Parish Discussion Directive from Rome Causes Concern

Editor's Note: Fr. Wertin was called to a meeting with 2 auxillary bishops on Monday, October 11th. He was informed that complaints had been made to Rome regarding SJA's practices. Two items were of particular concern: Fr. George's August 29th bulletin article on inclusivity of our gay/lesbian parishioners and a story done by this website on the GLBT Pride Parade. In addition, the bishops told Fr. Wertin that guest speakers were not to be allowed to give a homily. Parishioners were invited by Fr. Wertin and the Parish Council to voice their concerns at two parish meetings this last week. Several of our webreporters were there and offered their observations. Please remember these are the opinions and observations of our parishioners and do not necessarily reflect the view of SJA as a whole.

Jo Welch-Youngren worked with Harvey Egan in the early days of St. Joan of Arc. At that time she, Cy and Joan Speltz, Nancy Anderson, Darlene Arbuckle, Ferry Deslauriers, and John McGowan made up the staff. We all pitched in and did everything that needed doing and had a ball every day. Jo’s first husband, Jack Welch, was buried from St. Joan’s in 1980. Later she married Dave Youngren, moved to New Mexico, then returned to her roots. Now she and Dave sit on the left side center at the 9:00 o’clock Mass on Sundays and love every minute of it. Jo can be reached at joandave@ties2.net. It’s like deja vu all over again. Except it’s not 1978 with Gloria Steinem and her feminist message. In 2004, it’s Rome taking exception to St. Joan’s welcoming acceptance of those in the GLBT community. A group of persons who attend our Sunday services alerted Rome of our stance and a certain cardinal promptly put the squeeze on Archbishop Flynn to get us in line. This, despite the fact that as a church we view the GLBT community for who they are – God’s children, like all the rest of us. We have to clean up our act in other ways, too: no more outside speakers during Mass, and expunge an offending article on our Web site written by Father George in August reporting our involvement in the Gay Pride Parade. How to respond to demands like these? That was the question that faced the 200 or so persons who attended a meeting in the church on Sunday afternoon. (The first of two; the second such meeting was on Monday evening and open to the whole parish as well.) Anna & Fred Vagle began by playing an old Celtic tune meant to set the tone of the meeting. Anna read the words of the first stanza: Be Thou my vision, O Lord of my heart        Be Thou naught else to me save that Thou art.        Thou my best thought by day and by night        Waking or sleeping Thy presence my light. Father George began by explaining the situation and expanding on his remarks earlier at both Masses. He told of a meeting with two local bishops that he was called to last week at the Chancery wherein the above demands were laid out to him. He said that St. Joan and Archbishop Flynn have different perspectives on the questions at hand. The Archbishop has to look at the whole Church, not just our parish. St. Joan’s is trying to speak with a prophetic voice backed up with actions that appear to some to be inconsistent with Church doctrine, but which we view as eminently Christian. The bottom line according to George is that “unity is essential.” This meeting was called so that we as a congregation could voice our concerns and offer input into the decisions that lie ahead. Margaret Lulic, the presider, described the format of the meeting after George finished his remarks. First, though, she put this question to those present: What can we do to stay in the Church and honor that tradition without losing our Soul? How do we make this situation draw out our higher selves? A panel consisting of Peter Eichten, Julie Madden, Steve Boyle, Kathy Itzin and Susan Sell would field the answers and any questions from the audience. One of the first was what would happen if we refused to implement the demands laid out before us? Pete Eichten tried to answer that one. He said it was uncertain. What could happen though, was clear: George could be removed and the Archbishop would appoint a priest of his own choosing to lead us. He went on to say that some sort of dialogue seemed to be out because the Archbishop doesn’t want that. “We have different perspectives around the GLBT issue, and I don't think we're going to change their minds. What’s more important is to live out our interpretation and continue to support our GLBT members.” Steve Boyle spoke next. “George is in a precarious position. So are we. George¹s article (on the Web) tried to encourage the Church to change over time. We¹re under attack by a right wing faction. This is just the beginning. This is about acceptance, not doctrine.” Here are some of the voices from the time that remained of the meeting: “If St. Joan of Arc closes, I don’t have any where else to go.” (from a gay man who had found the first acceptance in a Catholic church that he had ever known.)    “Write good letters. No venom. The Archbishop needs to hear both sides of this question.”    “We cannot speak with a prophetic voice with a pathetic response. Tell our stories - how a loving community has touched us.” “I am an American Catholic. I wonder about my First Amendment Rights.”    “Do we have the right to know who our accusers are?”    “The suicide rates in the Transgender community run at 25 percent due to the hatred funneled into this segment of the population.” (Spoken by one who knows, because she is one.) Susan Sell, on the Parish Council and the last member of the panel to speak, told us this: “We are family. When one of us is hurt, we all hurt.” Then she repeated a story by Joan Chittister about what a single grain of sand can do in an oyster.    “I see this community as a grain of sand in an oyster.” The meeting ended with a call from those present for another opportunity for more discussion. Julie Madden assured us that’s what she and Pete had just seen as something that could be done.    St. Joan of Arc got through the Gloria Steinem flap and several others through the years. The larger Church, God bless Her, is slow to act and we are not the first to suffer from Her caution about questions Godly. Think about St. Francis, Telihard de Chardin, victims of the Crusades. If we remain true to our highest selves and refuse to be drawn into hateful reactions, our ideals will prevail. Come on, grains of sand, start scratching. We’re all destined to turn into pearls in the end.

David Rotert is a communications technician. He, his wife Sue and two boys used to walk to SJA each Sunday. They since moved to St Louis Park, but are now happy to make the drive. David and his family have been attending SJA for over 10 years. You may see him serving host or wine on Sundays, and doing the readings whenever he can help. He is also always game for a good philosophical discussion. David can be reached at dsrotert@worldnet.att.net. Attending the symposium on Sunday afternoon, I was struck by a couple of things, and a cliché kept running through my head.   The thing that keeps me most interested in St. Joan is the exploration of an emerging church, and alternative views of theology.  In our rapidly changing world, I feel this new thought is critical.  This is not really what is directly under fire in the current moves by the hierarchy, but rather our support of the GLBT community.  I heard several very moving statements about and from representatives of this group, and have again gained great sympathy for their plight.  While this in some ways does not affect me personally I am profoundly reminded of the adage that if I don't support them now, they will not be there to defend me when my needs are challenged.  I must defend this group for if I allow them to be silenced, when I need their voices to support me they will not be able to speak on my behalf.   I intend to propose to the Parish Council that when it comes to 'controversial' items on the SJA Webpage that we use the official Church's move towards ecumenism and use as a "disclaimer" that items of this sort are presented as an "interfaith initiative".  From acceptance of GLBT members, to the alternative thoughts of eminent theologians like Michael Morwood, Marcus Borg, John Dominic Crossan and others, as well as awareness of Jewish, Islamic and other faiths we can present these articles as an effort to further interfaith dialogue.  In this way we needn't promote any lifestyle or belief, but can show an acceptance of alternative thoughts for the purpose of bringing more people into the community. Through the strength of all of these members we can better defend ourselves against those whose agenda is narrow and limiting.  There is ample material to show that this is in accordance with initiatives of Rome, and thereby shield ourselves from the domination of the narrow-minded.   We don't need to fight in a self-defeating manner, but in this we will know that we fight the good fight.  I am grateful for the strength of the GLBT community, and want them here to assist us in the broad goal of inclusiveness for all groups.  That inclusiveness would make Jesus proud.

Jim Spensley has been a St. Joan's regular since 1980. He is an electrical engineer and product management consultant. He took up digital photography in 2001, preparing for a trip to Yunnan Province, China. Jim and Marilyn have 3 adult children, who joined their parents in various volunteer activities at St. Joan of Arc. Jim is a political activist and sometime DFL candidate. He volunteers in public service, including President of the Minnehaha Creek Watershed District (1986-93) and a Member of the Hennepin County Capital Budget Task Force (1993-2004). Jim is also a Board Member of SMAAC. A full house gathered to discuss Archbishop Harry Flynn's directive to remove several pages from the St. Joan's website and to stop using "outside" or non-priest homilists. There are specifically two pages the Chancery wants removed: a Father Wertin article and a page showing SJA participated in the Minneapolis Gay Pride Parade. According to the Auxiliary Bishops who presented the letter to Father Wertin, one of the offending pages was his message suggesting that the Church should further consider the implications of its teachings regarding gay, lesbian, and transgender persons, which also had been published in a Sunday Bulletin last August. Unidentified persons wrote to Rome to complain about SJA. The complaints reportedly were that his message and unspecified aspects of St. Joan's ministry "promoted" homosexuality and were contrary to Church doctrine. The Cardinal in charge of the Congregation on the Clergy got the complaint. Perhaps the website was accessed. A letter sent to Archbishop Flynn led to his direction and the Auxiliary Archbishops' meeting with Father Wertin. After a prayer and a short statement by Father George Wertin, Margaret Lulic facilitated a discussion involving a panel of St. Joan's staff including questions and concerns raised in small groups. A second session was to be held Monday evening, and all the points raised will be considered by the Parish Council and the Pastor. Several people testified that St. Joan's ministry renewed their faith in God's grace and forgiveness and buoyed their spirits in the face of despair, thoughts of suicide, and oppression. No one questioned the rightness of ministering to any persons in need of support because of discrimination, poverty, suffering or illness, and Parish Council members affirmed their intent to continue it. It was asked what would happen if SJA somehow is seen as resisting the directives from the Chancery. The answer given was that Father Wertin likely would be removed and another priest assigned. While Catholic doctrine is not misstated on the website, the possibility of "misunderstandings" was cited. Whether the misunderstanding is reasonable or was created by the complainant, Archbishop Flynn in this case asked for specific removals. It is understood that there is no room for dialog with the Archbishop as to these directives. Many attendees feared that the circumstances foretell the Archbishop's future response to complaints about St. Joan's. Groups or individuals may be encouraged to complain about hospice at Grace House, our choice of music or musicians, our choice of educational or devotional topics, our sister program with Terra Nueva Dos, or our social justice programs and activities. Many people expressed that outside speakers were educational, inspiring, or motivating. But such speakers do not conform to Vatican instructions to celebrate the mass in a nearly identical fashion everywhere. Several people said that faith statements, reports of good works in the face of acute need (social justice), and ecumenical information provided by outside speakers was valued by the congregation and reinforced the gospel. Worship is not the sole purpose of the Mass, and it is not believed that establishing a ritual was intended to limit homilists. Rather, Priests are expected to use a homily to apply the gospel message to contemporary ills or current events. There are similar teachings in most other faiths, and the Catholic Church approves of ecumenical activities. Consequently, outside speakers are not banned, but the Mass or ritual liturgy is not the regular time to hear them. Some parishioners said they believed the complaints to Rome were intended to include and embarrass Archbishop Flynn in retaliation for his not ordering the refusal of communion to Kerry supporters. As Jim Farrell pointed out, a community of faith applies Church teachings, such as a preferential option for the poor. "In their pastoral letter 'Economic Justice for All' the Catholic bishops say the needs of the poor take priority over the desires of the rich; the rights of workers over the maximization of profits; the preservation of the environment over uncontrolled industrial expansion; the production to meet social needs over production for military purposes." This teaching tends to guide Catholics toward a different vote than is being made by our critics.

Monday October 18th 7:00 PM Meeting at St. Joan of Arc Ray Tanis is a farmer, masquerading as an engineer, with a passion for writing... Kids are grown, so concentrates on sunflowers and pumpkins. Ray loves writing poetry and music. The meeting at St. Joan of Arc on Monday, October 18th began in excellently planned organization, and then proceeded to a forum of comparative chaos; from which chaos we were able to extract the true feelings and suggestions of a vitally concerned community. Within the packed basement of the old church, Father George Wertin opened this hearing on a quiet but well composed note indicating that he would introduce the purpose of the gathering; then turn the meeting over to members of the parish staff and council for further deliberation. On the prior Monday he had been addressed by the two diocesan Auxiliary Bishops regarding two items of complaint from a Cardinal in Rome. They included our practice of having guest speakers during the homily period at mass on Sundays plus our active support of Gay, Lesbian and transgender activities within the community of St. Joan. These issues were related as a continuation of complaints by other members of Twin Cities Catholic communities and perhaps others who believe that our activities are against Church teachings. In his opening, George emphasized our need to see this situation from the standpoint of our archbishop who has many responsibilities in managing the archdiocesan network of churches for which he is responsible; including not just responsibilities to the people who worship in the many churches but to the many directorates in Rome who officiate over the Catholic Church. He made it quite clear that, for the good of the community, he has every intention to comply with archdiocesan concerns. He is sincerely convinced that we can benefit most by cooperating in every way possible, if only from the process of finding more creative ways to continue providing the personal support and valuable intellectual stimulation we have come to enjoy at St. Joan of Arc. Some of his specific commentary: “We can maintain our own integrity if we don’t let anger consume us.”; We have to walk tall…without any arrogance.”; “We can find better, more creative ways to do what we are committed to do”. After George finished speaking he turned the meeting over to Peter Eichten, parish Business Manager; who in turn introduced staff member Julie Madden as well as Parish Council president Steve Boyle and two of the Council members. Questions were entertained by Peter as well as the Council members. Kathy Itzin responded to one inquiry regarding how we are to respond to perceived changes necessary by saying: “What’s more important is who we are and what we do; and we will continue to be and do what we’ve always been and done.” As Peter Eichten summarized: ‘While no final answers have been arrived at yet, there are many options open to us for meeting the challenges posed and SJA will meet them successfully; just as SJA has done in many years past.’ Older members of SJA related past instances where the parish successfully responded to complaints. When the entire crowd was broken up into small discussion groups there were many questions raised about how we might have to change to dissolve the fears of the archbishop and our community critics and still meet our commitments to support all who might come into our Christian community, including those speakers who have stimulated our thinking for so many years. In general I believe it was recognized that we can do little for those who choose to be fearful; afraid of those who choose to live the life which they believe best exhibits the love and compassion to which we are committed in Christ. But what we can do, in a much better way than we have in the past, is to enter into dialogue with those who are fearful; to provide a much clearer picture of who we are, what we are doing…and the broader picture of all of what we’re doing, what our intent is, and why we are so involved. It was pointed out, for example, that our commitment to welcoming and supporting parish members choosing certain lifestyles should in no way be interpreted as our intending to promote one particular lifestyle over another. I thought this would be a unique contribution to the problem-solving exercise to which we were directed. But this was restated over and over again by other groups. I was quite surprised to find that most of those present seemed favorable to sitting down and talking face-to face with those unknowns who have been our detractors. This seemed to be far more preferable than continuing to be nit-picked, whether officially or otherwise, by those not aware of what it is we’re really about and why we’re about it. In the process, an interesting discussion evolved regarding whether we were speaking of a confrontation or a dialogue. While there was support that we do indeed actively ‘confront’ the criticisms that have been leveled, there was also consensus that the more respectful tenor of a ‘dialogue’ is more in our near and long term interests. How we confront this challenge determined a preference for how we identify it. I can’t begin to express how proud I am of the commitment I saw to reaching out and speaking to others about who we are, what we’re doing, and why. There were people there Monday night ready to talk to whoever must be dialogued with in order to assure our continued commitments. There were people there prepared to dialogue with the Auxiliary Bishops or the Archbishop himself if they were willing to listen. There were people there who I am convinced will parley for discussions with Rome itself should the need arise. I’ve never seen a community so ready to demonstrate…respectfully…that ‘We will follow Christ as we believe. Hear us out!’ Julie Madden and Peter have actively requested parish member involvement in arriving at the best decisions for addressing the issues. Those interested in being involved can contact them for further information. I came away from the meeting with a great deal of hope. Hope for the community, of course, but also hope for myself: Mostly I’m hopeful I can effectively live the non-violent approach required of us here. I’m not proud of it, but I’d certainly had some other-than-peaceful reactions to hearing the criticisms of SJA, so obviously leveled in ignorance. Therefore I also have an opportunity to strengthen my personal response to challenges.

Michael Reinbold, a continuing web reporter, freelances as a writer and banquet caterer. A passionate believer in SJA's mission of social justice and collaborative ministry, Michael is an SJA Choir member, mass reader, Team Oz AIDS rider and Grace House volunteer cook. With an extensive background in theater, photography and fundraising, he relishes all aspects of the arts, staying fit and inspiring and working with people. SJA Pastor George Wertin says the archbishop does not approve St. Joan's use of invited speakers to present homilies at SJA. 200 people attended a Monday night meeting 10/18 in SJA's Hospitality Hall. Apparently certain people [not defined] went to  a cardinal in Rome regarding our use of Sunday speakers and what was defined as presenting contradictions to Catholic Church teachings regarding homosexuality on our SJA website. Specifically what was targeted with our website was the Gay Pride article which featured members of St. Joan's accepting this years Community Pride Award. Puzzlingly, the content of the article was not in question, but rather the photographs of some members of our congregation marching in a parade. Wertin said, "We have to cooperate with the archbishop and we will." He continued, "we can support GLBT community and we can support integrity in our liturgy. If I didn't think this is possible I wouldn't be here. We can stand in solidarity. [Being] a prophetic community is not simple so don't be hostile and arrogant [with letter writing and responses]" SJA Administrator/ Business Manager Peter Eichten then facilitated a question and response from the attendees with a four member panel: Steve Boyle, Kathy Itzin, Julie Madden and Susan Sell. Eichten asked us to break up into small groups and express our feelings over this situation. Groups were asked to write down a few questions after a ten minute discussion that we would like to address to the panel. Basically, the point was to seek solutions as to how to resolve this without making a divided camp. The first question presented: What do we do with future guest speakers? Susan Sell: "Historically, Harvey Egan said we couldn't have guest speakers so they spoke before the mass." Julie Madden: "Rome is considered as liturgical norm and they feel that St. Joan's is considered as liturgical abuse." Steve Boyle: "Do speakers before Mass because we feel this church benefits [substantially]." How will we proceed in handling our GLBT community? Kathy Itzin: "Promoting vs. supporting GLBT community. I don't see it as a fine line. All of SJA is behind the GLBT community. We're all a family. We are fundamentally the same as we always were. We have to watch over our wording now." Is this an attack on our openness? Steve Boyle: "It's now an opportunity to respond to it." Julie Madden: "We will have a meeting with our GLBT community and they will lead us on how to do this." Why does St. Joan's stay with the Catholic Church? Susan Sell: "Benedictine Nun Joan Chittister was asked the same question and she responded with a story about an oyster and a grain of sand." Basically, the oyster represents Catholic Church authority and the grain of sand represents Chittister. A grain of sand is quite tiny but if stuck to an oyster it will remain a constant irritant or constant reminder of the larger cause. I personally am reminded of the great words of writer sociologist J. Milton Yinger who in 1946 said: "The prophet courageously challenges oppressive social structures of which the church may be an integral part. The prophet is the end result of the best in the tradition and spirituality of the church, which soon, sadly, drives him or her out."

Edie Kalweit has been a St. Joan of Arcer for 25 years now. Now that her children are grown, there is time to participate more fully in activities taking place at St. Joan's. Monday evening the tone was set by our SJA musicians and Father George. The two hundred or so folks gathered, listened to a calming Celtic music selection intertwined with meditation and prayer. Father George then spoke briefly. He reminded us that we are part of a larger church. He challenged us to see things from the perspective of Rome. As a prophetic organization within the Roman Catholic Church, we need to respect the wishes of Rome and the Archdiocese, while remaining true to our "vision" of inclusivity. The SJA model is one embracing a "Partnership of Participants." We are an organization who strongly believes in sharing the responsibility and joy of running our own church. We practice a "bottoms up" model of organizational government as opposed to being run from the "top down." Participants assume "ownership" of the parish. We aspire to reach out to others with respect. In so doing, some have perceived us to "breach the norms" of the larger Roman Catholic family. Perceptions of being "true to the faith" can and do differ. In responding to more conservative voices within the Roman Catholic Church, our challenge is to be true to our ideal of acting with peace in our hearts, on our tongues and through our actions. Throughout history, norms have changed. George reminded us of past Church positions on slavery, evolution and curvature of the earth, to name but a few. Time does change attitudes as truths are revealed. As a prophetic group within the larger body of Christ we have work to do and a message to voice. Later in the meeting, when comments were taken from the group, it was suggested that we invite the Archbishop to visit us again. Dialog and communication among groups repeatedly surfaced as a way to have others understand us and we, them. In the meantime, George told us he'd do what the archdiocese had asked. Two articles on the SJA website would be removed, and guest speakers would no longer speak after the gospel. Needless to say, it had been a rough week for our pastor. He was tired. He retired early from this meeting leaving parishioners, "participants," to discuss issues that needed further resolution. The most important issue, of the evening, surrounded supporting our gay, lesbian, and transgender church members. We will be true to inclusivity, and to the model we have of who we are. That was the message to be taken to those parishioners from members of the church council present. We discussed "supporting" versus "promoting" lifestyles, and how some interpretations saw the two as the same. We agreed with a statement declaring that, "Every person is holy and every family is holy. We are fundamentally the same, who we are and what we believe." The message that I left with is that we will "collectively" continue to respect each other regardless of sexual orientation.