June 28, 2011
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 American Catholic Council 
Reclaiming the Promise of Vatican II |
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Newsletter: June 28, 2011Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Moving Beyond DetroitÂ
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_____________The Inaugural
American Catholic Council
June 10-12, 2011
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PROGRAM
PROCEEDINGS
MEDIA COVERAGE
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| Report on
Listening Sessions
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| Introductory Video |
PRINTED REPORT:
Soundings of the Faithful |
| Photo Slideshow
Thanks to our photographer, Judy Hushon, we have some wonderful photos of Detroit to share with you through the online services of Shutterfly. If you do not have a Shutterfly account you can sign up. Its all free to view & download pictures. Enjoy!
CLICK HERE FOR PHOTOS |
| We Are Prophets of A Future Not Our Own
  The following prayer was first offered by John Cardinal Dearden at a mass for departed priests in the Archdiocese of Detroit in 1979. Drafted by his close friend and confidant, Bishop Ken Untener of the Diocese of Saginaw,it was was subsequently prayed by Bishop Romero shortly before he was martyred in El Salvador.
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It helps, now and then, to step back and take a long view. Â … Nothing we do is complete, which is a way of saying that the kingdom always lies beyond us. …
No program accomplishes the church’s mission. No set of goals and objectives includes everything. …
We plant the seeds that one day will grow. We water seeds already planted, …Â Â We provide yeast that produces far beyond our capabilities.
We cannot do everything, and there is a sense of liberation in realizing that. This enables us to do something, and to do it very well. It may be incomplete, but it is a beginning …
We may never see the end results, … WE ARE PROPHETS OF A FUTURE NOT OUR OWN.
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For the full rendering of the prayer, CLICK HERE. |
Mark your Calendar for the
annual CTA conference in Milwaukee, Nov. 4-6. ACC will be participating and convening a corollary event.
For more info, click here |
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Detroit Council Stirs New Hope for Better Church
Eighteen hundred Catholics gathered for three blessed days in Detroit to pray and learn together, to hear globally respected speakers, to network, and to celebrate the promise of Vatican II. The energy and motivation for change generated on Pentecost weekend continues. Actionable ideas have been submitted and are being compiled and will be reported back for follow-up in the weeks ahead. Geographic “networking” lists are being prepared to facilitate ongoing local planning. Soundings of the Faithful (report on the Listening Sessions over the 18 months prior to Detroit) and the Catholic Bill of Rights & Responsibilities (acclaimed and adopted on Sunday morning) have been reprinted for distribution to the hierarchy and others. A sincere “Thank You” is surely in order for so many who jumped and took a grand leap of faith to make the ACC a reality … 
- To the more than 100 Volunteers (mostly from the greater Detroit area, but representing Catholics from across the country) who made the Council possible. Without you, it could not have been done. Special thanks to Carol Crowley and Carol Boulanger who organized the impressive greater Detroit contingent and to Roberta Horton who headed up the national volunteer effort.
- To the Speakers, the Breakout Presenters, the Facilitators and Recorders who framed the agenda on which the Council was built.
- To the Theology Committee that wrestled through hundreds of comments and four iterations of the CBRR before it was acclaimed on Sunday morning;
- To the committees that worked on the Opening Liturgy and Sunday Eucharist and the many liturgical ministers including musicans, lectors and eucharistic ministers;
- To the Listening Assembly Committee for creating a two year effort that engaged thousands of Catholics across the country, designed and operated the online Assemblies Community Network, that produced the “Soundings” summary report and the related video presented on Saturday morning;
- To the Detroit Convention Bureau and the Detroit Cobo Convention Center for their professional approach, many contributions, and crisis management in the wake of a one day power outage that ended on the day we opened!
 And we thank those of you who walked in faith with us and contributed your enthusiasm, ideas, time, talent, and treasure. Most especially, we thank those who traveled to Detroit to make the Council the success that it was. Together, we are bearers of the light of Vatican II. You can expect to hear from us over the coming months as the Planning Committee works through the recommendation for action and as we transition to the future.
Janet Hauter & John Hushon, Co-Chairs
National Planning Committee, American Catholic Council, INC.
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| Proceedings, Transcripts, DVDs and CDs Available
 For those of you who could not attend the Council, we have posted to our website the transcripts of several talks including the Kung/Padovano interview. The Program, Soundings Report, and CBRR documents are also now available on the website.  DVDs and CDs of most all elements of the program are available for purchase through Resurrection Communications. Click here to download a printable mail-in order form.  The order form is also on the website.
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Looking Ahead:
The Planning Committee, augmented by several additional interested parties, met on Sunday (immediately after the Council closed) and again on Monday morning. In our deliberations,
- We set in motion the preparation of the Reform in Action feedback and follow-up; You can expect to hear more on that before the end of summer. We expect to make use of the Assemblies Community Network as the forum to keep the conversation going and to move forward with actionable initatives;Â
- We reviewed our finances. It appears that after meeting all of the Council obligations and commitments, and thanks to the generosity of so many, the Council will almost exactly “break-even.”
- We planned the distribution of Soundings and the CBRR to the hierarchy;
- We debriefed our failings (for which we apologize) and determined to “open up” the Planning Group to those who could not participate before;
- We heard a report and proposal from international representatives of We Are Church concerning a possible lay synod (Vatican Council 50/Vatican III?) to be convened in Rome in 2015;
- We considered how ACC can complement and support  the broader church reform movement and determined to initiate discussions with reform groups to determine how ACC might assist in furthering their respective missions within the parameters of the CBRR;  and
- We agreed to continue our deliberations via monthly teleconferences during this period of transition. We will meet again in a face-to-face meeting in conjunction with the November annual Call To Action Conference in Milwaukee. At that time, we hope to have a plan of action to move forward.
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| Controversy with the Archdiocese of Detroit
The Council attracted substantial Detroit, national and international media attention, primarily related to the actions taken by the Archdiocese of Detroit. Some of the media was not entirely accurate, particularly concerning the chain of events. Here is what our archives demonstrate:
Over two years ago when we first chose Detroit as the Council site, we invited the Archdioicese of Detroit (AoD) to participate in listening sessions and in planning the Council. We also contacted Elephants in the Living Room, a large Detroit-based organization of concerned Catholic priests, deacons and laity that had been in existence for many years as an educational venture in the Archdiocese. Elephants enthusiastically joined us and offered to be our Detroit-based partner. The AoD ignored us.
When ACC issued its preliminary program and invitation (October, 2010), the AoD published a warning on the diocesan website and asked pastors to reprint the warning in their bulletins. That “pastoral advisory” forbade the use of parish property for Listening Sessions and planning meetings. Under those circumstances, Elephants concluded that they could not as an organization formally partner with ACC. Yet, many of its members became our biggest supporters and source of volunteers. In response, the ACC Planning Committee sent a letter to the AoD asking for a meeting to discuss our plans and the warning. Our letter was apparently ignored. We published it on our website and many parishes published our response. The media picked up the ACC response. (Click here to see further background)
The Executive Committee of Elephants then sent a letter to the Archbishop asking for another meeting. That letter was a detailed defense of ACC and the Motifs of the Spirit of Vatican II which we had published in our response to the AoD. Eight weeks later, five representatives of Elephants (all priests) met personally with Archbishop Vigneron of the AoD, and after a long and difficult meeting, parted without resolution (with the Elephants representatives stating that “in conscience” they could not agree or comply with the warnings of the Archbishop).
Eight days before ACC was to open, Msgr. Robert McClory, Vicar of Priests of the AoD, sent via email to Janet Hauter and John Hushon (ACC Co-Chairs), a letter requesting details about the planned Sunday liturgy. We consulted the anticipated presider, two Canon lawyers, and several planning committee members and responded by email within 48 hours. Our response provided a full description of the liturgy, stating there would be only “one presider, an ordained priest with faculties in the AoD.” Our letter underscored that in the opinion of our canon law consultants, the liturgy would be valid. We noted that the language throughout the liturgy would be fully inclusive and that we had planned to use a sung/responsive version of Eucharistic Prayer #10, appropriate for Pentecost.
Less than one hour after we sent our response, the AoD chose to ignore it and posted another warning to the Archdiocesan website, this one threatening to initiate laicization proceedings against any priest or deacon who participated in an illicit liturgy. Our lawyers advised that the liturgy was licit, and therefore the threat was meaningless. This warning also stated that all previous attempts by the AoD to dialogue with ACC had been ignored. That statement simply is not true.
Subsequently, when the AoD learned the identity of our presider, he was threatened with the loss of his parish where he has served for many years. The consequence would have shattered the parish community where he is deeply loved and respected. Rather than risk that, we invited Fr. Bob Worm to preside. Worm is a retired priest in the Archdiocese of Detroit. After the liturgy, a spokesperson for the AoD issued a press release which used the “abuse” word in describing the liturgy, just as the Archbishop was packing for the USCCB meeting where the bishops refused to make the strengthening recommendations put forth by the National Review Board to the Charter on the Protection of Children. |
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June 7, 2011
American Catholic Council
Reclaiming the Promise of Vatican II
Pentecost Weekend, JUNE 10-12, 2011 |
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Newsletter: June 6, 2011 COUNTDOWN TO DETROIT
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Last Minute WALK-ONS
Walk-on registrations (daily or for the entire Council) are welcome at Cobo Conven- tion Center. Go to the Registration Desk in Wayne Hall, Friday, (June 10 / 4 to 8pm) & Saturday (June 11 / 8am to 12 noon). For more information, call 763-767-6190 or email:
david.lister@
conferencedirect.com.
PROGRAM BROCHURE
Breakout Sessions
LOGISTICS IN DETROIT
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We have received congratulatory and encouraging messages from sources near and far. For several received recently, CLICK HERE. |
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We Are Prophets of A Future Not Our Own
The following prayer was first offered by John Cardinal Dearden at a mass for departed priests in the Archdiocese of Detroit in 1979. It was drafted by his close friend and confidant, Bishop Ken Untener of the Diocese of Saginaw, Michigan. The prayer was subsequently used by Bishop Romero shortly before he was martyred in El Salvador.
* * * * *
It helps, now and then, to step back and take a long view. Â … Nothing we do is complete, which is a way of saying that the kingdom always lies beyond us. …
No program accomplishes the church’s mission. No set of goals and objectives includes everything. …
We plant the seeds that one day will grow. We water seeds already planted, …Â Â We provide yeast that produces far beyond our capabilities.
We cannot do everything, and there is a sense of liberation in realizing that. This enables us to do something, and to do it very well. It may be incomplete, but it is a beginning …
We may never see the end results, … WE ARE PROPHETS OF A FUTURE NOT OUR OWN.
* * * * * * * *
For the full rendering of the prayer, CLICK HERE.
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PRAYER TO RECLAIM THE VISION OF VATICAN II
Gracious and Holy God, we join in prayer with all who seek to reclaim the vision and spirit of Vatican II and all those who will gather in Detroit this Pentecost.
May we be anointed by your Spirit to share in divine creativity in solving challenges of carrying out Vatican II’s empowerment of the baptized;
Send forth your Spirit!
May we benefit from the diversity of gifts you have bestowed on all your people and work toward recognizing and using those gifts fully and inclusively;
Send forth your Spirit!
May we be open to Your grace and steadfast in the face of scorn, opposition and dismissal;
Send forth your Spirit!
May we always remember all those who have gone before us, both blazing prophets and quiet souls, who have labored for freedom, truth and dignity for your people;
Send forth your Spirit!
May we join our footsteps with those of your Risen Son, on the Road to Emmaus, the Promise of Pentecost, and the Alleluia of a resurrected Church; Send forth your Spirit!
May we be strengthened by the solidarity of this communal prayer and through the grace and power of the God who lovingly weaves us all together in a tapestry of love, so that we can do more than any one of us dreams alone;
Send forth your Spirit!
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Some Final Thoughts As The Curtain Opens on ACC
 It is now only a few days until we open ACC in Detroit. Materials are at the printer. Musicians are practicing, keynoters are preparing presentations, and facilitators are refining processes. Cobo Convention Center is all spruced up and awaits us and the GM Marriott Renaissance Center will soon be bursting with ACC folks. Folks will start arriving on Tuesday, many to take advantage of what Detroit has to offer in early summer.
Those of us on the National Planning Committee are excited by the response (about 1800 will be there, we think), and we are humbled by the responsibility of making this an event that is memorable and worthwhile in the future of our Church. We look forward to meeting with many of you in Detroit. Safe travels. Bring your ideas, good will, hopes, and prepare to celebrate our Vatican II heritage. Thank you for making this possible and for placing your confidence in our ability to make this an important occasion in the history of our Church.
 
Janet Hauter & John Hushon
Co-Chairs,
American Catholic Council, Inc.
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Acclaiming the CBRR
The Catholic Bill of Rights and Responsibilities is a foundational document to be presented for adoption at the American Catholic Council and will be a central element of the agenda in Detroit. The Planning Committee has been developing this document over two years, reflecting input from the grassroots in nearly 100 local/regional listening sessions.
A fourth and final draft was recently unanimously approved by the Planing Committee and published on the ACC website: Catholic Bill of Rights and Responsibilities (Rev. 5/18/11). That final version will be in the registration packet of all attendees in Detroit. It is the Planning Committee’s strong hope that the CBRR, in its current rendering, having already gone through an extensive review and re-write process over the last two years, can be given a general acclamation by those in attendance in Detroit.
The mechanics of doing that will involve a simple one-sided card with the latest CBRR, a perforation, and a place to sign and state
“I affirm the CBRR.” There will also be a box to check if the acclaimant wishes to have his/her name included as an endorser of the CBRR on the ACC website and other media. The “affirmation” cards will be collecting in a large basket at a CBRR table next to the registration check-in station. The CBRR will then be publicly acclaimed on Sunday morning immediately prior to the start of the closing Eucharist.The basket of affirmations will be part of the Offertory of the Mass.
We recognize that there may be some, who though they may give general assent to the current version of the CBRR in this final pre-Detroit revision, may nonetheless have some reservation and/or recommendation that they may wish to put forth and have considered in some future amendment of the document after Detroit. To that end, the “Reform in Action” process in Detroit will allow for the submission of such (see below). There is also the opportunity to post comments about the CBRR on a dedicated CBRR Discussion Thread on the ACC Assemblies Community Network.
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The “REFORM IN ACTION” Process in Detroit:
Reform In Action (RIA) is ACC’s way of offering people ample opportunity to create the next steps to renew the Catholic Church. We already have the results of nearly 100 Listening Assemblies held around the US and Canada plus the input of theologians and other experts presenting this weekend. To be faithful to Vatican II, we need to move from ideas to solutions and actions.
We have identified 3 primary components of Reform in Action. Each provides a means to network with other who hold a passion around a similar issue and build upon the creative energy of these affinity groups to generate recommendations for action.
(1) Breakout Sessions: Throughout the breakout sessions, designated recorders will note the ideas voiced and will submit summary statements and recommendations.
(2) Geographical Networking: During the dinner break on Saturday evening (6:00-8pm), attendees are encouraged to dine with folks from their local area for purposes of networking and develop action strategies for implementation back home.
(3) Special Interest Groups: Beginning on Friday evening, after the close of the opening session, and continuing through Saturday morning and afternoon, Â all are invited to go to the RIA Room (Cobo #35/36) to post on newsprint their ideas about making our Church all that it is meant to be.The person posting the idea will be the convener of the group when it convenes on Saturday evening. Interest groups may form around any topic that might inform future action strategies specific to ACC or more broadly impacting the larger church reform movement. Possibilities include:
- Geographic gatherings to strategize on issues common to a local region (Perhaps following up on the Dinner Conversations on Saturday Evening);
- Focusing on one of the 10 Catholic Bill of Rights and Responsibilities (CBRR) or other themes related to the CBRR;
- Following up on one of the Breakout Sessions;
- Any exciting or creative idea that could help our Church become its best self;
Then on Saturday evening at 8:15pm all those interested in participating in an RIA discussion will gather in the RIA Room #35/36 and join the group that most inspires them. A process will be in place for all groups to submit summary statements and related recommendations via an online form. A sample template “report” form will be available. Further details will be explained on site.
For those who do not have access to personal laptops to submit reports and recommendations, a number of complimentary computers will be available in the lobby of the Marriott. Â Within two weeks following ACC-Detroit, the Planning Committee will organize the recommendations and arrange to have them posted to the Assemblies Community Network. This will then become the forum for ongoing discussion, refinement, and implementation of ACC-Detroit and the CBRR.
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Late Program Changes/Additions:
Matthew Fox added to Keynoter Line-Up
Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, who had been scheduled to deliver a keynote, has had to regretfully withdraw due to a conflict in her schedule. We are pleased to report that theologian and educator Matthew Fox will deliver a keynote in that slot. This should be an exciting addition to our program. Matthew will also facilitate one of the breakout sessions and be available for book signings on Saturday.
Fox is an educator and theologian in areas of Christian spirituality and an activist for Church reform. He was a member of the Dominican Order for thirty-four years and holds a doctorate in the History and Theology of Spiritualities from the Institut Catholique de Paris. He is author of 29 books translated into 46 languages.
Fox helped revive interest in Hildegard of Bingen, Meister Eckhart and Thomas Aquinas in his books on these mystical giants of the West. In 1990 Cardinal Ratzinger silenced him for a year and later expelled him from the Dominican Order shutting down his master’s program in Creation Spirituality which had flourished for 21 years. Fox then established the University of Creation Spirituality and later became an Episcopal priest and trained dozens of people to integrate creation spirituality into liturgy. He subsequently taught at Stanford University and developed  a two-year pilot project working with inner city teenagers to reinvent education.  Shortly after Ratzinger was made pope, Fox went to Wittenburg to pound 95 theses at the door calling for Church Reformation. He did the same at Maria Maggiore basilica in Rome overseen by the notorious Cardinal Law. Fox is recipient of many awards including the Courage of Conscience Award from the Peace Abbey (other recipients include the Dalai Lama, Mother Teresa, Rosa Parks). Fox is currently a visiting scholar with the Academy for the Love of Learning in Santa Fe, New Mexico. He lives in Oakland, California.
TWO Additional Breakouts. Matthew Fox will be doing a breakout in addition to his keynote. We have also added a breakout called My Mama’s Mansion, presented by the Women at the Well Theatrical Troupe. For a complete description of this session and all Breakout Sessions, CLICK HERE.
There is NO need to Register Choice of Breakouts
For those going to the Council, there are now a total of 19 Breakout Sessions, to be offered over two 90-minute slots, one on Saturday morning and the other on Saturday afternoon. Some sessions will repeat, but not all. A detailed schedule of breakouts and meeting room locations will be in the printed program available at the Registration Desk at check-in. Please note that there is no process to pre-register for your choice of the two breakout sessions. Several weeks ago we did conduct an informal survey to assess interest level on each of the breakout offerings, but only for the purpose of estimating the draw for each and to inform our selection of an appropriately sized meeting room. All registered attendees should be able to go to the breakout sessions of their choice. There are no reserved spaces in the breakouts.Â
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Keynoters:
    
Kung          Carroll           Fox         Rodriguez   Padovano   Chittister
- The Council opens at 6pm on Friday evening, June 10th, with the premier screening of an extraordinary video interview with German Theologian HANS KUNG, filmed exclusively for American Catholic Council. Copies of the video will be available for purchase in Detroit. Kung will provide historical perspective on the expectations of the ACC and spiritual motifs of Vatican II; For background on Kung and the making of this video, go to ACC Newsletter Archives and scroll down to the September 2010 issue.
- MATTHEW FOX:
Reclaiming the JOY of the People of God
- JEANETTE RODRIGUEZ:
Reclaiming the FREEDOM of the People of God
- ANTHONY PADOVANO:
Reclaiming the SPIRIT & VISION of the People of God
- JAMES CARROLL:
Reclaiming the COMMITMENT of the People of God
- JOAN CHITTISTER, OSB:
Reclaiming the HOPE of the People of God
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