Despite Vatican-inspired crackdowns on Corpus Christi Parish in Rochester, N.Y., most of the parishioners are sticking together as the Corpus Christi Faith Community (CCFC).

In official, diocesan terms, almost everything has changed. Ousted Fr. James Callan is now suspended from priestly functions, his colleague Mary Ramerman fired, and Fr. Enrique Cadena on a leave from the priesthood. Of 13 other pastoral staffers from the old team, six were fired Dec. 14, and another five resigned in early January. Sunday Mass attendance at the parish church is down from 2,700 before "the crisis" to less than 600 last month.

But unofficially, something remarkable is going on. Every Thursday night at 7 PM at Downtown United Presbyterian Church, the Corpus Christi Faith Community holds supplemental worship -- a communion service with Callan and Ramerman -- and over 1,000 people show up. The weekly collection is over $10,000. The Spring Committee -- CCFC's steering group, named for Callan's book, "Can't Hold Back the Spring" -- continues to govern the community, and dispenses funds to Corpus Christi's many outreach ministries in the inner city: the health clinic, the homeless shelter, the home for ex-prisoners, the recovery house for alcoholics and addicts, and food and clothing programs.

Six more staff fired
CCFC remains committed to the inclusive policies that got them in trouble: women pastoral leaders in albs at the Eucharistic table, inviting all believers to communion, and blessing gays and lesbians in committed relationships. Refusing to back down on these matters is what got Callan suspended and Ramerman fired. But other staff departures came after reassertions of top-down authority. The new pastor, Fr. Daniel McMullin, on Dec. 9 suddenly introduced parish staff to Tom Riley, a business consultant hired by the diocese as an interim administrator. A staff accustomed to years of collaboration on all hiring had not even been consulted. Riley demanded their loyalty, but refused to define it. Thirteen staff then signed a protest to parishioners that the people, "and especially the poor," were losing their voice. A day later Riley fired six of them, without severance pay or benefits. Gone were adult education minister Michael Boucher, family minister Denise Donato, and hospitality minister Myra Humphrey. Also out were three leaders of key outreach ministries to the poor: Jim Smith, 18-year veteran of Rogers House prison ministry; Maureen Nielsen of Pearl House, for women ex-offenders; and Josephite Sr. Margie Henninger of Recovery House for the addicted, who came to Corpus Christi with Callan since 1976.

In early January, the business manager, the education coordinator and two youth ministers resigned. So did Eileen Hurley, since 1991 the director of the Neighborhood Outreach Center where volunteer doctors, nurses and therapists serve over 15,000 patients a year. She said Riley was centralizing all authority and resources in ways she couldn't accept.

Outreach to poor is primary
Despite all the disruptions, CCFC is determined to see the inner city programs continue. When CTA co-director Dan Daley and FutureChurch director, Sr. Chris Schenk, visited Rochester Jan. 16-18 to assess the situation, Jim Callan told them, "For the Spring Committee, outreach to the poor is the primary thing." All the fired staff remain involved with CCFC and its projects. CCFC collections are helping them financially. Also, lawyers have been consulted, since the fired employees had signed job contracts. Meanwhile, CCFC pours substantial funds into the outreach programs (Two of them, mission projects in Haiti and in Chiapas, Mexico, are independently structured, not controlled by the diocese.) Fifteen percent of all contributions are tithed to aid programs for the poor, both their own and those of other churches and agencies . Metropolitan Rochester has a whopping 190 CTA members, only 40 of whom are from Corpus Christi. Daley and Schenk met with clusters of CTA members and other concerned Catholics both inside and outside CCFC. Like Catholics at large, they are divided about the wisdom of CCFC's life and alternative worship "in exile." The picture may get murkier if the diocese further censures Callan, who though not saying Mass is helping lead the communion services. But many are interested in developing a CTA affiliate in Rochester that can work for dialogue and mutual understanding. And almost everyone agrees: the real culprit is neither Corpus Christi nor Bishop Matthew Clark, but the Vatican, for driving a wedge between a progressive bishop and one of his most active parishes.

What you can do
Get background and action updates direct from the Corpus Christi website: www.corpus-christi-friends.org