tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-876502085465766394.post3569515817959435369..comments2024-01-17T03:08:25.317-06:00Comments on The Progressive Catholic Voice: Dialoguing with the Archbishop: Unity With or Without DiversityPCV Editorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12519134580470262558noreply@blogger.comBlogger16125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-876502085465766394.post-48323324899223114272015-02-09T14:25:47.660-06:002015-02-09T14:25:47.660-06:00
Message from Don Conroy, Minneapolis
I am a membe...<br />Message from Don Conroy, Minneapolis<br />I am a member of a community that describes itself as Catholic and inspired by Vatican II. Its self proclaimed Catholics include divorced and remarried, cohabiting non married, LGBT, some traumatized and rejected by priests, active and non active religious; in a word those who can not find a personal place in the institution at present. And yet these are believing people of faith who require a community of worship. We meet with one another to worship within our Catholic tradition. I think of us as similar to the dilemma of John Henry Newman, whose religious identity was not Protestant and yet had internal conflicts with the Roman Catholic institution. My prayer is that the symbol of unity can become more socially diverse, one, catholic, holy, and Apostolic.<br />Don<br />Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14129355364950004548noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-876502085465766394.post-13288067527914518092015-01-24T10:36:49.262-06:002015-01-24T10:36:49.262-06:00No one in the country is doing more.No one in the country is doing more.John Chuchmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15078522877428634122noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-876502085465766394.post-63005320034770917542015-01-24T10:35:39.733-06:002015-01-24T10:35:39.733-06:00Great!Great!John Chuchmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15078522877428634122noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-876502085465766394.post-21791209903331405492015-01-24T10:35:02.444-06:002015-01-24T10:35:02.444-06:00You're at the leading edge. I salute and supp...You're at the leading edge. I salute and support your efforts. God loves ya!John Chuchmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15078522877428634122noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-876502085465766394.post-58492223075371276612015-01-23T18:59:04.051-06:002015-01-23T18:59:04.051-06:00Hi, John. Great to hear from you again. I have b...Hi, John. Great to hear from you again. I have been following your writing here and there. I hear you saying that the Christian Church is much larger than the Roman Catholic institution. No argument there. But our Catholic Coalition for Church Reform/Council of the Baptized is firmly embedded in this Archdiocese of the RCC, so this brief communication with the Archbishop takes us a small step forward in making our Archdiocese the sacrament of the reign of God we envision. I’m with Mary Beth in celebrating the small steps. Lift a glass with us, will you?Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14129355364950004548noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-876502085465766394.post-29927257196887176482015-01-23T11:54:33.829-06:002015-01-23T11:54:33.829-06:00I was in the meeting with the Archbishop. This wa...I was in the meeting with the Archbishop. This was not a mere token. I sensed that he was deeply listening to us as we described the great hurt among so many Catholics who feel excluded. Yet we love the Church. This seemed to sink in. I don't know that this means he will now welcome us into parishes (although we did ask for that), but he did hear us, I think with both his mind and heart. Doesn't all change begin there? Mary Beth SteinAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-876502085465766394.post-34533543939689292122015-01-23T10:32:36.406-06:002015-01-23T10:32:36.406-06:00Be Careful.Be Careful.John Chuchmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15078522877428634122noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-876502085465766394.post-89168391631643288592015-01-23T10:32:06.797-06:002015-01-23T10:32:06.797-06:00Why? Because he let you in His office? Please do...Why? Because he let you in His office? Please don't be deluded by tokens of acceptance.John Chuchmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15078522877428634122noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-876502085465766394.post-8389163374541897672015-01-23T10:30:58.842-06:002015-01-23T10:30:58.842-06:00WE are Church, not some hierarchical institution.WE are Church, not some hierarchical institution.John Chuchmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15078522877428634122noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-876502085465766394.post-88603166916350926542015-01-23T09:14:57.332-06:002015-01-23T09:14:57.332-06:00No easy question here - perhaps this is somehow a ...No easy question here - perhaps this is somehow a repeat of Paul and Peter's disagreement. Unity with sameness of rules or unity with accepting diversity of practice; some of us have lived this question stumbling from one to another.<br /><br />Most of us realize the need to teach our children the rules - do not play in the street, hurt your siblings even when they bug you etc. As adults we may realize the need for a structure to continuously go out from on our life journey and come back to.<br /><br />However;<br /><br />As we become adults and if we have an active prayer life we are faced with the the question of whose rules to follow. Do we strictly follow the Commandments, Beatitudes and Jesus' teaching expecting condemnation for our failures or do we let Jesus' teaching speak to our consciences as they develop in prayer and experience acceptance and life.<br /><br />Maybe Jesus' life example, parables gave us a jumping off point and a homing beacon combined! Our culture is expanding. We are all still figuring this out! Prayer leads us to God's will - helps us - do we know what God wants us to do, to grow into....? God always calls us to something more ....<br /><br />My first reaction to your question about rules was that you have enlightened my knowledge and have explained why so many folks have left. They do not want set in cement rules imposed by a judgemental clerical authority that sins on the side - like all of us. We can follow Christian/Judaic Rules or we can compassionately accept others' differences (like Someone else). Perhaps a perfection, a synergy or combination of both is one we can work with. <br /><br />I believe John 1:17 wholeheartedly "For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth come through Jesus Christ" The word "through" implies both a relationship and a process.<br /> Seems like it would be much easier to follow a set of man made rules rather than accept: that we are human, not omnipotent; that we struggle both in prayer and being open to the Holy Spirit: and we realize that this same Spirit changes us and who works within us. <br /><br />I have called myself a Christian in the Catholic tradition because that is the way I have been raised, nurtured and educated. The precepts and rules are secondary to my conscience. I am drawn like a magnet to the whole - the organic Church (all of us sinners) - the Body of the Christ that is eternal and that is beyond naming or being owned by a clerical minority or denomination.<br /> <br />Jesus consoled his followers before he left with the promise that he would ask the Father to give another Counselor. One "that the world cannot accept".<br /><br />So here we are not being accepted, just as Jesus promised at the Last Supper.<br /><br />And, the imposition of requirements of belief (a set of rules to follow) seems to negates the need for the action of this Counselor that we call the Holy Spirit. I believe that the Holy Spirit can act in us. Even us. Even me. <br /><br />Blessings<br /><br />BonnieBonnie Strandnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-876502085465766394.post-40317805061283051132015-01-22T19:38:53.647-06:002015-01-22T19:38:53.647-06:00The recent meeting of the CCCR Bosrd/Council of th...The recent meeting of the CCCR Bosrd/Council of the Baptized with Archbishop Nienstedt is a significant step forward in our quest for a more meaningful and sustained collective Lay Voice into what our local Church/ Archdiocese is thinking, saying, and doing!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17569415846705393873noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-876502085465766394.post-62664550353346564382015-01-22T14:19:08.555-06:002015-01-22T14:19:08.555-06:00Victoria, our email is info@cccrmn.org. Thanks.Victoria, our email is info@cccrmn.org. Thanks.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14129355364950004548noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-876502085465766394.post-59567017321908896672015-01-22T14:18:01.584-06:002015-01-22T14:18:01.584-06:00Thanks, Victoria. We would appreciate anything yo...Thanks, Victoria. We would appreciate anything you can send us and your continuing participation in the conversation. Great point: including the other in dialogue clarifies self-understanding. Have you seen any research supporting the opposing point of view? Maybe at certain stages of development, people need a contained faith formation that justifies exclusion of the other? We have been talking about stages of development at the Council of the Baptized "evolving our thinking" sessions. Different programs for different stages? Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14129355364950004548noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-876502085465766394.post-81555459259757701032015-01-21T21:59:17.779-06:002015-01-21T21:59:17.779-06:00A group devoted to Catholic dialogue and discernme...A group devoted to Catholic dialogue and discernment could make a very good case for the inclusion of liminal and non-Catholics, specifically on the grounds that dialogue with marginal members and non-members of a group is important to the group's ability to see itself clearly. This turned up in some of the research I did for my master's thesis in ecclesiology; I can dig up sources if they would be helpful.<br /><br />I very much appreciated all your examples of objective/subjective. And it was encouraging to hear about the dialogue with the archbishop. Blessings on your work.VictoriaGailehttp://gaudetetheology.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-876502085465766394.post-4949349602405709292015-01-21T20:27:39.708-06:002015-01-21T20:27:39.708-06:00This comment has been removed by the author.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14129355364950004548noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-876502085465766394.post-31028739457434382712015-01-21T20:25:39.299-06:002015-01-21T20:25:39.299-06:00This is the start of a healthy dialogueThis is the start of a healthy dialogueAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com