We must maintain an attitude of
vigilance.
ANNOUNCEMENT :
THE FORMATION OF THE PARISH LEADERSHIP FORUM
OF THE
ARCHDIOCESE OF BOSTON
… to develop a new model
of leadership…
Below
: are the names of those who have
created The Forum.
FaithfulVoice.com
is concerned that this “ new “ organization
is
an out growth of Voice of the Faithful.
Information
is needed on the history and development of The Forum.
Members
of the Parish Leadership Forum Planning Committee:
Maureen
Eldredge:
Timothy
Haley:
Michael
Roberto:
Anne
Marie Rosa:
David
W. Zizik:
mailto:Research@FaithfulVoice.com
CREATION OF
THE PARISH LEADERSHIP FORUM
We
are pleased to announce the formation of the Parish Leadership Forum. The
purpose of our group is to:
Create a mechanism for parish leaders
throughout the Archdiocese to share ideas regarding:
The evangelization, worship, religious
education, and service activities in our parishes.
The organizational practices and
procedures employed throughout the Archdiocese.
Develop and support genuine dialogue
between those working at the parish level – lay parish leaders,
clergy, and religious – and
Archdiocesan leaders.
Together We Are the Church.
The Parish Leadership Forum believes
that our first task must be to rebuild trust through genuine dialogue in a
manner that respects the dignity of all of God’s people.
The Parish Leadership Forum is based
upon the premise that all of the constituent elements of the Catholic Church
– the laity, hierarchy and those in a religious state – must work
together to develop a new model of leadership through collaboration,
understanding and spiritual interdependence; and that such efforts must begin
at the parish level.
The
Parish Leadership Forum is founded upon our core belief in the Gospel message
of Jesus Christ. The organization is voluntary and non-canonical, and reflects
the fundamental right and freedom of association of all of God’s people
that is expressly affirmed by the Documents of the Second Vatican Council and
the Code of Canon law.
History
and Background of the Organization of the Parish Leadership Forum.
The
great Vatican II document on the church (Lumen Gentium), describes the laity
as:
(A)ll
the faithful...who by Baptism are incorporated into Christ, are constituted the
people of God, who have been sharers in their own way in the priestly, prophetic
and kingly office of Christ and play their part in carrying out the mission of
the whole Christian people in the church and in the world. (31)
Lumen
Gentium goes on to say:
(T)he
laity...are called as living members to apply to the building up of the church
and to its continual sanctification all the powers which they have received
from the goodness of the Creator and from the grace of the Redeemer. (33)
and:
To
the extent of their knowledge and competence or authority, the laity are entitled,
and indeed sometimes duty-bound, to express their opinion on matters which
concern the good of the church. (37)
On April 20, 2002, David W.
Zizik, a parishioner of St. Theresa Parish in Sherborn, Massachusetts, emailed
a proposal to a number of people in the Archdiocese of Boston for the formation
of an association of parish pastoral councils. In a letter to parish priests
dated April 25, 2002, Bishop Walter Edyvean, Moderator of the Archdiocesan
Curia, raised concerns about the proposal. Mr. Zizik requested a meeting with
the Bishop to clarify his proposal and to discuss his intentions for further
follow-up work. A meeting was scheduled.
On
May 17, 2002 Mr. Zizik met with Bishop Edyvean. Mr. Zizik believes that the
meeting was extremely constructive. Bishop Edyvean explained his concerns,
including the use of the term "association," which has a technical
meaning in Canon Law; and that the group’s name should accurately reflect
its goals and purposes. Mr. Zizik assured Bishop Edyvean that the group he was
proposing is intended to function within the existing structure of the Church,
in a manner that complements existing structures and seeks unity among all
Catholic Christians consistent with our shared faith and tradition.
Thereafter,
at Bishop Edyvean’s suggestion, a meeting was arranged with
representatives of the Archdiocesan Office for Planning and Research at the
Chancery in Brighton. On June 5, 2002, Mr. Zizik and Ms. Maureen Eldredge, a
parishioner of St. Ignatius Parish, Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, met with the
Director, Rev. Robert McMillan, S.J., and Mr. Harry Foden, to discuss the
group’s intentions and the work its members might do on a parish and
archdiocesan level. They felt that the group’s goal of organizing
representatives from various parishes for support and discussion on matters
that pertain to parish life is consistent with efforts that have been ongoing
for a number of years to organize leadership groups from parishes that are in
close geographical proximity to each other known as "clusters."
The
formation of the Parish Leadership Forum has also been discussed with a number
of theologians and canon lawyers to alleviate Bishop Edyvean’s concerns
and to reflect our desire to form the group in a manner that is consistent with
Catholic teaching and tradition, to allow for genuine dialogue to improve the
structure of our local Church in a way that respects and responds to differing
views and opinions, and which improves the ways in which we worship God and
live out Christ’s Gospel message.
The
Parish Leadership Forum supports the central role that the Second Vatican
Council recognized lay Catholics play within the life of the church. It will
seek to provide a mechanism within the archdiocese for lay leaders of all
parishes to collectively exercise their gifts in service of the church, and to
share views and opinions on matters of importance to parishioners directly with
the leaders of the archdiocese.
Structure
and functions. The Parish Leadership Forum will draw its membership from
interested lay parishioners throughout the Archdiocese of Boston. It will
provide support to interested lay and religious parish leaders throughout the
Archdiocese of Boston with respect to evangelization, worship, religious
education, service and organizational activities that are involved in
day-to-day parish life.
The
Parish Leadership Forum will further the goals of parish-based leadership
groups such as parish pastoral councils, finance commissions, and others by
providing a mechanism for support, ongoing education, and spiritual development
of lay parish leadership, and for systematic and ongoing dialogue between and
among lay parish leaders and other parishioners, clergy, men and women
religious and Archdiocesan leadership regarding issues of concern in the life
of the Church, particularly those that relate to parish life.
Membership
in the Parish Leadership Forum will be open to all members of Parish Pastoral
Councils, Parish Finance Councils and other parish-based leadership groups in
the Archdiocese. We will develop by-laws specifying membership and terms, and
suggest mechanisms for including women and men religious, clergy and members of
the hierarchy in its dialogues. The Parish Leadership Forum will also propose a
more systematic mechanism for ongoing dialogue with the Archbishop of Boston
and other Archdiocesan leaders, particularly on matters that pertain to
day-to-day parish life.
All
meetings will be open to the public; and a record shall be kept and minutes
circulated of each meeting.
Members
of the Parish Leadership Forum Planning Committee: Mary Jo Bane; Maureen
Eldredge; Timothy Haley; Gisela Morales-Barreto; Michael Roberto; Anne Marie
Rosa; and David W. Zizik.
For
further information, please call David W. Zizik at 508-653-1411.
mailto:Research@FaithfulVoice.com
Date: Sat Jan 25 13:02:09 2003
To: <Research@FaithfulVoice.com>
Subject: Re
Parish leadership Forum
The
Parish Leadership Forum must recall that in order to be able to call itself or
themselves "We are the Church" their minds and wills must be
turned toward the Lord Jesus. They must be one with Him. They must be one in
mind and will with His Vicar, the Holy Father. If at any point they are not
with the Lord or with the Holy Father, then they are not "the
Church".
Defend
The Faith
http://members.trysb.net/dtf@trysb.net
Webpage
Manager
Date: Tue Jan 28 08:39:45 2003
To: Research@FaithfulVoice.com
Subject: Leadership
Forum
Does the planned Feb. 9 "Parish
Town Meeting" for Our Lady Help of Christians parish by Fr. Walter Cuenin
fulfill the desires of the Parish Leadership Forum that is being developed by
David Zizik, Mary Jo Bane, and company, together with Fr. Robert Bullock,pastor
of Our Lady of Sorrows parish,Sharon, co-leader of the Priests Forum with Fr.
Cuenin and spokesperson for Voice of the Fatihful?
It
would appear that Fr. Cuenin's initiative for his parish meets the criterion
that will be established by David Zizik and Fr. Bullock according to their
agenda for the Parish Leadership Forum meeting at Fr. Bullock's parish on Feb.
1. Fr. Cuenin has established the structure of his "Parish Town
Meeting" by stating the primary questions to be addressed in the
parish bulletin's Pastor's Corner: "Do we want to stay with the Church?
What kind of church do we want to belong to?"(Weekly
bulletin,1/18/03,www.ourladys.com)
Certainly our lady of sorrows and help of Christians is heartbroken that the
questions that pierce her heart are not being asked: How can we help Holy
Mother Church protect the innocent baby in the womb? How can we help Holy
Mother Church protect the unity of marriage as being the union of one man and
one woman as Holy Mother Church has always believed in verifying God's plan for
His creation as revealed in Genisis? Fr. Cuenin certainly has opposed this
teaching of our Holy Mother Church on marriage, and not one member of the
Parish leadershi Forum, nor the Priests Forum, nor the Voice of the Faithful
has used their very public voice to refute what Fr. Cuenin has publicly said in
opposition to the teaching of our Holy Mother Church and as Bay Windows, New
England's Largest Gay and Lesbian Newspaper, is gleefully proclaiming is in
unison with their Gay Marriage demand. (Bay Windows, Marriage fight shifts to
Legislature,"and the voices of some respected Catholic parish
priests...rang very loud on Beacon Hill, when they said this amendment(Marriage
Amendment) didn't do anything to strengthen marriage and was bad for
children.",1/10/2003). Further,Mary Jo Bane, a leader in the Parish
Leadership Forum has publicly stated:"I believe that most abortions are
wrong most of the time; that the law in a religiously pluralist democracy
cannot and should not rigidly outlaw all abortion; that it should instead
regulate and discourage." (Commonweal Spring 2001 Colloquium,4/20-22.2001).
This is certainly not the protection of the child in the womb that is required
of all practicing Catholics according to the teaching of our Holy Mother
Church! Mary Jo Bane is equivocating in order to allow some abortions to
eliminate some innocent babies in the womb.
How
sad that the promoters of the Parish Leadership Forum have not expressed one
word to encourage support for the teachings of our Holy Mother Church, and
appear to have no objections to Fr. Cuenin's "Parish Town Meeting" to
address his question:"Shall we stay with the Church?" Is this
the kind of "parish participation" that David Zizik, Mary Jo Bane,
Fr. Robert Bullock and Fr. Walter Cuenin want to have implemented into each and
every parish in the Boston Archdiocese? It's enough to make Our Lady weep
in sorrow and heartbreak.
Alice Slattery
Date: Sun Feb 2 18:04:43 2003
Subject: Participation
of a parishioner means being able to ask questions!
Dear
FaithfulVoice.com
Realizing that the Parish Leadership Forum wants to take over the command of
the representation of all parishioners in the boston Archdiocese and seeing the
name of mary Jo Bane as a member of his Planning Committee ,I read Mry jo
bane's statements in Commonweal on the subject of abortion . After reading Mary
Jo Bane's "Autobiographical Statement" in Commonweal-Sept. 2001
issue, and seeing how she addressed the right to abortion in the same manner as
Sen Kennedy , Sen. Kerry, and Gov. Cuomo when she was performing her
"ministerial responsibility" of financing abortions, professing
herself to be a "moderate", opposing the teaching of the Catholic
Church on the issue, while working in the Clinton administration, I took the
efforts of the Parish Leadership Forum to get parishioners involved more
actively in what is going on in the Church, to heart and sent the following
questionnaire to David Zizik who is the founder, mover and shaker of the Parish
Leadership Forum. If he is honest in his intention to get us parishioners more
involved ,he will get the signatures of his Planning Committee and will
return the questionnaire to me so that I can let other parishioners in on the
now secret positions of the Planning Committee members. I am asking that each
and every member, including David Zizik,Mary Jo Bane, Maureen Eldredge, Timothy
Haley, Gisela Morales-Barreto, Michael Roberto and Anne Marie Rosa, sign their
name into the either "I fully agree" or "I dissent" space
to show clearly what position they take on the following teachings from the
Catechism of the Catholic Church:
1
Abortion: #2270 Human life must be respected and protected absolutely
from the moment of conception. From the first moment of his existence, a human
being must be recognized as having the rights of a person-among which is the
inviolable right of every innocent being to life.
2.
Marriage: #1660 The marriage covenant by which a man and a woman form
with each other an intimate communion of life and love, has been founded and
endowed with its own special laws by the Creator. By its very nature it is
ordered to the good of the couple, as well as to the generation and education
of children. Christ the Lord raised marriage between the baptized to the
dignity of a sacrament.
I
don't see how David Zizik can refuse to have each and every member of the
Parish Leadership Forum sign to show their position on these two vital and
current public issues if he is maintaining that he wants parishioners to be
much more involved in what is going on in the Church. If he refuses to do this
then he will be showing himself to be totally dishonest about his
"mission" for the Archdiocese of Boston. He cannot be making plans
for all of us parishioners and yet refusing to answer these basic questions.
---Alice
Sunday,
January 26, 2003 :::
Research
by Carol McKinley
More info on
the "individuals" on our Parish Councils
who now are
forming Parish Leadership Forum
Mary
Jo Bane, a public policy professor
at Harvard University’s John F.
Kennedy
School of Government, presented "a challenge to lay Catholics."
"Don’t
give money to the archdiocese," she wrote. "The crisis in the
archdiocese
of Boston tragically illustrates the consequences of a
culture
of secrecy and deference in the church. It’s time for lay
Catholics
who love the church to challenge that culture. We can do so by
withholding
our contributions to the archdiocese until the church becomes
more
open and participatory."
During
a telephone interview Bane spoke of her reasons for publicly
urging
withholding of financial contributions by lay people until "steps
are
taken to remedy structural and cultural flaws that created the
current
crisis."
From
VOICE OF THE FAITHFUL (VOTF) www.VOTF.org July 12, 2002
Mary Jo Bane, Thornton Bradshaw Professor of Public Policy and
Management,
came to the Kennedy School in 1981. From 1993-1996, she was
Assistant
Secretary for Children and Families at the U.S. Department of
Health
and Human Services. She resigned from the administration in 1996
after
President Clinton signed the 1996 welfare reform law. In 1992-93,
she
was Commissioner of the New York State Department of Social Services,
where
she also had served as Executive Deputy Commissioner from 1984-86.
From
1987-1992, at the Kennedy School, she was Malcolm Wiener Professor
of
Social Policy and Director of the Malcolm Wiener Center for Social
Policy.
She is the author of a number of books and articles on poverty,
welfare, and families.
Mary Jo Bane was a speaker at the VOTF
Conference
Re:
Church reforms.
Mary
Jo Bane
and Call to Action
"At a crowded public forum March 19 at Harvard, covered by several TV channels, Bane said the current crisis for American Catholics is even bigger than the furor over the birth control encyclical in 1968. At that time, disaffected Catholics either exited the Church or ignored the teaching. This time, many Catholics like herself are choosing to stay and fight for church reforms."
She
also was the first person to formally strike up a petition to oust Cardinal
Law. So much for respecting authority and working within in.
From
Call to Action/Churchwatch which was taken from an article in Commonweal
"The abortion issue is a difficult one for me, as it is for many Catholics women. When asked, I identify myself as pro-life, and do so publicly, though in truth my actual positions on policy issues would surely not satisfy orthodox Catholic thought police"
Gisela
Morales-Barretto,
Voice of
the Faithful and Parish Leadership Forum
''What Voice looks like today, and I have said this very
clearly to them, is not the whole church of Boston,'' said Gisela Morales-Barreto of Newton, who is
active in both Voice of the Faithful and the Parish Leadership Forum. ''If this
movement is going to grow and be alive and healthy, it needs to bring in all
those other groups and those other aspects of society that are not present.''
"If there was ever a time for reform," argues Gisela Morales-Barreto, who attended her first meeting in April, "this is it." At their regular meetings, the rebels pray for the victims of abuse. But they also pray for their bishops: "that their hearts and minds be opened to inclusion and collaboration with the faithful."
And
Gisela
Morales-Barreto of Newton, an active Catholic who belongs to Voice of the Faithful and
the Parish Leadership Forum, said she has been deeply troubled by what she
perceives as an effort to marginalize priests and lay people who join groups or
speak frankly on issues.
''Every time you say something, you're identified as a troublemaker,'' she said. ''When you speak your mind, you are redefined as a person who doesn't respect the teachings of the church. Instead of creating an environment for dialogue, they're pushing people away. And priests who speak out are feeling isolated and depressed, because instead of being placed in a category that's welcoming, they're ostracized.''
So..in
summary :
Gisela
is upset when priests are disciplined (which she calls ostracized)
Her
ideas on the Parish Leadership Forum, is to create an environment to keep
dialogue that is contrary to Church teachings into play.
The
problem is - we never get to the point where we can pull out the Catechism and
teach the opinions of Christ...that is interpreted as "pushing people
away".
"David
Zizik thought he had a good
idea to help the Roman Catholic Church, so much so that he has pressed ahead
with it in the face of resistance from Boston's Cardinal Bernard Law."
But
the church flatly rejected Zizik's proposal.
When
Law got word in April of the plan for an Association of Parish Councils, the
cardinal ordered every priest and bishop under his command to ignore the group.
He said an Archdiocesan Pastoral Council already existed and the creation of
another group would be ''superfluous and potentially divisive.''
"Despite
Law's directive on the parish association, Zizik was not deterred. He and
others who support his approach have decided to move ahead anyway, and are working
under a new name -- Parish Leadership Forum."
"They
continue to discuss their goals with the archdiocese and feel they have allayed some
of church officials' fears."
"After meeting with Edyvean, Zizik's group decided
to exist as a forum of parish council leaders, instead of as an association of
parish councils, a move that seemed to placate church authorities, Zizik
said."
"The difference is the forum is a group of individuals, rather than a formal unification of the parish councils."
Professor Leonard
Swidler, Ph.D, S.T.L., LL.D.,
LL.D.
Professor
of Catholic Thought and Interreligious Dialogue
(as in the
VOTF/Call to Action/ Parish Leadership Forum Dialogue!!)
Religion
Department, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA 19122, USA
http://arcc-catholic-rights.org
mailto:Research@FaithfulVoice.com