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Should the Church "Get With It"?

"Speak-Up Sessions" Hint at Synod's Agenda

By F. Michael Forrester

All Catholics who attended Mass in the archdiocese of Los Angeles on Sunday, September 30, heard a formal proclamation from Cardinal Roger Mahony: "We, the Catholic Church of Los Angeles, will begin preparing for our Archdiocesan Synod. I invite everyone, clergy, religious, and laity, to prepare for this event." Printed on scrolls, the proclamation was carried in procession and displayed in parishes throughout the archdiocese.

The subsequent befuddlement of parishioners across the Southland over the synod had a two-fold explanation. This is to be the first synod in Los Angeles in over four decades; few have experienced one in their lifetime, and, further, it is historically the first synod where the laity are to be involved, either in preparations or in the synod itself.

In the entire history of this archdiocese, there have been total of eight synods. The first was held in 1852, and the last in 1960. The 181 statutes drawn from the last synod included rules governing marriage preparations, pastoral care of the sick and infirm, the conduct of parish schools, catechetical instructions and the dissemination of Catholic literature. The synod encouraged the blessing of mothers after childbirth, the practice of daily Mass, reception of Holy Communion, and the recitation of the rosary in the parish church. Encouragement was given, as well, to the development of parochial societies such as the Holy Name, the Legion of Mary, St. Vincent de Paul, and the Sodality of Our Lady.

The new synod called for by Cardinal Roger Mahony in his April 2000 Pastoral Letter, As I Have done For You, is to be somewhat different from its predecessors.

Drawing upon a 1997 document from the Vatican Congregations for Bishops and Evangelization, the Synod Preparation Commission has asked the laity to initiate the preparations for the synod. Franciscan Sister Marilyn Vollmer, director of the synod, in speaking with the Tidings noted, "previous synods involved strictly the clergy. This synod is much closer to the grassroots, in that we are creating an agenda from the ground up -- it involves all people, lay, clergy, religious."

Principally, the laity are to be involved in the preparations that have been termed "Speak-up Sessions." These are being held throughout the archdiocese until the end of 2001. Their objective is to identify those pastoral concerns that people believe should be part of the 2003 synod agenda. All speak-up sessions follow the guidelines set out by the Synod Preparatory Commission. Each gathering has a "facilitator" who conducts the sessions and "scribes" who "capture the words and intent of those who speak up." Each speak-up session lasts no more than two hours.

Concerns and "focus areas" determined by these speak-up sessions are collated and sent to the synod office, which compiles the data from all the parishes. In February 2002, Cardinal Mahony, along with the regional bishops and select members of the laity, will decide on what, of all the information, the synod will focus. Some time after this there will be a second "grass roots" consultation in the form of speak-up sessions to address the specific areas chosen.

St Andrew's church, Pasadena, was one of the first parishes to hold a speak-up session, on October 15. Approximately 70 people attended the session, held in the school auditorium. The pastor, Father Frank Colburn, had (following the guidelines from the Synod Preparation Commission) a maximum of five minutes to welcome all, introduce the scribes and facilitators, and lead the synod prayer before turning the meeting over to the facilitators.

The facilitator read out the "ground rules," which included the following: "As we look ahead, what are the areas that are most important for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles to be concerned about? Speak briefly -- no more than two minutes per person; It's OK to repeat what someone else has said -- Scribes record not only what is said, but how many times; and Always speak the truth with love -- not allowed to embarrass, correct, or in any way diminish another." Participants were then given five minutes to reflect on the question and jot down three to four responses, after which came the invitation to "speak-up at the microphones."

Many of those that spoke up were concerned about the lack of vocations in the archdiocese. Equally many had solutions. "I have a solution, although it certainly doesn't 'go' with Rome," said one participant. "that they should allow priests to be married and this would solve several problems. One is, as you read about in the newspapers, about the priests and the boys, and you hear every once in a while about priests that are marrying and the scandal associated with that. I'd like to see the bishops of the United States vote on this issue -- although they probably couldn't do it in the open; they'd probably have to do it in secret." Later on in the session, another man seconded this point. He expanded on the solution, the Church should provide for "'laicized' priests, and even female [priests]," he said.

One of the facilitators, also concerned with the lack of vocations, spoke up and said, "because we don't have too many vocations, and because the priests are so busy, I think it very important for the laity to be involved with the ministries of the church and I think it is important for the diocesan office and our parish to have a very real, very committed, and very strong outreach for people to get involved in the ministries of our church. There are many. I've been involved in some of them, and it has been a really educational and moving experience. So I think it is very important that we outreach to all people." Another speaker echoed this point by declaring, "we are here in Los Angeles the microcosm of the world. The pluralistic population in the archdiocese, within the Church and without the Church, needs to be touched in a way that makes everyone feel inclusive -- married, unmarried, divorced, fallen away, youth, seniors -- and they have to be brought into programs, there has to be something [in the Church] that uses the laity."

Not all of those who were concerned with the lack of vocations expressed the need for optional celibacy vows or extension of lay ministerial roles. Some respondents repeated the need for the archdiocese of Los Angeles to look to other dioceses with many vocations, and see what it is that they are doing to attract these young men. One woman noted that what is common to most of these dioceses is their eucharistic adoration. "There are very, very few opportunities in this diocese to attend eucharistic adoration," she said. "Eucharistic adoration cannot but be an optimum source for young men to discern their vocation."

Another man, concerned that young men simply do not know what the priestly vocation is, lamented that he had "never appreciated or begun to understand what a calling it is. Recently, for the first time in my life, I witnessed an ordination, and listening to the words of the ordination, the vows and commitments made, I have been educated in a wonderful way."

Apart from the dearth in vocations, another concern was that the Church is not providing answers for the youth of today. A mother of two boys insisted tersely that the Church should "get with it."

One of the last people to speak up made the rather topical point that "we have to reach out to other religions and not create the chasms that now exist between Muslims and Christians. [We must] try to understand what their beliefs are and make them welcome so they don't come here and take their education back with them and start firing missiles at us."

Attendance at the October 17 speak-up session held at Holy Family Church, South Pasadena (a parish that boasts "some 4,000 households, representing approximately 9,300 people ... seven Sunday Masses and over 50 different charitable, educational, and spiritual ministries and organizations") was under 30 people, including pastor, facilitator and four scribes. Preparations had been made for well over 100 to attend.

Some of the points from the total of the 13 that spoke were: "the Church ought to look to see if priestly vocation in today's society is viable, and if not, to look into changing the restrictions and laws, including instigating gender blind vocations. The Church should address social justice across the board. I'm not sure what the Church means when it uses the words social justice, I'm just not sure.There is a growing need for adult education, which simply isn't available, within each parish. I didn't realize the importance of the Bible until my son told me a few days ago. Now that's just basic information before leaving earth."

One of the final points, an apparent favorite that met with cheerful applause, was: "the Church should look into how the Cardinals choose the pope. For instance, I thought Mother Teresa was a perfect candidate."

"This is all a colossal waste of time and money," said a senior ranking priest (who requested anonymity) of the speak-up sessions. "The 'results' of the synod are absolutely, 100%, foregone conclusions. No one has asked for this synod, there is little to no enthusiasm for it in any of the parishes, and the large percentage of people that will actually attend these 'speak up sessions' will be radicals with thoughtless ideas. If you want to know what the outcome will be, read the cardinal's pastoral letter. It's all there."

Cardinal Roger Mahony's pastoral letter on ministry, As I Have Done For You, which called for the 2003 archdiocesan synod, was the "fruit" of the priests' assembly of 1997 and the convocations of 1998 and 1999. According to the letter, the main aim of the convocations was "to discuss further the many challenges that await us as we move toward a more collaborative and inclusive approach to ministry."

One of the cardinal's principal inferences from these gatherings was that most priests gave "little evidence of enthusiasm for promoting priestly vocations." The letter insists that the only necessary and desirable solution for the few new vocations to the priesthood is to increase the role of the laity in ministry.

"Instead of looking to see why there are no vocations," said one parish priest, "the cardinal is unreservedly making preparations for a priest-less archdiocese." Indeed, projecting what parishioners' opinions in the archdiocese of Los Angeles will be in four years time, the cardinal portends in his letter that the majority will be resigned to the idea that "there is no returning to the days prior to the Second Vatican Council when there were large numbers of priests, sisters, and brothers." Returning to the present, the cardinal presupposes that "today we recognize more clearly the role of the laity and the requirement to exercise all ministry in a more communal and collaborative fashion."

Unrelenting in this vision, Cardinal Roger Mahony goes on to write: "it must be recognized that lay ministry rooted in the priesthood of the baptized is not a stopgap measure. Even if seminaries were once again filled to overflowing and convents packed with sisters, there would still remain the need for cultivating, developing, and sustaining the full flourishing of ministries that we have witnessed."

The letter ends: "In preparation for the Synod, I urge each and every priest, deacon, religious, and baptized Catholic within the archdiocese to take to heart the words of this Pastoral Letter."

The cardinal is by no means unsupported in his labors to achieve this goal. Auxiliary Bishop Edward Clark recently gave a presentation entitled, "Collaborative Ministry: Uncovering the Gifts of the Laity, Recovering the Place of the Clergy." The modern church, insisted Bishop Clark, is undergoing a "revolution in our understanding of ministry." "No longer is our understanding of ministry so limited that we should assume that the only role of the laity is to share in the ministry of the clergy;" said Clark. "The role of the laity is to conduct their own ministries in collaboration with the hierarchy and the clergy."

The suggestion that the "focus areas" of the synod are predetermined or "foregone conclusions" is further supported by the way in which the scribes record the input from the speak-up sessions. The role of the scribe is not only to record accurately what people say, but also to transfer that data on to the appropriate form after the speak-up session.

The appropriate form, named "The Scribes Grid," has pre-set concerns organized under general headings. For example, under "Revitalizing Parish Life," the first three areas of concerns listed are: 1) Accepting the call of the laity to minister in the parish; 2) inviting and channeling the gifts of the laity into parish ministry; and 3) incorporating the leadership gifts that women bring to the church. In front of each is a space to put tally marks. After the sessions, scribes go through their notes and mark the relevant areas of concern as many times as they were mentioned. All decision-making as to where each "input item" should be tallied is left entirely up to each scribe.

The document, "Instructions for Scribes," written by the synod preparation committee, states: "You will have to decide where an input item fits best. This is not always easy.... If it seems like an item can fit by a given phrase, put the tally there and move on to the next one."

One of the scribes interviewed complained, "it's actually a very difficult thing to do. In our session there were many input items about the vocation to priesthood. But on the Scribe Grid, under the heading 'Priestly Vocations,' there are only four phrases: '1) rapidly diminishing number of priests, 2) revitalizing the focus of priestly ministry, 3) providing a strong support system for the newly ordained, and 4) few new vocations to the priesthood.' Everything had to somehow fit under one of those or I'd have to tally it in 'Other.'"

In contrast, the Scribe noticed no shortage of phrases for inputs concerning the increase in lay ministry. "Under the heading 'Archdiocesan Responsibilities and Planning,' the first three are: '1) preparing and providing for extensive lay ministry and lay leadership; 2) including laity in Archdiocesan consultation and decision-making; and 3) greater cultural/ethnic representation at Archdiocesan level.' The whole grid is peppered with the words of ministry, inclusivity, and laity."

A priest from the Santa Barbara region also questioned the objective of these sessions. "It seems to me that if the archdiocese was really interested in getting an accurate representation of the concerns of the laity, they would have conducted some questionnaire via mail," he said. "That way, all could easily contribute -- without being inhibited by time, schedules, and, for many, the deterrent of having to speak publicly." He went on to point out that "as it is, each session is to last no more than two hours, with a half hour break, and about 15 to 20 minutes for the introduction and conclusion. With each person having two minutes to speak, that allows for a total of 35 people to 'speak up' -- and that's not taking into account any intermittent pauses.

"This may possibly be a 'grass roots' synod, but only from a small patch in the lawn."

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