New Catholic Times

In the wake of the clergy sex scandal and two billion dollars already paid out (and no end in sight!), and three dioceses in bankruptcy, many Catholics are asking themselves: Whatever happened to the Vatican II promise of a collegial Church - in plain English: a democratic Church? Many national Pastoral Councils of the 1970s (e.g., Germany, Austria, France, Netherlands....) moved in that direction-including our own astonishing American "Call To Action" in 1976, participated in by hundreds of thousands of American Catholics-only to be laid waste during the Romanizing pontificate of John Paul II. The response bubbling up is: Leadership from above cannot be looked for; Vatican II reform and renewal must come from below, from the laity, religious, and priests.

Here is a Ten-Step Program "from below"...

STEP 1. Prepare the minds of the laity to take responsibility
We must first recognize that this is a very uneven struggle against a structure that places almost all the power in one set of hands, namely, the bishop's. Hence, to begin this democratic church movement "from below" we need to have a pastor and some parish laity of a Vatican II mentality. Then "Father Goodpastor"-and the lay leaders need to devise a program to raise the consciousness of the parish to realize that all the parish members must share the responsibility of making their parish a mature Catholic community. This might in various parishes take anywhere from six days to six years, and could include many sermons, lecture series, gradual development of parish structures, and many other creative methods. The goal is to get, if not all, at least the great majority of the parish to follow the lead of the pope and all the bishops of the world in Vatican II (1962-65) which stated:

All [not just the bishops or priests, but "all," that is, the laity] are led to... wherever necessary, undertake with vigor the task of renewal and reform.... Catholics'... primary duty is to make a careful and honest appraisal of whatever needs to be renewed and done in the Catholic household itself.... Christ summons the Church, as it goes its pilgrim way, to that continual reformation of which it always has need (Ecclesia semper reformanda, Vatican II, Decree on Ecumenism).

STEP 2. Discuss and deliberate among all the parish the making of the Constitution
Although there obviously must be a smaller cadre of parishioners (meaning pastor and laity) who take the lead in organizing this movement, the whole of the parish must be seriously engaged in coming together to discuss, deliberate, and ultimately decide what exactly a parish Constitution is and what their own Constitution should contain. (Guidance on how to go about this task can be found at www.arcc-catholic-rights.net/resources.htm .) This must be the decision of fundamentally the whole parish community, for all will have to live by that decision. The effectiveness, and the length of time needed, clearly will be heavily influenced by the quality of Step 1. Precisely how this is to be carried out will be up to the laity who come forward, along with the pastor. Probably one or several parish meetings to which all are invited would be a minimum. Additional possibilities might include mailing a letter and information to all parishioners. Whatever forms this parish deliberation will take, it needs on the one hand to include as full a participation as possible, and on the other hand realistically, only a minority will actively participate. Given the centuries of ingrained passivity in the Catholic laity, we must do the best we can, but in the beginning it will be a challenge.

STEP 3. The name "Constitution"
As we have briefly discussed in an earlier lecture, some may shy away from the term "Constitution," thinking perhaps that it is too "profane," too "secular." It need only be remembered that the highest authority in the structure of the Catholic Church-the Pope and all the bishops gathered together in an Ecumenical Council-has used precisely that term for its most important documents, e.g., Vatican Council II's "Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy", "Dogmatic Constitution on the Church", "Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation", "Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World", and that Pope Paul VI called for and set up a Commission to develop a Constitution for the Church (Lex Fundamentalis Ecclesiae). Moreover, this Constitution is the document that will constitute, that is, will give form to, the parish community for as long as it exists. By-laws (or the like) is much too transitory a term to name this literally "fundamental" reality which will shape the parish's existence and actions.

STEP 4. What should and should not be in a Constitution
It is important to bear in mind that a Constitution is to outline the vital, the formative, elements of the governance of a community, in this case, the Parish. It needs to avoid details beyond the essential, and concentrate on the critical structures of governance. Only a brief prologue should refer to the underlying spirit of the Constitution, being careful not to be too specific theologically, for every theology, no matter how brilliant, sensitive, and Gospel-centered, is only one way to articulate what it means to be a follower of Jesus, and therefore necessarily does not include other articulations. It must include a clear statement of the rights and responsibilities of all parties of the Parish, including such principles as transparency, accountability, representativeness, due process of law, decision-making procedures, terms of office, separation and balance of powers.

Above all, it is absolutely essential that the Constitution be written. As we discussed in an earlier lecture, there is nothing like having to choose the words to write down-especially words that you are going to have to live by - to help clarify thinking. Further, when future disagreements arise, as they inevitably will, it is vital to have written documents to refer to. This will especially be the case when a new pastor arrives! A written Constitution is absolutely vital! I cannot emphasize this enough. Many Catholics have had wonderful parishes in the past so long as "Father Goodpastor" was the pastor, only to see it dismantled when he was replaced by "Monsignor O'Hooligan." A written Constitution may not be a sufficient cause of a continued Vatican II democratic parish, but it is a necessary cause of one (more about that below).

STEP 5. Liturgical Installation
Once the long process of consciousness-shaping, dialogue, deliberation, and decision has been lived through and a Constitution is arrived at, a further step is very important. One of the strengths of Catholicism is the tradition of giving everything important-and even things not so especially important-a liturgy. A Constitution that a parish is going to live by is in fact a very important sacred reality. It is a sacramental, and hence deserves a solemn liturgical ceremony.

The Constitution ought to be printed and framed in a fittingly solemn manner. A liturgy with an appropriate set of prayers, music, and gestures needs to be designed by the parish liturgy committee for the formal installation of the Constitution. It is important that the Pastor, the Parish Council, and other officers of the Parish, as well as as much of the entire Parish as possible be present at the Installation Liturgy. For the initial installation of the Constitution, it would be well to invite the bishop to be present as an observer (his presence will help to forestall his later sending an autocratic priest as Pastor). The Pastor, Parish Council, and other officers, as well as the rest of the Parish members present, ought to make a solemn public pledge to follow the Constitution.

An appropriate day should be chosen for the annual liturgical re-commitment of all to follow the Constitution-perhaps the feast day of the parish's name. Such a solemn liturgical installation, and its annual re-confirmation, will keep the Constitution present in all the parishioners' consciousness, and go a long way toward ensuring it's continuing viability.

STEP 6. Live by the Constitution

It goes without saying that the Parish must then live by its Constitution. Much will be learned in the very living with the Constitution, including the possibility that appropriate amendments will be found to be important, perhaps even essential. The discipline of so living will also gradually re-shape and mature the thinking and action of all members of the parish involved, clergy and laity, including the future generations. Regarding the future, if a parish has lived and grown with a Constitution for five or ten years or more, it will very difficult for a future "Monsignor O'Hooligan" to come in and dismantle it (again, more about that below).