ARTICLES
September 2003 ARTICLES
Contents © 2003
by Jim Holman.
All rights reserved.
Toward A Future Unknown
"Unofficial" Results of the Archdiocesan Synod
By F. Michael Forrester
There's a joke being passed around some L.A. parishes: how do you define waste? A bus-full of synod delegates driving over a cliff -- with two empty seats. The appropriateness of the word "waste" seems to have been sealed by the "unofficial" results of the synod, released in the July 2003 Delegate Synod Newsletter.
The cover letter to the document containing the results was written by Sister Marilyn Vollimer, the director of the synod. Every one of the letter's five paragraphs began with the words, "WE HAD A GREAT SYNOD!" Eager to point out the "unofficial" status of the results, Sister Marilyn's second paragraph read: "WE HAD A GREAT SYNOD! And yet it is not over -- the decisions made during [the final] Synod Session ... have been given to Cardinal Mahony for assessment and further discernment to ensure the final text expresses both form and wording what [sic] he can endorse and enforce. The final synod document may look a little different ... Therefore, IT IS NOT READY FOR PUBLICATION."
Despite these instructions from Sister Marilyn, some might argue that the results of the synod had already been published three years ago, in Cardinal Mahony's pastoral letter, As I Have Done for You.
Some commentators have noted that Cardinal Mahony had, for the most part, laid out the path the synod would follow in his 2000 pastoral letter on ministry. In the pastoral letter, the cardinal strongly emphasized that the letter was written, in fact, for the synod. "In preparation for the Synod," wrote Mahony, "I urge each and every priest, deacon, religious and baptized Catholic within the archdiocese to take to heart the words of this pastoral letter." In his pastoral, As I Have Done for You, Mahony opined that the single and most excellent solution to the "vocations crisis" in the archdiocese was a greater involvement of the laity. "It has taken the shortage of priestly and religious vocations," wrote Mahony, "to awaken in us an appreciation of a broadly based shared ministry and a realization that it is in the nature of the Church as the Body of Christ to be endowed with many gifts, ministries and offices. What some refer to as a 'vocations crisis' is, rather, one of the many fruits of the Second Vatican Council, a sign of God's deep love for the Church, and an invitation to a more creative and effective ordering of gifts and energy in the Body of Christ."
Some time after, Pope John Paul II, in his 2002 Lenten address, expressed a different opinion. "We all know how necessary vocations are for the life, witness and pastoral action of our ecclesial communities," said the pope. "And we also know that the decrease in the number of vocations in a diocese ... is often the result of the weakening of faith and of spiritual fervor. Therefore, we must not be easily satisfied with the explanation that the scarcity of vocations is compensated for by growth in the apostolic commitment of lay people, nor even less that it is desired by Providence to foster this growth. On the contrary, the more numerous are the lay people who intend to live their own baptismal vocation generously, the more necessary are the presence and pastoral work of the ordained ministers."
Almost in way of response, and after the synod had passed the first "phase" of Speak Up Sessions, the Cardinal wrote an article published by the Tidings in August 2002, entitled "Our Synod: a moment of grace." In the article, the cardinal again reaffirmed his solution to the "crisis of vocations." "These new ways of thinking about ministry and of being Church, have their foundations in the Second Vatican Council," wrote Mahony. "I am not speaking about mere adjustments or small shifts in practice. Rather, this is the time for us as a Local Church to take new, bold and creative steps to radically alter the governance of the Archdiocese and to decentralize the overall administration of the Archdiocese."
Declaring that we are in a time of renewal and revitalization, the cardinal insisted that the structures and systems of Church administration created "decades ago" must, "give way" to new structures that assist and enhance the unfolding of each of our baptismal gifts at the regional and parish levels. "With the guidance of the Holy Spirit," wrote Mahony, "our Synod will establish for our Local Church a path to a future that is filled with both grace and hope."
Cardinal Mahony closed his article by asserting that we are in turbulent times, with absolutely nothing as our guide save the Holy Spirit. "Our Local Church is changing along with so much of the rest of the world around us," pondered Mahony. "Terrorism, the clergy sexual abuse scandal and economic uncertainty have affected all of us these past months. Yet, even in these uncertain times, we are like the Early Church, relying on the Holy Spirit to be our guide.... It is with great personal enthusiasm that I invite all of you to join me in this journey of faith as together we move towards a future unknown."
Unlike historical synods, the Los Angeles archdiocesan synod began with a grassroots phase, "consulting" the laity by way of taking "polls" of the issues raised from Speak Up Sessions held at parishes across the archdiocese. The information gathered at these "speak-up" sessions was to be used in the synod process to evaluate which "pastoral programs, services and apostolates" should be the most critical for the archdiocese to implement in the next decade.
As reported in the December 2001 Mission (see "Should the Church Get With It?"), these "polls" were so composed that the issues raised by those attending the speak-up sessions had to fit into pre-determined categories, which received a tally depending on how the appointed "facilitators" at each session interpreted the speakers' comments. The uncertain results of these sessions were then condensed by the Regional Synod Assembly, who "identified" from these results what the core focus areas of the archdiocesan synod agenda should be. A second "Speak Up" session was then held in which those who attended could only discuss those "identified focus areas." "Data" from those sessions was then further "consolidated" by the same Regional Synod Assembly.
This was all two years in the making, with the final "consolidation" happening at the cathedral center on June 27 and 28, 2003. Only the appointed synod delegates were present for this last session. In what can only conjure up images of "ask the audience" from the T.V. quiz show, "Who wants to be a Millionaire," this last session, according to the Tidings, had the delegates use "wireless electronic hand held devices to vote" on what the final pastoral proposals to offer Cardinal Mahony would be. As each potential "Priority Goal" was read out, the delegates, poised with fingers on the buttons, voted by pressing the corresponding key. "In less than a minute after each vote was taken," the Tidings reported, "results in percentages were flashed up on the wall." A vote of 67 percent was required to pass substantive issues.
The final, but as of yet, unofficial results, were split up into the pre-determined six "Pastoral Themes of the Synod." For each of these, one "Priority Goal" was voted on, with some having two to three bullet points to allocate "procedures of implementation." Of the six themes, three seemed almost token in their significance. These were evangelization, education, and social justice.
The other three are quoted here in full.
"Theme I. Structures for Participation and Accountability. Priority Goal: The Archbishop, Regional Bishops, and the Archdiocesan Leadership Team are to guarantee the development of structures which provide for appropriate religious and lay participation in decision making and process of accountability at Archdiocesan, regional, deanery and parish levels. In view of the declining number of priests available to serve as pastors, a comprehensive study, including consultation with laity, regarding parish consolidation, clustering, the creation of new parishes, and staffing by combinations of clergy and lay ministers appropriate to each parish, is to be undertaken, and a plan developed and implemented. A regional Pastoral Council is to be established in each Region to address common goals, concerns, challenges, and the sharing of resources."
"Theme II. Ministry and Leadership: Lay, Consecrated Life, Ordained. Priority Goal: On the Archdiocesan level, processes are to be established to ensure better collaboration and cooperation between the laity, religious and clergy so that the laity can more effectively assume their baptismal responsibility in the mission of the church. A plan for the joint training of ordained and lay leaders, especially in processes of collaboration and shared decision making. A 'School of Ministry for Laity' or its equivalent is to be established in each pastoral Region to train parishioners for participation in a variety of parochial Ministries. Women are to be included on an equal basis in all aspects of Church leadership, administration, and ministry not otherwise restricted by Church doctrine."
"Theme III. Eucharist and Sacramental Living. Priority Goal: As the availability of priests continues to decline within the Archdiocese, a comprehensive plan is to be developed on the Archdiocesan, regional, and parish levels for providing for the liturgical and sacramental needs of the people. Archdiocesan guidelines are to be developed and implemented to guarantee opportunities for Catholics to receive Communion, gather for prayer, and celebrate those sacraments and liturgical rites which can be administered in the absence of a priest. Ordained and Lay ministers are to participate in ongoing, formal liturgical and homiletic studies."
"Profound thanks to Cardinal Mahony," Sister Marilyn wrote in the newsletter, "for his leadership, his listening, his openness and flexibility as well as to the Synod steering body and the Synod preparatory commission who helped guide the preparation and process." For the official release of the synod results, Sister Marilyn invited the delegates to "put September 6, 10 a.m. liturgy at the Cathedral on your calendar.
"This time," Sr. Marilyn told the delegates, "we encourage you to bring your family".