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Fr. Bob Silva's address to NFPC Portland convention, April 12, 2005
 My Brothers,
I am very pleased to welcome you to this 37th annual convention of the National Federation of Priests' Councils in the wonderful city of Portland. I am most grateful to Archbishop Vlazny and the Church of the Archdiocese of Portland in Oregon for their generous hospitality to us. I am particularly grateful to the local committee for their ongoing commitment to the convention project.
For all of us in the Catholic Church, but particularly for priests and bishops, the past two weeks have held a myriad of emotions. The final illness and death of Pope John Paul II have evoked an outpouring of responses that none of us would have predicted.
While we were aware of the condition of the Holy Father, it still came as a surprise when we were confronted with his final days and the moment of his death. Perhaps it is because he was never perceived as dying. He always presented himself––and we were always assured––that he was in control. Not until seen struggling to speak when a microphone was placed in front of him did it occur that this was more serious than we were allowed to know. So his death, expected, yet not, was a kind of surprise.
I am saddened at the death of the Holy Father. There was so much about him that was inspiring: his holiness and his priestliness were qualities I admired greatly. And, I am grateful for the tremendous impact his papacy had on the secular world. As one reporter put it: "Pope John Paul II bestrode the world stage like a colossus across four decades—his impact on the secular world was far reaching." In reviewing the twenty-six years of his papacy, I have been impressed with how many doors he opened. He may not have walked through them, but he opened them. His call for reflection on the reform of the papacy itself is an example of what I mean.
But there was another side to this great man. As prominent, as great, as good as he was on the international stage, in calling world leaders and citizens alike to a more just and peaceful society; as transparent as the depth of his spirituality and his holiness; as committed to the priesthood; he appeared almost reactionary in holding to positions that seemed at odds with some of the Second Vatican Council's calls for change.
The effects of this paradoxical quality of John Paul's papacy are with us. Here is where we find ourselves today: in a Church struggling with contradictions. To name a few: collegiality versus monarchy; subsidiarity versus centralization; primus inter pares versus autocrat; ecumenism versus Catholic identity. The tension has bred an unrest in the faith community and among the clergy.
Immediately following the Council, armed with the document, "The Church In The Modern World," priests went out to "dialogue with the world." They sought to discern the "signs of the times." They moved into the secular community and engaged neighborhoods, education systems and politicians in a great "dialogue" between the sacred and the secular in search of a more just and peace-filled society. Taking their cue from their understanding of Gaudium et Spes these priests adopted a style of ministry that lessened their separation from the laity. The cassock was abandoned, the clerical shirt lost its collar and priests became "members of the family." The style of pastoral leadership radically shifted because these priests did not consider themselves to be "set apart." The involvement of the entire community of disciples in ministry demonstrated itself even in the liturgy of the Eucharist where everyone was to exercise full and active participation.
By the late 1980s, partly in response to Pope John Paul II's vision of the Second Vatican Council's mandate, a different style of ministry emerged. Identified as traditional and orthodox, it was motivated by the attempt to overcome what was seen as widespread moral bankruptcy in the society and a confused and wanting understanding of the nature of the Church.
Searching for certitude and concerned about a co-optation of ministerial authority, priests of this generation affirmed a return to the traditional. Concerned for the reality of faith in the community and the clarity of Catholic teaching that would guide life in this world, these priests saw the need for a public witness to holiness, to recognized and rightful teaching authority and to devotions that foster the practice of faith. Signs of this have been seen in a call for Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament, Perpetual Adoration, a return to wearing the collar and cassock and an embrace of a spirituality which sees the pries as "one set apart." In the words of one such priest: "I couldn't stand the low-church craziness going on in the Catholic community." Pope John Paul II "didn't ever compromise. He always proclaimed the truth boldly and clearly and succinctly."
For these priests, the emphasis is less on dialogue with the world. It is more on the proclamation and development of a secure and clear doctrine and faith in which one can find, as one young man puts it: "the answers." We see a growing enthusiasm for apologetics, a new adult catechism, and an assertive defense of traditional Church teachings.
This division among priests is set in the midst of the many tensions present in the Church in the United States, as we have seen. To mention a few: the clergy abuse scandals, the bishop-priest relationship, Church credibility on sexual teachings, the place of women in the Church, the shortage of priests, the growing numbers of international priests, the exercise of authority, and forms of Church governance.
A reporter called me last week. He asked: "What is the agenda for the priests of the United States in the circumstances of the Church today?" This is a profound question. I do not pretend to have thought through an answer. But, I think there are some points that I can make. I want to make these points in the context of some of the findings of a study conducted by James D. Davidson, professor of sociology at Purdue University and Dean R. Hoge, professor of sociology at The Catholic University of America. This study was one of the initiatives commissioned by the University of Notre Dame multidisciplinary task force formed in 2002. A report of the study's findings was presented in the November 19, 2004 issue of Commonweal.
It is important to note that the Davidson-Hoge study clearly shows that, in spite of the difficulties, struggles and tensions in the church, including the clergy sexual abuse scandal, the laity is strongly committed to the Church and to their faith. Some issues that concern them are: the decline in vocations, less than optimal participation by young adults, restoration of confidence in episcopal leadership, lay involvement in church decisions, being Catholic while appreciating other religious traditions. And finally, in Davidson and Hoge's own words: "Among other church-watchers, Colleen Carroll (The New Faithful) has argued that young Catholics are turning in a more traditional direction. We have found no evidence of such a trend in our previous studies, and the present survey indicates that youngest ("millennial") Catholics are similar to––not markedly different from––the post-Vatican II generation."
So, with a committed laity, fairly clearly defined areas of concern, and a future generation that has a post Vatican II mentality, what is the agenda for the priests of the United States?
As Timothy Radcliffe, OP stated some time ago: "The Church will be here. How it will be here, we do not know. The task for priests is to be prophets of future, people of hope, leaders of a people of promise."
First, on a practical level, the agenda item for priests is that they be about the formation of evangelizing communities in which the next generation can come to understand the sustaining strength of the Church, its proclamation and its tradition as they engage the culture in which they live.
A second agenda item is that of the promotion of vocations to the priesthood. This will take some imagination and creativity.
We must work to make the great value of the priesthood evident to mothers and fathers. I think one of the things the crowds made clear upon the death of Pope John Paul: the world, not just Catholics, longs for priests who are strong in faith, strong in their ability to lead, and courageous bridges with the Transcendent. Parents must be convinced that the priesthood is a powerful life filled with purpose, meaning and influence so that they might encourage their sons to listen for God's call.
Third, important for priests is the renewal of their confidence in the priestly life they live. Priests must humbly understand that their lives are so much more than the performance of daily administrative and even religious tasks. Priests are symbols, sacraments even, of a God-presence that brings order out of chaos, spirit to lifeless forms and peace to warring and dissenting forces.
Fourth, the priest does not act in a vacuum. He is priest in the midst of the human community with all its joys and foibles. In order to be an effective spiritual leader who calls the community of disciples to exercise ministry, forms them for their mission and sends them to take it up, the priest must possess certain qualities and characteristics and be educated in the way of pastoral leadership.
An agenda item for priests is the development of strong ongoing formation programs that provide opportunities for priests to grow and mature as strong public spiritual leaders. The National Organization for Continuing Education of Roman Catholic Clergy (NOCERCC) and the US bishops' Committee on Priestly Life and Ministry has placed great emphasis on the Basic Plan for the Ongoing Formation of Priests. Rightly so! It is a priority agenda item.
Fifth, in the United States, we use phrases like, "the strong, silent type"; "stand on your own two feet"; "go it alone." We talk off "the pioneer spirit" and we have a hero in the "Lone Ranger." Sociologists have pointed to a growing crisis of relationship in society. These cultural influences together with the effects of the priest shortage combine to bring about an increasingly isolated life for many priests. For some it becomes an almost unbearably lonely life.
Yet a priest cannot be a priest except that he be capable of deep and penetrating relationships patterned on the life of the Trinity. These relationships are the stuff of life.
Their chief virtue is their fidelity and their deepest value is trustworthiness. The great witness to such relationships is sacrifice and a willingness to lay down one's life for the sake of the relationship. It is relationship informed by love.
An agenda item for priests today is that they be truly relational people both with the laity and with each other. There is a tremendous need for priests to engage in the formation of presbyteral communities in which they come to experience faithfulness, trustworthiness, truth-telling and sacrifice. The need to become "fratres in unum" is deep in the priests of the country. This must become an intentional part of the agenda.
A sixth area of concern is that of care for the integrity and life of the Church. A strong and growing suspicion of institutions of every kind has caused many Catholics, including priests, to view the institutional church with a jaundiced eye. No stranger to the abuse of power as demonstrated by the failure of some bishops to address the sexual abuse crisis, the institutional Church finds itself in an environment of mistrust and, in some cases, downright hostility.
The agenda for priests today is the wedding of charism and institution so that the Spirit can be seen to be embodied in the structures and systems of the institution. Priests must come to the realization that they not only serve the institution but, in so many ways, they are the institution. The charism of priestly service becomes incarnate within the given institutional elements of the Church.
The seventh agenda item is the critical need for priests to see themselves in partnership with laity in the performance of ministry and, in some cases, leadership. As someone said to me not too long ago: "God has answered our prayers about the priest shortage––he sent us committed, dedicated lay ministers?" who are discovering themselves to be called and sent. The reality of shared ministry and shared decision-making has been growing in the Church for the last twenty-five years. Priests will need to embrace it fully in collaborative efforts that support and enhance the pastoral ministry of the Church.
The eighth and final agenda item I will mention is the need for the pastoral care of priests by priests. Not too long ago a priest told me he had been very sick and was hospitalized for eight days. He did not receive a phone call or a visit from a single brother priest. Another priest who came from outside the country told me of being assigned to a parish where his bed was a sofa in the living room. I received a letter from a priest in prison who told me he subscribes to merchandise catalogues simply in order to hear his name called at mail call. These examples are somewhat dramatic, but they are not unusual.
Priests suffer all the difficulties of life in this world––they care for dying parents, they grow too old for independent living, they get their feelings hurt, they overeat etc.
In a world whose value system is increasingly counter to the values of the Gospel, a priest can find himself set upon by basic unanswered human needs. It is important that we keep the pastoral care of priests on the agenda.
What, then, of the National Federation of Priests? Councils? How are they addressing some of these agenda items?
Briefly, the NFPC has taken up all of these items in some way.
On forming evangelizing communities, the NFPC presents this convention on evangelization. On the fostering of vocations, the NFPC has developed Priesthood Sunday. On renewal of confidence in priestly life, the NFPC has developed the project on priestly spirituality, published a book titled Stewards of God's Mysteries: Priestly Spirituality in a Changing Church and offers a variety of retreats, days of recollection and convocations. On pastoral leadership formation, the NFPC offers several programs of leadership formation and serves on several advisory boards for ongoing formation of priests. On the development of presbyteral community, the NFPC offers a convocation on the Nature of the Presbyterate. On collaboration with laity, the NFPC is engaged in a Lilly Endowment funded project called Emerging Models of Pastoral Leadership wherein six Catholic organizations collaborate. On the addressing of human needs and pastoral care, the NFPC is engaged in a research project on retirement, offers workshops on retirement planning and taxes, publishes a book on clergy compensation, advocates for priests' rights and assists some priests with legal referrals. On governance and pastoral mission, the NFPC is presently sponsoring a major project on presbyteral council development and another on international priests. Lastly, the NFPC is providing a national voice with media: television, radio and print journalists. It also does the same with bishops and priests throughout the country.
What are some of the problems the NFPC faces as we attempt to address these issues in light of the tensions and circumstances of the present day?
First, there is need for the priests representative at the local level to encourage participation at the local level, gathering priests for listening sessions, acquiring agenda items for the national office, and coordinating pastoral efforts on behalf of the local presbyterate. I'm asking local delegates to take more responsibility for communicating both with the national office and with the priests in their dioceses.
Second, there is need for priests to develop a willingness to serve at the national level. The Federation provides a great service for the lives of priests and priests' councils. For the sake of its future, priests should consider leadership responsibility within the organization at the national level.
Finally, the national office is struggling to serve a growing agenda without appropriate financial resources. The diocesan assessments provide a foundation and make it possible for us to keep the doors open. But it is not nearly enough to ensure the kind of service that we are attempting to provide. I am asking each priest to consider an annual donation of at least $100 or more. Consider joining the Vianney Society which supports the NFPC with annual donation of $1000. Give a gift of $200 to the endowment fund. Make this your professional organization and your charity.
My Brothers, it has been a great privilege to serve you for these last five years. I have come to appreciate the tremendous treasure the priesthood is and the magnificent presyterates which serve the Church in this country. For this I am extremely grateful.
Thank you for your attention. Have a wonderful convention.
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