"New concept of the Church" in Los Angeles: A critique.

In convoking an archdiocesan synod for Los Angeles, Cardinal Mahony promulgated a pastoral letter on ministry last year ago. Here he presses for a new "common foundational theology" to support his claim for an officially recognized "lay ecclesial ministry" in the Church. This new ministry is essentially intended as a formal means of having the laity replace the priest with respect to most of his traditional duties, including the administering of some of the sacraments. The letter compares parish life in 1955 with that anticipated by the Cardinal in 2005.

Reading the letter, one readily recognizes the number of ways in which there was a much greater sense of Catholic consciousness back in 1955. This extended well beyond the parish communities to the individual neighbourhoods, where a greater sense of togetherness existed with those persons of different faiths. Presently in the Church there is a growing movement toward 'parish shopping' due to a certain dissatisfaction with many of the spreading novelties in the Church, including the ever-increasing movement by some toward lay ministries. Most in the Church, however, still prefer the traditional functions of the priests to be administered by the priest in accordance with Church teaching.

The Catholic community in 1955

Catholic consciousness was a way of life in 1955. As the Cardinal stresses in his letter, there was "a Mass for the schoolchildren...every Thursday morning at 9 a.m. [and] during Lent...each morning." This extended to include all Holy Days of Obligation--before the local Church began to eliminate such days of spirituality from the Church calendar after Vatican II. Today, as we approach the year 2005, only infrequently, if at all, are children encouraged to attend Mass with any regularity.

Mass was also scheduled every day at "6:30 a.m. and 8 a.m.," in part to give adults the opportunity to attend Mass before going to work. Since Vatican II this convenience has also disappeared in most parishes, which has no doubt contributed to the decrease in the number of adults who presently attend regular Sunday Mass.

St. Leo's, 2005

In Cardinal Mahony's dream parish (St. Leo's) in 2005, parishioners will not experience the same spiritual benefits as they did in 1955. This is because he does not believe in a "schedule of services" that provide parishioners with both the opportunity to be fully nourished by the sacraments and to express their spirituality in a "simple and routine" way.

On the contrary, the whole parish must be continually "challenged" and conditioned to accept a "major reorientation in [their] thinking about ministry as well as in ministerial practice". Thus, for example, parishioners will be "encouraged to go to Mass on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays at neighboring parishes." In addition, there will also be "fewer parish-centered programs of religious education [in 2005]." It will not be Mother Church in 2005 but "the parents [who] will take the greater responsibility" for transmitting the faith--for catechesis and the formation of conscience of their children.

Of course this is much easier said than done since, for various reasons, not every parent has the time, ability, or desire to properly educate their children in the faith. Further, the vast majority of parishioners prefer not to be coerced in their participation to be model Catholics. Hence many of these parents will resent the Cardinal's summation that what is needed is "a change in thinking on the part of a great number of the parents, as well as an increase in their willingness to be educated for the purpose of educating their children in the faith." Some of these parents might want to direct the Cardinal to "Catechesi Tradendae" (No. 67), where Pope John Paul II affirms that "the parish remains...the preeminent place for catechesis."

No wedding masses

It is noted in the letter that there will also be no Mass for newlyweds in 2005. At St. Leo's "two or three couples [will be] wed in the same nuptial ceremony outside Mass."

There will also be no special day of recognition given to either the baptized or deceased, since the baptism of infants "will take place within the context of the regularly scheduled Sunday Mass [and] funeral liturgies [will be] celebrated within the schedule of weekday Masses."

"In the Church of the future...lay ministers [will] preside at burial services, witness marriages and baptize on a regular basis." It is foreseeable that the laity will eventually be responsible for celebrating the other sacraments as well.

No confessions

Cardinal Mahony notes that in 1955 all "schoolchildren went to confession on the Thursdays before first Fridays." This helped them attain a correctly informed conscience. In many parishes today there is little encouragement for a Catholic to return to confession after he has made his First Penance. One presumes this trend will continue to be the case at St. Leo's in 2005, since it helps to purify parishioners of any idea of "routine."

In 1955 many students had "sister teachers" whose religious vocation it was to be in the world but not of the world, to know and further the teachings and discipline of the Church in their students after a manner of humility. Their teachers' standards far exceeded those found in lay ministers today who, as laity, have a decidedly greater tendency to be both in the world and of the world. The worldliness of the laity often in the carrying out of their ministries represents a great danger to the faith, especially with respect to the R.C.I.A., marriage preparation, catechetical programs, emerging groups [in the parish] seeking ways to engage in ecumenical and interreligious dialogue, "literacy groups," and the Catholic schools, where in 2005 only "one sister" will be a teacher at St. Leo's.

No school visits

In 1955 regular visits to the classroom gave the priest a clear and visible presence in the schools.

In 2005 one will no longer remember the days when priests were considered "special heroes to the schoolchildren." In a Church where according to Cardinal Mahony's "shared oversight" and "shared ministry" participation of both the ordained and non-ordained is necessary, there is no one any longer to look up to or to emulate. The Cardinal stresses "ongoing conversion to equality...in every dimension of ecclesial life." This will be contrary to the teaching of the Church. As Pope John Paul II reiterated in 1993, "Christ wants his Church to be sacramentally and hierarchically structured and no one has the right to change what the divine Founder has established."

Vocations not sought

It would appear not only logical but absolutely necessary, then, to direct one's supreme efforts toward furthering vocations to the priesthood and religious life. This, however, is not the direction in which Cardinal Mahony wishes to lead us, for as he notes, "there is no returning to the days prior to the Second Vatican Council when there were large numbers of priests, sisters, and brothers... [and] even if seminaries were once again filled to overflowing and convents packed with sisters, there would still remain the need for cultivating, developing and sustaining the full flourishing of ministries that we have witnessed in the church since the Second Vatican Council".

In discouraging vocations to the priesthood, the Cardinal goes so far as to identify what some consider a "vocation crisis" in the Church as being rather "one of the many fruits of the Second Vatican Council." On the other hand, statistics in the May 3, 2000 issue of L'Osservatore Romano strongly suggest otherwise and demonstrate that vocations are increasing worldwide.

Contradictions

Cardinal Mahony mentions that parish life in 1955 was filled with such sacramental, educational and devotional activities as devotions to Our Lady of Perpetual Help, the Ladies' Sodality, the Holy Name Society, Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament, the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, youth groups, and the Legion of Mary. In 1955, participation in the local parish was eclipsed only by the spiritual solidarity it conceived and transmitted.

Hence it is difficult to comprehend how the Cardinal can also claim that in 1955 "during the course of a week at St. Leo's Parish, there were few meetings of the parishioners" and "most, who supported the parish financially, had little participation in the ordinary life of the parish during the course of the week". If the Cardinal also considers these activities too "routine and simplistic", it is perhaps worthwhile to note that the Holy Spirit Himself, according to St. Basil, is also "simple in essence" (De Spiritu Sancto, IX, 22).

What kinds of "meetings" then and "organizations" is the Cardinal promoting and in which way can they act to achieve a greater sense of the sacred and of community than that which existed and thrived in the local parish in 1955? In what way can the Cardinal now claim that in 1955 "the role of the laity in ministry seemed unnecessary and was inadequately recognized"? One can only conclude that by "meetings", "organizations", and "ministries" the Cardinal is looking for ways that will allow the laity the means and status, not so much to cultivate the piety and moral certitude that were the hallmark of the Church in 1955, but primarily to perform functions that have been traditionally reserved for the ordained priesthood.

"Empowerment" of the laity

As a means of quietly enforcing this new "empowerment of the laity", where "pastoral associates [will be] married laywomen", the Cardinal is now requesting of his priests in Exercise 1 to come up with adequate excuses in anticipation of the time when someone "articulates his concerns thus: Now that just about anybody can do just about anything in the church today, why would anyone want to be a priest?" The Cardinal (in his many "snapshots of church life" in Exercise 1) seeks, from his priests, the means to justify his own conviction that the Church should be, for all intents and purposes, governed by the laity in the future.

In one of his scenarios, for example, the priest as "the hope for the future of the church" is seen in relation to the esteem of "lay ministers" as somewhat of a nuisance in the parish. In another snapshot, the very presence of "supply" priests makes these priests responsible for a "loss of a sense of family and community in [the] parish".

With little or no desire for ordained priests, it is difficult to envision how St. Leo's parish will be "steeped in the riches of the Catholic tradition" in 2005. One might even recognize in the Cardinal's words a certain resentment against Catholic tradition. Ironically, the parishioners of the Cardinal's snapshots "want personal contact with a priest" wherever it concerns pastoral activity. They, in fact, feel "abandoned" without them.

The snapshots of the "Exercise" have been purposely devised by the Cardinal and proposed to his priests in such a way as to solicit constructive strategies to circumvent any desire on the part of most parishioners to have their needs attended to by a priest. It seems the Cardinal is not really thinking of the laity after all. If anything he seems to be worried by their profound show of love and respect for their priests.

The Cardinal in Exercise 4 mentions that "The demands of Christian discipleship entail giving particular attention to the last, the littlest, and the least in church and society,..." asking "what concrete steps can be taken to be of greater service to them?"

Questions

What role, one might ask, will the priest play while everything is being run by the laity in 2005? We are told that outside of a few "parochial duties", a "funeral Mass" and perhaps a "visit to the hospital", the pastor will primarily supervise the "25" or so communities that together in "scripture study and faith sharing" will make up the parish in 2005. The pastor at St. Leo's will sit back in his role as "pastoral leader" and "discern, call forth, animate and send forth his parishioners to serve the needs of the people".

In 1955 it was the parish priest who, by his hard work, counsels, good example, and sound "moral exhortations," instilled in the laity both a knowledge of the faith and a strong desire to lead good Christian lives so as to evangelize the world, each according to his talents, in their own particular families, professions and vocations. Their faith was based on the common foundational theology of St. Thomas Aquinas, which served and continues to serve in support of Church teaching. (See Vatican II's the Decree On The Training Of Priests No.16 and Declaration On Christian Education No.10).

One can only wonder then what Cardinal Mahony is thinking of when he insists upon a "need for a common foundational theology."

In 1955 many parishioners, out of a sense of charity and community, participated freely in volunteer work in the parish. Some received, as the Cardinal points out, "modest stipends for their work." Only the janitor, secretary and housekeeper were paid employees. In 2005 there will be a "large staff of lay people" that will make the Church appear more like a business than a house of worship.

Cardinal wants ministerial priesthood changed

Although the Cardinal clearly admits to the distinction between the hierarchical and charismatic natures of the Church in his letter, he is unable to logically separate the two in his own mind to the same acceptable degree affirmed at Vatican II. This is evident in the Cardinal's all-important misreading of the Catechism (No.873), where he replaces "governing" with "guiding" as one of the three ministerial roles of the ordained (the others are teaching and sanctifying). The change clearly indicates an attempt to democratize or flatten the sacred hierarchy by diminishing its legitimate authority and sacred power, which, according to the Catechism (No.894), "ought to be exercised so as to edify, in the spirit of service which is that of their Master."

The ministerial priesthood or hierarchy, which is rooted in the sacrament of Holy Orders, is essentially different from the priesthood of the faithful, whose charismatic nature comes from the sacrament of Baptism. The ministerial priesthood draws its origin not from the community as does the priesthood of the faithful but from the institution of Christ. No one has a right to receive the sacrament of Holy Orders. It is a wholly unmerited gift to which a man may have been called by God.

By contrast, the Cardinal sees the priesthood of the ordained as being more fundamentally related to the community; it is, in fact, an expression of the community. In the practical exercise of such a theology there would be no limit to what the Cardinal might legitimately propose in the future with respect to ministry in the Church, including the democratic election of pastors and the introduction of women's ordination. Foreseeably, one might also see a retraction of the teaching of the Real Presence, since the definition of "Eucharist" in such a setting would hinge primarily upon the perception of a particular community as they felt they were being called to conversion. In ecumenical circles "Eucharist" could end up meaning almost anything.

Lay superministry

Supposedly apart from and in place of both priesthoods, Cardinal Mahony posits a new super ministry to perform virtually all of the work in the parish. This "lay ecclesial ministry", as he calls it, is those "who are in positions of service and leadership in the church....,they serve in such capacities as pastoral associate, parish business manager, director of religious education, catechist, director of the RCIA program, youth/young adult minister or coordinator of liturgy.

Where will all the people come from to fill this new and dynamic ministry if, according to Cardinal Mahony, they "must be distinguished from the vocadon of all the baptized [who] advance the reign of God through their commitments to marriage and family, workplace, and social responsibility," as well as distinguished from the vocation of the ordained?

These distinctions alluded to by the Cardinal are only apparent, however. In practice, the "lay ecclesial ministry" is seen as a combination of the essential elements of both the ordained and non-ordained. This is evident in the Cardinal's stated conviction to have "married" laywomen serve as pastoral associates (in contradiction to his earlier statement which restricts such vocations).

The Cardinal's "shared oversight," which "requires the exercise of all ministry to be communal and collaborative " negates the Vatican II requirement whereby, the "laity are fully subject to the hierarchy," (Apostolicam Actuositatem: No. 24). It is difficult then to understand how this new leadership would be formally "recognized and authorized" by the Church as the Cardinal proposes.

Conclusion

Endowed with reason, human beings are also creatures of habit, and need therefore the "simple and routine" in order to make moral sense of their lives. Cardinal Mahony paints a vivid picture of how the Catholic Church flourished both morally and spiritually at the parish level back in 1955. It is hard for anyone reading the Cardinal's pastoral letter to comprehend his determination to dismantle the hierarchy, along with that which once united the people so profoundly at the local level of Church life.

Certainly the past thirty years since Vatican II serve to indicate that the advancement of lay ministers (now proposed for formal status by the Cardinal) has accomplished little more than promote dissent within the Church. It has disrupted the unity necessary for achieving the new springtime in the Church called for by Pope John Paul II. Perhaps somewhat of a rediscovery of the simple and the routine is just what is needed for St. Leo's parish in 2005. It is just such a way of life that allows for and perpetuates a sense of the sacred in both the individual and society, while fostering an abundance of vocations to the priesthood as is presently being experienced in Africa and Asia. The future of the Church lies in vocations to the priesthood and religious life -- not in lay ministries.

Paul Kokoski is a freelance writer from Hamilton, ON.