Bible Class 2/20/21 John
St. James & St. Mary's Holy Family Parishes
Summerfield & Kensington, PEI
The summer of 2018 will be known as The Summer of Shame for the Catholic Church. Sparked by events in the United States, the disclosure of wide spread crimes against children and young people and the moral and pastoral failures of church leaders the trust of the Catholic faithful has been sorely tested. Some have withdrawn from all church practice, some have questioned why they stay, all have been challenged, all have been hurt.
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Our Parishes have not been spared the pain. We can move toward healing.
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Hurt comes from needs not being met and when we have a deep hurt we have to reflect and see what need has been crushed, then we can make the changes to become healthy.
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Members of the Evangelization Committee have been discussing the crisis in the Church and want to assist others in exploring their reactions in order to make changes so our communities of worship are the safe and nurturing places that Christ desires.
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On this page I will post information from international, national and local sources.
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If you have any questions give me a call.
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Yours in Christ -- Fr. Francis Allan Jay
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We have held our parish discussions and now present this final report:
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Here is a link to a call in radio program that covers the Abuse Crisis in the Catholic Church
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Sister Nuala Kenny on CBC Radio: https://www.cbc.ca/listen/shows/maritime-connection/episode/15672334
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Our Evangelization Group's Proposals
Bishop Grecco's November 1 Letter to the Faithful of Charlottetown on the Crisis
The Book from the Canadian Bishops
Sister Nuala Kenny's Article: The Clergy Sexual Abuse Crisis: Dynamics and Diagnosis
A most extensive reading list has been compiled by Daily Theology on the Current Abuse Crisis
Here it is in PDF Form:
Here are three more resources for background information
The first is a PDF Document. The other two are Power Point Presentations.
The Summit Meeting, convoked by Pope Francis, will involve the Presidents of over 180 Episcopal Conferences from throughout the world; along with Cardinal O'Malley, of Boston, participating in his role as President of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Children. The goal of the Summit Meeting, as stated by the Holy Father, is "catechesis" of the episcopal conferences. A way to interpret this phrase is that the meeting will seek to create a strong consensus throughout the universal Church of zero tolerance of sexual abuse, to develop the programs which will implement this mandate and to put in place the programs of education and prevention needed to keep children safe throughout the world, even and perhaps most especially in countries where government and law enforcement may not be reliable partners in protecting children.
This meeting will be very complex in its composition, cultural and geographical diversity and the political and legal context that is necessarily present in these matters. We ask your prayers for all involved in the Summit Meeting and your appreciation that a three-day meeting will not produce a finished and final plan for a global Church of 1.2 billion people. Demanding but also realistic expectations will be helpful for us all as we think not only about what the Church in North America needs to accomplish but also the steps necessary to achieve global solutions, particularly in circumstances where cultural sensitivities must be considered.
There are more resources on the Diocese of Charlottetown page click here to see them.
