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C
ommunio . . .
November
27, 2005
To strengthen our shared life in Christ
through mutual participation and the free exchange of ideas.
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Community
of St. Malachi, 2459 Washington Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio 44113-2380.
www.stmalachi.org
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Communio
Archive |
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Central West District – Starting
A Conversation About the Future
by Fr. Tony Schuerger
Our area – the Near West Side, Tremont, Clark-Fulton-Dennison,
Detroit-Shoreway — is changing.
The parishes of this area are changing.
The number of priests and religious is declining and they are
aging. There are more lay pastoral ministers and more deacons.
Is the glass half-empty – or half-full?
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Are we facing a problem of enormous proportions – or an
unprecedented opportunity?
The answer, obviously, is “Yes!”
When the current District structure was established 10 years ago,
“the purpose and functions” of the District:
· “Promotes and
coordinates pastoral activity
· “Promotes collaboration
among parishes and institutions in providing local pastoral services
· “Encourages and supports
the formation of clusters at the discretion of the local parishes
· “Plan pastoral
activities which respond to local and diocesan needs; share
practical experiences and ideas which can effectively address common
pastoral needs; coordinate shared activities within district
parishes; pool resources and personnel.”
Rather than wait for things to happen to us, the parishes of
our Central West District chose to begin talking together and creating possibilities now.
In his Vibrant Parish Life
pastoral letter, Bishop Pilla wrote, “Building on the good solid
traditions of the past and on the willingness of our parish leaders
and parishioners of today to look at their situations in a realistic
but hopeful way, we can indeed face the future boldly and with
confidence and trust.”
During the past 14 months, this has been the focus of our monthly
District meetings. We have examined our perceptions of how the area
has been changing and studied data. We have looked at the trends for
the parishes in our District over the past 10 years. A group from Case
Western Reserve University conducted interviews using Appreciative
Inquiry with pastors and parish staff about the District and planning
for the future. We have identified areas in which collaboration has
taken place. We have also started work on new areas of collaboration.
Some of our findings:
· All parishes in our
District have members in its immediate neighborhood. In some
parishes, this is a significant percentage of parish members; for
some parishes, this is a very minor percentage of its members.
· All parishes in our
District have members from outside its immediate neighborhood. All
parishes in the District are “destination” parishes for people
who live outside the city. In some parishes, this is a significant
percentage of parish members; for some parishes, this is a very
minor percentage of its members. (For both the Community of St.
Malachi and St. Malachi Parish, this is the overwhelming majority of
our members.)
· All the nationality
(ethnic) parishes serve both those who have that ethnic identity and
others who do not share that ethnic identity.
· Examining the statistics
for membership, celebration of Sacraments and estimated Mass
attendance for the parishes of the District as a whole, the collective
data shows remarkable stability over 10 years. However, the
situation of individual parishes varies: some have decreased, some
have increased, some have remained rather stable.
· In comparison with the
Diocese as a whole, our Central West District is “priest rich.”
Dividing the number of Catholics/households/Mass attendees by the
number active (i.e. non-retired) priests in 2004, the diocesan
average is 1 priest for every 2600 Catholics/1050 households/800
Mass attendees. By comparison, in our Central West District there is
1 priest for every 1850 Catholics/690 households/430 Mass attendees.
Working together for the sake of better serving God’s people is
nothing new in our District. Our Central West District has a long
history of collaboration to advance the mission and ministry of the
Church. A partial list:
· West Side Catholic Center,
which was created by the parishes of the District to better serve
the outreach needs of the area, especially the needs beyond that of
individual parishes;
· Urban Community School:
created out of St. Patrick, St. Malachi and, later, St. Wendelin;
· Metro Catholic Parish
School: in the beginning, created out of St. Michael, St. Boniface
and St. Stephen, with participation by about 10 other parishes;
· La Sagrada Familia
Hispanic parish: created from Cristo Rey and San Juan Bautista, with
the full participation of St. Michael;
· St. Andrew Kim Pastoral
Center, which chose to remain in Tremont to maintain links with St.
Augustine, which first welcomed the Korean Catholic Community;
· District-wide Youth
Retreat;
· Vacation Bible School:
created out of a partnership between Central West — Suburban West
Districts; it currently is held at 9 sites;
· District-wide prayer
services, Tenebrae (at St. Malachi this past Holy Week, Choir Fest
in celebration of World Peace Day (in September at St. Colman);
· Many shared Communal
Penance services;
· Many active “Church in
the City” parish partnerships;
· Many ecumenical activities
and links
The ministry of the Church is the work of the whole people of God.
The future of parish life and ministry is the responsibility of the
entire church. For this reason, the District has sponsored two “gatherings
for parish leaders” for all the parishes in the District. There will
be more, both to inform people about what is happening and to engage
the thoughts, gifts and energy of the entire community in planning and
preparing for the future.
Although the Central West District began this conversation on our
own initiative, it is part of the larger process of the diocese’s Vibrant
Parish Life Phase II initiative. The main focus of the November
District meeting was conversation and feedback on the proposals
surrounding the clustering of parishes. This feedback will help shape
both the diocese’s initiatives and our Central West District’s
efforts to prepare and plan for the life and ministry of the church in
our area.
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Call To Action Conference
in Milwaukee
by Helen Brinich
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(Helen is a member of the Community of St. Malachi.)
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I returned from the Call to Action Conference in Milwaukee with
hope and even a little joy. There are so many dedicated,
knowledgeable and compassionate people trying to address the problems
facing our Church.
One theme that seemed to recur even as different topics were being
discussed was the need for the People of God, who are the Church, to
do more, act more, not just preach and complain. Edwina
Gately insisted that we can all do more than we think we
can. Jesus showed us how. The Church must stretch,
make room for all. We have to challenge consumerism, greed,
nationalism. If we aren’t controversial we aren’t following
Jesus. We must be too radical for our own good.
Other speakers, one way or another, stressed the need for We, the
Church, to make our voices heard denouncing the sins of poverty,
militarism, the desecration of the environment. Society has been
ruled by the sword. Are humans by their nature violent and
competitive or are they able to live in harmony? For too long we
have accepted the story that economic growth and a high return on
investment is the greatest good. Security depends on military
and police power. There has been no reliance on statecraft or
international law, no multi-lateralism.
The righteous must rule the wicked. We depend on military
power rather than the works of mercy to bring peace.
It isn’t enough to just protest. We must reclaim a
liberalizing theology. This can be a just world. Torture
and killing won’t save the world. Humans are creative and they
are social. Relationships are the foundation of everything, even
physics. Life exists only in community.
Ada Maria Isasai-Diaz, who helped to develop “mujerista”
theology, gave the closing speech. She also stressed the need
stretch the Church. The Church is our family. We can’t
leave it. But it is a big Church. It needs to be at the
service of the People of God. Since the institutional Church
gained economic power it has tended to legitimize and support the
dominant groups in society. The metaphor of the “Kingdom of
God “ should be changed to the “Kin-dom of God.” It was
the goal of Jesus’ life to make us all one family. We do not
hold the values “of the world”. There is a temptation to
withdraw from the world. In the past there has been the idea
that we could stay in the world, but take refuge in the Church.
But if the Church holds itself apart from the world, it stands on the
side of the status quo. We need to recognize that the world can
produce good. It is God’s creation. Temporal progress is
related to salvation. Catholic social teachings are among the
best. We must live according to them. The Church must
favor the ones who need her most, be inclusive rather than exclusive,
be part of the world. Dare to risk and stand against injustice.
Since this was a Call to Action we were sent away with the thought
that our parishes should speak more loudly about the sins of poverty,
militarism, unjust war, and the trashing of the environment.
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No Ban on Gays Expected…
by John L. Allen Jr.
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(Originally published in the National Catholic
Reporter on October 7, 2005, this article is reproduced here with permission
from the author and publication. Thanks to Jackie Bluett for sending
this in.)
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A forthcoming Vatican document on homosexuals in seminaries will
not demand an absolute ban, a senior Vatican official told NCR
Oct. 7, but will insist that seminary officials exercise “prudential
judgment” that gay candidates should not be admitted in three cases.
Those three cases are:
· If candidates have not
demonstrated a capacity to live celibate lives for at least three
years;
· If they are part of a “gay
culture,” for example, attending gay pride rallies (a point, the
official said, which applies both to professors at seminaries as
well as students);
· If their homosexual
orientation is sufficiently “strong, permanent and univocal” as
to make an all-male environment a risk.
In any case, the Vatican official said, whether or not these
criteria exclude a particular candidate is a judgment that must be
made in the context of individual spiritual direction, rather than by
applying a rigid litmus test.
This language is in contrast with earlier news reports that had
suggested a much more sweeping ban on gays in the seminary.
The senior Vatican official spoke with NCR on background,
after an Oct. 7 report in the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera
listed the first two, but not the third, of the conditions noted above
for exclusion of gay candidates.
The Vatican official said that given the ambiguity of the concept
of “homosexuality,” meaning the difficulty of providing a precise
definition of the term, an “absolute policy” is impossible.
The official said the document is expected to appear in early
November.
The pope gave his final approval, this official said, in a Sept. 15
audience at Castel Gandolfo with Archbishop William Levada,
prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith; Archbishop
Angelo Amato, the secretary of that office; and Cardinal Zenon
Grocholewski, prefect of the Congregation for Catholic Education.
The document will likely be approved in forma specifica, the
official said, which means that although it is a document of the
Congregation for Catholic Education, the pope has nevertheless
imparted his personal authority to it.
“The pope wants to sound an alarm bell,” the official said, “in
part because of perceptions that some American seminaries are
predominantly gay.”
The Vatican official emphasized that the document is not concerned
with “sacramental theology,” and hence does not express a
theological judgment that homosexuals are unworthy of the priesthood.
In fact, this official said, Vatican officials are aware that there
are a number of gay priests who live celibately and do fine work.
The document, he said, has nothing to do with priests who are
already ordained.
Instead, the official said, the document reflects a “prudential
judgment” that in the three cases noted above, admission of a
homosexual candidate to a seminary constitutes an unwise risk.
The e-mail address for John L. Allen Jr. is jallen@natcath.org
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October 8th Day of Recollection
by Pam Pulizzi
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(Pam is a member of the Community of St. Malachi.)
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Fist and foremost my sincere cheers to Mike Petit, Cynthia
DiNardo, Kay Vine, Charlene McElwee and any others who were
involved in the Day of Recollection for all Extraordinary Ministers of
both the Community and the Parish. The location, facilities,
advertising and speaker were phenomenal. The set up, prayers, well,
everything was terrific. I was so glad to have a day like this. I
personally thought it was long overdue.
I found out about it at the liturgy committee meeting in July. I
was invited by Cindy DiNardo and took her personal invitation to heart
and attended. Plus, my husband Joe was in town, so I had someone to be
with the kids!!! At that meeting we discussed having handouts for the
liturgical ministers based on what they do. Because I do the schedule
for Eucharistic Ministers for the Community, I offered to do the
handouts for the Eucharistic Ministers. As the event drew near, I
counted about 80 Eucharistic ministers for the Community and spoke
with Kay and Charlene to be sure that it was still okay to have
handouts. In the midst of it all I was asked to prepare handouts for
the Eucharistic Ministers of the Parish masses as well. No problem…the
more the merrier. All in all I prepared handouts for 135 people
(keeping in mind that some would not attend but that the handouts
would still be made available to them). I knew as well that in the
Community alone there were at least 40 lectors (I had seen the list)
so I thought attendance would be pretty grand.
I arrived at Rivers Edge about 20 minutes early to pass out
materials and saw friendly, familiar faces right away. By one o’clock
though, when the event was scheduled to start, attendance was maybe 40
people. I was truly disappointed. I began thinking to myself how
terrible it was that more people had not taken advantage of this. I
began trying to rationalize that obviously some people had other
obligations, family or work, etc. But I knew that there were some out
there who just didn’t go. Maybe it is the unfamiliarity of it, or
the prayer — I am not sure. But as the speaker, Fr. Joe,
began his presentation all I could think were 2 things. One was a ‘shame
on you’ to all those who didn’t make it and could have and the
other was how this was like voter turn out for the primaries the past
week. Why was poor attendance such an issue?
Then during the break, God worked in his mysterious ways as he so
often does. I was privileged to converse with someone about a
completely different issue, but her moral of the story was that she
learned not to judge and not to be so quick to jump to conclusions
about anything. Boy was that what I needed to hear. So I said a prayer
to God to help me just worry about me and be glad that I was able to
be there, and then to maybe find a way to share my experience and what
I had learned with those who weren’t able to be there.
So to all of you who missed the Day of Recollection for
extraordinary ministers including lectors, eucharistic ministers,
servers (adults), choir members, greeters etc., you missed the alien
anthropology and I hope that if you have time you find someone
who was there to tell you all about it. It was truly a great event.
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Ideas for Enriching our Family
Advent and Christmas Festivals
by Kim Langley
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(Kim is a member of the Community of St. Malachi.)
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How will our gift giving reflect our beliefs?
What can we simplify in our celebration of Advent and Christmas
through Epiphany, so that we can enjoy these seasons?
Which customs will we try to slowly implement?
· Advent wreath use
at meals
· Use of an advent
calendar with religious significance, i.e., avoiding Frosty or Rudolf
“advent calendars”
· Hang stockings,
bless candy canes, tell a modern rendition of the saint’s
story or otherwise remember St. Nicholas Day Dec. 6
· Christmas tree
blessing
· Crib/crèche
blessing
· Waiting to place
the crib into the crèche on Christmas eve
· Purchasing at least
one storybook, customs book, poetry book, blessings book or other
written resource each year to build a library read them during Advent
and the 12 days of Christmas
· Walking the
labyrinth during advent, or getting some quiet time for reflection,
prayer, journaling
· Waiting until late
in Advent to decorate the tree
· Processing with the
3 kings, waiting until Epiphany to place them in the crèche
· An activity like
“kindness hay” in Jesus’ manger
· Making Advent
chains
· Making and using
Jesse Tree symbols, perhaps with Bible readings
· Using TV to support
my values around “Jesus as the reason for the season”
through conscious selection of videos—-Nicholas, the Boy who
Became Santa (spoiler —-use ONLY if kids are past the “believing
in” stage)
· Saving a gift to
open until Epiphany
· 3 gifts for the 3
kings
· Prioritize a family
service experience during the season
· Think about the
Christmas music we buy…sneak in some traditional carols/songs!
· Your other ideas,
ethnic customs, treasured traditions, etc.
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Community of St. Malachi, 2459 Washington Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio 44113-2380
216-781-3110 www.stmalachi.org
Sunday Community Mass 11 a.m. Parish Masses Sat. 4:30 p.m., Sun. 9:30 a.m., 12:30 p.m.
Holy day: Vigil 5:30 p.m., 7 a.m., noon. Weekday: 7 a.m., noon. Legal Holiday: 9 a.m.
We celebrate Children’s Liturgy of The Word every other Sunday, please see the Calendar.
For information on the Sacraments, please call the Community Office.
THE COMMUNITY OF ST. MALACHI is a lay-directed, non-territorial personal
parish of the Diocese of Cleveland. Although separate from the Parish of St.
Malachi, we join together for many worthwhile activities. All are welcome to
worship at the 11 a.m. Community liturgy on Sunday. Community members are
expected to actively contribute of their time, talent and treasure.
Communio is a monthly publication of the Communications
Committee of the Community of St. Malachi. Deadline is the second
Sunday before publication. You ease our task by submitting materials
by E–Mail or on disk. All viewpoints of interest to our Community in
the context of our journey of faith are welcome here. Viewpoints are
those of the writers and not necessarily the teachings of the Roman
Catholic Church. The Communications Committee has a right to edit
submissions to fit publication standards.
For e-mail delivery of Communio or Newsletter through CSM’s E-Subscription
service
complete the Newsletter/Communio Add/Removal Request Form
© 2005 Community of St. Malachi. Reprinting of articles originating in Communio
is encouraged – please contact the Editors for permission. |
Newsletter: Mary Englert
216-228-8417,
fax 216-861-5340,
14921 Lake Ave # 10, Lakewood 44107.
E-mail mtenglert@juno.com
Communio
Chief Editor: Joe Pulizzi
216-941-5054
E-mail joe_pulizzi@yahoo.com
Asst.
Editor: Stephanie Riccobene
E-mail riccobene726 @ sbcglobal.net
Volunteers to collate and staple:
Nadge Herceg 440-930-2781
Volunteers to hand out after Mass:
Patrick Hornung 216–221–2949
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Copying and attachments: Kimberly Kramer, Ellen McIntyre and
Carol Lavelle
216-781-3110
St. Malachi Web Site: Mike May
Email stmalachiweb@catholic.org
Prayer Request: If you have a prayer request, please contact Carol Lavelle
216-781-3110
To receive CSM e-mail prayer alerts, please complete the
Newsletter/Communio Add/Removal Request Form
The Communications Committee Chairperson’s position is
Jim Connell.
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