a call for national dialogue on the future of priestly ministry

You are invited to participate in A Call for National Dialogue on the Future of Priestly Ministry, a joint project of Call To Action and FutureChurch. Certainly, dialogue is needed more than ever, particularly in light of recent Vatican attempts to declare the ban on women's ordination infallible. This occurred, despite the fact that nearly half of the world's parishes have no priest at all!

• The Priest Shortage at a Glance
• Questions and Answers about Women's Ordination
• Sunday Worship in the Absence of a Priest: Some Disquieting Reflections by Kathleen Hughes
• "Infallibility" and Equality in Catholicism by Christine Schenk, CSJ
• Sensus Fidelium compiled by Dr. Joan Nuth and Fr. Louis Trivison
• Bibliography
• Address List for Ecclesial Leadership
  

On Ash Wednesday, February 21, 1996, Call To Action and FutureChurch launched a National Dialogue on Priestly Ministry with special blessing services for faith communities, parishes, and dioceses around the country. More than 30 years ago Pope John XXIII opened the windows of the church, now we must open its doors. We marked the doors of our churches with ashes and asked God to bless us with a new moment in which open, honest dialogue can take place to seek creative solutions to this crisis.

It is so important that we become involved in shaping the future of our Church lest we awaken one day to find a priestless future shaping us. Too many parish communities have already been disbanded and left without Eucharist because there are no sacramental ministers available.

Above you will find links to educational, media, and organizational materials for launching the National Dialogue project in your area.

Christine Schenk, CSJ of FutureChurch has been named project coordinator of the National Dialogue project. Feel free to contact her at the Ohio address for information about the experiences of grassroots people in other parts of the country, and to share your experiences.

For a complete resource packet or brochures, contact Call To Action and they will be sent to you. (As always, a donation to defray printing costs would be much appreciated.) If you have questions about the project, contact FutureChurch

Call To Action and FutureChurch both believe we must claim our adult baptismal responsibility for our Church. Part of being an adult means being able to talk about our differences and to take appropriate responsibility for shaping our shared future. We hope this dialogue project will lead us, and our Bishops into a new moment of listening both to the signs of our times and to the voice of "Divine Providence [who] is leading us to a new order of human relations..." (Pope John XXIII).

We hope you will decide to help shape the future with us!

Logo artwork used with permission of Meinrad Craighead, from Liturgical Art, Kansas City, MO: Sheed & Ward, 1988.

A Call for National Dialogue on the Future of Priestly Ministry is a joint endeavor of FutureChurch and Call To Action. Its purpose is to help raise the consciousness of our Catholic community about the nature of the ministerial crisis we face. To find out how you can be proactive in preserving our Catholic Eucharistic heritage in your locale, contact:

FutureChurch
15800 Montrose Avenue
Cleveland, OH 44111
216/228-0869
info@futurechurch.org

Call To Action
2135 W. Roscoe
Chicago, IL 60618
773/604-0400
cta@cta-usa.org

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