Sailing the Archdiocesan Waves

Bishop William P. Callahan, OFM Conv.

God must have a particular fascination with water. Water covers two thirds of our planet. Glimpses of Earth provided by space age technology give us views of a beautiful blue planet with intermittent green spaces surrounded by swirling white whiffs of vapor. Even the coming of the Son of God to this planet found Him located near water, seeking out fishermen. Water becomes the great entry point to the Life of Grace through Baptism. It is no wonder then that images of water and ships that sail on water are among the greatest images of the Church.

When I was little, I remember one of the Sisters in grade school telling us that the Church was the Bark (Barque) of Peter. She explained it well enough for my young mind, but I never really started to understand it until I matured and started to study Sacred Scripture. The image comes basically from the Gospel of Matthew (8: 23-26) where Jesus sleeps on the boat while the storm rages around the panicking Apostles.

Saint Anselm, a great theologian of the Church, said the Bark of the Church may be swept by the waves, but it can never sink, because Christ is there. When the Church is in greatest need, Christ comes to its help by miracles, or by raising up saintly men and women to strengthen and purify it. It is the Bark of Peter; when the storm threatens to sink it, the Lord awakens from His sleep, and commands the winds and waters into calm: “Peace; be still!”

St. Francis de Sales, another great teacher of our faith and a patron of our archdiocese, noted that all of us in the Church are “on board” and our roles are fairly clear. He writes: “In the Royal Galley of Divine Love, there are no galley slaves, all rowers are volunteers.”

Jesus encouraged His Apostles, who were experienced fishermen, to “put out into the deep.” He told them to do this because He wanted them to take initiative and trust in His presence. Even though they went into uncharted waters and were fearful, He would be with them. Even though the Bark of Peter may go into harsh and stormy seas, Jesus is with us. We are encouraged by our Faith in Him.

In November of 1962, Pope John XXIII began the historic Second Vatican Council with a call for “aggiornamento” or an updating of the life of the Church. Vatican II published important documents teaching how the Church lives in the modern world. Sixteen documents were produced: four Constitutions, three declarations, and nine decrees. Two of the constitutions, Lumen Gentium ([Christ is] the Light of the Nations) and Gaudium et Spes (The Joys and the Hope) specifically focus concern on the origin and nature of the Church. These Council teachings opened the consciousness of God’s People to their involvement and particular identity with Christ Himself.

Carrying these reflections further, please consider the current changes in the restructuring of our ministerial services in the archdiocese. These changes have been necessitated by some serious financial conditions that have required some “aggiornamento” of our own. The Church has given us a navigational chart by which we may sail faithfully and safely with Jesus.

Faithful to the call of Vatican II and in sync with some of the most ancient understandings of the Church, we are putting out into the deep, opening ministries and services to the People of God in some new ways. Many of the faithful of the archdiocese are already involved in areas of vital service for the Church. Our plan decentralizes offices—not ministries—into the Districts, parishes, and specific interest groups, who will provide services with direction and assistance from the Central Offices. The driving force, of course, in all of this updating is the Mission of the Church, the Ministries needed for the Mission, and Evangelization—the invitation to come to Faith in Jesus Christ.  Making this plan come together requires a lot of faith and effort on all our parts. We are determined to see the best practices and best practitioners continue to be available for all of us as we strive to live our Catholic Faith. The areas of Administration, Parishes, Inter-Cultural Ministries, Liturgy, and Justice and Peace, along with the services of the John Paul II Center, will be coordinated through the Central Office staff members as they have been in the past. More local contacts will be developed and offered as we can center and identify them throughout the archdiocese.

It is never easy to make decisions that affect the directions of families or fellowships. These changes at the Central Offices represent some difficult choices that affect the life of the Church in our Archdiocese of Milwaukee. There is, as I have tried to point out, ample evidence that faith is necessary for Faith to mature and grow. The Church has given us credibility and energy in the writings of the Council to move ahead trusting that God’s People, empowered by the Holy Spirit, led by our bishops and priests, can supply day-to-day support for service within the Church. Our plan is risky, but as the Bark of Peter sails—let’s put out into the deep as our Lord instructs. Be not afraid!