Lay Preaching To Spread In Rochester Diocese

ROCHESTER, N.Y. — The abusive practice of laymen — usually nuns or ex-nuns — preaching during Mass, a nearly quarter-century-long practice in several Catholic parishes in the Diocese of Rochester, N.Y., received the imprimatur of Bishop Matthew Clark on April 24, when he issued new norms for lay preaching to take effect immediately.

"I would want for us to enjoy as fully as we possibly can . . . the beauty of lay preaching in this diocese," he said at a May 4 meeting that brought together about 150 priests, pastoral administrators, and parish bureaucrats at St. Bernard’s School of Theology and Ministry in Rochester. "It’s a value I don’t want to lose in any way."

True to form, Clark is taking authorized ecclesiastical norms and standing them on their head to produce the contrary effect of what was intended. The sharpest example is that canon law, and the American bishops’ complementary norms, require that any lay preacher authorized by the bishop be orthodox and live an exemplary Catholic life: There is no possibility that any orthodox Catholic could pass by Clark’s heterodox strainers, most of whom have decades-long records and reputations as dissenters from Catholic teaching.

The implications for Catholics in the Diocese of Rochester are enormous: Ambitious lay people who may not like their priests will demand equal time in the pulpit, and if they are heterodox, will receive permission to preach; the possibility that Catholics in the pew will receive Catholic teaching lessens, driving more Catholics into Protestant sects; priests will be increasingly marginalized, discouraged, demoralized, and harassed, and the priest shortage will avalanche.

As one Catholic observed to this reporter: "Imagine if the state suddenly authorized lay physicians or lay dentists or lay engineers, and all those who spent major portions of their lives obtaining the knowledge and expertise for their work had to sit on the sidelines while amateurs and dilettantes preached and engaged in these professional activities. What could be more demoralizing for those in the professions and discouraging for those entering the professions? This holds even more so for a priest, who not only has a period of long preparation, but also makes lifelong commitments, such as celibacy, before he can be ordained.

"Even barbers and plumbers wouldn’t stand for that; but somehow Clark feels the priesthood is superfluous."

Also speaking at the meeting was St. Bernard’s liturgy professor, Fr. Robert Kennedy, who exulted: "We have had for more than 25 years, a wonderful, rich experience of lay preaching in this diocese. It is a rich blessing and is part of what is playing into these norms."

(Kennedy, Wanderer readers will recall, told a March 1996 gathering that the Bible does not condemn homosexuality [see The Wanderer, April 18, 1996]. At the 1997 meeting of the National Association of Catholic Diocesan Lesbian and Gay Ministries, held in Rochester, Kennedy told his audience, "I am trying to figure out who I am and what makes me tick. . . . Here I am in midlife. I wonder when I will get to mature adulthood.")

Also on hand for the event was Joan Workmaster, who heads the diocese’s Office of Worship.

Workmaster, who frequently is at Clark’s side during the celebration of special Masses, told the group that the hardest part of the new norms for many to accept will be the prohibition of laity reading the Gospel. According to the report on the meeting published in the diocesan newspaper, The Catholic Courier, Workmaster explained that there is "no detailed text in Church law as to why this practice is reserved for a priest or deacon. She ventured that the Gospel’s relevance to the liturgy is so vital that ‘at that particular time the ordained would come in.’

"She said many lay people who have preached in place of the homily and read the Gospel have done so with good intentions, commenting, ‘I think it came out of the recognition of the value of lay participation in the diocese. I don’t think anybody engaged in it was doing anything radical’," reported Mike Latona.

"But she remarked that the ‘climate of the times’ — a thrust from Rome for all U.S. dioceses ‘to look more closely at what they’re doing’ — lent to the development of norms for the Rochester Diocese."

Last November, the U.S. bishops approved complementary legislation for canon 766 of the Code of Canon Law, on "Lay Preaching," which received a recognitio from the Holy See two weeks later.

The norm states: "Preaching the Word of God is among the principal duties of those who have received the Sacrament of Orders (cc. 762-764). The lay faithful can be called to cooperate in the exercise of the Ministry of the Word (c. 759). In accord with canon 766 the National Conference of Catholic Bishops hereby decrees that the lay faithful may be permitted to exercise this ministry in churches and oratories, with due regard for the following provisions:

"If necessity requires it in certain circumstances or it seems useful in particular cases, the diocesan bishop can admit lay faithful to preach, to offer spiritual conferences or give instructions in churches, oratories or other sacred places within his diocese, when he judges it to be to the spiritual advantage of the faithful.

"In order to assist the diocesan bishop in making an appropriate pastoral decision (Interdicasterial Instruction, Ecclesiae de Mysterio, Article 2 ss3), the following circumstances and cases are illustrative: the absence or shortage of clergy, particular language requirements, or the demonstrated expertise or experience of the lay faithful concerned.

"The lay faithful who are to be admitted to preach in a church or oratory must be orthodox in faith, and well-qualified, both by the witness of their lives as Christians and by a preparation for preaching appropriate to the circumstances.

"The diocesan bishop will determine the appropriate situations in accord with canon 772ss1. In providing for preaching by the lay faithful the diocesan bishop may never dispense from the norm which reserves the homily to the sacred ministers (c. 767ss1; cfr. Pontifical Commission for the Authentic Interpretation of the Code of Canon Law, 26 May 1987, in AAS 79 [1987], 1249). Preaching by the lay faithful may not take place within the Celebration of the Eucharist at the moment reserved for the homily."

It is anticipated the Diocese of Rochester’s new norms will not only preserve lay preaching in those places where it is a tradition, but will encourage other parishes that have not adapted the practice "to feel more comfortable doing so," Workmaster told the Courier.

For those who fear the new norms will restrict lay preaching, Workmaster said many opportunities for lay preaching remain, such as when a priest doesn’t have time to prepare a homily, at parish missions and retreats and other non-eucharistic celebrations.

Kennedy added that the new norms do not cover every situation where and when laity can preach, and that it will take time to define such terms as "useful" and "necessary."

Among the canon law experts at the May 4 meeting at St. Bernard’s was Fr. John Huels, from St. Paul University in Ottawa, who offered a way around Church law restricting laity from preaching during the "moment reserved for the homily."

"Perhaps most importantly for lay preachers," wrote Latona, "Church law does not prohibit the practice of a priest or deacon giving a brief homily during Mass — Fr. Huels uses the term ‘homilette’ — and then giving way to a lay person. Fr. Huels added that the lay preacher should immediately follow the homily, rather than speak after Communion — a slot where announcements and brief talks are often made — because worshipers aren’t as attentive by that time."

Also quoted in Latona’s lengthy feature report for the May 9 Catholic Courier was Fr. Gary Tyman, one of 22 diocesan priests who regularly celebrated Dignity Masses in the diocese.

Tyman said the new norms would affect him and his preacher, Rose Davis, who preaches every six weeks at Holy Rosary and Precious Blood Parishes. "...[T]o comply with the diocesan norms," Latona wrote, "he now plans to offer a reflection during the spot reserved for the homily whenever Davis preaches. Fr. Tyman added that he considers Davis’ role vital for the parish.

" ‘She’s a very fine, a very good preacher. She does a good job of exploring the Scriptures and connecting to what’s going on in people’s lives,’ Fr. Tyman commented. He added that Davis does not read the Gospel when she preaches, although that custom did exist while he was Catholic chaplain at the University of Rochester."

Another revelation in Latona’s report is that the diocese is forming a committee, to be in place by July 1, to clear lay people to preach.

"The norms state," wrote Latona, "that all preachers — ordained and non-ordained — should exhibit such traits as good maturity, critical theological reflection, communication skills, and academic preparation. And all preachers are now required to attend at least one preaching-related workshop, seminar, or course per year. . . .

"Workmaster sees these requirements as elevating an already high quality of preaching in this diocese. . . .

"The norms . . . have been in the works for nearly three years. They were primarily developed by Fr. Robert J. Kennedy, a longtime professor of liturgy; Franciscan Sr. Chris Treichel, pastoral association at Sacred Heart in Auburn; and Workmaster. The process involved consultation with several diocesan committees."

Roman Catholic Diocese of Rochester
1150 Buffalo Road
Rochester, NY 14624-1890
585-328-3210
585-328-3149 (FAX)

http://www.dor.org

Matthew has comprehension problems.

EWTNews

7-May-2002 -- Vatican Information Service

COMPLEMENTARITY, NOT EQUALITY, BETWEEN PRIESTS AND LAITY VATICAN CITY, MAY 7, 2002 (VIS)

The bishops of the Antilles were welcomed by Pope John Paul this morning who, in his talk to them in English and French, focussed at length on the "deep complementarity" - not equality - that must exist between priests and the lay faithful.

"You come as Pastors who have been called to share in the fullness of Christ's eternal priesthood," said the Pope in opening remarks. "First and foremost, you are priests: not corporate executives, business managers, finance officers or bureaucrats, but priests. This means above all that you have been set apart to offer sacrifice, since this is the essence of priesthood, and the core of the Christian priesthood is the offering of the sacrifice of Christ."

He then mentioned Vatican II, calling it a "great grace" for the Church, and highlighted how the role of the laity in ecclesial life had evolved since that 1962-65 council. He reminded the bishops that, "along with the awakening of the lay faithful in the Church" there has been a decrease in vocations in seminaries under their care. He told the bishops that they were "rightly concerned" at declining numbers because "the Catholic Church cannot exist without the priestly ministry that Christ Himself desires for her."

"Some persons, we know, affirm that the decrease in the number of priests is the work of the Holy Spirit and that God Himself will lead the Church, making it so that the government of the lay faithful will take the place of the government of priests. Such a statement certainly does not take into account what the Council Fathers said when they sought to promote a greater involvement of the lay faithful in the Church. In their teachings, the Council Fathers simply underscored the deep complementarity between priests and the laity that the symphonic nature of the Church implies. A poor understanding of this complementarity has sometimes led to a crisis of identity and confidence among priests, and also to forms of commitment by the laity that are too clerical or too politicized."

"Involvement by the laity becomes a form of clericalism when the sacramental or liturgical roles that belong to the priest are assumed by the lay faithful or when the latter set out to accomplish tasks of pastoral governing that properly belong to the priest. ... It is the priest who, as an ordained minister and in the name of Christ, presides over the Christian community on liturgical and pastoral levels. The laity can assist him in this in many ways. But the premier place of the exercise of the lay vocation is in the world of economic, social, political and cultural realities. It is in this world that the lay people are called to live their baptismal vocation."

"In a time of insidious secularization," asserted John Paul II, "it could seem strange that the Church insists so much on the secular vocation of the laity. But it is precisely this Gospel witness by the faithful in the world that is the heart of the Church's answer to the malaise of secularization."

"The commitment of lay persons," the Pope stated, "is politicized when the laity is absorbed by the exercise of 'power' within the Church. That happens when the Church is not seen in terms of the 'mystery' of grace that marks her, but rather in sociological or even political terms. ... When it is not service but power that shapes all forms of government in the Church, be this in the clergy or in the laity, opposing interests start to make themselves felt." And this hurts the Church, he added.

"What the Church needs," he told the bishops, "is a deeper and more creative sense of complementarity between the vocation of the priest and that of the laity." The Pope spoke of the importance of developing "a new apologetic for your people, so that they may understand what the Church teaches." Especially, he added, "in a world where people are continuously subjected to the cultural and ideological pressure of the media and the aggressively anti-Catholic attitude of many sects."

"The Church," he continued, "is called to proclaim an absolute and universal truth in the world at a time when in many cultures there is deep uncertainty as to whether such a truth could possibly exist. Therefore, the Church must speak in ways which carry the force of genuine witness. In considering what this entails, Pope Paul VI identified four qualities, which he called 'perspicuitas, lenitas, fiducia, prudentia,' - clarity, humanity, confidence and prudence."

John Paul II underlined that "to speak with clarity means that we need to explain comprehensibly the truth of Revelation and the Church's teachings which stem from it. ... This is what I meant when I said that we need a new apologetic, geared to the needs of today, which keeps in mind that our task is not to win arguments but to win souls. ... Such an apologetic will need to breathe a spirit of humanity, that humility and compassion which understand the anxieties and questions of people."

"To speak with confidence," he explained, "will mean that we never lose sight of the absolute and universal truth revealed in Christ, and never lose sight of the fact that this is the truth for which all people long, no matter how uninterested, resistant or hostile they may seem. To speak with that practical wisdom and good sense which Paul VI calls prudence ... will mean that we give a clear answer to people who ask: 'what must I do?'. In this, the heavy responsibility of our episcopal ministry appears in all its demanding challenge."

http://www.ewtn.com/vnews/getstory_print.asp?number=26290

Bless his heart for speaking the truth. He is surrounded by wolves, however who wish to silence him forever.

Just last week, I heard "our bishop" reply to a question by the local media on the issue of married clergy and/or female ordination. He "assured" the questioner that this would more than likely be changed with the next pope.

Here's an interesting piece of information form the british rainbowsash movement web site. They are calling on the pope to convene Vatican III!!! Here's their agenda:

British Catholics are urging the Bishops to move away from panicked reactions to what is portrayed as a sudden ‘crisis', occasioned particularly by concerns over ‘the ever expanding panorama of abuse in the Church.' They urge the Archbishop and Cardinal to recognise the current situation as ‘a kairos moment for the whole Church, a time of grace and opportunity,' and take a more strategic approach in partnership with the laity.

WAC (UK)'s letter entitled A kairos for the Church draws attention to those whom the church has excluded and abandoned: divorced and remarried people, clergy who have married, women, lesbian and gay people and their parents, members of black and minority ethnic communities. It highlights particularly the hurt and anger of those abused emotionally, physically, sexually and spiritually, and whose voice is not heard.

WAC's Coordinator, Valerie Stroud said: "Instead of dealing with the current concerns as if they are all quite unrelated matters, it's time for the Church's leadership to wake up to the fact that these issues reflect a much more fundamental and structural dysfunction in the Church. Too many doors are being shut in people's faces when it's greater openness that's needed. It's no good dealing with this piecemeal, through ‘inquisitions' or silencing. The Church's pastors should offer full repentance for the abuse of power, at the heart of the problems in the Church, and a firm purpose of amendment."

WAC(UK)'s Coordinating Team urges Cardinal Murphy-O'Connor of Westminster and Archbishop O'Brien of Edinburgh to call upon the Pope to convene a formal Council of the Catholic Church to include not only all the Church's Bishops but with full and not simply advisory participation of lay and other ordained members, as well as representatives of other faith communities.

WAC(UK) is also urging support for an international Catholic petition to the Pope to convene a new Ecumenical Council of the Catholic Church. This was launched last week with the initial support of Japanese Archbishop Stephen Hamao, the President of the Vatican's Pontifical Commission for Migrants and Refugees, Cardinal Paolo Evaristo Arns – retired Archbishop of Sao Paolo, Brazil and some 20 other Latin American bishops and theologians.

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