Archdiocese of Portland in Oregon
Archdiocesan Pastoral Council
February 5, 2005
The Pastoral Center, Portland
Present: Archbishop John Vlazny, Fr. Dennis O’Donovan, and Members: Jesus Bojorges, Mother Francine Cardew, Thom Faller, Michelle Forster, Fr. Don Gutmann, Bruce Heldt, Eloisa Hernandez, Ray Houghton, F.J. Maloney, Rick Nelson, Francisco Peña, Diane Peterson, Pat Ridenour, Fr. Dick Rossman, and Deacon An Vu
Staff Present: Todd Cooper & Fr. Chuck Lienert
Not Present: Clint Bentz (E), Deacon Harold Burke-Sivers (E), B.J. Finleybranch, Sr. Ruth Frank, Bob Lowry (E), and Mike Scott
The sixteenth meeting of the Archdiocesan Pastoral Council (APC) was called to order at 10:05am by the council chair, FJ Maloney. Todd Cooper led the opening prayer.
The agenda was approved.
The minutes from the December 4, 2004 meeting of the APC were approved as written.
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE REPORT
F.J. Maloney reviewed the agenda for the meeting and stressed the importance of developing proposals based on the pastoral priorities. The subcommittees must continue their work to develop an implementation strategy for each priority that is acceptable to the council and that can ultimately be recommended to the archbishop.
Racism Materials Update
Todd Cooper reported that at least nine different parishes, including the Cathedral and Church of the Resurrection were making use of the racism materials. The efforts of some of the Racism Subcommittee members to do follow-up calls after the materials had been sent out served as an important encouragement for several parishes to use the materials. The subcommittee members were pleased that their hard work to develop these materials for the APC and the Archdiocese was finally beginning to bear fruit.
BANKRUPTCY REPORT
Fr. Dennis O’Donovan reported. The next major date in the proceedings is the upcoming claims bar date. Any claims against the Archdiocese must be submitted by April 29, 2005. Extensive notices in Catholic publications and other major publications (including the Wall Street Journal and USA Today) have been sent out to publicize the claims bar date. Exceptions to the claims bar date include “impaired memory”. Those who were abused but did not connect the abuse with injury can still file claims. This will necessitate the establishment of a future claims fund. The Archdiocese appealed this ruling. The Archbishop has made it clear that the Church will always support any victims who might come forward, through counseling and other means, but that the hope is to reach a legal end. This would not be an end to the Church’s willingness to help, however.
Depositions have been underway since January – about three per week. Claimants are sharing their stories in preparation for mediation. Mediation begins on August 8th. Five mediators have been chosen, including the lawyer who helped pull things together in Boston.
A major question that still needs to be ruled upon is whether or not parish assets will be included in determining settlement costs. It is possible that a decision on this issue will come on April 3rd or 4th. The Archdiocese is maintaining that parish properties are held in trust. Ten sample cases including parishes and a school have been chosen to help establish the Archdiocese of Portland’s position. The samples were chosen based upon factors such as varying size and location as well as the amount of information available and how carefully parishes kept records.
A committee of parishes has been formed that has filed motions in order to gain a voice in the proceedings. This is a friendly move.
The number of claims that may come in before the claims bar date is unknown.
ARCHBISHOP’S REPORT
Events
Last December, the Archbishop celebrated the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe at the fairgrounds in Salem. Around 4000 people attended and it was a wonderful gathering.
At the end of January, the ordination of Holy Spirit Father Hugo Maese took place at St. Matthew’s in Hillsboro. Bishop Gustavo Garcia was the ordaining prelate. The Archbishop attended in choir.
Catholic Schools Week just ended. Catholic schools are in good shape and enrollment is stable. Catholic high schools are doing very well. De LaSalle North will have its very first graduation this year.
Next Wednesday is Ash Wednesday, which corresponds with the Lunar New Year this year. Consecrated Life Day is Today. The annual youth rally is tomorrow. Rites of Election will be celebrated next weekend. The Chrism Mass is on March 17th. The Catholic Charities Annual Celebration is on March 12th. The Archbishop encourages parishes to consider taking a table.
This year marks the 30th anniversary of the advent in 1975 of the Vietnamese community. On May 29th, the Archbishop will be at a major celebration in Salem. On the first Sunday of July, the new cardinal from Vietnam will preside at the Freedom Mass. There is much to celebrate since the days when Fr. Mort Park met those coming in at the Portland airport.
Other
Two lay missionaries from Argentina are helping with Hispanic ministries and campus ministry. The missionaries want to establish a house in the diocese that would include a priest, a lay minister, and two seminarians. Many thanks go to Fr. Mike Maslowsky.
The Catholic Sentinel is planning a special Easter publication of the newspaper that will be mailed to every Catholic household. The Archbishop wishes more people would subscribe to the Sentinel.
Annual Appeal
The Annual Appeal is underway. Last weekend was announcement Sunday. This weekend is commitment Sunday. The Archbishop will make a personal pledge to the appeal. The goal for this year is three million dollars. The Archbishop personally contacted eleven parishes which have struggled to make their goal in the past. All agreed to make a concerted effort to achieve the parish goal this year. Last year, there was 32% participation. The Archbishop’s goal for this year is to get 35% participation. Eventually, it would be good to get to 40-45% participation like some other dioceses enjoy.
OCC – State Advocacy Day
February 21st is State Advocacy Day. The bishops will meet with legislators. The Oregon Catholic Conference board and Catholics will gather at the capital and focus on several key issues including life and freedom of religion, restoration of funding for the poor and elderly, refundable earned income, and affordable housing. All are invited and welcome to participate.
Vocations
Twenty-four men attended the Archbishop’s vocation retreat this year. Andrew’s dinners continue to be scheduled where priests invite young men to have dinner with the Archbishop and discuss vocations. North Bend/Coos Bay will host a dinner and Corvallis will host another. Fr. Kelly continues to do a good job. Currently, he is working with two Latin American men who may be entering the seminary.
Review of the Sex Abuse Charter
The Archbishop had asked the APC to review the U.S. Bishops’ Sex Abuse Charter and provide feedback. The guide for the review focused on several key issues. In the charter, even one single act of abuse requires removal of an abuser from public ministry. In the past, an abuser could have been assigned to work as a chaplain in a convent or perhaps in a chancery. Also included in the charter is provision for safe environment programs. There is much controversy about what program is acceptable.
Council members supported the “one strike & you’re out” policy. The American public cannot stand to hear about abusers being shipped off to monasteries or anywhere else. There should be no second chances on this issue.
It was observed that the safe training programs could be better. One council member felt that the most effective part of the training was the training for parents. There is currently a paucity of resources. More resources are currently being developed by publishers.
An APC member questioned the seminary screening process. The Archbishop pointed out that there is a document entitled the Program for Priestly Formation (PPF), which guides the training and formation of candidates for priesthood. Psychological evaluations are part of the entrance process. The seminary is not a rehab center, but it is a great place to train priests.
Another APC member was concerned with the use of terminology such as “cooperate” (articles #4 & #17) which might limit accountability to the provisions of the charter. The Archbishop noted that audits would ensure that dioceses are complying with the charter as written and intended.
The Archbishop also noted that in confronting the issue of sex abuse, the past way of operating from principle to policy created inconsistencies and hence the credibility of the bishops was on the line. That is why a consistent policy for all dioceses needed to be established.
A council member asked about the scope of the review board (Article #2). The review board will help to determine the credibility of a claim and will help to review diocesan sex abuse policies.
A council member asked how a parish can find out about a claim involving one of its former priests before reading about it in the paper. The Archbishop commented that in some cases, it is through the newspaper that the Archdiocese first learns of a new claim against it.
The Archbishop thanked the council for reviewing the charter and for providing feedback which he would take to the bishops’ meeting.
Pastoral Priority Subcommittee Meetings
The three Pastoral Priority Subcommittees were given time to meet and were asked to be prepared to report on their discussions later in the afternoon
LUNCH – 12:00pm to 1:00pm
HISPANIC MINISTRy Report
raul Velazquez, Director of Hispanic Ministry for the Archdiocese of Portland gave a presentation to the council. There are an estimated 175,000 Hispanic Catholics in the Archdiocese of Portland (conservatively). That is about 45% of the total Catholic population in western Oregon. Very few Hispanics are registered in parishes, however, because this notion of registration is foreign – it is something new. In addition, there are undocumented people who are afraid to register.
Much progress has been made in Hispanic ministry in the Archdiocese of Portland over the years. At least one parish in every vicariate now provides Hispanic ministry. Fifty-six parishes and missions have Mass in Spanish, have Hispanic ministry or have both. Eight Hispanic priests are directly serving the Hispanic community. Forty non-Hispanic priests are serving the Hispanic community in various capacities.
Because there are very few Hispanic pastoral ministers in the diocese and because resources are very limited, training lay ministers is critical. Raul spends the majority of his time on formation programs, including ministry formation in Spanish for Hispanics, liturgy formation workshops, religious education training workshops, marriage training & retreats for parishes, human development, and advocacy.
Raul outlined the renewed pastoral framework for Hispanic ministry as found in the latest document “Encuentro & Mission”. He highlighted several elements. A clear vision of ministry based on unity in diversity must be articulated. We must plan with the people and not for the people. Hispanic vocations must be promoted and supported. Relevant stewardship models must be developed for Hispanics, many of whom come from the model that the Church gives to them and not vice-versa. There must be a commitment to professional development of Hispanics – to the community in general and to leadership in particular. Raul identified two major needs in our vicariates: a more integrated Church and the development of Hispanic ministry leaders.
Raul pointed out that it is not true that all Hispanics are Catholics. In fact, there are many who are not evangelized and there are many more who are being proselytized. This is a major challenge. The huge growth of the Hispanic population coupled with the impact of fewer priests creates another challenge.
Council Discussion
It was observed by a council member that there seems to be hesitancy on the part of some Hispanics, especially newcomers, to take on leadership roles. Perhaps this is in part a result of the “let Father do it” model they may be used to. It was noted that the Cursillo Movement has helped develop Hispanic leadership. The question was raised about how to better promote Hispanic vocations. The Archbishop noted that the Vocations Director is bilingual and that this is a first step.
Another council member noted that he was a product of the Archdiocesan leadership development program run by Raul’s office.
Pastoral Priority Subcommittee REPORTS
Faith Formation at All Levels
Diane Peterson reported. This is such an all encompassing priority that it has presented a difficult challenge for the committee to focus. The committee observed that Disciples in Mission worked great and was a good model. Some kind of small group faith formation program is needed. We must use something that is already working. Use the Year of the Eucharist to create enthusiasm. Promote evangelization committees. The pulpit could be used as a teaching tool.
Youth & Young Adult Ministry
Ray Houghton reported. We are in trouble with youth & young adult ministry. The consensus of the committee is that we face an ever increasing problem of providing the younger members of the faith with a means to develop a personal relationship with Jesus Christ through youth ministry programs that can counter the secular world’s influence. Evangelization of youth must start with the family. Parents must become directly involved in the youth ministry program. As the religiosity of parents and adults goes down, so does the teen’s. Increased expenditures and infrastructure is needed in the Archdiocese and in most parishes. A pastoral letter should go out from the Archdiocese to help educate every parishioner about the opportunities and challenges of Christ centered, personal faith formation for our youth. Parishes should be provided with a common tool set of programs & services along with diocesan level resources and infrastructure to support the development of youth programs. A progress assessment mechanism should be in place to measure success.
Multicultural Ministry
Pat Ridenour reported. The goal of the subcommittee is to identify the needs not being met or to enhance existing works in multicultural ministry for the Archdiocese. Four areas have been identified to help in this area. Pastoral care is the first and it is broken down into three areas. At the diocesan level it would involve providing training for multicultural ministers. At the Vicariate level, it would involve parishes working together to hold sacramental classes and celebrations. At the parish level it would involve identifying resources and leaders. The second area identified is the bridging of cultures. This would involve providing opportunities for parishioners to learn about different cultures. The third area is celebrating and learning from other cultures. This can be done by proving opportunities for celebration on feast days. The fourth area is justice. We need to participate in an ecumenical effort for community and justice ministry.
Target date for priority proposals
FJ again reminded all of the subcommittees that the target date for recommending proposals to the archbishop about how to implement the three pastoral priorities was at our next meeting on May 7, 2005. He stressed the importance of having an action plan in place by that date.
Guiding question for pastoral priority subcommittees
In effort to help the committees with their work the Archbishop proposed the following question: If there was one thing that you would want to come from the Archdiocesan offices to move this goal along, what would it be?
Annual Vicariate Meetings
Todd Cooper reported. A sample agenda for the annual meetings was provided to the council members. The purpose of the meetings is for the region to develop pastoral plans based on both parish and diocesan priorities and to collaborate in carrying out those plans. The diocesan planning process should be reviewed, along with the Archdiocesan Pastoral Plan. The plan is for vicariate representatives to be able to present the implementation strategies for the top three diocesan pastoral priorities. Fr. Lienert emphasized that it is important for pastoral councils to be present at these meetings. Contact your vicar and find a date for the meeting now. Fr. Dennis will send out a letter about the annual vicariate meetings to the vicars in the coming week.
Future Agenda Items
The Archbishop wants members of the council to feel free to bring agenda items to the table that they feel are important. Allow the Holy Spirit to work. What is important to you?
A council member suggested the issue of establishing vocations committees in each parish. Another suggested having updates each meeting from various offices of the Archdiocese. A third suggested addressing the theme of living in faith versus by endowment and how we exercise stewardship.
Eloisa Hernandez noted that the next meeting was close to Cinco de Mayo. She offered to cook lunch again for the council. All cheered the idea.
Todd Cooper led the closing prayer.
NEXT MEETING:
Saturday May 7, 2005
10am to 3pm
at the Griffin Center
(11933 SE Fuller Rd; Milwaukie)