Maybe not as much a child of the 1960’s as some of my pre-boomer colleagues, I became captivated with folk music as I went off to college in 1964. Truth be told, I lived in a bit of a musical time warp focused around Peter, Paul and Mary, The Smothers Brothers, and The Kingston Trio until I finally connected with big band swing music and its modern jazz cousin somewhere in the late 1980’s.

No piece of music, however, has ever captivated me in the way that Art Podell and Walter Schorr’s song You Know My Name has. The piece was composed in 1962 when Podell was part The New Christy Minstrels. I came to know and love the message as it was performed by Glenn Yarbrough of the Limeliters in the opening cut on his first solo album Time to Move On in 1964.

You Know My Name
    Art Podell & Walter Schorr

You’ve heard my voice.
You’ve heard my voice
and you know my name.

If you’ve ever kissed in the summer rain,
If you’ve slept where wind and snows have lain,
If you’ve ever heard a lonely train:
Then you’ve heard my voice,
And you know my name.

If you’ve bowed your head when you’re filled with pride,
If you’ve learned of death when a bird has died,
If you’ve tasted tears when a child has cried:
Then you’ve heard my voice,
And you know my name.

You’ve heard my voice in the winds of spring.
Seen my face where the roses cling.
I am the touch that the warm rains bring.
I make my home in the heart of everything.

In the driving rain of a summer squall,
When the summer’s gone and the petals fall,
When the day is done, and the night birds call:
Then you’ve heard my voice
And you know my name.

Particularly during the three years since you generously re-elected me to a leadership position in CORPUS I’ve found myself mulling over the state of affairs in our Church on a global stage, in my parish pews, and beyond its bounds. In fact today, right this moment, as I sit at this keyboard, I can still feel Yarbrough’s haunting tenor voice and bright driving 12-string guitar reaching down inside and touching my soul in an almost mystical fashion and driving my own spirituality.

We’re living the ‘already and not yet’ of the Thessalonica community more in these days than in many other ages of our Church’s history. The Church of Asia struggles to give birth to a Christianity born of being a witness to the inclusive message of Jesus in a pluralistic society. The Church of “the West” lives the continuum between a Vatican-centric institution that yearns for an idealized past and a Christology based on faith-informed quantum physics. All the while, those remaining in the pews formally know little of the mystery of the Church in which they live.

Those called into ministry at this moment in time must be able to connect on a deep interpersonal level with the other members of this community of faith in whatever culture our universal Catholic church finds itself. They must be able to relate to the lives being lived by the people they serve. They fill multiple roles both cultic / liturgical, pastoral and administrative, spiritual companion and servant leader. Equally as important, the other members of the community must be able to connect with them on many levels.

A community of Jesus’ followers categorically excluding people who are married, are women, are (openly) gay from service simply because of their marital status, gender, or sexual orientation, is a diminished community regardless of how charismatic the male celibate ordained member might be. Institutionally denying community leaders the human need of intimate companionship and the incredibly blessed opportunity to see love reflected in the eyes of their children disconnects and impoverishes both the minister and the community they serve.

Organizationally segmenting our universal Catholic church into classes of clergy and laity, haves and have-nots, the valued and the untouchables, those with a voice and those without a voice, robs that universal community of the lived experiences and perspectives of over 96% (CARA statistic) of that community. It also robs the greatest percentage of members of the responsibility of owning and connecting their Spirit-given gifts of leadership, administration, prophesy, healing, and teaching with the faith-life, beliefs, and expressions of the wider community.

At the same time, institutionally segregating the 4% from the lived, faith-filled experiences of their sisters and brothers denies them the chance to have their fundamental perspectives challenged, shaped, and in-formed with a new vitality. Keeping them “in line” under the sword of Damocles fearful of losing job, housing, pension, health insurance if they speak out about company policy smacks of bondage and servitude no matter how we theologically spin the reality. (If they only knew that their brothers and sisters face the same experiences in most corporations would that make a bonding difference?)

This was not the Catholic Church our brother John XXIII had in mind as he mused "How can the Christian message be portrayed in its entirety to the people of our time? Modern man is not insensitive to the word of Christ; he is not averse to seizing the anchor of salvation that is offered to him." (Recalled by his secretary Archbishop Loris Capovilla.)

I believe that our Catholic Church has been an invaluable source of goodness and blessings through the centuries and still has a role to play in the future. IF, that is, we recapture the early Church vision that all the members of the community are gifted by the Spirit for the building up of the Body of Christ … we all make up the People of God. AND I believe that the voices of CORPUS and our international compatriots are vitally important in keeping our Church focused on ministry reform which needs to happen. We … ALL OF US … you and I … are key in identifying ways that this voice will not die with us.

I want to particularly thank Bill Wisniewski and Ray Grosswirth for their friendship and assistance without which I would not have successfully served my first term of office as president. I owe deep gratitude to Linda Pinto and Bill Manseau for their shouldering a great portion of collaborative board leadership role during this second term. The particular guidance and friendship of David Gawlik, Stu O’Brien and Joe Cece, along with the insights of Anthony Padovano have made my time on the board particularly enriching. And, while I’ve not had anywhere near the same amount of connectivity with them, I would be remiss in not mentioning the spouses of our board and staff, Wanda and Pat Roach, Marcia Stephens, and the unsung team that collaborates to bring out CORPUS Reports. Thank you!

It has been a true blessing in my life to have had the opportunity to learn from you all, grow with you, and I hope be of service to you as a board member for over nine years. I offer you my continued support, respect, and love as we move forward together.

Namaste.

Russ Ditzel