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Winter 2001
Deus
Caritas
A message from the Presiding Bishop
of the Old Roman Catholic Church in North America,
the Most Reverend Francis P. Facione, Ph.D.
As this column is written,
Holy Mother Church looks to the beginning of her
great penitential period, the season of Lent on Ash
Wednesday, February 28th. Since the early days of
the Church, Lent has been set aside as a time to
encourage us to draw near to God in preparation to
celebrate Jesus' Resurrection on Easter Sunday. The
season of Lent is a time for reflection,
reconciliation, and renewal (reform) in the life of
the individual Christian. Just as the themes of the
Lenten liturgy soon confront the Christian with
these tasks, they force the Church in its entirety
to examine its conscience and rediscover what it
truly is.
The Lenten season is meant to
refocus our vision on the sacrificial life, death
and glorious resurrection of Christ and to clarify
our vision of what is truly important not only in
the life of the individual Christian but also in
the life of the Church, the Body of Christ. It is a
time to focus on priorities so that the Christian
as a member of Christ's Body and, indeed, the
Church itself, as Christ's Body may live and
minister in harmony with our identity as a people
called by and converted to Christ, our Head. Lent
provides the opportunity for stock-taking and
soul-searching about the meaning of the Christian
life: our sharing in the dying and rising of
Christ, and our dying to sin and rising to new life
in Him. It is this center of the Christian faith,
the paschal mystery, that is affirmed and acclaimed
each time we celebrate the sacred mysteries of the
sacrifice of the Mass. During Lent, the Church
takes time out of ordinary, everyday life in order
to deepen its identification with and share in that
paschal mystery.
In its classical form and
present shape, Lent concerns initiation into
Christ's Body through the sacraments of Baptism,
Confirmation and the Holy Eucharist. For those
already initiated, this season is one of
reconciliation-a process that is effected by and
symbolized through the sacrament of Penance.
Moreover, the Church Fathers, notably Pope St. Leo
the Great and St. Augustine, counsel that Lent is a
time of reconciliation and forgiveness among
brothers (and sisters). St. Leo concludes most of
his Lenten sermons with a plea that we should
forgive the offenses done to us by others so that
we may ourselves win pardon from God. He tells us,
"If we say, 'Forgive us our debts as we forgive our
debtors', but do not act according to our words, we
fasten heavy chains upon ourselves" (Sermon 43,4).
Our forgiveness must be given not only to our peers
but also to our subordinates: "Beyond any doubt,
you may promise yourselves God's sure mercy if, in
dealing with those subject to you, you make every
offense an occasion for pardon" (Sermon 47,3).
St. Augustine turns to
similar themes in his Lenten exhortations: "These
holy days, which we spend in the observance of
Lent, make it our duty to speak to you of the
harmony that must reign among brothers. Anyone who
has any quarrel with another must put an end to it
lest an end be put to him . . . (Sermon 211,1). The
forgiveness of offenses, according to Augustine, is
necessary if we are to attain illumination and
freedom of spirit.
These Lenten themes provide a
rich backdrop for the Churches that constitute the
unique-albeit amorphous-religious phenomenon known
as the Old Catholic Movement to embark upon a
comprehensive self-analysis in this third
millennium of Christianity. The Movement is not
immune to the crises and issues confronting the
Church Catholic. Indeed, in many instances, the
issues may be of a more critical nature.
Such an analysis or
examination of the collective conscience implies a
willingness to face up to what is wrong¯even
sinful¯within the Movement; to admit the
errors and correct them. This analysis cannot be
one-sided. It must involve each ecclesial body, its
prelates and clergy in cooperation with their
laity. The importance of the participation of the
laity in this process cannot be over-emphasized.
There must also be a
willingness to evaluate the purpose and mission of
the Old Catholic ecclesial bodies, adopting a
vision that is at once more pragmatic and
evangelical within the framework of Catholic
tradition. Of necessity, this means shedding
parochial attitudes and the "fortress mentality"
that usually accompanies such attitudes. It means
that Old Catholic ministry must be focused away
from the fringes to the mainstream of Catholic
life, utilizing all available resources to present
its message. According to Fr. William Bausch,
author of Catholics in Crisis, the second largest
denomination in the United States is non-practicing
Catholics. Opportunities for evangelization are
fertile in this field of endeavor. But Old Catholic
ministry must perforce reject "single issue"
concerns, i.e., opposition to liturgical changes,
women in Holy Orders, ministry to gays, and other
issues that tend to isolate and fragment a
historically rich Catholic alternative. Unflinching
commitment to identifying the needs of our lay
people and ministering to them in newer and more
dynamic ways is central to successful ministry. In
small faith communities, which seem to be the norm
throughout the larger Movement, it is possible to
render a more personal attention to the pastoral
needs of members. The result is a committed
congregation whose members are eager to share their
experience with others. The laity then becomes the
most important asset in evangelization and
parish-building endeavors.
A critical self-analysis
implies recognition of the need for cooperation
among the prelates of the several jurisdictions.
This means the kind of cooperation that includes
consultation and mutual accountability, realizing
that the prelates constitute the college of
bishops, which transcends jurisdictional
boundaries. It also implies exploring ways and
means to make the college of bishops an effective
mechanism throughout the larger Movement. If this
is to occur (and many prelates, including this
writer believe it to be not only possible but
absolutely necessary for the survival and growth of
the Old Catholic Movement), then the prelates must
be willing to sacrifice "independence" for a spirit
of "interdependence" and cooperation.
Interdependence becomes possible once one clearly
understands what distinguishes the "autonomous"
Churches from the "independent" Churches within the
Movement. The former are self-governing but in
communion with the other ecclesial bodies, and
working within the same doctrinal and canonical
framework. The latter are self-governing but with
no accountability to the other ecclesial bodies,
and often working in a different doctrinal and
canonical framework.
A collective examination of
conscience must include analysis of ways and means
to attract a cadre of committed clergy. Clearly,
the prelates and their advisors must address the
issue of vocation development with vigor if the
formation of new parishes and missions is to
continue in an orderly fashion. This endeavor must
include a careful examination of norms for
selection of candidates for Holy Orders. These
norms should include careful screening by means of
interviews, psychological testing, background
checks, and other procedures to ensure the
suitability of candidates for ministry. During this
process, the prelates or their advisors should seek
the counsel of interested laypersons who can render
their opinions of the qualifications of potential
candidates.
There must be a willingness
to acknowledge the shortcomings of current methods
for the education and formation of candidates, and
a firm resolve to effect necessary changes.
Properly educated and spiritually formed candidates
build cohesiveness among a body of clergy that is
committed to ministry. Such clergy demonstrate
appropriate attitudes in response to legitimate
authority.
These points for meditation
are offered in a spirit of fraternal charity as the
Old Catholic Churches struggle to assess their
role-indeed their relevance in this third Christian
millennium. If they are to deepen their
identification with and share in the paschal
mystery of Christ, they must also strive for
reconciliation. Augustine counsels that harmony
must reign among brothers. Clearly then, acrimony,
petulance and divisiveness must come to an end.
Finally, St. Leo encourages
us: "Beloved, remove the causes of discord and the
thorns of enmity. Let hatred cease and rivalries
disappear, and let all the members of Christ meet
in loving unity" (Sermon 41, 3).
Can this happen? It is up to
the prelates, under the guidance of Christ, our
Head, to humbly take the lead to make it
happen!
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