Parish Closings
To: All the parishioners of churches facing closure in next five years
Dearest Parishioners:
As an alternative to the closing of your parish church because of a lack of ordained celibate male priests,
we offer the following:
With prayer and in humility, nominate from among your ranks a team of people—single or married, male or female—
with the following skills, talents, interests, and aspirations: Administration, Finance and Accounting, Spirituality, Adult Education, Youth Ministry and Education, Management, Music, Liturgy, Facility Management, and Caregiving and Counseling.
Those you select may or may not be presently employed by your parish.
We know there are many
amongst your number
that have earned advanced degrees
in their fields—including Religion—and
benefited from many years of outstanding
experience and we encourage you to count them among your nominees.
Once you have nominated
your parish team,
we offer to train them
to be Your Leaders of Your Local Church. Furthermore, in order that you have full access to the Sacraments, we will prepare your team to Celebrate
all the needed Sacraments with you.
We will also train them to celebrate the Sacred Liturgy with you.
After all, the True Tradition of Our Church is that the pastoral leader(s) came from and was given authorty by THE COMMUNITY TO BE SERVED.
Pray and call on the Holy Spirit to help you find the talent, skills, interest, and
dedication
needed to lead your parish;
we vow to help those you choose
lead your parish and
to keep it from closing.
In view of your Faith,
this is the least we can do;
and it is as Jesus did and
would have us do.
With Love and Appreciation,
Your enlightened Hierarchy and Pope
Maybe the church authorities
Maybe the church authorities need to look at themselves as a corporation delivering a product. If they did, they would see the couldn't last long advertising a product they couldn't deliver. They would make the necessary changes in order to deliver the product.
But in this case, they not only don't make the changes, they blame the consumers for the lack of delivery. Interesting dynamic.
Col, Interesting approach.
Col,
Interesting approach. The problem with this corporation is not, as I see it, that they can't deliver, but that they refust to deliver. I don't believe the problem is a lack of vocations but rather the restrictions placed on those who receive "the call" but are prohibited from responding because they are the wrong sex, married, or in some other way don't meet the requirements the Chruch has established.
I am amused by the story of the choice of Matthias to take the place of Judas. Peter set the requirements as follows: "It is entirely fitting, therefore, that one of those who was of our company while the Lord Jesus moved among us, from the baptism of John until the day he was taken up from us, should be named as witness with us to his resurrection." (Acts 1: 21-22)
That group would have included women since there were many who had followed Jesus from Galilee to the Resurrection as well as other men. There was a group from whom to pick and, I think it can be assumed those people were still around when Jesus picked Paul to be an Apostle even though he did not meet the requirements set by Peter. Now, I guess we could make a distinction between being picked to replace Judas and being picked to be an Apostle. However, according to Peter, the reason for the replacement was not to bring the number back up to twelve, but to give "witness with us to the resurrection." Scripture says nothing of Marrhias after this and, while I don't question his contribution in giving witness, it is Paul who has played a much more prominent role in the spreading of the Gospel.
What would have happened if Peter, exercising his "authority" had declaired Pauls "ordination" as invalid and ordered him to be silent because Paul did not meet the requirements established by Peter (the Church)?
At this moment there, in the fold, many married deacons who would be only too happy to be priests. There are married priests who may be interested in returning if invited. There are many women who are better trained in theology than many of the men who are ordained. Many of these women feel themselves called and who is to say they are not? There are many gay men (as there always have been) who would be (have been) fine priests. Lesbians too. There are many fine, holy people (elders) in priestless communities who are respected in the Community and could fulfill the roll well. "In service" training and internship are real possibilities if training is an issue. I would submit, however, that my grandfather, with a third grade education, knew more about God than many theologians.
There is amble evidence that "ordination" was not a requirement for celebrating the Eucharist or Reconciliation in the early Chruch. It is the Chruch (corporation) which has imposed restrictions on who can preside over such celebrations that has caused the priest shortage. Because the Catholic Community is essentially a Eucharistic Community, the hierarchy, having assumed authority to say who is and who is not to be ordained, also assumed the responsibility of seeing to it that the celebration of the Eucharist is available to the Community and failure to do so is absolutely unacceptable.
Perhaps, this "crisis" is God's way of telling us to crawl out of the box.
I love this posting! I just
I love this posting! I just feel so sad that I don't know many Catholics who would appreciate it and laugh as I do at the last two lines.
Englishwoman
from your lips to the
from your lips to the hierarchy through God's Spirit
Poetman, I, too, loved it. I
Poetman,
I, too, loved it.
I especially loved the line, "After all, the True Tradition of Our Church is that the pastoral leader(s) came from and was given authorty by THE COMMUNITY TO BE SERVED."
Yes, I believe this is indeed the "True Tradition of Our Chruch" as is relfected in the ordination ceremony in which it is asked of the candidate in whose name is he being ordained. The answer is either the diocese he is of or, for religious, "poverty". Now, if it is true that the pastoral leaders come from and are given authority by the community to be served, does that community also have the authority to ordain then when not to would mean being leaderless.
Yes, there is always "Apostolic Succession." But, how real is that? In a community that did not see it necessary to record the message of Jesus in written form until some 40 years or so after the Resurrection, just how important was it for them to record who ordained whom? Or is Apolostic Succession more a matter to fidelity to the teaching of the Apostles than a line of succession? Is it a convenient tool with which "authority" can proclaim the ordination of those they do not apporve of invalid"?
Can a truly Catholic Community exist without the celebration of the Eucharist? Does bringing Communion to a Community suffice? And, if a Community finds itself in a position where it has no priest, does it have the authority to pick someone and ordain him/her? I know the Magisterium says absoluterly not, but, push come to shove, which is more important, being in agreement with the Magisterium and not having a Catholic Community?
Just thought I'd ask.