Dear St. Gertrude — August 29, 2004
Our personnel board wrote a letter to all the priests describing a very serious situation in the archdiocese. In the past year thirty-six parishes were in need of a pastor:
¢ Of the 36 parishes, nine had at least one person apply, 16 had no one make an application.
¢ Of the 36 parishes, 11 had a process of direct appointment (presumably by the Cardinal), which has always been viewed as exceptional.
¢ Currently there are 9 parishes with a total of 16,500 families that are waiting for a priest who will accept an appointment to be their pastor.
The letter signed by six bishops, the personnel board, the vicars for priests and the chair of the Presbyteral Council discusses some of the realities of the placement system, The facts included in the letter and the brief analysis of the problem was an encouraging beginning. We have had very little conversation about the state of the Church since January of 2002 when the problems of deviancy among the priests of Boston were being brought to light by the Boston Globe. Since then, despite the multitude of stories and the broadening of the scandal, the defensive stance has been woeful and almost mute. This week’s letter suggests that we must talk about the repercussions from the scandal.
I think the priests have been in depression. There is a self-absorption about the work, a grayness of spirit, a sense of mistrust of officialdom, a lack of resiliency and a sleepiness that lacks any deep joy. I’m not sure if the congregations have recognized this. This letter may be the first public recognition from downtown.
The letter does not present a plan. It apologizes for the tone. It throws in a nod to the Holy Spirit who might bring back hope. It encourages prayer. Like I say - it’s only a beginning.
Meanwhile I would point out that the best thing to do is call a gathering of the priests to talk out the problem. Get someone like Tim Russert or Terri Gross to interview the people in charge. Get some outsiders to come up with a plan. Make it clear that we all know we are in a crisis. Get the people involved - I mean the parishioners who are feeling the spirit leak from the balloon. Get some excitement ablaze. Let’s build our own Millennium Park. Let’s make something beautiful for the Lord.
WK
Filed under: Dear Saint Gertrude
