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The year is only three weeks old, and the archdiocese is busy
about many things; the Religious Unity services in eight Atlanta churches - the
clearing of issues in the Julian Bond question - the planning of the Congress
for the Laity, that for the sisters, and the Archdiocesan Synod. Coming up are
the Liturgy Conference at Charlotte and the Latin America week.
Lest these events be mistaken for merely surface changes, it may
be well to look deeper. Take the Synod (with the two Congresses). Just what is
their direction? To indicate the route the Church is taking in northern
Georgia, let’s look at these guidelines.
(In St. Paul’s usage, these might be called “DE ECCLESIA
ATLANTENSIS,” or “Concerning the Church at Atlanta” since these
points are all found in various documents of Vatican II.)
1. The parish should be inbred with a missionary spirit reaching
out to all who live in its boundaries. In this, all the priests, religious and
laity have their role. (Experiment: Mass in private homes.)
2. The bishop should visit the whole diocese, presiding at
pontifical services and directing the apostolate. He should know his priests
and people as far as possible. By means of deans, other priests, and (he should
not hesitate to ask for) one or more auxiliary bishops, he must get all the
help he needs. (New term: Episcopal vicars with specific areas of authority.)
Brothers and Friends
3. The relation of priest and bishop should be that of brothers
and friends. Both should join in regular dialogue, in conference where experts
are invited to speak, and in a spirit of proper respect, obedience and
fraternity. (Example: A senate of priests, a presbytery, is to aid the bishop
by representing all the priests.)
4. The laity is seen in two roles - the ordinary one (a) in which
the Church becomes present in human society through the lives of laymen as
witnesses and living instruments; and the extraordinary function; (b) certain
laymen receive from those in authority by which they cooperate with priest and
bishop. (e.g., -- laymen as lectors, as St. Vincent de Paul workers, as
editors, teachers and specialists in definite commissions.)
Channels of Authority
5. The Church must set up channels by which laymen can express
their needs and desires, opinions and criticism. This supposes competence on
their part, and a confidence on the part of the bishop and priests. It should
always be done in truth, courage, prudence, and with reverence and charity
toward those who represent Christ in their Sacred office. (Experiment: the Lay
Congress of 1966.)
6. There is a special voice within man’s universal call to
holiness for husband and wives, fathers and mothers. “Faithful love”,
the Council calls it, “sustaining each other in grace all their
lives.” They see their children as God’s gift; they love each other
in the Christian mystery of love, following Christ by the sacrifices and joys
of their vocation and by their love. (E.g., relearning the meaning of
marriage.)
7. Pastors and assistants are joined, not only in the unity of
their priesthood, but in the cooperative manner in which they build up the
pastoral mission of the parish. Religious who serve parishes and institutions
of the archdiocese belong to this unity of diocesan priests (now being studied
for the Synod: concern of the homes, the poor, the sick, the children, the
workers, the thinkers and the unknown.)
8. New methods of pastoral work are to be tried out, tested used
or improved. (Experiment: social research, identification of the Church with
the poor, the pooling of personnel and funds.)
9. Teachers (and indeed all who work in nursing, social service,
or missions) are called to a “beautiful and very important” vocation.
Since they represent the parents, the Church and the civil community, this
calls for careful preparation and especially for “a continuing readiness
to renew and to adapt.” (Example: Sisters’ Synod of 1966; greater
role for laity in these vocations.)
10. In addition to Catholic schools, the Church must be present in
other schools of whatever academic level. The Declaration on Christian
Education calls for the “moral and religious education of all her
children”, just as the new definition of Catholic education is “for
all Catholic students wherever they are.” (Instance - enlargement of our
Department of Education to include the CCD, Newman Apostolate and adult
education as well as Catholic schools.)
11. The voice of the Church must be heard in the world. As Paul VI
has said: “The Church has something to say.” It speaks of the things
of God -- the mystery of salvation and the sacraments. But it must also judge
and speak out on “the things of man” -- his freedom, the family,
human society with its laws, professions, labor and leisure, the arts and
sciences, poverty and affluence. Problems of justice - economic, racial and
international - have their place in the pulpit. (Implementation: careful,
thorough, courageous speech in our homilies, our instructions, our journals and
our conversation.)
12. Basically what is the aim of it all? To scatter a jargon of
new terms, “Encounter, Kerygmatick, witness and communal”? Hardly. To
produce a generation of knee-jerk Catholics whose reflexes are dulled by a
vigil-light, but get excited at the term, Bible-vigil? Is there supposed to be
a virtue in calling Mass a “banquet” and the Rosary a
“superstition?” Let not these thoughts give comfort to the resistors.
The Church is calling for a change, but it must be a change of mind and hearts.
The purpose of guidelines 1-12 is to deepen our faith by returning
more and more to the Word of God. Our religion is more Bible-oriented, more
Gospel-conscious, more Christian today than it was a generation ago. Thus far
we owe most of this to a few popes and bishops, a few priests and theologians,
and the Holy Spirit.
Now it is time for all to go to work - on our religion; responding
to the graces, the insights and the spiritual stimuli that God sends.
That’s where the guidelines point. That’s where the action is.
N.B. Liturgy and Religious Unity are not included here because
directives in them are well-known in the archdiocese. They must be included,
however, as part of the basic substance of reform and renewal.
Paul J. Hallinan
Archbishop of Atlanta
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