Taking stock of where we've been, where we are, and where we're going seems to be built into milestone celebrations. They become opportunities for serious reflection, moments to relish what has been accomplished, the chance to sharpen our goals and objectives. Sometimes they even become the point at which a real transformation becomes possible, or even necessary.

With this in mind, as we continue with CORPUS' 30th birthday celebration, I emailed a dozen or so individuals fairly well known in progressive Catholic / reform circles. The sampling was not, as some might wish, very scientific. (These folks happened to be in my address book, and included friends of CORPUS, or at the very least, were not antagonistic to our mission!!) Each of them received the following:

This year CORPUS is celebrating thirty years of working for a reformed and renewed, truly inclusive sacramental priesthood in our Church: a priesthood open to women and men, married and single, gay and straight.

We have worked to create opportunities for dialogue with both the hierarchy and ministry groups within our Church, not always with the greatest amounts of success. It is often valuable, therefore, as the poet suggests, to "see ourselves as others see us." And so, I ask you this very big favor...

Please share with us an insight or two... a brief reflection... a bit of coaching and guidance... from your experience and perspective... about what you think we should consider... not necessarily what we might want to hear... on what CORPUS as an organization could be doing at this moment in our Church's history to be more effective.

Thanks for your time and thoughts. Peace and blessings in your ministry.

Russ Ditzel, president CORPUS

I was gratified that almost everyone responded. Some replies contained humorous quips, others contained heartrending comments about the state of our church today. All, however, provided thought provoking comments and reflections. As typical for our church in this unfolding universe, their musings covered a broad spectrum.

My friend, Kenny Moore, (married priest and co-author of The CEO and the Monk), reminds me regularly "when giving feedback, highlight what is being done well, what's not going well, and what could be done differently." And so, in this vein, I share with you some of the responses we've received. All of the comments were presented in a straightforward, non-judgmental fashion. We've heard a number of the points before. Some are presented with new urgency, not all are offered with the same intensity, none are listed in order of priority.

The 'Good'... "I love CORPUS. My views are biased but I do not apologize for supporting goodness where I see it." (After commenting on several things that could be done...) closes with "But then, you do all those things already. Don't let the light go out."

"When I think about CORPUS as a whole, I picture a group of very pastoral men willing to help out and willing to listen to others. What a great quality of an organization! I have enjoyed my interactions with the leadership of CORPUS and WOC. You have demonstrated your willingness and commitment to reforming the whole priesthood by including the issue of women's ordination in your work."

"Because we've lived both in the world of theology and the world of business, CORPUS has unique gifts for moving forward. Having experienced parenthood, we should be better at connecting old and young. Our experiences help us provide moral grounding and common sense with business acumen."

"CORPUS has a proud heritage of preserving some of the finest priestly training and directing the energies of committed priests to continuing efforts to serve as they were called. ... CORPUS is a holy irritant. Prophets perceive truths that an establishment is afraid of or refuses to consider. CORPUS is a witness to some of the fundamental ancient traditions of the Church: marriage is not opposed to priesthood; an inclusive priesthood is theologically sound. CORPUS should remain faithful to its prophetic call. It has already made a lasting impression on the Church and will continue to do so if members can summon their courage and endurance to persist for the long haul that exceeds the lives and aspirations of us all."

"I want to express my admiration and appreciation for the efforts and witness of CORPUS as you seek reform, justice, and renewal in the priesthood, which still, sadly, is limited to celibate (really?) males in the Roman church. I had the privilege of attending the local CORPUS dinner last fall, not long after our Optional Celibacy letter hit the news. I felt welcome and a sense of gratitude for the 'pioneers' of the movement for married (and women) clergy. I was saddened as I reflected on how poorly these faithful men and women have been treated by the hierarchy, and that so many deserving Catholics throughout the country have been denied the ministerial services these men could have provided."

"Thank you for all that CORPUS has done for our Church. You are a beacon of light."

The 'Not So Good'... "CORPUS needs a new image. It comes across as very inbred. It needs to be repositioned...."

"On the whole, I find Catholics too passive, too willing to be led, too timid to question, too unwilling to speak their opinions. We still think all we have to do is 'pay, pray, and obey' to be good Catholics. We need to cultivate a desire to reflect on, and follow, one's convictions."

"There is one common problem among a number of church reform groups including CORPUS: Not only is CORPUS lacking in racial diversity, it is also lacking in a diversity of ages. I hope that CORPUS would begin to consider different methods of outreach to young Catholics and Catholics of color. Just as a church hierarchy made up of solely celibate men cannot represent our whole church, an organization of predominately older, white men cannot presume to be creating a good model for the church of the future."

What we could do Differently, or More Of... "Continue continued emphasis on working as partner with other renewal organizations for gender equality in the church including women in a renewed priesthood. Increase networking with WOC, Women-Church Convergence, FCM, CITI and other ministerial organizations in cross-referencing websites, ministry resource networks, and creating future endeavors to address pastoral needs in the church."

"My best advice is for CORPUS to do a strategic planning process itself projecting what are your major priorities for the next 3-5 years and what steps will you take to get there. Do an appreciative inquiry process and survey members prior to the board process. But the best thing would be to get your board and key stakeholders together for your strategic planning session. It keeps us from getting derailed by every issue that comes along (well, unduly derailed, that is!)"

"Tactically I would not directly press for the ordination of married men, women, etc. I'd rather focus on the urgent current critical needs and give moral and financial support to this. Hire a professional outfit who specializes in management (maybe the CARA people) and have them profile a St. Joe's Toms River -- or the entire diocese for that matter. Let them show the impossibility of making these huge plants viable as proclaimer of the gospel and nourishers of the spiritual life. Let them spotlight the overload, the sheer logistics of shuffling, say, 1600 kids every week for CCD, the lack of personal contact with the priest, the drop in vocations, the lack of community, etc. In short I would want to point out as loudly as I could, 'Look, folks. Things are very bad and getting worse. You know that. You see it every day. Stand up and demand your rights as Catholics to have viable community and the Eucharist.' Again, I would spotlight the problem and let people draw their own conclusions that we need to ordain other than celibate males."

"The biggest issue confronting the Christian religion today is the notion of "God." The era of the elsewhere Divine Being who reacts, locks out, has a plan, legislates, chooses, intervenes, controls, rewards, punishes and in general, acts like a tribal Lord looking after his interests is over. And if it is over, then people interested in genuine reform should ensure that whatever their particular fields of interest in reform (such as priesthood) that: (1) it actively and clearly names this significant shift as important; (2) it helps to articulate an alternative understanding of "God" that makes sense in today's world and is inclusive of all people, at all times, in all places; (3) it articulates an understanding of Jesus and the role of the Church that is not reliant on an elsewhere, interventionist God; (4) it frees its own field of interest from any intrinsic ties with a concept of God that is no longer credible. At the very least I would like to see some exploration of and sharing on the question: Are there ways in which our understanding of priesthood is tied to a concept of God that is no longer credible to people seeking Church reform?"

"I would never suggest that CORPUS give up on its central goals. Not at all. All I would suggest is a possible short-run tactic of stressing narrower institutional goals--which might have some chance of being realized in the next few years. Meanwhile, the long-term goals of lay involvement in decision-making, including selection of bishops and selection of priests in parishes, optional celibacy, and ordination of priests of both genders, should be maintained."

"From my perspective, I believe CORPUS' main objective should be consciousness raising, helping Catholics to see that institutionalized celibacy is a form of oppression and is proving harmful to the sacramental life of the church. A secondary goal, although critically important, is working to make celibacy charismatic rather than institutionalized. CORPUS, then, may be rightly perceived as not attacking celibacy which is, unfortunately, the perception of many. CORPUS is really prophetic, calling for structural changes that will support and encourage charismatic celibacy. Affirming charismatic celibacy while pointing to the dysfunctional characteristics and injustice and of institutionalized celibacy makes for a healthier church that in turn will facilitate the church's mission to bring the light and freedom of the gospel to all whom we encounter."

"I think you should begin to publish comparative studies of celibacy and married priests in the Eastern Churches so that Roman Catholics know that this is already established in the Catholic Church."

"REINVENT OR DIE... Focus on the unmet needs of the People of God. There are a growing number of educated Catholics who are going to stay catholic and not looking to bishops for leadership. They are looking for, hungry for conversation. They want the church to change. We have the tools and grounding. Focus on the Interior Journey. Become a resource / forum / initiator of living faith in a changing world. Position yourself as an alternative, not adversarial, credible voice for spirituality. Rewrite the rules rather than responding to someone else's rules. Find a way of getting to speak to corporate society. There is incredible potential for business to radically shift and improve the Third World. Hold a funeral for the CORPUS of the 20th century and celebrate a rebirth for the 21st century."

In addition, I received what I label as The Saddest Comments from two priests still in canonical ministry. I think you will see their input as more than just responses to what CORPUS could be doing:

"There is an arrogance and 'disconnect' of the bishops with the people they serve. Examples abound. With all this in mind, I have come to the following conclusion: those of us who seek reform and change in the church will not be heard or effect change unless we (1) become more strongly vocal, (2) unite, and (3) be willing to take a stand beyond the narrow perimeters of the current system. We are seen as a nuisance, and with all their immense power and control, despite the 'empowerment' we feel when we gather, read sympathetic articles, or attend a conference (e.g., Call to Action)-they aren't listening, nor are they worried. Short of a stronger, more unified movement with real issues, we are simply headed down the road of increasing clericalism, liturgical regression, the 'neo-conservative' eclipse of Vatican II, and the monarchial episcopate and papacy. I'm 44 and will not put up with this. We need something big."

"I am at a loss to identify any individual or group to whom the bishops will listen. I have come to the conclusion that they are intransigent. I never understood how deep denial could be. It has not been characteristic of me to be so negative though the years. I have desperately tried to work within the system with the hope that perhaps they would listen to someone who has tried to understand them and support them. I have no hope for their redemption."

Each of us needs to ask ourselves what we've done TODAY to make our Church mirror the gospel of Jesus we were baptized/vowed/ordained to serve. "They wouldn't let me" may not be an adequate response at the point of reckoning.

Were we bred to be so docile that the only act of self determination we exhibited was to transition, marry, and leave it all behind? Where is the exhibition of righteous anger that men and women who transitioned to sacramentally marry are deemed less worthy to minister to our children than pedophiles? Where is the backlash from people who have paid for parish or diocesan facilities only to be told by their bishop "You cannot meet on Church property!" Where is there anything but a compliant acceptance when people are denied sacraments for want of 'celibate' priests?

We keep talking about the graying of CORPUS. If that be the case, we have an incredible opportunity to form our own version of the Gray Panthers! Remember them from the 1970's? Founded by Maggie Kuhn with a group of five friends, all of whom were retiring from national religious and social work organizations, this first "Network" of friends gathered to look at the common problems faced by retirees. They faced loss of income, loss of contact with associates and loss of one of our society's most distinguishing social roles, one's job. They also discovered a new kind of freedom in their retirement - the freedom to speak personally and passionately about what they believed in, such as their collective opposition to the Vietnam War.

In that retirement or the earlier 'empty nest' time of our lives, we the women and men of CORPUS could begin to network ourselves more effectively and speak out on the issues facing us and our Church! OR, we continue to empower our oppressors, pay for our own enslavement, and smile at the same time... OR we could just opt out.

As a people trained in philosophy, theology, spirituality, and pastoral ministry, where is our exhibition of the empowerment of Spirit. We speak of seeking justice outside the church, but do we lobby for justice within the church?

Peace and blessings....

Russ Ditzel

Russ loves to receive your comments. He can be reached at crditzel@corpus.org