OctOber 2021 VOLUMe 6 NO. 1 Promoting The Continuing Education Of .

Continued from Page 2ar-rahim--Most Merciful) begin almost everysurah in the Qur’an. Muslims are expected todonate at least one-fortieth of their annualwealth to charity (zakat). Muslims are expectedto fast during the daylight hours of the ninthmonth of Ramadan, which moves throughoutthe solar year in a thirty-two year cycle becauseIslam follows a lunar calendar without a leapmonth. Muslims seek to make a pilgrimage(hajj) to the Kaaba (originally built by Abrahamand his son Ishmael) in Mecca at least once intheir lifetime. Islam’s calendar begins in theyear that Christians call 622 A.D. with the Hijraor migration of Muhammad’s community fromMecca to Medina.According to the Hadith, Muhammadasks “What is better than prayers and fastingand giving alms to the poor?” His answer: “Itis making peace between one another.” It isimportant that Christians and Muslims makepeace with each other since together theyform half of the world’s population. So whena Muslim greets you with “as-salamu-alaykum”(peace be upon you), respond with “alaykumas-salaam.”Dr. Oughton has taught many courses in the world’sreligions at Saint Louis University. He has served as thePresident of Interfaith Partnership of Greater St. Louis.3A Practical Issue: Ecumenism in light ofthe Rite of Christian Initiation of AdultsFr. Walter KdjierskiAs a deacon, you may be involved withthe Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults,and assist individuals from other Christiantraditions with entering the Catholic Church. Atthe same time, as a baptized Christian you arealso called upon, in some way, to be involvedwith ecumenism, that attempt to restore unityamong all Christians (Unitatis Redintegratio 5).Dealing on the one hand with some Christiansfrom other Churches or ecclesial communitiesin a dialogue of listening and on another withother Christians from those same churchesor ecclesial communities that wish to enterthe Catholic Church might seem to pose acontradiction. Yet while both of these workshave distinct goals and methods both are ofinvaluable service to the Catholic Church. Thisarticle will explore the important distinctionto be made between entering into ecumenicaldialogue and discerning the personal journeysof faith which might lead some individuals tochoose, of their own volition, to enter into fullcommunion with the Catholic Church. Properlyunderstood one can with full integrity engagein both.When Catholics engage in ecumenicaldialogue, we come as representatives of a muchlarger reality, the reality of the universal CatholicChurch. The Directory for the Application ofNorms and Principles of Ecumenism offers asone of the requirements for pedagogicalpreparation for dialogue: “the conviction thatecumenical dialogue is not a purely privatematter between persons or particular groupsbut that it takes place within the framework ofthe commitment of the whole Church and mustin consequence be carried out in a way that iscoherent with the teaching and the directivesof its Pastors” (87). In much the same way, theother Christians who engage in ecumenicaldialogue with us are called upon to accuratelyrepresent the positions of their own faithcommunities. For our dialogues to be trulyfruitful, we must avoid the temptation to relyupon our own unique, individualized opinions,and instead seek to accurately and coherentlyrepresent the official positions of the CatholicChurch. During ecumenical dialogues weare called upon to embody with our lives ourfaith traditions and particular community’scommitment to Christianity. While it is true thatindividuals, particular human beings, enter intoecumenical dialogue, the dialogue is betweenChurches and ecclesial communities, not thoseparticular members in-and-of-themselves.Therefore, at least according to a Catholicperspective, the goal of ecumenical dialogue isnot taking individuals out of their own churchesor ecclesial communities, but rather the visiblereunion of whole communities of faith thathave had historical divisions that includetheological dissonance between us. As PopeFrancis once said, “ no one is saved alone; wecan only be saved together.” (cf. Fratelli tutti,32). If we entered into ecumenical dialoguewith a triumphalistic sense that we are goingto “convert everyone” into the Catholic Churchno one would want to enter into dialogue withus. However, if we keep the broader visionin view, the vision of reconciliation betweenwhole communities of faith, dialogue becomespossible.No Catholic, in any circumstance, is evercalled upon to engage in what is todaypejoratively referred to as proselytism. TheCongregation of the Doctrine of the Faith in itsdocument “Doctrinal Notes on Some Aspectsof Evangelization” notes in footnote 49: “Morerecently, however, the term [proselytism] hastaken on a negative connotation, to mean thepromotion of a religion by using means, andfor motives, contrary to the spirit of the Gospel;that is, which do not safeguard the freedomand dignity of the human person.” To lureother Christians into dialogues as a cover fortrying to get them to violate their consciencesor renounce their own faith traditions wouldnever be appropriate. However, ecumenicaldialogue is a form of evangelization. The formit takes in dialogue is very specific. Just asother Christians are expected to offer a clearwitness and testimony of their community’sunderstanding of the faith, so should Catholicsexpect to be given the opportunity to doso. We are called, in ecumenical dialogue, toclearly explain our faith, and even be preparedto answer questions from individuals who donot have the presuppositions many of us bornCatholic have had since our childhoods. This isContinued on Page 4NDICE NEWS OCTOBER 2021

Continued from Page 3a form of evangelization that does not seek tobring individuals into full communion with theCatholic Church but the restoration of structuralunity between whole communities of faith.Some individuals, on their faith journeysin other Christian communities, based uponprayer, study, and perhaps even dialogueswith Catholics, make the decision to enter theCatholic Church. Once again, being faithfulto the call of Christ, we are called upon toclearly represent the teachings of the Church.However, when working with the R.C.I.A., wecan explicitly explore with another individualthe possibility of his or her entrance into theCatholic Church. A good member of the R.C.I.A.team is also ecumenically sensitive. We meetthe person where he or she is at in living theChristian life. This is not a total renunciationof the journey this individual made withanother Christian community. Those Christiancommunities introduced our candidates forfull initiation to Jesus. They taught them theScriptures. Many people were validly baptizedin those faith communities. Many newCatholics developed vibrant relationships withthe Risen Christ in their former experiencesof Christianity. The RCIA, for those who havealready been baptized, is a continuation of ajourney to Christ that began a long time ago.Hopefully people are seeking to enter theCatholic Church because they believe that it willmove them further along in their relationshipswith Christ and other Christians. What a gift tobe called to walk with people on those journeysin the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults.Ultimately, both engagement inecumenical dialogue and initiation throughthe R.C.I.A. are about the journey to Christ. Oneemphasizes the collective journey of entirefaith communities while the other focuses inon an individual person who wishes to enterfull communion with the Catholic Church. Bothdimensions are important when seeking to livethe Christian life. May we recognize how ourLord is walking alongside all of us as we seek tojourney closer to Him.Fr. Walter F. KedjierskiUSCCB, Executive Director, Secretariatof Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs.Patronize your AdvertisersSociety of St. Lawrence Deacon PinsName PhoneThe Society of St. Lawrence, the Diaconate CommunityAddressof the Diocese of Ogdensberg, New York, has beenproviding deacon pins to our brother deacons andCity State Ziptheir wives for many years. We thank you for yourEmailsupport of this ministry.ClutchBackPin Back Service PinWives PinTie TackCheck or money order:Society of St. Lawrencec/o Deacon Kevin Mastellon149 Flower Ave. W.Watertown, NY 136014CLUTCH BACKPIN BACKTOTAL PINSDEACON PINWIFE PINJust 10 EachDeacon PinDESCRIPTIONSmall PinQuestions:Deacon Kevin MastellonEmail:deaconcouncil2015@gmail.comor Call 315.836.6287Deacon 5 Year Anniversaryn/aDeacon 10 Year Anniversaryn/aDeacon 15 Year Anniversaryn/aDeacon 20 Year Anniversaryn/aDeacon 25 Year Anniversaryn/aDeacon 30 Year Anniversaryn/aDeacon 35 Year Anniversaryn/aDeacon 40 Year Anniversaryn/aSmall Deacon PinTie TackTOTAL NUMBER OF PINS x 10.00Shipping & Handling 5/Orders up to 100 10/Orders over 100TOTAL ENCLOSEDNDICE NEWS OCTOBER 2021

POPE FRANCIS AND THE JEWISH LAW (TORAH): THE ROOTSOF THE PRESENT CONTROVERSYIn August 2021 Pope Francis delivered twoaddresses at his usual Wednesday publicaudiences focused on the Epistle to theGalatians. In the address of August 11th, hemade the statement that the Jewish law orTorah was no longer life giving. This papalclaim was picked up by some secular mediaoutlets such as Reuters.The impression given to key people inthe Catholic-Jewish dialogue by this papalassertion was that the Pope was repudiatingChapter Four of Vatican II’s Declaration NOSTRAAETATE on the Church’s Relationship with NonChristians. NOSTRA AETATE, contrary to whathad been taught for centuries in Catholicism,affirmed the continuing validity of the Jewishcovenant. The late Canadian theologianGregory Baum termed this change the mostradical turnabout in the ordinary magisteriumof the Church to emerge from the Council. Toclaim that Jewish Torah no longer remains a vitalspiritual tradition amounted to a repudiationof the validity of Judaism as such since Torahconstitutes the core of the Jewish traditionno matter how differently contemporary Jewsmight interpret it.The papal statement also seemed toignore more than a half century of biblicalinterpretation that has transformed ourunderstanding of Paul’s approach to thecontinued viability of Torah. This newinterpretation has moved the image of Paul asa staunch opponent of Torah to one in which heis seen as a personal observer of Torah which isregarded as life giving even though he did notmandate its practice for his Gentile converts.This fundamental change in the perspectiveon Paul and the Torah was led by noted biblicalscholars such as E.P. Sanders and Bishop KristerStendahl, the Lutheran Bishop of Stockholmand a professor at the Harvard Divinity School.A remark made by Fr. Raymond Brown, SS,in a lecture in Chicago shortly before hisdeath captures the essence of the significantturnaround in biblical scholarship fromone which Paul was perceived as a staunchopponent of Judaism to one in which he heldit in high regard. Fr. Brown, one of the mostprominent biblical scholars of our day, said thatafter many years of reflection he had become5John T. Pawlikowski, OSM, Ph.DThe Torah revered at the Belleville, IL Templeconvinced that if Paul had fathered a son hewould have had him circumcised. In otherwords, Paul still regarded Torah observanceas a valuable part of his fundamental identityand something that remained life giving eventhough he was willing to exempt Gentiles fromits full observance.The news reports on Pope Francis’statement resulted in letters to Cardinal KurtKoch, President of the Holy See’s Commissionfor Religious Relations with the Jews, fromleaders of two organizations with Judaismcharged with the responsibility for dialoguewith the Vatican. The letters came from RabbiRason Arussi, Chair of the Commission of theChief Rabbinate of Israel for dialogue with theHoly See and Rabbi David Sandmel, Vice-Chairof the New York-based International JewishCommittee for Interreligious Consultations.The two rabbis both wrote to the Cardinalasking for a clarification from the Vatican as towhether Pope Francis had portrayed the Torahas obsolete and lacking any spiritual value.In addition to the formal letter Rabbi DanielPolish, a longtime participant in the CatholicJewish dialogue, wrote in American Media thatthe Pope’s catechesis was hurtful to his Jewishfriends and directly contradicted Nostra Aetate.Pope Francis’ remarks seemed to reaffirm theold supersessionist theology which claimedand argued Christianity had replaced Judaismin the covenantal relationship with God. RabbiRicardo D. Segni, the Chief Rabbi of Rome,expressed similar concerns in a letter to aleading Italian newspaper.Typically the media highlighted onlyJewish expressions of concern about thepapal catechesis. It is important to stress thata number of people, including myself, withextensive involvement in the Catholic-Jewishdialogue shared the Jewish concerns. They tooshared the sentiments in the Jewish letters andarticles.Cardinal Koch responded to the formalJewish letters in early September. His responsewas circulated to media and placed on theVatican’s website. His response strongly arguedthat Pope Francis personally has deep respectfor Jews and Judaism and for its continuingspiritual significance. I do not doubt that claim.But I believe that, in light of his misstatements,he must integrate his personal respect for theJewish tradition with a clear statement thatthe supersessionist theology is dead, havingbeen replaced at Vatican II with clear supportfor the conciliar view of Judaism as a vital,lifegiving religion. He did begin this effortin his addresses to the Jewish communitiesin Hungary and especially Slovakia. Bua a farmore comprehensive statement remains anecessity.John T. Pawlikowski, OSM, Ph.DProfessor EmeritusCatholic Theological UnionChicagoNDICE NEWS OCTOBER 2021

Continued from Page 1and so he videotaped a message to all of usin our diocese to view. His ordination andinstallation as a bishop were postponed tothe third week of July when no more than250 people could be safely gathered for theoccasion. As a side note: this actually waswhen the NDICE conference was supposed tobe held, so maybe God had his way of makingit possible for the Belleville deacons and menot to miss the events surrounding our newbishop taking office.Due to the limited number of peoplethat could be present for the ordination andinstallation, Bishop-elect McGovern decidedto have a separate service the night before hisordination and installation for ecumenical andinterreligious guests and civic leaders. Theseguests and leaders normally are invited to theordination/installation itself and are presentedto the new bishop during that celebration.The creative idea to hold a separate event forthis special group of guests allowed me asecumenical and interreligious officer for thediocese to arrange a specialized evening prayerservice tailored to the limited guests who wereinvited. Bishop McGovern presided at theliturgy, preached, and then was introducedto forty invited ecumenical, interreligious,and civic guests. Unfortunately, we were notable to have a reception following the event,but nonetheless, these guests felt very muchincluded and welcomed by our new bishop,perhaps in a way even more personal for themas a result of the pandemic restrictions.The ordination and installation thefollowing day was live streamed, so everyonecould watch the event on-line. The priestsand deacons of the diocese held two eveningprayer services in different parts of the diocesethe first part of that week in order to welcomeour new bishop. This allowed parishionersfrom around and diocese, and BishopMcGovern’s family and friends to attend inperson the actual ordination and installationitself. Yes, at first it was disappointing torealize we could not be there in person, but,as we all know from this pandemic era, we dowhat we have to do to keep everyone safe andto be safe ourselves.A second ecumenical and interreligiousevent that we were able to hold during thepandemic was the annual Week of Prayerfor Christian Unity this past January. In ourdiocese it is usually held in the cathedral orat a Christian church in the See city. This yearwe did it virtually by zoom, and I was able toreach out across our diocese of twenty-eightcounties and line up pastors and lay peoplefrom all over Southern Illinois to help withthe service. We also advertised the event, sopeople-- Protestant, Orthodox, and Catholic—could watch and participate from afar. It wasa wonderful and inclusive experience. BishopMcGovern preached and a woman pastor fromthe United Church of Christ was the presiderwith many other clergy and lay from aroundour geographic area taking leadership roles aswell.We never could have done this type ofevent in this way or perhaps even thought ofit, had it not been for the unique, challenging,and difficult times we are experiencing dueto our health crisis. At least these are some ofthe positive outcomes that are happening asa result of our present situation. Maybe Godis asking us to look at all the pluses that aretaking place due to or despite the pandemic.Stay safe. Be safe. Stay well!Deacon alfreD MitchellACCOMPLISHMENTSOrdained to the Diaconate for the Archdiocese of Atlanta in May, 1987 Prison Ministry, Volunteer Chaplain at Hartsfield-Jackson-InternationalAirport Administrator of Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Church Director of Deacon Personnel-Archdiocese of Atlanta 1990 -2005 FoundingMember of the National Association of African American Catholic Deacons-1991 National Association of Deacon Directors (NADD)Convention Co-chair-1997 President-National Diaconate Institute of Continuing Education (NDICE) 1997-1998 Recipient of NADD’s BartO’Leary Award-1999 (NADD’s second highest award) President-NADD-2003-2004 Recipient of NADD’s William Philbin Award-2005 (NADD’shighest award) NADD Recognition Award-2005You don’t have tocome to me,I’ll come to you!RETREATSR Retreats for Deacons and Wives Parish Retreats and Days of ReflectionWORKSHOPS Lectors and Catechumens Homiletics Effectively Using Stories to PreachSEminARS Story Telling Biblical Stories2688 Kings Park CircleDecatur, Georgia t6NDICE NEWS OCTOBER 2021

PARLIAMENT OF THE WORLD’S RELIGIONSBy Father Robert FlanneryPremier Interfaith Organization. Its vision is for a world of peace, justice,and sustainability, and its goal is to cultivate harmony among the world’sreligious and spiritual communities as well we to foster their engagementwith the world and its guiding institutions to address the critical issues ofour time.As diocesan ecumenical and interreligious officer and also a pastpresident of the Catholic Association of Diocesan Ecumenical andInterreligious, I have attended three parliaments so far: 2004 in Barcelona;2015 in Salt Lake City; 2018 in Toronto; and I will be participating in thevirtual one coming up is several weeks. There have been as many as12,000 attendees from hundreds of different religions, countries and partsof the world. I learned about many world religions and met individualsof different faiths that have impacted my own awareness, understandingand a deeper appreciation of other faith traditions.My local Carbondale Interfaith Council in Carbondale Illinois has senta delegation to the past three gatherings, always with a mixture of ourne of the developments in the ecumenical and interreligious local faith traditions: Christian, Muslim, Jewish, Unitarian, and Baha’I soscene, for us Catholics, but for many of the main line Protestant far. We have even been declared a smalltown Parliament of the World’sReligions because of our active involvement. Wedenominations and even some of the Orthodoxalso house the archives of the Parliament at thecommunions, has been the advent of the Parliament ofSouthern Illinois University-Carbondale Morristhe World’s Religions.Library.Over time, there Have been seven meetings of theTo further your understanding and appreciationParliament. The first one was held in Illinois in 1893of other religions in our world, please considerwhich was part of the Chicago World’s Fair. It was anregistering for the virtual event to be held theattempt to create a global dialogue of faiths, and itweekend of October 16 to 18, 2021. I guaranteedmarked the first formal gathering of representativesyou will not be disappointed, and it will help youof eastern and western spiritual traditions. Today itwith your ministry and relationships with peopleis recognized as the occasion of the birth of formalof other faith traditions in your areas. Go to www.interreligious dialogue worldwide.parliamentofreligions.org to see more and toOne hundred years later, in 1993, the interreligiousregister.community of Chicago, led in large part by theCatholic Archdiocese of Chicago, convened the secondParliament of the World’s Religions observing the 100thanniversary of the first parliament which had takenplace also in Chicago. In the process of organizingthis second gathering, a formal organization was formed and periodicparliament assemblies have taken place throughout the world: in CapeTown, South Africa in 1999; in Barcelona, Spain in 2004; in Melbourne,Australia in 2009; in Salt Lake City, Utah in 2015; in Toronto, Canada in2018; soon to be held virtually from October 16 to 18, 2021; and a futurein-person one, and perhaps virtual as well, is being planned for 2023 toFr. Bob Flannerycelebrate the 30th anniversary of the more recent eight assemblies andEcumenicaland Interreligiousthalso the 130 anniversary of the original one in Chicago held in 1893. TheOfficer, Diocese of Belleville2023 Parliament will possibly take place in our own country once again.Keynote SpeakerThe Parliament of the World’s Religions is now considered the World’sOMake Plans to Attend the ConferenceJuly 17 - 20, 2022Xavier University - Cincinnati, Ohio7NDICE NEWS OCTOBER 2021

NDICE 2022 Tentative Schedule of Conference EventsXavier University, Cincinnati, OhioSunday , July 1712:00 pm Registration OpensFP4:00 pm Opening MassFr. Bob FlanneryBC11:00 am Session 2Rev. Walter Kedjierski, Ph.DEcumenism 101 Part 212:30LunchBR29:30 am Session 1Dr. Noreen HerzfeldIslam Part 1BR2FP2:00 pm Session 3BR2Rev. Walter Kedjierski, Ph.DIntereligious Relations3:15 pm Free Time5:30 pm Dinner5:00 pm Dinner6:30 pmWelcome AddressMax RoadruckNDICE PresidentFPFPBR2Don’t MissBOO & TIBBR2Foll

important that Christians and Muslims make peace with each other since together they form half of the world's population. So when a Muslim greets you with "as-salamu-alaykum" (peace be upon you), respond with "alaykum-as-salaam." Dr. Oughton has taught many courses in the world's religions at Saint Louis University. He has served as the