No priest, no Eucharist

I realize I am taking a risk by asking Sr. Christine Schenk to speak at my parish of St. Luke. I am the pastoral administrator and I might be without a job but I know I can always find another one. Montana is crying for pastoral administrators and I could move next week. We have been without a sacramental minister for 15 months, and I need to beg, borrow and steal from the surrounding parishes in order to have one liturgy on Sunday morning, even though we now have over 300 families. The solution to our problem was to build a bigger church, which we are presently doing. The pastor in a parish just 14 miles from us died last month, and so they are in the same boat. Bellaire people have first hand experience of the lack of priests. Our bishop will not allow communion services on weekends, so both of our parishes are in a real bind.

Celine Goessi, SCSC, Bellaire, Mich.

Ed. note: Celine Goessi has a Doctor of Ministry degree from St. Mary's Seminary, Baltimore. Chris Schenk will be in Bellaire in late April as part of the CTA/FutureChurch continuing joint project on the Future of Priestly Ministry (FOPM). The program helps local Catholics deal with the facts of the priest shortage, and advocates opening priesthood to all the baptized. For information, and for videotapes about both FOPM and WICL (ad, page 3), call FutureChurch at 216 228-0869.

Still in CTA, but as an Anglican

After a lifetime of attempting to hang in the Roman Church, several months ago I gently and quietly slipped into the Anglican Communion. The change has been a long time coming, 66 years in fact, but the precipitating events were the condemnation of the Indian Jesuit Anthony de Mello for daring to bring Eastern religious insights into his teaching, the removal by the Vatican of a pastor from his parish in Rochester, N.Y., for being too inclusive (homosexuals and Protestants were welcomed!), and the failure to accept intercommunion among Christian churches. (Rochester did.) I could no longer jump over the widening chasm between Rome and me.

Also, the disinterest of my fellow Catholics in joining any of the movements of reform played a part; 19,000 out of 62 million U.S. Catholics belong to CTA, the major organization for renewal. 61,981,000 seem more willing than I to wait for the centuries change may take. (Pope John Paul II has appointed 160 cardinals, including 101 of the 115 eligible to vote for the next pope. He has appointed or promoted about nine-tenths of the currently active cardinals, archbishops and bishops.)

I shall continue my membership in CTA and my love for and gratitude to the Roman Catholic Church for the spiritual riches she has given me. But until Reunion, (I also belong to the Anglican Centre, an ecumenical body, in Rome), I feel a great sense of peace and happiness in my new community, where one of the greatest mentors is Brother Roger of Taizé.

Elizabeth Desan, Washington, D.C.

CTA misleading on Rochester

"Sad" is the word that came to mind as I read your article on Corpus Christi Parish (Feb. ChurchWatch): sad because you only tell one side of the story, resulting in an article filled with half-truths and misleading statements. Since early November I have been on an advisory team helping Dan McMullin (the new pastor) work through the many issues that are part of the turmoil at Corpus Christi. In late December I began working part-time at the parish. The issues there are many, and my hope is that CTA could be an agent of reconciliation rather than an agent that inflames and further divides an already broken parish community. I have been proud to be a member of CTA for 16+ years, and I believe in the majority of the issues in your agenda. I have a major concern about CTA: Is ChurchWatch (and CTA) becoming a misleading tool for the progressive people of the Church (a Church we all love) such as The Wanderer is for the reactionary people of our Church? My sincere prayer is that CTA and ChurchWatch write progressive, proactive (not reactive) and balanced articles based in facts, not one-sided opinions.

Rev. Michael Bausch, Rochester, N.Y.

Ed. note: CTA is following up with Bausch about his concerns, and which statements in our publications article he finds misleading.

CTA Directory

Thank you so much for your letter about renewing in the Church Renewal Directory. I have heard of your publication although I have not seen it. Thank you for all you are doing to empower people in their search for and fostering of peace, justice, and love.

Katie Sullivan, Philadelphia, Pa.

Ed. note: CTA is preparing the fifth edition of the directory, listing faith communities, renewal and peace/justice groups, and retreat centers.