Any way you look at it the Parramatta NCP Conference was a resounding success – excellent speakers, great venue, a wonderful spirit amongst the guys, two hundred and fifty priests and bishops passionate about their Church and their priesthood.
I must say it was a great feeling being among like-minded clergy. From the moment I arrived I knew I was with a group of guys who were inspired by Vatican II and determined to keep the spirit of the Council alive. Clearly this conference was not going to be a retreat into the security of the past, but an attempt to outline a vision for the future.
As I looked around the room on the first evening I couldn’t help but notice how different this gathering was from the typical gathering of clergy I have become used to in recent years. I kept asking myself, “Are there two models of Church in Australia, or are there in fact two Churches?”
One of the things that struck me immediately at the Conference was the open and honest way the guys were speaking, both in the smaller groups and in the broader discussions. I think the frankness of the keynote speakers set the scene. Donald Cozzens’ challenge to us that a priest must be first and foremost a man of integrity was a great way to begin.
There were many other memorable reflections on the part of the speakers. David Tacey’s story of the Vatican official who spoke to him in hushed tones about his book is so typical of what can go on in clergy circles even today. So often what is said privately is not said publicly.
Geraldine Doogue’s argument that secular society often lives the gospel values better than the official Church is a sobering thought for all of us and one I believe is all too often true.
Richard Lennan’s reference to his previous NCP keynote address and the fact that it was as relevant today as it was then was a sad reminder of how little progress we have made as a Church in the past couple of decades.
Can I add an anecdote regarding Richard’s talk. You may remember Richard speaking about being open to interruption in our lives. As a typical priest, always looking for a homily idea, I thought this might be a good theme for the following week’s homily on Martha and Mary. At Mass the following Sunday I spoke about Martha being unwilling to interrupt the cooking and possibly spoiling the meal and noted that, while most of us would agree Mary chose the better part, few of us would have been happy to interrupt the cooking ourselves and leave the kitchen.
Later that week I got a letter from a parishioner, a working mother with three children, who thanked me for the reflection on being open to interruption in our lives, as her life seemed to be one great interruption. Thank you Richard, your words at Parramatta touched a woman at Penshurst.
I must also congratulate Geoffrey Robinson on his inspiring words during the panel discussion. As always Geoff was articulate and passionate about a better Church. The warm and extended applause he received was a clear sign of our appreciation for his leadership and courage.
It was great to see a number of other bishops there as well. I personally found their presence a real inspiration and strength.
When I returned to the parish after the conference I was telling some of the parishioners how inspiring it was. It was interesting, however, the number of people who said to me, “but will anything come of it?” They were happy that we had a good conference but like many of the clergy they have become disillusioned with a Church hierarchical system that is clearly dysfunctional. They are also growing impatient with the time it is taking to bring about any serious reform.
The question “will anything come of it?” continues to stay with me. Not only is it a question for our parishioners, it is also, and perhaps even more so, a question for us as NCP members. At a personal level I have decided to respond to the question in the following way.
Among many issues that were raised at the conference perhaps the one that was spoken about with most passion concerned the new translation of the Roman Missal. Indeed I have to say I was quite surprised by the amount of anxiety and at times outright anger over this issue. I, too, have been “stewing” over the matter for a while but I found it reassuring to see that I was not alone.
So struck was I by the general feeling of the clergy that I have decided to take a stand on this issue. I have made the decision that I will not use the new translation when we are asked to bring it in to the parishes, at least with regard to the priest’s parts. I am a Vatican II priest, an “aggiornamento” priest to use the Vatican II catch-cry, and it’s just not in me to go back to an old pre-Vatican form of the Mass.
With regard to the people’s parts we will have a parish consultation and see how the parishioners feel about the whole issue, and about the translation in particular. Only then will we make a decision about whether or not we will implement it.
I’m not sure where all this will end up but at least I know that the next time someone asks me “But will anything come out of the NCP Conference?” I can say “Yes, something did come out of it, let me tell you about it.”
John Crothers
