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Voice of the Faithful of Greater Philadelphia P.O. Box 4397, Philadelphia, PA 19118-8397
January 20, 2004
Cardinal Justin Francis Rigali Archdiocese of Philadelphia 222 North 17th Street Philadelphia, PA 19102
Dear Cardinal Rigali: The purpose of this letter is to offer our assistance in implementing the Norms and Decrees that Cardinal Bevilacqua proclaimed on May 29 as a result of the recommendations from last year’s Tenth Archdiocesan Synod. It is also to learn more about the specifics of how the Archdiocese plans to implement the Decrees. We understand that the Decrees have the status of "particular law for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia," that various Archdiocesan Offices have divided up responsibility for beginning to implement them, and that these Offices are in the initial stages of planning for how best to carry them out. In reading over the Decrees, we were pleased to see that so many of them have the potential to increase the laity’s understanding of Church teachings, to deepen our role as joint members of the People of God and to draw more deeply upon the many gifts and talents which the laity bring to the Church. As an organization, we are attempting to follow the teachings of the Second Vatican Council, which stated that the laity have a mission, not only in the world, but also in building up the Church, the Body of Christ (Lumen Gentium, #31-33). Because of the laity’s knowledge and competence, says Lumen Gentium, we are "empowered—indeed, sometimes obliged—to manifest [our] opinion on those things which pertain to the good of the Church" (#37). We believe that the Church can only benefit by drawing upon the abilities and experience of its lay members. It is these gifts and perspective that we would like to offer in helping to implement the Synod’s Decrees. Therefore, we make the following requests: That you communicate with us, in a spirit of openness and transparency, as to which Archdiocesan entities are responsible for carrying out which Decrees, what priorities have been set, what is the timeline for implementation and what kind of outreach is planned to draw the laity into the process. That we have the opportunity to meet with you and/or any diocesan officials you would designate to discuss how the VOTF/GP and laity of the Archdiocese could be involved in implementing the decrees. We have chosen five Decrees whose implementation, we think, can benefit greatly by drawing upon lay gifts and experience, including that of VOTF/GP. They are numbers 41, 54, 61, 63 and 68. We have sent you two earlier letters welcoming you to the Archdiocese and asking to meet about matters of mutual concern. We assume that you have not been able to reply—understandably— because of your very busy schedule as you step into your new responsibilities here in Philadelphia. However, since it is always helpful to discuss specifics, we hope to hear from you soon about the above request We look forward to having the opportunity to speak to you and/or your designee about the above matters and other matters of mutual concern.
Sincerely in Christ,
Bud Bretschneider, for the VOTF/GP Steering Committee |