Being (C/c)atholic...

Each time I have the opportunity to interact with the multi-national representatives of the North Atlantic Federation for a Renewed Catholic Priesthood (NAFed) I'm humbled by the experience. To make a place at the table for those of us who are linguistically disadvantaged, the nine other member countries in this federation conduct all formal collaborations in English, rather than in German, which would be a more logical choice.

Representatives from eleven countries gathered last August in Wiesbaden-Naurod, Germany to focus on Power and Sex in a Renewed Church and Priesthood. Specialists in their fields treated us to five in-depth presentations. Though you might have missed their delivery in person, we're delighted that we can share their talks with you in print. Hopefully you've had the opportunity to read, and reread, our own Anthony Padovano's presentation mirroring the theme of the congress in the last issue of CORPUS Reports. There is so much depth to the other presentations as well, we're sure you'll pick up new insights the first and second time through them.

Dr. Leo Laeyendecker, a married priest and prominent Dutch sociologist who has written widely on religion and society, set the tone for those who followed by providing a look at Church structure as humanly chosen to meet the needs of a developing community. Dr. Jack Dominian is a psychiatrist from the UK and is widely known for his research and popular writings challenging official Church pronouncements on sex, love, and marriage. Well known to many in priesthood reform and renewal circles, Dr. Heinz-Jrgen Vogels, a New Testament theologian from Germany and one of the founders of NAFed and the International Federation, highlighted the very positive teachings of St. Paul and earliest Christian writers about marriage and sexuality. Our final presenter was Maria Hubert von Staufer, a mental health practitioner working for the Diocese of Liverpool, whose counseling practice focuses almost exclusively on priests, religious and women in relationships with priests, often forgotten by the Church they serve. You'll also find in this issue of CORPUS Reports, a reflection on priesthood and sexuality in light of Vatican II, written by Jack Shea, NAFed's president.

Contrary to the experiences of many ministry reform groups around the world, the North Atlantic Federation, as well as the International Federation of Married Catholic Priests, has found warm welcome at Wilhelm Kempf-Haus, the conference center for the diocese of Limburg. Setting the tone of welcome, Bishop Franz Kamphaus had earlier sent us a warm greeting stating what a blessing it was for his diocese that we would be meeting at their center. The depth of his pastoral focus has transferred to the center's staff and their support of the numerous religious and secular groups that run retreats and training events there seven days a week.

On the surface, this event was like many you or I have attended before. Equally important to any symposium alongside the speakers and venue is the opportunity to network or connect with new people who share similar interests. What never ceases to amaze me, however, is that when groups like CORPUS come together, people readily share their stories or experiences at a level of depth generally unheard of in more secular gatherings. We may have been from countries as diverse as Canada and Belgium, Germany and the Philippines. Even still, we had come together sharing common bonds, experiences, and hopes for our spouses and families, for ministry, our Church, our world, and ourselves.

I hope some day you have the chance to meet Don Franco Maggiotto. He relished the fact that people readily connect him to their remembrances of Giovanni Guareschi's writings about the loveable village priest, Don Camillo. Short in stature, but immense in heart, with a keen sharp mind, Don Franco shared stories of the difficulty of being a married priest in Italy, building small faith communities, and jousting with the local political establishment. And Ed and Minda Kelly representing the Philippine Federation of Married Catholic Priests sharing stories about community building and the numbers of married priests organizations in their country.

And Luis Kaserer, another married priest, who rode his motorcycle from Holland to attend the conference. With the 'blessings' of his bishop Luis functions as a hospice chaplain. First time at an event focused on priesthood and marriage, he spent hours taking pictures chronicling people and unfolding events.ﾠ There were men like Wim van der Velden and Hein de Jong from the Netherlands who have active ministries providing grief counseling to families disconnected from the Church, and funeral and burial services for loved ones. Or there was Damian and Brigitta Sassin and their beautiful young daughter Rebecca, clearly the youngest member(s) at our gathering. This too was their first real opportunity to meet with other transitioned priest / couples. Sharing in what became the miracle of the multiplication of chili con carne several of us were invited to their home for dinner after the conference. Then there was Elizabeth Price representing the Movement for a Married Clergy from the UK, and Adrie de Jong-Otte an observer from Magdala, a Netherlands support group for women involved in clandestine relationships with priests. These and so many others, whose faces and vitality come to mind, but too many to be mentioned, had come to be refreshed for their journey.

Inevitably discussions also include musings about the progress of our movement and effectiveness of our activity. While the religious press here in the States talks about our growing secularity, common sentiment in much of Europe sees itself as almost post-secular. At one of our after hours sessions in the center's pub, I had the opportunity to speak with Ernst Sillman and Theresia Kohl about the German group Vereinigung and preparations for the 6th International Federation Congress this coming September. Like many groups the world over, they are feeling their way in trying to reform their Church while being concerned that they are not being forward thinking enough.

I shared with them CORPUS' grappling with similar issues. There is no question that it might be somewhat easier, and certainly less expensive organizationally, for us to go it alone. But, I have come to realize that CORPUS needs to be an active part of the international reform organizations, paraphrasing John F. Kennedy, not only for what we receive, but also for what we can contribute to other members. Its part of what makes us truly Catholic with a big and a small "c."

Active engagement at home is also part of our being (C/c)atholic. Being involved within Catholic Organizations for Renewal keeps CORPUS from being isolated, and focused on a wider worldview. Early in November CORPUS hosted a panel discussion on inclusive ministry attended by over 125 Call to Action conference attendees thrilled to learn, for the first time, about our history and mission. As you will read in this issue of CORPUS Reports, we've recently combined forces with Women's Ordination Conference and Federation of Christian Ministries to form a National Catholic Ministerial Alliance to train, mentor, and coach non-traditional candidates interested in sacramental ministry. We're also working on developing action steps that will facilitate ecumenical partnerships.

At a more personal level, more so than my local parish, CORPUS is my intentional Christian community. It is not just an organization, not an amalgamation of membership numbers. At its core, at my core, being part of this community of faith, this people of God, is our connectivity to each other as we share our stories, our hopes and dreams, and support each other on our individual spiritual journeys. CORPUS is fellowship, koinenia, Church. Maybe selfishly, that's part of why I have to be actively involved in CORPUS and our mission, our organizational ministry to our Church. It is part and parcel of how I live out my baptismal and ordination commitments. (How do you stay connected?)

Our short-term objectives include working for a truly inclusive sacramental priesthood and keeping Eucharist celebrations central to our Catholic faith communities. Lofty as that may be, it is not our ultimate goal, though. Our goal includes helping that inclusive priesthood orchestrate a symphony within a greater a faith community that draws wider and wider circles of inclusivity rather than exclusivity. Building a community where love and healing are the signs by which people are truly known. Crafting a world that is the face of God.

Peace,ﾠ

Russ Ditzel, Corpus President