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  Hear Our Prayers

The Heights [Boston MA]
March 17, 2005

In this time of pain, struggle, and change in the Catholic Church, it is only appropriate for its congregants to come forth and discuss the need for the inclusion of lay people in the governance of the church.

Geoffrey T. Boisi, former chairman of the University's Board of Trustees, announced plans this week for the creation of a nonprofit organization that seeks to transform the nation's largest religion. There couldn't be a better time than now. The church has been plagued by a horrific sexual abuse scandal, low Mass attendance, a dip in financial support, and an inability to ordain a larger number of priests.

The group - the National Leadership Roundtable on Church Management (NLRCM) - would include people from all over the country, and would work toward administrative changes that would enable parishioners to have more of a say in the way their individual church and diocese operates.

As Boisi told The Heights, if we want the Catholic faith to prosper and reflect the will of its followers, "we must act with conviction, passion, and courage, but most of all we must act now."

The NLRCM isn't looking to alter the philosophical teachings of the church - it wants to focus on the institution's governance. It's about giving people a say in the pastors that run their church, creating a chief administrative officer for every diocese, encouraging parishes to conduct self-examinations to better assess their goals, and publishing the church's financial statements.

Boisi isn't the only one with BC ties pushing for the success of the NLRCM. University Chancellor Rev. J. Donald Monan, S.J., and John M. Connors, current chairman of the Board of Trustees, both took part in a conference organized by Boisi last summer that outlined 27 administrative recommendations on the national, diocesan, and parish levels, some of which are being taken on by the NLRCM.

There are legitimate changes that need to be made within the Roman Catholic Church. Not only does there need to be a rise in the number of laity and clergy in the church, but there needs to be an increase in the number of Catholics around the world and the say they have in their church.

The leadership of the Catholic Church is out of step with their everyday followers.

That can change. It must change.

Progress can start here, at BC. Rarely do you hear the University described without the preface "Catholic." It is an intrinsic part of our culture and mission, and the success of the church is important to the success of the University.

Student involvement in the Church in the 21st Century initiative, for example, can help shape church dialogue and give a face to the youths that want to work for the betterment of their religion.

Boisi and his colleagues should be commended for their work, and for their continued commitment to the development of the Catholic Church even in its times of struggle. Members of the BC community would be wise to get involved with Boisi's roundtable group - it's about time for the church to start hearing our prayers.

 
 

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