No change in any item of Diocesan Stewardship
December 30, 2012 Bulletin
One additional pledge but no increase in total amount pledged. (This maybe a correction of prior reporting). Very large payments for two weekends, perhaps reflective of end of tax year contributions.
Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted of Phoenix told CNS that the church has also found unlikely partners in the evangelical communities in its fight against secularism and threats to life.
Post-Vatican II ecumenical partners, such as the Anglicans, "have slipped away from the basic teaching about Jesus Christ, the human person and marriage, which has made dialogue and cooperation with them much more difficult," he said.
Newer dialogue partners, such as the Orthodox Church and Mormons, and even communities that were one anti-Catholic, such as the Baptists, not only share many of the same values concerning the sanctity of life and marriage, but are eagerly seeking active partnerships with the Catholic Church to protect such values and religious freedom.
Read the entire story by clicking on the following: CNS STORY: Pope: Americas need renewed missionary spirit, well-catechized laity
Effective Church Financial Management Systems
Over the past 10 months, I and and many other Voice of the Faithful (VOTF) volunteers, with input from many VOTF members, have worked on formulating and improving a policy statement on effective church financial management systems and getting that statement approved by VOTF officers. The 8.23.2007 issue of In the Vineyard, the VOTF bi-weekly electronic newspaper, carried the approved policy statement, which follows.
If anyone has any comments or questions, please use the Reply capability of this site, or e-mail me at frankdouglas62@yahoo.com.
* * *
VOTF National Representative Council
Resolution on
Effective Church Financial Management SystemsAugust 2007 - Recent media disclosures and an important university study provide compelling evidence that secrecy, ineffective internal financial controls, inadequate disclosure, and insufficient oversight characterize the financial activities, records, and reports of too many Catholic parishes, dioceses, and Catholic Conferences (the public policy and lobbying arms of the Church).
Establishing effective Church financial management systems will provide the financial transparency and accountability necessary to solve these problems. Moreover, 89 percent of American Catholics want a substantial voice in the financial decisions of their Church (the National Catholic Reporter, September 30, 2005).
Therefore, VOTF calls on lay Catholics to work in partnership with pastors and bishops to provide the responsible management of Church financial resources that justice and good stewardship demand.
Background
The Center for the Study of Church Management at Villanova’s School of Business reported in January 2007 that 85% of U.S. dioceses responding said that they had uncovered embezzlement schemes over the past five years. More than 10% reported that the amounts stolen exceeded half a million dollars. The study reported that the Catholic Church has some of the most rigorous financial guidelines of any denomination, but found that the guidelines were often ignored in parishes. Some of the cash that goes into the collection plate does not always get deposited into the church’s bank account because of high-living clerical life-styles or embezzlement or both.In January 2007, the Diocese of Bridgeport, Conn., removed the pastor of a Greenwich, Conn., parish over the expenditure of some $500,000 without proper documentation. That follows the revelations last year that a prominent Darien, Conn., priest, Michael Jude Fay, had walked off with $1.4 million to bankroll a luxurious lifestyle of New York trips and Florida vacations with a male friend. In Virginia, a priest was accused of stealing $600,000 to help support a woman who may be his wife, while last September two Palm Beach, Fla., priests were arrested for allegedly stealing $8.6 million from their parish. In Boston, priests’ trust has been shaken by pension fund mismanagement.
On January 18, 2007, the Accounting Practices Committee, a group of lay experts who advise the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), called for tighter internal controls over finances in the nation’s more than 19,000 parishes.
Many of the recommendations of the Villanova Center for the Study of Church Management, as documented in Internal Financial Controls in the U.S. Catholic Church, and of the bishops’ Accounting Practices Committee have been incorporated in the general and specific recommendations that follow.
General Recommendations
- VOTF strongly advocates the establishment of sound financial management systems, policies, procedures, controls, and practices at all levels of the Catholic Church, including parishes, dioceses, and Catholic Conferences, that provide enhanced financial accounting, full disclosure of financial information, and effective oversight.
- Policies, procedures, controls, and practices should be documented, maintained current, available on the Internet, and provided to Church members upon request. Documentation should include a detailed description of financial controls, tools, standards and procedures.
- At all levels, financial statements should be prepared on a consistent basis from year to year, in accordance with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP), published on a timely basis including comprehensive and informative footnote disclosure. Disclosure of financial information should be accurate, detailed and comprehensive.
- At all levels, policies should be implemented to guard against fraud and embezzlement, protect whistleblowers (e.g., by establishing communication channels for church workers to report suspected irregularities or fraudulent activities while protecting their anonymity), and report all suspected cases of fraud to law enforcement authorities.
- At all levels, policies and procedures should be designed and implemented to provide effective oversight, with significant participation by knowledgeable lay persons, in the development, monitoring, and improvement of financial management systems.
- At all levels, high priority should be given to identifying and correcting deficiencies in current financial systems. Specifically, VOTF recommends that initial improvements to parish, diocesan, and Catholic Conference financial systems be completed by December 31, 2008.
- Catholic conference financial policies should ensure full disclosure of all expenditures for legislative initiatives.
Specific recommendations for parishes, dioceses, and Catholic Conferences:
Parishes
Parish financial management systems should provide for:
- Effective parish finance councils, as required by canon law. The council should include members with knowledge and experience in parish finances and/or financial management (e.g., financial managers, accountants, or business managers and owners). Members of the council should represent a cross section of the parish community and include members that are elected by the parish community.
- Thorough training for parish finance council members relative to their roles and
responsibilities.- An open budgeting process that solicits input from all members of the parish
community.- Effective security controls over all revenue and disbursements, especially with
respect to cash and cash equivalents. Examples of such controls include church ushers securing money in tamper proof bags with numbered seals; rotating money-counting teams; separation-of-duties standards, such as ensuring that bookkeepers recording the funds aren’t the ones counting and depositing them; pre-numbered receipts; and two signatures on checks for large disbursements.- A system of internal controls, including those to prevent embezzlement.
- Preparation of annual audited or compiled financial statements by an independent CPA in conformity with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) and made available to the parish community.
- Full, supplemental disclosures including:
- Monthly or quarterly financial reports including a balance sheet and income statement (receipts and disbursements.)
- Preparation of an annual budget (approved by the parish finance council) that is made available to the parish community.
- Annual report to parishioners from the parish finance council containing: i) the names, brief background, and expertise of parish finance council members; ii) dates when the council met; iii) date(s) when the approved parish financial statements and budget were made available to parishioners during the preceding fiscal year and when they will be made available during the current year.
- Periodically, but at a minimum, every 5 years, a detailed statement itemizing the estimated fair market value of assets owned by the parish.
Dioceses
Diocesan financial management systems should provide for:
- Diocesan financial councils including members with experience and expertise in financial management (e.g., financial managers, accountants, business managers). VOTF recommends that diocesan financial councils include significant representation by persons elected by parishioners, parish councils, parish finance councils, priests and religious communities.
- An open budgeting process that solicits input from parish councils, parish finance councils, and other members of the diocese.
- A system of internal controls, including those to prevent embezzlement.
- Preparation and issuance of audited financial statements conducted by an independent CPA in conformity with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP). VOTF recommends that the CPA firm be changed periodically (e.g., every 3-5 years)
- Diocesan policies should include a conflicts of interest policy and require selection of the diocesan auditor by a person other than the diocesan chief financial officer.
- Financial accounting and reporting systems should comply with the existing guidelines in the Diocesan Financial Issues document approved by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. In addition, we recommend the use, as appropriate, of the work products of the National Leadership Roundtable on Church Management and VOTF’s Structural Change Working Group, and other best practices (e.g., Business Administration – Best Parish Practices published by the Archdiocese of Chicago).
- Full, supplemental disclosures including:
- A description of the ownership/affiliation structure of all diocesan and parish entities.
- Receipts and disbursements of diocesan appeals and appeals of all diocesan-related entities.
- A description of the pension plan for priests and other Church workers including financial statements, vesting rules, actuarial assumptions and portfolio performance.
- Financial disbursements to other Church entities, including the Vatican.
- A schedule of financial support provided to and by Catholic Conferences for lobbying activities, including with regard to legislation designed to extend, temporarily suspend, or eliminate civil or criminal statutes of limitations on child sexual abuse suits, reporting child abuse, or other legislation designed to protect children from sexual abuse.
- Payments to and contracts with public relations firms and a description of the activities for which these firms were engaged including amounts paid to defeat legislation designed to extend, temporarily suspend, or eliminate civil or criminal statutes of limitations on child sexual abuse suits, reporting child abuse, or other legislation designed to protect children from sexual abuse.
- Costs and detailed information associated with all insurance policies, and any amounts invested in self-insurance programs.
- Description of lawsuits and liability claims filed against the diocese, the costs of defending such claims, including fees paid to lawyers, any amounts paid to claimants, and receipts from insurance companies in settlement of claims.
- The number, names, and costs associated with each known, admitted, or credibly accused priest and/or other church worker who has been credibly accused of sexual crimes against children and vulnerable adults and who are still receiving financial support from the Catholic Church.
- Periodically, but at a minimum every 5 years, a detailed statement itemizing the estimated fair market value of assets owned by the diocese.
Catholic Conferences
Catholic Conference (and other similar Church lobbying organizations) financial management systems should provide for:
- Full annual disclosure, on a line item by line item basis, of all receipts and sources of receipts for all legislative initiatives. Full annual disclosure, on a line item by line item basis of all expenditures made for legislative initiatives. The disclosure of expenditures should include, but not be limited to, payments made to legal, lobbying and public relations firms as well as the purpose of such expenditures.
- Full annual disclosure of the amount of financial or other support each state (or inter-state) Catholic conference receives from each diocese.
Voice from the Desert » Blog Archive » Effective Church Financial Management Systems
Christmas 2011 numbers—Note Christmas was on Sunday in 2011.
which had to sell off several valuable properties, lay off employees, and fold the Catholic Standard and Times newspaper after 117 years of publishing — all to close a $17-million budget deficit.
“All we know is still infinitely less that all that still remains unknown".” William Harvey
It was not announced at all the masses however at 10:00 AM Sunday Mass, it was announced that there will be a second collection on Christmas to help “meet the budget”.
For release:
Publication Date: December 2012
LITURGY TRAINING PUBLICATIONS
is pleased to announce the publication of
THE CHURCH BUILDING AS A SACRED PLACE:
Beauty, Transcendence, and the Eternal
By Duncan G. Stroik
How can we recover a sense of the sacred in liturgy and architecture? Why was it lost in the twentieth century? What signs of hope exist for the future? In his new book The Church Building as a Sacred Place: Beauty, Transcendence, and the Eternal, Duncan Stroik answers these questions with wisdom gained from two decades of teaching, writing, and practicing architecture in service to the Church.
Writing to architects, artists, priests, and all who see the urgent need for renewal, Stroik begins this compilation of essays by reemphasizing the nature and purpose of the church building. He then considers how the Classical Tradition can inform contemporary churches, analyzes the impact Modernist philosophy has had on architecture, and concludes by looking forward to renaissance and renewal. Along the way he gives principles of design, myths of contemporary sacred architecture, advice for priests, and analysis of the architectural ramifications of the theology of Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI. Over 170 photographs and drawings of exemplary historic and contemporary churches fill the pages of this instructive and inspiring work. When asked about Stroik’s impact on catholic church architecture, noted architectural historian and professor Denis R. McNamara commented, “The Church Building as a Sacred Place not only highlights the ideas and motivations behind today’s flowering of classical architecture, but also gives hope and inspiration for those ready to see new churches that can be handed on proudly to future generations who will thank us for giving them a place to worship which lifts up their hearts to God and teaches that it is right to give Him thanks and praise.”
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Duncan G. Stroik is a practicing architect, author, and Professor of Architecture at the University of Notre Dame. His built work includes the Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity Chapel in Santa Paula, California and the Shrine Church of Our Lady of Guadalupe in LaCrosse, Wisconsin. Prof. Stroik is also the editor of Sacred Architecture Journal.
If you are interested in reviewing this new book, please reply with your mailing address.
TITLE: The Church Building as a Sacred Place: Beauty Transcendence, and the Eternal
AUTHOR: Duncan G. Stroik
ISBN: 978-1-59525-037-7
DETAILS: 192 pages, Hardcover
PUBLICATION DATE: December, 2012
You really must read the entire article—You may need to skip the first few pages to get to the new facts supplied by the author.
Cardinal Bernard Law, whose soft-glove treatment of pedophiles ignited the Boston scandal, resigned as archbishop in 2002. The Roman Curia welcomed him in 2004 as pastor of a great basilica, Santa Maria Maggiore, with a $10,000 per month salary and a highly influential role in choosing new American bishops.
Law was a driving force behind a preliminary investigation of all American religious orders of women, save for cloistered communities, according to several sources interviewed here, and a May 15 report by Robert Mickens, the respected Vatican correspondent for the British magazine, The Tablet. Law, who has not spoken to the media in a decade, refused an interview request. But Cardinal Franc Rodé, 78, the retired prefect of the congregation that oversees religious orders, in a wide-ranging interview at his residence in the Palace of the Holy Office, confirmed Law’s role, adding: “It was the American milieu in the Roman Curia that suggested it.”
The “visitation” of all but the cloistered communities was the initial phase. The CDF aggressive investigation of the main leadership group soon followed
Click on the following to read the entire article; A New Inquisition: The Vatican targets US nuns
Three additional pledges, $1495 additional total pledged.
by Steven Ertelt | Washington, DC | LifeNews.com
Cardinal Dolan, the head of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, is slamming the media silence on the battles against the HHS mandate, the Obama administration’s attempt to force religious groups to fund drugs that may cause abortions.
Earlier this month, in what top pro-life legal groups described as a “landmark ruling against the HHS Mandate,” a federal judge ruled against the Obama administration’s assertion that the government’s supposed “safe harbor” was adequate to protect religious organizations from suffering imminent harm.
The USCCB president isn’t happy the mainstream media gave scant coverage to the important decision.
Click on the following to read all of the story: Cardinal Dolan Slams Media Silence on Battle Over HHS Mandate | LifeNews.com
Judge Cogan’s decision last week turned back a motion by the administration to have our lawsuit dismissed.
The Archdiocese of New York, ArchCare, and CHSLI remain as plaintiffs.) That’s significant, because the administration has been successful in getting some of the other cases dismissed, but in his decision Judge Cogan found that there was very real possibility that we plaintiffs would “face future injuries stemming from their forced choice between incurring fines or acting in violation of their religious beliefs.”
Click on the following to read the entire piece: http://blog.archny.org/index.php/hhs-mandate-decision/
The United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York has denied in part and granted in part the federal government's Rule 12(b)(1) motion to dismiss the complaint of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York, Catholic Health Care Systems, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Rockville Centre and Catholic Charities, and Catholic Health Services of Long Island (CHSLI).
Read the court decision that denied abuse victims access to parish assets.
IN RE ARCHDIOCESE OF MILWAUKEE In re Archdiocese of Milwaukee, Chapter 11, Debtor.Case No. 11-20059-svk.United States Bankruptcy Court, E.D. Wisconsin.
December 7, 2012.
Ron Schmit | Dec. 8, 2012
VIEWPOINT
The 1570 missal (the basis of the 1962 missal) was, and continues to be, a liturgy in which the baptized -- once subjects of the liturgy and co-celebrants of the eucharistic sacrifice -- were and are reduced to mere spectators. They are there to watch the priest say "his" Mass. The emphasis is hierarchical and legalistic (who has the power and how are they lawfully exercising that power). Rather than the risen Christ working through the whole people of God (lay and ordained), we have a powerful clergy ministering to a passive people. Instead of church as sacrament, we have church as a juridical hierarchy.
The attempt to resurrect and popularize the 1962 pre-Vatican II Mass has serious ramifications. Will we be a church that looks narrowly inward -- where God is found only in piety and private devotion, or will we be a church as Vatican II defined it -- a Spirit-filled people on fire with an urgent sense of mission? We are at a crossroads. The extraordinary form is incapable of activating us as the priestly people of God -- the vision of Vatican II. Which path will we follow?
Click on the following for more details; Attempt to resurrect pre-Vatican II Mass leaves church at crossroads | National Catholic Reporter
Six things you can do to
Support the Sisters1. Petition
Over 64,000 people signed a petition to stand with the sisters! The petition is now closed but you can read about it here.
2. Write
Tell Church officials that you support the sisters. Write to the Apostolic Nuncio, the Vatican's ambassador in the U.S., other officials, or to your local newspaper.
Download a sample letter and suggested talking points.3. Vigil
Sponsor or join a Sister City Vigil in Solidarity with LCWR. Find a local vigil or download Sister City Vigil Services.
4. Share
Follow Nun Justice on Tumblr
Post a photo or video showing your support
Tweet using #nunjustice
Share the petition on Facebook5. Pledge
Make a financial pledge to support the sisters by directing or redirecting a contribution to your local community of women religious. Help us tally the total amount pledged by recording your pledge amount here.
6. Pray
Pray for the sisters on your own and/or organize a prayer service in your parish or small faith community. A sample prayer vigil and new "sister city" prayer services and litany are available to use.
Federal Bankruptcy Judge Susan Kelley said the parishes will not put all of their assets at risk, as she decides how much the Milwaukee Archdiocese must pay to sex abuse victims and other creditors in its nearly two-year-old bankruptcy case.
Kelley ruled that the parishes are their own legal entities – but they’re not out of the woods just yet. The parishes could still be sued, as the creditors try to obtain $35-million the local churches obtained from the archdiocese in 2005. The creditors say the archdiocese committed fraud by taking the money off its books
Click on the following for more details: Bankruptcy judge: local parishes won't have to pay for priest sex-abuse - WTAQ News Talk 97.5FM and 1360AM
THE SECOND FORTNIGHT
1.Starting with the Sunday after Christmas (Feast of the Holy Family) and continuing on or near the last Sunday of every month through Christ the King Sunday, November 2013, cathedrals and parishes are encouraged to hold a Eucharistic Holy Hour for Life, Marriage, and Religious Liberty.
2.Families and individuals are encouraged to pray a daily Rosary, especially for the preservation of Life, Marriage, and Religious Liberty in the nation.
3.At Sunday and daily Masses, it is encouraged that the Prayers of the Faithful include specific intentions for respect for all human life from conception to natural death, the strengthening of marriage and family life, and the preservation of religious libertyat all levels of government, both at home and abroad.
4.Abstinence from meat and fasting on Fridays are encouraged for the intention of the protection of Life, Marriage, and Religious Liberty, recognizing the importance of spiritual and bodily sacrifice in the life of the Church.
5.The celebration of a second Fortnight for Freedom at the end of June and the beginning of July 2013 is being planned. This Fortnight would emphasize faith and marriage in a particular way in the face of the potential Supreme Court rulings during this time. The Fortnight would also emphasize the need for conscience protection in light of the August 1, 2013 deadline for religious organizations to comply with the HHS mandate, as well as religious freedom concerns in other areas, such as immigration, adoption, and humanitarian services.
Click on the following for more details: Encore: bishops plan second Fortnight for Freedom for 2013
Following is taken from:
Parish Stewardship
What is Parish Stewardship?
Parish Stewardship is one way of organizing the gifts of parishioners resources to invigorate the parish community. Good disciples are good stewards. They know that God has given them time, talent, and treasure to be shared with others. Therefore, they plan and budget their resources wisely so that God's will can come first in their lives, so that prayer and service can be high on their list of priorities. Our office can help teach your parishioners how to be good stewards of their God given resources.
Each parish can benefit by exemplifying the eight characteristics of a stewardship parish for their people.
What are the eight characteristics of a "Stewardship Parish?"
Get a copy of Eight Characteristics (in pdf) here.
1. Parish should create a stewardship commission. The commission should be formed by the teachings of the 1992 U.S. Bishops' Pastoral Letter, Stewardship: A Disciple's Response which makes the connection between the evangelization/conversion process and the people's use of their time, talent and treasure.
2. Parish should have ongoing educational activities that instruct the parish membership throughout the year in the Church's teachings of stewardship. This should include themes from the 1992 Bishop's Pastoral Letter and the readings from the Liturgical cycle.
3. Within the context of the Church's teachings on stewardship, parish should conduct an annual stewardship of time and talent renewal to encourage parishioners to share their gifts as a faith response and as a way to meet the ministry needs of the parish and local community. Pastoral leaders should empower the laity to discern and contribute their variety of gifts in the service of parish ministries and church vocations.
4. Within the context of the Church's teachings on stewardship, parish should conduct an annual stewardship of treasure renewal to encourage parishioners to share their material gifts as a faith response and for the support of the parish ministries. The learning objective for parishioners would include encouraging parishioners to embrace the biblical tithe and to give in a planned and sacrificial way. A current Catholic interpretation of this type of giving is for people to give 5% of their income to the parish, 1% to the diocese and 4% to other charities.
5. Parish should strive to incrementally move toward the elimination of second collections, special envelopes and special fund-raisers for expenses related to normal parish operating activities and ministries. Annual celebrations or festivals should mainly exist for the purpose of building community, not fund-raising. See Policies for Projects < $12,500 (in pdf).
6. Parish should contribute a portion of their Sunday offertory collection to poor parishes in this diocese, our own diocesan social ministries and worthy community, regional, national and international programs that further the plan of God on earth. This practice will provide an example to the parish community of the type of proportionate giving that the leadership is encouraging its members to assume. See Parish Tithe Policy (in pdf).
7. When parish leadership is conducting a campaign for extraordinary capital improvements/repairs, new building projects or debt reduction, these types of projects should be presented to the people within the context of the Church's teachings and practices of stewardship. There are excellent examples of how some parishes in our diocese are integrating the teachings and practices of stewardship into these types of projects. See blue area below Capital Projects Policy (in pdf).
8. Parish should promote the stewardship of assets and endowment awareness among parishioners for the long term financial benefit of the Parish, Diocese, and Universal Church. Parish shall establish an endowment account in the Catholic Foundation. Endowment awareness would include education of stewardship of assets and encouragement for bequests through wills and other planned giving instruments. The creation of an endowment committee is encouraged. See Endowment Gifts.
.
Stewardship and the Assessment System
Approved on May 1, 1998
by Bishop Thomas Doran
Updated March 2009
Capital Projects
I. Basic definitions and observations
Capital projects are defined as the construction of new buildings, remodeling or repairing existing buildings, or the purchasing of new equipment, land or buildings which exceed $12,500.
Normally, revenue for capital projects and debt associated with the project are raised through a combination of an approved capital campaign and supplemented with Parish Ordinary Income. Some parishes have paid for capital projects using Parish Ordinary Income only.
II. Diocesan Policy Statements
Implementation of Stewardship Goal
When parish leadership is conducting a campaign for capital improvements, new building projects or debt reduction, these types of projects should be presented to the people within the context of the Church's Stewardship teachings.
Statement of Diocesan Assessment Goal
To establish parity between parishes which choose either the "Parish Ordinary Income only" option or the "capital campaign" option.
Statement of Procedures
1) Capital projects must be planned in accordance with the Uniform Procedures for the Purchase of or Contract for Land, Building Remodeling, and Improvements. A letter of request must be submitted to the Diocesan Bishop outlining the project.
2) Capital projects are not capital projects until the Diocesan Bishop gives initial approval for the plan and it is entered into the Diocesan Capital Projects log. As part of the approval process the parish must indicate the means of fund raising by either: a) conducting a capital campaign and using Parish Ordinary Income as supplemental, or b) using Parish Ordinary Income only. The diocesan project approval letter will include a statement recognizing the fund-raising method to be employed by the parish. Three – five years will be the normal timeframe to conduct capital campaigns and to redeem pledges. See St. James Approval Letter below.
a) If the parish is approved to conduct a capital campaign, revenues from the drive will not be used in the calculations for the diocesan assessments. Parish Ordinary Income used toward the capital project will not be deducted from Ordinary Income before diocesan assessments are calculated.
b) If the parish is approved to fund the capital project through Ordinary Income only, a maximum of 20% of the parish's Ordinary Income will be deducted from Ordinary Income before diocesan assessments are calculated.
For this "Parish Ordinary Income only" option the parish must have adopted most of the 8 Characteristics of a Stewardship parish and agrees to the following conditions:
a) no capital campaign
b) no special envelopes
c) no other fund-raising activities for the capital project
d) no other second collections (except a poor box)
e) no formal memorial drives for non-endowment purposes
f) parish must demonstrate ability to pay capital debt within 15 years.
[Note: While not reducing Ordinary Income, bequests or unsolicited special donations do not disqualify the parish for this deduction.]
3) If the Capital Campaign is initially chosen and when the three to five year capital campaign payment period is completed, the parish must formally decide which method it will choose to pay off the remaining debt. It may either choose the Parish Ordinary Income method, or choose to conduct a debt reduction drive and introduce a special envelope for that purpose. Written permission from the Vicar General is required.
One additional pledge—no change in amount pledged. The same thing happened last week. SEE: .http://boonecountycatholics.blogspot.com/2012/11/weekly-collections-for-weekend-of_28.html
Total Paid on Pledges does not balance. Total paid on pledges as of 11-27-2012 is $1,431,438.10 plus $9,811.73 collected weekend of Dec 1/2 equals $1,441,249.83 NOT $1,442,471.43, difference is $1221.60
The following is taken from the St. James’ bulletin for December 9, 2012
During the month of November Father Geary sent two letter soliciting pledges—one to those parishioners who have not pledged and another to alums of St. James School.
Click on the photocopy to enlarge:
A 92-year-old Milwaukee Jesuit is the latest American priest to be sanctioned for celebrating the Catholic Mass with a woman priest in violation of church teaching.
Father Bill Brennan, a longtime peace activist, has been ordered not to celebrate the Eucharist or other sacraments publicly, or to present himself publicly as a priest by the Archdiocese of Milwaukee and his religious order, the Society of Jesus.
It comes three weeks after Brennan celebrated Mass with Milwaukee native the Rev. Janice Sevre-Duszynska
Click on the following for more details: Milwaukee priest, 92, sanctioned for Mass with woman
Cardinal Dolan is broadcasting a series of Advent reflections on EWTN (Eternal Word Television Network) through Sunday, Dec. 23. The four half-hour episodes, titled “Christ Comes in History, Mystery and Majesty: Reflections on Advent with His Eminence, Timothy Cardinal Dolan,” correspond with the four weeks of Advent.
The schedule is as follows:
Vatican clergy and employees will be issued with an identity card complete with a microchip-tracking device in sweeping new security measures designed to prevent a repeat of the Vatileaks scandal.
Click on the book cover photocopy to read the 48 page pamphlet.
Roy Bourgeois, M.M.
My Journey from Silence to Solidarity
Welcome to RoyBourgeoisJourney.org, where you can read the full pdf version of
My Journey from Silence to Solidarity, published in May of 2012. Maryknoll priest
Roy Bourgeois tells how he awoke to justice issues, making them the core of his
ministry for 40 years, and how that justice orientation came to include support
for women's ordination to the Catholic priesthood. Additional resources and
organizations are listed at the end of this booklet.Hard copies are available for $7.00 (which includes shipping). Place your order
by contacting the author at Roy Bourgeois, P. O. Box 3330, Columbus, GA 31903
(706-682-5369) or by contacting the editor.
Hard copies can also be purchased via Amazon.com, and the Kindle version is coming soon.
Follow this link to Amazon.Thanks and Peace, Margaret Knapke, editor
Share this page
_____________________________________
Roy Bourgeois
Born
(1938-01-27) January 27, 1938 (age 74)
Lutcher, LouisianaNationality
U.S.Education
University of Southwestern LouisianaOccupation
Roman Catholic Priest (former)Known for
SOA Watch (founder)Religion
Roman CatholicWebsite
My Journey from Silence to Solidarity
Roy Bourgeois (born 27 January 1938 in Louisiana) is a former Roman Catholic priest; and an American activist and founder of the human rights group School of the Americas Watch (SOA Watch) in 1990.[1]
Ordained to the priesthood in 1972 in the Roman Catholic Church's Maryknoll society of apostolic life's Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers (The Catholic Foreign Mission Society of America), Bourgeois was canonically dismissed forty years later, on October 4, 2012, from both the Maryknolls and the priesthood, because of his August 9, 2008 participation in what the Church said was the invalid ordination of a woman and "a simulated Mass" in Lexington, Kentucky.[2]
Early life
Bourgeois was born in Lutcher, Louisiana. He grew up in a conservative working-class family, and attended the University of Southwestern Louisiana and graduated with a bachelor of science degree in geology.
After graduation, Bourgeois entered the United States Navy and served as an officer for four years. He spent two years at sea, one year at a station in Europe, and two tours of duty during one year in Vietnam, during the first of which he was injured and received the Purple Heart.
After military service, he entered the Maryknoll Society in 1966; then entered the seminary of the Catholic missionary society of Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers (Catholic Foreign Mission Society of America), and was ordained as a Catholic priest in 1972.
Activism
1972-1975 Fr. Bourgeois began the work of his priesthood in La Paz, Bolivia aiding the poor. In 1975 he was accused of, and was arrested for, attempting to overthrow Bolivian dictator General Hugo Banzer Suarez, a 1958 graduate of the School of the Americas (SOA) (now known as the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation (WHINSEC)) at Fort Benning, in Columbus, Georgia. Bourgeois was eventually deported from Bolivia and returned to the United States.
1980 Fr. Bourgeois moved to a Catholic Worker house in Chicago where he continued his work with the poor. He became an outspoken critic of US foreign policy in Latin America after four American churchwomen (three of them nuns, and two of them personal friends of Bourgeois) were killed by a death squad consisting of soldiers from the Salvadoran National Guard, some of whom had been trained at the SOA/WHINSEC. Killed were Sister Maura Clarke, Jean Donovan, Sister Ita Ford, and Sister Dorothy Kazel.
1989 Fr. Bourgeois's criticism of US foreign policy in Latin America intensified on November 16, 1989 when six Jesuit priests, their housekeeper, and the housekeeper's daughter were massacred on the campus of Universidad Centroamericana "José Simeón Cañas" (UCA) in San Salvador, El Salvador.[3] Armed men in uniform burst into their shared residence and indiscriminately gunned-down everyone within. The massacre was performed by the Atlacatl Battalion, an elite unit of the Salvadoran Army, and a rapid-response, counter-insurgency battalion created in 1980 at SOA/WHINSEC.
1990 Fr. Bourgeois founded the School of the Americas Watch (SOA Watch), a not-for-profit organization that seeks to close the SOA/WHINSEC -- labelled the "School of the Assassins" by anti-SOA activists -- and to change U.S. foreign policy in Latin America by educating the public, lobbying Congress and participating in creative, nonviolent resistance such as demonstrations and nonviolent protest.[4] The SOA/WHINSEC has long maintained that it does not teach tactics that can be used on civilians but, rather, simply sharpens the military skills of soldiers from participating countries. Its website says it "provides professional education and training for civilian, military and law enforcement students."[5] SOA Watch claims its work caused the Pentagon to respond to the growing anti-SOA movement with a PR campaign to give the SOA a new image. "In an attempt to disassociate the school with its horrific past," the SOA Watch website claims, "the SOA was renamed the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation (WHINSEC) in January of 2001."[4]
1998 Fr. Bourgeois testified before a Spanish judge seeking the extradition of Chile's ex-dictator General Augusto Pinochet.[6]
2008 In August 2008, in keeping with his belief that women should be ordained to the Roman Catholic priesthood, Fr. Bourgeois was a celebrant in, and delivered the homily at the ordination ceremony of Janice Sevre-Duszynska, a member of Womenpriests, at a Unitarian Universalist church in Lexington, Kentucky.[7]
2011 Fr. Bourgeois was briefly detained by police at the Vatican on 17 October when he tried to deliver a petition to the Holy See with a number of women priests, who were dressed in their liturgical garments.[8]
2012 Fr. Bourgeois was part of a panel discussion at the New York premiere of the documentary Pink Smoke Over the Vatican. The film features activists for women’s ordination in the Catholic Church, and included clips of an interview with him.[9]
Controversy
Federal prison
Fr. Bourgeois has spent over four years in Federal prisons for non-violent protests, including entering Fort Benning. He and over 240 peace activists have been tried and jailed for peacefully demonstrating at the gates of the SOA/WHINSEC.[10]
Excommunication
The Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith issued a decree in May 2008 formally declaring that a woman who attempts to be ordained a Catholic priest, and the persons attempting to ordain her, are automatically excommunicated.[7] Three months later Fr. Bourgeois was a celebrant in, and delivered the homily during the ordination of Janice Sevre-Duszynska under the auspices of the group Roman Catholic Womenpriests, which rejects the Church's teaching on the all-male priesthood. The ceremony was not recognized by the Vatican; and its May 2008 declaration meant that Bourgeois was excommunicated latae sententiae. [11]
Instead, Bourgeois received a letter from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith which explained what the letter called his "errors" along with "a genuine concern for his salvation." It gave him 30 days from October 21, 2008 to recant his "belief and public statements that support the ordination of women in our Church, or (he) will be excommunicated." Bourgeois refused; and so was, at least technically, excommunicated latae sententiae on November 24, 2008. [12]
For the next nearly four years Bourgeois continued to both act and be recognized as a priest, and to do the work of his calling, while he and Dominican Fr. Tom Doyle, a canon lawyer acting on Bourgeois' behalf, asked for discussions and negotiatations on the matter with the Maryknoll Society and, through it, the Holy See. At no time, during any of it, did Bourgeois recant his position on women's ordination to the priesthood.
Many devout Roman Catholics, though, insist that there's nothing to discuss; that on May 22, 1994, the Venerable John Paul II released an apostolic letter, addressed to the Bishops of the Catholic Church, entitled "On Reserving Priestly Ordination to Men Alone (Ordinatio Sacerdotalis)," which closes as follows:[13]
Although the teaching that priestly ordination is to be reserved to men alone has been preserved by the constant and universal Tradition of the Church and firmly taught by the Magisterium in its more recent documents, at the present time in some places it is nonetheless considered still open to debate, or the Church's judgment that women are not to be admitted to ordination is considered to have a merely disciplinary force.
Wherefore, in order that all doubt may be removed regarding a matter of great importance, a matter which pertains to the Church's divine constitution itself, in virtue of my ministry of confirming the brethren (cf. Lk 22:32) I declare that the Church has no authority whatsoever to confer priestly ordination on women and that this judgment is to be definitively held by all the Church's faithful.[14]"Arguments against this clear and authoritative teaching," wrote Keith Fournier on Catholic Online, "sometimes come from people who do not understand that the priesthood is not a job and have succumbed to the 'rights' mentality of the current age. Other times they come from people who have no understanding of the sacramental nature of the Church. Both groups may include among them Catholics who, as in too many other areas of doctrine, have not been properly catechized."[13]
Holding that the Roman Catholic church has no authority to ordain women, Pope Benedict XVI reaffirmed the church's ban on women priests at the Vatican's 2012 Holy Thursday chrism Mass.[2][15]
Maryknoll expulsion
On March 18, 2011, Fr. Bourgeois was given a letter from Fr. Edward M. Dougherty, Maryknoll's Superior General, and Edward J. McGovern, its Secretary General, warning Bourgeois that he had 15 days to recant his support for women's ordination or he would face expulsion from the society.[16] Bourgeois responded in a letter dated April 8, 2011, stating that he could not recant without betraying his conscience.[17]
On July 22, 2011, 157 Catholic priests signed a letter, addressed to Dougherty, in support of Bourgeois's priesthood and work, and his right to conscience. While the letter did not specifically address the issue of women's ordination, it did indicate the signees' support of the right of priests to speak from conscience without being in danger of sanction.[17]
Following his refusal to recant, the society issued Bourgeois a second canonical warning; the final notice of pending removal from the Maryknoll Society, on July 27, 2011. In his August 8, 2011 letter of response,[18] Bourgeois wrote, in part:
I believe that our Church's teaching that excludes women from the priesthood defies both faith and reason and cannot stand up to scrutiny. This teaching has nothing to do with God, but with men, and is rooted in sexism. Sexism, like racism, is a sin. And no matter how hard we may try to justify discrimination against women, in the end, it is not the way of God, but of men who want to hold on to their power. As people of faith we believe in the primacy of conscience. Our conscience connects us to the Divine. Our conscience gives us a sense of right and wrong and urges us to do what is right, what is just.
What you are asking me to do in your letter is not possible without betraying my conscience. In essence, you are telling me to lie and say I do not believe that God calls both men and women to the priesthood. This I cannot do, therefore I will not recant. I firmly believe that the exclusion of women from the priesthood is a grave injustice against women, against our Church, and against our God.On August 16, 2011, Bourgeois's canon lawyer Fr. Thomas Doyle wrote a letter to the Maryknoll Society asking that "reputable theologians" be brought in to examine the case "in order to look much more deeply" into two central issues: the church's claim that the teaching on women's ordination is infallible, and the right of a Catholic "to act and think according to the dictates of his conscience" even if the conclusions put one in conflict with the church's highest authorities.[19]
In February of 2012, Maryknoll's U.S. regional superior, Fr. Mike Duggan, told both Bourgeois and Doyle, over the phone, that the order's general council, which consists of its superior general and three assistant generals, would be voting, in March of 2012, on whether to dismiss Bourgeois from the Maryknoll Society.[19]
In March of 2012, the four-person general council met to vote, but because canon law mandates that at least five people must vote on issues of dismissal from religious orders, Duggan had told Doyle that an unnammed fifth person from the order had been brought in to join the general council in the vote. The Maryknoll Society's official statement about the vote was that it was a split decision, with no clear outcome. However, both Bourgeois and Doyle said, after the vote, that Duggan told them that only two of the five general council members voted for Bourgeois's dismissal, while three abstained. The general council then sent a letter to the Vatican containing the results of the vote.[19]
On June 6, 2012 Bourgeois and Doyle met with Dougherty and a mediator at the society's headquarters in New York. Bourgeois and Doyle said no mention was made of the dismissal vote; and Bourgeois added that the two-hour meeting focused on the issue of conscience and "the importance of people of faith and members of Maryknoll to be able to speak openly and freely without fear ... of being dismissed or excommunicated." Doyle said the outcome of the meeting was "far different than we expected and far more positive."[20]
Laicization
On Monday, November 19, 2012, the Maryknoll Society's Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers issued an official statement indicating that the Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith had ruled, on October 4, 2012, that Bourgeois had been canonically dismissed from both the Maryknolls, and the Roman Catholic priesthood, thereby laicizing him. The full statement from the Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
The Congregation For The Doctrine Of The Faith
Canonically Dismisses Roy Bourgeois
Maryknoll, New York – November 19, 2012 – The Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, on October 4, 2012, canonically dismissed Roy Bourgeois from the Catholic Foreign Mission Society of America, also known as the Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers. The decision dispenses the Maryknoll priest from his sacred bonds.
As a priest during 2008, Mr. Bourgeois participated in the invalid ordination of a woman and a simulated Mass in Lexington, Kentucky. With patience, the Holy See and the Maryknoll Society have encouraged his reconciliation with the Catholic Church.
Instead, Mr. Bourgeois chose to campaign against the teachings of the Catholic Church in secular and non-Catholic venues. This was done without the permission of the local U.S. Catholic Bishops and while ignoring the sensitivities of the faithful across the country. Disobedience and preaching against the teaching of the Catholic Church about women’s ordination led to his excommunication, dismissal and laicization.
Mr. Bourgeois freely chose his views and actions, and all the members of the Maryknoll Society are saddened at the failure of reconciliation. With this parting, the Maryknoll Society warmly thanks Roy Bourgeois for his service to mission and all members wish him well in his personal life. In the spirit of equity and charity, Maryknoll will assist Mr. Bourgeois with this transition.[21]Dominican Fr. Thomas Doyle, Bourgeois's canon lawyer, said he was surprised, especially after he and Bourgeois met with Maryknoll's superior general, Fr. Edward Dougherty, in June, and the issue of dismissal had not been discussed. "The idea then was that things would continue and they would not dismiss Roy and they would continue to dialogue," Doyle said. "And then this just happened, unilaterally. We had no idea."[21]
In response, Bourgeois issued the following official statement:[22]
November 20, 2012
STATEMENT ABOUT MY DISMISSAL FROM MARYKNOLL
I have been a Catholic priest in the Maryknoll community for 40 years. As a young man I joined Maryknoll because of its work for justice and equality in the world. To be expelled from Maryknoll and the priesthood for believing that women are also called to be priests is very difficult and painful.
The Vatican and Maryknoll can dismiss me, but they cannot dismiss the issue of gender equality in the Catholic Church. The demand for gender equality is rooted in justice and dignity and will not go away.
As Catholics, we profess that God created men and women of equal worth and dignity. As priests, we profess that the call to the priesthood comes from God, only God. Who are we, as men, to say that our call from God is authentic, but God's call to women is not? The exclusion of women from the priesthood is a grave injustice against women, our Church and our loving God who calls both men and women to be priests.
When there is an injustice, silence is the voice of complicity. My conscience compelled me to break my silence and address the sin of sexism in my Church. My only regret is that it took me so long to confront the issue of male power and domination in the Catholic Church.
I have explained my position on the ordination of women, and how I came to it, in my booklet: "My Journey from Silence to Solidarity."
In Solidarity,
Roy BourgeoisIn its November 20, 2012 statement, Erin Saiz Hanna, Executive Director of the Women's Ordination Conference wrote of Bourgeois: "While he is devastated to lose his community, and saddened by the harshness of this final step, he remains steadfast in his faith and conscience. He has asked for solitude and prayers during this time of transition."[22]
Awards
- Gandhi Peace Award (1994)
- Pax Christi USA Pope Paul VI Teacher of Peace Award (1997)
- Thomas Merton Award (2005)
- Nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize for his work with School of the Americas Watch (2009)
Notes and references
- ^ "SOA Watch: Biography of Roy Bourgeois", SOA Watch Website.
- ^ a b Sadowski, Dennis (19 November 2012). "Maryknoller dismissed from priesthood for supporting women's ordination". Catholic News Service. http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/1204900.htm. Retrieved 22 November 2012.
- ^ (Spanish)"Galerías de Fotos. Celebración. Mártires de la UCA 2010", Universidad Centroamericana "José Simeón Cañas", November 16, 2010, http://www.uca.edu.sv/XXIaniversario/galeria.php, retrieved 25 April 2011
- ^ a b "The SOA Watch website About Us page". The SOA Watch website. http://www.soaw.org/about-us. Retrieved 22 November 2012.
- ^ "Welcome to WHINSEC". The SOA/WHINSEC homepage. The SOA/WHINSEC website. http://www.benning.army.mil/tenant/whinsec/. Retrieved 22 November 2012.
- ^ "Priest testifies to School of Americas ties to Pinochet". National Catholic Reporter. 15 January 1999. http://natcath.org/NCR_Online/archives2/1999a/011599/011599i.htm. Retrieved 22 November 2012.
- ^ a b Coday, Dennis. "Sixth Catholic woman priest ordained this year", "National Catholic Reporter", 2008-08-09. Retrieved on 2008-08-11.
- ^ Pullella, Philip (17 October 2011). "Catholics campaigning for women priests detained at Vatican". Reuters. http://blogs.reuters.com/faithworld/2011/10/17/catholics-campaigning-for-women-priests-detained-at-vatican/. Retrieved 22 November 2012.
- ^ Mason, Jamie (30 March 2011). "Roy Bourgeois' priesthood can never truly end". National Catholic Reporter. http://ncronline.org/blogs/grace-margins/roy-bourgeois-priesthood-can-never-truly-end. Retrieved 22 November 2012.
- ^ /ref>http://ncronline.org/blogs/grace-margins/roy-bourgeois-priesthood-can-never-truly-end?page=1
- ^ Cooper, Linda and James Hodge, "Bourgeois Has Long Drawn Inspiration from Women," National Catholic Reporter, December 3, 2008.
- ^ Priest confirms excommunication; will keep urging women’s ordination
- ^ a b Fournier, Keith. "Defiant Fr Roy Bourgeois Dismissed from Maryknolls. Soon from the Priesthood?". Posting on 13 August 2011. Catholic Online. http://www.catholic.org/national/national_story.php?id=42350&page=1. Retrieved 22 November 2012.
- ^ Pope John Paul II. "On Reserving Priestly Ordination to Men Alone (Ordinatio Sacerdotalis)". An apostolic letter, addressed to the Bishops of the Catholic Church, dated 22 May 1994. The Vatican website. http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/apost_letters/documents/hf_jp-ii_apl_22051994_ordinatio-sacerdotalis_en.html. Retrieved 22 November 2012.
- ^ Pope Benedict XVI. "Chrism Mass". Homily of His Holiness at Saint Peter's Basilica on Holy Thursday, 5 April 2012. The Vatican website. http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/homilies/2012/documents/hf_ben-xvi_hom_20120405_messa-crismale_en.html. Retrieved 22 November 2012.
- ^ McElwee, Joshua. "Maryknoll gives Bourgeois notice of removal from order", "National Catholic Reporter", 2011-03-29. Retrieved on 2011-03-30.
- ^ a b Ryan, Zoe (August 11, 2011). "Priests' letter supports Bourgeois". National Catholic Reporter. http://ncronline.org/news/people/priests-letter-supports-bourgeois. Retrieved 22 November 2012.
- ^ "Fr. Roy Bourgeois Responds to Second Canonical Warning". Letter from Fr. Bourgeois to Maryknoll Superior General Dougherty, date August 8, 2011. Women's Ordination Conference website. http://www.womensordination.org/content/view/366/42/. Retrieved 22 November 2012.
- ^ a b c McElwee, Joshua (7 March 2012). "Maryknoll votes on Bourgeois' dismissal from order". National Catholic Reporter. http://ncronline.org/node/29249. Retrieved 22 November 2012.
- ^ McElwee, Joshua (15 June 2012). "Following dismissal vote, Bourgeois says Maryknoll's tone different". http://ncronline.org/node/30865. Retrieved 22 November 2012.
- ^ a b McElwee, Joshua (19 November 2012). "Roy Bourgeois Dismissed From Religious Order By Vatican". From the National Catholic Reporter, in the Huffington Post. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/20/roy-bourgeois-dismissed-from-religious-order-by-vatican_n_2165332.html?ir=Religion. Retrieved 22 November 2012.
- ^ a b "Fr. Roy Bourgeois' statement on dismissal from Maryknoll". The Women's Ordination Conference website. http://www.womensordination.org/content/view/420/42/. Retrieved 22 November 2012.
