DOCSLIB.ORG

VOTF Project Workbook Page 2

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
VOTF Project Workbook Page 2 The VOTF National Working Groups Present: What Do We Do Next? A Project Workbook First Edition July 2005 Purpose of the Project Workbook This workbook contains suggestions for activities to pursue in your local affiliate, in a regional group, as an individual, or in cooperation with others in your area. Match a suggestion to the interests and resources of your group, or use the suggestions as a way to spark discussion about other actions your group may deem appropriate. We hope your successful efforts will be shared with others and added to this book in later editions. National Working Groups are volunteers drawn from VOTF members and affiliates across the country. The leaders of the Working Groups developed the Workbook from the projects these volunteers pursued the past few years. In addition to the projects organized by the Working Groups, you may get suggestions about affiliate activities through the Parish Voice office at the VOTF national headquarters in Newton, MA. Parish Voice provides a Toolkit for affiliate leaders and reports on “best practice” activities launched by affiliates. Contact Suzy Nauman on the Parish Voice staff ([email protected]) for details. For those interested in learning about techniques appropriate for developing and building a grass-roots action campaign for change within a local parish or diocese, Parish Voice also sponsors the “Many Hands, Many Hearts” training. Contact Aimee Caravich Hariramani ([email protected]) for more information. Workbook Prepared by These National Working Groups: Prayerful Voice Protecting Our Children Structural Change Support Priests Survivors Support Voice of Renewal/Lay Education (For email addresses of the current contacts, see the last page of this workbook.) Workbook Contents Purpose of the Project Workbook preface VOTF Mission Statement and Goals 1 Projects to Fulfill the VOTF Mission Statement 2 Projects to Fulfill Goal 1 6 Projects to Fulfill Goal 2 10 Projects to Fulfill Goal 3 15 Protecting Our Children 26 Renewal and Education 28 Contacts List 32 Mission Statement To provide a prayerful voice, attentive to the Spirit, through which the Faithful can actively participate in the governance and guidance of the Catholic Church. Voice of the Faithful (VOTF) Goals To support those who have been abused To support priests of integrity To shape structural change within the Church “That Depends on Us” “Christ became a man of his people and his time: “He lived as a Jew, he worked as a laborer of Nazareth, and since then he continues to become incarnate in everyone. “If many have distanced themselves from the Church, it is precisely because the Church has somewhat estranged itself from humanity. But a church that can feel as its own all that is human, and wants to incarnate the pain, the hope, the affliction of all who suffer and feel joy, such a church shall be Christ loved and awaited, Christ present. “And that depends on us.” Archbishop Oscar Romero, December 3, 1978 VOTF Project Workbook Page 2 Projects to Fulfill the VOTF Mission Statement To Provide a Prayerful Voice, Attentive to the Spirit, Through Which the Faithful Can Actively Participate in the Governance and Guidance of the Catholic Church Voice of the Faithful, Together We Pray … We are the Church; we are the Body of Christ. Strengthen us, fill us with wisdom, Lead us to holy action in building up your reign. Help us to respect our voice and the voices of all the faithful. We are your Church; we are the Body of Christ. Hear us, Christ our true life and salvation. Amen. From the “VOTF Opening Prayer” for Voice of the Faithful Meetings VOTF is, first and foremost, a faith movement, a movement of the Spirit. Faith brought us together; faith keeps us united with each other and with the survivors of clergy sexual abuse. Faith keeps us in communion with our Catholic Church. Our Mission Statement is both a product and an expression of our faith. We mean always and in all ways to be a “prayerful voice, attentive to the Spirit,” to prayerfully discern our purpose, our actions, and our vision for the future. We have experienced the action of the Spirit in our midst from our very first days. We have listened to each other. We have prayed together in special Eucharist celebrations, in days of prayer and reconciliation, in VOTF retreats and in all the work we do to advance the mission of VOTF. It is all prayer. This experience led us forward and sealed our mission. We have come to understand our prayer, “We are the Church, we are the Body of Christ.” We have come to understand more fully the power of the Spirit in our midst. We have opened our eyes, hearts and minds, willing to learn and be transformed. And, therefore, we go forward. With prayer at the center, we have grown wiser, stronger, humbler, and awed at our new understanding of what it means today to be “faithful.” As members of VOTF, we must commit ourselves to its Mission Statement, so that grounded in prayer we can make our voices heard and can “actively participate in the guidance and governance of the Catholic Church.” We must discern, in prayer, all the actions we take. To whom are we being faithful? We strive towards faithfulness to God. This ongoing discernment is the “practice” of a lifetime. From within VOTF, we need to accept our “pilgrim” status and to ask ourselves each day: What is our prayer? How do we see it manifested? What do we do to enhance the “culture of prayer” out of which we VOTF Project Workbook Page 3 act? Is prayer at the center, keeping us faithful? How do we become more grounded in prayer? Mission Project 1: Pray for Survivors at Your Affiliate Meetings 1. Develop a series of prayers/prayer services that help focus hearts and minds on VOTF’s commitment to survivors. 2. See “A Psalm: Concerning Those Abused by Priests” at http:// www.votf.org/Prayerful_Voice/offer.html. Mission Project 2: Create a Prayerful Voice Working Group in Your Affiliate 1. See “Why a Prayerful Voice Working Group” in your Parish Voice Toolkit. (All affiliates should have a Prayerful Voice Working Group.) 2. Discuss how a Prayerful Voice Working Group helps your affiliate and all of VOTF focus on the genuine mission of VOTF. Mission Project 3: Open and Close Each Meeting with a Prayer Session 1. Spontaneous prayer is beautiful, but preparation for prayer within a group enhances the experience and allows you to focus the prayer. Allow the prayer(s) to speak directly to the group gathered and to the specific purpose of the meeting. 2. Explore a variety of prayerful expressions for your group: meditation, scripture readings, songs, rituals. 3. Use the VOTF Opening Prayer to help foster a sense of communion with the entire membership: http://www.votf.org/Prayerful_Voice/ meetingprayer.html. Mission Project 4: Help Everyone Become “Leaders of Prayer” 1. Rotate responsibility for prayer. 2. Encourage affiliate members to compose and lead prayers and prayer services for meetings. VOTF Project Workbook Page 4 Mission Project 5: Develop Prayers That Reflect Your Affiliate’s Needs 1. Prepare prayer(s) that specifically reflect the desires of the group, the meeting, and/or the agenda. For example, in July 2004, the VOTF Representative Council used the following prayers to open and close meetings: Opening Prayer Spirit of the Risen Christ, move among us today as we come together as the Voice of the Faithful. Help us to be a prayerful voice attentive to the Spirit. Help us discern our faithfulness to you as we ponder choices and actions. Help us to keep you at the center. Bless us with wisdom, collegiality, patience and joyfulness as we gather to do your will. Amen. Closing Prayer Generous and Loving God, we give thanks for your Spirit among us. We give thanks for the gift of each other, and the gift of our coming together as Voice of the Faithful. May our hearts and actions be a gift of thanksgiving and praise to you, and a sign of our faithfulness and commitment to building up your reign in this world. We pray especially for comfort and healing for survivors of clergy sexual abuse, in whom we meet the suffering Christ. They are your presence in our midst. We ask these things in your name, in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen. 2. Foster the practice of saying the VOTF Prayer at Noon: Jesus, Lord and Brother, Help us with our faithfulness. Please hear our voice, and let our voice be heard. Amen. Mission Project 6: Create Special Prayer Events 1. Schedule special Eucharistic celebrations (for example, see Mass of Healing at http://www.votf.org/Survivor_Support/healingmass.html and Mass of Reconsecration at http://www.votf.org/Prayerful_Voice/pvevents.html. 2. Plan a Day of Prayer and Reconciliation and sponsor retreats for your members/leaders (http://www.votf.org/Prayerful_Voice/dayofprayer.html). 3. Plan special prayer sessions or liturgies to prepare for work, to celebrate, to build communion. VOTF Project Workbook Page 5 Mission Project 7: Articulate and Further Express “Lay Spirituality” Work to articulate and further express the new lay spirituality we experience as Catholics from within VOTF: 1. Devote a meeting to exploring the concept of lay spirituality. Invite a knowledgeable facilitator to this meeting, such as a VOTF member or perhaps a Spiritual Director from the larger community. 2. Make the topic of lay spirituality a priority for conferences, conventions, and meetings. Mission Project 8: Identify and Articulate Prayer in VOTF Life 1. Be reflective in meetings as to how the Spirit may be discerned, how prayer requests may have been answered, how VOTF action can be understood as prayer.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • FOCUS E-News May 28 - June 3, 2017
    FOCUS E-News May 28 - June 3, 2017 Please support FutureChuch during our Pentecost Campaign! FutureChurch and Voice of the Faithful Call on U.S. Bishops to Publicly Support Women Deacons In a statement released today, FutureChurch and Voice of the Faithful call on U.S. Bishops to publicly support women deacons. As Pope Francis’s commission studying the possibility of restoring women deacons continues its work, FutureChurch and Voice of the Faithful (VOTF) urge U.S. Catholic Bishops to publicly support the restoration of the ancient practice of ordaining women deacons and to petition the Holy See to allow women to function in our Church as permanent deacons. Women have traditionally carried out 80 to 85% of the lay ministry of our Church*, yet they do not have equal access to all positions within the Church or an equal voice in decision-making processes. Since the restoration of the permanent diaconate following the Second Vatican Council, male candidates have been chosen largely from among those who already perform diaconal service. Women who likewise are leaders in such ministries should not be deprived of the graces of the sacrament. Further, the declining number of priests and the increasing burden of providing adequate ministry to our people make ordaining women to the diaconate an obvious option for addressing that issue. Read more Learn more Catholicwomendeacons.org New resources to open discussion with your priest, deacon or bishop! soon! DeaconChat Deacon Chat: Resources for starting a conversation about women deacons On May 12, 2016 Pope Francis -- responding to a question posed by members of the International Union of Superiors General (UISG) -- said that he would establish a commission to study the question of ordaining women deacons in the Roman Catholic Church.
    [Show full text]
  • Fall 2020 Voice of the Faithful 2020 Conference Will Be a Virtual Gathering Offering Visions of a Just Church for All the Faithful
    Voice Matters Keep the Faith, Change the Church © 2020 Voice of the Faithful Voice of the Faithful® newsletter for members worldwide Fall 2020 Voice of the Faithful 2020 Conference will be a virtual gathering Offering visions of a just Church for all the faithful he worldwide COVID-19 pandemic has affected TVoice of the Faithful similarly to other organizations planning events during 2020. Out of an abundance of caution and concern for the well-being of our mem- bers and supporters, Voice of the Faithful will present an online Zoom conference for 2020. VOTF Conference: Visions of a Just Church will take place Oct. 3. Confer- ence registrants can expect the same mix of interesting speakers and evocative conversation as always, albeit virtually. Together, we will seek visions of a just Church for all the faithful. the Diaconate, which convened in Rome November 2016. Zagano presently is senior research associate-in-residence Two well-know Catholic scholars are scheduled to speak, and adjunct professor of reli- and VOTF leaders are scheduled to present updates gion at Hofstra University. on initiatives and programs in child Fr. Richard Lennan is pro- protection, financial fessor of systematic theology accountability and and Professor Ordinarius in transparency, and the School of Theology and women’s roles in the Ministry at Boston College. Church. Lennan spoke at last year’s conference and, continuing Phyllis Zagano, on the themes he discussed Ph.D., is an interna- then, he will talk about the tionally recognized draft document on Austra- scholar in Catholic lia’s future Church gover- studies and women’s nance and the potential for a more lay-participatory Church.
    [Show full text]
  • ©2013 Luis-Alejandro Dinnella-Borrego ALL RIGHTS
    ©2013 Luis-Alejandro Dinnella-Borrego ALL RIGHTS RESERVED “THAT OUR GOVERNMENT MAY STAND”: AFRICAN AMERICAN POLITICS IN THE POSTBELLUM SOUTH, 1865-1901 By LUIS-ALEJANDRO DINNELLA-BORREGO A Dissertation submitted to the Graduate School-New Brunswick Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Graduate Program in History written under the direction of Mia Bay and Ann Fabian and approved by ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ New Brunswick, New Jersey May 2013 ABSTRACT OF THE DISSERTATION “That Our Government May Stand”: African American Politics in the Postbellum South, 1865-1913 by LUIS-ALEJANDRO DINNELLA-BORREGO Dissertation Director: Mia Bay and Ann Fabian This dissertation provides a fresh examination of black politics in the post-Civil War South by focusing on the careers of six black congressmen after the Civil War: John Mercer Langston of Virginia, James Thomas Rapier of Alabama, Robert Smalls of South Carolina, John Roy Lynch of Mississippi, Josiah Thomas Walls of Florida, and George Henry White of North Carolina. It examines the career trajectories, rhetoric, and policy agendas of these congressmen in order to determine how effectively they represented the wants and needs of the black electorate. The dissertation argues that black congressmen effectively represented and articulated the interests of their constituents. They did so by embracing a policy agenda favoring strong civil rights protections and encompassing a broad vision of economic modernization and expanded access for education. Furthermore, black congressmen embraced their role as national leaders and as spokesmen not only for their congressional districts and states, but for all African Americans throughout the South.
    [Show full text]
  • The Catholic Bishops in the US Public Arena
    religions Article The Catholic Bishops in the U.S. Public Arena: Changing Prospects under Pope Francis Richard L. Wood Department of Sociology, University of New Mexico, MSC 05 3080, Albuquerque, NM 87131-0001, USA; [email protected] Academic Editor: Timothy A. Byrnes Received: 9 November 2015; Accepted: 18 January 2016; Published: 4 February 2016 Abstract: The public profile of the Roman Catholic bishops of the United States results not simply from their own interventions in political life, but from the broad array of actions and actors within “public Catholicism” broadly conceived. This article assesses the contemporary profile of the American bishops from this broad angle, particularly in light of new dynamics under the papacy of Francis I. It does so by documenting public Catholicism’s presence in ecclesial institutions, other public institutions, and lay-centered social movements (particularly faith-based community organizing) and via a case study of the healthcare reform debate around the State Children’s Health Insurance Program and the Affordable Care Act. Cultural and institutional factors shaping Catholic public presence are analyzed in three dimensions of social life: institutional leadership; authority dynamics within the Church; and the culture of prayer, spirituality, and worship in parishes. Finally, the conclusion discusses the key dynamics likely to shape the future of public Catholicism in America. Keywords: Roman Catholic bishops; United States Conference of Catholic Bishops; public religion; public Catholicism; health reform; Affordable Care Act; faith-based community organizing; PICO National Network 1. Introduction This article analyzes the public profile of Roman Catholic bishops of the United States, with a particular eye toward how that profile is changing under the dynamic conditions created by the governance of Pope Francis.
    [Show full text]
  • The CALL Newsletter, Fall 2019
    CELEBRATING 125 YEARS THE ST. ANDREW'S EPISCOPAL CHURCH WELLESLEY, MASSACHUSETTS No. 384 CALL Fall 2019 So What? capital campaign, with the plans my vision and hope for our parish for a gala party at the Wellesley which I hope are reflected in my Country Club on November 2, leadership and preaching. and our St. Andrew’s Day Festi- My underlying belief is that val Eucharist on November 24, I God is dynamically in action in the have found myself asking the “so world inviting us to be partners in what?” question in relation to what realizing the divine vision of love we are celebrating. Clearly, we are for the world. It is in participat- not just celebrating the passage of ing in this work with God, using 125 years. our time and talents, that we find I have found the answer to the meaning and purpose in our lives. question of what we are celebrating I believe that the Holy Spirit is con- in the snippets from our church stantly knocking at the door of our The Rev. Adrian Robbins-Cole archives featured on the front page souls asking to be allowed to enter of our weekly bulletin. They paint our lives filling us with divine love. O WHAT?” That was the a rich picture of a parish bound The trouble is that our lives can “ question we were asked together by a deep sense of com- be so distracting that we lose sight again and again about munity and care for one another, a of this reality or invite other idols ourS sermons by Mark Jefferson, church focused on the importance to fill our lives.
    [Show full text]
  • June 24, 2005 Vol
    Inside Archbishop Buechlein . 5 Editorial . 4 Question Corner . 13 Sunday and Daily Readings . 13 Serving the ChurchCriterion in Central and Souther n Indiana Since 1960 CriterionOnline.com June 24, 2005 Vol. XXXXIV, No. 37 75¢ U.S. bishops revise documents dealing with sexual abuse CHICAGO (CNS)—As they have been officials: a correction of a typographical clergy sex abuse victim groups, abortion norms for seminary admissions and semi- at every U.S. Catholic bishops’ meeting error, the addition of a missing canon law opponents, gay rights advocates who nary formation. since June 2002, clergy sexual abuse of reference and two minor editorial changes oppose Church teaching on homosexual- Reflecting the increased awareness of minors and the protection of children from intended to clarify the meaning of the text. ity, women’s ordination advocates, and the horror of child sexual abuse, the new such abuse were a significant part of the The revised charter and norms are to members of Voice of the Faithful and program for the first time explicitly orders June 16-18 meeting in Chicago of the take effect for five years. other groups who have been calling for the rejection of any seminary applicant U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. While several other abuse-related items greater openness and accountability by and expulsion of any seminarian who has Major items on this June’s agenda were were also on the bishops’ agenda, they Church officials. molested a child or shows inclinations to approval of revisions of the 2002 “Charter also took time to approve other documents Documents the bishops approved dur- do so.
    [Show full text]
  • The Light from the Southern Cross’
    A REPORT AND RECOMMENDATIONS ON THE GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT OF DIOCESES AND PARISHES IN THE CATHOLIC CHURCH IN AUSTRALIA IMPLEMENTATION ADVISORY GROUP AND THE GOVERNANCE REVIEW PROJECT TEAM REVIEW OF GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT OF DIOCESES AND PARISHES REPORT – STRICTLY CONFIDENTIAL Let us be bold, be it daylight or night for us - The Catholic Church in Australia has been one of the epicentres Fling out the flag of the Southern Cross! of the sex abuse crisis in the global Church. But the Church in Let us be fırm – with our God and our right for us, Australia is also trying to fınd a path through and out of this crisis Under the flag of the Southern Cross! in ways that reflects the needs of the society in which it lives. Flag of the Southern Cross, Henry Lawson, 1887 The Catholic tradition holds that the Holy Spirit guides all into the truth. In its search for the path of truth, the Church in Australia And those who are wise shall shine like the brightness seeks to be guided by the light of the Holy Spirit; a light symbolised of the sky above; and those who turn many to righteousness, by the great Constellation of the Southern Cross. That path and like the stars forever and ever. light offers a comprehensive approach to governance issues raised Daniel, 12:3 by the abuse crisis and the broader need for cultural change. The Southern Cross features heavily in the Dreamtime stories This report outlines, for Australia, a way to discern a synodal that hold much of the cultural tradition of Indigenous Australians path: a new praxis (practice) of church governance.
    [Show full text]
  • Principles of the New Evangelization: Analysis and Directions
    PRINCIPLES OF THE NEW EVANGELIZATION: ANALYSIS AND DIRECTIONS By Richard M. Rymarz, B.Sc (Hons), M.Sc, M.Ed.Studies, Grad Dip Ed, Ed.D, M.A (Theol). A thesis submitted as full requirement for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at Australian Catholic University. School of Theology Faculty of Philosophy and Theology Australian Catholic University Date of Submission: 25th of May 2010 University Research Services Office Melbourne Campus Locked Bag 4115 Fitzroy VIC 3065 1 STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP AND SOURCES This thesis contains no material published elsewhere or extracted in whole or in part from a thesis by which I have qualified for or been awarded another degree or diploma. No part of this thesis has been submitted towards the award of any other degree or diploma in any other tertiary institution. No other person’s work has been used without due acknowledgement in the main text of the thesis. Richard M. Rymarz 2 ABSTRACT This thesis, after appropriate analysis, proposes a number of principles, which guide both an understanding of the new evangelization as formulated by Pope John Paul II and how the new evangelization can be applied. The key insight of the new evangelization is that growing numbers of people, especially in Western countries such as Australia, whilst retaining what can be termed a “loose” form of Christian affiliation, can no longer be described as having a living sense of the Gospel. This makes these people distinct from the classical focus of missionary activity, namely, those who have never heard the Gospel proclaimed. Pope John Paul II’s exposition of the new evangelization arose from his understanding of key conciliar and post-conciliar documents.
    [Show full text]
  • Confronting the Systemic Dysfunction of Clericalism
    Confronting the Systemic Dysfunction of Clericalism Produced by the Association of U.S. Catholic Priests in collaboration with Voice of the Faithful and lay people and clergy across the nation; endorsed by FutureChurch. Confronting the Systemic Dysfunction of Clericalism Presented at the Association of U.S. Catholic Priests National Assembly, June 2019 Dedicated to: • All baptized persons who suffer because of the evil of clericalism • All ordained priests who humbly serve God’s people • All the faithful who help baptized and ordained priests to be human, Christian, and priestly Document Editors: Fr. Kevin Clinton and Donna B. Doucette This paper was prepared by a Working Group under the auspices of the Association of U.S. Catholic Priests (AUSCP): Fr. Gerry Bechard, AUSCP, pastor, Sts. Simon & Jude Parish, Archdiocese of Detroit Alvera Bell, parishioner, St. Paul the Apostle parish (Youngstown OH Diocese); retired from 39 years teaching in Catholic school and six years as PCRE; Parish Council member and active in many other parish ministries David Bell, parishioner, St. Paul the Apostle parish (Youngstown OH Diocese); retired; spent 16 years teaching in Catholic high school; member of Parish Council and active in many other parish ministries Fr. Bernard R. Bonnot, AUSCP Executive Director, pastor emeritus, Diocese of Youngstown OH Fr. Kevin Clinton, AUSCP President; pastor, Church of St. Wenceslaus, Archdiocese of St. Paul/Minneapolis Donna B. Doucette, Executive Director, Voice of the Faithful Fr. Tom Ogg, AUSCP, pastor emeritus, Diocese of Cheyenne, Worldwide Marriage Encounter—U.S. Ecclesial Priest Special Thanks We are indebted to the people who shared with us their first-hand stories about experiencing clericalism and allowed us to use them.
    [Show full text]
  • Stakeholder-Formed Organizations and Crisis Communication: Analyzing Discourse of Renewal with a Non-Offending Organization
    JOURNAL OF INTERNATIONAL CRISIS AND RISK Nicholson School of COMMUNICATION RESEARCH Communication and Media 2020, VOL 3, NO 2, 243–274 University of Central Florida https://doi.org/10.30658/jicrcr.3.2.5 www.jicrcr.com Stakeholder-Formed Organizations and Crisis Communication: Analyzing Discourse of Renewal with a Non-Offending Organization 1 Jordan Morehouse 1. Assistant Professor of Strategic Communication, Clemson University, 408 Strode Tower, Clemson, SC, USA ABSTRACT Scholars have examined the ways organizations practice post-crisis communication strategies, including deny, diminish, and rebuild. The current study explores the extent to which a stakeholder-formed organization utilizes post-crisis discourse of renewal to rebuild, recover, and renew the Catholic Church after allegations of sexual abuse of minors publicly surfaced in the United States. Open-ended semi-structured interviews with founders and executive committee members of Leadership Roundtable revealed stakeholders practiced discourse of renewal to help the Catholic Church, an offending organization, recover from a crisis. This study also assessed the extent to which God and religion motivated stakeholders’ responses. Results suggest religion is a critical motivating factor in stakeholders’ responses to a crisis. No organization is exempt from experiencing a crisis. Accidental, intentional, and victim crises occur regardless of the organiza- tion’s purpose, size, or preparedness (Coombs, 2007). Religious organizations and institutions are no exception (Barth, 2010). The Catholic Church has experienced a number of crises from sexual abuse (Barth, 2010), abuse of power (Keenan, 2012) to mismanagement of funds (Kirchgaessner, 2015). One crisis in particular, the revelation of sexual abuse of minors at the hands of the Church’s clergy, has received exceptional attention from CONTACT Jordan Morehouse • Email: [email protected] • Clemson University, 408 Strode Tower, Clemson, SC 29634, USA © 2020 by Journal of International Crisis and Risk Communication Research.
    [Show full text]
  • A Plea for Dialogue Consultation
    C21Re sour c e s A S E R V I C E O F B O S T O N C O L L E G E f a l l 2 0 0 4 in this issue Pope, there is no contradiction be- tween legitimate authority and care f u l A Plea for Dialogue consultation. Consultation, listening, and dialogue only enhance true author- Renewal of ity, because they issue from a lived A Dying Priest’s Appeal to the Bi s h o p s trust and they serve to increase trust. the Church: If I were to sum up my final plea to you, it would be: “dialogue, dia- logue, dialogue!” I do not mean this the Road Two days before his death in Au g u s t accidental. In many ways the crisis in as a facile or pious slogan, for I am 2003, Re v. Msgr. Philip F. Mu r n i o n , the Church and the ensuing polariza- only too aware of its cost and condi- A h e a d founder of the National Pastoral Life tion...have only grown more acute. tions. It is for this reason, I think, Ce n t e r, sent the following letter to each Your own credibility and ability to that the Pope places dialogue within bishop in the United States. guide God’s people have been severe l y the context of an entire theological hose with long memories compromised, sometimes because of and spiritual vision and practice. In may recall Cardinal Alfredo To My Brother in Christ: negligence and lack of wise leader- his Letter, the Holy Father advocates TOttaviani, a staunch defender In his final public address on ship, sometimes because of factors a “theology and spirituality of com- of the status quo in the days before October 24, 1996, Cardinal Joseph beyond your direct re s p o n s i b i l i t y.
    [Show full text]
  • Full, Conscious, and Active Participation: the Laity As Ecclesial Subjects in an Ecclesiology Informed by Bernard Lonergan
    Marquette University e-Publications@Marquette Dissertations, Theses, and Professional Dissertations (1934 -) Projects Full, Conscious, and Active Participation: The Laity as Ecclesial Subjects in an Ecclesiology Informed by Bernard Lonergan Mary Utzerath Marquette University Follow this and additional works at: https://epublications.marquette.edu/dissertations_mu Part of the Religion Commons Recommended Citation Utzerath, Mary, "Full, Conscious, and Active Participation: The Laity as Ecclesial Subjects in an Ecclesiology Informed by Bernard Lonergan" (2011). Dissertations (1934 -). 116. https://epublications.marquette.edu/dissertations_mu/116 FULL, CONSCIOUS, AND ACTIVE PARTICIPATION: THE LAITY AS ECCLESIAL SUBJECTS IN AN ECCLESIOLOGY INFORMED BY BERNARD LONERGAN by Mary Patricia Utzerath, B.S., M.S., M.Div. A Dissertation submitted to the Faculty of the Graduate School, Marquette University, in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Milwaukee, Wisconsin May 2011 ABSTRACT FULL, CONSCIOUS, AND ACTIVE PARTICIPATION: THE LAITY AS ECCLESIAL SUBJECTS IN AN ECCLESIOLOGY INFORMED BY BERNARD LONERGAN Mary Patricia Utzerath, B.S., M.S., M.Div. Marquette University, 2011 Unresolved problems and tensions regarding the status and role of the laity persist nearly a half-century following Vatican II. While the magisterium focuses on issues related to the appropriateness or ability of lay persons to carry out roles in the Church that have traditionally belonged to the ordained, sociological surveys indicate that the experience of lay members of the Church in the United States and in much of the Western world includes inadequate formation, confused Catholic identity, marginalization, low levels of commitment in young Catholics, and the steady exodus of Catholics. These problems of the laity are symptomatic of problems within the Church itself.
    [Show full text]