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VOICE NOVEMBER 2007
CITIZENSHIP
All the households of our state received the Washington State Voters Pamphlet at the beginning of October for the elections to take place on November 8th. Some of us may already be supersaturated by the politics of a Presidential election which still is 12 months away. There are no big political races for this November election. But as I did a first quick review of the voters pamphlet, it provides a significant exercise in good citizenship.
The decision in our area to exercise the option of vote-by-mail is an interesting development and maybe very timely. I was impressed by the responsibility which is set before us all by the issues which are set before the citizens of our state. My agenda is not to suggest any particular response to the issues, though I personally would judge there are significant moral issues involved in many of the proposals on which we are asked to vote. My single objective is to urge all votes to carefully, reflectively, and responsibly exercise this important franchise.
Voting is more than a symbol. The cover of the voters pamphlet presents this interesting graphic of the symbols of our state: An apple, an orca, a salmon, a rhododendron, and a Walla Walla sweet. The symbol system is orientated toward living things. Where is the symbol of Mount Rainier? But the exercise of the vote is a symbol of a free people. We are not the snows of the Cascades or the beaches of North Pacific. We are a free living community of citizens.
And the questions we must answer? They tend to be about the taxation and representation. Do we really believe in representative democracy or do we seek to tie the hands of those who we select to represent us in the processes of legislation and government. We have this interesting method of participation called the Initiative and Referendum. By these votes, the populace has tremendous opportunity to participate, but these methods are fraught with challenge..... the oversimplification of the decisions which must be made. Therefore as we face these issues I would urge you to reflect on two principles about a Catholic view of government.
The first issue is that taxation is not an evil but a necessary way for us to participate in the carrying out of the common good. Ten years ago I remember a local citizen seeking the position of country commissioner advertising one simple agenda: NO NEW TAXES! I think that is totally irresponsible. It is way too simple. At least for a minimum the slogan should have said; NO NEW TAXES AND NO NEW SERVICES AND NO DEFICITS! We cannot ask for a government to provide that which we are unwilling to pay for, My slogan would be: THERE IS NO FREE LUNCH! As a citizen I am happy to see the police patrolling the St. Mary's parking lot at night. We are served by the fire department when they come a check up on our buildings and doing fire drills for our school.. I am in favor of filling the potholes at the corner of Fourth and Evergreen. I think our city council should do much more to support the social service programs in the city of Spokane Valley. There are homeless, orphans and widows in our midst. We can not forget the Gospel mandate about their care by the community.
The important second principle is that multiple representatives can do better in framing our future than any dictator or emperor. I applaud people who are willing to place their time and work at our service. Political service, service of the polis (the people), is a noble aspiration and Gospel guided. We should expect that members of our community would be involved in this service.... at all levels.... an good example is Lynn Trantow who serves on the Central Valley School Board.... There are Catholic representatives on our city council and district fire board. We should applaud that and support our Catholic vision of government and citizenship being represented. But the crucial challenge of the moment... you and I must use that voter's pamphlet to educate ourselves and guide our voting in the most responsible way we can.
SEPTEMBER 2007 VOICE VOLUNTEERISM Where you place your TIME you place your LIFE where you place your LIFE you place your LOVE I used this statement from the writings of Clayton Barbeau in a homily in August. It is a strong challenge against the minimalism that is the dominate evaluator in our American culture. What is the minimal expectation or commitment required of me? In St. John’s Gospel the Risen Jesus asks Peter three times: Do you love me? YES! YES!! YES!...... That is Peter’s reply. We would all reply the same. We love God. We love the Church!.... We love our families..... but , please don’t ask me for too much right now. I am so busy. St. Augustine tells his conversion story. It wraps around this very challenge. Am I ready to put my life on the line? Am I willing to share my time? Augustine said to God.... Not right now.... later I will be ready! Only the power of God’s grace can break this spiritual lethergy. The life of our parish community is animated and inspired by the time given in voluntary spirit to so many efforts. What enlivens a parish community is the volunteer spirit manifest by choir members, volunteers in the RE program, classroom volunteers in the School, lawn mowers, ministers to the sick, youth ministry team members...... and the list goes on and on... We have great volunteers at St. Mary’s. How can you support them? The most significant way is by joining in their efforts. As a new program year begins, we need to renew the volunteer corp of our parish community. If your faith experience seems to be dull, weak and uninspired, listen to the call to join in the effort. You to can make music, share comfort with the sick, give spiritual formation to the kids of our families..... you can make a difference. Jesus says to you: Do you love me? ..... Feed my sheep! And where can you help.... We need parents to support kids in being altar servers..... We need a corp of dedicated volunteers for coffee and donut hospitality after Sunday Mass.... Did you miss Coffee and donuts this summer? I did... We had great gatherings outside the last two summers. I think we are challenged to renew the spirit of volunteerism in this community.... in response to the invitation of Jesus: Do you love me? SETTLEMENT CAMPAIGN To those who have stepped up and contributed so sacrificially to the Settlement Campaign, Thank you on behalf of this community, our future, our programs and our children. If we can embrace the economic sacrifice needed now, the future of our parish mission will be freed. The debt we will be forced to embrace will deter the future. September 15th is the due date? I urge all families to ponder what you can do to minimalize our need to borrow against the future. As this issue of the VOICE goes to print we have $299,000 toward our $611,200 share. Thank you for being generous and making your sacrifice!
VOICE MAY 2007
Thank you for Easter et al.
I want to begin by extending my thankful appreciation to all those who participated in any way in making our celebration of the great Easter feast so wonderful. A Special thanks to Linda Hess and Fr. Jim and all those who planned and worked on the decoration of the Church. Great appreciation goes to all music groups, to Teresa Slater and the choir and Jane McElroy, to Dr, Mike Trantow and the folk group, and to Sharon Walls. The Easter celebrations were a very special blessing to us all. Our prayer and welcome go to those who also celebrated Easter Sacraments at the Great Vigil on Holy Saturday Night. You are the sign for us of the Risen Lord at work in our world. AND we just had a wonderful School Auction and Family Fun Night- thank you to the chairs, Mark and Denise Ness and the staff. AND we made our 2007 goal for the Annual Catholic Appeal. Thank you
The Legal Issues of our Church Life
The April 24th approval of the Chapter 11 reorganization is a happy milestone. The decision to use the Chapter 11 reorganization had really only one purpose: to deal with all the claims against the Diocese in an orderly and fair way. There can be debate over whether it was an orderly and fair 2 ½ years, but the alternatives would have been chaos.
You have received from me the invitation to help in meeting our share of the $10 million agreed to by the Association of Parishes. Again, I have heard some media has minimized the reality of this effort.... just $104 per person..... The 96,000 Catholics counted by the National Directory is based on the broadest definition of “Catholic”. It is more realistic to say this monetary demand falls on 9,600 households that support the life of the Parishes and the Diocese. So again the reality number is an assessment that equals about $1,000 for each participating household in the parishes. I am sad and sorry that we find ourselves in this reality, but again the alternatives of protracted legal struggles could have been much more significant. The Chapter 11 mediation did bring about an agreement with all the parties which two years ago was on the threshold of Armageddon.
One of the technical outcomes of the reorganization was the need as part of the impact of the reorganization to change the corporate structure of the local parishes. Previously in the polity of the Church, each parish was a separate unincorporated association with its real and personal property held in trust by the Corporation Sole named The Catholic Bishop of Spokane. To bring closure to the liabilities and litigation for the parishes by the act of the Federal Court, each parish has been established as a separate non-profit corporation. All real and personal property will be transferred from the unincorporated association and the Corporation Sole to the new corporation: St. Mary’s Parish-Spokane. The complicated and greatly discussed episcopal decision for this process identified the incorporating board of directors in each parish as the pastor, the chairperson of the parish finance council and the regional representative of the presbyteral council. The incorporation documents for St. Mary’s have been completed by me, Ed Budinsky, the chairperson of the Parish Finance Council, and Father Richard Poole, the pastor of St. John Vianney. This board of directors is charged with overseeing the holding of parish property and is not charged with the governance of the parish which remains in the hands of the pastor, the Parish Pastoral Council, the School Advisory Committee, and the Parish Finance Council according to universal guidance of Church law.
Youth Ministry
I am sorry to share with you that Rachel Swenson, who has been our parish youth minister since August, took another position in the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City. Rachel left Spokane on April 20th. We wish her God-sped and blessings in her new work. The Religious Education Board has begun a process of reevaluating the position and planning for future youth ministry here at St. Mary’s. Please pray for the wisdom and success of that effort.
Old Priests and New priests
As you receive this Father Jim is away for two weeks. He is resting up to hold the fort at the end of June when I will be journeying to Manchester, England for the ordination on June 30th of Father Simon Stamp, a young man who was a student at the American College while I was on sabbatical there. Simon’s father is an Anglican priest in Manchester and I had the wonderful opportunity to visit in their home and his church in 2003 and look forward to being present at Simon’s ordination as a Roman Catholic priest on June 30th. Finally in that same vain and on that same weekend, you are all invited to the ordination of Father Kenny St. Hilaire, along with Father Lucas Tomson, Father Jimmy Peake and Father Luis Rivera as priests of our Diocese on Friday evening June 29th at the Cathedral of Our Lady of Lourdes. The future of the Church is young and dynamic and filled with hope.
SPRING VOICE
LENT AND THE CROSS Pope Benedict’s Lenten message for 2007 is framed around the text quoted by the Gospel writer John when he describes the lancing of Christ’s side by the Roman soldier as he hangs on the cross. “They shall look upon him whom they have pierced.” John’s reference is to the prophecy of Zachariah (12:10) and to the raising up of the bronze serpent in the Book of Numbers (21:9). Salvation comes when we are able to perceive and see the mystery of the awesome revelation of God’s love for us. During Lent we have placed the Cross before the altar. It dominates our vision and our reflection. It stands as a strong and sober symbol of the power of God’s love for us. It is a symbol of the power of death and the unity of death and love. Pope Benedict puts it this way: “Death, which for the first Adam was an extreme sign of loneliness and powerlessness, was thus transformed in the supreme act of love and freedom of the new Adam.” Is death the ultimate defeat or the ultimate victory? That is the central faith question for all of us during this time of Lent. Death has been very present to me in the last month. Two of our diocesan priests have died. Father Len Forsmann died too young and too quickly. Father Joe Pash whom I have called “the great high priest”... he was a very tall man....died in his late 80's at the end of a good and long life. In the parish we have had death of the very young and the very old. Sometimes it has been long and hard, sometimes quick and sudden. Lent began with the ashes of penitence. Lent begins with the acceptance of our sin and the destiny of death. If we remain trapped in our fascination and fear of death, we would be the saddest of beings. But the cross remains for us a sign of love and victory. In a couple of weeks on Good Friday we will carry this powerful symbol into the Church boldly proclaiming: “Behold the wood of the Cross on which hung the savior of the world! Come let us worship!” My friends, I pray that the Cross of love does God’s mighty work on our hearts during this Lent. May it remind us that we really find freedom and love when we die to selfishness and sin. And we have hope. God does love us. The Cross reminds us of the universal power of his love. No matter who sinful and weak I may be, the love of God in Christ Jesus has given me hope. The Cross is the tree of life. Aware of our fear and our hesitancy let us embrace the Cross, let us embrace God’s love for us. Pope Benedict summarizes the journey of love with the Cross which leads to Easter: “ May Lent be for every Christian a renewed experience of God's love given to us in Christ, a love that each day we, in turn, must "regive" to our neighbor, especially to the one who suffers most and is in need. Only in this way will we be able to participate fully in the joy of Easter.”
WINTER VOICE Last Thursday, January 4th, the Federal mediator, Bankruptcy Judge Gegg Zive from the Federal Court of the State of Reno, announced that an agreement had been reached with both groups of victims in the Diocesan Bankruptcy and that a consensual agreement would be presented to the Federal Court that day. This is good news. In the end the agreement stipulates that the Diocese will fund the claims against it for $48 Million dollars. This $48 million includes the claims of all victims and the unpaid legal and professional expenses which have accrued during the bankruptcy. The agreement must be approved by the Bankruptcy Court and with that agreement the Diocese will be out of Bankruptcy. I am sure you have seen the news stories that $20.5 million will be funded by insurance settlements, that the Catholic Cemeteries and other Catholic corporations associated with the Diocese have made substantial monetary contributions. The diocesan properties including the Bishop’s house, the Chancery, the Rosalia farm and a piece of property at Chester have been or will be liquidated. The expected total of these actions will be about $32 million. The parishes through the Association of Parishes have committed $10million in cash through fund raising in the next four years. The remaining 6 million is the responsibility of the Diocese and the Bishop. In the last VOICE I said: “The resolution will not be pleasant. Victims will feel cheated. The Diocesan structure will be completely emptied, and parish communities will be forced to make a monetary commitment which some will feel is unjust. But the evil that has touched our Church must be resolved. The number of true victims is enormous. The resolution must be enormous. Our willingness to move beyond this must be enormous.” I can only now say AMEN and AMEN. What does this settlement mean to St. Mary’s? The Parish Pastoral Council and the Parish Finance Council were consulted and agreed to commit this parish to do our part of the $10 Million commitment by the parishes of the Diocese. This amounts to just less than $700,000. This will be a great challenge. I must also make you aware that in order to sell the deal and make it happen, I as pastor, without the previous consultation with the two councils, agreed that the property at St. Mary’s could be named by the Diocese as the lien guarantee along with the Cathedral of Our Lady of Lourdes, Assumption Parish and St. Augustine’s for the Bishop’s $6million commitment for the short term gap financing and for possible Future claims. The Bishop and the Diocese are committed to never allow that lien to be exercised, but in the very frail negotiations, it was necessary to put some guarantee on the table for this commitment. Father Dublinski, Fr. Savelesky and I were in the position to make the deal happen and we chose to make this commitment in the name of these parishes for the sake of the common good of all the parishes and all the diocese. I shared this information with our councils only after the deal had been agreed to in the middle of December. In practical terms, it is my belief that this will never have any practical impact. During the next year, as the financing is established, the guarantee for the long term financing will be restructured and put in place until the money is raised. This lien to the victims will either be removed in that package or reshaped for the future as soon as the victims are paid one year from now. At the moment it is a one year deal for the $6million and an open commitment as a second behind insurance and $1million for future unknown claims for a period of nine years. My friends, we are beginning a New Year and a new time. In this year 2007, I call upon each family to pray earnestly about making a significant contribution and commitment to the fund raising effort which will begin during this year to meet our share of the cash for the settlement. It is a time for a new commitment. The question is about the future and not about the past. The Church’s economic burden must be removed. We want this faith community to walk into the future free from the outcomes of this tragic time in our history. Together with a sense of sorrow and humility, we can do this together.
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