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Parts of the Mass

CAN YOU EXPLAIN THE PARTS OF THE MASS?
Each church gathers on the Lord’s Day to listen to the scriptures, to offer prayers, to give thanks and praise to God while recalling God’s gifts in creation and saving deeds in Jesus, and to share in holy Communion. In these rites of Word and Eucharist, the Church keeps Sunday as the Lord’s Day, the day of creation and resurrection, the “eighth day” when the fullness of God’s kingdom is anticipated.

 The word Eucharist  is from the Greek word for “thanksgiving,” and it is helpful to think of a traditional Thanksgiving Day celebration when trying to understand the Church’s celebration of Eucharist. On Thanksgiving Day, families typically gather together. They tell family stories, talk about what is currently happening in the lives of family members, and share dreams for the future. Of course, the family shares the Thanksgiving meal. Afterward, they go forth, renewed in love and fellowship.

 Similarly, the Mass of the Christian community has rites of gathering, of story-telling, of meal-sharing, of sending. All those who gather constitute the assembly. One member of this assembly who has been ordained to the priesthood presides by leading the opening and closing prayers and the Eucharistic prayer. A member of the assembly ordained to the diaconate may assist the presider, read the Gospel, and, with permission, preach. Other members of the assembly are chosen and trained for various ministries: These are the readers, ushers, musicians, and Communion ministers. All of these ministers assist the assembly. It is the assembly itself, all those present, that does the liturgy.

 While the liturgy is familiar to all who regularly join in the assembly, it is only learned through repetition, and is truly appreciated by all who carefully study it.

 Introductory Rites: Gathering as God’s Family
The rites which precede the Liturgy of the Word help us to gather as a community. Mass does not begin when everyone is lined up or with the sounding of the first note of the opening song. In fact, the very act of gathering is itself a celebration of the power and mercy of God. Christ is present in the people who assemble in his name — even before the Scriptures are proclaimed or the bread is blessed and broken. The introductory rites help prepare the assembly to listen to the Scriptures and to celebrate the Eucharist together. The PROCESSION and ENTRANCE SONG are ways of expressing the unity and spirit of the assembly. The assembly stands during this procession, not to give honor to the priest, but to further express its unity in Christ as the celebration begins. The singing which accompanies this procession serves to unify the assembly in a common act of praise.

 When the priest and other ministers reach the altar, they pay homage to it by bowing. The altar represents Christ, and the presiding minister greets the head of the house, as it were, before the celebration formally begins. He does this by extending his arms a bit, placing his hands on the altar, and touching the altar table with his lips. This kiss expresses the ancient custom of greeting a friend with a ceremonial embrace. Further honor may be given by incensing the altar.

 After paying homage to the altar, the priest and attendant ministers go to their seats. The presider’s chair is an expression of the hierarchic structure of God’s people. In the person of his minister, Christ himself presides over the service; the presider represents him. The chair has a certain theological significance in that it represents an important office in the life of the community. Even in Jesus' time, the president of the synagogue sat on “Moses’ seat” facing the congregation; this chair distinguished him and showed him to be an ordained rabbi in Israel.

 The SIGN OF THE CROSS follows the opening song. Although the Mass has already begun informally with the people assembled and the singing of the entrance song, the sign of the cross serves as a formal beginning to the Mass. This signing, when properly and devoutly traced from forehead (the seat of understanding) to breast (the seat of heart and feelings) and then from shoulder to shoulder (the points from which spring the arms and hands with which we work and bear fruit),  becomes an eloquent expression of prayer, faith and devotion.

 Next, in the GREETING the priest welcomes the people with outstretched arms and a wish for blessings. Both elements--gesture and word--occur in the greetings people use in everyday life. The words of the greeting are from scripture, although some presiders, in an effort to be more personable, have substituted more colloquial greetings for the biblical texts.

 The PENITENTIAL RITE follows the greeting. It may be replaced by the blessing, and sprinkling with, holy water as a way of reaffirming the assembly’s identity as the baptized People of God. Renewal of baptismal commitment and conversion can take several other forms: The recitation of the traditional, if somewhat revised version of the Confiteor (“I confess, to Almighty God...”), followed by the Kyrie  (from the Greek word for “Lord,” as in “Lord, have mercy”); an abbreviated Kyrie; or an expanded Kyrie with verses that sometimes take the form of a litany. The main focus of the penitential rite, at least on most Sundays, is not on the sinfulness of God’s people and their need to repent, but on God’s mercy and the gift of forgiveness.  Awareness of this gift, recognition of the fact that all are forgiven sinners, provides the motive for praise and gratitude expressed in the Gloria.

 The GLORIA, in use since the fourth century, is a festive hymn by which the Church, gathered in the Holy Spirit, glorifies and petitions God the Father and Jesus the Lamb. While the Gloria may be recited, this practice is really not desirable for such a venerable old hymn of praise.

 The introductory rites come to their conclusion in the OPENING PRAYER of the presider. The Latin name for this prayer is collecta, from which the older English name collect was derived. The Latin word means “gathering” or “summoning up.” The opening prayer does indeed collect the prayers voiced in speech and in song up to this point in the liturgy. The invitation to prayer is usually followed by a pause for silent prayer so that each member of the assembly may include in his or her heart personal prayers and petitions. These prayers are then collected by the priest when speaking aloud the opening prayer. He stands with his hands in the gesture of the orant, that is, with his arms extended and his hands held open, palms upward. In the early Church, the entire community may have prayed in this manner (first-century paintings found in the Roman catacombs depict Christians at prayer in just this way). The “openness” of the gesture represented a freedom among God’s children that had been won for them by Christ. Although early Christians were forced to worship in secret, their manner of prayer exhibited a liberated spirit. With the opening prayer and the amen (a Hebrew word meaning “it is true”) of the assembly,  the gathering of God’s people, their acknowledgment of God’s gift of mercy, their singing of the Church’s great hymn of praise, and their own personal prayers are all focused and summed up, bringing the introductory rites to an end.
 
Liturgy of the Word: Telling Our Story of Faith
 The book of the Scriptures is now opened and all listen as lector and presider (or deacon) read from the ambo (lectern). The FIRST READING is normally from the Hebrew Scriptures, the SECOND READING from the letters of the New Testament, and the GOSPEL from the four evangelists. Over a three-year cycle, the church reads through the letters and Gospels and a portion of the Hebrew Scriptures. During the Sundays of Ordinary Time, the letters and Gospels are read in order, each Sunday continuing near the place where the previous Sunday’s readings ended. During Advent/Christmas and Lent/Easter, the readings are those which are traditional and appropriate to these seasons.

 The Church listens to and — through the weeks and years — is shaped by the Scriptures. Those who have gathered for Sunday liturgy are to give their full attention to the words of the reader. A time of silence and reflection follows each of the first two readings. After the first reading, this reflection continues in the singing of the PSALM. After the second reading, the Gospel is proclaimed. This is the high point of the Liturgy of the Word. Since the fourth-century, the Gospel has been read or sung by an ordained minister. The minister prepares to proclaim the Good News by asking for God’s blessing. The assembly, meanwhile, uses ACCLAMATIONS such as Alleluia (a compound of two Hebrew words meaning “praise God”) to acknowledge and bear witness to the belief that Christ is present and speaking to them in the Gospel. All make the sign of the cross on forehead, lips and breast as an expression of entire dedication to Christ — in thought, word and action. Following the Gospel, a HOMILY brings together the Scriptures and the life of the community, and leads the assembly into the ritual action which follows (in the Mass, for example, the homily should lead the faithful to lift up their hearts to God in thanks and praise). The Liturgy of the Word continues with the Niceno-Constantinopolitan CREED (so named because it contains articles of faith defined at the Councils of Nicaea in 325 and of Constantinople in 381), which serves as a response of faith from the entire community, and concludes with the GENERAL INTERCESSIONS or prayers of the faithful. In these prayers, one of the oldest parts of the Mass, the assembly exercises its role as the priestly people of God on behalf of the entire world. The content of the intercessions is the intentions of the Church; the intentions of civil leaders; the salvation of the world; the needs of those in difficulty; the local community. The presiding priest, as the leader of prayer among the faithful, both exhorts the assembly to these prayers and concludes them.

 Thus, the reading and hearing of God’s word — simple things that they are — are the foundation of our liturgical celebration. The public reading of Scripture and the rituals which surround this — silence and psalm and acclamation, posture and gesture, preaching and litany of intercession — gather the Church generation after generation. They gather and sustain and gradually make of us the image of Christ.

 Liturgy of the Eucharist: Sharing Our Meal of Love
To do Eucharist means to give God thanks and praise. When the table has been prepared, the gifts are brought forth, and the assembly joins the presider in remembering the gracious gifts of God in creation and in God’s saving deeds. The center of this is the Paschal Mystery, the death of our Lord Jesus Christ which destroyed the power of death and his rising which brings us life. That mystery into which we are baptized we proclaim each Sunday at Eucharist. It is the very shape of Christian life. We find this in the simple bread and wine which stir our remembering and draw forth our prayer of thanksgiving. The bread that we break and the wine that we bless become our holy Communion in the body and blood of the Lord. We eat and drink and so proclaim that we belong to one another and to the Lord.

 The members of the assembly quietly prepare themselves during the PREPARATION OF THE ALTAR. A corporal (a small, folded cloth which derives its name from the fact that during and outside of Mass the body or corpus of the Lord rests on it) is placed on the altar, along with a purificator (a still smaller cloth that serves chiefly for cleansing or purifying the cup). The Roman Missal or Sacramentary is then placed on the altar. The gifts are brought forward in procession by members of the assembly, and this procession is a symbolic expression of the fact that the people enter into the sacrifice of Christ. The presider takes the gifts to the altar.

 Several short prayers and symbolic actions make up the PREPARATION OF THE GIFTS. These prayers are said inaudibly, as water is added to wine, as the bread and wine are held by the priest slightly above the altar, and as the priest washes his hands. The adding of water to wine was, in ancient times, often a matter of necessity. Ancient wines were heavy and thick, sometimes requiring as much as two parts water to one part wine to make them drinkable. When wines became the free-flowing, thin liquids with which we are familiar today, the mixing of water and wine came to symbolize the union of Christ’s divinity with our humanity.

 The lifting of bread and wine slightly above the altar, and the prayer which accompany this action, is patterned after the ancient blessing prayers in the Jewish Passover Seder. The prayers begin by praising God as Creator of the world, who give us these gifts. They are God’s gifts to us, but they are also the fruit of human toil and thus the possession of the human givers. The givers bring them as representatives of themselves before God, so that by the transforming power of the Holy Spirit they may become the Bread of Life and the Cup of Salvation.

 The washing of hands, like the adding of water to wine, began as necessity. Along with unleavened bread and wine, the congregation presented their gifts (money, food, livestock, etc.) for the poor and for sustaining the Church in its work. The priest’s hands were often soiled by the handling of many such gifts. Today, a symbolic meaning (that of purity of heart) is attached to what is no longer a necessary precaution.

 The PRAYER OVER THE GIFTS marks the end of the preparation and of the first part of the Liturgy of the Eucharist. This prayer sums up the content and meaning of preparing gifts and community, and acts as a transition to the Eucharistic prayer.

 The EUCHARISTIC PRAYER is the center and high point of the entire celebration. It has eight essential elements, which will be discussed later: thanksgiving, acclamation, epiclesis, institution narrative and consecration, anamnesis, offering, intercessions, and final doxology. Greek words and Greek-based terms abound in this list, reminding us of the history of the Mass as its celebration spread through the Greek-speaking cities of the ancient Roman Empire.

 The presider, in the PREFACE DIALOGUE, invites all to lift up their hearts and gives thanks and praise to God. He then gives voice to reason for the assembly’s praise of God (God’s saving deeds past and present) in the PREFACE PRAYER, and the  the assembly responds by singing the angelic acclamation of the thrice-holy God. The HOLY, HOLY, HOLY is an acclamation composed of a rich mosaic of scriptural texts. The opening lines from Isaiah describe his vision of the Lord during Temple service. The words “Hosanna in the highest,” come from the narratives of Palm Sunday in Matthew and Mark. From those same narratives, along with their parallel in Luke, comes the phrase, “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.” This is from Psalm 118:26.
     The epiclesis  (from the Greek word meaning “invocation”) follows. It is in the Eucharistic Prayer that we invoke the Holy Spirit to come upon the gifts of bread and wine and upon us. The priest, in an ancient symbolic gesture, extends his hands over the gifts in this invocation.

 The Greek word anamnesis means “memory.” In the INSTITUTION NARRATIVE AND CONSECRATION, then, we remember what Jesus did at the Last Supper. Through these words, and especially in the MEMORIAL ACCLAMATION, we remember and proclaim Jesus’ death, Resurrection, and future coming, and we express our own hope in Christ.

 In OFFERING Christ’s sacrifice, the Church hopes that the faithful learn to offer themselves, through Christ, to an ever more complete union with God and with each other. This hope is expressed through the INTERCESSIONS in the Eucharistic Prayer which address the needs of all the members of the Church, living and dead.

 The DOXOLOGY - from the Greek for “word of praise” - sums up our praise of God expressed throughout the whole Eucharistic Prayer. And the lifting of the Body and Blood of Christ during the doxology, as a final gesture, focuses our attention on Jesus’ sacrifice, the central action of redemption and the reason for our praise. The Eucharistic Prayer is concluded with the most important profession of faith, the GREAT AMEN (the assembly’s affirmation of all that has taken place before).

 Then, all join in the LORD’S PRAYER, the beginning of the COMMUNION RITE. Our word Communion comes from the Greek koinonia, meaning “unity, or sharing.” The Eucharist calls us into sharing first with God and then with one another in God’s name. So we begin the Communion rite by praying the Lord’s Prayer. A part of our Mass since the fourth century, and considered the model for all prayer, Matthew’s version of the “Our Father” contains seven requests which can be divided into three petitions that concern God and four petitions that concern human beings. First, we request that God’s name be blessed, then that “thy kingdom come” and “thy will be done.” Next we request daily bread, forgiveness for ourselves and others, the avoidance of temptation, and escape from evil.

 The Lord’s Prayer is followed by an expansion of the last of the seven requests. Such an expansion is known as an embolism (from the Greek word referring to additional piece sewn onto a garment). This embolism was “stitched” into the Mass during the sixth century. The concluding words, “We wait in joyful hope for the coming of our Savior Jesus Christ,” are derived from Titus 2:13 and refer not to Jesus’ birth but to the Second Coming at the end of time.

 Another doxology concludes the Lord’s Prayer, and may come from as far back as the first century. It’s wording makes it an especially suitable ending to Matthew’s version of the prayer. Having used Jesus’ own words, “Thy kingdom come,” we now acknowledge that “the kingdom...is yours.” Having made four requests for God’s assistance to us, we now acknowledge God has the power to answer our prayers: “the power...is yours.” Having hallowed the Lord’s name, we now conclude, “the glory...is yours.” As God’s sons and daughters, then, we pray, “The kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours, now and forever!”

Our expression of sharing with God flows naturally into an expression of sharing with our human brothers and sisters. The prayer that introduces the SIGN OF PEACE (“Lord Jesus Christ, You said to your Apostles...”) helps us to understand that peace is a gift already given us by Christ, but one which can be experienced only by the forgiveness of sin and only to the full in God’s kingdom.

 The presiding priest expresses a word of peace to the assembly, and invites all to exchange an appropriate sign of peace. This was the peace that Jesus wished for his disciples — in Hebrew, shalom — a peace derived from an awareness of the abiding presence of God.

 The BREAKING OF BREAD and POURING OF WINE follow the Sign of Peace. The many grains which have become the one bread (and the many grapes which have become the wine) symbolize the many members who have become one Body, the Church. We become what we eat: the very Body and Blood of the Lord. The action of breaking and pouring is accompanied by the LAMB OF GOD litany.

Koinonia, or sharing, seems to be the original reason for the priest’s taking a small particle of the broken host and placing it in the chalice. In the early centuries of the Church in Rome, the Pope immediately sent particles from the host broken at Mass to all the other congregations in the city. When the particle arrived from the papal Mass, the presiding priest would take it and drop it into his chalice. Thus all the faithful in Rome were symbolically united with their bishop and with one another. Whatever the origin of the action, however, a later meaning now prevails. While the separate consecrating of the Body and Blood of Christ is taken to symbolize the Savior’s death, their later “mingling” is taken to symbolize the resurrection. The priest then invites all to come to the Lord’s Supper. All, in turn acknowledge our unworthiness, and count on the healing power of Christ.

 To the words of the minister, “The Body of Christ,” or “The Blood of Christ,” the communicant answers, “Amen.” In the fourth century, Saint Ambrose warned the faithful to take this response seriously: “What you confess with your life, you must keep in your heart.” At that same time, Saint Augustine called this “Amen” response the very “signature” of a Christian.

 After the Communion procession, all sit to pray in silence. This period should be long enough to savor the taste of the Body and Blood of the Lord. The Communion rite concludes when the prayer after Communion is spoken by the priest, who sums up the individual prayers of all present.

 Blessing and Dismissal: Going Forth in Peace
The Liturgy of Word and Eucharist ends very simply. There may be announcements of events and concerns for the community, then the presider gives a blessing and the assembly is dismissed.

 The BLESSING is preceded by a final greeting. As we have seen, such greetings introduce important parts of the Mass. The importance of the DISMISSAL lies in our being sent forth to live koinonia, sharing with God and our brothers and sisters in the world. We are being sent forth “in peace to love and serve the Lord” amid the concerns of our daily lives. So we leave the church building, often singing a final unifying hymn, to bring the presence of the Church, ourselves, the Body of Christ, into the world.

 

 


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Sin and reconciliation

WHAT IS SIN?
Perhaps the simplest definition of sin is that it is a break — a break in the relationship we have with God, a break in the relationship we have with another, a break in the relationship we have with our innermost selves. Whenever we experience such a break, we also desire to be healed. We call such healing reconciliation.
 
The reality of sin
There are three different kinds of sin: private, social and public.
 
PRIVATE SIN: At one time, private sin formed the bulk of the sins we called to mind when we thought about our transgressions. Sin was seen primarily as an offense against the Law of God. The Ten Commandments formed the backdrop against which we examined ourselves. The Law of Moses was the guide, rather than the mercy of God. And we never really thought about our participation in other kinds of sin and evil.
 
SOCIAL SIN: Today we stand in the midst of a complex moral environment, with new global dimensions brought to us by the immediacy of modern telecommunications. Consequently, we struggle, often very much alone, to know what to do. This kind of sinfulness is seldom called to mind, but that doesn’t make it any less real. Whether we care to admit it or not, we contribute to social sin every time we fail to feed the hungry, or visit prisoners, or tend the sick, or house the homeless. We contribute to social sin through things like racism, sexism, consumerism, homophobia, militarism. Some people in our Church consider it sinful to pay taxes that are used to build bombs. Their voices cannot be ignored.
 
PUBLIC SIN: We seem to have more “public sinners” than we used to, perhaps because people are more open about what we might call “lifestyle disobedience”: namely, divorce and remarriage, gay and lesbian partnerships, living together outside of marriage, not going to Mass anymore...
 
While such people might be honest, straightforward, loving, caring people, they are public sinners, because they have not formally, publicly, reconciled with the Church.  Some make the decision to return on their own, some stay away, some have given up hope, most don’t know what to do.
 
There are other kinds of public sinners. Some say that the overly wealthy, those who hoard money, are public sinners. Some accuse abortion doctors and clinic workers of being public sinners.
 
Many ways to reconcile
For different levels of sinfulness, there needs to be different ways of confessing and moving on to wholeness and grace. This has been the constant teaching of the Church: Sin is forgiven
•When we participate in the Eucharist (the primary way of forgiving sins!);
•By the sacraments: Baptism, Anointing, Reconciliation;
•When we pray and ask God’s forgiveness;
•By almsgiving and charity;
•By fasting and abstinence;
•By leading another sinner to Christ; or
•By forgiving others.
The bottom line is that sin is a reality, and we are part of that. Maybe we cannot set clear lines of definition, but that by no means makes it less real for us. The laws of sin are written on our hearts (Jeremiah 31:33): we know inherently what is and what isn’t sinful. And when we realize that what we’ve done is sinful, we cannot avoid ourselves for long! The Good News is that with the Lord there is mercy and the fullness of redemption. God will redeem us from all our sins. In that is our real hope.
 

 


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FAQs
Do you celebrate a "real" Catholic Mass?

What do Catholics believe?

What do Catholics say about the Bible?

What do Catholics believe about prayer?

What are sacraments?

What do Catholics believe about sin and reconciliation?

What do Catholics believe about Mary?

What is a miracle?

What is Vatican II?

What is the Church's history?

What does the Church say about homosexuality?


Links/Resources

 















previous month  DECEMBER 2013  next month
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All about Mary

WHAT IS MARY'S ROLE IN THE CHURCH?
Mary has a special place in the story of salvation history and is foremost among the saints. The New Testament reports that she was singled out and graced by God for the special and unique privilege of being the mother of Jesus. Not fully understanding how she — an unmarried woman — was to conceive a child, she became the perfect symbol of faith when she said yes to the invitation to bear God’s Son. With her husband, Joseph, Mary raised Jesus in a loving, prayer-filled home, taught and cared for him. When Jesus launched his public ministry, Mary faithfully witnessed and supported him. With courage and sorrow in her heart, she stood at the foot of the cross in Jesus’ dying moments. Finally, Mary was with the apostles praying in the upper room after Jesus’ resurrection, expectantly awaiting the descent of the Holy Spirit. The Church teaches that Mary is the greatest saint and the model of Christian faith.
WHAT ARE SOME OF MARY'S TITLES?
The Church honors Mary with many titles, such as Our Lady, Mother of God, Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception, Blessed Mother, Mother of the Church, Ever Virgin, Queen of Heaven and Earth and many more. These titles reflect what the Church teaches and believes about Mary.
WHAT DO WE MEAN BY THE "IMMACULATE CONCEPTION"?
The Church teaches that Mary was conceived without original sin. This means that from the first moment of her existence Mary was full of grace, that is, free of any alienation from God caused by the human condition. Because of her special role in God’s saving plan, she was graced with divine favor in anticipation of her son’s death and resurrection. In addition, Mary was so attuned to God that she was free of all personal sin. She lived a holy and blameless life.
WHAT IS THE CHURCH'S TEACHING ABOUT MARY'S VIRGINITY?
The Apostles’ Creed states that Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. She conceived Jesus without a human father, and the Church has traditionally taught that she was a virgin “before, in and after” the birth of the Lord. Her virginity is significant because it attests to the divinity of Jesus. By believing in Mary’s virginity, the Church teaches that God is the unique Father of Jesus Christ.
HOW IS MARY BOTH MOTHER OF GOD AND MOTHER OF THE CHURCH?
In reflecting on the identity of Jesus, the early Church, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, taught that Jesus is one divine person who has both a human and a divine nature. Further, the Church taught that Jesus was divine from the first moment of his conception in Mary’s womb. Thus, at the Council of Ephesus (A.C.E. 431) the Church solemnly declared that Mary is theotokos  (a Greek word meaning “God-bearer”). By being the mother of Jesus, Mary is truly the mother of God. She also is the mother of the Church. As the Lord was dying on the cross, he gave his mother to all people everywhere to serve as their spiritual mother. By giving Mary to us as our mother, the Lord wants us to learn what God does for those who are loved. The Church is also a mother. As such, the Church can learn from Mary, the perfect model of faith, obedience, fidelity, compassion, and prayerfulness. Mary is the model of Christian holiness and an image of God’s love for us.
WHAT IS THE ASSUMPTION?
In 1950, Pope Pius XII officially proclaimed what Catholics had long believed: “The Immaculate Mother of God, the ever Virgin Mary, having completed the course of her earthly life, was assumed body and soul into heavenly glory.” In her assumption, Mary was preserved from the decay of death. She is thus the first to share in the Lord’s resurrection. She is the living model for all people whose future destiny is union with the Lord.
 
WHY DO CATHOLICS HAVE A SPECIAL VENERATION OF MARY?
We honor Mary because we look to her as the mother of God and our mother. Devotion to the Blessed Mother leads to deeper love of her and imitation of her virtues, especially her total commitment to God’s will and her single-hearted faith in God’s work. We also honor Mary because, in so doing, we draw closer to her son.

 Sometimes Catholics are accused of worshiping Mary as though she were a god. True devotion, however, honors Mary, and is a source of praise and thanks for God’s blessings upon her and upon us who honor her.
 
WHAT IS THE ROSARY?
There are a number of devotions to Mary, but the most popular is the Rosary. The Rosary centers on the recitation of a number of decades of Hail Marys, each decade introduced by the Lord’s Prayer and concluded by a Glory Be. Introductory prayers to the Rosary include the Apostles’ Creed, an initial Our Father, three Hail Marys and a Glory Be. During the recitation of these prayers, participants meditate on certain events, or mysteries, from the life of Christ and Mary.
 
WHAT ARE SOME OF THE OTHER DEVOTIONS TO MARY?
There have been a number of popular devotions to Mary through Christian history. Among them are the Angelus, the First Saturday devotion, the Litany of the Blessed Mother, and various novenas.

 The Angelus commemorates the incarnation and is traditionally recited in the morning, at noon, and in the evening. It includes three short verses which recall the angel Gabriel’s announcing to Mary that she was chosen to be the mother of the lord and her humble acceptance. Three Hail Marys and a special prayer are also included.

 The First Saturday devotion originated as a result of Mary’s appearances to the children at Fatima, Portugal in 1917. The devotion consists of the celebration of the sacrament of reconciliation, receiving holy communion on the first Saturday of five consecutive months, reciting five decades of the Rosary and meditating on the mysteries of the Rosary for 15 minutes. This practice is offered to God for the intention of the conversion of sinners and in reparation for sin.

 A litany is prayer in the form of petitions with a response. The Litany of the Blessed Mother is an example.

 A novena is a devotion practiced over nine consecutive days (or over a period of nine weeks, with one day a week set aside for the devotion). A novena recalls the nine-day period of prayer spent by the apostles and disciples of Jesus in the upper room before the descent of the Holy Spirit. A popular novena to Mary is the novena in honor of Our Mother of Perpetual Help.
 
WHAT ARE MARIAN APPARITIONS?
Apparition is the technical term for an inexplicable appearance of someone, usually someone deceased. While there are instances in Church history of claims regarding apparitions of saints or of Jesus, the most frequent claims are those involving the Blessed Virgin Mary. The International Marian Research Institute at the University of Dayton reports that nearly 80,000 apparitions of Mary have been claimed since the third century A.C.E. Yet only seven (about a hundredth of 1 percent) have received official recognition by the Church.
 
WHAT ARE THE "APPROVED" MARIAN APPARITIONS?
 1531, Guadalupe, Mexico: On a hill outside Mexico City, the Blessed Mother appeared four times to a recent convert to Christianity named Juan Diego. Mary proclaimed herself “the Mother of the true God who gives life” and left her image permanently upon Diego’s tilma or mantle.
 1830, Paris, France: In the chapel of the Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent dePaul, Mary showed herself three times to novice Catherine Laboure (age 24). Laboure said she was commissioned by the Virgin to have a medal of the Immaculate Conception or “Miraculous Medal” made in order to spread devotion to Our Lady.
 1846, La Salette, France: Six-thousand feet up in the French Alps, Mary is believed to have come to Maximin Giraud (age 11) and Melanie Calvat (age 14) while they tended sheep. Her appearance in sorrow and tears called for conversion and penance for sins.
 1858, Lourdes, France: At the Grotto of Massabielle, the Virgin showed herself 18 times to Bernadette Soubirous (age 14). Under the title, “the Immaculate Conception,” she called for penance and prayer for the conversion of sinners.
 1917, Fatima, Portugal: While tending sheep, Lucia de Santos (age 10) and her two cousins, Francisco (age 9) and Jacinta Marto (age 7), reported six apparitions of Mary, who identified herself as “Our Lady of the Rosary.” Mary urged prayer of the Rosary, penance for the conversion of sinners and consecration of Russia to her Immaculate Heart.
 1932-33, Beauraing, Belgium: Mary is believed to have come 33 times to the playground of a convent school to five children (ages 9-15), Andree and Gilberte Degeimbre, and Albert, Fernande and Gilberte Voisin. Identifying herself as “the Immaculate Virgin” and “Mother of God, Queen of Heaven,” she called for prayer for the conversion of sinners.
 1933, Banneux, Belgium: In a garden behind the Beco family’s cottage, the Blessed Mother is said to have appeared to Marie Beco (age 11) eight times. Calling herself the “Virgin of the Poor,” Mary promised to intercede for the poor, the sick and the suffering.
 
HOW DOES AN APPARITION RECEIVE CHURCH APPROVAL?
For the most part, the Church reserves judgment concerning the nature and truth of any particular apparition. In many cases, the Church itself will make no official pronouncement but will allow the local bishop to test the truth of and respond most appropriately to reports of apparitions. In all events, however, the “supernatural” nature of an event must never be presumed — rather, it must be proved. Even then, the Church only pronounces whether the events are of a supernatural nature or not; there is never a mention of Mary.

 In 1978 the Vatican Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith issued standard guidelines for bishops to use in assessing claims of private revelation. The facts in the case must be free of error; the person(s) receiving the messages must be psychologically balanced, honest, moral, sincere and respectful of Church authority; any doctrinal errors must not be attributed to God, Our Lady or to a saint; theological and spiritual doctrines must be free of error; moneymaking must not be involved in any way; and a healthy religious devotion and spiritual fruits must result, with no evidence of collective hysteria.
 
WHAT IS A HEALTHY RELIGIOUS DEVOTION TO THE BLESSED MOTHER?
In addition to liturgical remembrance, Catholics honor Mary by prayers and practices, both private and public, such as the Rosary, pilgrimages and veneration of icons. Pope Paul VI, in his 1974 apostolic exhortation Marialis Cultus, laid down theological principles and practical guidelines for a healthy Marian devotion.

 The principles stem from basic truths found in the Creed: Honoring Mary should occur within the bounds of a rightly ordered faith and thus not overshadow the one, triune God: Father, Son, and Spirit. It should keep clearly in view that Christ alone is the merciful Savior and the one Mediator between God and human beings. It should give due recognition to the working of the Holy Spirit in the gift of grace. And it should give expression to the newly recognized connection between Mary and the Church.
 
The guidelines are drawn from biblical, liturgical, ecumenical and anthropological developments endorsed by the Second Vatican Council: Honoring Mary should be imbued with the Scriptures, not just a text or symbol here or there but the great biblical themes of salvation history. Since the liturgy is the golden norm of Christian piety, devotion to Mary should harmonize with its spirit, themes and seasons. Ecumenically, care should be taken lest a wrong impression be given to other Christian churches, even unintentionally, especially with regard to Christ’s unique role in salvation. Culturally, practices should reflect the understanding of a society that recognizes the emergence of women into all fields of public life. All of these principles and guidelines should be used to judge the adequacy of traditional devotional practices or the formation of new ones.
 
HOW ARE WE TO JUDGE THE CONTENT OF APPARITION MESSAGES?
The content of the messages cannot contradict the public revelation which God has entrusted to the Church through Scripture, Tradition (creeds, councils, writings of the saints) and the teaching office of the Church. This test is far more important than apparent conversions, cures or even miracles reported to validate messages and messengers.
 
WHAT PLACE DOES PRIVATE DEVOTION HAVE IN THE LIFE OF THE CHURCH?
Private revelations from Mary or another messenger may never be placed on a par with or above public revelation. The Church has always taught and continues to proclaim that God’s revelation was brought to completion in Jesus Christ, who is the fullness of that revelation and that no new public revelation is to be expected before the glorious manifestation of our Lord.
 

 


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What is a miracle?

Miracles are something special.

The word miracle comes from the Latin words miraculum, meaning “a marvel,” and mirari, meaning “to wonder.” The New Testament uses three different Greek words to refer to Jesus’ miracles: teras, dynamis and semeion. Each of these words gives us a different insight into what a miracle is. Teras means “a marvel.” A miracle amazes us. It astonishes us. We don’t know what to make of it. Dynamis means “a power.” The word “dynamite” comes from this same word. A miracle is something explosive and powerful. Semeion means “a sign.” A miracle is like a flashing red light. The important thing is not the light but what it signifies. Similarly, the important thing about Jesus’ miracles is what he intended them to signify.

WHY DID JESUS WORK MIRACLES?

Jesus healed people because he felt compassion toward them, and because they pleaded with him to end their affliction. But he also worked miracles because they signified that he was the Messiah and he was bringing about the Reign of God. He worked miracles in order to invite others to believe in him and to become members of God’s heavenly realm.
DOES JESUS CONTINUE TO WORK MIRACLES?
Yes! Miracles are marvelous events or moments in which God’s saving power and holy presence are made known. We know from the Scriptures that certain marvelous, miraculous events or signs did occur during Jesus’ ministry, but it’s difficult to identify or prove in a scientific way just what happened during these events. Miracles were central to Jesus’ ministry and mission and they strengthened the faith of those who were witnesses to them. Some people dismiss the whole notion of biblical miracles, saying they didn’t really occur. Others interpret them fundamentally, saying they happened exactly as recorded in Scripture. Still others hold that it’s not important if they took place or not, for faith in God’s saving power and revelation, which miracle stories express, is what really counts.
 The Church specifies that Jesus worked miracles, and that he still works them today. This has been believed since the beginning of the Church, and miracles have deepened the faith of believers ever since. The gospels indicate that miracles or signs were an essential part of proclaiming the Good News. Therefore, it stands to reason, they must still be an essential part today. Of course the greatest miracle of all was the Resurrection of Christ from the dead. But there are many other signs of God’s presence and power in our everyday lives that continue to deepen our faith. We can see them if we believe it’s possible.

 


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Summary of Teachings

CAN YOU SUMMARIZE THE TEACHINGS OF THE SECOND VATICAN COUNCIL?
• The Church is, first and foremost, a mystery, or sacrament, and not primarily an organization or institution.
•The Church is the whole People of God, not just the hierarchy, clergy, and religious.
•The Church’s mission includes action on behalf of justice and peace and is not limited to the preaching of the word and the celebration of the sacraments.
•The Church includes all Christians and is not limited exclusively to the Catholic Church.
•The Church is a communion, or college, of local churches, which are not simply administrative subdivisions of the Church universal.
•The Church is an eschatological community; it is not yet the reign of God.
•The lay apostolate is a direct participation in the mission of the Church, and not simply a sharing in the mission of the hierarchy.
•There is a hierarchy of truths; not all official teachings of the Church are equally binding or essential to the integrity of Catholic faith.
•God uses other Christian churches and non-Christian religions in offering salvation to all humankind; the Catholic Church is not the only means of salvation.
•The dignity of the human person and the freedom of the act of faith are the foundation of religious liberty for all. 

 


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Overview

WHAT WAS VATICAN II AND WHY WAS IT IMPORTANT?

Vatican Council II was the 21st general, or ecumenical, council of the Church (Oct. 11, 1962-Dec. 8, 1965). The council is regarded by many as the most significant religious event since the 16th-century Reformation and certainly the most important of the 20th century. The council produced 16 documents: four were constitutions, nine were decrees, and three were declarations. A constitution is a major document that intends to set a direction for the whole Church. A decree is a significant document, intended to foster further reflection and set a pace and direction for future discussion. A declaration is a statement of a theological position that is important for its influence on future dialogue.

 


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The Dogmatic Constitution on the Church

Perhaps the most significant document to emerge from the Council was The Dogmatic Constitution on the Church (In Latin, Lumen Gentium). While it was argued by the Fathers from the first day to its passage, it was widely supported, and set a new focus for the Church. It was approved on Nov. 21, 1964, by a vote of 2151 to 5. Here are a few highlights:
•The Church is a mystery, “a reality imbued with the hidden presence of God.” It is a sacrament: a visible, tangible, audible sign of the invisible, intangible, inaudible divinity. The universal Church appears as a people made one with the unity of the Trinity.
•The Church’s primary mission is to announce and proclaim the Reign of God in our time.
•The Church is the whole people of God, not just the hierarchy.
•The people of God are called to ministry, community, holiness, and adulthood.
•The Church is universal, but also complete in each parish.
•The Church is more than Roman Catholics: it also includes all those who belong to Christ.
•Authority is shared, and is rooted in the faith of the people.
•The laity seeks God’s Reign by engaging in temporal affairs and ordering them according to God’s plan.
•The Church is always understood in light of the mission of Jesus, which is to transform the world with love.
•The Church is not identical with the Reign of God. If it were, it would never need change or renewal and everyone would have to belong to it in order to be “saved.”
•The call to holiness is a call to everyone.
•The consecrated life of religious is a particular gift to the Church.
•The memory of Mary is to hold a place of reverence for all.



 


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The Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation

The second significant document to emerge from the Council was the Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation (in Latin, Dei Verbum).
This was a strong document stating that the Church moves forward in time, developing a deeper understanding of what is handed down about the Reign of God and always finding new ways of expressing that reality. The Council Fathers approved the document on Nov. 18, 1965, by a vote of 2344 to 6. Here are a few highlights:
•The Bible is the foundation of divine revelation. Tradition and Scripture are not of equal importance. Tradition must always be founded on Scripture.
•Doctrine and dogma are expressed in different words for different generations, but eternal truths do not change.
•Dated routine changes, but authentic tradition remains always with us.
•Our response to God’s revelation is faith. Through faith, we entrust our whole selves to God. This faith is handed on to all generations through living traditions. It is held in sacred deposit through the official teaching office of the Church.
 

 


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The Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy

Of all the reforms that took place because of Vatican II, none was more extensively or intensively felt than those associated with the liturgy. Not surprisingly, this document had the most influence in the emergence of the laity after the Council. It was approved on Dec. 4, 1963, by a vote of 2147 to 4. Here are a few highlights:
•The Church seeks to invigorate the Christian life of the faithful, by adaptinging what is changeable to the needs of today, promoting union among all who believe in Jesus, and strengthening the Church’s mission to all humankind.
•The Mass is the source and summit of the Christian life. Therefore, for the liturgy to be effective, the faithful must be well disposed, know what they are doing, and participate.
•Some elements of the liturgy are changeable (its language, books, prayers, music, ministers, and places). Some elements are not changeable (the use of Scripture, bread, wine, offertory, consecration, communion).
•The liturgy may be celebrated in the language of the people.
•The Eucharist is an act of thanksgiving rather than a static devotional object. (This meant a downplaying of devotions outside of Mass [the Rosary, Benediction, etc.], which was felt very strongly by average Catholics).
•The Divine Office should be reformed so that the laity may pray it as well; the liturgical year should be reformed so that more feasts are confined to local observance; sacred music should be composed so that the faithful are involved as singers, not just listeners; and sacred art should emphasize beauty rather than sumptuous display.
•Priests do not have the only role in liturgy, but share liturgical ministry with many others. (This had a profound sociological impact on the overall understanding of the place of the priest in the parish).

 


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The Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World

The Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World (in Latin: Gaudium et spes) was a very important, historic document that spoke to the Church and to all people about the hopes and dreams of the human family. It was the first document to address the whole world issued by an ecumenical council, and it was approved on Dec. 7, 1965, by a vote of 2309 to 75. Here are a few highlights:
•“The joys and hopes, the griefs and anxieties of the people of this age, especially those who are poor or in any way afflicted, these are the joys and hopes, the griefs and anxieties of the followers of Christ.”
•We must look at and trust the signs of the times and understand the world in which we live.
•The human person is dignified but many still suffer.
•Human “conscience is the most secret core and sanctuary of a person where he or she is alone with God.” But there is a mysterious aspect to human nature and conscience is not easily discerned.
•We live together in a global community of persons in which there must be made available everything necessary for leading a truly human life.
•Every type of discrimination is to be overcome and eradicated as contrary to God’s intent.
•Science does not conflict with faith...the Church is the friend of Science.
•The Church lives and acts in the world. “Let there be no false opposition between professional and social activities on the one part, and religious life on the other.” It isn’t “the world against the Church.” It’s “the world together with the Church.”
•Specific problems of special concern to the Church include marriage and family, the development of culture, economic and social life, the life of the political community, and the fostering of peace.

 


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The Decree on Communications

A decree is a significant document intended to foster further reflection and set a pace and direction for future discussion. The council's first decree was the Decree on Communications, approved on Dec. 4, 1963, by a vote of 1960 to 164. A relatively weak document (evidenced by the fact that it is still seldom read), it was addressed to the media and those who control it. In it, the Council Fathers called for the Church to use modern media to preach the Gospel, and for the faithful to reject what is ungodly in the media.

 


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The Decree on Ecumenism

The Decree on Ecumenism was approved on Nov. 21, 1964, by a vote of 2137 to 11. This document represented a significant move forward for the Church. In it, the Council Fathers called for restoration of ties with our separated sisters and brothers, rather than a return to Rome. The document also admitted blame for this separation on both sides, and called for a change of heart to make ecumenism possible. The document encouraged dialogue and called upon the Roman Church to reform itself as part of the process of reunion. Obviously, the long-term impact of this decree on the life of the Church cannot be underestimated.

 


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The Decree on Eastern Catholic Churches

One of the shortest decrees to emerge from Vatican II was the Decree on Eastern Catholic Churches. This document gave Rome’s perspective on the six main Eastern Catholic churches: Chaldean, Syrian, Maronite, Coptic, Armenian, and Byzantine. It stated an ardent desire for reconciliation and clearly proclaimed the equality of the Eastern and Western traditions. It also dealt with the spiritual heritage of the Eastern Churches, the Eastern patriarchs, sacraments, and divine worship. The Council Fathers stated that the Eastern Churches in union with Rome are autonomous in structure and, as such, have the right to rule their own affairs and to expand through missionary activity. The Eastern-rite bishops present at the Council proposed many items that became part of the legacy of Vatican II: liturgy in the vernacular; eucharistic concelebration; Communion under both species; the permanent diaconate; the establishment of the Synod of Bishops; and the Pontifical Council for Christian Unity. This document made clear that the Church is catholic in reality and not just in name.

 


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The Decree on the Bishops´ Pastoral Office

The Decree on the Bishops’ Pastoral Office was a follow-up document to the one on the Church, and it gives a “job description” for bishops. It focuses on three basic areas of episcopal responsibility: first, the bishops’ collegial responsibility for the universal Church and their relationship with the pope; next, the document looks at the bishop’s responsibilities in the local diocese; and finally, the decree deals with the cooperation of bishops responsible for the Church in a particular region, calling for the use of synods and councils to serve that purpose. Specific attention is given to the nature and authority of the episcopal conference. It was approved on Oct. 28, 1965, by a vote of 2319 to 2.

 


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The Decree on Priestly Formation

The Decree of Priestly Formation (Optatum Totius in Latin) was approved on Oct. 28, 1965, by a vote of 2318 to 3, and it contains directives and counsel concerning the formation of candidates for the priesthood in light of the Council’s teaching and pastoral concerns. Specifically: each nation needs to have its own “Program for Priestly Formation” drawn up by the episcopal conference and revised at regular intervals; priestly vocations need to be fostered in new ways; seminaries need to prepare priestly candidates for the basic responsibilities of pastoral ministry; priestly candidates need to have proper spiritual formation; courses of study need to be revised in light of Catholic teaching and contemporary pastoral needs; pastoral concerns need to be incorporated into all aspects of priestly training; and priests need to participate in a program of continuing education after ordination.

 


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The Decree on the Apsotolate of the Laity

The first document in the history of ecumenical councils to address itself to anyone other than the Church’s own clergy was the Decree on the Apostolate of the Laity (in Latin, Apostolicam Actuositatem, “The apostolic activity”). Remember, because it is a decree, it has less influence than the four Constitutions, but its importance has been in the direction it has set for the entire Church ever since its promulgation.

The Decree on the Apostolate of the Laity is a long document. In its original form, it was much longer, but some of that material was transferred to the Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World, the Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, the Decree on the Church’s Missionary Activity, and other documents.

Specifically, it declares that lay people have a ministry by virtue of their baptisms, not merely a sharing in the ministry of the ordained. Although the decree situates the lay apostolate firmly in the temporal sphere, namely, the family, culture, economics, the arts and professions, politics, and international relations, it doesn’t exclude the laity from direct participation in the internal life of the Church. The decree concludes by detailing how the apostolic work of the laity is to proceed, how lay people are to be prepared for it, and the importance of each person’s role in the establishment of the Reign of God. It was approved by the Council Fathers on Nov. 18, 1965, by a vote of 2305 to 2.
 

 


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The Decree on the Ministry and Life of Priests

The Decree on the Ministry and Life of Priests (in Latin, Presbyterorum Ordinis, “the order of priests”) was approved on Dec. 7, 1965, by a vote of 2390 to 4. This last-minute document concerns the ministry of priests in light of the Council’s teaching and the pastoral circumstances of the day. The decree reflects the Council’s intent to expand the notion of priestly ministry from one focused largely on ministry of the sacraments to a broader threefold ministry of God’s Word, sacraments, and community leadership. Priests are said to act “in the person of Christ the head” in the exercise of this threefold ministry.

The decree speaks of the relationship priests have to the body of bishops, in which they share the one priesthood of Christ; the relationship they have to other priests, with whom they are united by a sacramental bond; and the relationship they have to the laity for whom they function as pastors, even though they are one with the faithful by virtue of a common baptism and with whom they share a common call to discipleship. Priests achieve holiness of life, the decree teaches, through the ministry they exercise. The decree failed to deal with celibacy and left the priesthood unrenewed in an otherwise overhauled Church. A 1970 synod tried to fix things, but only made matters worse. The renewal of the priesthood remains the most significant unfinished work of the Council.


 


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The Decree on the Church´s Missionary Activity

The Decree on the Church’s Missionary Activity (in Latin, Ad Gentes Divinitus, “To the nations”) was approved by the Fathers on the last day of the Council, Dec. 7, 1965, by a vote of 2394 to 5.

Missionary bishops primarily promoted this document in an effort to draw attention to the challenge of bringing the Gospel to the Third World and to attract financial and personnel support from Europe and America. (Ironically, the Church in Africa is today witnessing the highest growth rate in the world, as well as the greatest number of vocations to the priesthood).

The document encouraged retaining local, “pagan” religious customs and incorporating the Gospel into them, a radical idea to say the least! It also stated that the whole Church is missionary in nature, meaning that all of the People of God are called to introduce the faith to others.


 


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The Decree on the Appropriate Renewal of Religious Life

The Decree on the Appropriate Renewal of Religious Life (in Latin, Perfectae Caritatis, “Of perfect charity”) was approved by the Fathers on Oct. 28, 1965, by a vote of 2321 to 4.

This document urged religious women and men to return to their roots, their reasons for being founded, and to adjust to the needs of changing times in the modern Church. One teaching that was noticeable because of its absence was the idea, from the Council of Trent nearly 400 years earlier, that religious life is a superior state to that of married life.


 


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The Declaration on Religious Education

The Declaration on Christian Education (in Latin: Gravissimum Educationis, “The importance of education”) is considered a relatively weak document. It focused on the education of the young in the home, the school (including colleges, universities and seminaries), and the Church (through catechesis and liturgy), and was approved by the Council Fathers on Oct. 28, 1965, by a vote of 2290 to 35.

The declaration insists that education must be broadly humane, open to scientific advances, and concerned with nurturing personal maturity and social responsibility. It differed from other conciliar documents in that it dealt only with a few basic principles and left their development to the postconciliar process. It found its fulfillment in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, issued by the Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith in 1992.


 


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The Declaration on the Relationship of the Church to Non-Christians

One of the most significant declarations of the Council was the Declaration on the Relationship of the Church to Non-Christians (in Latin: Nostra Aetate). It began as a statement only about our relations with the Jews, but was eventually widened to say that “the truth” is present outside the Body of Christ and is to be respected wherever it is found, mentioning in particular Hinduism, Buddhism, and Islam as well as Judaism.

The declaration states that the Catholic Church encourages dialogue and opens itself to the contributions of these other religious traditions. Most important, the declaration makes it clear that the Jews are not to be blamed as a race for the death of Jesus; they are loved by God and every form of persecution or discrimination against them is condemned. Nostra Aetate was approved by the Council Fathers on Oct. 28, 1965 by a vote of 2221 to 88.


 


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The Declaration on Religious Freedom

The Declaration on Religious Freedom (in Latin: Dignitatis Humanae, “Of the dignity of the human person”) is considered by many to be the most controversial document of the Council. A key player in its development was American Jesuit theologian John Courtney Murray, making this the most American contribution to the Council’s documents.

The declaration was controversial because it raised the question of doctrinal development. It also acknowledged, for the first time in official Catholic teaching, religious pluralism, without condemning or bemoaning it. It defined the role of government as constitutional and limited in function, namely, the protection and promotion of human rights and duties, and disavowed any sacred function for it. The declaration also affirmed the freedom of the Church, rather than its privileged legal status, as “the fundamental principle in what concerns relations between the Church and governments and the whole civil order.”

Religious freedom is rooted in freedom of conscience, and demands that people not be compelled or restrained in any way when it comes to making or rejecting an act of religious faith. Jesus himself never compelled anyone to believe in him. His manner was always meek, humble, and patient. His miracles were intended to rouse faith in his hearers and to confirm them in faith, not coerce them. But religious freedom can be limited when it interferes with public order, that is, when the public peace, commonly accepted standards of public morality, or the rights of other citizens are threatened.

The Declaration on Religious Freedom was approved by the Council Fathers on Dec. 7, 1965 by a vote of 2308 to 70.
 

 


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Overview

 WHAT DOES THE WORD CATHOLIC MEAN?

Catholic comes from the Greek word, katholikos, which means “universal.” The Catholic Church is the world-wide Church that recognizes the Bishop of Rome (the pope) as “the perpetual and visible source and foundation of the unity of the bishops and of the multitude of the faithful” (Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, n. 23). There are more than 1 billion Catholics in the world, by far the largest body of Christians and the largest single religious community on Earth.


 IS THERE A PLACE FOR DIVERSITY OF EXPRESSION, OR MUST EVERYONE EXPRESS THEIR FAITH IN EXACTLY THE SAME WAY?

The universal Catholic Church is principally a union of local churches (parishes, dioceses, regional churches, patriarchates, and national churches), whose unity is rooted in the presence of the Holy Spirit, a common faith in Jesus Christ, the celebration of the Eucharist and the other sacraments, and the visible unifying ministry of the Bishop of Rome. The Catholic communion encompasses eight distinct Catholic traditions: Armenian, Byzantine, Coptic, Ethiopian, East Syrian (Chaldean), Maronite, Roman, and West Syrian. Some of these have more than one local expression. For example, the Chaldean and Syro-Malabar churches are both expressions of the East Syrian tradition, and the Ukranian and Melkite churches are expressions of the Byzantine tradition.
Before the 16th century, this worldwide church was simply the Catholic Church. The adjective “Catholic” had its origins in Ignatius of Antioch (an early second-century bishop) and was found also in the writings of the early Church Fathers and in the creeds. When the authority of the Bishop of Rome became a source of contention between West and East in the 11th century and between Catholics and Protestants in the 16th century, the adjective “Roman” served to distinguish those Christians who remained in union with Rome from those who did not.
However, the adjective “Roman” tends to confuse rather than define the reality of Catholicism since it is not the Roman primacy that gives Catholicism its distinctive identity within the family of Christian churches, but the Petrine primacy. Indeed, it was in Jerusalem, not Rome, that the Petrine primacy was first conferred and exercised. The adjective “Roman” applies more properly to the diocese of Rome than to the worldwide Church that is in union with the Bishop of Rome.
According to the Second Vatican Council’s Decree on Ecumenism, the Catholic Church includes more than Catholics alone. Those other Christians “who believe in Christ and have been properly baptized are brought into a certain, though imperfect, communion with the Catholic Church” (n.3). Consequently, the worldwide, or universal, Church is at once identical with the Catholic Church and larger than the Catholic Church. However, even as it recognizes this wider dimension of the universal Church, the Catholic Church continues to teach that the Catholic Church and its traditions are normative for other Christian churches and traditions.
 

 


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Beginnings

HOW AND WHERE DID THE CATHOLIC CHURCH GET ESTABLISHED?
Since the Catholic Church does not see itself as simply one Christian denomination among many in the universal Church or as merely a product of the Counter-Reformation of the 16th century, it situates its beginnings in the New Testament itself, with Jesus’ gathering of his disciples and, following the Resurrection, his commissioning of Peter to be the chief shepherd and foundation of the Church (Matthew 16:13-19; Luke 22:31-32; John 21:15-19). Given the symbolism of keys as instruments for opening and closing the gates of the kingdom of heaven, the conferral of the power of the keys upon Peter clearly suggests that he was given an imposing measure of authority by the Lord. On the other hand, special authority over others is not clearly attested. Indeed, Peter is presented elsewhere as consulting with the other apostles and even being sent by them (Acts 8:14), while he and John act almost as a team (3:1-11; 4:1-22). Nevertheless, Peter has a ministry that seems to set him apart within the original company of disciples and this explains his primacy (and that of his successors throughout the early history of the Church). He is portrayed as the fisherman (Luke 5:10; John 21:1-14), as the shepherd of the sheep of Christ (John 21:15-17), as an elder who addresses other elders (1 Peter 5:1), as proclaimer of faith in Jesus as Son of God (Matthew 16:16-17), as receiver of special revelation (Acts 1:9-16), as one who can correct others’ doctrinal misunderstandings (2 Peter 3:15-16), and as the rock on which the Church is to be built (Matthew 16:18). These biblical images were later enriched by others: missionary preacher, great visionary, destroyer of heretics, receiver of the new law, gatekeeper of heaven, helmsman of the ship of the Church, co-teacher and co-martyr with Paul.

 Although founded on the rock of Peter, the Church of the New Testament was diverse and pluralistic in character. Despite many differences from place to place, however, certain common elements of belief and practice existed: faith in Jesus as Messiah and Lord, the practice of baptism and the celebration of the Eucharist, the apostolic preaching and instruction, the practice of communal love, and the expectation of the coming reign of God. There was freedom in all other matters.

 By the end of the first century the Church had begun to establish itself throughout the eastern and northeastern Mediterranean. Beginning in Jerusalem it moved north and west through the missionary journeys of Paul and others to modern-day Syria (Damascus and Antioch), modern-day Turkey (Ephesus and Colossae), Greece (Corinth, Philippi, Thessalonia), and Rome, where a large Christian community, said to have been established by Peter, existed from at least the middle of the century. As the Church spread through the Greco-Roman world, it adapted itself to contemporary social, political, and cultural forms and structures, particularly the organized and administrative patterns that prevailed in the areas of missionary activity. It adopted the organizational divisions of the Roman Empire, for example (dioceses and provinces) and identified its own center with the center of the Roman Empire itself. This decision was supported by the tradition that Peter and Paul were martyred and buried there. By the latter half of the second century there were synods and councils and the emergence of the monarchical episcopate (one bishop governing each diocese).

 


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The Early Church

HOW DID THE EARLY CHURCH GROW?

The Church changed and developed in response to various crises and heresies. In the controversy with Gnosticism, defenders of Catholic orthodoxy like Irenaeus (who died around the year 200) appealed to the faith of local churches founded by the apostles (which became the basis for apostolic succession), and especially the faith of the Roman church, which was by now clearly associated with Peter and Paul. During the first five centuries, the church of Rome gradually assumed preeminence among all the local churches. It intervened in the life of distant churches, took sides in theological controversies, was consulted by other bishops on doctrinal and moral questions, and sent delegates to distant councils. The local church of Rome came to be regarded as a kind of final court of appeal as well as the focus of unity for the worldwide communion of churches. The correlation between Peter and the Bishop of Rome became fully explicit in the pontificate of Leo I (440-61), who claimed that Peter continued to speak to the whole Church through the Bishop of Rome.

 One of the defining events in these early centuries of the Church’s history was the conversion of the Roman emperor Constantine I (306-337) in the year 312. Thereafter, pagan practices were suppressed and the Church and its clergy received privileged status. Christian commitment would no longer be tested by persecution and martyrdom, and the Church itself was now vulnerable to the negative influences of the secular culture.

 Almost immediately, a countercultural movement known as monasticism began, reaching its zenith in the middle of the sixth century with the founding of Monte Cassino by Benedict of Nursia (who died in the year 547). Although devoted primarily to work and prayer (in Latin, ora et labora), monks were also directly involved in the missionary expansion of the Church into England, Ireland, Scotland, and France (then known as Gaul) between the fifth and seventh centuries. Bishops began to be recruited from among those who had some monastic training. These new-style bishops brought with them some traits of their monastic background: celibacy and a certain antiworld asceticism. Already separated by the laity by legal status and privilege, some of the hierarchy drew even further away by reason of different spiritualities.

 As early as the eighth century, former mission countries (like England) were sending missionaries of their own to the still-pagan regions of Europe. By the middle of the 11th century, following the restoration of political stability in Europe, monks had largely withdrawn from temporal and ecclesiastical affairs and returned to their monasteries. Under the impact of this monastic renewal, new religious orders were founded (the Franciscans, for example, as well as the Dominicans, Cistercians, and the Jesuits).

 Doctrinal controversies
As the new monastic movement was taking root, the Church had to wrestle with doctrinal controversies over some of the most basic elements of its faith: the nature of God, the divinity of Christ, the meaning of redemption and the divinity of the Holy Spirit. Arianism held that the Son of God was only the greatest of creatures. The Council of Nicaea condemned this belief in 325, declaring that the Son and the Father are of the same divine substance (in Greek this mystery is referred to as the homoousios). The First Council of Constantinople (381) condemned Apollinarianism, which held that Christ had no human soul, and Macedonianism, which denied the divinity of the Holy Spirit. The Council of Ephesus (431) condemned Nestorianism, which held that in Christ there is only one nature, a human nature, and that the human Jesus is separate from the divine Word (in Greek, Logos). At the opposite end of the doctrinal spectrum, Monophysitism (from the Greek word meaning “one nature”) held that Christ’s human nature was completely absorbed by the divine person, so that in Christ there is only one nature, a divine nature. This elicited the Christological definition of the Council of Chalcedon in the year 451: Jesus Christ has two natures, the one divine and the other human, united in one divine person “without confusion or change, without division or separation.” This stress on balance (both/and rather than either/or) has characterized Catholic teaching since its beginning.

 The same balance was maintained in the great debates about nature and grace. Against Palagianism, which held that salvation can be achieved through human effort alone, Augustine of Hippo (who died in 430) insisted on the primacy of grace without denying human responsibility. In the 17th century, the Church would also condemn Quietism, which held that we can do nothing on our own spiritual behalf. The Scholastics argued that grace and nature are not opposed, but that grace builds on nature.

 


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Middle Ages

HOW DID THE CHURCH GET TO BE SO "EUROCENTRIC" ?
Around the same time as the Church's early doctrinal controversies were being resolved, German tribes began migrating through Europe with no effective control. These so-called “barbarian invasions” lasted some 600 years and changed the face of Catholicism from a largely Greco-Roman religion to a broader European religion. Catholic devotion, spirituality, and organizational structure were reshaped by the militaristic and feudal character of the Germanic culture. Christ was portrayed as the most powerful of kings; the place of worship was described as God’s fortress; monks were regarded as warriors of Christ; the profession of faith became an oath of fidelity to a kind of feudal lord; and Church officials, wearing the trappings of temporal authority (a ring, staff and mitre), were seen more as political than as pastoral leaders. The line between the sacred and the temporal became so blurred, in fact, that emperors, kings, and princes began assuming the right to appoint bishops. This led to the investiture controversy, which was eventually resolved in favor of the Church through the persistent efforts of Pope Gregory VII (who died in 1085).

 At the beginning of the eighth century, with the eastern empire no longer able to aid the papacy against the aggressive Lombards in northern Italy, the pope turned to the Franks (the Germans) for help. The new alliance led to the creation of the Holy Roman Empire, culminating in the crowning of Charlemagne (who died in 814) in the year 800. After the empire’s eventual collapse, however, the papacy fell into the hands of the corrupt Roman nobility and the Church entered into what historians have come to call the “dark ages” of the 10th and 11th centuries. The papacy regained its footing under the reformer Gregory VII, who dealt decisively with three major abuses: simony (which is the selling of spiritual goods), the alienation of Church property (allowing ownership to pass from the Church to private hands) and lay investiture. The prestige of the pope reached its highest point in the Middle Ages during the pontificate of Innocent II (1198-1216), who fully exploited the Gregorian claim that the pope has supreme, even absolute, power over the whole Church. Boniface VIII (1294-1303) took that claim one step further and asserted dominion over the temporal order as well in the famous papal bull of 1302, Unam Sanctam (“One Holy”).

Canon law was codified to support the new claims. The Church became increasingly legalistic in its theology, moral life, spirituality, and sacramental administration, especially with regard to marriage, viewed more as a contract than as a covenant. By the middle of the thirteenth century the papal hierarchical model of the Church was securely in place, and it would dominate Catholicism until the Second Vatican Council some six centuries later. Newly elected popes were crowned like emperors — a practice discontinued by Pope John Paul I in 1978.

 Meanwhile, through a series of unfortunate and complicated political and diplomatic developments in the 11th century, a major breach occurred between the church of Rome and the church of Constantinople. The excommunication of the patriarch of Constantinople, Michael Cerularius (who died in 1058), by papal legates in 1054, and the Fourth Crusade (1202-1204) and the sack of Constantinople by Western knights dealt crucial blows to East-West unity that are only now beginning to be healed.
 

 


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Reformation and Counter-Reformation

WHAT BROUGHT ABOUT THE REFORMATION?
During the Middle Ages, a process of disintegration continued within the Western Church. First, there was the confrontation between Boniface VIII and Philip the Fair (who died in 1314) over Philip’s power to tax the Church. After asserting his jurisdiction over the emperor in the bull Unam Sanctam, the pope was arrested and died a prisoner. Then there were the financial abuses during the subsequent papacy in exile at Avignon, France (1309-78), the rise of anti-clericalism in reaction to papal taxes and of conciliarism in opposition to the new claims of papal power, and, finally, the Great Schism of 1378-1417 in which there were three different people claiming to be pope at the same time.

 But there were other, more immediate causes of the Reformation that followed: the corruption of the Renaissance papacy of the 15th century, the divorce of popular piety from sound theology and of theology from its biblical and historical roots, the debilitating effects of the Great Schism, the rise of the nation-state, the too-close connection between Western Catholicism and Western civilization and culture, and the powerful personalities of the Reformers themselves, especially Martin Luther, John Calvin and Ulrich Zwingli.

 The Catholic Church’s official response to the challenge of the Reformation was vigorous, if belated. The centerpiece of the Counter-Reformation was the Council of Trent, held between 1545 and 1563. This council was conducted largely under the leadership of Pope Paul III (1534-49), and it reaffirmed those traditional Catholic teachings that had been rejected or attacked by the Protestants: the importance of human effort in salvation, the place of tradition alongside Sacred Scripture, the seven sacraments, including the ordained priesthood, the authority of the hierarchy and so forth. The council also instituted the Index of Forbidden Books and it established seminaries for the education and formation of future priests. The post-Tridentine Church continued to emphasize those doctrines, institutions and devotions that the Reformation had directly challenged: veneration of the saints, devotion to Mary, eucharistic adoration, the hierarchy and the priesthood. Catholic missionary activity was reduced in countries where Protestantism flourished, but the Catholic faith was carried abroad by the two Catholic sea powers, Spain and Portugal. The Dominicans, Franciscans, and the newly established Jesuits brought Catholicism to India, China, Japan, Africa, and the Americas. The Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith was founded in 1622 to oversee these new missionary endeavors.

 Post-Reformation Movements
Tensions between Rome and France were made worse by the rise of Jansenism in France at the beginning of the 17th century. Drawing much of their inspiration from St. Augustine but taking his theology to an extreme, the Jansenists tended to view human nature as totally corrupt and developed a spirituality that was excessively rigorous and puritanical. When Rome finally moved against Jansenism, many in France took it as an affront to the independence and integrity of French Catholicism. Gallicanism (from the original Latin word for France, Gaul) surfaced as an essentially nationalistic movement, but with clear theological overtones. It asserted that only a general council has supreme authority in the Church and that all papal decrees are subject to the consent of the whole Church as represented in such a council. Gallicanism was condemned by the First Vatican Council of 1869-70, which taught that infallible teachings of the pope are irreformable, that is, not subject to the consent of any higher ecclesiastical body or authority.

 The Catholic Church in northern Europe, especially in the Catholic states of Germany, was also severely challenged by an 18th century movement known as the Enlightenment. The movement was characterized by a sometimes uncritical confidence in the powers of human reason, an optimistic view of human nature and a passion for human freedom. At the same time, it displayed an often hostile attitude toward religion and the supernatural and against all authority other than that based on reason. Although it influenced Protestantism far more than it did Catholicism, the Enlightenment stimulated advances in theological and biblical scholarship, in the education of the clergy, in the promotion of popular education, and in the struggle against religious superstition.

 If the Enlightenment marked the beginning of the end of an unhistorical Catholic theology, the French Revolution of 1789 marked the end of medieval Catholicism. The feudal, hierarchical society on which medieval Catholicism had been based abruptly disappeared. In uprooting the clerical system, the French Revolution forced the French clergy to look to Rome and the papacy for support. Since Rome was “beyond the mountains,” the new dependence of French Catholics on the papacy gave rise to an ultraconservative movement known as Ultramontanism. Perhaps the greatest hidden benefit of the French Revolution was what some have called the “grace of destitution.” By stripping the French church of most of its wealth and power, the Church was free once again to pursue its basic mission of preaching the gospel and serving the people in fidelity to its central teachings.

 Not only in France but also in Germany, the French Revolution provoked a counterreaction among many intellectuals who returned enthusiastically to the values of the past, including those of Catholicism, which they extolled now as the mother of art and the guardian of patriotism. This countermovement was known as Romanticism. There emerged from it a rigid traditionalism that was distrustful of all critical thinking and speculation in theology and that looked to Rome for authoritative answers to all questions.
 
The winds of Modernity
The popes of this time - Gregory XVI( (1831-46) and Pius IX (1846-78) - condemned the winds of change and modernity, nowhere more forcefully than in Pius’ Syllabus of Errors, published in 1864. Although Pius persuaded the bishops of the First Vatican Council to define papal primacy and papal infallibility, he lost the Papal States in 1870 and, as a consequence, the pope’s last bit of political power. It was only with the Lateran Treaty of 1929 (which was renegotiated in 1983) that the pope’s temporal rights to the Vatican were legally recognized.

 The 19th century also witnessed the rapid development of industrialization and the rise of many new social problems, including the worsening condition of workers. Too long wedded to, and identified with, traditional social, political, and economic powers, the Church began to lose the loyalty of the working classes. Partly to attract them back to the Church and partly to restore stability to the social order, Pope Leo XIII (1878-1903) issued a major encyclical entitled Rerum Novarum (from the Latin meaning “Of New Things”) in 1891, defending the rights of workers to form unions, to earn a just wage and to work under humane conditions. Catholic social teachings were developed in subsequent decades by popes Pius XI, Pius XII, John XXIII, Paul VI, and John Paul II, as well as by the Second Vatican Council (1962-65) and individual conferences of bishops. John Paul II marked the 100th anniversary of Rerum Novarum with an encyclical of his own entitled Centesimus Annus (from the Latin meaning “The Hundredth Year”).

Just as the Catholic Church was buffeted by “new things” on the economic front, so, too, was it challenged anew intellectually. Although not really a single movement but a cluster of movements, Modernism emerged at the beginning of the twentieth century as a major threat to traditional Catholic orthodoxy, as formulated and interpreted by the new Scholastics. Modernism was condemned in 1907 by Pope Pius X (1903-14), and for many years thereafter bishops, pastors, and theologians were required to swear an oath against Modernism. Theologians and biblical scholars were forbidden to use the resources of modern scholarship in their research, writing and teaching, and if they did they were reported to Rome. Many were silenced, removed from their positions, suspended from the priesthood, or even excommunicated. Because of the intensity of the anti-Modernist campaign, Catholic scholarship declined for nearly fifty years, and didn’t begin recovering until just before the Second Vatican Council. Ironically, several of the Modernists’ principal positions were later reflected in the teachings of Vatican II and in some contemporary Roman documents; namely, that the truths of Scripture and the dogmas of the Church are affected by history and must be interpreted in light of historical circumstances and that there is a development of dogma.

 With the election of Pope Benedict XV (1914-22), the anti-Modernist era came to an end and the First World War began. In these turbulent years the Catholic Church continued to move into the modern world. The liturgical movement, later endorsed by Pope Pius XII’s encyclical Mediator Dei in 1947, began to close the gap between the clergy and the laity. Catholic biblical scholarship received crucial support from the same pope in his encyclical Divino Afflante Spiritu in 1943. The social apostolate was given energy by a series of papal pronouncements. The lay apostolate was promoted by popes Pius XI and Pius XII. The missionary movement, which had experienced a major revival in the 19th century with as many as 8 million converts, became increasingly independent of colonial and European influence. Both Pius XI and Pius XII stressed the importance of establishing native clergies and native hierarchies in mission lands.

 


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The Church Today

WHAT IS VATICAN II AND WHY IS IT IMPORTANT?
No event in the 20th century, or indeed in the modern era, has shaped and influenced the Catholic Church more substantially than the Second Vatican Council. It was convened by Pope John XXIII (1958-63) for the sake of updating the Church, bringing an end to the era known as Tridentine Catholicism.

 The history of the Catholic Church since Vatican II has been shaped largely by the Church’s efforts to come to terms with the various challenges and opportunities that the council presented and at the same time to remain faithful to its distinctive Catholic identity. These efforts have not been without great difficulty. Although the majority of Catholics, especially those who have had the advantage of education, have been generally responsive to the council’s teachings, a vocal minority continue to resist and oppose them. Pope Paul VI agonized over the divisions in the post-conciliar Church. Pope John Paul II (1978-2005) was often criticized for seeming to encourage the discontented minority to believe that elements of pre-Vatican II Catholicism could somehow be restored. Although Pope Benedict VI continues to move the Church toward a pre-Vatican II era, the long and still evolving history of the Catholic Church clearly suggests that it cannot and will not be completely realized.

 The story of the Catholic Church is ongoing. Its destiny is the reign of God in all its fullness. Its present is that of a pilgrim’s existence, “at the same time holy and always in need of being purified, and incessantly pursuing the path of penance and renewal.” Its abiding mission is “to show forth in the world the mystery of the Lord...until at the last it will be revealed in total splendor” (Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, n. 8).

 


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Is homosexuality a sin?

No. The Church does not consider a gay or lesbian orientation to be inherently sinful because it is not a choice, and "morality presumes the freedom to choose." In the mid-1970s, the Church recognized the difference between being homosexual and engaging in homogenital (same-sex) acts. The Church holds that, as a state beyond a person's choice, being homosexual is not wrong or sinful in itself.
 

 


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Are homosexual acts sinful?

That depends on the act and the intention. The Church teaches that any sexual act, homosexual or heterosexual, outside the covenant of marriage is sinful because sexual intercourse is a profound symbol of self-giving. When spouses make love, they are saying to one another in "body language" what they pledged to each other in marriage: "I am yours for life!" God created sex to be physically pleasurable and emotionally fulfilling. But it is even greater than all that. It is, above all, the deepest sign of the complete gift of self that spouses pledge to each other. The only "place" where this total self-giving is to take place is in marriage. So sexual intimacy belongs only in marriage. Outside of marriage, sex is a lie. The action says: "I give you my whole self" - but only for this moment, not for all time. The Church's tough stand on sex outside marriage is intended to safeguard the sacredness of sexual intimacy. Before giving your body to another person, you need to give your whole life, and you need to receive your spouse's whole life in return - and that can only happen in marriage.

 


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What is the basis for the Church´s teaching about homosexual acts?

All Catholic sexual ethics rests on this principle: procreation is an essential aspect of human sexuality, so every genital act must be open to the possibility of conception. For this very same reason, Catholic teaching also forbids contraception, masturbation, and sex outside of marriage.
 
This teaching pertains to the very nature of human sexuality. That is, the Church presents this teaching as natural law, the ordering which the Creator built into the universe.

 


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In addition to Scripture and Tradition, doesn´t the Church also base its teaching about homosexuality on "natural law"?

Arguments from natural law are inconclusive, for the nature of human sexuality is debated. Procreation is certainly one aspect of sexuality. Yet the Church allows marriage between known sterile couples and sex between couples beyond child-bearing age. Moreover, Catholic teaching has recently emphasized the unitive aspect of sex — loving, caring, interpersonal sharing. Is the biological or the personal the key aspect of sex among human beings? Similarly, the human sciences provide no universally accepted conclusion, but the majority opinion is that homosexuality is a natural variation, biologically based, fixed by early childhood, in no way pathological, and affecting about 6 percent of the population in virtually every known culture. (This percentage includes both the exclusively and the predominantly homosexual.) Likewise, while some may condemn practicing homosexuals as Godless and sinful, contemporary lesbian and gay Christians recognize their self-acceptance as a graced moment and report that, since coming out, they are happier, healthier, and closer to other people and to God.



 


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Does the Church condemn same-sex marriage?

Yes and no. The Church considers marriage to be exclusively the union of a man and a woman, and says that marriage between same-sex couples would pose a threat to that tradition. But some bishops have tried to re-frame the discussion. Consider these remarks by Basil Hume, OSB, the cardinal archbishop of Canterbury:
 
"Love between two persons, whether of the same sex or of a different sex, is to be treasured and respected. When two persons love, they experience in a limited manner in this world what will be their unending delight when one with God in the next. To love another is in fact to reach out to God, who shares divine lovableness with the one we love. To be loved is to receive a sign or share of God's unconditional love. To love another, whether of the same sex or of a different sex, is to have entered the area of the richest human experience."

 


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FAQs > What does the Church say about homosexuality? >
Can someone in a same-sex relationship be considered a "faithful" Catholic?

Yes. Although not as a matter of public Church teaching, only as a matter of conscience (a matter of personal application of the whole of Catholic teaching to that particular case).
 
In 1975, the Vatican's Declaration on Certain Questions Concerning Sexual Ethics addressed the issue of homosexuality. A principal author of that document was Jan Visser, C.Ss.R. In an interview published in the Jan. 30, 1976, edition of L'Europa, he said: "When one is dealing with people who are so deeply homosexual that they will be in serious personal and perhaps social trouble unless they attain a steady partnership within their homosexual lives, one can recommend them to seek such a partnership, and one accepts this relationship as the best they can do in their present situation." In other words, one of the very people who helped formulate the Vatican's teaching that homogenital acts are wrong allows that, in certain individual cases, one may not only permit but even recommend a stable homosexual relationship.

 


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FAQs > What does the Church say about homosexuality? >
Can a Catholic dissent from the Church´s teaching about homosexuality?

Neither Scripture nor Tradition nor natural law theory nor human science nor personal experience convincingly supports official Catholic teaching about the immorality of homogenital acts. Accordingly, and after much soul-searching, many gay and lesbian Catholics have formed consciences that differ from official Church teaching and have entered into homosexual relationships. In this respect they are exactly like the many married Catholic couples who cannot accept the official teaching on contraception.
 

 


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FAQs > What does the Church say about homosexuality? >
Can dissenting Catholics still be considered "faithful" Catholics?

Yes! In their Pastoral Letter Human Life in Our Day, the American bishops viewed dissent as legitimate under three conditions: (1) it is based on serious reasons; (2) it is respectful of teaching authority; and (3) it does not cause scandal.
 
As faithful Catholics, we recognize that the Church's teaching on homosexuality is authoritative but not infallible. Therefore, we respectfully disagree with the Church's position that homosexual acts are "acts of grave depravity" and that same-sex marriage is "immoral."
 
With all humility, we call upon the Church to allow same-sex couples to marry. Procreation is but one aspect of sexuality. The Church already allows marriage between known sterile couples and sex between couples beyond child-bearing age, so why not same-sex couples? Although the Church condemns practicing homosexuals as Godless and sinful, we believe that we are capable of entering into the sacred bond of marriage and that we can attain holiness through our loving relationships.
 
With the late Cardinal Basil Hume we believe that "love between two persons, whether of the same sex or a different sex, is to be treasured and respected. When two persons love, they experience in a limited manner in this world what will be their unending delight when one with God in the next. To love another is in fact to reach out to God, who shares divine loveableness with the one who we love. To be loved is to receive a sign or share of God's unconditional love. To love another, whether of the same sex or of a different sex, is to have entered into the area of the richest human experience."
 

 


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Dignity Houston
 
Dignity Houston
LGBT Catholics, families, friends and allies. Many voices, One mission.
   

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.… every Saturday at 7:30 p.m. for our Saturday night service and social hour. We meet at:
GLBT Cultural Center
 401 Branard, Room 114
​Just blocks from Alabama and Spur 527
After services, we generally go to dinner at an area restaurant. Discover the finest in local food while developing new friendships.
     




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We’re glad you decided to visit our Web site. Now, you may be wondering, “What can I get from Dignity Houston that I can’t get anywhere else? Why should I get involved?” Those are very important questions.
Dignity Houston strives to provide a nurturing, caring community for LGBT persons and their families, friends, and allies who choose to worship in an interactive style that celebrates the Catholic tradition. There are, of course, a whole array of options for doing just that, so again, you might wonder “Why Dignity instead of all of those?” You’ll find lots of reasons for being involved in Dignity on the other pages of this site; on this page, we’ll take a moment to look at some of the alternatives to Dignity.
Why not a welcoming church or denomination?
The Episcopalian Church in America, the Unitarian Church, and others are supportive of the LGBT lifestyle. For some LGBT Catholics, converting to a different denomination or attending a different denomination’s services is an acceptable alternative to traditional Catholic service. For others with strongs roots in the Catholic tradition, however, that just won’t do.
Simply walking away from the Catholic Church does nothing to change the Church’s position articulated in then-Cardinal Ratzinger’s Letter to the Bishops of the Catholic Church on the Pastoral Care of Homosexual Persons. In fact, those other denominations once held positions similar to that of the Catholic Church today. It was only through internal advocacy that they changed. The Catholic Church’s hierarchy and Magisterium have made serious errors in the past that they have had to recant. The indictment of Galileo and the condemnation of Mary Magdalene as a prostitute are just two egregious examples. Again, it was only through internal advocacy that the Church correct those errors.
Dignity Houston sees advocacy for the correction of the Church’s errors in teaching on human sexuality as a primary ministry.
Why not a traditional Catholic parish church?
For some, that’s actually a non-starter as a question. Many Dignity Houston members attend their parish church as well as Dignity Houston services. Dignity Houston encourages all its members to attend their parish churches as appropriate and, from time-to-time, visits parish churches as a group. For others, a traditional Catholic parish church just isn’t an acceptable alternative because:
•They have to be closeted about their sexuality.
•They receive anti-gay and hate messages from the clergy and fellow parishioners.
•In an environment as intensely personal as a worship service, they do not feel safe enough to be themselves, to hold hands with the life partner sitting beside them, openly acknowledge a close acquaintance from the LGBTcommunity, or even mention where they went last night.
•They have been mistreated and rejected in the name of Catholic dogma, and staying in the formal Church can be retraumatizing.
•There are no opportunities to participate in a leadership or major contributory role as an Out Catholic.
•They want to make a statement of protest against the hierarchy’s position on homosexuality.
However, Dignity Houston also affirms that the LGBT lifestyle represents a unique culture with its own values and customs. Many people feel a need to celebrate their religious life within their culture. Because of the Catholic Church’s stance on the LGBT lifestyle, as stated in the On the Pastoral Care of Homosexual Persons document, that cannot be done in the traditional Catholic parish church. Some folks find that trying to “blend in” in the traditional Catholic parish church is a little like a light-skinned Black person trying to “pass,” something that denies dignity of the person that they are.
Until such a time as the Church corrects the error of its ways, Dignity Houston will continue to fill the void by providing a sacred space for LGBT people to live out their faith with dignity and integrity.
Why not Courage?
Dignity Houston does not discourage anyone from joining Courage instead of or in addition to Dignity Houston. We feel that, when you have all the facts, you should make an informed decision, and we will support that decision, whatever it is. To assist you in making that choice, we provide you with the comparison of the two organizations below and encourage you to visit the Courage national Web site.

Courage
Dignity Houston

Affirms then-Cardinal Ratzinger’s Letter to the Bishops of the Catholic Church on the Pastoral Care of Homosexual Person which states “Although the particular inclination of the homosexual person is not a sin, it is a more or less strong tendency ordered toward an intrinsic moral evil; and thus the inclination itself must be seen as an objective isorder.” Dignity Houston affirms that the LGBT lifestyle is part of the rich tapestry of human life and, indeed, of the natural order of the mammalian world. (Virtually all mammals exhibit same-sex behavior to varying degrees.) Dignity Houston holds that same sex behavior between consenting adults in a spirit of caring is not intrinsically evil and is, in fact, a part of God’s Divine plan.
Dignity Houston also recognizes that the Magisterium and the Church’s teachings have been in error in the past and, as a human institution, will be in error in the future. One only has to think of its treatment of Galileo for confirmation of that fact. Dignity Houston strives to correct the Church’s egregious errors with regard to human sexuality and the LGBT lifestyle.

Goal: “Foster a spirit of fellowship in which all may share thoughts and experiences, and to ensure that no one will have to face the problems of homosexuality alone.” Thus, Courage is an AA-type organization committed to help “homosexuals” avoid their inclination toward homosexuals thoughts and acts. In fact, they offer their own Twelve Steps of Courage modeled after the famous AA Twelve-Step Program. Dignity Houston affirms that the LBGT lifestyle is not centered solely on sexual acts, but rather exists as a culture with its own shared values and customs. Dignity Houston strives to promote and nurture that culture by providing nonsexual activities in a spirit of community and fellowship, a community that supports those values and customs, including, for most members, a dedication to the Roman Catholic religion.
Goal: “Live chaste lives in accordance with the Roman Catholic Church’s teaching on homosexuality. (Chastity)” Thus, Courage promotes celibacy for its members if they cannot live successful heterosexual lives.” Dignity Houston affirms that celibacy is not part of the natural order in the world created by God. One only has to look at the very, very few people who maintain a life of absolute celibacy even among those who have taken a solemn vow of such celibacy after long and careful preparation for it. Even in situations where a person is deprived of human contact, the incidence of masturbation rises very significantly.
Dignity Houston holds that God created sex for the pleasure and bonding of humankind, as well as for procreation, and that such sex is a joyous and proper celebration of the wonders of the world God created — for both LGBT and heterosexual persons and all variations in between.

Houston contact : Fr. Mike van Cleve (713) 468-9555, fr.mike@hotmail.com Houston contact : P.O. Box 66821, Houston, TX 77006, info@dignityhouston.org; or visit us at any of our Liturgical Celebrations on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. at the GLBT Cultural Center, 401 Branard St, Room 114, Houston, TX 77006; Web site: http://dignityhouston.org
Why religion at all?
Many LGBT persons and supporters have left behind religion itself because of the repressive view that so many denominations take toward human sexuality and especially same-sex sexuality. There is dissension even within welcoming churches regarding their support of the LGBT lifestyle.
It has been said, “We cannot give a person faith; only God can give that. We cannot give people love; they must find that within their hearts. All we can do is give them hope — the singular characteristic of humankind.” Dignity Houston cannot convince you not to discard your religion because that is a matter of faith, something that only God can give you. What we can offer you is hope for tomorrow in a loving, nurturing community of folks who have shared values and culture.
All are welcome at His table.
     




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Welcome to Dignity/San Antonio
 


Submitted by admin on Tue, 05/01/2012 - 1:31pm



Dear Dignity Friend,
For more information about Dignity San Antonio see our FACEBOOK page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Dignity-San-Antonio/280870873787
We hope and pray that this weekly message will nurture you spiritually and be especially helpful in the more difficult times of life.



 

Dear Dignity Friend,
 
Hope you are having a good week. 
 
 We hope and pray that this weekly message will nurture you spiritually and be especially helpful in the more difficult times of life.
 
Reflection:  John 1: 19-28
 
“…’Who are you?… What do you say about yourself?’
John said, ‘I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, make straight the way of the Lord.’”
 
Has the church forgotten its prophetic role?
Do we no longer believe that it is part of our task to prepare the way of the Lord?
 
No! The zeal of John the Baptist is coming back to the church.  God is calling many prophetic voices to make a path for God to enter the hearts of millions of people who have been tossed aside by many churches.  Minority peoples abandoned by the church are now being brought back to the grace of God.  If the Word of God dwells in flesh, then all flesh can become a testimony to God’s action.  That God has chosen to dwell in the flesh of diverse peoples is a prophetic word from God in our day.
 The movement to liberate all peoples opens a new path for God’s presence in the world.
 
Each of our lives makes a specific and unique testimony.  Like John, we are voices crying in the wilderness.  Like John, we prepare the way for Christ to enter our communities. Just like John we baptize so that Christ shall be revealed.
 
“What do you say about yourself?”
 The question to John the Baptist is also the question addressed to us.
What is your answer?
 
Precious Jesus, I want to say yes to you using me.  I want the world to look at me and see you.  Let me be the highway you take into the life of my world, my relationships, my family, my home.  Walk in me, my God, I am not afraid anymore.
                                                                                                                                Larry J. Ulhrig, from The Road to Emmaus
 
 

Dignity/San Antonio
we meet every Sunday
at
 Beacon Hill Presbyterian Church
 @ 1101 West Woodlawn Avenue SA, TX 78201.
 Gathering at 5:15pm
 Liturgy at 5:30pm
ALL ARE WELCOME IN THIS PLACE! COME AND JOIN US!
 for more information 210-340-2230
 Dignity San Antonio Celebrates the wholeness and holiness of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Catholics
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Got Questions or would like to join/support Dignity San Antonio?
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NAVIGATION
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Mission Statement

DignityUSA works for respect and justice for people of all sexual orientations, genders, and gender identities—especially gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender persons—in the Catholic Church and the world through education, advocacy, and support.




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Dignity/San Antonio
PO Box 12544
 San Antonio TX 78212
Phone:
 210-340-2230

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• Dignity Catholic Eucharistic Liturgy

12/22/2013 - 5:15pm

• Dignity Catholic Eucharistic Liturgy

12/29/2013 - 5:15pm
   



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About Us
 


Submitted by admin on Tue, 05/01/2012 - 2:05pm


Statement of Position and purpose
A. We believe that gay Catholics are members of Christ’s mystical body, numbered among the people of God. We have an inherent dignity because God created us, because Christ died for us, and the Holy Spirit sanctified us in Baptism making us a temple and the channel through which the love of God might become visible. Because of this, it is our right, our privilege, and our duty to live the sacramental life of the Church, so that we might become more powerful instruments of God’s love working among God’s people.
B. We believe that gays can express their sexuality in a manner that is consonant with Christ’s teaching. We believe that all sexuality should be exercised in an ethically responsible and unselfish way.
C. As members of DIGNITY/USA, we wish to promote the cause of the gay community. To do this, we must accept our responsibility to the Church, to society, and to the individual gay Catholic
 

History
Throughout its existence, Dignity has fought for "a time when Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Catholics are affirmed and experience dignity through the integration of their spirituality with their sexuality, and as beloved persons of God participate fully in all aspects of life within the Church and Society."
In 2009, the executive director, Francis DeBernardo of New Ways Ministry speaks freely with his disagreement on remarks by Pope Benedict XVI on the futility of condom use in AIDS prevention
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NAVIGATION
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DignityUSA works for respect and justice for people of all sexual orientations, genders, and gender identities—especially gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender persons—in the Catholic Church and the world through education, advocacy, and support.




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CONTACT US:

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PO Box 12544
 San Antonio TX 78212
Phone:
 210-340-2230

Languages
•English
•Español




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Upcoming Events


• Dignity Catholic Eucharistic Liturgy

12/22/2013 - 5:15pm

• Dignity Catholic Eucharistic Liturgy

12/29/2013 - 5:15pm
   



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Dignity/Northern Virginia
 
Dignity/Northern Virginia
      

 


ANNOUNCEMENTS


Please continue to pray for Father Bob Fagan for a continued, speedy recovery. Also remember Ben Allen in your prayers.  And remember Father Bob Nugent, the co-Founder of New Ways Ministry.  Please use our Book of Prayer Intentions located at the back of church to enter your special prayer requests.
 
On Saturday, 12/7, we will be having our usual First Saturday collection of items for the OLQP Food Pantry.  Donations of canned goods and non-perishable items are collected during Mass and delivered to the OLQP Food Pantry which provides close to 500 bags of food each month to our neighbors in need. Our donations are also shared with the Arlington Food Assistance Center (AFAC). Contents of the food bags include canned vegetables, soup, canned fruit, cereal, meat or fish, pasta, pasta sauce, rice, beans (bulk bags of both stretch our resources), and, occasionally, dessert. In addition, clients can choose to receive instant corn flour (i.e. Maseca) and/or vegetable oil.
 

Also, on Sat, 12/7, there will be an anointing service during mass @ICOH @ 6:30 pm.
 
On Sat, 12/14, there will be a gift wrapping party @Eileen's after mass @ICOH @6:30 pm.  Please join your Dignity NoVA family for a Christmas party to share some holiday cheer and spread some good will to a few of our less fortunate neighbors.  The festivities will be at Eileen's house, which is about 20 minutes from church.  There will be plenty of food, holiday drinks and mirth for all and, as we think of others who are facing difficult times right now, we ask that you bring an unwrapped gift for a member of one of two families in need that we are adopting this season from Our Lady Queen of Peace.  We may do a little wrapping at the party to get in the Christmas spirit.  There will be more information on the family members to come.  We hope you can come - it will be a great opportunity for friendship and holiday generosity.  Directions will be provided.
 
On Sat, 12/21, there will be a communal penance service as part of the mass @ ICOH @ 6:30 pm. An opportunity for individual confessions after mass will also be provided.
 
On Tues, 12/24, Christmas Eve mass @ ICOH @7:00 pm with a brief potluck dessert social in the ICOH hall ending by 8:45 pm.
 
On Sat, 12/28 and 1/4/14 we will have our regular mass at ICOH @ 6:30 pm.
 
D/NoVA will not be having a mass on 12/25 or 1/1/14.  Note that DW will be having a mass on 12/9 at the Dignity Center at 7:30 pm for the Feast of the Immaculate Conception.  Also, DW will have a mass on 12/25 at St. Margaret's at 6:00 pm; and a mass on 1/1/14 at the Dignity Center at 7:30 pm.
 
At the D/NoVA Annual Meeting held on 11/23 a new Board of Directors for 2014 was elected.  Congratulations to the new board members who assume their new duties effective 1/1/14; and many thanks from the community to Patrick McN for his service as a board member for the past three terms.
 
Thanks also for the $305 donated by members of D/NoVA for Philippines Relief efforts.  The Board authorized an additional $300 from the Belle Fund for this purpose.  Accordingly, D/NoVA contributed $605 to the Catholic Relief Services' special fund to help victims of the Typhoon in the Philippines.
 
In advance of the Bishops Synod on the Family scheduled for October 2014, the Vatican put out a world-wide call for parish-level input on a range of issues including contraceptive use, divorce and remarriage, same-sex marriage, and the needs of families with children from unrecognized marriages. In some countries, including England and Wales, the national bishops’ conferences have created on-line surveys or other tools for Catholics to provide feedback.  In the U.S., the Conference of Catholic Bishops decided not to circulate the questionnaire widely. This has frustrated many Catholics. So, a group of 15 Catholic organizations, including DignityUSA, has adapted the survey being used by U.K. Catholics for our country. The questions follow the basic structure of the Vatican document, but the language has been changed to reflect common parlance. The survey can be accessed at

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/SynodOnFamilyUS.
We urge you to complete the survey, and pass it on to friends, family, and other interested Catholics.
We welcome the Rev. J Randolph Alexander, Jr as the new Rector of ICOH.  We hope to have him as a guest homilist in the near future.
 

Dignity/Northern Virginia
 



PURPOSE: Dignity/NoVA's primary purpose is to sponsor a weekly mass in the Roman Catholic tradition for the local Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender community of Northern Virginia. In addition to establishing a nurturing community for worship, spiritual development, fellowship and education, we seek to provide a healing outreach to GLBT Catholics by affirming that all people are children of God; and we seek to be a prophetic witness of Jesus' teachings and message to the Church, to the GLBT community, and to society through the spiritually unique and individual experiences of GLBT persons.
We are honored that you are visiting our web site. Being a religious organization, we are always striving to find new ways to get our message out to current and prospective members. This web site allows us to reach people we may never have been able to contact before.
Please use this site to access the information you need about the church and as a resource for broadening your faith. We look forward to hearing from you and answering any questions you might have. .
PASTORAL CARE: If you need confidential assistance, call the Dignity Center number (202) 546-2235 and select Box #2. You will be put in touch with the appropriate person. All calls are kept confidential. If you have need for pastoral counseling, contact any of our priests.
DIGNITY WASHINGTON: www.DignityWashington.org
Dignity Washington sponsors a mass for the GLBT community each Sunday night at 6:00 pm at St. Margaret's Church, 1830 Connecticut Ave., NW (Dupont Circle Metro). Additional information about DW activities can be found by using the link above to their web site or by calling the DW Information Line at 202-546-2235.
     


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D/NoVA is a chapter in the national organization DignityUSA and supports the DignityUSA’s vision statement; but D/NoVA is a completely separate organization independently incorporated under the laws of the Commonwealth of Virginia and retains the option to surrender in writing its DignityUSA chapter charter at any time and for any reason without any effect on the D/NoVA organization or its Bylaws.
 
Since receiving its charter in 1992, D/NoVA has sponsored a weekly Saturday evening mass in the Roman Catholic tradition for the local GLBT community of Northern Virginia at Immanuel Church-on-the-Hill in Alexandria, Virginia. As D/NoVA celebrates over 20 years of service to the GLBT community of Northern Virginia, it is unfortunate to note that the past 20 years have seen the Roman Catholic Church increasingly alienate its GLBT members, silence its critics inside the Church, and aggressively attack those outside the Church with opinions different from its own. In 2006, while D/NoVA joined many, many other enlightened religious leaders and congregations throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia in supporting Equality Virginia's efforts to defeat the amendment to the Virginia Constitution to ban gay marriages, the Bishops of Arlington and Richmond actively supported passage of the amendment.
D/NoVA takes pride in and celebrates its successful efforts towards gender equity. Female members are encouraged to and do take an active role in the management and operations of the chapter. Many of our Presidents and other office holders past and present have been female.
In addition to its activites seeking social justice, D/NoVA has supported efforts to ban offical, organized discrimination against gay high school students in Virginia, and supported other religious groups, communities and causes. We are a supporter of New Ways Ministry and a member of the Northern Virginia AIDS Ministry (NOVAM) which seeks to help those suffering with the disease, and we have engaged in other charitable works such as furnishing supplies to the Carpenter's Shelter for homeless children, families and adults in Alexandria, VA. Our monthly collections of food and other items supports the Food Pantry at Our Lady Queen of Peace Church in Arlington, VA.
These and other activities are in keeping with D/NoVA's goal to seek to provide, facilitate, and /or sponsor religious, educational, community service and charitable activities to unite GLBT individuals as well as all Roman Catholics regardless of their sexual orientation, gender, age, race, ethnic origin, political affiliation, or any other classification, in a way that is consonant with Christ's teaching, to be an instrument of Christ, to develop leadership, to worship together in full communion, and to be recognized as a positive example of Christian community by the Church and by society.
D/NoVA seeks to openly express our Christian faith through the tenants of our Roman Catholic faith, to achieve Christian maturity, and to demonstrate our love of God through our actions, our interactions, and our example. D/NoVA seeks to focus and demonstrate our faith by sponsoring a weekly Mass, the sacraments, scripture, personal prayer, and the love of neighbor, in a warm, welcoming environment for the GLBT community, their friends and relatives, and the greater society.
D/NoVA aims to provide a place and time for religious services that include the sacraments, prayer, worship, and fellowship. D/NoVA aims to provide Liturgical (including Worship and Music) and Social Ministries.
D/NoVA aims to provide the basis for performing charitable (religious) acts which may include but are not limited to AIDS Ministry, Hospital Ministry, Homebound Ministry, Homeless and Abandoned Ministries, and Ministries to Gays and Lesbians.
D/NoVA aims to educate members, friends, and outside community in matters of faith as well as concerns of the GLBT communities so that sexuality and spirituality are integrated rather than exclusive. This may include but not be limited to Outreach Ministries such as Personal Contact, Seminars, Speaker Events, Printed Material, and Networking.
D/NoVA aims to educate the Church and society of the importance of inclusivity in all matters through our own example and in such a way so that all people feel welcome and comfortable in their knowledge that anyone can achieve the goals they work toward without being excluded based on classification, real or imagined. To limit anyone by using exclusive actions, statements, words or deeds, limits everyone from achieving their full potential.
D/NoVA aims through education and example to eliminate all forms of harassment, particularly sexual harassment, from society. All harassment and particularly sexual harassment is degrading not only to the person on which it is perpetrated, but also to the society as a whole. Harassment of any form shall not be allowed at any D/NoVA function, event or activity whether the function, event or activity be public or private, religious or secular, social or personal.
We pray and work for that day of reconciliation when the Roman Catholic Church will not consider its GLBT children as "intrinsically disordered," but will welcome and accept all people as children of God endowed and blessed with uniques gifts, talents and orientations that need to be nurtured, celebrated and developed for the praise and glory of God.
 
     


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Dignity/Northern Virginia
 
Dignity/Northern Virginia
      

 

BYLAWS OF DIGNITY NORTHERN VIRGINIA
 



These bylaws were approved at the 2007 General Membership Meeting held on November 3, 2007 by a unaminous vote of the membership present. They became effective at 12:01 AM on November 4, 2007. These new bylaws replace in their entirety the original bylaws of D/NoVA which were adopted on October 3, 1993 and amended on December 24, 1994.

ARTICLE I. NAME
Section 1. The name of the organization shall be Dignity Northern Virginia (D/NoVA).
ARTICLE II. PURPOSE

Section 1. The primary purpose of D/NoVA shall be to sponsor a weekly mass in the Roman Catholic tradition for the local Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender (GLBT) community, their family and friends, and to support ancillary activities as further described in D/NoVA's statement of mission and goals below.
Section 2. Mission Statement:
D/NoVA is a welcoming community of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender (GLBT) Catholics, our families and friends, with a common mission to:
a. establish a nurturing community of worship, celebration, ministry, spiritual development, education and fellowship;
b. provide a healing outreach to GLBT Catholics by affirming that all people are children of God; and
c. be a prophetic witness of Jesus' teachings and message to the Church, to the GLBT community, and to society through the unique and individual spiritual experiences of GLBT persons.
Section 3. Goals:
D/NoVA seeks to provide, facilitate, and /or sponsor religious, educational, community service and charitable activities to unite GLBT individuals as well as all Roman Catholics regardless of their sexual orientation, gender, age, race, ethnic origin, political affiliation, or any other classification, in a way that is consonant with Christ's teaching, to be an instrument of Christ, to develop leadership, to worship together in full communion, and to be recognized as a positive example of Christian community by the Church and by society.
D/NoVA seeks to openly express our Christian faith through the tenets of our Roman Catholic faith, to achieve Christian maturity, and to demonstrate our love of God through our actions, our interactions, and our example.
D/NoVA seeks to focus and demonstrate our faith by sponsoring a weekly Mass, the sacraments, scripture, personal prayer, and the love of neighbor, in a warm, welcoming environment for the GLBT community, their friends and relatives, and the greater society. D/NoVA aims to provide a place and time for religious services that include the sacraments, prayer, worship, and fellowship.
D/NoVA aims to provide Liturgical (including Worship and Music) and Social Ministries.
D/NoVA aims to provide the basis for performing charitable (religious) acts which may include but are not limited to AIDS Ministry, Hospital Ministry, Homebound Ministry, Homeless and Abandoned Ministries, and Ministries to Gays and Lesbians.
D/NoVA aims to educate members, friends, and outside community in matters of faith as well as concerns of the GLBT communities so that sexuality and spirituality are integrated rather than exclusive of each other. This may include but not be limited to outreach ministries such as personal contact, seminars, speaker events, printed material, and networking.
D/NoVA aims to educate the Church and society of the importance of inclusivity in all matters through our own example and in such a way so that all people feel welcome and comfortable in their knowledge that anyone can achieve the goals they work toward without being excluded based on classification, real or imagined. To limit anyone by using excluding actions, statements, words or deeds, limits everyone from achieving their full potential.
D/NoVA aims through education and example to eliminate all forms of harassment, particularly sexual harassment, from society. All harassment and particularly sexual harassment is degrading not only to the person on which it is perpetrated, but also to the society as a whole. Harassment of any form shall not be allowed at any D/NoVA function, event or activity whether the function, event or activity be public or private, religious or secular, social or personal.
Section 4. Positions:
a. D/NoVA supports the DignityUSA “Vision Statement,” works to achieve the goals outlined in the “Statement of Position & Purpose” of DignityUSA, and herein below adopts those statements and any successor statements as part of the D/NoVA Bylaws.
b. The DignityUSA Vision Statement:

DignityUSA envisions and works for a time when Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Catholics are affirmed and experience dignity through the integration of their spirituality with their sexuality, and as beloved persons of God participate fully in all aspects of life within the Church and Society.
c. The DignityUSA Statement of Position and Purpose:

DignityUSA believes that gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender Catholics in their diversity are members of Christ's mystical body, numbered among the People of God. We have an inherent dignity because God created us, Christ died for us, and the Holy Spirit sanctified us in Baptism, making us temples of the Spirit, and channels through which God's love becomes visible. Because of this, it is our right, our privilege, and our duty to live the sacramental life of the Church, so that we might become more powerful instruments of God's love working among all people.
Further, DignityUSA believes that gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender persons can express their sexuality in a manner that is consonant with Christ's teaching. We believe that we can express our sexuality physically, in a unitive manner that is loving, life-giving, and life-affirming. We believe that all sexuality should be exercised in an ethically responsible and unselfish way. DignityUSA is organized to unite gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender Catholics, as well as our families, friends and loved ones in order to develop leadership, and be an instrument through which we may be heard by and promote reform in the Church.
To be such an organization, DignityUSA accepts it's responsibilities to the Church, to our Catholic heritage, to society, and to individual gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender Catholics.
1. To the Church: DignityUSA works for the development of sexual theology leading to the reform of its teachings and practices regarding human sexuality, and for the acceptance of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender peoples as full and equal members of the one Christ.
2. To society: DignityUSA works for justice and equality through education and by supporting social and legal reforms.
3. To individual gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender Catholics: DignityUSA reinforces their sense of self-acceptance and dignity and encourages full participation in the life of the Church and society.
DignityUSA members promote causes of interest to gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender Catholics in five primary areas of concern and commitment:
1. SPIRITUAL DEVELOPMENT: DignityUSA strives to achieve Christian maturity through the sacraments, Scripture, prayer, an active love of neighbor as ourselves, and liturgical celebrations, especially the Mass.
2. EDUCATION: DignityUSA informs itself in all matters of faith and of interest to our communities, so that we may grow in maturity and may nurture fulfilling lives in which our sexuality and spirituality are integrated.
3. SOCIAL JUSTICE: As Catholics and members of society, DignityUSA members involve themselves in those actions that bring the love of Christ to others and provide the basis of social reform in the Church and society. DignityUSA members are actively involved with:
a. Individuals: DignityUSA members lead a life of service to ourselves and others, rendering visible the love of Christ and assisting in the creation of love centered communities.
b. Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Groups: DignityUSA members work with a variety of other groups to seek justice for all persons and to promote a sense of solidarity within the communities.
c. Religious and Secular Groups: DignityUSA members work with many groups and organizations so that their members might better understand gay, lesbian, bisexuals and transgender persons and thus recognize and eliminate present injustices.
d. Health Care: DignityUSA members work to promote equal access and justice in all areas of health care and healing.
e. Women's Justice Issues: DignityUSA members strive to eradicate sexism and patriarchy in all areas of Church and secular life so that women are wholly included, accepted and welcome.
4. EQUALITY ISSUES: DignityUSA dedicates itself to develop the potential of all persons to become more fully human. To do this, DignityUSA works toward the eradication of all constraints on our personhood based on the ascribed social roles of women and men and to promote inclusivity in all areas of liturgical and community life.
5. SOCIAL EVENTS: DignityUSA provides activities of a social and recreational nature in an atmosphere where friendships can develop and mature, and where our sense of self acceptance and dignity is affirmed.
ARTICLE III. MEMBERSHIP
Section 1. Generally, all liturgies, activities and Board of Directors (BoD) meetings shall be open to all interested individuals regardless of whether or not they are members of D/NoVA. However, membership in D/NoVA is highly encouraged and open to all those interested individuals who attend events sponsored by D/NoVA and/or to persons who support the purpose, mission and goals of D/NoVA.
Section 2. Membership is required to vote in D/NoVA elections and/or to hold office in D/NoVA.
Section 3. There are no membership dues, but to be a member, an individual must submit personal identifying information including at a minimum his or her name and address so that he or she might be contacted during the election cycle, and: a. Provide financial or other support to D/NoVA; or b. Indicate a desire to be a member of D/NoVA when they provide financial or other support to DignityUSA; or c. Express a desire to become a member of D/NoVA.
Section 4. Membership must be renewed annually.
Section 5. Membership is a privilege, not a right. Membership shall not be denied to any person based on classification factors which include but are not limited to age, gender, race, ethnic origin, political affiliation, or sexual orientation. Membership may be denied or canceled by a simple majority vote of the BoD meeting in a closed door session(s) to any person who violates the Bylaws of D/NoVA or breaks any laws which can affect D/NoVA, or abuses or violates the rights of another member, jeopardizes D/NoVA, renders harm to D/NoVA by actions, deeds, or statements, or harasses another member or guest at any D/NoVA sponsored function.
Section 6. Exercising discretion as an Officer or Director of D/NoVA, any Officer or Director of D/NoVA may expel any individual from any D/NoVA sponsored event upon report of any incident of abuse, harassment, disruptive behavior or harm to another individual at the event. D/NoVA makes every effort to provide and maintain a safe environment for its activities, but D/NoVA cannot be held responsible for any criminal or other illegal activity by those attending the event.
ARTICLE IV. ORGANIZATION
Section 1. D/NoVA shall be incorporated under the laws of the Commonwealth of Virginia (Commonwealth).
Section 2. D/NoVA shall operate as a non-profit organization for purposes exclusively religious, educational and charitable within the meaning of Section 501 (c) (3) of the US Internal Revenue Code of 1954, as amended, and no substantial part of D/NoVA's activities shall be for carrying on of propaganda or otherwise attempting to influence legislation, nor shall it participate or intervene (including the publishing or distributing of statements) in any political campaign on behalf of any candidate for public office.
Section 3. D/NoVA does not contemplate pecuniary gain or profit, incidental or otherwise. Notwithstanding any other provision of these Articles, D/NoVA shall not carry on any activities not permitted to be carried on under the codes and statutes of the Federal or Commonwealth governments, and in particular to be carried on (1) by an organization exempt from Federal income tax under Section 501 (c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code (IRC) of 1954 (or the corresponding provision of any future US IRC or Law), or (2) by an organization, contributions to which are deductible under Section 170 (c) (2) of the IRC of 1954 (or the corresponding provision of any future US IRC or Law).
Section 4. D/NoVA may undertake any other activities that do not contradict the described purpose or mission, or which do not conflict with the Internal Revenue Service's definitions of allowable activities under Section 501 (c) (3), described above. Section 5. D/NoVA is a chapter in the national organization DignityUSA and supports the DignityUSA’s vision statement; but D/NoVA is a completely separate organization independently incorporated under the laws of the Commonwealth and retains the option to surrender in writing its DignityUSA chapter charter at any time and for any reason without any effect on the D/NoVA organization or these Bylaws.
ARTICLE V. GOVERNANCE and ADMINISTRATION
Section 1. D/NoVA shall be governed and administered by a Board of Directors (BoD). The BoD shall be comprised of four elected officers, two elected Directors at-large, plus one Director appointed by the President (if the President so chooses). The elected officers shall be identified as (1) President, (2) Vice-President, (3) Secretary, and (4) Treasurer. They together shall comprise the Executive Committee of D/NoVA responsible for the day-to-day administration of the organization under the guidance of the policies set forth by the BoD. The four elected officers, plus the two elected Directors at-large, plus one Director appointed by the President (if the President so chooses) shall comprise the voting members of the BoD. At least one member of the BoD shall be a resident of the Commonwealth and a citizen of the United States of America.
Section 2. The BoD shall be responsible to govern all organizational aspects of D/NoVA, to include, all financial decisions, all organizational decisions, and all “official business” as required under Federal and Commonwealth law. The BoD shall approve or disapprove the operations, methods and/or implementations of all D/NoVA activities. The BoD shall be responsible but not personally liable for the viability of the organization financially and legally, and no effort shall be made to subvert the legal authority or responsibilities of the elected or appointed Officers and Directors of the BoD.
Section 3. Duties of the Elected Officers and Directors of D/NoVA.
a. The President of D/NoVA by virtue of his or her office shall be the Chairperson of the BoD and of the Executive Committee of D/NoVA and shall perform all the duties of the President which shall include but not be limited to the following:
• prepare and distribute copies of the agenda to the BoD and chair meetings of the BoD and all general membership meetings;
• set and revise goals and objectives for D/NoVA;
• submit an annual budget to the BoD for approval;
• have the option to appoint a seventh member of the BoD; o designate BoD member areas of responsibility;
• approve all final committee chair appointments and create any additional committees to support the mission and carry out the functions of D/NoVA;
• designate a specific Board member to work with and represent each of the D/NoVA committees at the BoD meetings;
• solicit and designate BoD members or other members of D/NoVA to represent D/NoVA at official functions of other organizations;
• appoint new Officers and Directors in the event of a resignation or incapacitation subject to a confirmation by a simple majority of the BoD;
• have signature authority on D/NoVA's bank account(s) and investments;
• ensure that all books, reports and certificates required by law are properly kept or filed;
• regularly report to the BoD and general membership.
b. The duties of the Vice-President of D/NoVA shall include but not be limited to the following: assist the President in performance of his/her duties and fill in for the President when the President is temporarily absent or cannot fulfill the duties of office for any reason. The Vice President shall in the event of the prolonged absence (defined as more than three months) or inability of the President to exercise the duties of office, become Acting President of D/NoVA with all the rights, privileges and powers as if duly elected president.
c. The duties of the Secretary of D/NoVA shall include but not be limited to the following:
• record the minutes of the BoD meetings;
• prepare and distribute copies of minutes to each Board member;
• maintain the official membership list;
• supervise the conduct of elections;
• supervise the preparation of the weekly bulletin;
• submit the required annual report and any other legally required reports to maintain D/NoVA's incorporation in the Commonwealth;
• assure that all official D/NoVA historical records are maintained.
d.. The duties of the Treasurer of D/NoVA shall include but not be limited to the following:
• maintain D/NoVA bank accounts and investments;
• have signature authority on D/NoVA's bank account(s) and investments;
• pay legitimate bills for service rendered;
• maintain accurate accounting records;
• assist in the preparation of a budget;
• report to the BoD and general membership on a regular basis.
e. The duties of the two elected At-Large members of the BoD and the appointed member shall include but not be limited to performing assignments and responsibilities as directed by the President and taking an active role in the over-all functioning of D/NoVA.
Section 4. A member of the BoD receives no compensation except for reimbursement for extraordinary expenses as approved by a majority of the BoD in connection with official duties, i.e., attending and representing D/NoVA at conferences or meetings at the direction of the BoD.
Section 5. All Board members shall serve a term of one year and are eligible for re-election.
Section 6. When a vacancy on the BoD exists, the President shall submit a nomination for a new member to the incumbent BoD members for confirmation. The vacancy will be filled only to the end of the vacant Board member's term. The nominee shall be confirmed with a vote of a simple majority of the BoD.
Section 7. Resignation from the Board shall be in writing and received by the President and Secretary. In the event of a resignation by the President, the resignation shall be in writing to the Vice-President and Secretary. In the event of a resignation by the Secretary, the resignation shall be in writing to the President and Vice-President.
Section 8. A Board member shall be dropped for excess absences by a simple majority vote of the other Board members if he or she has three unexcused absences from Board meetings in a year. A Board member may be removed for other reasons by a simple majority vote of the remaining Directors. In the event of resignation by three or more members of the BoD at one time, the resignations shall be made in writing to the general membership.
Section 9. The BoD by majority vote shall hire, fire, and affix the compensation of all employees who are determined to be necessary for the conduct of the business of the organization.
ARTICLE VI. MINISTRIES AND COMMITTEES
Section 1. The following committees may be established by the President and/or the BoD to perform the functions of D/NoVA:
a. Liturgy Committee. Shall be responsible for all liturgies sponsored by D/NoVA to include scheduling Presiders, lectors, music, readers, and others; preparing readings for special liturgies such as Holy Days; setting-up before and cleaning-up after liturgies; and other functions as needed. The Liturgy Committee shall be responsible for maintaining the liturgical style and tone of D/NoVA services and help to establish changes as needed.
b. Social Committee. Shall be responsible for all social gatherings including scheduling, set-up, clean-up, publicity, and other functions.
c. Outreach Committee. Shall be responsible for all activities involving outreach to other Dignity Chapters, outside organizations, groups or individuals, and other functions.
d. Membership Committee. Shall be responsible for maintaining the active membership rolls, securing membership renewals, welcoming members and guests to liturgies and other functions.
e. Financial Operations Committee. Shall be responsible for implementing key aspects of D/NoVA's annual financial plan, fund raising, taking collections at liturgies, and other functions.
f. Election Committee. Shall be appointed by the President and established in August of each year for the limited purpose of assisting the Secretary in conducting D/NoVA elections.
g. Executive Committee. Shall consist of the President, the Vice-President, the Secretary, and the Treasurer, and shall be responsible for the day-to-day administration of the organization under the guidance of the policies set forth by the BoD.
h. Other Committees. The responsibilities of other committees, when established, shall be detailed by the President in a memo to the committee.
ARTICLE VII. BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETINGS
Section 1. Meetings of the BoD shall generally be open to all interested individuals except that meetings or parts of meetings dealing with confidential or personal information, when prudence prevails in discussion of individuals, or when required or allowed by law, may be restricted by the President to BoD members only.
Section 2. The President of D/NoVA shall preside at and conduct all meetings. When the President is unavailable to preside, the succession rule shall be, in order, Vice-President, Secretary, and Treasurer.
Section 3. A quorum consisting of a simple majority of the Board members must be achieved before official business can be transacted, i.e., there must be four of the six or seven members of the BoD present before an official meeting can be held.
Section 4. The BoD shall attempt to meet monthly, but shall meet not less than 6 times per year, at an agreed upon and publicized time and place, and subject to the call or waiver of the President. The President can cancel a regularly scheduled meeting, but such meeting can be rescheduled by any member of the BoD. Any member of the BoD can call for a special meeting of the membership or of the BoD at any time.
Section 5. Anyone in attendance at a meeting shall be given the right to speak as long as the speaker respects the rights of others in the meeting, adheres to acceptable practice as set forth in Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised, 10th edition (2000) which shall govern the conduct of meetings, does not engage in profanity or verbal abuse, and is not excessively long for the topic being discussed as judged by the President. The order of speaking shall be in the order in which the President recognizes the individual. When consensus cannot be reached, the President may limit further discussion of an issue or table it for a later date.
Section 6. At all meetings, except for the election of officers and directors when paper ballots are used, all votes shall be by voice or a show of hands as determined by the President and the results shall be announced by the President and recorded by the Secretary. A recorded vote will be taken only upon request of a person attending the meeting. Each member of the BoD shall have one vote and such voting may not be done by proxy.
Section 7. The Order of Business at all meetings except for the election of officers and directors shall be as follows:
a. Opening Prayer.
b. Roll Call.
c. Reading and approval of the Minutes of the preceding meeting.
d. Reports of Officers.
e. Reports of Committees.
f. Old and Unfinished Business.
g. New Business.
h. Adjournment.
Section 8. BoD meetings shall be conducted in such a way as to build consensus. Although any interested individual may attend and speak at a BoD meeting, an individual must be a member of D/NoVA at the time of the meeting to make or second a motion. Any such motion or second by a D/NoVA member who is not serving on the BoD may be ruled as “Out of Order” if such motion or second circumvents the responsibilities of the Executive Committee or of the Board of Directors as determined solely by the President.
Section 9. All motions may be voted upon by all members of D/NoVA who are in attendance at the meeting except the President has sole authority to limit voting to members of the BoD in instances where the President determines that the motion concerns the authority of the BoD to carry out lawful responsibilities, prevent infringement on the Bylaws, or where the motion causes harm to D/NoVA.
Section 10. If a motion is made and seconded, a simple majority of fifty-one percent of the persons eligible to vote must be achieved for a motion to pass. If a motion passes without a majority of the BoD present voting in the affirmative, upon request of any Board member made within two weeks of the meeting, implementation of the motion may be suspended for up to 90 days from the date of the meeting to permit a subsequent BoD meeting or general membership meeting to further discuss, consider and vote on the issue.
Section 11. Except as otherwise herein specified, all meetings shall be conducted in accordance with Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised, 10th edition (2000).
ARTICLE VIII. ANNUAL MEETING
Section 1. The President shall preside over and conduct an annual meeting.
Section 2. The annual meeting shall take place after mass on a Saturday in May (the month in which D/NoVA was founded) or as close thereto as possible as determined by the President.
Section 3. The Secretary shall provide notice to all the members of the date of the annual meeting via the weekly bulletin or other means at least two weeks before the scheduled date of the meeting.
Section 4. The meeting shall be opened to members and all interested individuals; and a quorum shall consist of all those present at the annual meeting.
Section 5. Unless otherwise specified, the sole purpose of the annual meeting shall be to provide the President and Officers of D/NoVA with an opportunity to inform the members of current issues relating to D/NoVA and to provide the members and other interested individuals with an opportunity to question the leadership on any issues of interest.
Section 6. The annual meeting is not a BoD meeting, per se. Any motions, etc. may be ruled as “Out of Order” by the President. The Order of Business and conduct of the annual meeting shall be as determined by the President, and Robert's shall not apply except as determined by the President.
Section 7. The President in the exercise of his or her own discretion and absent the specific request for an annual meeting as set forth in this Article by any member of D/NoVA, may fulfill the requirements for an annual meeting at any time and at any place and in any manner as he or she so choses.
Section 8. When the annual meeting is for the sole purpose of informing the members of current issues relating to D/NoVA and to provide the members with an opportunity to question the leadership on any issues of interest, the Secretary shall not make any record of the meeting except to note that it has taken place.
Section 9. With appropriate advance notice to all members, the President may call for a special meeting of the general membership at any time for the purpose of conducting any and all official business following the procedure described in Article VII, above.
ARTICLE IX. ELECTIONS AND TERMS OF OFFICE
Section 1. Board members shall be elected for a term of one year. The terms will run from January 1 of the year following election through December 31 consistent with the D/NoVA Fiscal Year which will run annually from January 1 through December 31 beginning January 1, 2007. The year 2007 is a transition year as D/NoVA will be operating under the existing bylaws until these new revised bylaws are adopted. Accordingly, those Officers and Directors elected to office in 2007 will serve a term of office which runs from November 1, 2007 through December 31, 2008.
Section 2. Elections shall take place in October or November of each year. Elections shall be either by
a. ballot at a meeting of the general membership conducted after mass on the first Saturday in November or as close thereto as possible; or
b. ballot processed through the US Postal Service; or
c. ballot by electronic device such as e-mail; or
d. in the event there is only one or no candidate for each available position, the election may be conducted by voice vote of the general membership at a meeting conducted after mass on the first Saturday in November or as close thereto as possible.
Section 3. No “write-in” candidates will be permitted when the election is conducted using ballots, and no new nominations will be in order when the election is held at a meeting. In counting the votes, any “write in” ballots for a specific office will be rejected as if they had never been cast.
Section 4. When the election is conducted at a meeting for the purpose of electing Officers and Directors, all those members who attend the meeting will constitute a quorum for the express purpose of conducting the election by ballot or voice vote. With the exception of the office of Vice-President as noted in section 5, below, the candidate who receives a simple majority of the ballots or voice votes cast for the specific office shall be declared the winner.
Section 5. In keeping with this Chapter’s long-standing commitment to diversity, there shall not be a President and Vice President of the same gender. The Secretary shall declare as the winner of the office of President that person who receives the largest number of votes in an election. The Secretary shall declare as the winner of the office of Vice-President that person who receives the largest number of votes in an election and who is not of the same gender as the elected President. When there is no contested election, i.e., when there is only a single candidate for a specific office, the gender policy is waived.
Section 6. The Secretary will have responsibility for determining the appropriate type of election to conduct and for supervising the election and certifying the results. All decisions by the Secretary in conducting elections shall be final and binding.
Section 7. Any member of Dignity NoVA is eligible to hold office in the organization. For the purposes of the elections, membership rolls will be closed as of March 31 of each year, and only individuals who are members by March 31 may run for and hold office during the ensuing election cycle. If there are no such qualified individuals, this may be waived by the Secretary.
Section 8. For contested and for non-contested elections conducted by ballots or voice votes of the general membership at a meeting conducted after mass on the first Saturday in November or as close thereto as possible, the following procedures shall apply:
a. The Election Committee shall publish in the weekly bulletin or otherwise, as appropriate, a call for nominations no later than the last Saturday in August. No third party nominations may be made without the consent of the potential candidate. All candidates for office must submit a written statement to a member of the Election Committee, to any incumbent member of the BoD, or to the Secretary by September 30. The written statement must include the candidate's name and address, an indication of the office sought, and a brief statement of qualifications and reasons for seeking office. Such statements can also be submitted by mail to the Dignity NoVA Election Committee at P. O. Box 100566, Arlington, Virginia 22210-3566, or to the current mailing address. These mailed statements must be received by the Election Committee by September 30. In the event that there is not at least one candidate for each Officer and/or Director position, the Secretary may extend the deadline for nominations up to and through the date of the election.
b. The Secretary will certify that all candidates are members and eligible to hold office in D/NOVA by October 1, or later if the deadline for nominations has been extended. When appropriate in the exercise of his or her discretion, the Secretary shall chair a “meet the candidates” meeting by October 21.
c. The Election Committee will advertise the election and candidates names, statements, and date of the meeting being held to conduct the election in the weekly bulletin, by electronic communications, and/or by other effective means. The Election Committee will also prepare the ballots for use by all eligible members of D/NoVA in time for the meeting when there is a contested election. The ballots will include the statements that the candidates submitted with their statement of availability for office. No personally identifiable information such as date of birth, Social Security number, etc. shall be included on the ballots. For the purposes of the elections, membership rolls will be closed as of September 30 of each year, and any individual who is a member by September 30 will be eligible to vote during the ensuing election cycle.
d. The Secretary (or designee) will serve as the meeting chair and as the Election Official who shall oversee the voting process. Contested elections may be conducted using paper ballots. Non-contested elections will be conducted by a voice vote.
e. The Secretary will certify and announce the election results privately to the various candidates and publicly to the general membership after mass on the first Saturday in November or as close thereto as possible, and publish the results in the weekly bulletin.
f. Elected candidates will take office as of the following January 1.
Section 9. For contested elections conducted by mail or by electronic ballot, the following procedures shall apply:
a. The Election Committee shall publish in the weekly bulletin or otherwise, as appropriate, a call for nominations no later than the last Saturday in August. No third party nominations may be made without the consent of the potential candidate. All candidates for office must submit a written statement to a member of the Election Committee, to any incumbent member of the BoD, or to the Secretary by September 30. The written statement must include the candidate's name and address, an indication of the office sought, and a brief statement of qualifications and reasons for seeking office. Such statements can also be submitted by mail to the Dignity NoVA Election Committee at P. O. Box 100566, Arlington, Virginia 22210-3566, or to the current mailing address. These mailed statements must be received by the Election Committee by September 30. In the event that there is not at least one candidate for each Officer and/or Director position, the Secretary may extend the deadline for nominations up to and through the date of the election.
b. The Secretary will certify that all candidates are members and eligible to hold office in D/NoVA by October 1, or later if the deadline for nominations has been extended. When appropriate in the exercise of his or her discretion, the Secretary shall chair a “meet the candidates” meeting by October 21.
c. The Election Committee will advertise the election and candidates names, statements, and the voting procedures to be adopted to conduct the election in the weekly bulletin, by electronic communications, and/or by other effective means. The Election Committee will also prepare the ballots for use by all eligible members of D/NoVA. The ballots will include the statements that the candidates submitted with their statement of availability for office. No personally identifiable information such as date of birth, Social Security number, etc. shall be included on the ballots. For the purposes of the elections, membership rolls will be closed as of September 30 of each year, and any individual who is a member by September 30 will be eligible to vote during the ensuing election cycle.
d. The Secretary (or designee) will serve as the Election Official who shall oversee the voting process. Contested elections may be conducted using paper ballots or electronic voting. By October 7 or by the date determined by the Secretary if the date for nominations has been extended, the Election Committee will mail ballots to all eligible voters via the U S Postal Service or via e-mail. Only those ballots returned and received by the Election Committee by October 31 will be eligible to be counted.
e. The Secretary will certify and announce the election results privately to the various candidates and publicly to the general membership after mass on the first Saturday in November or as close thereto as possible, and publish the results in the weekly bulletin.
f. Elected candidates will take office as of the following January 1.
ARTICLE X. DISSOLUTION OF D/NoVA
Section 1. When there is insufficient funds, attendance, membership, or otherwise a lack of interest in the continuance of the volunteer operations, functions and organization of D/NoVA as determined by the D/NoVA BoD following a general membership meeting, D/NoVA shall be dissolved by a simple majority vote of the BoD.
Section 2. The D/NoVA charter may be returned to DignityUSA with a statement of the reasons for dissolution.
Section 3. Upon dissolution, the Treasurer shall first pay any and all debts from any funds available.
Section 4. If there are any funds or assets remaining after payment of all legal debts and obligations, the BoD shall by majority vote select one or more religious, educational, or charitable organizations then holding exempt status within the meaning of Section 501 (c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954 or the corresponding provision of any future US Internal Revenue Code or Law, to receive the balance of D/NoVA's funds or assets, shall distribute the remaining funds or assets to the Federal government, or to a state or local government for a public purpose.
ARTICLE XI. AMENDMENTS
Section 1. These Bylaws may be altered, amended, repealed, replaced, rescinded or added to by an affirmative vote of a majority vote of the membership at the Annual Meeting or at a special meeting of the BoD called by the President for such purpose with notice of the date, time and place of such meeting being provided in the weekly bulletin or by other means as determined by the Secretary to all members at least two weeks in advance.
CERTIFICATION In accordance with the existing Bylaws approved and adopted on October 3, 1993, these new Bylaws replace in its entirety those existing Bylaws. As provided for in those existing Bylaws, these new Bylaws were approved and adopted by a unanimous vote of the membership present at the regularly scheduled meeting of the general membership on November 3, 2007, and are effective as of 12:01 AM, November 4, 2007. As witness thereto, we here unto affix our signatures:
_________________________________________(date)____________Member, Board of Directors _________________________________________(date)____________Member, Board of Directors
     


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Dignity/Seattle is a faith community of gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender Catholics,  
our families and friends in Seattle since 1973.
 

Make Dignity
your spiritual home

We meet second Sundays @ 6pm
for liturgies & prayer services at:
RAVENNA UNITED METHODIST CHURCH
5751 33rd NE  Seattle WA

 
  
 
We provide a safe environment for people to reconcile our God-given gifts of sexual orientation and our 
Catholic faith through gay-affirming liturgies.  Being part of the Dignity/Seattle family 
means claiming ownership of our faith and living up to the responsibilities of that ownership


 
 
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Sunday, December 22, 2013

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Browse >  Home / About
About

Dignity/Washington (D/W) is DC’s faith community for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered & queer Catholics, other Christians, our families, and friends.
◾We provide a healing outreach to LGBT Catholics and others by affirmation that they are beloved children of God.
◾We gather together to establish a nurturing community of worship, blessing, celebration, ministry, spiritual development, education and fellowship.
◾We are a prophetic witness to the Church, to the LGBT community, to Washington, DC, and to society at large.
Dignity/Washington is a chapter in the national organization Dignity/USA.
We celebrate Eucharist together at Sunday Mass in the Dupont Circle area in Washington, DC.
Many of our programs and events are held at the Dignity Center in the Eastern Market area.
 
About Us
Dignity Washington is DC's faith community for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered & queer Catholics, other Christians, our families & friends.
We provide a healing outreach to LGBT Catholics and others by affirmation that they are beloved children of God.
We gather together to establish a nurturing community of worship, blessing, celebration, ministry, spiritual development, education and fellowship.
We are a prophetic witness to the Church, to the LGBT community and to society.
We are a chapter in the national organization Dignity/USA.

Social Media

Like Dignity/Washington on Facebook!
Follow Dignity/Washington on Twitter!

•Worship
Sunday Mass
 6:00 p.m.
 St. Margaret's Church
 1830 Connecticut Ave.
 near Dupont Circle
Reconciliation available by request
Check the calendar for holiday mass schedules


Site Updates
If you would like to be notified when this site is updated, sign up here.

 
      

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