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.

• We set in motion the preparation of the Reform in Action feedback and follow-up; 
• 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 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 until our next face- to-face meeting and presentation at the November annual Call To Action Conference in Milwaukee.