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THE MALACHI FILE
So, what do you want to do this year?
Last year was one of preoccupation for the Community. First with the sexual abuse scandal that has rocked the entire U.S. church. Then with the situation at Malachi Mart, which really has never been properly resolved.
I believe that we still have the potential to do much more good here at Malachi's. There are big questions like ordination requirements, an impending war, social justice issues like the prohibitively high cost of prescription medicines, and of course our ongoing concern with the poor and needy in the immediate area around St. Malachi's.
But first we have to put our house in order and that means addressing the Malachi Mart situation. At first I didn't want to bring this up again - I really, really didn't. I intended to simply call for reconciliation and leave it at that. But after prayerful consideration, I believe that would be irresponsible of me. It would be best for all if this isn't still an issue when the Community gathers for its Annual Meeting, and that means it needs some closure.
First we have to put our house in order and that means addressing the Malachi Mart situation.
Now this has been going on so long, I'm sure a good number of people have come and gone from the Community in that time, so a brief re-cap is needed. Last summer, Bonnie Mar, the long-time manager of the Mart (and a member of the Community) was fired. The Mart is a fund-raising store for St. Malachi Center. Many long-time members of the Community - some were here at the beginning of the Community and were involved in setting up the Center and the Mart, and were continuing volunteers at the Mart - objected to the way it was handled, and questioned why it happened. They strongly supported Bonnie. There was a meeting of Council members, Center representatives and concerned Community members, where much was said, but that was the end of public communications between the two sides. Hard feelings abound.
Let me mention that it has been brought up that there are good, sincere, active people on both sides of this question. Some say the Center management did the best it could in a difficult situation. Others question that. Personally, I know the people raising the questions well, their reputations and integrity, and hardly know the Center management at all. So, while I've had little direct involvement, I've sided with those Community members, and I continue to.
The Center has pointed out that they can say nothing about Bonnie because of the confidentiality of her personnel record. Bonnie has confirmed that she does not want this made public. So while some want to know more about the firing, that's not going to happen. 
However, others, including myself, would like more information about the operations of the Mart since Bonnie was fired - what kind of job search was conducted, what kind of salary are they paying, what kind of retail experience does the replacement have, what kind of sales is the Mart seeing, and how much money has it been able to give the Center, per its mission. Although much of this should be open information, there has been absolute stony silence about these questions and, inexplicably, reluctance on the part of our Community Council to ask them on behalf of the Community. There also is the matter of reconciling the many volunteers who were alienated by this turn of events, not to mention Bonnie herself, who continues as a member of the Community.
So where do we start this year? There it is. Reconciliation is badly needed, and, insofar as the Mart might be struggling, capable and experienced Community members should be given the information and the opportunity to help.
After that, there is much that could be done. I note that Fred Leonard, who chairs our Social Action Committee, has organized a Prayer Walk for Peace every Wednesday at 7 p.m. from St. Malachi's to Public Square and back in view of the impending war with Iraq. Fred tells me it will just take an hour. This is a great start to a non-violent, anti-war effort that is sure to grow here at Malachi's.
Other people, like Mary Englert and Dolores Sullin, have been involved in the issue of the high price of prescription medicines. To those covered by their employer's health insurance plans, this may seem irrelevant, but it is something that directly impacts many members of the Community, among others. Both education and action are needed here.
Finally, as I have pointed out before, a constructive approach to the sexual abuse issue is for us to press for broader ordination requirements. That is, for the ordination of women and married people. St. Malachi's has a long history of supporting this issue, but has been strangely silent lately.
How to do all this?
Former Council President Gary Pritts had initiated a program to train leaders for the Community. This is something that still is sorely needed, although it has not been pursued. Cultivating leadership in the Community is something we need to pay much greater attention to. Perhaps the term limits on committee chairs and council officials should be reconsidered, or as Gary has suggested, maybe we should start thinking about whether we need a paid coordinator or manager of some kind who will provide professionalism and continuity.
What kind of world do we want to leave for our children and our grandchildren?
Meanwhile, it is not too early for people to start considering whether they should run for Council this year. With all that has gone on, I would understand a certain reluctance. But the need is greater than ever for experienced Community leaders, people who understand our Community's unique role in the local and universal Church, people committed to continuing the reforms of Vatican II, people who are activists at heart and know how to translate needs into action, and not just words. And above all, people who will be responsive to Community members when they speak out sincerely about injustice, whether on the national stage or just down the street from the Rectory.
Thanks to Stephanie and Gary Pritts, Janelle and Bill Schubmehl, Frank Schiros, Chris Schenk, Michael Petit, Allen Myers, Fred Leonard, Fr. Shannon and Dolores Sullin for sending in material this month. The next issue of Communio will be February 23rd with a deadline of February 9th.
-DAN ALAIMO

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OPPOSING WAR IN IRAQ
(We were pleased to receive this letter from Stephanie Pritts. Thank you, Stephanie.)
Dear Friends:
On Friday night 1/10/03 I heard Dennis Kucinich speak about "The Spiritual Origins of the Politics for Peace." I was inspired. I signed up to get on a bus on Friday 1/17/03 and go to Washington, DC to participate in Saturday's peace demonstration opposing the Bush administration's current military buildup against Iraq. The buses left CSU close to midnight Friday. About 15 buses left from Northern Ohio. 
At 4:30 a.m. on Saturday, my bus arrived in Breezewood, PA and dropped us off for a one hour "breakfast break" at the bus cafeteria. There was a palpable energy in the place that jolted me into alertness. I heard someone ask, "Where are you all from?" "Minnesota - it's a 24 hour trip and we're almost there." "Where are you from?" "Wisconsin." "And you?" "St. Louis." "Ithaca, New York." "Cleveland, Ohio." "Michigan." And so it went.
That was just the beginning. We arrived in DC at 8 a.m. on Saturday. People were already gathering in the 12-degree temperatures. There were "Texans for Peace" and "Floridians for Peace." There were "Mainers" and "Vermonters" for peace. There were "Women for Peace" and "Dads for Peace." There were soccer moms, physicians and lawyers and laborers, students with dreadlocks and facial piercings, kids with their parents, and grandmas. There were Arabs and Jews, blacks and whites, and native Americans. 
Although the newspapers didn't report it, organizers estimated the crowd at 200,000 people. We sang "We Shall Overcome" and chanted "Peace, Now." We cheered and we marched. We listened to speeches.
In the end I was tired and happy, inspired and outraged. Our bus pulled up at CSU at 3:05 AM on Sunday.
I implore you all to search your hearts about this issue of war. Is it time to turn our swords into plowshares? When will it be time? What kind of world do we want to leave for our children and our grandchildren? My sons are 15 and 17 years old. I would sooner lay down my life than sacrifice their lives to the U.S. military. What about the mothers of the young men who are already in the Middle East? Is their pain less than mine? What about Iraqi mothers? What about their children? 
One demonstrator carried a sign on Saturday that was familiar: "What would Jesus do?" What, indeed... Our silence is complicity. Swords into plowshares. Is the time now? God give us the strength to follow Your way. This I my prayer for all of us. Let us be compelled by love to act with justice. This is just the beginning.
With love and prayers, 
-STEPHANIE PRITTS.

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IT'S TIME TO HIRE MORE STAFF AT ST. MALACHI

We need to take action now to regain our cutting edge, to reverse the decline we have experienced.

The Community of St. Malachi has been my spiritual home for 24 years - I met my wife and raised my family here. My connection is deeper - my grandmother, great grandparents, and great-great grandparents were among the first members of St. Malachi Parish in the 1800s. I am proud that St. Malachi - both the Parish and the Community - were cited in Paul Wilkes 2001 book "Excellent Catholic Parishes." I thank our past and present leadership for all of their work and dedication.
We have an opportunity for the Community of St. Malachi to be a beacon for the church. Our charter and structure grants our members and our Council a range of decision making authority not found elsewhere in the Church. We can show others in our fractured Church the power of this model of lay empowerment. We are called to take steps to use these powers to make St. Malachi a better place than it already is.
Over the last several years, the Community has seen some changes. The number of priests residing at St. Malachi is down 50% - from 2 to 1. Our average Mass attendance is down at least 100 people from its peak. Our number of registered members is down about 100 from its peak. Our attendance at special liturgies, such as Christmas Eve Mass, is down about 175. Our leadership on spiritual, liturgical, and justice issues has been inconsistent from year to year.
During my recent tenure as President of Community Council, I identified this need for leadership and worked to recruit and train Committee heads who could devote the 10 to 20 hours per month necessary to lead our standing committees - Liturgy, Membership, Hospitality, Communications, Spiritual Development, Christian Formation, and Social Action. Except for a small handful of stalwarts we have been unable to identify such people on a consistent basis.
I have come to understand that in this challenge to obtain volunteer leaders St. Malachi mirrors changes in American society. Robert Putnam's "Bowling Alone" cites that over the last 25 years there has been a 58% decline in attendance at church, club, and civic organization meetings. Reasons include higher rates of divorce, an increase in single parent homes, increased geographic mobility, longer commute times because of suburban sprawl, more time working, and more time watching TV.
Putnam offers strategies to reverse the decline in volunteerism, which we at the Community of St. Malachi should pursue. One important step, in my opinion, is to hire professional leadership for several of our vital ministries - Social Action, Membership, Spiritual Development, and Hospitality. We have precedent for such a move. Nearly 20 years ago we hired a liturgical music minister when we became unhappy with the quality of the music in our liturgy. Next we hired a Director of Religious Education when we decided that we needed to improve the quality of our religious education. These paid staff have made a tremendous contribution to our Community.
The Vibrant Parish Life self-study survey being completed, and the recent St. Malachi Looks to the Future process, can provide the blueprint for where we need to go. We need to be the most welcoming and hospitable parish we can be. We need to continue to be the voice for the poor. We need to spend more time in prayer and spiritual reflection. And we need to collaborate with our partner, St. Malachi Parish, and our neighboring parishes.
We need to take action now to regain our cutting edge, to reverse the decline we have experienced. Our charter and handbook spell out the process for hiring decisions. Community Council is responsible for hiring and evaluating staff. We must build consensus on the job description and decide our willingness to honor a significant financial obligation. We need to work with Fr. Tony on some practical issues like where this person would sit. We need a vote from the Community. I look forward to engaging the Community Council, and the broader community with the specifics of this proposal.
We can criticize the church and the bishops for the sex scandal and complain that we, the laity, have been excluded from decision making. But in the Community of St. Malachi, we have the power to revitalize our community. We can build on our strengths and become even better than we are - and we can continue the St. Malachi tradition of being a beacon.
-GARY PRITTS

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THE BISHOPS, THE CENTER BOARD, BONNIE MAR AND ME
I've never before been forced to think so much about the structure and function of our Church. The sexual abuse scandal has really got me burned. Yes, I know; what does that have to do with the Center Board and me? Well...
This week I was reading a communication from Chris Schenk to our Sexual Abuse Committee. She was writing about the culpability of Bishops Pilla and A.J. Quinn. She says, "the bishops apparently forgot they were pastors first. Instead they became attorneys and administrators first."
Well, change the setting and the characters and you have what I think about the Center Board/Bonnie Mar situation. The Center Board did something I've done myself - they forgot that we are church. They forgot that we are pastors first. They should have thought and acted like pastors, not administrators and attorneys.
-JANELLE SCHUBMEHL

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ANSWERING SPECULATIONS ON WOMEN AND MARRIED PRIESTS
In a December Communio letter, David Alexander based his opposition to women and married priests on the old saying: "If it's not broke, don't fix it." I agree with him that having women and married people as priests will not necessarily mean that situations of abuse will change, but I must counter David with another old saying: "If it is broke, get it fixed!" And it is broke. 
He goes on to very forcefully state that "women cannot be ordained to the priesthood. To be a member of the Catholic Church is to ascribe to a belief system that holds that as part of Her constant teaching." If David had delved far enough into Church history, he would realize that there is no constant teaching of the Church, and that is what makes it so forceful in contrast to fundamentalist Protestantism. Women and married men as priests are a part of Church history. Popes, cardinals, bishops, as well as priests, had families and some of their progeny went on to become part of Church hierarchy. 
David needs to ask, "Why is there a call for change that includes, among other things, married men and women in the priesthood?" Some of the things that call for change are the sexual scandals that have devastated the trust in, and the coffers of, the Church; there has been malfeasance of a hierarchical order; there is a decrease in worldwide vocations (according to Vatican records); there is the history of the Church itself; there is a loss of lay confidence in cardinals, bishops, and even the pope; there is a lack of priests in many areas; there is a lack of vocations in proportion to conversions in Africa because of the requirement of celibacy. Shall I go on?

Women and married men as priests are a part of Church history.

David states that regarding married men, " the overwhelming evidence is that either the marriage or the ministry suffers." He provides this without offering any statistical references, whereas in a previous essay, I have offered reference to the experience of the successful ministry of married priests. Should one consider, upon reflection, that with teachers, doctors, nurses, lawyers and other necessary professionals, that marriage diminishes their profession as an inevitable consequence and therefore the twain shall never meet? If reasoning brought this idea to a conclusion, our social order would be in deep doo-doo.
David is correct in thinking that, "there is no reason to think that ordination [of married men and women] will make such temptation magically disappear; [I] wonder if we will leave the situation better than we found it." Well David, adding further to the Church's woes is a rising tide of nun abuse allegations (Plain Dealer, 1/12/03), so it's worth a try. It can't get much worse.
-FRANK SCHIROS

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FUTURECHURCH ON THE SCANDAL
(A letter from Chris Schenk, Executive Director of FutureChurch. Thanks, Chris.)
I spoke with Kathy Burke [Editor's note: Kathy heads up St. Malachi's Task Force on Sexual Abuse.] about FutureChurch's positions re: the Bishops' scandal and said I would send along our thinking so far.
But first let me say that I am glad to see the Community (as usual) is monitoring this important issue in the life of our Church
Here is a copy of our media release [Editor's note: It follows this letter.] that went out right before the Bishops' meeting. It pretty much delineates our position.
We are also committed to monitoring the implementation of the new norms as approved by the Vatican. I believe, media hype aside, they may actually close a few more loopholes than people have been led to believe, as well as provide for the due process we would all expect for ourselves if we were the ones accused.
Of course the closed clerical system remains just that, but that is another aspect of our mission...for now, we must try to work with the system we have while sowing seeds for a broader systemic change which will serve the 21st century church.
We are in the process of assisting in the development of a concrete "checklist" of what should be happening to implement the norms in dioceses all over the country. This "checklist" will be vetted by canon lawyers who are also trying to implement the new norms in their dioceses, so it should be comprehensive and doable. I will be happy to pass it along to you once it is completed.
We have also called for financial disclosure by all dioceses (already fulfilled by Baltimore and Louisville and one other that I don't recall at the moment) and hope our Cleveland diocese will address this directly at an early opportunity since there is at least some anecdotal data that Mass attendance in our diocese is down as well as collections in some parishes.
I spoke last week with a canon lawyer from the Cleveland diocese who is on the Denihan Commission. She tells me she does not expect the new board and new rulings to become operational until June (the norms themselves do not become law until March). In June the lay review board and tribunal will begin to address the disposition of people placed on administrative leave. 

She thought some people felt the Community should call for Bishop Pilla's resignation. May I say that FutureChurch would not support this...

Perhaps it would be wise to address our expectations about who should serve on the lay review board...and list them (see media release) as a way of being both proactive and constructive about the present situation.
Kathy mentioned that she thought some people felt the Community should call for Bishop Pilla's resignation. May I say that FutureChurch would not support this for the reasons I list below:

1. Even though deplorable, the Cleveland diocese situation is not even close to the same ballpark as Boston when it comes to egregious. Unlike Boston, the Cleveland diocese did implement new written policies governing clergy sexual misconduct in 1984 and updated them in 1993 as developed by the U.S. Bishops conference. This is why most of the cases are old cases here. In no instance were serial predators reassigned to parishes after 1984 as far as I know...which was an inexcusable practice in Boston. Cleveland's egregious behavior was not in callus reassignment but in the hardball tactics of diocesan attorneys who intimidated victims in an attempt to minimize legal settlements. The immediate responsibility for this practice would seem to me to land at the desk of Bishop A.J. Quinn who as a civil attorney and a canon lawyer, handled these cases. Undoubtedly, Bishop Pilla still bears final responsibility, but we must be aware that the grand jury did not find criminal intent on either Bishop Pilla or Bishop Quinn's part. Did they meet the pastoral expectations we have a right to expect from our Bishops and from our Church? Clearly no. The practice of diocesan attorneys was unconscionable even to other attorneys. It was not however, illegal. The scandal for us is that the Bishops apparently forgot they were pastors first. Instead they became attorneys and administrators first.

2. Unlike Boston, Bishop Pilla met with victims (albeit after the media hype...but at least he met with them) and fully cooperated with all requests from the civil authorities. I would venture to say that not another diocese in the country cooperated as fully and completely and quickly. Many dioceses (Cincinnati comes to mind) either have or are engaging in intricate legal maneuvers to avoid turning over records.

3. Unlike Boston, Bishop Pilla did make a public attempt to acknowledge sorrow by washing the feet of a victim on Holy Thursday and having a healing service. So there was public acknowledgement of wrong doing even if it didn't do all it could have... (hence the need for our Liturgy of Lament!) If there is need for further public apology, I think the silence of Bishop Quinn is rather deafening at the moment (this is my own opinion and not necessarily that of the FutureChurch leadership).

4. The last reason is admittedly self serving: Were Bishop Pilla to be forced out, we would be leaving ourselves open to a new bishop who would most likely be much more conservative and legalistic given the Bishop appointments that have been made in this papacy. The well-known litmus test for being appointed a bishop under John Paul II is that the person must be opposed to birth control, optional celibacy and women priests. I have this information directly from several bishops who are in positions to know. Bishop Pilla is one of the few remaining "pastoral" bishops who were appointed under Archbishop Jean Jadot. If he doesn't outlast the Pope we can expect to have our next Bishop be less open to lay participation in decision making than Bishop Pilla. It will be a given...and something we need to prepare for, IMHO. In any case, why rush things, I say?

Please know we stand ready to work together around both the monitoring and financial disclosure issue as seems appropriate.
With best regards,
-CHRIS SCHENK, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, FUTURECHURCH

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Neither should bishops or the Vatican scapegoat homosexual clergy as a way of diverting attention from their own culpability.

SAFETY OF OUR CHILDREN MUST COME FIRST 
(Here is the press release Chris mentions in her letter.)
As they meet to approve norms addressing clergy sexual misconduct, U.S. Bishops must remember that their first responsibility is to protect the children of the Church, said Sr. Christine Schenk, executive director of FutureChurch a Catholic organization based in Cleveland. We think the best way to do this is to include parents, lay professionals and victim advocates in assessment of allegations about clergy sexual abuse and decisions about suitability for ministry, she said. In the past there were no procedures for removal of priests who had insufficient evidence for civil prosecution though the weight of the data raised serious doubts about the wisdom of allowing them to continue in ministry. The new norms allow for the removal of such an individual and this is a step in the right direction.
Due process for accused priests is important because there are cases of false allegations said Fr. Louis J. Trivison, FutureChurch co-founder. The norms clarify the procedures for protecting the rights of accused priests, which is a good thing, he said. However to restore credibility, the Bishops will have to fully empower the lay review boards or it will look like we are back to business as usual. For decades bishops protected fellow clergy at the expense of innocent children. This must never happen again.
Neither should bishops or the Vatican scapegoat homosexual clergy as a way of diverting attention from their own culpability Schenk said, citing experts who say that healthy gay priests are no more likely to violate celibacy promises than healthy straight priests.
Instead the bishops must accept responsibility for the consequences of a closed clerical culture of secrecy which allowed such abuses to continue without the knowledge of civil authorities or lay Catholics.
We plan to ask our members and all faithful Catholics to become pro active in their dioceses in assuring that the lay review boards have real authority so that the new norms are implemented said Schenk. We want an annual public accounting to all Catholics in each diocese about the number, disposition, and costs of handling allegations. We must expect our dioceses to be accountable to us for how our money is spent or we are not being responsible stewards.
But according to Trivison it must not end there: Ultimately, bishops must heed the voices of lay people and include them meaningfully on all levels of church decision making.
Polling data shows that the nations Catholics are deeply troubled by the steady decline in the number of priests, said Fr. Trivison, a retired priest from the diocese of Cleveland. An already grave shortage has been exacerbated by the removal from active ministry of scores of priests being investigated for sexual misconduct.
"Once bishops begin to listen to lay people in earnest, they will have to confront issues that church officials have long refused to discuss," said Trivison, "For a long time lay people have been crying out for church structures that are more inclusive and more pastoral - and they have not been heard. They have been crying out for real dialogue on issues such as priestly celibacy and the ordination of women - and they have not been heard."
"Catholics know that the priest shortage has already compromised the regular receipt of the Eucharist in many parts of this world, as well as in our own country," he said. "They also know that there is no shortage of vocations among women and married men who are experiencing a call to ordination."
FutureChurch advocates for the preservation of the Eucharist by opening the priesthood to all the baptized. The organization has called for its members and other concerned Catholics to wear green ribbons as a sign of hope for healing and renewal in a broken church.
(FutureChurch, based in Cleveland, Ohio, is a U.S. coalition of 5,000 parish based Catholics striving to educate about the seriousness of the priest shortage, the centrality of the Eucharist (Mass) and the inequality of women in the Catholic Church. FutureChurch makes presentations throughout the country, distributes educational and informational packets and recruits activists who call on Catholic leadership to open ordination to all baptized persons who are called to priestly ministry by God and the people of God.
You can write to them at 15800 Montrose Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44111-1804; call them at 216-228-0869; fax them at 216-228-4872; or e-mail them at info@futurechurch.org. If you'd like more information check out their website at www.futurechurch.org.)

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BOOK REVIEW: GOODBYE FATHER: THE CELIBATE MALE PRIESTHOOD AND THE FUTURE OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH 
(Mike Petit has graced us this month with a timely review of a book by Richard A. Schoenherr. The book, edited by David Yamane, was published the year just past by Oxford University Press. Thank you, Michael!)
At the start of this new century, there is already a bookshelf of titles that could serve as a rough draft for the reforming of the institutional Catholic Church. The titles are: Gary Wills, Papal Sins: the Structures of Deceit (2000); Eugene Kennedy, The Unhealed Wound: the Church and Human Sexuality (2001); Donald Cozzens, Sacred Silence: Denial and the Crisis in the Church (2002), The Changing Face of the Priesthood (2000); John Cornwell, Breaking Faith: the Pope, the People and the Fate of Catholicism (2001); James Carroll, Constantine's Sword. I have read all but Cornwell's book and highly recommend them all. To this add the work of Schoenherr. He was a sociologist who was fixated on the demographics of the priest shortage problem in the Catholic Church. Full Pews and Empty Altars was his work. David Yamane, who was a graduate student under Schoenherr, digested his 1200 page analysis of the problem into the present work. 
The title suggests his thesis and predictions: (1) There will be married priests within two decades and (2) there will be female priests by the end of the century.
The value of the book is in the rationale that justifies the conclusions he reaches.
All the studies conducted to this point indicate that mandatory celibacy has no solid grounding and will not survive the present crisis. Nor should it. Once marriage has settled into the realm of the priesthood, the author sees that the patriarchal hold on this institution will give way to gender equality. The book is excellent as an introduction to contemporary views on the sociology of religion and its dimensions. 
Personally, as an aside, I agree with David Sipe who recently said in an interview (NCR, Jan 10, 2003) that the next Reformation will be about sexuality. It's not so much that the church "as hierarchy" is wrong about these issues, it's that there is a lack of humility to not acknowledge that there's a lot we don't know or that maybe "the people" are right. In the past, celibacy was held to be a higher state than marriage. Today, who would hold that? But this leads to all kinds of questions. What do we really know about gay and straight relationships? It seems like the days of absolutes are gone. Which leads me to some remarks about a term used in the book: "an axial period." 
As you read about the sentences for civil disobedience related to war resistance, give some thought to what can be done for the cause of peace.
A philosopher of the 20th century, Karl Jaspers, coined the term, "Axial Age," to refer to the period centering about 500 B.C., a period of transformation so profound that it has been the basis of our consciousness for 2500 years. This is when philosophy emerged and the sense of spiritual interiority was proclaimed by religious leaders such as the Buddha and the Jewish prophet, Isaiah. 
It is surely premature to know whether the time we live in can be compared to that period. But according to Schoenherr there is taking place a transformation that is seeking a balance between dogmatism and pluralism, between centrism and localism, between male and female equality, between clericalism and laicism, between sacramental and biblical means of salvation. 
-MICHAEL PETIT 

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CLOSE THE "SCHOOL"!
(Four parishioners from St. Malachi traveled to Georgia to join in the annual demonstration against the School of the Americas and what it represents. Here are two reports, one from Allen Myers and one from Fred Leonard, both members of the Community of St. Malachi. For more information about the demonstration and about the "school," check out the website set up by the School of the Americas Watch at www.soaw.org.)

Marching For Peace At The School Of The Americas
The School of the Americas is a U.S. Army school in Columbus, Georgia, that teaches infiltration, torture and genocide to the military from Central and South America. The school is now called the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation.
I have gone to the non-violent demonstrations at the school for the last four years. They are held at the entrance to Fort Benning around the middle of November - timed to coincide with the anniversary of the murder of Jesuit priests, their housekeeper and her daughter at the University of Central America in San Salvador. Their murders, as well as the murders of the four North American church women from the United States and numerous Salvadoran people unknown to us were perpetuated with the guidance and training of graduates of the School of the Americas.
I have gone to the demonstrations to show, with my bodily presence, that I want my government to stop training killers of innocent people in other lands. Beyond my investment in a more peaceful world, it has been a highly enriching and uplifting experience for me. Thousands of people from across the country and beyond come to demand the close of this institution, to share their experiences, and their understanding of the wishes of their higher power for the way people treat each other. 
Most significant to me is the reenactment of a funeral procession by those who discerned civil disobedience as their way of showing their opposition to the position of the U.S. government in regard to the existence of the School of the Americas. As they march, the convener announces the names of those murdered. The assembly answers, "Presente," after each name. This continues for about an hour, which becomes a time for soul searching and remembering.

As you read about the sentences for civil disobedience related to war resistance, give some thought to what can be done for the cause of peace.

-ALLEN MYERS 

Finding Peace At The School Of The Americas Protest
Four parishioners represented St. Malachi's and the Interreligious Task Force on Central America at the annual protest against the School of the Americas, which has a new name: the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation (WHISC).
I am always in awe at the peacefulness that I gain by being present at this protest. Yet, at the same time, I develop strength and ideas on how to proceed as a person with concerns for the good of all peoples and all nations.
The eventual closing of this American training camp will remove us from the irresponsible actions that cause violent struggles in third world countries. By closing this school, our country can spend its time much better on diplomacy that will contribute to bringing these nations into a world that is helpful rather than hurtful.
The trip was a great time to reflect on all our struggles and was also a time to rekindle strength to be used in more non-violent protest against the pro-war attitudes in America.
Relating to this, we began a weekly "Prayer Walk for Peace" on January 15. We meet in the St. Malachi's parking lot at 7 p.m. and walk to Public Square, where we pray for peace, and then walk back. We will do this every Wednesday until peace is proven. All are welcome. Bring a candle.
-FRED LEONARD
(Fred chairs the Community's Social Action Committee.)

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AUTHORITY IN THE CHURCH
(Last month we published the first part of an article Fr. Shannon wrote and presented October 23, 2002 as a lecture honoring the 40th anniversary of the Second Vatican Council. St. Bernard's School of Theology and Ministry and the Sisters of St. Joseph of Rochester sponsored the lecture. As it is a lengthy piece, we'll be presenting it in four parts through March. In part one, Fr. Shannon notes that rightful authority "can demand (1) obedience to its directives and (2) assent to what it teaches," further noting that the difference between obedience and assent is important. In a discussion of the etymology of the word "authority," he says, "that true authority always addresses itself to human freedom and reason. It does not compel. Rather it persuades." After some remarks on a type of authority that exists to make itself unnecessary, "substitutional authority," Fr. Shannon talks about the relationship between the laity and the magisterium and the nature of authority as it is presented in the New Testament. If you missed the first part you can read it online at www.stmalachi.org. Just click on the link to Communio's archives. Again we thank Steve DeJohn for bringing this piece to our attention. The article is being presented in Communio with Fr. Shannon's permission.)

The Importance Of Baptism
The Council in Lumen Gentium, the document on the Church, made clear that, when we speak of the Church, our first thought should not be about her hierarchical structure, but about people. What makes the Church what it is is not, in the first instance, the Pope or the bishops, but the people, those who have been baptized into Christ Jesus. The Council made this very clear by changing the order of the chapters of the document on the Church. The original document given to them for discussion had a section on the hierarchy preceding the article on the laity. This order is retained, but the whole direction of the document was changed by placing before both these chapters a chapter on the people of God. When we think of the Church, our first thought is that it is the community of God's people.
In the autumn of 1963, at the second session of the Council, a Mass was celebrated for Pope John XXIII, who had died the in June of that year. Cardinal Suenens, the homilist at the Mass, said: "The greatest day in the life of Pope John was not the day he became pope or the day he was ordained a bishop; neither was it the day when he was ordained a priest. The greatest day in the life of Pope John was the day he was baptized into Christ."

What has happened to the Church in the wake of Vatican II is that we have come to realize that in its essence the Church is more egalitarian than authoritarian.

Cardinal Suenens's words help make clear the reason for changing the order of chapters in the Constitution on the Church. They may be said to sum up a fundamental emphasis of the Council. They tell us, in a very concrete way that when we think of the Church, we must not see it as divided into clergy and laity, with the clergy always in positions of command. Rather we must see it as the communion of those who have been baptized into Christ Jesus. 
Ministry in the Church, whether ordained or lay, far from separating ministers from the rest of the baptized, calls them to the service of their sisters and brothers. Lumen Gentium, the Constitution on the Church, in article 32 sketches a beautiful picture of the Church. "The laity," it says, "have Christ for their brother, who though he is the Lord of all, came not to be served but to serve." It goes on to add: "They also have for their brothers those in the sacred ministry..." If we carried this understanding of the Church to its logical conclusion, we would start speaking of the Pope as "Our Holy Brother" rather than "Our Holy Father." Remember these are not my words, but the Council's: that the laity have for their brothers those in the sacred ministry. 
The document then quotes a striking statement from St. Augustine that stresses the awesome responsibility to the whole Church that is his as a bishop and at the same time the equality he shares with all God's people. This is what he said: "What I am for you terrifies me; what I am with you consoles me. For you I am a bishop; but with you I am a Christian. The former is a title of duty; the latter, one of grace. The former is a danger; the latter, a salvation."
What I am pointing out is that what has happened to the Church in the wake of Vatican II is that we have come to realize that in its essence the Church is more egalitarian than authoritarian. By this I mean that Baptism has a certain priority of importance over Orders (though without diminishing the importance of Orders). Hence, when I think of Church, I think, first of all of the fact that all the members of the Church are equal, because all have been baptized into Christ. Authority in the Church, therefore, must never degenerate into authoritarianism that imposes without consultation. Authority that seems to separate must never be allowed to overshadow baptismal equality, which unites.
Some are chosen from out of that equality to serve the rest of the members in various ways. This is basically what we mean by the sacrament of Orders. Ordination is a call from God to some of the baptized to serve all the baptized. Those who are called to the performance of certain functions in the Church on behalf of the whole Church, are not higher or better than the rest of the the baptized. Rather they are servants of their sisters and brothers. This is made clear in the chapter on the universal call to holiness, where it is made clear that "all the faithful of Christ of whatever rank or status are called to the fullness of the Christian life and to the perfection of charity," (art. 40) Again, in the same article: "In the various types and duties of life one and the same holiness is cultivated by all who are moved by the Spirit of God, and who obey the voice of the Father, worshiping God the Father in spirit and in truth." 
This chapter on holiness makes clear that the Church exists not to help people squeeze their way into heaven by doing the minimum required to make it there. The Church exists to make possible for us a true interior life and the commitment to justice called for by that interior life. 
(You can write Fr. Shannon at 4095 East Ave., Rochester, NY 14618; or e-mail him at wshannon@ssjrochester.org.)

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A LAST LETTER (FOR NOW) FROM THE MANCUSOS
For those of you who do not know, Rachel, Beth, and I will not be going to Bolivia. We would have arrived there this past Friday. We had to postpone our call due to the unexpected blessing of a second child. That's right: Beth is pregnant. We are overjoyed to have a second child. And yes, we are disappointed that we will not be in Sacaba, Bolivia. The plan is to go to Bolivia (hopefully that will not change) in two to three years. We are committed to missionary life.
Right now, Beth is doing great. She is definitely more tired, but that is how she was when she was pregnant with Rachel. We are not going to find out ahead of time whether it is a boy or a girl. We do not want that surprise taken from us. We will be happy with either a boy or a girl.
As for what we are doing now, we have immersed ourselves into the peace movement in Greater Cleveland. That is a very important focus for us right now. It appears that war is imminent so we feel that protesting war in Iraq is of the utmost importance now. We do not want our children to grow up in a violent society where war can be a far too easy answer to world issues.
We are excited and happy to be a part of the Community once again. We missed worshipping with everyone when we were in Washington. We can't thank you all enough for all of your generous support. Your prayers and contributions were extremely helpful. We feel very blessed.
I am currently looking for employment in faith-based (ideally Catholic) non-profit work. We have also looked into different domestic volunteer organizations. Please continue to pray that we can find something soon.
Thank you once again for everything, and may God be with you all.
Peace.
-AL, BETH, & RACHEL MANCUSO

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A HOLY FIRE
(We are pleased to present this holiday story from the Schubmehls. Janelle, Bill, thank you!)
We do not go to the Catholic Church on "incense days" - Easter, Christmas, etc. Janelle's twitchy airways cannot handle it. So for Christmas we went to the local United Church of Christ. They had an "experimental" service. The theme of the service was "the Light of Christ." After a short homily about sharing the candle fire not diminishing the source, sharing being more rewarding than possessing and similar ideas, they lit the Christ Candle in the front of the large congregation. Everyone had a taper with the cardboard collar to catch the drips. Well, two people were called to the front to light their candles from the Christ candle and then that two lit two more and on and on until the entire sanctuary (nave) was filled with people with burning candles. We sang Christmas carols all the while. It was truly beautiful and inspiring. 
As we and a quartet sang more carols, Kelley, the Pastor, called us to process to the front with our candles to re-unite our fire with the Christ Candle. There was a table with a large box of sand on top, the Christ Candle in the center. Each person was to process to the front to put his/her candle back with the Source.

When the fire was out the congregation burst into laughter and applause.

The procession went smoothly, with people inserting the burning candles in the sand. By the time we got to the front most of the sand area was filled with burning candles; it was hard to find an empty place to insert. The people kept coming and coming; there were many more people after us in the procession than in front. They must have come from the lobby, the lounge, the cloakroom, and the anteroom. It was suggested that they might be coming from St. Joe's Catholic Church across the street. Because there was no more room, the people in charge were by now blowing out the newly arrived candles and putting them on the floor. 
Then it happened! One of the paper collars took fire; it ignited its neighbors and much like the whole idea of the sermon, that the love of Jesus spreads, there was a huge conflagration in the front of the church. 
One grandiose flame was leaping at least three feet above the now burning sand table. Smoke was beginning to billow up, rolling down the main aisle. By this time Janelle was long gone for the safe confines of the front entrance to the church. People in the front were trying to blow out the candles, a fruitless exercise, except that they were blowing the flames into one another's faces and the blowing was stimulating the flames. 
To the rescue came a fire fighter with CO2 extinguisher. He put the whole thing out with a few well-placed blasts. And then the real smoke hit. One could hardly see the front of the church. All this while the quartet was singing away, not ten feet from this inferno, engulfed in its smoke. They carried on as though nothing out of the ordinary were happening. When the fire was out the congregation burst into laughter and applause. Before her closing prayer, the pastor reminded us that we had been warned that this was an "experimental" service. More laughter and applause! 
Janelle asked her later what she had planned for the Feast of Fire, Pentecost? We might just come. And then again, we might not; they might be just a bit too on fire with love.
-BILL AND JANELLE SCHUBMEHL

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DID YOU HEAR WHAT I HEARD?
(A few words of praise for our Music Minister from Dolores Sullin who herself does such a wonderful job managing our E-mail Alert system. Thank you, Dolores!)
You did if you were at the 10:00 p.m. Christmas Eve Mass at St. Malachi.
The musical selections were, once again, beautiful. The choir, musicians and soloists were superb and it all happened under the direction of our musical director, Charlene McElwee. We can always count on Charlene McElwee to make our liturgies wholly holy.
-DOLORES SULLIN

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PADRE FRANCO THE BELL RINGER
(Padre Franco derives the title for this column, and for his monastery, from the movie "Cinema Paradiso," where the village priest was the local censor. Whenever he found objectionable parts in a film, he would ring his bell and the projectionist would cut the scene out. While the Padre is a little like the priest in the movie, ringing a bell with his words, he takes some license with the concept in rating the films, using a scale of one to five bells - the more bells, the better he liked the picture. Brother Daniel joins the good Padre this month in offering concise criticism of films playing around town. Padre Franco would like to remind everyone that the Monasterio de la Cinema Paradiso is open to anyone with a passion for movies who cares to share their reflections with the larger Community. Men, women, and teens are encouraged to join us. Popcorn will be provided.)

About Schmidt %%%%  1/2 
Not a shred of movie star vanity finds its way into Jack Nicholson's portrayal of "beat-down-everyman" Warren Schmidt. Nicholson embraces his age and doesn't need the ego trip of a young and beautiful co-star.

Disappointed and distressed, and realizing that life is too short, he feels that he cannot afford to waste another moment.

The film can either be classified as a brutally broad social satire or a tragicomedy. Whatever the case, Nicholson's role invites an Oscar nomination.
After viewing the movie, two things come to mind: Thoreau's poem, "The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation," and Peggy Lee's song, "Is That All There Is?" It could cause those who are superficially comfortable about life into becoming uneasy about the meaning of their existence and provides a troubling metaphor of the way many of us live.
In the movie, Warren Schmidt has worked for Woodmen of the World insurance company in Omaha, Nebraska, for his whole career. (I actually once worked for that company!) At his retirement party, his best friend characterizes him "as a very rich man who has reaped the rewards of a meaningful life and a job well done." The 66-year-old Schmidt doesn't see it that way, but his wife of 42 years has optimistically convinced him to purchase a large motor home so they can go on a leisurely tour of the country.
In the meantime, Schmidt has secretly signed up with Childreach to become a foster parent to Ndugu, a six-year-old African orphan. Ndugu is the thread that holds the movie together. In his letters to the boy, who cannot read, he expresses his frustrations and reflections on life.
Unfortunately, his wife, Helen (June Squibb), dies of a blood clot of the brain, and at the funeral, his daughter Jeannie (Hope Davis), ignores his pleas to put off her wedding.
Disappointed and distressed, and realizing that life is too short, he feels that he cannot afford to waste another moment. He decides to go on an odyssey to visit some important sites from his past life to see if he can find meaning in living. (People will identify with the ways he has failed to live up to his youthful dreams.) Finally arriving in Denver for his daughter's wedding, He tries again to convince Jeannie not to marry, but he fails. Kathy Bates, in a supporting role as the divorced and colorful mother of the intended groom, provides most of the movie's humor. Partly because of her, Schmidt gracefully speaks well of all the family members, and sincerely wishes the bride and groom a happy future.
Upon further reflection, we would do well to follow the exhortation of God to use one's creation to its fullest potential.

-FRANK SCHIROS

About Schmidt %%%%%  
"About Schmidt" is about a very dull, very sad, retired, widowed insurance executive who finds out very late that life can have meaning. It's a marvel that such a movie ever got made, and a further marvel that it is one of the best films of the year. Oh, and did I mention that it stars Jack Nicholson in what may be one of his best acting performances.
I can almost imagine the story pitch: "It's like 'Easy Rider,' only 40 years later. Instead of riding on the back of a motorcycle wearing a football helmet, Jack Nicholson drives a huge RV." 
Not quite, but that might have caught the studio executives' interest.
While at times sad and occasionally tragic, the film is also laced with humor, partly as Nicholson brings a sense of humanity to the marginally alive title character, and also from Kathy Bates playing the outrageous and outspoken mother of Schmidt's daughter's "nincompoop" fiancée. (The movie agrees with Schmidt's assessment of the guy.)

I caution potential viewers of "The Two Towers" that, unless you are Tolkien aficionados, to re-view the first installment of this trilogy before going into the theater for the second.

Mostly I found it to be a very hopeful story, as Schmidt discovers that, however empty his life was, even at age 66 there is the potential for self-discovery and making a contribution to society. Schmidt is a decent man who has always played by the rules, then finds out that's not enough. His wife dies, his daughter is about to marry a man he despises and he has nothing to do except write checks. At the outset of the movie, this is his identity - a man who writes checks for others.
One of those checks goes out for Ngubu, an African orphan he sponsors as the result of seeing a television commercial. His letters to Ngubu become the narrative of the story, and also a source of insight about Schmidt. Why write the letters? Early on, he was invited by the organization to tell Ngubu about himself. My wife Ellen speculated that this might have been the first time Schmidt had been asked this. As he goes on his road trip in the RV, he meets others who begin to draw him out, as he continues to write to Ngubu. At the end, I had the sense of seeing someone whose life was just beginning.
-BROTHER DANIEL

Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers %%% 
A year ago I complained about the first movie in this trilogy that I had paid seven and a half bucks for a three-hour movie with no ending. This year I bring good news: the price of the movie ticket hasn't gone up. As the middle segment of the trilogy, not only is "The Two Towers" a movie without an ending, it has no beginning either. Sorry, but I prefer movies with beginnings, middles and ends, no matter the literary or theological pedigree. 
I was warned that the movie-makers provided no "catch-up" from the previous film, no narrative to bring the viewer up to speed with what they saw a year ago, no ready exposition of character and roles. I saw "Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring" last year, but still spent the first hour of this movie trying to sort out who was who, where they were going, and why. I pretty much knew about Frodo and Gandalf, but what about the rest of the characters? Somewhere about mid-way through, I caught the name of the primary character in this film, Aragorn. And I still don't know what the epic battle that seemed to take up half the movie had to do with Frodo's quest to return the ring. (I'm sure it won't be long before someone enlightens me.) I caution potential viewers of "The Two Towers" that, unless you are Tolkien aficionados, to re-view the first installment of this trilogy before going into the theater for the second. 
But there was a point where I was able to get past all that and simply enjoy the action and the special effects, which are quite remarkable, especially the walking, talking trees and the "Gollum" with the split-personality. In the end, it was a pleasurable movie-going experience even though I had a lot of trouble following it. And I would be remiss in not reporting that my wife, Ellen, thoroughly enjoyed the whole thing, which is the main reason I give it as many bells as I do.
I write all this with some trepidation because, as I learned last year, fans of this particular series are passionate in defending it. Maybe it's like the "home-team" enthusiasm that causes Catholics in this part of the country to root for Notre Dame sports teams. I also learned last year that Tolkien was Catholic and his beliefs are interwoven into the themes of the novels, good versus evil and much more. But I couldn't grasp most of the fine theological points of these movies because I was so preoccupied just trying to figure out what the heck was going on. 
Okay, I've said my piece. Now let's hear it from all of you who disagree. I know you're out there.
-BROTHER DANIEL

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