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For Immediate Release:
Contact: Sr. Christine Schenk, FutureChurch,
216-228-0869 (work) 216-215-8476 (cell)
Ms. Linda Pieczynski , Call to Action
630-655-8783 (work) 630-323-6924 (home)
Reform Groups Pledge Support of Milwaukee
Priests' Call for Optional Celibacy
FutureChurch and Call To Action, both national, non-profit Catholic groups working for church reform, have pledged their support of 163 priests in the Milwaukee diocese who wrote a letter to Church officials calling for married priests to work alongside their celibate brothers.
"The priests have taken a courageous public position" said Linda Pieczynski, spokesperson for Call to Action. "We pledge to support the priests in Milwaukee and indeed priests everywhere who are willing to speak up. There are many other priests who agree but, for one reason or another, they are afraid to speak. We have been working on this issue for a long time and it is great to see increasing momentum among those most affected." Pieczynski quoted from a resolution passed 28 years ago at the original 1976 Call to Action conference which was convened by U.S. Bishops:
That the National Conference of Catholic Bishops take affirmative action to respectfully petition the Holy Father to change the present discipline in the western rite of the Roman Catholic Church to allow married men to be ordained to the priesthood and that they also initiate dialogue on this topic with such national groups as National Federation of Priests' Councils, Corpus, Fellowship and Padres.
"I appreciate the obvious respect the letter shows for the celibate charism in the Church" said Sr. Christine Schenk of FutureChurch. "Now I wish church leadership would show the same respect for married priestly calls. God is a God of abundance...God¹s people need both celibate and married vocations if we are to minister in a more holistic way. Both kinds of priestly gifts have great value. We need to move from an either/ or mentality to one where all of God¹s gifts are welcomed and cherished."
Call to Action and FutureChurch have promoted dialog about optional celibacy and the priest shortage for the past eight years through their Call for National Dialogue on the Future of Priestly Ministry project. The resource contains education and advocacy materials about the history of celibacy and the priest shortage. It has sparked dialogue in over 100 U.S. dioceses about the need to reconsider mandatory celibacy if Catholicism is to continue as a sacramental Church whose members have regular access to the Mass.
FutureChurch, headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, is a coalition of 5,000 parish based Catholics striving to educate fellow Catholics about the seriousness of the priest shortage, the centrality of the Eucharist (the Mass), and the systemic inequality of women in the Catholic Church. FutureChurch makes presentations throughout the country, distributes educational and informational packets and advocates widespread discussion of opening ordination to all baptized persons who are called to priestly ministry by God and the people of God.
Call to Action is a national organization of 25,000 laity, religious and clergy with its national office in Chicago and 41 local chapters. It advocates for reforms in the Catholic Church such as the ordination of women, optional celibacy for priests, more focus on the church's social teaching, and consultation with the Catholic people on church decision making.
FutureChurch
15800 Montrose Avenue
Cleveland, OH 44111
216-228-0869
fax 216-228-4872
Call to Action
2135 West Roscoe 1N
Chicago, IL 60618
773-404-0004
fax 773-404-1610
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