by Nathan
Last Sunday, Fr. Joseph Johnson, the pastor of Holy Family Catholic Church in Saint Louis Park, held a town hall meeting for the parish in response to the scandals engulfing the Church. After the 11:00 Sunday Mass, approximately 60-70 parishioners gathered to hear opening remarks from Fr. Johnson and then participate in a Q&A session.
Before this event, Fr. Johnson had been actively responding to the crisis from the pulpit. He preached homilies directly addressing the crises at every Mass the two weekends immediately following the release of the Pennsylvania grand jury report. He began his remarks, as he did his first homily, with an apology on behalf of the clergy, not only for the sexual abuse of minors and the devastating, life-long effects on survivors and their families, but also for the cover-up and the culture of silence that aided and abetted it; for more general sexual misconduct among the clergy; and finally for the scandal all these sins caused the lay faithful. The main message that followed was to turn to fasting and prayer for reparation and reform, although he also affirmed that the cultural and institutional changes necessary in the Church would need the leadership of the laity.
The Q&A portion of the meeting went smoothly under Fr. Johnson’s stipulation that everyone speak in the form of a question--no speeches allowed. This rule was often bent and occasionally broken, but on this whole it helped allow a civil discussion that stayed mostly on topic. Many questions concerned maintaining the Faith and trust in the hierarchy, in response to which Fr. Johnson stressed the supernatural reality of the Church that can be hidden but not blotted out by the sins of Her members. He reminded those present that the even the Apostles had “a batting average of zero:” one betrayed the Lord, their future leader denied that he knew him, and the rest fled when he was arrested. To a question asking what opportunities for lay action exist in the parish and the archdiocese, Fr. Johnson gave no specifics but invited any member of the parish with ideas to speak with him, expressing willingness to offer his support. One longtime parishioner recalled the parish’s past experience with a priest accused of sexual misconduct, reminding those present that despite the gravity of the situation, parishioners rallied together and the church emerged stronger than ever.
One question stood out for both its relevance and controversial nature. Fr. Johnson had alluded in his opening remarks to a parishioner who had sent him a letter informing him that they were stopping their tithe to the parish in response to the scandals. It turned out that that parishioner was in attendance, and he was able to give Fr. Johnson and those present his reasoning and ask for his response. A recently retired military man, he decried what he saw as a lack of leadership in the hierarchy in response to the crises. In light of the cover-ups, settlements, and support given to accused clergy, he no longer trusts them with his money, although he is willing to continue supporting Holy Family because of Fr. Johnson’s leadership.
While expressing sympathy for his view, Fr. Johnson cautioned him and all present against “weaponizing finances.” He explained that, although it used to be the case that parishioners could donate to certain funds at their church that were exempt from the “tax” of 6% (7% if the parish does not operate a school) the archdiocese levies on all parishes, this is no longer true. The policy was changed to close these loopholes, and now a portion of every dollar that is tithed to the parish or any of the entities operated by it goes to the archdiocese, with a similar arrangement in place for diocesan payments to the Holy See. In order to withhold donations to the hierarchy, therefore, a layperson has to stop tithing completely, which will disproportionately affect the parish to which she belongs: Fr. Johnson would have to start laying people off long before the archdiocese felt anything, much less Rome. In response to a follow-up question wondering if it were possible to halt the parish payment to the archdiocese, Fr. Johnson flatly responded that the parish would have a new pastor tomorrow if he were to do so.
The town hall ended with prayer, as it began, and the mood in the room was mostly positive. The format of the town hall had allowed those who needed it to have their faith and hope strengthened by a representative of the Church that they trusted. Perhaps pastors would be right to prioritize these needs among the members of their parish, but the Q&A format made it difficult to meet those of others. The lack of discussion, while preventing rancor, meant that those who may have found healing from it could not simply speak their mind and heart. It also meant that no plans for action on a parish or smaller scale could be formed. Fr. Johnson left it up to the laity present at the meeting to take the next steps.
YArespond is a group of Catholic young adults based in the Twin Cities seeking informed and holistic ways to respond to the abuse crises in our Church. We focus on a fourfold response consisting of prayer, education, dialogue, and action. Currently, we are working on developing resources for parishes and ministries to host events and dialogues. Learn more: