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	Catholics for Ministry Mull Grassroots Pastoral Plan CathNews June 15, 2009 http://www.cathnews.com/article.aspx?aeid=14457 Almost fifty Catholic laity, priests and religious from around the nation gathered in Melbourne at the weekend to consider the challenges facing the Church. The catalyst for the meeting was a petition to the Australian bishops in 2007 calling for the ordination of married men and opening up discussion on the ordination of women, PeterMaher.org reports. Petition organisers, Catholics for Ministry, were overwhelmed by the response. Almost 17,000 people signed including 15,000 parishioners after weekend Mass and 170 priests. Catholics for Ministry, led by Paul Collins and Frank Purcell, decided on a follow up meeting to plan the next steps. Collins and Purcell said they believed the Church faced a kairos, a moment of both crisis and opportunity. Criticisms voiced included that the liturgy was moribund, the Church too exclusive and addicted to power, there was a lack of credibility, the clergy faced an excessive workload, there was no effective decision making or public accountability, a growing conservatism placed emphasis on external rituals and symbols. Participants also felt there was no structure to enable the people to be heard, ecclesiastical language was obtuse, parishes were seen as franchises, dioceses were too big placing stress on priests and bishops. The Church was perceived at large to be irrelevant and an unwieldy institution, the current model of priesthood was limited and unhealthy for priest and people and the Australian Church was dominated by Rome. The scandal of sexual abuse, the problems facing the parishes of South Brisbane and Redfern in Sydney were also discussed. However, meeting participants expressed sympathy for the work pressures placed on the diminishing number of priests struggling with their burden. It was time for the Church to listen, particularly to the "unchurched" or exiled Catholics, those who felt excluded because of divorce or for their sexual preferences. The gathering brainstormed the subjects of leadership, grassroots movements, communication and technology, youth and the Church in exile and conservative groups and fundamentalism. One suggestion was for a national Church summit to draw up a new national pastoral plan. Some suggested this gathering be a festival of small groups that are springing up nationwide. After vigorous debate, the meeting called for a summary of issues raised in discussion and to be given the chance to prioritise those issues.
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