Joint Meeting Planned for CCCR Work/Study Groups

The Catholic Coalition For Church Reform (CCCR), of which the Progressive Catholic Voice is a member organization, announced yesterday a joint meeting of the ten work/study groups first formulated at the coalition’s April 18 prayer breakfast. Since this event, the work/study groups have been meeting on a regular basis within the local church of St. Paul-Minneapolis so as to prepare for a September 2010 “Synod of the Baptized.”

In a recent e-mail announcement, CCCR leadership invited coalition members and other interested persons to visit CCCRMN.org to review the topics that the ten groups are currently focusing on. The announcement also reminded people: “If you see a disconnect between the Gospel and Church practice in some area, gather a like-minded group and join us.”

The announcement also says:

You are invited to our first joint meeting of all the work/study group members on Wednesday, July 15, 2009, at 7 pm, at St Edward’s Catholic Church in Bloomington, located on the corner of Nesbitt and 94th Street South, just West of Highway 100 (Normandale Blvd.). Come meet the CCCR Board and hear what the work/study groups are doing.

The big picture that inspired our organization in the first place is, of course, our baptismal commitment as Christians to spread the Gospel message of God’s love for each and every human being. There is a radical equality in that message. We are deeply grateful for the faithful generations in the Roman Catholic Church for preserving the Gospel message down to our time. Nevertheless, over the centuries, the human family has grown in consciousness of the scope of equality and what it means, the intrinsic worth of each individual. For many reasons, the institutional structure of the Roman Catholic Church has not evolved to support that growing consciousness. We find ourselves with institutional policies and practices that we think inhibit people’s spiritual growth.

As loyal members of the global church, we want to pass on to future generations the Gospel message we have learned. We want to change the policies and practices that hold our own community back from being fully alive in the spirit of a loving God. Our questions are about what changes can be made on a diocesan level to make the church of St Paul and Minneapolis a sacrament of God’s life.

Our assumption is that, in a grown up world, all questions are on the table and all the people involved have a place at the table. Pray for us and join us if you can on July 15.