My suggestions...

Some flip, some not.
Some both.

1. First yes to those who are commenting that the big bit of unfinished business is the bishops' mutual accountability. Or lack thereof, and lack of public fraternal correction.

Face it. You can publicly scold Catholic pro-choice politicians and skanky, outré Catholic artistes all you want, but when you won’t publicly correct your own for their own malfeasance and abuses of power, no one’s going to take you seriously, and yes that’s a profound loss of moral authority, but no, it’s not the Boston Globe’s fault.

2. Perhaps we could see each diocese instigate a several-months long examination of conscience of all of its employees on all levels. The question will be: Do I believe this stuff? Can I honestly assent to the creed as recited at Mass and historically understood by the Church? If I have doubts (and who doesn't), do I deal with them in a spirit of humility?

And then, at the end of this period, an invitation will be extended, in love, without judgment: employees who aren't completely on the boat, who are living off the church but who really do not believe what it teaches, should find new employment somewhere else. We'll give you severance, we'll give you good recommendations, but if you're using church offices and resources to spread anything other than the Gospel - God bless, but move on.

3. Most of you probably don't know that the bishops do, indeed, have a committee charged with making sure that catechetical materials are faithful to Church teaching. My husband attended a meeting of this committee once on behalf of his publisher. Anything used in a Catholic school is supposed to be approved by this group. However, as we all know, it doesn't seem to be working. My daughter's science, social studies, math and literature books are all around 400 pages long. Her religion book is about 150, I think, paperback, with lots o pictures. I might be time for the bishops to move beyond the catechetical directory and their committee and commission their own curriculum - not require it, but presented as a standard.

4. Start an arts journal. Really. Gregory Wolfe already has Image, so he's not available, but put someone like Barbara Nicolosi in charge, someone who can publish a quarterly or even monthly that's edgy, engaging, beautiful, true and unafraid. Put a bunch of money into it, and then step back.

5. Declare a 6-month moratorium on preaching. I'm perfectly serious. Okay, the bishops can still preach. But on one else - no priests, no deacons, no stewardship-drumming couples. Watch Mass attendance soar. But that wouldn't be the reason - give everyone a period of time to step back and consider what homilies are, what they should be, and why they are so bad. Then, at the end of the time, institute a licentiate for preaching. In other words - just because you're ordained, doesn't mean you can preach.

(Not unheard of, of course - with sometimes unintended, ironic consequences, as with Solanus Casey who was ordained a simplex priest and forbidden to hear confessions or preach at Mass. Who then spent his life sitting at friary doors, listening to people's problems and pain and giving advice, prayers and miracles.)

(Okay well, I understand that homilies are required. Let's compromise. 3 minute homilies for six months? That would focus us.)

6. As you know, the topic that gets people going the most here is liturgy. No question. The liturgy is most people's most frequent and consistent - and for some the only - contact with the church. It is, like the document says, what it's supposed to be - the source and summit of our faith. People are simply fed up with being assaulted at Mass, for lack of a better word. They're tired of being assaulted with bad music, with liturgical ministers who treat them like stubborn children, with presiders who make stuff up from beginning to end, who think that the purpose of the liturgy is to share their own beautiful personalities, with attempts to manipulate them into states of feeling or being or belief. They want to pray. They don't want to be left alone (okay, some do) - they understand that liturgy is prayer in community, but they are simply tired of being talked at, shrieked at, at having liturgies with no discernible organic structure because there is so much extemporaneous crap going on. They want to pray.

Let them. Tell priests to stop making stuff up, yesterday. Encourage pastors to invite their congregations to illumine and decorate their churches. Just let it be known that here, Christ is, for you, and we will do our best to balance the serious tasks of pointing you to Him, and then getting the heck out of the way.

7. Every parish in the country should twin with another parish or ministry and commit itself to tithing (at least) time, treasure and talent for the benefit of its partner. So, for example, large parishes with scads of money should twin with a poor parish in its own diocese, a poor parish overseas, a needy Catholic school, an immigrant ministry - and smaller parishes could twin with a ministry commensurate with its capabilities, adopting it as a primary responsibility and expression of Jesus' command to love.

Comments

[Amanda]

I'd like to start an arts journal!

[Christine]

Amy,

The deafening sound you hear is me applauding as vigorously as I can.

Bravo!!

[RC]

Fwiw, preaching is mandatory on Sundays and holy days: a moratorium might be considered an abuse. Of course, so is the babbling we're usually subjected to. Hm.

[Tom Harmon]

Brava Bravissima!!!

[Amy]

Oh. Okay. Well...then how about 1 minute homilies?

For six months?

It's not heresy that concerns me most - I don't think I hear much of that - it's the lack of any meaningful content and the lack of connection to Eucharist.

[ita o'byrne]

Excellent, Amy! Too bad you (or any of us) don't have the ear of Rome...Because you know the bishops won't do anything of their own accord without being pushed.

[Bill Walsh]

What I've always wondered is why dioceses don't work up a standard (though perhaps orthodox would be too much to ask in some places...) homily for each week and issue it to all the parishes, so that if a priest can't or doesn't care to work up an original homily, he can fall back on something professional.

I just about ran up to the altar and kissed a priest in Centralia, Washington, when I was visiting the town. He produced a piece of paper from his pocket read a coherent, five-minute homily on the readings of the week, then sat down. Beautiful.

[Sean Gallagher]

I don't know about other dioceses, but the Archdiocese of Indianapolis has a fifteen point religion curriculum based on the four pillars of the CCC. By the way, Daniel Buechlein, the Archbishop of Indianapolis, is the former chair of the Bishops Committee on the Use of the Catechism, the committee of which Amy wrote.

As a DRE, when I speak with the catechists in my parish about forming lesson plans, I tell them that the curriculum should guide the way in which they use their textbook, not the way that the textbook itself is set up.

[Sean Gallagher]

As to twinning (there we go again, 'verbing nouns' as Calvin & Hobbes once said), most, if not all, dioceses already implicitly do that through parish assessments.

The problem is that it is too anonymous. Money seems to go into a big hopper and gets sent out to those who need it, except that those who give usually do not know to whom it is given.

In order to insure the best use of the funds available, such 'twinning' would have to be managed and arranged very carefully. But I suspect that the harder the work put into it could possibly produce greater fruits.

People in dioceses would actually get to know each other, at least a little bit. And people would start to have some very concrete experiences of the broader nature of the Church than they get simply at their home parish.

[Carrie Tomko]

Ask the bishops to commit to saying Mass EVERY day of the week. No excuses. No "I'm too busy." No "I have a committee meeting." Not even "I have to meet with the lawyers or make counseling appointments." Mass gets first priority. No exception. And that will be Mass conforming to the rubrics.

Only prayer is going to get us out of the mess that we are in. Only God can save us.

[Gregg the obscure]

Your second suggestion is brilliant and the rest are all very good. In light of the suggestion that bishops be required to say Mass daily (I think they already are, but I'm not certain and can't access appropriate resources to check), I'd suggest that all priests be at least very strongly encouraged to be available for confessions at least five hours a week. If the priests get bored sitting in empty confessionals, maybe they'll start teaching about the necessity of confession. (One of the best quips I ever heard was from a visiting priest who noted that he spent an hour in the confessional with no penitents and that he spent that time praying that the parishioners would feel suficient guilt to get them to confession soon.)

[Tom Mohan]

This is two in one day. Keep writing before the annointing lifts. I really appreciate the sanity and simplicity of your suggestions.

I was just thinking this morning about what the future church will look like, when our kids are adults, and not exactly thinking about it entirely positive. But your thoughts today restore alot of hope that there are young adults with their wits about them, who know the Lord, and who are active in blessing the church with their talents. High caliber stuff Amy!

[Tom Mohan]

Bill Walsh:

There are only a few homilies I remember after years have gone by, but I remember a brief homily on each of the 3 readings that opened the Word to me and prepared my heart for communion. I remember it was less than 5 minutes long. I recently attended mass at the basilica at Univ. of Notre Dame with my highschool son and the sermon was typical length, maybe even a tad longer, but brilliant and well prepared. This one came to mind right away when Amy suggested those who have the gift to preach, let them preach. This priest had the goods.

[Sam]

High praise, Amy.

The consistent response I hear from mature, faithful, orthodox Catholics is that the crisis is not about institutional structure; as Richard John Neuhaus has said, it has three main issues: fidelity, fidelity, and fidelity.

But I also know that there are tremendously decent, compassionate, committed people all over the American church who have spent so long without being challenged to fidelity that at this point, the challenge would seem like a departure from the norm.

How do we compassionately reevangelize people who have not been challenged to the adventure of fidelity? How do we (and who should) approach priests who don't make this challenge part of their ministry?

Is there some way that isn't as severe as the fire-and-brimstone, what-we've-been-doing-since-Vatican-II-is-largely-wrong approach? Or do we simply tell hard truths bluntly and let come (or leave) who may?

My instinct is to say that we have a greater responsibility to our brothers and sisters than simply to draw a line in the ecclesial sand; my prayer is that God raise up the saints to call us more deeply into the fidelity we need.

[Barb N]

Excellent stuff, Amy! Thanks so much. I especially thought the part about sending Barbara Nicolosi lots of money was inspired.

uh,
Barbara Nicolosi

[Christine]

As to the "twinning" idea, Bishop Anthony Pilla in the Diocese of Cleveland has begun what is called "Vibrant Parish Life" initiative, pairing up two or more parishes to share liturgies, Christian education, social justice endeavors, etc. One large suburban parish is financially supporting a smaller inner-city parish, along with its school so that those kids have a chance for a better education. Another suburban parish is supporting a parish in Haiti.

It will be interesting to see how this evolves. Connecting parishes at the local, national and global level seems a very "catholic" thing to do.

[Joe]

Amy - your suggestions are wonderful and on the mark, however Number 2 should be expanded to include all of us.
The only reason to follow the Catholic faith is because it is true. Everyone should be reminded of this, should be prompted, as seems necessary, to understand what the Church actually teaches (and why she teaches it), and then make a decision: am I willing to accept this faith and take on the responsibility of living my life within it? Of course, as you suggest, this is doubly important for those who would choose to lead the flock.

[S.F.]

Great job, Amy. I noticed one thread running through your suggestions. Bishops, please worry about the Church. Do your job. When I think of the bishops and what advice I'd give them, it is simply that. Don't act like one more lobbying group amidst the Teamsters, Christian Coalition, and NRA. Sure, temporal things are important. Our government is important. Bishops can't turn a blind eye to the culture and the government. But if you, as bishops, spent your time and effort helping your flock be holy, your flock would infuse the culture with Christ's holiness. Which, by the way, is your flock's role. Be a priest, not a politician.

[Sandra Miesel]

I second your remarks on homilies. One of the problems--besides the inability of most Catholic priests to preach their way out of a paper bag--was changing from sermons arranged as systematic instruction to homilies on the readings. No wonder we never hear about some topics. No wonder there is no sense of coherence to the faith getting through to the pews.
Whatever they've been getting in the seminaries (at least around here) produces priests who never cross-reference other parts of the Bible or quote saints but do like to talk about themselves. (I was once in a parish where the assistant's sole topic of discourse was the state of his own psyche.)It's often been a source of embarrassment to bring non-Catholic friends to Mass and here some vacuuous insult to faith & reason "preached."
My parish as an excellent ex-Dominican as one of its priests and he has obviously had good training in preaching. So somebody still knows how to do it.
Oh yes, and get priests to say the Mass as written--no little "personal" touches.

[S.F.]

Good point, Sandra, about the Dominicans. I sometimes have the opportunity to visit a Dominican parish about 50 miles from where I live. They have 5 or so priests and each of them has given excellent homilies whenever I've been there. Well delivered, relevant, Catholic, not watered down yet not harsh in tone. Just very good. Maybe the bishops could figure out how the Dominicans train homilists and borrow some of their ideas.

[Todd]

Peace, Amy.

For the most part, I like the comments and the spirit behind them. 1. Bravo. 2. Interesting but impractical. Clergy have tenure, laity don't, so why does this just seem like an excuse for an inquisition? By the way, who's responsible for nitpicking their way through reams of testimony? Clergy? You I would have little problem with. Some cleric who has a bone to pick and somewhat falls into your category 1 -- nada. I think we're stuck with flawed sinful folks. 4's a cool idea. Ken Untener has upped your number 5 on homilies. If clergy really took Fulfilled in Your Hearing seriously, then we'd be in good shape.

Predictably, I'm not sure what you mean with 6. You and I clearly have far different experiences of liturgy. The liturgies I know have to be above average, or my whole career is a sham. I appreciate that as a writer and lover of the arts you want to see moolah sunk into an arts journal (which I think is a good idea). But the problem in many parishes is the imbalance between funding for schools (and their 150-page RE textbooks) and liturgy and the arts that go into making good liturgy. But I share your pet peeves on liturgy. I just don't see much of them.

[response]

Todd, must be that your whole career is a sham then. Don't complain--you said it first. The only thing that saves most "liturgies" from being total disasters is the fact that they are really the Sacrifice of the Mass underneath all the detritis and no one (NO ONE) can change that. The essential character of the Mass completely trumps all the rest of it and that is what people have to realize, the sooner the better.