perry at the Opening Mass of Congress IX August 29, 2002 62 ultimate responsibility for its future. He is also the acting Dean of the Deanery and a key leader in the Futures project. He had access to data and documents that would help the committee determine a procedure for implementation of change. The pastor began by giving an update on the status of the three Catholic Churches in our area: St. Margaret of Cortona, St. John Vianney, and St. Anthony. A priest as a rule is assigned to one parish for six years with the option of an additional six years. Several years ago, the priest at St. Margaret of Cortona died. Because of the shortage of priests, the two priests at the parishes St. Anthony, St. Margaret of Cortona, and St.
John Vianney, decided to combine some of the liturgical ministries. After the changes, the pastor at St. Margaret of Cortona and St. John Vianney decided to go to another parish working with college students. The three parishes had to wait until the archdiocese appointed a new pastor.
St. Anthony School building is located next to the rectory. It has been closed for several years and was leased to the YMCA before it was sold to a charter school. The parish used the money from the sell for current operation of the parish. St. Anthony receives more income than both St. Margaret of Cortona and St. John Vianney. Approximately 90% of the income for St.
Margaret of Cortona goes towards their school. Many of the parishioners are elderly and do not have children going to the school yet they are paying for the upkeep of the school. St. John
Vianney does not have a school. Each parish has its own administrative staff. St. Anthony has more staff members because they have more ministries. Each parish has its own Pastoral
Council. One of the concerns that the pastor has is if there is only one priest, will he have to go to three different Parish Council meetings? Each of the parishes has a different culture. St.
Anthony’s community is 85% White, 10% African American, and 5% other minority. St. John
Vianney and St. Margaret of Cortona are 100% white and they have a much older community. 63
In our discussions, we both agreed that each parish is different and it will be a challenge to convince the parishes to look at the possibility of combining services. St. Margaret of Cortona has lots of space and facilities that are not used. St. Anthony is always in constant need of meeting space. At most of the meetings we discussed the three parishes. In addition, another issue may come up. St. Cecilia, which is a member of our Pastoral Region, has a pastor who is
78 years old (an exception to the policy). He may be retiring soon. This could also have an effect on St. Anthony parish. The first meeting of the committee took place at the parish center
August 5, 2004 at 7:00pm. The committee discussed updates on each of the parishes in the region, St Anthony, St. Margaret of Cortona, St. John Vianney and St. Cecilia. There was a long discussion about the upcoming priest convocation where the priests were completing the Futures document.
There are six members and the pastor on the committee, but only four attended the initial meeting. The committee members were selected from the parish; therefore, they are sensitive to the needs of the parish. The problem of the shortage of priests was a given. The problem did not need to be formulated; we as a parish have felt some of the fallout from the shortage of priests.
Each member was informed of what the Parish Council is expecting. I informed the members about my research. The research is not to just to observe the activities, but to participate in the process. We almost lost one of the members because of job responsibility. Nevertheless, he was able to commit to the group. The committee will set the direction for the group. At the first meeting of the committee, we brainstormed about the needs of the parish. Many issues came up.
The pastor and I presented several historical pieces of information. One of the documents the committee reviewed was the five-year pastoral plan the parish completed. The Parish Council will continue to implement the pastoral plan as the What If committee looks at the future. 64
Stage 1
The committee received information about the issues affecting the Archdiocese and the activities that the Archbishop had set up. The pastor had information (some had been mailed to us) from a document called “Future with Fewer Priests” prepared by the priests of the
Archdiocese. The Archbishop started this process in 2000. The priests met again in early June
2005 to add to the document and later in October 2005 to finalize the document. The committee received all historical documents concerning the church and archdiocese. The committee agreed to expedite the meetings by e-mailing copies of all documents to the group in advance. There will be an agenda for each meeting and minutes recorded. The parish will keep the minutes along with other documents. The group decided to meet until we had a finished product. Of course, the committee members may change, but the committee would continue. How often the committee met originally was based on the schedule of the members, although the committee did try to meet at least once a month. Other issues that affected the outcome of the process were:
• Other Catholic churches in our region (there are three others)
Catholic churches in the pastoral region (there are four in total)
The number of priest in the pastoral region (there are three)
The ages of the priest in the neighborhood and the deanery
How to collect and store data
As the committee discussed the issues, the focus was to keep in mind the needs of the parish. The Parish Pastoral Council will receive all information and conclusions. They will have first hand information on the progress of the committee.
One of the major issues the committee was faced with was how to incorporate the other parishes in the region in the process. Our major concern was that we did not want to position 65 ourselves as the parish that knows all and leave the needs of the other three parishes out of the mix. The processes or techniques used will come from the knowledge of the parish and the parishioners. The investigation will move from the committee stage to the Parish Pastoral
Council to the parishioners.
It was not until the second meeting that we realized we all did not have the same understanding of the ramifications of what we are planning. One of the committee members stated that the church was going through a change and we should look at ourselves as change agents of the parish. Our first step was to look at the issues and see how we could help the parish move toward a new direction as well as working with the other parishes in our cluster. We agreed that before we moved forward with recommendations to the Parish Council, each of the committee members should be educated about the issues affecting the Archdiocese and the activities that the Archbishop has set up. There was a need for more information. In the discussion, we understood that the final product might not be ready for at least two years. To take a people from a comfort level of seeing a priest preside over the mass each Sunday to seeing more reflection given by the laity or see the major functional responsibilities that the pastor performed to seeing laity perform these same roles will take some time for the faithful to accept.
We decided to divide the workload based on the interest of each of the committee members. One member was interested in a change process. He submitted a process used by a major corporation for review. A staff member who is a Sister of St. Joseph also offered information about a change process. The committee member reviewed both processes to determine which process would be the better for the parishes, keeping in mind the parishes in our deanery. He will report to the committee with his recommendation. Another member was concerned that we should not lose the culture of St. Anthony. The concern was that as St. 66
Anthony moves to a different consciousness, there would be changes that would affect the lives of the parishioners as well as the parishioners of the other parishes. We agreed that, as a parish, we still needed to meet the needs of all parishioners and to respect the culture of the other parishes. The Pastor would continue his role of giving us information that he receives from the
Archdiocese. He is also a member of the deanery committee that is looking at the issues of a shortage of priests at the deanery level. Another member would collect data on how other archdioceses and dioceses have handled the problem. He was also interested in why there was a problem.
The Pastor is a member of the deanery executive committee. The dean chair suggested that the pastors organize a parish delegation to draw from the four parishes to begin to look at the issues of fewer priests, and suggested that they bring their parish leadership up to date about the issues and to look at several topics that could be used to begin the dialogue. We, of course, had current information from the pastor and were somewhat ahead of the other parishes. The pastor seemed very comfortable with the process of looking at the issues presented. He then contacted the parish council president and the What If committee chair for input. The suggested items to be addressed were:
1. Describe your parish as it is now.
2. What could be the benefits of collaborating closely and/or sharing our pastor with other
parishes?
3. What are the strongest potential barriers to our beginning the process of such sharing and
collaboration?
4. What are the clearest possible approaches for movement toward such sharing in the next
year? 67
5. Where (or how) would our collaboration begin?
The committee’s next meeting was September 7, 2004. At this meeting, one of the members followed up with the change theory. He presented a process called Change
Acceleration Process (CAP). Consultants and GE leaders designed this model in 1992. The goal of the process was to accelerate self-sufficiency efforts, transfer best practices about leading change, and enhance the capabilities of GE leaders. The committee reviewed the seven steps of the process and determined it was a good process but we did not feel this process would work for the parish. We also reviewed information on a video by Willowgreen Publication called
Learning to Manage Transition in Your Life. We reviewed the topic for each of the segments.
Again, as with CAP, the information was good and it helped the group focus on the need for a process but the processes were not what the committee was looking for St. Anthony. The information did help determine that change theory along with a Small Christian Communities model would be the method we use for presenting and collecting information from the parishioners. The small group process would give the committee the opportunity to do interviews in a group setting. As the change agents for the investigation, we would be able to obtain information on what the parishioners were thinking. The major issue was to preserve the culture of St. Anthony in spite of the changing environment of the church.
An additional source that we reviewed was books that were recommended by the
Archdiocese of Cincinnati. Books like:
Transforming the Parish Models for the Future, Patricia M. Forster, OSF & Thomas P. Sweetser, SJ
The Parish of the Next Millennium, William J. Bausch
Catholics in Crisis? The Church Confronts Contemporary Challenges, William J. Bausch
Re-Imagining the Parish, Patrick J. Brennan 68
Parishes that Excel, Patrick J. Brennan
Sowing New Seed Directions for Evangelization Today, Frank DeSiano, CSP
Re-Visioning Mission The Catholic Church and Culture in Postmodern America, Richard G. Cote, OMI
The committee reviewed the titles to see which book would be helpful for our work. I did review each book, as the topic was very helpful to me in my study. A committee member gave a very detailed presentation about change theory and how it could be the foundation the group looks at as they continue collecting data and information. The committee collected information on activities that were held in the archdiocese. Programs like Small Christian
Community Formation Day, Catholics Returning Home, and Disciples in Mission. In the third meeting, after reviewing all of the information presented, the committee transitioned to a committee of “like mind”. At that moment, the committee understood the needs of the parish and the effect their work will have on the parish in the future. It then became urgent about how to move forward and how to communicate to the parish.
Archdiocese of Cincinnati
The Archdiocese of Cincinnati had attempted to update the parishes about changes in the diocese. In the past, the Archdiocese had developed two archdiocesan-wide planning processes,
For the Harvest and Ministry 2000, to encourage the parish to begin to think about the future.
There were some short-term changes but nothing long term. The committee did not want to be in conflict with the Archdiocese, but did want the parish to have all the information about the changes in the church. The team reviewed the implementation of the Future Committee of the
Archdiocese of Cincinnati. A question also came up as to where or how would St. Anthony begin to collaborate with the other parishes in the cluster. The group also responded to the Deanery
Chair questions that came out of the deanery meetings. The committee first brainstormed about 69 the questions and then responded in the format suggested by the Deanery Chair (See Appendix A
Responds to the Deanery Chair Questions).
The committee evaluated all the information that was presented, yet they still had not formulated a process to communicate to the parish. During this time, the committee had some major changes. One of our members left and we welcomed a new member. A pastor was named to both St. Margaret of Cortona and St. John Vianney. Also during this time, the deanery held another meeting. Two of the committee members attended. The dean requested that each of the regions meet and look at a process for their parishes with fewer priests. St. Anthony participated with the three other parishes on a committee called the Pastoral Region. There are representatives from each of the parishes in the region who would be meeting to work on ideas of collaboration and share ministries. Two of the members were representing St. Anthony on the committee. By our fifth meeting, the team was concerned about how to communicate with the parish. There was a concern that not everyone understood how this critical issue would affect the parish. One of the committee members was still concerned about how we include the other parishes in our cluster in our process. There are two “givens” we must always have in front of us. One is that the priest at one of the cluster parishes will be retiring in four or five years. The dynamic of what we are planning may change because there will be a new priest. In addition, the other “given”, because of Archdiocese’s policy, is that the pastor at St. Anthony will be leaving in four years. One of the committee members, who is a teacher, suggested we do a brainstorm about how the issue of fewer priests would affect the parish (See Appendix B The results of the brainstorming). Now the issue becomes, how do we set up an environment of listening?
Using the who, what, where, when, why and how concept, I presented an outline of how we could communicate with the parish. The goal was to be concise: 70
1. Who? The What If committee will be working within the parish and potentially with the
other parishes to start planning for a future with fewer priests.
2. What? The committee will be inviting ideas and communicating its ideas to the parish by
various means.
3. When? The plan for sharing of priests among parishes will start as soon as five to ten
years from now. This will bring big changes and planning can help with the transition.
4. How? Communication will come from the pastor, the pulpit, the Bulletin, the church
newsletter, and meetings.
5. Where? Parish will be in a cluster, which will include the three cluster parishes. By June
2005, each cluster will be working on plans for the future as instructed by the deanery
chair.
6. Why? Planning leads to good outcomes and gives people a chance to participate. The
committee will be the main group working on plans for a future with fewer priests.
The message is to get people to accept their responsibilities as baptized Catholics; to begin to understand how we can determine the parish life in the future if we understand the issues; and to determine how we can work together to still have a viable church.
The committee members had a long discussion on the role of the What If committee and the relationship with the Parish Pastoral Council, the Parish, and the Pastoral Region. The team was concerned about how they can move from a What If committee to a committee of change.
There was a long discussion on what change would mean for St. Anthony and the surrounding parishes. The committee also discussed the committee name change. Since they are no longer a
What If, what should they be called now? Responding to the discussion and the quote from
Mahatma Gandhi “Be the change you want to see in the world”, the members decided to change 71 the name of the committee. This small group of six people created a community. They had moved from a group of individual members of the What If committee to a group determined to work as one body to bring about a change.
The committee members had an “aha” experience after so many weeks and dialogue about the parish and the future of the parish along with the pastoral region. They came to the realization that they were the change and that they needed to help the parishioners understand that they too are the change. The committee members also saw that “the change was also seen in their work with each other. They were sharing more, asking each other more about issues and ideas, and they trusted each other more to be able to share things like their frustrations and fears”
(Rickey, 2008, p. 108). The team took the next step and changed the name of the committee.
They were no longer the What If committee. The name of the committee was changed to the
S.A.L.T. (Saint Anthony Leaven Team). Their goal now was to build community at each stage of the process but, the team was looking to get people also involved in the process.
It was very surprising how fast the plan came together. It was an overwhelming agreement that the team would use the Small Christian Community (SCC) model. In the past, the parish has been very successful with small group discussions, e.g. renew, the stewardship, the future goals. Small Christian communities have been held in the parish for years. St. Anthony has several SCC that meet from early Friday morning men’s group to Thursday morning women’s group. There is a Sunday morning mom’s group as well a Saturday women’s Emmaus
Walk, and Monday night men’s Emmaus Walk group. The SCC are nurturing for the participants as they learned not only to build community, but also to get a better understanding of church and scriptures. In addition, a “Renew” group meets monthly. There were small groups still meeting for prayer and support. A group normally consisted of six to eight people. They 72 were organized by the parishioners in their home or by a facilitator who planned the meeting.
We decided to use the small group model but with a different focus and structure. There would be an invitation for the parishioners to attend a small group discussion about the future of the parish. The groups ranged from 10-12 people. The meetings would be held in the homes of the parishioners or at the parish center. We wanted to create an environment for people to share and listen. There would be a host and a facilitator for each meeting. The Pastor or Pastoral
Administrator would attend all meetings. The hope was to reach at least 200 of the parishioners.
It was also emphasized that there would be an effort to reach out to the youth. The staff was a very important piece of the process. The access to the parishioners would have to come from the church. Trained facilitators will facilitate the small groups. The team would prepare the message as well as train the potential facilitators. Our theme was “Be the Change”. We would invite the parishioners to “Be the Change” for the future of the parish.
The members of the S.A.L.T. committee were “in agreement” with the process. The team felt that it was important that the committee members were in support of the work they would be taking on. The Pastor wanted to communicate the changes to the parishioners in an authentic and honest dialogue. The parishioners should be aware of and participate in the change. They should also have the opportunity to talk about issues that are affecting the church.
Issues like the indictment of priests and any other issue they wanted to bring up. The committee discussed how the church is functioning today and how it will function in the future. The concern was that people will participate or not if they had information about the church and the future. The church has been seen as a service. We come to church to be served. We need to change the attitude of the people. Our goal in the small groups is to stir the pot, have people take 73 on ownership, and change the thinking of the parishioners. We would set the boundaries by formulating questions to which they could respond, e.g.
a) How do you see yourself participating as we change?
b) What level of influence would you like to have in the changes?
c) What if any, are the barriers?
d) What do you think St. Anthony will look like five to ten years from now? How do we
prepare?
The team wrote talking points for the small group and designed the structure for the environment where everyone is heard. The small groups met in homes of the parishioners and sometimes at the rectory. Hosts and facilitators were identified. The times and dates were set and host and facilitators were able to select the day that was convenient for them. Things we needed to take note of are environment, time, food, and the presentation itself. There should be open-ended reflection questions. One member suggested we develop a “sample” presentation.
A suggested format for the small group was:
a) prayer
b) presentation
c) one or two open-ended reflection questions
d) closing prayer
The time was set at 1½ hours. The Pastor or the Pastoral Administrator would be at all of the group meetings. Two of the members agreed to design a presentation. The team would present to the Parish Pastoral Council before presentation to the parishioners. A team member and I would work on the mechanics of the processes, which includes:
Recruiting Hosts and Hostesses 74
Recruiting Facilitators
Training the facilitators
Writing letters to the parishioners about the change
Determining the number of groups
Determining the dates
Our goal was to complete the process by the end of 2008, which would be the parish’s
150-year celebration. As a take away, we discussed the possibility of giving wristbands to everyone who attended with the word S.A.L.T. on the bands.
Stage 2
There were two teams set up for the next stage. The first team of which I was a member was to determine the mechanics of the process. The second team wrote the presentation.
The first step was determining how to recruit hosts and facilitators. What would be the best method to invite parishioners to become facilitators or hosts? Again, part of the goal was to get more people involved in taking ownership of the process. Every registered household received a letter inviting them to become a part of the change. The letter was read from the pulpit and a copy was put on the website. Below is a copy of the letter. 75
September 20, 2005
Label Address City/State/Zip
Dear Name:
You are invited to “Be the Change” for St. Anthony.
The world is changing. The Archdiocese of Cincinnati is changing. We, at St. Anthony are also changing. You are invited to be a facilitator or host to a group of 8 or 10 parishioners to discuss these changes and what they mean to our St. Anthony Community. The St. Anthony Leaven Team (S.A.L.T) has been working for several months to present these changes to the Parish. Our goal is to inform the parishioners about the changes, get input from them about their feelings about the changes and to hear how the changes will affect St. Anthony. You are a recognized leader in our community and your participation is most urgently needed.
As a facilitator, you will be trained about the issues and on the process of facilitating the small group. There will be two training opportunities for the facilitator.
As a host, you are asked to provide the facility and refreshments to the participants of 8 to 10 people.
Dates set for the small group meetings are between October 15 and November 16, 2005. The meetings will be set at 90 minutes. If a host or hostess would like to meet at the Rectory or between masses, we can try to accommodate. The times for the meeting are 7:00-8:30 p.m. during the week, 10:00-11:30 a.m. on Saturday and between the masses on Sunday.
Please contact the Office Manager at 271-0920 to let her know if you are willing to facilitate or to host a meeting.
Thank you,
S.A.L.T. Member Gloria J. Parker
76
The responses to the invitation were very slow. Several parishioners wanted more information, but no one signed up. There was a concern that even the parish council members who were the leadership of the parish did not respond. The committee came together to look at other ways to engage folks. And so, we decided to use the old fashioned method, personal invitation. My team got a list of all the parishioners in the parish and identified those who were active in the parish, e.g. lectors, Eucharistic Ministers, members of committees like the Worship
Committee, Social Action, Ownership, and Formation. We decided not to include the Parish
Pastoral Council members as they will have access to the information and will have the chance to participate in the final decisions. Each of the team members called their list to invite parishioners to “Be the Change” by facilitating a small group. It worked. It seems that when people have first hand information about the situation and there is a personal invitation, they respond. They were able to get their questions answered immediately and were able to make decisions about their participation. Not only that, the word spread and people we had not yet called were calling the office to participate. The Pastoral staff was also a big help in getting the information out. The staff was the contact for programs that were ongoing. At committee meetings, the staff would inform those present about the “Be the Change” program. They invited folks to participate. We were able to get over twenty parishioners to participate. Ten percent of those who committed were not active in the parish. It seems they were concerned about the future of the Parish. They wanted to bring some of their skills to the parish in hopes of making a difference in the future. Twenty percent of all those who responded were African
Americans. The parish is fifteen percent African American; this was a surprise to me, as we would later find out that not many African Americans participated in the small group meetings.
All of the participants who responded had leadership roles in their personal lives. 77
My team designed a training program for the facilitators. The committee discussed bringing in a trainer to train the facilitators, but we decided to do the training ourselves. Several of the team members already had experience in facilitating. Several of the members were facilitators. The background of the team members included two who are managers at major corporations, a teacher at a high school, and an adjunct professor. They were all comfortable with standing in front of a group and presenting information. I, along with another team member, designed and planned the schedule for the training (See Appendix C Training Session for the Facilitators).
We held the trainings in the Parish Center. The majority of the people attended on
Sunday, October 9, between the liturgies. Space was a major issue for the training. The parish
Center was in high demand. With the renovation of the school, most of the activities were being held at the Parish Center. However, with the help of the Office Manager, we were able to secure the Parish Center. Parishioners who signed up for the training and presentation received the guidelines by e-mail. Two committee members served as facilitators for each of the training sessions. A member and I did the first session. Out of this first session came several questions.
1. Where can we get additional information about the changes?
2. Are any of the Pastoral Region churches doing anything?
3. What about “After Thoughts”?
We were able to share with the group where they could get additional information about the change. Much of the information was on the Archdiocese website. We shared information about the Pastoral Region Committee and how they were working together to do some long term planning for the Region. It was suggested that we put on the website a method for people to add additional information if they have some “After Thoughts”; that is people may think of 78 something else after the session. The team shared the additional information with the other team members who would be doing the training for the next three sessions.
Team 2 had the responsibility of working on the presentation. They prepared the power point presented in the small group discussions (See Appendix D Change is Constant). The team developed the four questions asked of each participant. The four questions were:
1. How do you see yourself participating as our parish and others around us change?
2. What level of influence would you like to have in the upcoming changes?
3. What barriers prevent you from participating in a full free powerful manner?
4. What do you think St. Anthony will look like 5-10 years from now? How do we prepare?
The questions were key to getting some solid answers to start building good data. The environment of trust was also important. The parishioners had to feel that we would listen to what they had to say and we would not “challenge” what they said. We informed the parishioners that their comments were important and that the Parish Pastoral Council will receive all their comments.
The committee then developed the process for the small groups. Each facilitator would use the template in their small groups. We wanted the facilitators to give the same message.
Each facilitator received the guideline (See Appendix E Proposed Discussion Timetable). The next part of the process came from the staff. The Pastoral Administrator selected the prayer that became a part of the presentation (See Appendix F Opening Prayer).
We presented the entire package to Parish Pastoral Council. They gave us the approval to start the process. We had the presentation, the facilitators, and the approval of the Parish Pastoral
Council. Now we needed the parishioners. 79
Team 1of, which I was a member, determined the mechanics of getting the message to the parish about the changes through the small groups. We decided on several ways to communicate to the parishioners. With input from the members, the Pastor wrote a letter to every household in the parish, parts of the letter were put into the bulletin and on the website.
The letter was modified for announcements from the pulpit.
80
Dear Parishioner:
I am writing to tell you about an exciting opportunity for you to join the work being done in our parish to prepare for a future with fewer pastors.
Leaders from our community have been paying attention to the changes taking place in the Archdiocese. This group functions under the guidance and direction of the Parish Pastoral Council and is called the St. Anthony Leaven Team (S.A.L.T.). These leaders have studied this issue carefully, brought it to prayer and now want you to join them in this discussion.
Over the next few weeks, October 23rd through November 18th, several small group meetings will take place in parishioners’ homes or at the parish with either me or the Pastoral Administrator attending. The facilitators will be sharing information with you, invite you to express your concerns, and encourage you to be part of the change. The Parish Pastoral Council, the S.A.L.T. group, Jeannie and I believe this is a wonderful opportunity for the members of St. Anthony’s community to grow.
Many of the small group discussions will be held during the week 7:00PM to 8:30pm. There is also an opportunity to be able to share on Sundays 9:45am to 11:15am. The Saturday times will be based on the schedule of the host family. The enclosed sheet gives you a partial listing of hosts/facilitators. Contact one of them to sign up for their session. For the most current information on this process visit our website www.stanthonychurch.net or check the information table in the back of the church.
Please join us for this conversation and keep your church community in your prayer.
Sincerely,
81
A committee member and I made announcements from the pulpit. The Office Manager put the information on the website and in the bulletin. My team then prepared the calendar for people to sign up. The facilitators identified the days they would be able to host and or facilitate.
We had an overwhelming response from the facilitators in selecting a day. We did have some dates that were not filled. This is where the committee members stepped in; we covered the shortage (See Appendix G Calendar).
The calendar was located in the gathering section of the church. The calendar was put on the website and in the bulletin. After each liturgy for the next several weeks, there was an announcement about the sign-up process. The dates that were available included the name and telephone number of the facilitators. The parishioners were to sign the list and leave their telephone number. The facilitators would call the people to confirm their attendance. People could sign-up based on the location or time that was available. We were asking 8-10 people to attend a session. With the number of meetings scheduled, we could very easily meet our goal of reaching 200 people. The sign up process was very slow. No one responded. Out next step was simply to do the same procedure as we did when we did not have people to sign-up for facilitating. The committee members and the facilitators began to call people and invite them to the small groups. We now had additional people, the facilitators, to help encourage people to participate in “Be the Change”. There was one small community group still meeting. They requested that they would like to continue as a group. That was perfect. That was an excellent example of how we wanted to use the model that existed and still be able to move the group to the next level. Many called the church office asking for more information about the issue. They were directed to sign-up for the small groups or contact one of the committee members. 82
We set a deadline of October 15 for signing up. This was important so that we could have all the supplies and staff needed to be present at the small groups. As we approached the deadline, people began to sign up. In several cases, we had one or two people sign up for a session. It was the group’s decision not to have a session with fewer than four people. When this occurred, the parishioner was contacted and directed to another session. We wanted to use the time of the Pastor and Pastoral Administrator wisely. The pastor was supportive and actively participated in the entire process. The reality is that we could not do all that we did without his support. He attended most of the meetings gave recommendations and suggestions, and really allowed the committee members to determine the process. The staff was supportive of the process also. They were the resources when we needed supplies and space for the meetings.
The Office Manager made certain that we had supplies like flip charts and markers and made copies of the presentation and prayer for each person who attended. She, along with the Pastoral
Administrator, fielded the calls that came to the parish about the “Be the Change”. The Pastoral
Administrator attended the small group meetings and added to the presentation the prayer.
Occasionally people would sign up for a date that did not have a facilitator or host. In a situation like this, one of the committee members would cover the session. We had to cancel many sessions because no one signed up for that date. We were able to get eight good sessions.
The facilitators were charged with writing a report for their session (See Appendix H S.A.L.T.
Small Group Gatherings).
Fifty- three parishioners took part in the small group discussions. We had 10 youth participate. It was far below the 200 we were looking for but the meetings and the process reached more than the 53. Facilitators were exposed. We trained over 20. The Parish Pastoral
Council was exposed. There are 12 on the council. We reviewed the numbers and decided not 83 to extend the small groups. We felt that the opinion would not change much from the data we currently had. We decided to close the second stage of the process.
Stage 3
The committee next step was to collate all the data, evaluate the information, present findings to the Parish Pastoral Council and finally to the parish. The committee reviewed all of the responses. We were a little disappointed in the turnout but the information we received was excellent. It was felt that the environments were encouraging and comfortable for people to be able to articulate their feelings. Having the Pastor or the Pastoral Administrator at the meeting also gave people the opportunity to ask the Pastoral Staff questions directly. We decided that the information we received gave us enough insight into the thoughts of the parishioners. They were the sampling of the parish that we could use to determine on the whole what the parishioners were thinking. In each of the small groups, those present felt that they were listened to. The facilitators took their thoughts and passion and wrote them down. Trust also was a major concept for not only the small groups but for the S.A.L.T. committee as well. The participants trusted the team to take their comments and bring them before the Parish Pastoral
Council. The Parish Pastoral Council is the leadership body of the parish and is charged with responding to the needs of the parish. The small group model was an excellent method to get information from the parishioners. The small group model also gave us an opportunity to collect data in a group setting rather than one on one.
After reviewing the responses to the questions, each team member took a question from each of the small groups and combined them into one summary. A recommendation and the combined summaries were presented to the Parish Pastoral Council (See Appendix I Summary of
Questions). It was not surprising to see how similar the responses were from each of the groups. 84
The youth were very different. If we had time, I would have suggested we do more with the youth, their insight into the Catholic Church should be noted. They do not carry a lot of the baggage that the adults still held on to.
The four questions that were asked were designed not only to “stir the pot”, but to get the parishioners to began to think of the future. “While rich insight may unlock a more lasting solution, the real value of action research analysis is not whether the change process was successful or not, but rather [that] the exploration of the data…provides useful and interesting theory which may contribute to learning” (Coghlan & Brannick, 2005, p. 28).
The roadmap we used for the change process was Ronald G. Havelock’s The Change
Agent Guide. The committee was able to mirror each of the seven stages of Havelock’s change.
There were times when we reorganized the process at certain stages, yet we tried to keep the spirit of the process intact. Granted we were not aware of how closely we fitted into the stages of Havelock until we began to review our process. The guide was an excellent resource to help us understand the extent of the problem we were facing. The problem was not just the shortage of priests, but how do we collect data, inform the parishioners, and then begin to design a plan for the parish. Yet the process gave us a better insight into the community of St. Anthony, the dynamics that make St. Anthony who they are.
The pastor wrote a final letter to every household in the parish.
85
Dear In October 2003, the Parish Pastoral Council created a committee called the “What If” committee. The committee was charged with reviewing the future of St. Anthony in light of the priest shortage. The concern of the priest shortage came out of a deanery meeting which several of St. Anthony’s parishioners attended. The issue discussed was “how can we still be church with the effects of the priest shortage on parishes in the near future?” The Parish Council decided to take a pro-active position and create the committee to look at ways St. Anthony can function effectively with a part-time pastor and maintain the quality of our community. The committee included xxx, xxx, Gloria J. Parker, xxx, xxx and me, which started meeting in January 2004. We reviewed information from the diocese, as well as our recently completed pastoral plan. Committee members were able to attend the deanery meeting and discuss with other deanery members how we may one day work together on some ministries. We also reviewed national information related to this issue. We are not the only diocese concerned with this issue. The “What If” committee met for a year and a half, on average of every other month to begin formulating a process for St. Anthony. Our concern was not only the shortage of priests, but how we could still be church knowing we may not have a full time pastor. We also struggled with how to communicate the issues to you and get some feedback from you about how you feel about issues. In the late summer of 2005, the committee decided to use the small group process to bring the information to the parishioners, but also to get feedback from you about how you can help determine the future of St. Anthony. We asked for facilitators and hosts to hold the small group discussions in the parishioners’ homes. St. Anthony responded. The committee designed a presentation package to present in the small groups. The process now was called “Be the Change” and the “What if” committee became the S.A.L.T. committee. (St. Anthony Leaven Team) . We first made the presentation to the Parish Council. It included prayer and discussion time. There were four questions we asked: 1) How do you see yourself participating as our parish and others around us change? 2) What level of influence would you like to have in the upcoming changes? 3) What barriers prevent you from participating in a full free powerful manner? 4) What do you think St. Anthony will look like 5-10 years from now? How do we prepare? From October 24, 2005 to November 18, 2005, parishioners had an opportunity to sign up for a small group. Attached is a one page summary of the small groups’ feedback along with the recommendations the S.A.L.T committee made to the Parish Council. The Parish Council has accepted our recommendations. This process is only the beginning of our new journey. I believe that the more information parishioners have about the possible changes our parishes and the archdiocese are going through, the better. We were not able to reach everyone with the small group process, but with this letter we can share with you information on the process and also still keep the issue in 86 front of you. It is most important that you join us in this effort because the future is ours and the decisions we make now are critical. Please help us sustain this remarkable community. We can do it with God’s care and the assistance of the Spirit.
Sincerely,
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Chapter 5
“Prolong the Death or Prolong life”8
Summary
Action Research along with Change Theory was the keys to our research. Our goal was to design a process, collect information, analyze the information, communicate the information to the stakeholders, and finally, implement by involving the parishioners in the process. The observation of behavior change in this study reinforced the method of action research. The process allows the participants to participate in the decision of the outcome. With the support of the Parish Pastoral Council and the pastor, the parishioners took a proactive stance in a parish that normally would wait until the hierarchical church gave them directions. The process empowered the parishioners to take ownership for the future of the parish.
The four questions presented to the parishioners were designed to bring about awareness through an action research process. The timing and placement of each section of the process was important to bring about change. The questions came after the parishioners were able to reflect on information about the status of the church. They were not conscious of much of the information. They were invited to discuss the changes, to become knowledgeable about some of the issues and to share their thoughts and feelings about the church and the parish. (See
Appendix E) The team planted seeds of variables for the parishioners to consider:
What does this mean to us here at St. Anthony?
Among other things, this means that we parishioners must assume more responsibility for
ministry.
8 anonymous 88
We recognize that expecting one priest to pastor four parishes as effectively as one parish
without our help is impossible.
By planting the seed, the strategy was to present to the parishioners how change would be better for the parish and the parishioners. At the close of the presentation we stated
“This change is somewhat different from what we faced before. However, we can still prevail. We can still survive this change and preserve those things so precious to us here in our parish.”
In the last statement before the four questions the committee used the word “we” several times. Action research is a shared responsibility. The committee wanted the parishioners to understand they have a stake in the outcome.
We then asked the questions.
1. How do you see yourself participating as we change? In this question, we did not ask them
if there was a need for change, we had presented the new information for them to see that
change will take place. There was an overwhelming response that many were willing to take
on more responsibility. Comments like “Need to take some priest responsibilities into lay
hands” and “Lay leaders need to ask for more involvement especially from those not already
helping” reflected many of the concerns of the small groups. There were even several
comments on how to get people involved “on a trial basis, participants may just sit in with
committee before full commitment” along with taking on more responsibility the
parishioners were requesting training. They were willing to take on more roles but they
recognized that they needed additional training especially an education piece about their role
in the church. Their comments, “Will need training”, “Are laity allowed to perform tasks?”
“Where does the authority for laity to perform tasks come from?” There was some 89
unconscious resistance in the response only because of the concern of the lack of education
and training needed and that not everyone may be ready to participate.
After we set the foundation for the process, we then guided them to the next level with the second question.
2. What level of influence would you like to have in the upcoming changes? The goal of
this question was to see if the parishioners were willing to participate. The responses
varied but most said yes, they like to have some say in the planning. “Want an
opportunity to provide input-perhaps participating on a committee or in a small group”
another comment “It’s important that all parishioners are invited to share ideas and
desires in various formats.” In addition, another comment that is one of the foundations
of action research “Would like to impact the changes themselves – not just react.”
The parishioners begin to consciously think about the issues at hand and reflect on how they can assume more responsibilities in the parish. Also at this level, one of the themes emerged. There was a concern that the hierarchical church would not allow the changes. Yet participants were still willing to plan. They reflected on the question with other members of the parish and the dialogue between them brought a new awareness of the need for all parishioners to be heard. The process continued with the third question.
3. What barriers prevent you from participating in a full, free, and powerful manner?
The barriers were both internal and external; those that the parishioners had control over
and those that were beyond their control. Lack of time was repeated several times. Most
of the parishioners worked during the week and had family obligation that did not allow
them to participate. The parishioners come from 52 different zip codes. This distance
from the parish was a hindrance to going to meetings at the parish. Those who are willing 90
to participate wanted more information on preparation needed to work within the
structure. The comment “Knowledge” and “Not knowing theology well enough” alerted
us to the possibility that people were willing to invest time in knowing more about the
church. There was a recommendation for a “process for new members to be integrated or
“plugged-in”. The final question was to hear what the parishioners felt about the future of
St. Anthony.
4. What do you think St. Anthony will look like in 5-10 years? And how do we
prepare? There were several comments that stated St. Anthony would still exist. “We
expect St. Anthony’s to continue to be viable, outreaching, diverse, growing, and
maintaining its culture.” “St. A will grow because we are diverse – keep up the faith and
good work.” “five years out – I see a surge of new energy – we need to be creative in
ways we invite folks to be a part of our community.” Yet there were just as many who
felt that St. Anthony would close. “Honestly don’t know if we’ll be there. If combining
four parishes will there be a need to keep them all open? Would it be economically
viable to keep St. A open? Which one(s) will they keep? ’’ “Not so sure St. A will be
there – it’s already hard to motivate folks to participate – what will this be like when the
responsibility is even greater?” “Fear that St. A will be swallowed up by larger parish, i.e.
St. Cecilia.” Yet nested between the two opposing thoughts is a sense of hope. “Our
destiny to determine what St. A can become Tons of opportunity – need to energize
faithful.” “Take it upon ourselves to create our parish.” “People must stick together
regardless of the priest shortage or selection.”
There were conflicting comments about the future of St. Anthony. Some felt that St. Anthony would not be around in the next 5-10 years and others felt the parish “would be closed or become 91 a part of a large parish”. Yet, another group had hope. They felt that if the parishioners plan and work together, the parish would exist in the future. For change to happen there has to be a way all sides of the issues are embraced. It was good that there were different views on this important issue.
Themes
Three major themes came out of the small group discussions. The themes were recurring comments in each of the groups. The reality is that perceived barriers to the change process must clearly be addressed before change can happen. They were:
1. The concern that the hierarchical church would not allow the change to take place
2. People want a say in the future of the parish
3. That people are willing to become more involved in the life of the church
4. The need for strong leadership
1. The concern that the hierarchical church would not allow the change to take place
In each of the groups, there were concerns about how the church would respond to the action plan of the parish. Comments like, “What authority is turned over to parish so it can really empower and recruit lay people to take responsibility for direction of parish and programs?” and “It was questioned how much influence the Archdiocese (and Vatican) will let us have.” By even asking the questions, people were thinking about how they can still take action to save their community even with “policies” that had been handed down by the higher church. The Catholic Church is unique in the way it governs the church. It is from the top down. The concern that came from the discussion was that the participants wanted to feel as if they had some control over the decision. “It would be nice if the Archdiocese would ask us what 92 could be done, rather than telling us what will happen and then just expect us to react accordingly” was a response but many of the participants echoed it.
2. People want a say in the future of the parish
After participating in the research, the parishioners stated they wanted to have an influence on the recommended changes. They want to identify people to act as “lightening rods” to continue the process. There were still concerns about the distance people travel to get to the parish. Nevertheless, they were willing to do what it takes to be able to move forward with the process.
3. That people are willing to become more involved in the life of the church
Action research gave parishioners opportunity to reflect on the future of the parish. Some felt that St. Anthony will not exist, but others felt that for the parish to survive, the laity must get involved. Many in the groups agreed that parishioners have to be willing to take on
“responsibilities” and “empower themselves” and not wait for the church to empower them.
The laity always has had some role in the Catholic Church, although historically a very small role. Before Vatican II, the staff of the parish consisted of the pastor, several other priests, and in most cases religious nuns. After Vatican II, there was an increase in the activity of the laity in the Catholic Church. As baptized Catholics, Vatican II reminded the faithful that they too have a responsibility to the church. Their roles were no longer to sit and receive, but also to participate.
4. The need for strong leadership
Facilitators for each of the small groups offer an opportunity to build upon the need for strong leaders. The facilitators “stepped up” with a willingness to participate in a process to “Be the Change” for the parish. They went through the training and helped the S.A.L.T team to 93 finalize the presentation. They were responsible for facilitating the small group and analyzing the responses. The facilitators were able to take the parishioners in their group through each question and allowed the parishioners to internalize the message. This core group could very easily be a part of the implementation of the change. The Parish pastoral Council was already on board as they were the leadership body that approved the process.
One of the most striking comments for me was “What authority is turned over to parish so it can really empower and recruit lay people to take responsibility for direction of parish and programs?” However, other concerns were voiced. “Someone needs to take initiative – need coordinators that understand the tasks.” “We need to identify people of “wisdom” regarding St.
Anthony.” “Need to help unify parishioners.” “There seems to be a lack of authority to implement changes. We need to be able to have ownership.” “Need to be empowered for ownership and involvement to take place.” For me the answer to these concerns is the pastor.
The pastor has the ultimate responsibility for the parish. As the leader of the parish, the pastor’s role is to develop and encourage the laity. One of the roles of the pastor is to develop the parish by encouraging the laity to use their gifts. With the shortage of priests, pastors in many parishes should begin to look at ways to identify the gifts of the parishioners and to recommend training programs for the laity.
It was good that the pastor was a part of the Team to listen and hear the concerns of the parishioners. Many issues came up about the church some good, some not so good, but the pastor kept an open mind about the process. Many in the small groups were impressed that the pastor took the time to attend all of the sessions. They were able to get some of their questions and concerns answered immediately. 94
By using Action Research, the parish took ownership of the outcome. They trusted the process to relate all of their concerns and passion about the future of the parish. “This research process provided the organization with self-knowledge as well as other knowledge (Sokol, 2004, p. 193). The parishioners were able to move from the What If stage of the study to the S.A.L.T along with the team. In the process the parishioners learned more about the church structure, and found a new awaking in the very thought that they can determine their future within the church.
I feel that the process was a success but the success of the research is not as important as the opportunity for the community to learn a new behavior. They made the decision of what the next steps were and were willing to implement their decisions. They had a voice in the change.
The results of this study gave the parishioners a new awareness of the importance of laity’s involvement in St. Anthony. Action research study gave the process a wealth of information that came from those who do not hold leadership positions. It gave those who have not been in leadership new knowledge about the future of the parish.
We successfully applied Action Research and Change Theory in achieving our goal of explaining the ways our parish, St. Anthony Catholic Church in Madisonville, could produce a model, which could help address the problems that currently exist and will continue to exist because of the priest shortage in the United States. The action research study was an opportunity for the parishioners to participate in setting the direction for St. Anthony. However, those in future leadership roles in the Church must realize that such leadership embraces not only opportunity, but also responsibility. Those on the leadership team will have to be fully grounded in church dogma, church tradition and church biblical heritage. There have been many challenges to the church. Yet the laity can help revitalize the church. The church must look at the sincere quality of the laity, for the laity along with the pastor can revive the church. 95
The action research study completed at St. Anthony can and should be used at other parishes. The shortage of priests will affect all parishes. The stages of the process will be unique to the parish, but the outcome is that the parishioners at the parish will have a voice in how the changes will affect them.
The goal of this study was to look at ways to get the laity involved in the parish and to begin to take on roles that the priest once held. For the church to survive, the laity must get involved. The laity always has had some role in the Catholic Church. Now with more opportunities and a new urgency for the people to move from the parishioner stage to the lay volunteer, the Roman Catholic Church must develop training programs to develop the lay leaders. The S.A.L.T. was looking at how to bring awareness of the roles of the laity as it is written in the Vatican II documents. The S.A.L.T. committee’s goal was to get the parishioners to participate in the decision about the future of the parish. We succeeded.
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Chapter 6
Conclusion
Knowledge is like a garden; if it is not cultivated, it cannot be harvested9
Introduction
The Roman Catholic Church is a hierarchical male dominated institution that is just over two thousand years old. Catholicism is one of the largest religious denominations in the United
States. According to The Official Catholic Directory 2005, (P.J. Kenedy & Son, 2005) there are nearly 64 million Catholics in the United States who constitute 23 percent of the U.S. population.
Many Catholics, as well as members of other religions, came to America for religious freedom.
As the Catholics began to mingle with others in the new country, they too began to change with the changes in the new world; no longer did they rely on foreign jurisdiction. They began to develop their own vision of the Catholic Church.
In the mid-19th century, the Catholic Church competed with the then dominant Protestant churches in the United States. The environment was very hostile to the Catholics. Each ethnic group began to develop its own church. For example, the Germans, Italians, and Irish who had fled their countries because of religious reasons developed their own church communities in the
Americas. The African-American community was the only cultural group among Catholics not able to develop their own churches.
In his book, The History of Black Catholics in the United States, Cyprian Davis (1992) stated, “From the viewpoint of evangelization, slavery was a hindrance to the preaching of the gospel. Catholic slaves often were deterred from the practice of their religion by the ill will of
9 African proverb 97 the slave owners” ( p. 43). Davis went on to quote William Henry Elder (1819-1904) who would later become the Archbishop of Cincinnati, saying Blacks are “naturally inclined to be dependent on others.” Elder found them “fickle,” unable “to resist temptation,” and “very much creatures of feeling” (p. 43). This research by Davis was important as it set the groundwork for how the broader community would see the role of the African American in the Catholic Church even today.
During the early years of the Catholic Church in North America, priests from Europe were invited to come to a parish to facilitate the spiritual needs of the parishioners. The priest, in many cases, was like a circuit rider in that he ministered to more than one parish. “In 1784
Bishop John Carroll of Baltimore reported that 7,000 Pennsylvanian Catholics were being served by two priests and that the 1,500 Catholics in New York relied on the solitary priest there for the sacraments” (Castillo, 1992, p. 302). The priest and the parishes were independent. Each parish relied on its own resources supplied by the parishioners. However, as Fortin (2002) in his book
A History of the Catholic Archdiocese of Cincinnati 1821-1996, states, “The local church became more developed administratively, as more and more power shifted from the parish to the chancery. With increasing centralization, parishes, schools, and charities were brought more directly under the archbishop’s supervision” (p. XV). As the church communities grew, the power began to move from the priests to the bishops and cardinals.
In the 19th century, the bishops or archbishops governed the American church. This was done largely by councils (Fortin 2002). Many of the Catholics came from Germany and Ireland.
They would later send for their own priests from their former county to help build the German and Irish communities. This was a great evangelization tool for the Catholic Church. “When 98
Catholics identified more with their place of origin than their citizenship, they attended church in greater numbers” (Forester & Sweetser, 1993, p. 15).
There was never a problem with families encouraging their young men to go into religious life. Having a priest or nun in the family was considered very prestigious. Many times, he or she was the oldest son or daughter. This gave the families the opportunity to move out of abject poverty and violent slums. The sons or daughters were able to gain advanced educations and careers far beyond what might have been available in the old neighborhood by going to seminaries and convents. The son had to choose between a diocesan priest or a religious order priest. The diocesan priests are priests who are trained in the local diocese for pastoral work only in the diocese. For the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, the priests are trained at the Athenaeum of Ohio in Mt Washington. Dennis Castillo in his article The Origin of the Priest Shortage:
1942-62, states there was not always a shortage of priests. In the early 20th century, there was a remarkable increase in men becoming priests. He states, “The Catholic population grew 14%, while the priesthood’s growth was twice as great, at 28%” and “In the 1930’s the growth of the whole Catholic population slowed to 6 percent, while the number of clergy grew by 26%” (p.
302). The priest/lay ratio in 1942 was one priest for every 617.
The members of the church have accepted the doctrine of the priest’s roles in the church so much that they cannot envision the possibility of a parish that does not have a priest. The priest is perceived as the head of the parish reporting not to the people he serves, but to the bishop of the diocese to which he is assigned. The crisis that the church is facing is the decrease in the number of men going into the priesthood. While there have been significant numbers of discussions on the reason for fewer priests, few seem to understand the need to prepare for the future without a priest in many parishes. William J. Bausch (1997) in his book The Parish of the 99
Next Millennium states “If we don’t face what’s out there, if we don’t take a hard, however unpleasant, look at reality, we simply cannot come up with an adequate and effective response”
(p. 8). He goes on to say, “The clergy shortage cuts across all lines and the remaining and graying priests themselves are shouldering heavier burdens with less help. This causes alarm among the bishops (who will celebrate Eucharist?) and consternation among the laity” (p. 9).
With this very brief history of the church it is very surprising to me that we did not see sooner the issues that would eventually affect the Catholic Church. It was as if we did not plan or because we felt so sure about the religion that nowhere in our wildest dreams would we feel that men would no longer enter the priesthood. How arrogant we are. So, those old men in long red robes have decided the faith of the church by still holding fast to a belief that has out lived it usefulness to the church. Where as a church do we go from here? St. Anthony is only one parish in the Roman Catholic Church. They all are or will be facing the same issues.
Change Theory
The idea of using Change Theory did not come to the S.A.L.T. committee at first. There was no roadmap in how to position St. Anthony in the future with fewer priests. We knew that the priest population in the archdiocese was decreasing and that by the year 2020, there would only be 70 priests for the entire Archdiocese of Cincinnati. We knew that the Archdiocese had projected that there would only be one priest for each Pastoral Region. For St. Anthony that means they would be sharing a priest with three other parishes. The hope was to shift the parishioners’ habit of seeing a priest at the parish constantly, to seeing him only on special occasions. 100
It is important that future researchers understand and know the participants in the research. The researcher will not be able to “unfreeze” a behavior without first learning about the process for creating the behavior.
St. Anthony Roman Catholic Church is a parish in the Archdioceses of Cincinnati, a
Roman Catholic Archdiocese. It is one of over 200 parishes in the Archdiocese. One in every six persons in the world is Catholic (Central Statistics Office, 2006). The Catholic Church’s foundation comes from the history of Judaism and the teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. Roman
Catholicism consists of the beliefs and practices of the church. The authority for the beliefs and practices is with the Pope in Rome who gives authority to his bishops to confer to the community. Teaching comes from the top down. Every catholic gets the same message. This was important information for me to understand the beliefs and practices that the parishioners had learned, many since birth.
The Catholic Church’s teaching could be compared to Freire’s (1983) concept of
“banking”. He states that education is an “act of depositing” (p. 53). He goes on to explain that the students are the depositories and the teacher is the depositor. This concept can very easily apply to the Catholic Church. The hierarchical church (depositor) deposits beliefs, structure, creed to the faithful, and the faithful (depository) receives them. All information is deemed correct because it comes from those high in the structure. The information is established by the
Vatican and then sent to the bishops of each diocese in the world to be implemented. In many cases, the changes are mandated and very little if any education is done. Those who are affected by the change are very seldom consulted. With the threat of fewer priests, the church must reevaluate its current structure and determine how changes should be implemented. “For change to occur, this force field had to be altered under complex psychological conditions because, as 101 was often noted, just adding a driving force toward change often produced an immediate counterforce to maintain the equilibrium” (Schein, 2004). The members of the church have accepted the entrenched practice of the priest’s roles in the church so much that they could not see the possibility of not having a priest to do or to approve virtually everything in the Church.
The “discomfort” of change as Schein describes it, causes an awareness of discomfort when the organization, institution or individuals learn of an imbalance in their previous learning and the new information that confronts them now. Of course, for the parishioners, the discomfort is that they will not have a full time priest. The need is to change their understanding of how the
Church will function in the future and how they can participate in determining how the church will function.
Parishioners come to church with some preconceptions and needs. They received
Catholic teachings either in Catholic schools or in RICA (Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults) classes. The process of positioning St. Anthony in the future took into consideration this knowledge. Brydon-Miller (2001) In support of Freire suggested that
“Freire’s work in literacy training in Brazil and around the world provided a
model of how researchers could draw on the knowledge and experience of local
people (parishioners), transforming that knowledge into a critical consciousness
of the forces that have shaped their economic and social realities” (Brydon-Miller,
p. 78 ).
It is not our job to change church teachings, but to use the knowledge of where the parishioners are in their understanding of the Catholic Church and their role in it. Parishioners do not join committees or participate in ministries the first time they attend a liturgy. If they are new to the parish, they first ‘feel the parish out’. That is to say, they see how things “are done”. They 102 observe the other parishioners to see how they work together. They may see parishioners in roles as lectors, ushers, Eucharist Ministers. At a prayer service, they may even see a parishioner presiding.
Kurt Lewin’s three-stage model of unfreezing-change-refreeze model requires prior learning to be discarded and replaced was the underlining model used for the study. Using
Action Research as the lens to help people through Lewin’s change model, the parish leadership designed a procedure for change. The methods that were used were data gathering, small group discussion, reflection on the data received, and finally action. There are three phases to the study. The first phase was the formation of the What If committee. The committee went through a change process and came out as the S.A.L.T. team. Evers’ process of change was an excellent process that helped the team to set the direction on how they would affect the parish.
She uses four factors in her writings:
1. Social interaction strategy
2. Problem solving
3. Research, Development and diffusion Strategy and
4. Linkage
In the social interaction strategy, our goal was the involvement of all the stakeholders.
Communication was important to get the message out to all stakeholders that included the pastoral parish council, the parishioners, the pastoral region, and the archdioceses. Involving the stakeholders went a long way in reducing stress in the process. The team was also able to develop trust within the community. As members of the parish, they interacted with the parishioners on many informal occasions and were able to discuss the process. What limited amount of stress there was came from the mistrust of the system not the leadership. In the 103 problem solving stage the team was able to identify the issues and discussed the best method for solving. Because this was an action research process, there was an evaluation at each stage.
However, the highest effect of the process would come when the changes were accepted and implemented into the life of the parish. In the research, development, and diffusion stage, the team was very fortunate, because the Pastoral Region had already determined what the outcome would be for the Pastoral Region based on statistics they had collected. At the linkage stage, the team reviewed the information and pulled together all the data as well as reviewed their own personal experience. For them that was their “aha” moment. Not only were they able to internalize the issues, they also learned from each other. They were able to share their own personal concerns about the process and the outcome. Moving through Evers’ process of change insured that the team would have the experience and knowledge to be able to guide the parish through a process of change. At this point, they became teachers, mentors, and coaches as they guided the parish through the process.
The S.A.L.T. team met for the last time after the recommendations were presented to the
Parish Pastoral Council. The team was very happy with the outcome and the way the parishioners participated in the process. The beginning of the process was slow but after the parishioners understood the importance of the process, they immediately began to interact with the team and other parishioners. After the parishioners got over the first shock of not having a resident pastor, they then began to plan. That was very powerful growth for someone who did not feel they had the power to change.
The second phase was the presentation to the Parish Pastoral Council. The presentation developed by the S.A.L.T. team was the prelude to the presentations that would be presented to the parish members. At this phase, the parish leadership became a partner in the process. They 104 were the “guinea pig” to see if the process would work. At this phase, there was an opportunity to determine if the process was the right way to go for the parish. St. Anthony Catholic Church is part of a hierarchical structure. The concerns of many of the parishioners were how the
Archdiocese would view the changes recommended by the parish leadership. This study was not looking at changing the core values of the Roman Catholic Church, but bringing new knowledge to the parishioners. St. Anthony, as many religious communities, is facing many changes.
Strong leadership was needed to work within the community to guide the parish throughout the process of change. The leadership accepted it.
The third phase was the involvement of the parish members. For the church to survive, the laity and the church must be of one accord. The involvement of the parishioners in the process was the key to the success of the process. As researchers it was the team’s role to create an environment that the participants felt comfortable in expressing their opinions and more important to make suggestions about the future of the parish. The process provided the ability to record unconscious thoughts and behaviors from the participants. The team’s role was to reduce the anxiety that came from comments like “how much influence the Archdiocese (and Vatican) will let us have” or “It would be nice if the Archdiocese would ask us what could be done, rather than telling us what will happen and then just expect us to react accordingly.”
For this study, we used the Small Christian Community (SCC) model. The participants were familiar with and they felt very comfortable in the settings. In each of the small groups there was a consensus that change must take place for the parish to continue as a viable community. The discussions that occurred in the small groups allowed the parishioners to hear other viewpoints. The greatest concern was what kind of training needed to start the process of change. Many were concerned about the role of the laity in the church, what technique to use to 105 educate parishioners about the need to “step up”. There seemed to be a lack of knowledge about the role of the laity and how they can participate in the future decisions of the church. Several parishioners were concerned with changing the “Catholic mentality” that is, let someone else take care of things. The parishioners were willing to take on roles of the priest but they did not know what role or programs were needed at St. Anthony.
The parish will share a priest with three other parishes. With this knowledge and concern, St. Anthony took a proactive approach to insure they would still be a community. By telling the parishioners that there will only be one priest for the region, it gave them the drive to want to participate in determining the change. Using action research to eliminate old behaviors and beliefs gave the parishioners the openness to accept new information. That is, there are new beliefs and behaviors that will bring the participants in line with the new organizational norms.
Changing the perception of how the parishioners saw the priests’ role will now bring them in line with the issue that the Catholic Church is facing. Of course, there was some concern of alienation and resistance to the change if certain factors were not addressed. In the small groups there were concerns raised about how the “church” would react to the process and do “we really have the authority to change”. The Team eliminated the concerns by educating the parishioners about the authority they had as laity. They had the authority to develop new norms and behaviors. The resistance to change is that people may not be willing to give up what they have learned. Edgar H. Schein (2004) wrote “The key, of course, was to see that human change, whether at the individual or group level, was a profound psychological dynamic process that involved painful unlearning without loss of ego identity and difficult relearning as one cognitively attempted to restructure one’s thoughts, perceptions, feelings, and attitudes” (Schein,
2004). Yet in many of the groups, the people voiced their concerns about the issues, but they 106 were still willing to participate in a process; that is, accepting the new behaviors and incorporating them in to the organization so that they become the new norms. The goal was to present the issues to the parishioners, have them plan for the change using action research, and finally accept the change. The change would become the fiber of the parish. At each stage of the process, there was an evaluation. It was impossible to go to the next step until there was a complete understanding of each stage of process. If the parishioners did not recognize that, there was a problem or issues then the team could not take them to the next step in the change process.
In the change procedural or action research stage, if the parishioners did not determine a plan for change, then there would be no need to incorporate the change into the life of the parish. The
S.A.L.T. committee presented the recommendations to the Parish Pastoral Council. The recommendations were accepted.
Fullan (2001) has expressed many times in his writings that the Change Leaders are the head of an organization and are responsible for leading the staff, teachers, or other colleagues to accomplish a future goal. The Parish Pastoral Council appointed the S.A.L.T committee to be the leadership team to lead the change process. The team was members of the parish as well as the pastor. They were insiders. This is a key feature of action research. The team guided the parish through each stage of the change process. The pastor was a major factor in the process.
He would ultimately be responsible for any change the parish decided. His leadership as well as the other team members would be the catalyst to guide the parish. The Team’s role was to guide the process in collaboration with the stakeholders, not to implement what their vision of what the change should look like.
107
Changes in the Congregation
St. Anthony, as well as other congregations, is experiencing constant change. In the last ten years, the Catholic Church has gone through two major changes the GIRM (General
Instruction of the Roman Missal) and the implementation of the Roman Missal. Historically the Catholic Church has made changes as mandated by the Vatican, and then the changes are given to the people of faith to implement. Too many times the laity does not have a voice in the decisions that are made at the Vatican level. The mandate comes down from the Vatican to the local diocese or archdiocese to implement the change. There is no discussion about the changes at the grassroots/parish level. Knowing that there will be a shortage of priests, the parish with support of the leadership and pastor decided to take a proactive approach to the issue. The parishioners determined the outcome of the study. They actively engaged in the study; they did not just accept the issue, but evaluated how the shortage of priests would affect them. They took the time to update themselves about the issue, attended small group discussions, and most importantly, they gave their opinion. The process empowered the parishioners to participate in the decision that would affect St. Anthony in the future.
Change will happen whether you plan for it or not. The challenge is to listen to the concerns that are raised loudly and those who do not speak up. St. Anthony decided to do a planned change. Yes, change will happen but for St. Anthony they determined how the change would occur. There were two voices, one that was very vocal about changes in the church
“again” and others had not voiced their opinion but were very aware of the changes. Many times these parishioners would leave the church without sharing why they chose to leave. The process was to involve as many people as possible. There was even an afterthought board posted for 108 parishioners who needed more time to think about the issue or for those who did not choose to share in a group.
In the responses, there were many concerns about moving from the old church to a church that is relevant to the community of today. The parishioners had been taught the core belief of the church in a time when there was an abundance of priests. The Canon Law governing the laity has not changed, but because of the shortage of priests, the laity now can bring forth his or her gifts and skills. This is an opportunity for the laity to determine how their skills will be used. The behavior of moving from sitting in the pews to being actively involved in the church will demand training and renewed education about their role as laity. 109
Chapter 7
“…give us, O God, leaders whose hearts are large enough to match the breadth of our own souls and give us souls strong enough to follow leaders of vision and wisdom...” 10
For Future Researchers
Since Kurt Lewin presented the concepts of change theory and action research, many theorist and researchers have started with the basic concepts and then added his or her own learning experience. The theory of change uses a process to plan, implement, and evaluate complex issues by using a series of actions at each stage of the process. The objective is to identify the relationship between the issues and the outcome. I, too, would like to add my experience and hope researchers in the future would add their experience. The goal of future researchers is first to review historical information about the theory.
I started this paper with the quote by Joan Chittister. The leaders of vision and wisdom are the researchers who will take on the responsibility of exposing an organization or institution or even a religious community to a process of change. For future researchers, it is important that you understand the organization and the participants. When the process is presented in a way that brings about change, the organization and the participants will accept the changes and in turn, knowledge, attitudes and behaviors will be affected by the experience. Change theory must be completely understood by the researcher or the research team. In this project, a team implemented the change.
The team went through a change process. This enabled them to understand the complexity in the process and to work with the participants to bring about change. The research was completed at one parish in a diocese that has over 200 parishes. Here is an opportunity for other parishes in the archdiocese to look at how to introduce change in their parish when they have major issues. A
10 From a prayer written by Joan Chittister, OSB 110 greater opportunity for future researchers is to look at an entire archdiocese or diocese and see how the process that was completed at the grassroots level could also have an impact on the senior leadership of the church. Because the church is top down, this would be a unique opportunity to engage those in authority to participate in a process of change. The senior leadership is viewed as having all the answers yet the congregation is challenging the leadership. Given these dynamics, this would be an excellent opportunity for a researcher.
Action research is ongoing; therefore, there is an opportunity for research to track the next phase. That is, were the recommendations implemented? How were they presented to the parish?
How were the recommendations accepted by the parish? Moreover, was new leadership created? Of course, the implementation will be the responsibility of the Parish Pastoral Council. This could be a challenge for future researchers because the council changes every year. As new members are elected, there must be a way to educate them about the implementation process and the history.
Another future research is what training programs should be designed or current training programs should be geared towards the need of the new volunteers. Currently there are training programs that are offered by the diocese and other religious institutions (See Appendix J, Why should we reinvent the wheel?). Yet there seems to be a lack of formal training for the volunteers. This is an opportunity to look at new training programs or restore those that existed in the past (See Appendix K
Ministers of Service Program).
Over the centuries and even during the past several decades there have been many challenges to the church through which it not only survived, but also oftentimes flourished. The question now becomes, given the increasing shortage of Roman Catholic priests in the United
States, how do we best develop and implement the use of lay leaders to continue an acceptable level of administration and ministry service in the parishes? 111
POST DISSERTATION
February 2003 Pastoral Regions include St. Anthony, St. Cecilia, St. Margaret of Cortona,
and St. John Vianney
May 2004 Father David Lemkuhl named pastor of St. Margaret of Cortona and St.
John Vianney Parishes
June 2005 Pastoral Councils of St. Margaret of Cortona and St. John Vianney
Parishes merged
December 2005 Father Len Wenke named dean of St. Francis de Sales Deanery
September 2006 Pilot program in pastoral administration begins at the Athenaeum of Ohio,
Mount St. Mary in The Archdiocese of Cincinnati because of future need
for pastoral administrators due to priest shortage
June 2007 Father Len Wenke named director of pastoral services and director of
priest personnel for the Archdiocese of Cincinnati while still pastor of St.
Anthony Church
September 2008 St. Margaret of Cortona Parish and St. John Vianney Parish merged to
become St. Margaret-St. John Church
June 2010 Father David Lemkuhl named pastor of St. Anthony Church. He will
remain pastor of St. Margaret-St. John Church
August 2010 A new parish, Church of the Resurrection was created by the merger of
four predominantly African American parishes – St. Agnes in Bond Hill,
St. Andrew in Avondale, St. Mark in Evanston and St. Martin de Porres in
Lincoln Heights
May 2011 Three men ordained priests for the Archdiocese of Cincinnati 112
GLOSSARY
Archbishop
A bishop of high rank.
Archdiocese
Diocese of an Archbishop.
Bishop
A member of the clergy ranking above a priest and typically governing a diocese.
Catholic
A member of the church claiming historical continuity from the ancient undivided Christian church.
Collaboration
The process in which cooperating parishes seek to maximize efficient use of personnel and other resources in a fashion, which benefits each and all. It is a necessary goal of any planning process, especially one that envisions multiple parishes served by one pastor.
Consolidation
The canonical process by which two or more canonically established “juridic persons” appeal to the Archbishop to allow them to merge their efforts so as to become one juridic person or parish.
Deanery
One of the eleven districts within the Archdiocese designated by the Archbishop as a geographic association of parishes. This grouping by geography is designed to enable cooperation between parishes located in the vicinity.
Deanery Steering Committee 113
A committee established by the Dean in his respective Deanery for the purpose of reviewing and evaluating the plans of parishes to collaborate and ultimately (possibly) share a pastor as a
Pastoral Region.
Dean
A priest from one of the parishes or institutions within a Deanery designated by the Archbishop to convene and preside at the meetings of the parishes and institutions in a deanery.
Diocese
The territorial jurisdiction of a bishop.
Eucharistic (Extraordinary) Ministers
Catholics who have been chosen and trained to assist the clergy in distributing Holy Communion when there are not enough clergy.
F.I.T. (Futures Implementation Team)
Eleven representatives chosen by the Archbishop (not currently Deans) one from each Deanery forming a team to work on the implementation of the recommendations made by the
Archdiocesan Futures Project.
Holy See
The see of the Pope, Bishop of Rome. The location of the government departments, jurisdiction and authority of the Vatican.
Lay Ecclesial Ministers (LEMs)
Term created by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops to identify pastoral ministers in the Catholic Church who serve in parishes. They are not ordained.
114
Liturgy
The official public communal worship of the Roman Catholic Church; this includes the Mass, the sacraments and the Liturgy of the Hours
Parish
A worshipping community established by the Archbishop as a “juridic person” under canon law, which gathers every Sunday for celebration of Mass. A parish may celebrate Mass in one or more public oratories or chapels.
Pastor
A minister or priest serving a local church or parish.
Pastoral Region Planning Committee
A committee named by the pastors of the parishes predetermined to work together in a collaborative effort and eventually share one pastor. The pastor of each parish should be a member of this committee together with two or three people from each parish, but no pastor may chair the committee.
Pastoral Region
Arbitrary associations of autonomous parishes (referred to in Canon Law as Juridic Persons) which have determined that they can collaborate for efficient ministry and possibly share one canonical pastor in the future. It is presumed that even if these communities do not share a pastor, they will work together collaboratively for efficiency of operation and enhancement of ministerial services available in the areas they serve. A Pastoral Region may also be referred to as cluster, grouping, or association of parishes.
115
Registered Parishioner Family Units
Generally counted by households or residential family units. Sometimes counted by individual envelope boxes distributed
Sacraments
The Latin word sacramentum means "a sign of the sacred." There are seven sacraments the
Roman Catholic Church recognizes: Baptism, Confirmation, Eucharist, Penance, Anointing of the Sick, Holy Orders, and Matrimony.
Second Vatican Council
Popularly called Vatican II, 1962-1965. The twenty-first ecumenical council of the Roman
Catholic Church convened by Pope John XXIII and continued under Paul VI. Its announced purpose was the spiritual renewal of the Church and reconsideration of the position of the
Church in the modern world.
See
The jurisdiction of the bishop, or the seat of the Catholic Church in a country. In the early history of the United States this would have been Baltimore.
Sister
A member of a religious order of women.
116
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Appendix
Appendix A Responses to the Deanery Chair Questions...... 125
Appendix B The Results of the Brainstorming ...... 127
Appendix C Training Session for the Facilitators ...... 128
Appendix D Change is Constant ...... 129
Appendix E Proposed Discussion Timetable ...... 134
Appendix F Leader’s Guide ...... 136
Appendix G Calendar ...... 138
Appendix H S.A.L.T. Small Group Gatherings ...... 140
Appendix I Summary of Questions ...... 153
Appendix J “Why should we reinvent the wheel?” ...... 156
Appendix K Ministers of Service Program ...... 163
Appendix L Ministers of Service Program Course of Study ...... 166
Appendix M The Way We Were ...... 175
125
APPENDIX A
Responses to the Deanery Chair Questions
Deanery Chair’s Questions and St. Anthony’s Responses:
1) In a sentence, describe your parish as it is now integrated community diverse community declining Sunday attendance although household numbers are constant dynamic and committed angelic and apostolic going through a transition with music ministry need to look at the liturgical celebration at each of the parish. friendly, open, diverse although it is not as diverse as it should be. 8:30 make up it’s different from the 11:30 more young people seem to attend the 11:30, could be because of the school the parish has a mission and a vision, spent a great deal of time on the document.
St. Anthony is a diverse community that is dynamic and committed. The parish has maintained its household enrollment, but there is a slight decline in Sunday attendance. Currently, the parish is going through a transition looking for a permanent music minister. We would consider St. Anthony also very friendly and open; although there is diversity, we feel we still have some work to do.
2) What could be the benefits of collaborating closely and/or sharing our pastor with other parishes?
growth, you have a chance to develop a pastor who lives longer with the pastor dealing with more than one community, we will learn things about the other community that we would not often learn whether we have changes or do not change synergy something that the other parishes do well that they can share those practices and procedures with the other parishes
The benefits of collaborating closely and /or sharing our pastor would give each parish the opportunity to grow, and to learn more about the other faith community. We would be able to see what the other parishes do well and to share ministry.
3) What are the strongest potential barriers to our beginning the process of such sharing and collaboration?
126
parishes do not want to give up the power people have been burnt it takes a long time to forgive not being able to pray at another’s church buy in of the leadership at each of the parishes the lack of sense of church we get accustomed to going to our own churches
Some of the strongest potential barriers to the process of sharing and collaborating are: o the lack of support from the leadership at each of the parishes o the lack of pastor support o people not understanding the concept of church o and people have grown accustomed to going to their own church building and not willing to go to another.
4) What are the clearest possible approaches for movement toward such sharing in the next year? coming together for prayer (morning prayer) pastors agreeing to the movement dialogue among the current pastors and the leadership at each of the parishes inviting other pastors to become a member of the What If committee
Some possible approaches to sharing are: o Dialogue among the current pastors and the leadership of each of the parishes o Come together for prayer o Invite the new pastor at the other parish or a member of his leadership to become a member of the What If committee
5) Where (or how) would our collaboration begin? attending liturgy of the other parishes pulpit switch combining Celebrations leaders from each parish coming together to dialogue (meal) pastors meeting on a regular basis
We can begin to look at several activities that will help in the collaboration. They are: o Pulpit switch o Combining Celebrations – Seasonal o Leaders from each of the parishes coming together to dialogue (meal) o Pastors to continue to meet on a regular base
127
APPENDIX B
The Results of the Brainstorming
Parish Strengths Weaknesses Diversity Youth Programs Attendance Inactive Involvement
Concerns Opportunities 1. Loss of Parishioners 1. More involvement of laity 2. Availability of Priests for 2. Shared ministries Mass and pastoral care 3. Shared facilities 3. Governance Council limited 4. Shared youth program 4. Training of laity 5. Include more laity (untapped resources) 5. Difference motivating laity 6. Parishioners unaware of issue
Brainstorm Consultants-Pastoral Associates Flyers with Timeline Models Bulletin Deacons Email Pulpit announcements Phone interviews (not popular)
Communication
Who? All Parishioners What? Change—we will need to share priests Where? All over Archdiocese When? 5 to 10 year time line Why? Not enough priests
How? Very concise message Who: Gloria, Pastor and another member (creating the message) with Council input
1. Pulpit 2. Bulletin 3. Letter from Pastor Original message will be distributed 4. Web page in many ways—ongoing 5. Church Newsletter Message by March 16, start in April 6. At some point, Sunday before RCIA ends. meetings 128
APPENDIX C
Training Session for the Facilitators For “Be the Change”
I. Overview
II Section 1 Pastor/Pastoral Administrator
III Section 2 Introduction Background information Presentation
III Section 3 Presenting the Questions Recording the answers
IV Questions
Please note:
As facilitators: 1. Give everyone an opportunity to speak We can discuss a process to do this. 2. Make people feel comfortable 3. Stay on time 4. Respect all opinions
We set the training dates for:
Sunday October 9 October 13 October 14 October 15
129
APPENDIX D
Change is Constant
World Archdiocese St. Anthony
Tonight we invite you to
Discuss these changes. Become knowledgeable of the issues. Share your thoughts and feelings.
130
Number of Catholics continues to grow. Number of available priests is decreasing. Fewer priests to serve pastoral needs
Archdiocese is Restructuring
Parishes need to share pastors Fr. Len ministers to St. John Vianney & St. Margaret of Cortona. Changes will occur as pastors retire. Sharing priests is based upon size and special needs of parishes.
131
What Does This Mean To St. Anthony?
Parishioners must assume more responsibility for ministry. We are committed to maintaining effectiveness of ministries. We recognize one priest cannot effectively pastor four parishes without help.
What Can We Do?
Parishioners continue to own responsibility. Ownership is not new for us. St. Anthony’s Parish Council is one of the strongest & most capable. Keep an optimistic attitude – we will prevail.
132
Discussion Questions:
How do you see yourself participating as we change?
What level of influence would you like to have in the upcoming changes?
133
What barriers prevent you from participating in a full, free, and powerful manner?
What do you think St. Anthony will look like 5-10 years from now? How do we prepare?
134
APPENDIX E
Proposed Discussion Timetable
St. Anthony SALT (St. Anthony Leaven Team) Committee
Topic Time (minutes) Opening Prayer 3 Opening Remarks by Fr. Len or Sr. Jeanne 2 Presentation of Material 12 Discussion of Questions 50 Summary of the Meeting 3 Acknowledgment of the Hosts 2 Closing Prayer 3 Hospitality and Dismissal 15 ------90 minutes total
Discussion Material Change is constant. The world is changing. The Archdiocese is changing. We at St. Anthony are also changing.
You were invited here today so that we can 1. Discuss these changes and what they mean to our St. Anthony community. 2. Become knowledgeable about some of the issues involved 3. Share thoughts and feelings about the church and our parish You are recognized leaders in our community and your participation is most urgently needed as we move forward.
The number of Catholics continues to grow The number of priests available to serve as pastors is decreasing So there will be fewer priests to serve the pastoral needs of the archdiocese.
The archdiocese is restructuring. Parishes that once had a pastor to themselves will have to share a pastor with other parishes. In fact, there are already 80 parishes who share pastors. Thirty-four priests minister to those 80 parishes. Twenty-seven are diocesan priests and seven are members of a religious community. We have already seen a change in our parish. Father Len ministers to St. John Vianney and St. Margaret of Cortona by celebrating a Saturday evening Mass. The restructuring in the archdiocese puts St. Anthony in a Pastoral Region with three other parishes, St. Cecilia, St. John Vianney and St. Margaret of Cortona. The actual change will be over the next few years as current pastors retire. There will probably not be a sufficient number of new 135 pastors to replace them. Parishes in the archdiocese will begin to share a pastor or priests based upon the size of the parish and special needs of the parish.
What does this mean to us here at St. Anthony? Among other things, this means that we parishioners must assume more responsibility for ministry. We are committed to do this because we do not want our needed ministries to suffer. And we recognize that expecting one priest to pastor four parishes as effectively as one parish, without our help, is impossible.
What can we do? We can continue to own the responsibility to have effective ministries in our parish. This ownership is not new for us. We have been actively involved in making our voices heard in implementing ministries and in the selection of new pastors. Our parish council is one of the strongest and most capable in the archdiocese. So taking responsibility for the things we value here is not new.
This change is somewhat different from what we faced before. However, we can still prevail. We can still survive this change and preserve those things so precious to us here in our parish.
Discussion Questions 1. How do you see yourself participating as we change? 2. What level of influence would you like to have in the upcoming changes? 3. What barriers prevent you from participating in a full, free, and powerful manner? 4. What do you think St. Anthony will look like 5-10 years from now? How do we prepare?
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APPENDIX F
LEADER’S GUIDE OPENING PRAYER ST. ANTHONY LEAVENING TEAM (SALT) FALL, 2005
Leader gathers group, gets their attention, makes sure everyone has a prayer page, and says some words of welcome and gratitude for taking time from busy lives, then introduces prayer with something like: Let’s take a couple of deep breaths to bring ourselves to this moment, in this place. Ask God to watch over all those concerns that accompanied us here. Wait a few seconds, then indicate that the lines printed in bold all for all to say. Begin.
Leader: Creator God, we gather today/tonight in your Name. We believe that Pentecost is a continuing revelation, that your Spirit comes in tiny whispers and in mighty winds. Open our hearts tonight to this Spirit. We place ourselves in your hands, trusting that you are leading us, and loving us into our future as a parish. (Pause a moment before continuing)
You are the God who created beauty and order out of chaos and nothingness. We believe in God, and we believe that God believes in us.
You are the God who called us to discipleship and to community. We believe in God, and we believe that God believes in us.
You are the God who gave us talents to be used to bring your Kingdom into being. We believe in God, and we believe that God believes in us.
You are the God whose longing for unity is implanted in our hearts, and whose love for diversity stretches us to appreciate all of creation. We believe in God, and we believe that God believes in us.
You are the God whose creativity invites us to be more than we knew we could be. We believe in God, and we believe that God believes in us.
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Leader: Let us pray together:
MEN Come Holy Spirit, breathe down upon our troubled world. Shake the tired foundations of our crumbling institutions. Break the rules that keep you out of all our sacred spaces. And from the dust and rubble, gather up the seedlings of a new creation.
WOMEN Come Holy Spirit, enflame once more the dying embers of our weariness. Shake us out of our complacency. Whisper our names once more, and scatter your gifts of grace with wild abandon. Break open the prisons of our inner being and let your raging justice be our sign of liberty.
MEN Come Holy Spirit, and lead us to places we would rather not go; expand the horizons of our limited imaginations. Awaken in our souls dangerous dreams for a new tomorrow, and rekindle in our hearts the fire of prophetic enthusiasm.
WOMEN Come Holy Spirit, whose justice outwits international conspiracy; whose light outshines spiritual bigotry, whose peace can overcome the destructive potential of warfare, whose promise invigorates our every effort to create a new Heaven and a new Earth, now and forever.
ALL Amen. (Diarmuid O’Murchu) 138
APPENDIX G
Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday
1
October 2005
2 3 4 5 6 7 8
9 10 11 12 13 14 15
16 17 18 19 20 21 22
23 24 Pleasant 25 26 Rectory 27 Indian 28 Need 29 Ridge Loveland Facilitator Hill Facilitator Facilitator Facilitator Facilitator Gloria J. 7:00- 7:00- 7:00- 7:00- 9:45-11:15AM Parker 8:30PM 8:30PM 8:30PM 8:30PM 7:00-8:30PM
30 Facilitator 31 9:45am- Facilitator 11:15AM Rectory 7:00-8:30PM
Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday 139
Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday
November 2005
1 All Saints 2 3 4 Springdale 5 Madisonville (1)Facilitator Facilitator 7:00-8:30PM 7:00-8:30PM Host- During the (2) day Facilitator Need a 7:00-8:30PM Facilitator
6 7 8 9 Facilitator 10 (1) 11Montgomery 12 Facilitator (1)Facilitator No Session Rectory Springdale Host Youth Facilitator Need a Rectory Facilitator Facilitator (2) Pleasant 7:00-8:30PM 9:45- Ridge 7:00-8:30PM (2) Kennedy 11:15AM Facilitator Heights Gloria J. (Host) Rectory Parker Facilitator
7:00-8:30PM 7:00-8:30PM 7:00-8:30PM
13 14 15Mt. 16 Madeira 17 18 19 Facilitator Washington Need Need Need 11:15AM Parish Host Facilitator Facilitator Facilitator Rectory Council Need (Host) Meeting Facilitator 7:00- 7:00-8:30PM 7:00-8:30PM 7:00-8:30PM 8:30PM
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APPENDIX H
S.A.L.T. Small Group Gatherings
October
Host: Facilitator
Participants: 8 Discussion Questions 1. How do you see yourself participating as we change? Question asked: What are the specific areas, responsibilities that are needed? Someone needs to take initiative – need coordinators that understand the tasks. Need to know the “day-to-day” mechanics of running the church. Will need training. May implement ministries like “Stephen Ministry” (Methodist Church model). We need to identify people of “wisdom” regarding St. Anthony. A significant concern: Fr. Len will not be able to continue work in/with Madisonville. – Who will take it over? Small faith groups should be continued so we can get to know each other better – we need to continue to cultivate community.
2. What level of influence would you like to have in the upcoming changes? Again, “What are the tasks?” “What are we getting in to?” Want an opportunity to provide input – perhaps participating on a committee or in a small group.
3. What barriers prevent you from participating in a full, free, and powerful manner? TIME Frustration and the need of prayer regarding who could be priests – female, married men.
4. What do you think St. Anthony will look like 5-10 years from now? How do we prepare? Our “region” will have one priest with four administrators.
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S.A.L.T Small Group Gatherings Sunday, October 30, 2005
Host: Facilitator Participants: 3
Discussion Questions 1. How do you see yourself participating as we change? Questions of participants: What are the tasks/ministries? Are laity allowed to perform tasks? Where does the authority for laity to perform tasks come from? What would we be committing to? Participation would need to “step up” Each person’s participation would be based on life-circumstances and knowledge that there are boundaries. Information and training needs to be available with the specific skills spelled out. Determine parishioners’ skills and/or desire for ministry. Goal: Awareness that we ALL have something to give, no matter how small.
2. What level of influence would you like to have in the upcoming changes? It’s important that all parishioners are invited to share ideas and desires in various formats. Implement contact people to act as “Lightening Rods” Others can share their point of view with. Level of influence desired may change with education.
3. What barriers prevent you from participating in a full, free, and powerful manner? Time Frustration with people and process “Cliques” may not allow or encourage voices of all to be heard A lack of self-confidence Past experience of being “burnt” A lack of trust in the church and its hierarchy Term limits of pastor and the unknown of newly assigned pastor. We need a process for new members to be integrated or “plugged-in”. Without Len and/or Jeannie we may lose our “glue”. Geographical distance of members
4. What do you think St. Anthony will look like 5-10 years from now? How do we prepare? Will not take on personality of priest We expect St. Anthony’s to continue to be viable, outreaching, diverse, growing, and maintaining its culture. Questions: How will we interact with our regional parishes? 142
Is there a need for St. Anthony’s to have separate people acting as “Pastor” and “Administrator”? 143
Report from a St Anthony S.A.L.T Presentation
Presentation Date: Thursday, November 3, 2005
Host: Facilitator:
Attendees: 9
Summary: The meeting began at 7:10 PM. The facilitator opened the meeting with words of welcome. Each attendee was provided with a copy of the opening prayer which was prayed as prescribed. Fr. Len extended words of welcome to the group. Each attendee was provided a copy of the Power Point presentation in the note page format. The material was presented in accordance with the provided script after which attendees were invited to ask questions to clarify any of the material presented. Some questions were asked which Fr. Len answered. After this initial dialogue, the first question was presented and one attendee was selected to present/share his/her thoughts. They, in turn, invited another attendee to respond to the question. This pattern was repeated until each attendee had an opportunity to address the question. The facilitator then summarized the responses to the question to ensure that the thoughts and comments of each participant were accurately captured. This sequence was followed for each question. After all questions were discussed and summarized, a final prayer was offered by the facilitator. Guests were invited to partake in hospitality. All was over by 9:15 PM.
Questions Responses
1. How do you see yourself participating as we change?
Use the New Jerusalem example – share knowledge of pros and cons Donate time, talent, and treasure to certain projects Get more people involved See how I fit in with what needs to be done Schedule compatibility is an issue Participation availability ebbs and flows Renew – creates community and strengthens parish Get involved in planning Sunday liturgy Act as a lay presider Attend St. Anthony sponsored educational events Continue involvement in hospitality and supplies Would like to participate in truer outreach not “in reach”
2. What level of influence would you like to have in the upcoming changes?
Participate in liturgy planning – want to see influence of others in planning – let different groups plan e.g. youth, seniors. Have health/energy limitations 144
Make suggestions for structure of worship – if have lay presiders, might have concurrent liturgies that are, for example, age appropriate. Want to have our suggestions heard, not fall on deaf ears – voices heard How much influence will the Archdiocese let us have? Need to have people invited to be more. Need to continue to support inclusivity – St. Anthony should support the female identity of our young women. Would like to have a significant level of influence. Desired influence will be impacted by exactly what the changes are. Would like to impact the changes themselves – not just react. St. Anthony has been progressive but we have also maintained a tie to base scripture. Don’t move away from this.
3. What barriers prevent you from participating in a full, free, and powerful manner?
TIME Not knowing theology well enough Personal need to do jobs really well – preparation takes even more time. Constantly being asked, but never being heard. Archdiocese holding us back? Knowledge Fear of conflict Obligations – family or religious community Personal choices Time intensity/commitment of group/frequency of meeting How do I know when I step over the line in terms of authority? Losing the unique identity of St. Anthony Challenge not to get discouraged.
4. What do you think St. Anthony will look like 5-10 years from now? How do we prepare?
St. Anthony will grow because we are diverse – keep up the faith and good work. Honestly, don’t know if we’ll be there. If combining four parishes will there be a need to keep them all open? Would it be economically viable to keep St. Anthony open? Which one(s) will they keep? Follow the current model of population moving out of Cincinnati. 5 years out – I see a surge of new energy – we need to be creative in ways we invite folks to be a part of our community. I see us using more inclusive language Laity more involved in liturgy See less of Len (he leaves in 2009) Not so sure St. Anthony will be there – it’s already hard to motivate folks to participate – what will this be like when the responsibility is even greater? Can’t imagine St. Anthony not being there in 10 years For planning – need a really strong education process. Our destiny to determine what St. Anthony can become 145
Tons of opportunity – need to energize faithful Share and show folks what we can be. Take it upon ourselves to create our parish. Not sure St. Anthony will be there, but if we are, we will be vibrant and folks will be very involved.
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NEWSPRINT NOTES FROM S.A.L.T. GATHERING ON NOVEMBER 6, 2005
Host: Facilitator
Participants: 7
Set framework for discussion of parish size: what are economics of hiring the best people to support parish programs – share staff, consolidate, etc?
Relationships and place provide continuity for members of parish.
How do we change “Catholic mentality” that someone else takes care of things?
Is there an ecumenical approach that this parish could adopt for Sunday celebrations, community Council, etc? More diversity in congregation More in community building activities
Will new model be more brands oriented vs. neighborhood based? Great music Great homily Community service Etc.
- Define organization structure with priest that does Mass only.
- What skill sets are required to operate parish programs, ministries, and sacraments?
- What authority is turned over to parish so it can really empower and recruit lay people to take responsibility for direction of parish and programs? - - Parishioners have to be willing to take over responsibilities and empower themselves, not wait for church to hand it over.
- Break out job description of priest and define new model for priest and lay people.
- What is optimal size of parish to support programs – economic issue of hiring qualified staff? 147
St. Anthony Church S.A.L.T Meeting Flip Chart Notes November 6, 2005 in Rectory Living Room Facilitated by Hosted by
Attendees: 9
1. How do you see yourself participating as we change? a. Need to take some priest responsibilities into lay hands b. Many people already highly involved c. Lay leaders need to ask for more involvement especially from those not already helping. Maybe on a trial basis, where participant may just sit in with Committee before full commitment. d. Who is and how many people are involved in activities? (Fr. Len responded to this question-100 to 125 involved out of about 1500 parishioners, attendance at two masses down 23% from 2004). e. Need for new parish directory.
2. What level of influence would you like to have in the upcoming changes? a. Varied involvement from very high level to calling on phone. b. Need to be stronger recruiters.
3. What barriers prevent you from participating in a full, free, and powerful manner? a. Time. b. Transportation/physical limitations/distance. c. Driving at night. d. Catholic Church rules are too strict, e.g. GIRM rules, that limit involvement. e. Perception of Madisonville as a dangerous place.
4. What do you think St. Anthony will look like 5-10 years from now? How do we prepare? a. Fear that St. Anthony will be swallowed up by larger parish, i.e. St. Cecilia. b. Since no school, St. Anthony more likely to close. c. Possibility of St. John Vianney closing, then St. Anthony parish count would increase. d. Will we have a Pastoral Minister to lead services on weekly basis? Even when priests not available? e. Many wonderful participants in masses presently. Look forward to continuing. f. Morning weekday Mass numbers down. Still expecting priest here at least weekly. g. People must stick together regardless of the priest shortage or selection. h. Worried about losing our uniqueness. i. Really work with Madisonville Community to ensure our parish future. j. More lay help with promoting plus community relations, e.g. MEAC, Habitat for Humanity, Bread Fund.
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St Anthony S.A.L.T Presentation Report
Presentation Date: Thursday, November 10, 2005
Host: Facilitator:
Attendees: 7
Summary: The meeting began at 7:05 PM. The facilitator opened the meeting with words of welcome. Each attendee was provided with a copy of the opening prayer which was prayed. Fr. Len extended words of welcome to the group. Each attendee was provided a copy of the Power Point presentation in the note page format. The material was presented in accordance with the provided script after which attendees were invited to ask questions to clarify any of the material presented. Some questions were asked which Fr. Len answered. Unfortunately, due to a scheduling conflict, Fr. Len had to leave in middle of the meeting to go to another discussion group. Since there were other questions/opinions that the group felt would have been nice for Fr. Len to answer, we felt strongly that, if there are any more meetings, this conflict definitely be avoided and that Fr. Len should be in attendance for the full meeting. After the initial dialogue, the first question was presented and each attendee was invited to share his/her thoughts on each question. After all questions were discussed, guests were invited to partake in hospitality.
Question Responses
1. How do you see yourself participating as we change?
a. Taking on more responsibility for new ideas, from conception though carrying out. b. Fr. Len was asked what he saw some changes would be: i. His involvement in Madisonville community will probably have to change and he hopes a parishioner who is a Madisonville resident will step up and keep this community involvement from St. Anthony’s. The parish priest is very “identifiable” in the community and this needs to continue in one form or another. ii. Our church community needs to be involved with each other and take the time to get to know each other better. As he is stretched thinner with other parishes he (and all other priests) cannot know parishioners as closely as he does now. iii. Liturgy times will change – in all churches involved – and we need to be willing to adapt to these changes.
2. What level of influence would you like to have in the upcoming changes?
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c. It was questioned how much influence the Archdiocese (and Vatican) will let us have. For instance, most felt strongly that there should be married priests and women priests, but we realize that the powers that be won’t let this happen. d. Would like to be involved in Worship Committee and see it being more laity- driven, e.g. Liturgy Planning Teams. e. Need to help unify parishioners f. It would be nice if the Archdiocese would ask us what could be done, rather than telling us what will happen and then just expect us to react accordingly. g. Would like to somehow get our parishioners more involved with everything, not just showing up for Mass every Sunday.
3. What barriers prevent you from participating in a full, free, and powerful manner?
h. Geographical limitations. We come from all over. i. Other churches in our cluster seem to want quiet, private prayer at Mass. j. The “stand, kneel, stand, sit, stand” mechanics that the other churches have. k. Handicap persons may have difficulty getting to Mass with different times and places. l. The “That’s not what we are about” mentality from staff shows lack of insight at times. m. Busy-ness with the world, family, jobs, etc. n. There seems to be a lack of authority to implement changes. We need to be able to have ownership.
4. What do you think St. Anthony will look like 5-10 years from now? How do we prepare?
o. Regarding St. Anthony building – “gone”, “parking lot”. p. Regarding St. Anthony church community – “relocated”, “dispersed”. q. Maybe people will finally get a sense of urgency to keep the spirit of St. Anthony’s.
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S.A.L.T Small Group Gatherings Report for November 13, 2005
Attendees: 2,
Host: Facilitator: Gloria J. Parker-Martin
A. Opened up with prayer
B. Presentation about why we are here
C. How do you see yourself participating? Not necessarily bad Willing to continue in activities toward collaboration Not sure about my role See change as possibility
D. What level of influence would you like to have in the upcoming changes? Keep the door open to everyone Want St. Anthony to have a strong influence on the outcome(s) of the process
E. What barriers prevent you from participating in a full free and powerful manner? Time, uncertain about commitment level Don’t feel participation or input is always welcome Don’t have enough understanding of the parish as a new parishioner
F. What do you think St. Anthony will look like in 5-10 years? And how do we prepare?
Prepare by taking an active role Loss of familiar “family” feeling (place) Culture and identity may change when parishes combine St. Anthony will not look too different except for less participation of the pastor Continue communication throughout the process Even more need for ownership by members. Identify and explore the concept of “elders” Role of deacon? Pastor Selection will be very important Would need to explore/expand role of Pastoral Associates and deacon(s)
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S.A.L.T Small Group Gatherings
Host: Facilitator Participants: 8
1. How do you see yourself participating as our parish and others around us change? More lay will have to be involved. Most likely to get involved if start with areas that drew them to St. A’s initially and then branch into other areas that can use their talents. May need to hire more lay staff which will require more money in the collections.
2. What level of influence would you like to have in the upcoming changes? Generally would like to be kept involved to help set direction. Need to be sensitive to the distances some travel to get to St. Anthony and see if we can do more things in small groups away from the parish offices. May want to find similar parishes to join with in some efforts. Within the Deanery, have groups of lay formed to help each other deal with issues. Need to be empowered for ownership and involvement to take place.
3. What barriers prevent you from participating in a full free powerful manner? Barriers are travel distances and not knowing what needs to be done or how to do what needs to be done. Also great fear that once you are involved you end up stuck with the event or whatever forever. Need to know up front what the commitment is if getting involved. Also families are very involved in other activities that pull them away or take up much time. This is especially true if the children go to another parish school.
4. What do you think St. Anthony will look like 5-10 years from now? How do we prepare? In 5 to 10 years we need to be more energized to maintain the parish. Need more money for more lay staff. May have only one mass each weekend. May have to go elsewhere for some services.
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S.A.L.T Small Group Gatherings Youth
I have included a summarization of my conversation with the 7th & 8th grade classes last week.
After prayer, I began by informing the kids about SALT and why I was there to speak to them. I informed them of the shortage of priests in the area and I asked them how they would feel if Father Len was only there for Communion and the homily was delivered by someone different every week or by Sister Jeannie. They had no reaction at all. I took this reaction as that it would not bother them at all.
I explained to them that they were the future of the church and that it was important for them to stay involved in the day-to-day workings of the church by volunteering, lecturing, etc.
Next I asked any of them if they had any interests that could benefit the church i.e. finance, carpentry, accounting. I did not get much of a response. I told them that a few of the parishioners had expressed a desire to mentor them if they were willing to commit.
Then I asked them if they had an issue with the role of women in the Catholic Church. This question seemed to elicit a response from the girls. Apparently, some were unaware that women were not allowed to be priests. Some did not feel that was fair. Another comment was made that women priests would help alleviate the shortage.
Then I asked if they liked the music in church. No response. Then I asked how many played an instrument. I believe there were five or six musicians between the two classes. They all expressed a desire to participate more in the Mass.
Staying on the music theme I asked if any of them had been to the protestant Crossroads church . Maybe four or five of the class had been. I asked them if they liked the service and they all said no. I asked them why not and one girl said that it did not feel like they were worshipping. I have to admit that I was quite surprised by that comment.
What I came away from this meeting with was that this group really felt that women were the future of the Catholic Church and that women should be allowed a more prominent role.
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APPENDIX I
Summary of Questions
Question 1
How do you see yourself participating as our parish and others around us change?
Parishioners are aware that the laity involvement will need to increase substantially within St. Anthony’s as the parish changes to accommodate the decrease in available priests.
Before parishioners can answer how they see themselves participating, they need to have an understanding of the organizational structure of the parish including all the areas of responsibilities – we need to know “what needs to be done”. Someone or some persons will need to coordinate the responsibilities. Ideally, an individual person’s gifts would be matched with the needs of the parish. Furthermore, there will need to be coordination among the four parishes that will share the pastor. Although increased involvement of the laity is necessary, it would seem there will be the need for a salaried coordinator. Parishioners felt strongly that St.
Anthony will need to continue to intentionally cultivate community in order to maintain and increase participation of the laity.
Question 2
What level of influence would you like to have in the upcoming changes?
Generally, parishioners would like to have a high level of influence regarding the upcoming changes. They felt that all parishioners should be invited to share ideas and desires in various formats. One idea to help facilitate this would be to identify people to act as “lightening rods” with whom others would feel comfortable sharing. Another idea, which spoke to the geographical distance of parishioners, is to form small faith groups “away” from the parish.
Some parishioners are skeptical of the amount of influence the “Archdiocese will let us have” 154 and would like St. Anthony parishioners to be involved with decision-making rather than “told” what will happen.
Question 3
What barriers prevent you from participating in a full free powerful manner?
Barriers preventing parishioners from participating can be summarized as: time restraints, geographic distance from the parish, lack of clarity around expectations, lack of authority (Catholic Church rules limit laity’s involvement), perceived lack of safety in
Madisonville, feeling of not being heard or that input is unwelcome, and a lack of knowledge.
Question 4
What do you think St. Anthony will look like 5-10 years from now? How do we prepare?
Some parishioners think St. Anthony will not exist, while others think people will react and be even stronger and more vibrant than it is today. However, most agree that in order for the
Parish to survive, the laity must become more involved. More creative approaches must be taken. There will be a need for more financial resources as more lay staff will be needed to perform pastoral functions. Furthermore, it is thought that “services” will need to be provided outside the Madisonville area to address our geographical dispersion.
It took almost two years to complete this process. The committee presented the summary to the
Parish Pastoral Council along with our recommendation.
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Recommendations to Parish Council
1. Communicate the S.A.L.T. Discussion Group Summary to all parishioners.
2. Broader organizational structure/system should be developed to include lay volunteers in
a variety of ministries. The parish’s current organizational structure provides for a very
“narrow channel” through which the needs of the church and the gifts of the church shift
(e.g. Pastor, Pastoral Administrator, other Staff).
3. Ultimately, an individual person’s gifts will be matched with the needs of the parish.
The Parish Pastoral Council accepted the recommendations. The final action of the process was for the pastor to write a letter to every household in the parish.
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APPENDIX J
“Why should we reinvent the wheel?”
Training and Formation
Training and formation programs were started to provide the laity with the necessary skills to help the pastor. The formal training programs were sanctioned by the diocese or archdioceses where they were created. The laity was trained to be Lectors, Eucharistic
Ministers, Christian Initiation of Adults (RICA) teachers, and Sunday school teachers. Most were volunteers. The pastor of a parish called forth the volunteers to work with the pastor. As the priest community decreased, there was an increase in the need for lay involvement. It was not the traditional volunteers who came forward, but the paid professionals. It was now their job to coordinate the parish activities. Job descriptions were developed for these new professionals:
Director of Religious Education, Liturgy Director, and Parish Administrator. The job responsibilities of the Director of Religious Education included coordinating the religious education programs of the parish. The Liturgy coordinator works with the lectors, communion ministers, musicians, sacristans, and servers. The volunteers no longer report to the pastor, they now report to the professional staff.
Now what do we do with this new form of parish life? Patrick Brennan (1991) in his book Re-imagining the parish: Base communities, adulthood, and family consciousness, suggested that for us to develop a strong form of parish life, we must first recognize the needs of the parishioners. We must look first at ways to put the best volunteers in the right job to grow the parish. However, how do we train them? 157
Many researchers agree that the right volunteer must be properly trained ( Brennan,
1991, Forester & Sweetser, 1993) . They agree that we should still look at ways to increase the priest population, but we must also recognize that the laity has to be educated to take on the roles that priests will no longer be performing. In the process of motivating volunteers and encouraging them to participate, potential leaders must be identified. It is quite possible that the leaders could be the ones to take over the role of the professional staff. Often lay leaders are identified and developed from the volunteers’ pool. These future leaders are the motivators and empowers who will help develop the new volunteers. They not only lead by vision and passion, they get people involved.
The goal of the pastor is to empower the laity to participate in the life of the parish in roles that would help him bring the community to spiritual growth. Now, the laity is being prepared to take on the roles that the pastor once did. For the laity to begin to participate in the new parish structure, they must first be told the truth. Only within the last five years, have the bishops begun to talk about the priest shortage. Most parishes still experience a Mass every
Sunday with a presiding priest, whether it is the pastor of the parish or a “visiting” priest. Most parishioners are not aware that in less than five years they will not have a full time pastor. Only recently, has there been much said or written about the shortage of priests. Yet, there has been no serious dialogue about the problem of the shortage of priests with those who sit in the pew.
There has always been a priest for the liturgy. Nevertheless, we are faced with the issue and we need to look at ways to bring the awareness to the pew people and begin to train the laity not only to help the pastor, but also to be able to take on roles that the pastor once had.
As we look at training for the laity, let us first look to Rome. Patricia Lefevere (1996) in her article, How laity, too, can get a Rome education discussed how the laity level of education 158 in Rome is nowhere near that of the seminarians, priests and nuns. Those who are sent by his or her religious order not only received the education but all of their expenses were paid by the order. After their education was completed, they returned to jobs that were waiting for them.
Even when the laity was challenged to get involved after Vatican Council II, there was no preparation in Rome for the education of the laity (Lefevere, 1996). There is a growing trend in some dioceses in the United States to send laity to Rome for training with the understanding that they would return to serve the church. The Lay Centre in Rome offers housing for the lay students as well as an opportunity for the student to meet others from around the world. The environment of the Center offered the lay students an opportunity to look at his or her mission and to determine their own spirituality. For the laity, there is no guaranteed employment upon completion of their education. After the completion of their training, some laity is hired for positions like teaching in pastoral leadership, deaconate formation programs or coordinating adult religious education.
The Education for Parish Service Foundation, which was formed out of the spirit of the
Lay Centre in Rome, now offers a two-year program for the laity in adult theology and formation held in five cities in the United States. The main campus is located at Trinity College in
Washington D.C. Those who have graduated from the program have gone on to be catechists, hospital and nursing home chaplains, and pastoral associates.
By giving lay persons the chance to learn more about their faith in the place
where it has been lived (Rome) out for so many centuries, the Lay Centre is
helping both to send them back to lead the local church as well as to keep them
connected with other laity and other models of church worldwide (Lefevere,
1996, p. 1). 159
In 2001, the subcommittee on Lay Ministry of the National Conference of Catholic
Bishops’ Secretariat for Family, Laity, Women and Youth hired the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA) to research the Spiritual Formation of Lay Ecclesial Ministers. Before the study, CARA called together a selected number of leaders in different areas of lay ministry and ministry formation. Leaders were assembled to give their opinion about spiritual formation of lay ecclesial ministers. The information collected from this group was used as the basis for the design of a survey. This survey was ultimately sent to 323 lay ministry formation programs in CARA’s database. The CARA process was long and extensive. The goal was to get as much input into the process as possible, as the results could be the catalyst for other types of formation programs for the laity. CARA received a 64% response rate. There were three major findings:
Seven in ten lay ecclesial ministry formation programs include some type of formal
spiritual formation component and more than a quarter have a formal spiritual formation
assessment process. On average, approximately one-third of a candidate’s time is
devoted to spiritual formation activities. Theological reflection is the most commonly
required element of lay ministry formation programs.
A commitment to the person of Jesus Christ and the desire to serve others are the
qualities that are most characteristic of candidates when they begin lay ministry
formation programs. These qualities are even more evident at the conclusion of the
formation program.
Program directors report that candidates for lay ecclesial ministry who participate in their
formation programs grow most in their ability to articulate their faith experiences and to
reflect theologically as well as in developing a sense of community, a sense of mission 160
and discipleship, and sensitivity to diverse expressions of faith (Bendyna & Guatier,
2001).
The surveys identified five different types of programs: diocesan, college or university, seminary or school of theology, clinical pastoral education, and independent. Not surprisingly, the diocese had the most programs with 45%, with college or university coming in second with
31%. The seminary and school of theology had 13%. However, we must remember that the clientele of the seminary is not the laity, but those who will be ordained as priests or deacons.
Therefore, they will not have a large percentage of programs for the laity. One of the major issues that came out of the surveys was the question of a screening process and an assessment process. As we discussed early in this paper, the need to put the right person in the right ministry is a key issue in identifying roles for the laity.
Much of the CARA report centered also on the curriculum that included such components of the program as:
Theological Reflection
Faith Sharing
Shared Prayer
Academic Courses on Spirituality
Liturgical Celebrations
Days of Reflection or Recollection
Retreat
Mentoring
Formation Director
Spiritual Director 161
The formation process may be a good program for the paid professional, but it seems overwhelming for the new volunteer who will be moving into more of a leadership role.
The church should look seriously at ways to increase participation of the lay volunteer leaders. The lay volunteer leaders hold the position between the volunteers and the paid professionals. They hold full time jobs and have families, but they are willing to work to develop other volunteers. As I reviewed the different training and formation programs, my major concern was what kind of programs will be designed to train those who are going from volunteer to leader volunteers who will take on many of the duties of the pastor, as well as develop others to take on other pastoral roles. Many of the training programs researched are those designed for the paid professionals. There is nothing wrong with these programs, especially when the curriculum meets the needs of the parish. However, most laity going from volunteer to ‘volunteer leader’ is not looking for a formally structured formation program. They do not have time to complete an elaborate and lengthy multi-course program; in most cases, they are employed full time, with a family. They are not like the full time paid professional. As we look to develop training programs for the volunteer leaders, we must make certain the programs are accepted by the archdiocese and meet the needs of the lay leaders (See Appendix K Ministers of Service Program).
The crisis with the shortage of priests in the United States is causing the Catholic Church, especially the Archdiocese, to review a significant change in the policies of the church. This should cause the Church to reevaluate how it utilizes the services of the laity and how it ministers to the faithful.
There are many current problems indicating that changes must come for the Catholic
Church to be more effective and influential for its members and for society in general. Many of 162 the jobs and roles held by priests should be given to the laity and in some cases to women. Pope
John Paul II named Mary Ann Glendon, a professor of law at Harvard University, to be president of the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences in 2004. “The appointment marks the first time a woman has been named president of one of the 10 pontifical academies, all of which involve groups of scholars who conduct and encourage research on topics of concern to the Catholic
Church”(Pope names first woman to head Vatican Academy.2004, pp. 2). Also in 2004, Pope
John Paul II named Sister Sara Butler to the theology commission. “For the first time, Pope John
Paul II has named women to the Vatican’s International Theological Commission” (Pope names first woman to theology commission.2004, pp. 2). Sister Sara Butler is a teacher at St. Joseph’s
Seminary in Yonkers, N.Y. where she teaches dogmatic theology. Karen Kane was appointed
Director of the Worship Office by Archbishop Pilarczyk in the Archdiocese of Cincinnati. It is the first time a layperson has been appointed and the first time that a woman was appointed.
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APPENDIX K
Ministers of Service Program A Training Program for the Laity
The Ministers of Service Program was a program started in 1979 to respond to the decline of ordained ministers. It was modeled after a program started in the Archdiocese of
Detroit. The program originally focused on urban ministry. The program was located in St.
Joseph Catholic Church, one of the African American parishes, in the Archdiocese of Cincinnati.
The program mission was to promote the empowerment of Catholic laity toward ministry. The
Ministers of Service Program was open to everyone men and women of all races, but the priority was on promoting the African American male leadership. It was started with the support of lay leaders and priests who saw an academic and spiritual need to develop laity in the church. The program was supported by the parish of the individual candidate and donations. The program ran for two years without financial support of the Archdiocese. In 1981 Joseph Bernardin,
Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, took a bold step and endorsed the program.
I am grateful for the opportunity to review the Ministers of Service Program and
learn of the good work you have accomplished in rising up and developing lay
ministerial leadership in the Black urban parishes. I want you to know that I am
pleased with the program. It is one of the most exciting things that is happening
in urban parishes. Your committee recognized a need at the parish level and
responded directly to meet that need in an obviously effective way. You have
demonstrated in the past two years that your program deserves and should have
ongoing funding and that the organizational structure with which you have
successfully managed the program should be maintained. Archdiocesan funding
will give the Ministers of Service Program the credibility of the Archdiocese and 164
the approval and support of the Archbishop, who, as Vatican II teaches us, should
work fraternally with the laity in and for the Church and take special care of the
lay persons engaged in apostolic works (Bernardin, 1981).
I was in the class of 1982. The program was developed in the tradition of the Catholic
Church. The decree on the lay apostolate from Vatican II was used as the foundation for the program. The Minister of Service would be co-worker with the priest in responding to the needs of the faithful. The parish and pastor recommend the candidate. After the fourteen weeks, the new ministers publicly state their commitment to be “Christ” in their parish. They can only be a
Minister of Service in the parish they come from. The program of formation consisted of two seven-week periods. The training took place from 6:00 p.m.to 9:00 p.m. once a week. After the fourteen-week period, the minister was required to pursue a program of education for no less than three years (Continuing Education). The courses were:
Church in the World
Pastoral Ministry
Old Testaments (Hebrew Text) Scripture
Practical Spirituality
Church History
Speech
New Testament Scripture
Liturgy
The continuing Education subjects were:
Practical Spirituality
Black History 165
American Church History
Ecumenism
Counseling Principles and Techniques
Preaching
There was an evaluation of the ministers before they take their final commitment. The review committee consisted of the chairperson of the Steering committee of the Ministers of
Service Program, the academic dean of the Ministers of Service Program, and the pastor or
Parish Pastoral Council president of the candidate. Three things are required:
1. They must demonstrate a clear concept of their role as Ministers of Service within
their particular parish-community.
2. They must have a realistic vision of the Church and its role in contemporary
society.
3. They must also have developed a personal plan for spiritual support.
The program budget was cut under the next Archbishop. The program was very successful but the new bishop did not see the importance of lay training as did the former bishop. The program continued for several years without funding from the archdiocese. Most of the funds came from the parishes and donation. Eventually the program closed but not without training over 200 lay ministers. It is time to bring it back. In Appendix L is the Course of Study taken directly from the program of the Minister of Service.
166
Appendix L
Minister of Service Program
Course of Study
PROGRAM OF FORMATION The Program of Formation for the Ministers of Service is both academic and spiritual. It consists of two seven-week periods, after which they, will be commissioned for service. The ministers will be required to take four courses for two seven-week periods. Each class meeting has a relaxed and informal atmosphere. There is some lecturing by instructors; however, there is a strong emphasis on discussion and group activity.
After the initial program, the ministers would be required to pursue a program of education for no less than three years. The following courses are recommended for the first seven-week period.
CHURCH IN THE WORLD This course would be designed to acquaint the students with the contemporary mission and vision of the church. (Vatican II Ecclesiology) This acquaintance it is hoped will permit the minister to function within the parish community in a manner, which will be concomitant with general vision of the church while also making that vision relevant in his specific community.
A. Meaning of Renewal D. Meaning of Apostolate B. Renewal in Liturgy E. Ecumenism C. Renewing Ideas of the F. The Church in the World Church
PASTORAL MINISTRY
A team of people currently involved in urban ministry would conduct this course. The purpose of this course will be not only to acquaint the future ministers with specific techniques and nuances in urban ministry, but also to allow the minister to understand his role in ministry. Each session will have a different lecturer who will share personal experiences and techniques and respond to questions.
OLD TESTAMENT (HEBREW TEXT) SCRIPTURE
The purpose of this course is to familiarize the student with Catholic scriptural tradition and hermeneutical technique as well as to provide the future minister with an adequate scripture vision both personally and in his pastoral ministry. The students will read the Pentateuch Historical Books and the Major Prophets. A. Pentateuch B. I & II Samuel, I & II Kings I & II Chronicles 167
C. Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Amos, Hosea
PRACTICAL SPIRITUALITY
The purpose of this course will be to first assist the students in developing a personal spirituality to support him in his ministry. Secondly, the student will learn how to structure prayer experiences for the community. This will specifically include such events as youth services and wake services.
It is suggested that there be a brief transition period before beginning the second seven week period. The courses for the second seven weeks are as follows.
CHURCH HISTORY
The purpose of this course is to give the student a general feel for the tradition of the church beginning with the apostolic period. This course should highlight the most formative periods of Catholicism only. Furthermore, it should provide the student with an appreciation for the hierarchical structure of the church.
A. Early Church (first to eighth century) Acts of the 'Apostles Apostolic Fathers Fathers of the Church Important Councils B. Medieval Church C. Reformation and counter-Reformation D. Mission of the Church Today
SPEECH
This course will provide the ministerial candidates with the rudimentary techniques of public speaking. This is designed to allow the minister to feel comfortable speaking and proclaiming the word before an audience. This would also include techniques for impromptu and extemporaneous speaking. A. How to prepare a speech B. Opportunities for speaking (extemporaneous and prepared)
NEW TESTAMENT SCRIPTURE
This course will provide the candidate with an introduction to the New Testament providing the necessary background to understand the Gospels, the Acts of the Apostles, the writings of Paul and the Catholic letters; and its implications from an African perspective.
LITURGY
This course would acquaint the minister with the development of the liturgy to its present form. Also, it will assist the minister in understanding his role in liturgical functions. The ministers will also study the sacraments and their role liturgically in the building and unifying of the Christian community. 168
CONTINUING EDUCATION
The following courses are to further prepare the ministers to assist in general parochial ministry and for more specialized ministries.
PRACTICAL SPIRITUALITY would follow the minister to discover how to synthesize his cultural background with principles of spirituality, thereby enhancing his spiritual effectiveness.
BLACK HISTORY would acquaint the minister with the cultural heritage of the largest group of urban dwellers.
AMERICAN CHURCH HISORY would acquaint the student with the development of the American church and his own role and responsibility in the furtherance of that development.
ECUMENISM would give the student a feel for the religious traditions of those who live in his community and the principles whereby we seek unity with other church bodies.
COUNSELLING PRINCIPLES AND TECHNIQUES would allow the ministers to develop the skills to assist as a counselor within the parish community. Particularly in areas such as marriage counseling and preparation. . PREACHING would be taught by a competent protestant minister to attempt to capture the unique techniques within the tradition of the black church.
The following courses would be suggested for those interested in a highly intellectual participation in their program.
Faith Theological Survey Principles of Catechesis Dogmatic Theology Moral Theology
Vincent F.A. Golphin
The Ministers of Service Program has been organized to provide 169 laypersons, who feel the desire to structure their service within their parish- 1. bbr community, with training and ongoing support. They work as equal partners on their parish staffs and contribute a unique dimension to the development of their parish-communities. Their living within the world opens for them channels of communication and influence to other BROCHURE laypersons that are not open to the clergy. Ministers of Service are not clergy, however. The necessity for assistance in parish administration, pastoral counseling, youth ministry, social action, ministry to the aged, ministry to the sick, ministry to families, and worship ministry created the impetus for INTRODUCTION organizing the Ministers of Service Program.
Each candidate is ratified by his or her parish-community before being Christianity finds its truest expression in community. Throughout the accepted into the program. This is modeled after the practice of the early history of the Roman Catholic Church there have been many efforts made Christians as Luke recounts in the Acts of the Apostles. Akin to their to sustain and promote a sense of community among its many people. predecessors, those who wish to be Ministers of Service must be "known to The community of the Church is the "kingdom of God" amongst us. be deeply spiritual and wise" among their fellow Christians. The people of God are imperfect, therefore this "kingdom" on earth is not After completing the initial training period, the Ministers of Service yet perfect; yet the people of the Church continue to strugg le toward perfection. Perfection will come when the power of Christ is fully present publicly proclaim their desire to be "Christ" in their parish-communities; in our church-communities. each individual states his/her own particular reasons for making a It is through the Holy Spirit that the people of God retrieve the grace to commitment. sustain their struggle. Throughout the centuries the Holy Spirit has guided We feel that the Holy Spirit has guided and blessed us in our success the Church through many .controversies and trials to enable it to thus far. The Holy Spirit has begun to answer the continue to serve the world. . needs of some parish In each age, as needs arose, the Spirit has guided the people of God. communities through this program. The result of his guidance is the outward or formal structure of the Roman ast within this structure the responsibility Catholic Church today. In the p for ministry has resided with the bishops, priests, brothers, and sisters. Before the Second Vatican Council, these were the people upon whom the apostolate of the Church rested. It became customary that, if an individual felt the call to serve, religious life was the only alternative. There were so many that embraced the religious life that somehow "serving God" became synonymous with being a priest, sister or brother. In the years following the Second Vatican Council, there has been a marked decline in the number of priests, sisters and brothers. Because of this, the Second Vatican Council has strongly reemphasized the role of the laity within the Church. It point s out that Christ calls all who would follow Him to address the mission of the Church. The mission of the Church is to spread the gospel (Good News). The gospel message is one of freedom. Jesus Christ in his life, death and resurrection has shown mankind the freedom of God's love. The life of Christ is a chronicle of the liberating power of God's love. Out of God's love, Christ came amongst us as a servant. And he tells us in the scriptures that the one who serves is the greatest in the "kingdom of God." In accepting the sacraments of Baptism and Confirmation, the Christian assumes Christ's call and receives the grace (strength) to serve. Vatican II encourages all of the people of God to accept the grace and responsibilities of these sacraments. The Second Vatican Council also encourages that training be provided for laypersons so they might make a more effective contribution to the gener al apostolate of the Church. 170
2.
EVALUATION: REVIEW COMMITTEE
After the initial period of training is completed, a committee will be convened to review the progress of each candidate. The committee is charged with determining the ability of each candidate to serve in his or her parish-community. Three things are required of the candidates:
1. They must demonstrate a clear concept of their role as Ministers of Service within their particular parish-community.
2. They must have a realistic vision of the Church and its role in contemporary society. 3. They must also have developed a personal plan for spiritual support. The members of the Review Committee are:
1. The chairperson of the Steering Committee of the Ministers of Service Program
TRAINING 2. The academic dean of the Ministers of Service Program
The training ·for the candidates in the Ministers of Service Program is 3. The pastor and/or Parish Council president of the candidate both academic and spiritual. It consists of two seven-week Core Sessions. The first seven-week Core is composed of studies in Old Testament, Vatican II Ecclesiology (Church Studies), Communications and Church History. The second seven-week Core is composed of studies in New THE STEERING COMMITTEE Testament, Practical Spirituality, Pastoral Ministry and Liturgy (Worship). Each class meeting is four hours long with periodic breaks; class The committee will meet with each candidate individually. The meetings have a relaxed and informal atmosphere. There is some lecturing candidates will be informed of the results of the meeting by mail. The by instructors; however, there IS a strong emphasis on discussion and Steering Committee is the Board of Directors of the Ministers of Service group activities. Program. As such, it is the core of the organizational structure. Candidates are expected to attend each class meeting. If an emergency The members of the committee are as follows: should arise, an excused absence may be granted by the academic dean. The president of the Ministers of Service Excessive absences may result in a candidate being asked to postpone The treasurer of the Ministers of Service Program making a commitment. The candidate may also be asked to repeat the The academic dean of the Ministers of Service Program training period. . The director of the Black Secretariat After their initial training period, the Ministers of Service will work in Three At-Large Members their parish-communities. Ministers of Service are also required to attend The Steering Committee retains the sole responsibility for setting and monthly meetings, one annual retreat, continuing education classes and implementing policy within the program. workshops. 171 4.
PROCESS OF APPLICATION
The application process has four steps:
1. Discuss your interest in the program with your pastor, who can obtain an application packet and further information on the program from our office. 2. The applicant must return the completed packet containing: a) his or her application b) a letter of reference from the pastor c) letter of reference from three parishioners (there will be a form enclosed) to our office (address below) by the date prescribed. 3. The application will be reviewed by the Steering Committee and the applicant will be informed of the results by mail. 4. When a candidate is accepted, we ask that, as a sign of support and concern for the candidate, the parish submit a one-time donation of $200 to the program.
There are no more than twelve candidates accepted into each class.
172
Rev. William Cross Instructor of New Testament Studies
Rev. Michael A. Noonan, Instructor of Pastoral Ministry Ms. Maria Davis, B.S. Instructor of Speech 173
Rev. Richard Marzheuser, PhD, Instructor of Old Testament Studies174
Rev. Giles H. Pater, Ph.D. Instructor of Liturgy
175
176