USCCB November 2009 Meeting

Back in September, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) released the names of American prelates who had been selected as nominees for various leadership positions within the conference. This week, the nominees for the conference president and vice-president were released.

According to the USCCB statement, the “new president will succeed Cardinal Francis George, OMI, of Chicago, who completes his three-year term at the meeting. His successor assumes the presidency at the end of the meeting.” Below are the names of those candidates (in alphabetical order by last name):

• Archbishop Gregory M. Aymond of New Orleans
• Bishop Stephen E. Blaire of Stockton, California
• Archbishop Charles J. Chaput, OFM, Cap., of Denver
• Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan of New York
• Bishop Gerald F. Kicanas of Tucson, Arizona (currently Vice-President of the USCCB)
• Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz of Louisville, Kentucky
• Bishop George Murry, SJ, of Youngstown, Ohio
• Archbishop Edwin F. O’Brien of Baltimore
• Archbishop Allen H. Vigneron of Detroit
• Bishop John C. Wester of Salt Lake City

According to conference by-laws,

2009 Annual Meeting of the USCCB

This afternoon, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops issued a press release detailing the upcoming annual meeting of the conference. This year’s conference gathering will take place in Baltimore, Maryland from November 15th to November 18th. Throughout those four days together, the U.S. bishops will elect several new heads of committees and some key positions within the conference.

According to the news release, the following committees will receive new heads this year:

• Committee on Canonical Affairs and Church Governance: Archbishop Timothy Broglio, Archbishop for the Military Services, and Bishop Randolph Calvo, Bishop of Reno, have been nominated for this position.
• Committee on Catholic Education: Bishop Joseph McFadden, Bishop of Harrisburg, and Bishop David O’Connell, Coadjutor Bishop of Trenton, have been nominated to lead this post.
• Committee on Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs: Nominated for this position are Bishop Ronald Gainer, Diocese of Lexington, and Bishop Denis Madden, Auxiliary Bishop of the Baltimore Archdiocese.
• Committee on Evangelization and Catechesis: Nominated for this ever important post are Bishop Paul Coakley of the Diocese of Salina and Bishop David Ricken, Bishop of the Green Bay Diocese.
• Committee of International Justice and Peace: Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio of Brooklyn and Archbishop Edwin O’Brien of the Archdiocese of Baltimore have been nominated to lead this position.
• Committee on Child and Youth Protection: The bishops will elect either Bishop R. Daniel Conlon of Steubenville or Bishop Patrick Zurek of the Diocese of Amarillo to this position.

There are also several important conference positions open. During the four day gathering, the bishops will elect a new Conference Treasurer, President and Vice-President. The two bishops nominated for Treasurer are Bishop Paul Bradley of Kalamazoo and Bishop Michael Bransfield of Wheeling-Charleston. The nominations for President and Vice-President of the Conference will be chosen during the assembly.

This year’s assembly will be interesting to say the least. One topic of discussion that is sure to emerge is the implementation of the Third Edition of the Roman Missal. The bishops have already begun their efforts to inform the laity about the upcoming changes to the Mass, which take effect the first week of Advent 2011. While some of the changes do not necessarily make sense, the new translation will “foster a deeper awareness and appreciation of the mysteries being celebrated in the Liturgy.”

As we move towards November, let’s continue to keep the bishops in our prayers.

In response to a federal judge’s decision to overturn Proposition 8, Francis Cardinal George, current President of the USCCB, has released the following statement:

Source: LA Times

WASHINGTON—Cardinal Francis George, President of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, decried the August 4 decision of a federal judge to overturn California voters’ 2008 initiative that protected marriage as the union of one man and one woman.

“Marriage between a man and a woman is the bedrock of any society. The misuse of law to change the nature of marriage undermines the common good,” Cardinal George said. “It is tragic that a federal judge would overturn the clear and expressed will of the people in their support for the institution of marriage. No court of civil law has the authority to reach into areas of human experience that nature itself has defined.”

Joining Cardinal George in his criticism of the court decision was Archbishop Joseph Kurtz, Chair of the Ad Hoc Committee for the Defense of Marriage. Archbishop Kurtz noted that “Citizens of this nation have uniformly voted to uphold the understanding of marriage as a union of one man and one woman in every jurisdiction where the issue has been on the ballot. This understanding is neither irrational nor unlawful,” he said. “Marriage is more fundamental and essential to the well being of society than perhaps any other institution. It is simply unimaginable that the court could now claim a conflict between marriage and the Constitution.”

More to come. As always, stay tuned.

Source: USCCB

Papal Emblem

I apologize for the lack of posts over the last few days. There is not much ecclesial news happening around these parts. When the Pope goes on vacation for the summer the Catholic news cycle slows down quite dramatically.

The most interesting tid-bit that has emerged within the last week is the Vatican’s release of modifications to the norms on grave crimes against the church. The official notice from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith stated:

[T]he Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith…held it necessary to proceed with a reform of the [Normae de gravioribus delictis], emending it not in its entirety, but only in certain areas, in order to render the text more useful.

The most significant adjustments within the document come in response to two particular offenses: the molestation of minors by priests and the ordination of women.

Icon of St. John Vianney

Well folks, it is amazing how fast this year has gone. A year ago today, the Catholic Church began a yearlong celebration of the life of St. John Vianney and the celebration of priests. Known as the Year for Priests, the Holy Father called it a time in which all priests would be invited to deepen their commitment “to interior renewal for the sake of a stronger and more incisive witness to the Gospel in today’s world.”

Throughout this past year, the interior renewal called upon by Pope Benedict took on a new meaning for all Catholics as news erupted of more clergy sex abuse scandals throughout the world. It has been a difficult period for the Church; however, through the experiences of this year, we have come to understand Christ’s suffering, death and resurrection in a new light.  As the  apostles and first disciples of Jesus were weary after his death, so too are we. Even so, we have trust and hope that the Lord will awaken a new springtime in the Church.

A few days ago, the Holy Father concluded the ceremonies of the Year for Priests with a special Mass in St. Peter’s Square with 15,000 priests from across the world concelebrating. In his homily, Benedict stated: