Throughout sacred scripture, God reveals Himself as the Lord, the Giver of Life. In the Book of Genesis, we read that God “formed the man out of the dust of the ground and blew into his nostrils the breath of life” (Gen 2:7). In the Gospel of John, Jesus tells his disciples, “I came so that they might have life and have it more abundantly” (John 10:10). And Saint Paul tells the earliest believers, “We were indeed buried with him through baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might live in newness of life” (Rom 6:4). God not only provides our beginning, but He is there to revitalize—literally, give new life to—His people along the journey.
That the Catholic Church was in need of revitalization came into sharp focus in the wake of the revelations about clergy sexual abuse and episcopal cover-up in the summer of 2018. Not only did the news resurface old wounds from 2002, but it pulled back the curtain on deficiencies in methods and means to hold bishops and leaders of religious institutes and congregations accountable when failures become known. Moreover, they revealed deep-seated issues related to power, decision-making, and clericalism that have been affecting the Church’s leadership for some time. Prior to these revelations, the Church was facing several critical challenges including the vitality of Catholic parishes and the disaffiliation of young people from instiinstitutional religion. These and other issues already necessitated a strategy to reimagine, reinvigorate, and revitalize the Church’s members and mission.
The Journey
“God not only provides our beginning, but He is there to revitalize—literally, give new life to—His people along the journey.”
In this issue of C21 Resources, we have curated content that addresses both the need and strategy for renewal. The contributions have been divided into two sections: pieces that provide a deeper reflection about the context— ecclesial, historical, and cultural—of the challenges we face and those which provide practical strategies and pathways for reform and renewal.
In the first section, we hear from Pope Francis, who in an unprecedented move, wrote the “Letter to the People of God” addressing how the Church gravely failed its most vulnerable members and inviting the entire Body of Christ to join him in repentance and the work of renewal.
You can also read reflections from Cardinal Joseph Tobin, C.Ss.R., Archbishop of Newark, and Mary Catherine Hilkert, O.P., who reflect on other pivotal periods of reform in the Church’s history, as well as key figures who played central roles in righting the ship. Both authors highlight lessons and strategies from the past that are applicable today.
In that same section you will find contributions from theologians like Richard Lennan and George Weigel, who offer distinct but complementary strategies for next steps. In so doing, they illustrate the essential contribution that theologians make to the Church’s self-reflection and self-understanding, founded on both truth and charity.
Because of their role in the sacramental life of the Church, priests are essential to the work of reform and renewal. Revitalization must begin in seminaries if we are to hope for a systemic response to clericalism. Illustrative of that type of culture change is the theological statement on the contemporary priesthood entitled “To Serve the People of God,” published by participants in a two-year seminar at Boston College. Accompanying that piece is a reflection by Father Thomas Berg, vice rector of Saint Joseph’s Seminary in Yonkers, New York, on the same subject. How can laity, especially women, participate in the work of revitalization? Fr. Michael Sweeney, O.P., executive director of the Lay Mission Project, and Vatican advisor Helen Alvaré share that the current roadblocks are not caused by the Church’s theology—the laity’s vocation and women’s dignity are spelled out clearly—but by the Church’s stalled implementation of its own vision.