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The Emerging Church
The following article appears on the
CORPUS and the
WOC websites, and explains the National
Catholic Ministerial Alliance and it's goal.
A National Catholic Ministerial Alliance
William J. Manseau, D.Min.
January 18, 2005
During 2004 the Roman Catholic Faith Community Council of the Federation
of Christian Ministries, the Women's Ordination Conference and CORPUS, a
National Association for an Inclusive Priesthood agreed to participate
in a National Catholic Ministerial Alliance (NCMA). The purpose of the
Alliance will be to facilitate collaboration and coordination of efforts
in promoting the grass roots re-formation of the Roman Catholic Church's
ministries. It proposes to do that, in part, by the encouragement,
promotion and enablement of renewing forms of Catholic ministry in the
Church at large and to the unchurched.
Renewing Forms of Ministry
These renewing forms of Catholic ministry called forth by the Spirit
and the people of the Church include the ordination of women to the
diaconate and priesthood and their nurturance/sustenance in those
ministries. Those ministries are/will be both congregational and
specialized, e.g. house churches, chaplaincies, etc. They also include
qualified married and other resigned Catholic priests not currently
recognized as being in the canonical service of the Church but who
recognize a continuing call from the Spirit of God to serve the people
of God as presbyters and laypeople called to a wide variety of service
and witness.
The Spirit Breathes Where It Will
The history of the Church beginning with the New Testament
recognizes that ministry in the Church is called forth by the Spirit of
God through various means. Jesus himself was called forth not by the
Temple authorities but by the Spirit of God to minister to God's people.
So also, Saul of Tarsus was not called forth by the Twelve, but by the
Risen Lord, to be his anointed vessel.
A Contemporary Historical Example
It is perhaps a little known fact that the Roman Catholic hierarchy
in the United States resisted the promotion of Polish priests to the
episcopacy until some Polish Catholic communities in various parts of
the country sought the assistance of the Old Catholic Church of Utrecht
in Holland and Francis Hodur was consecrated a bishop in 1907 by the
Union of Old Catholics. This effectively gave birth to the Polish
National Catholic Church in the United States. Bishop Hodur was, of
course, excommunicated. In 1992 Pope John Paul II sent Edward Cardinal
Cassidy, President of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian
Unity, to that Church based in Scranton, Pennsylvania to discuss
reunion. Today in Roman Catholic churches across the USA missalettes
announce that Polish National Catholics are welcome to receive Holy
Communion as a result of Vatican II since it has a valid, apostolic
priesthood.
Expressions of New Life
In recent years Catholic communities with Roman Catholic roots of
varying sizes have been emerging which value linkages with older
Catholic bodies not in full communion with the See of Peter which
demonstrate a high level of spiritual maturity, an apostolic commitment
to the deposit of Catholic faith and its implications and a willingness
to share their spiritual gifts. Some of these new communities have been
content to simply establish and maintain relationships which have
enabled the sharing of ecumenical faculties for the valid and licit
celebration of sacraments, e.g. the International Catholic Apostolic
Vicariate of the Good Shepherd. The Vicariate was organized by the
International Society of the Apostles, Sts. Mary Magdalene, Peter and
Thomas with the agreement of several Syrian Orthodox bishops.
Others have taken a further step and have accepted the offer of sharing
in the gift of apostolic succession for their pastors and other
ministers, e.g. the Celtic Christian Church (CCC) founded by Bishop
Joseph Grenier and priest Cait Finnegan Grenier. Both persons are well
known in the CORPUS and Federation of Christian Ministries (FCM)
communities and are highly respected. Another example is the Old
Catholic related Ecumenical Catholic Communion (ECC), based in Orange,
CA and led by Bishop Peter Hickman. The ECC was recently accepted on
November 4, 2004 as a member of Catholic Organizations for Reform (COR)
and that speaks to the respect in which its participants are held by the
Catholic reform community and to COR's recognition of the Catholicity of
the ECC.
Still another example is that of the Spiritus Christi community in
Rochester, NY which is known throughout the country for its bravery and
Gospel commitments and the leadership of Mary Anne Ramerman, James B.
Callan and Denise Donato.
These phenomena together with the phenomenon of mature and highly
qualified Catholic women presenting themselves for ordination as deacons
and presbyters in the Catholic Church in various venues across the
country and the world have been responsible for the decision to
establish a National Catholic Ministerial Alliance.
Sacramental Mentorships
The first concrete collaboration for the Alliance which was
initiated this summer is an emerging national network of Sacramental
Mentorships between married/resigned priests and Catholic women
preparing for ordination as Catholic deacons and priests. The purpose of
the Sacramental Mentorships is to provide a collegial relationship
around the practicalities of sacramental celebrations and related
pastoral care which gives the aspiring ordinands some hands on
familiarity with the liturgical and rubric details of baptism,
reconciliation, Eucharist, anointing, funerals, etc. There are currently
half a dozen such mentorship relationships around the country.
Emmaus Catholic Communities
Another NCMA initiative will be the establishment and coordination
of Emmaus Catholic Communities in cooperation with the emerging new
ecumenical Catholic ministry networks with relationships to selected,
willing bishops in apostolic succession. These communities will provide
settings for congregational ministries by women Catholic priests and
married Catholic priests who are men and others and will be eligible for
recognition as FCM Affiliate Communities. The ministerial faculties to
be granted by the Catholic bishops in these ecumenical Emmaus Catholic
communities who are not in full communion with the Roman Catholic Church
will be ecumenical in nature and will recognize the continuing Roman
Catholic identity of those receiving them.
Specialized Ministries Endorsements
Endorsements required for specialized ministry settings such as
hospital, hospice and other civilian institutional and military
chaplaincies, pastoral counselors and professional ministerial
associations will be available through the Federation of Christian
Ministries' Committee on Specialized Ministries in cooperation with its
new Roman Catholic Faith Community Council, a subcommittee of FCM's
Committee on Denominational Concerns. FCM is an active member of the
national network of Religious Endorsing Bodies of the COMISS Network,
formerly the Council on Ministries in Specialized Settings. The COMISS
Network is recognized by the major mainline and other denominations and
faith groups in the USA as the coordinating center for information
exchange and collaboration on issues of common concern for the
specialized ministries community.
The COMISS Network includes the professional ministerial certifying
associations such as the American Association of Pastoral Counselors and
the Association for Clinical Pastoral Education which certify
individuals for the practice of and or training for professional
pastoral care; faith groups or denominations recognized as religious
endorsing bodies (REBs); accrediting organizations which accredit
institutions, facilities, centers, or systems for the practice,
education, and training of chaplains, pastoral counselors, and/or other
pastoral care professionals; and chaplain and pastoral counselor
employing organizations which employ chaplains and/or pastoral
counselors who are certified by one of the certifying organizations of
the COMISS Network.
North Atlantic Federation for a Renewed Catholic Priesthood
Both CORPUS and FCM/RCFCC are participating members of the North
Atlantic Federation for a Renewed Catholic Priesthood. At the North
Atlantic Federation's annual meeting in August, 2004 a report was given
on the emergence of the Alliance and of the interest on the part of some
of the WOC leadership in its participation in the North Atlantic
Federation for a Renewed Catholic Priesthood along with a message of
support from Evelyn Hunt, WOC President.
NCMA Coordinating Committee
NCMA institutional representatives who serve as its coordinating
committee are Evelyn Hunt for WOC, William Wisniewski for CORPUS and
William Manseau for FCM/RCFCC. They may be contacted for additional
information on the Alliance. William Manseau is serving as Convener at
this time.
A Glossary
NCMA - National Catholic Ministerial Alliance
CCC - Celtic Christian Church
COMISS - Council on Ministries in Specialized
Settings
COR - Catholic Organizations for Reform
CORPUS - A National Association for an Inclusive
Priesthood
ECC - Ecumenical Catholic Communion
FCM - Federation of Christian Ministries
FCM/RCFCC - Federation of Christian Ministries' Roman Catholic Faith
Community Council
REBs - Religious Endorsing Bodies
WOC - Women's Ordination Conference
the Celtic
Christian Church
