My dear family in Christ,
The long, cold days of Winter have finally passed, and the flowers and
beauty of Spring now brings smiles to our faces, joy to our souls – and
relief to our aching backs!
We prepare ourselves for The Spring Synod, which is to be held in
Atlanta, Georgia April 23-through the 26, 2008. I would like to thank
Bishop Patrick Batuyong and the people of the parish of St. Michael the
Defender for their willingness to host this important event in the
formation and educational life of the clergy and lay leadership of The
Reformed Catholic Church. I pray that the Synod experience will be a
source of great spiritual renewal, reflection, enlightenment and vision
for all who attend.
In this short letter, I would like to talk about inheritance:
Inheritance. We are all familiar with this word. For some, inheritance
is a financial gift from a family member. For the people of The
Reformed Catholic Church, the word “inheritance” has a special,
spiritual value: For you see, We, the people of The Reformed
Catholic Church, are a people with a very special, spiritual
inheritance: The Spirit and Intent of Vatican Council II.
The Patron of The Reformed
Catholic Church,
our church,
Blessed Pope John XXIII, realized that the church must be willing to
speak to the faithful in words, deeds and actions that are easily
understood, charitable and relevant in their lives. It seems, sadly,
that there is a growing number of church leaders eagerly and
successfully engaged in a tidal wave of activity that is slowly,
methodically --and with great determination-- eroding, reversing and
eliminating the many enlightened, important changes enacted by Vatican
Council II. I believe that our Patron, Pope John XXIII, weeps for this
systematic reversal of the good work of the Council.
An increasing number of Roman Catholic clergy and media representatives
make regular references to Vatican Council I pronouncements and the
Bishop of Rome's recent promulgation of Motu Proprio, which
governs the celebration of the "extraordinary form of the liturgy",
that is the Latin Mass. With all the clamor and energy surrounding the
“return” of Vatican Council I ideas and the Latin Liturgy, there seems
to be less attention and energy focused on the needs of the people to
have a church culture and liturgy that are both reflective of their
community and spiritual needs.
During the month of April, the Bishop of Rome, Pope Benedict XVI will
visit The United States. I pray that his visit will be one of true hope
and genuine healing for the many Roman Catholics who feel that their
church leadership has chosen to not hear their voices or listen to their
concerns. I pray that voices will be heard and hearts will soften and
that love, the greatest of gifts, will overcome politics.
As 2008 marches on, we know that the Roman Church is not alone in a time
of transition and crisis. Our sisters and brothers of the Anglican
Communion and, more locally, the Episcopal Church USA, are engaged in
heated, angry debates and schismatic, damaging actions because of
extremist points of view that are more about politics and “country club”
requirements and rules than about the Gospel of Jesus the Christ.
I ask that you keep our Roman, Anglican and Episcopal sisters and
brothers in your prayers that they will remain true to the Gospel of
Christ and not become churches of the chosen few. We, the people of The
Reformed Catholic Church must commit ourselves to being a people of the
Gospel, always remembering and honoring the great inheritance we have
been given, and choosing to welcome all God’s people to the table. May
we share our inheritance with God’s people. May we remember: We are
CHURCH!
May God bless and Keep you all,
++Phillip Zimmerman, RSJ
Presiding Bishop
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