Archbishop Wilton D. Gregory of Atlanta gives the homily in St. Patrick Church in Charleston, S.C., with other prelates attending the Provincial Assembly of Priests and Bishops Aug. 20-22. (CNS photo/Douglas Deas, for the Catholic Miscellany)
CHARLESTON, S.C. (CNS) — Priests and bishops from the Province of Atlanta recently spent time considering the abuse crisis in the church, how to respond to it and how to best carry on in serving the faithful.
The discussion took place during the Provincial Assembly of Priests and Bishops, Aug. 20-22 at the Francis Marion Hotel in Charleston.
The gathering’s theme, “Catholic Parishes of the 21st Century,” was meant to give the prelates and clergy a chance to look at trends in thought and practice among people in the pews and develop more effective ministry at the parish level.
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They reflected on that information against the backdrop of recent news, including the Pennsylvania grand jury report documenting sexual abuse in Pennsylvania dioceses, as well as Archbishop Theodore E. McCarrick’s resignation in the wake of abuse allegations.
Discussions focused on ways to reach out to increasingly large and diverse parishes in the Southeast, how to reach millennials and others leaving the church and how to improve communication among pastors, parish staff and the laity. Workshops were led by Charles Zech and Michael Castrilli from the Center for Church Management and Business Ethics at Villanova University.
Participants said the information will be helpful as priests and bishops consider ways to help the church confront the latest crisis.
Atlanta Archbishop Wilton D. Gregory said in an interview with The Catholic Miscellany, diocesan newspaper of Charleston, that the meeting provided an important chance for the region’s leaders and clergy to talk and pray together during an era that he called “probably the most destructive moment we have faced as a church in our nation.”
Archbishop Gregory urged the faithful around the Atlanta Province to share their feelings and opinions in response to the abuse crisis.
“I would ask the people to speak boldly to their priests, to share their anger and their hearts’ concerns,” he said. “I would also ask them to face this moment with trust and confidence in Christ and not necessarily in individuals.”
Other bishops in attendance were Bishop Robert E. Guglielmone of the Diocese of Charleston, Bishop Peter J. Jugis of Charlotte, Bishop Luis R. Zarama of Raleigh and Bishop Gregory J. Hartmayer of Savannah, plus Atlanta Auxiliary Bishops Bernard E. Schlesinger III and Joel M. Konzen.
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The clergy attended a Mass at St. Patrick Church on Aug. 21, celebrated by Archbishop Gregory. Many of the priests who attended concelebrated from the pews, reciting the prayers and extending their hands in prayer during the consecration. Members of the parish sat beside them and joined in song and prayer.
In his homily, Archbishop Gregory said it was more important than ever for the clergy and the laity to remember the value that Christ placed on humility. It is an important time, he said, for the church’s leaders to remember the importance of children and the respect owed to them.
“There is a different order in God’s kingdom, where being little is more important than being significant,” he said. “We have been reminded recently of that proper order, and the reminders have not always been easy. God continually calls us back to the order of his kingdom, where the little ones are the first and the important ones are their servants.”
During closed discussion periods, the priests had the chance to share their feelings and concerns about the recent abuse revelation with the bishops. Bishop Hartmayer said the emotions expressed ranged from anger to disgust.
“It was important for the priests to have the opportunity to share their concerns as to what is going to be done to prevent this moral crisis from ever happening again,” Bishop Hartmayer said.
Bishop Jugis said the assembly was valuable because it offered a chance both to confront the abuse crisis and consider ways to better serve the faithful in a province where the Catholic population is booming.
“It is beneficial for us to consider how to prepare for the growth that is still expected,” Bishop Jugis said. “I would ask both the clergy and the laity to remember that we are all here to serve Christ the Lord.”
Bishop Guglielmone said the assembly’s theme and the discussions on ways to confront the future were especially important.
“We recognize that for many people there may be anger and disappointment right now, and a fear that the church they knew and loved is falling apart,” Bishop Guglielmone said. “By looking at ways to make the parishes stronger, we’re also considering ways to rebuild the sense of trust in the people we serve, to focus on what we’re all about and to do what they have entrusted us to do, which is to spread the Gospel.”
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Knauss is a reporter at The Catholic Miscellany, newspaper of the Diocese of Charleston.
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Perhaps the period of time for the Statute Of Limitations was written when, like my grandfather married my grandmother when he was 15 and she was 14– they had a blessed and wonderful life giving their entire lives to each other and their children without the distraction of school, college, etc; they achieved absolute financial security and some degree of wealth in their lives, as well as 5 wonderful children and many grandchildren. My point is that people used to mature more readily, whereas today it seems people aren’t even “adults” until they’re like 30. Since the age of maturity seems to have moved from 15 to 30, perhaps the Statute of Limitations should be increased by 15 more years too. But we cannot abolish the Statute Of Limitations altogether, or at least I do not think that we should.
It’s time to expose the extent of the necrotic clergy, excise, clean, and only then will healing occur.
Open up the Statute Of Limitations, Let the children’s voices be heard.
The problem I see is this…….There’s not much the ‘Laity’ can do about Church rules & policy. the Laity have NO power or SAY in anything the church does…some bishops and priests allow ‘token committees’ to give input BUT…the bottom line is this……Laity has NO say in the final disposition of any matters regarding the Church. This, is indeed the problem! It must be changed and the Laity’ selected by a consensus of Laity members be given the same power to oversee what decision(s) the Pope, Bishops & Priests declare. After all, we ARE the Body of Christ just as much as the clerical members of our Catholic faith. If we are the main source of financial as well as Spiritual support then it makes sense that the Laity should have equal and moral responsibility to help determine what changes need to be made. Otherwise, legal means in criminal abuse by clerical will be handled by the government to protect the citizen (child or adult). The Church can no longer hide under the mantle of ‘religious freedom from responsibility’ Archbishop Gregory showuld start the movement do what’s right. Action, NOT words will get results! ..
Right on, Fred Pryor!!
Yes they continue to play their games. I am so sick of hearing how sorry they are and their begging for forgiveness.
They say it can’t be fixed overnight? All they care about is money! The Annual Bishop Funds are nothing more than a shakedown, holding blades at the throat of their parishes demanding to get paid weather the people contribute or not. Boy it sounds like a ‘protection racket.’ Hit them where it hurts. Stop giving to the church. Your money goes to bail out dioceses helping them to pay settlement to victims.
Why should a bishop/cardinal who let these atrocities occur be able to retire and we have to pay for they homes, food, etc. They should be thrown out without any golden parachutes.
The only reason I will stay Catholic is because I cannot get the Eucharist and Confession anywhere else, but I will not sit by again and listen to the same I heard in 2002. Sixteen years ago!
Yeah, I’ll bet Gregory wants us to share our anger with parish priests. I sent him numerous communications following his appalling lack of support for legislation extending the statute of limitations in GA earlier this year (pre-McCarrick, PA, and post). Crickets. Stop going to the clergy to solve this and let’s get legislation in place to make sure the criminals are held to account.