Archbishop Paul J. Hallinan said a proposed national organization of priests should help bishops and lay people find closer unity in serving the Church and the world.

“As the priests help our people by word and example to grasp the paschal mystery, only good can come to the universal Church. The best thing about the proposed association is that it is of and by priests for the entire People of God.”

The archbishop was asked to comment on the proposed national organization of senates and associations of priests by The Georgia Bulletin.

“After a thorough reading of the proceedings of the first national meeting in Chicago, it strikes me that the proposed association, along with the restructuring of the bishops’ conference, is one of the most significant things in the American Church since the Second Vatican Council.”

Father Michael A. Morris, a member of the Atlanta Senate of Priests who served on the convening committee said the association is not a union of priests.

“The national federation of priests will not be primarily concerned with wages, hours and working conditions but will have a much wider basis addressing itself to broader pastoral issues. It will present, for the first time a national forum or arena to bring the collective wisdom of American priests to bear on a given problem or issue.”

Asked what the bishops have said about the meeting, the priest replied, “All the bishops were informed by their respective senates and associations. They certainly knew of the meeting and its goal. To my knowledge, there has been little negative comment. Some bishops would, I think, wholeheartedly welcome a national voice for priests and the opportunity to collaborate on a national level.”

Father Morris said a constitutional convention for the federation will be held in mid-may. He will serve on the committee. Priests councils will be asked to send delegates with power to elect a governing board, to establish affiliation and to ratify a constitution.

The Chicago meeting last week attracted more than 300 priests from throughout the United States. Average age of the priests were 47 years old and 90 per cent of them are in pastoral work, Father Morris said.

The 300 priests were from senates and associations which represent more than 30,000 of the 36,000 priests in the United States.

The meeting was convened by a “committee of eight” priests from dioceses in a ten-state area in the Midwest. This committee has been expanded to 29, to give greater geographical representation.

Included in the committee are one priest from each of the 27 provinces of the U.S. with one from the Byzantine rite and one from councils of Religious orders of men.

Father John J. Hill, past chairman of the Association of Chicago Priests (ACP), told the meeting “we are here to affirm” that pessimistic predictions about the future of the priesthood “shall not come to pass.”

The priesthood, he said, “will be shaped not just by historical events but by priests themselves.”

The purpose of the future organization was outlined by Father Hill:

“It would recommend a plan for coordinating the work load of member councils, and arrange for the exchange of position papers and other technical materials useful for the operation of priests’ councils, recommend new programs of research and action, give periodic reports to the national conference of bishops, speak publicly about matters of concern to the Church.”

Father Hill said “the morale of priests in this country will be substantially improved when they understand that priests have come together in a professional organization to address themselves to these problems. And as these problems are answered a large measure of hope will return to many priests who have lost hope in recent years.”

He also said the morale of lay people will be raised because “they will see that we are not letting the times get worse. We are not letting confusion grow...They will see that we are building, and what we are building is beautiful and full of hope.”

Addressing the U.S. bishops, he said, “we are united with you in the mission of the Church. We are anxious to collaborate with you, the laity, and with religious communities of men and women. Together we can achieve what has to be achieved.”

At the organizational meeting there was nearly unanimous (one negative vote) agreement to move toward a non-trade-union confederation linking 114 priests’ senates and associations, representing 120 of the 141 dioceses in the United States.

U.S. bishops have taken no official stand on a national confederation of priests’ senates.