Message of Jean-Claude Cardinal Turcotte, at the re-launching of the diocesain project "Proposing Jésus Christ Today, at all Ages" St. Joseph's Oratory October 7, 2009 My dear friends, When you’ve been a priest for 50 years and a bishop for almost 19 years, you get to see many changes, especially in these times. Last May 31st, you kindly celebrated my 50 years of priesthood. I am very thankful to you for your signs of friendship. These celebrations have provided me with a unique opportunity to think about the road I’ve travelled thus far and to reflect upon my call to our Church. I have met many persons - men and women - who have taught me a great deal and who have brought a lot to my life. I have had to face several unexpected situations. I was there at the beginning of what is known as the “Quiet Revolution”. I saw how our society changed and I saw how our Church changed. I loved our society in its transformation and also I loved our Church in its transformation. The vision of Church, which I have today, is very different from that which I had the day Monsignor Laurent Morin conferred priestly ministry upon me, on behalf of Cardinal Paul-Émile Léger. The Second Vatican Council was for me a beacon of light that has defined and guided my path. This council planted within me deep convictions which continue to shape me and to move me to this very day. I have exercised my ministry as priest and as bishop while being attentive to the popes who have been at the helm of the Church over the past 50 years: John XXIII, Paul VI, John Paul II and Benedict XVI. (I have not forgotten John Paul I, but he did not have the opportunity to accomplish all that he would undoubtedly have accomplished.) JOHN XXIII John XXIII convinced me that the Church was neither an immovable rock nor a fortress isolated from the world. He spoke about aggiornamento, an updating of the Church. I have often read and continue to read the words which he pronounced on the 11th of October 1962, the day of the solemn opening of Vatican II. He said the following: “It is necessary above all that the Church never lose sight of the sacred legacy of the truth which it has received from the past. But the Church must also turn its gaze to the present times, which involve new situations, produce new ways of living, and open new pathways to the catholic apostolate. […] Not only must we hold on to the precious treasure [which is Catholic doctrine] as if we were solely preoccupied with the past, but also we must carry out, joyfully and without fear, the work called forth by our times, while following the path which the Church has taken during almost twenty centuries. I have kept his message: look in front of you and go forward, while remaining attentive to the world. Don’t barter the Gospel for anything else, but do seek to understand it, in the light of changing times, and while remaining in solidarity with men and women who so often seek new paths. John XXIII said: “It is not that the Gospel has changed; rather it is we who are beginning to understand it better.” John XXIII remains for me the model of that “master of the household who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old.” PAUL VI I liked Paul VI a great deal and I found him courageous in carrying out the work that was entrusted to him. He watched over the implementation of the orientations of the Council. In carrying out this task, he quickly discerned that evangelization must be at the heart of the life of the Church. The words he wrote, following the 1973 synod on evangelization, have oriented the action of the Church and must continue to do so. Evangelization is the grace and the specific vocation of the Church; it is at the heart of its identity. The Church exists for evangelization. […] Evangelization, for the Church, is to bring the Good News to every segment of humanity and, through its impact, transform humanity from within, thereby bringing new life to humanity. JOHN PAUL II With the flair which characterized him, John Paul II was a great promoter of evangelization. He spoke a great deal about the new evangelization. New, not only in the sense that it had to be carried out once again among a great number of the baptized, but also in the sense that it required the discovery of a new language better adapted to the new culture of the women and men of our time. I had the grace of often meeting John Paul II. He gave us the World Youth Days (I have had the good fortune of participating in five of these, during which I offered catechesis to young people). He came to Montreal in 1984 - and I had the immense honour of being very close to him. He convened the Synod of America, bequeathing to us the wonderful program set out in “On the Encounter with the Living Jesus Christ: the Way to Conversion, Communion and Solidarity in America”. I had the grace of being very closely involved in this Synod, not only during its preparatory phase, but also while it was in session, and now in its implementation phase. What a lesson about evangelization that was! I invite you to re-read the document which John Paul II wrote in January 1999, following the Synod. BENEDICT XVI Then came Benedict XVI. Even before becoming pope, he had contributed to an accurate understanding of the new evangelization, which must continue to marshal all our energies. In a talk that he gave on December 10th 2000, he said the following words which continue to challenge me: “The new evangelization must reflect the mystery of the mustard seed and must set aside any pretention that it will immediately produce a great tree. At one point we may find ourselves in the excessive security provided by an already existing great tree. At another point in time, we may find ourselves impatient with not dwelling in a great and strong tree. On the contrary we must accept the mystery of the Church which is both a great tree and a tiny mustard seed. In the history of salvation, we are always living both Good Friday and Easter Sunday…” Evangelization is a Pascal undertaking, one that touches us personally and collectively. It encompasses both death and life. It involves both burying and raising. I sincerely believe that as a community we are currently experiencing the Pascal Mystery. As a result of this, our Church will be different, while nevertheless remaining the Church rooted in Christ, the Gospel and Peter. 1. FROM BEING A CHRISTENDOM CHURCH TO BEING A DIFFERENT KIND OF CHURCH I’m old enough to have known what has been described as a “Christendom” Church. I loved that Church. It was the Church into which I was baptized and in which I discovered my vocation to the priesthood. This Church was clerical and apparently powerful. Many of those who were its members and who participated in its rituals did so because of social pressure, riding the wave of conformity. This Church no longer exists. This is abundantly clear. Nor should we strive to bring it back to life. To do so would be like filling old wineskins with a new wine (Mt. 9:17). The wine must be new, because God is asking us to live in times that are new. At this stage, it is very difficult to describe with any accuracy how the face of the Church will be transformed by the Pascal Mystery, which we are currently experiencing. Nevertheless, by comparing current trends with those of the past, we can detect certain features of this different kind of Church, a Church that is being born in our very midst. Let me mention a few of these features. A. Christians who are deeply committed Less numerous than in the past, the members of this Church will be more fervent and more committed. Having discovered Jesus Christ and his message, they will want to meet him, to follow him and to love him. They will adhere to the faith more conscientiously. Many among them will be converts who know that they have been personally called to be “the salt of the earth and the light of the world” (Mt. 5:13-14). Not a light that dazzles, but a light that challenges, that fascinates, that attracts in the middle of the night. B. A Church that is poorer, but more focused upon evangelization This Church will most certainly be poorer and less powerful than in the past. We can see this already. If I let myself be inspired by St. Paul, I would say that the power emanating from this different kind of Church - the power that will be of God - will most often manifest itself in our weakness. (2 Cor.12:9). In a society where persons without belief or who are indifferent to any religion will be more numerous, the Church will realize much more clearly than in the past that it exists not for its own survival, but for the life of the world, for service to humankind. Evangelization - making Jesus Christ better known - will be its fundamental mission. With St. Paul, the Church will declare “Woe to me if I do not proclaim the Gospel!” (1 Cor. 9:16) C. A Church where priests and laypersons will be working together More and more laypersons will be finding their rightful place and exercising their specific tasks. Have we not already made immense progress in this area? The former Catholic Action chaplain that I am can only rejoice that the Council finally acknowledged the responsibilities of laypersons, not only in the secular world, but also in the life of the Church. This different kind of Church will need to continue to rely on ordained ministers - priests and deacons - as well as on religious sisters and brothers. The purpose of the Year of the Priest, launched by Pope Benedict XVI, was precisely to remind us of this fact. The Church, however, will be less centered upon the clergy and increasingly become the Church of the baptized. Undoubtedly we will see the emergence of new ministries, open to women as well as to men. Responsibilities will be better balanced between clergy and laypeople…. And, let us hope, between men and women! One of the major features of this different kind of Church will undoubtedly be its more collegial form of governance. It is clear to me that tomorrow’s parish clusters will be animated by teams. I cannot insist enough on this point. I do not know exactly how many clusters we have today and I cannot accurately predict how many parishes and parish clusters we will have ten years from now. Nevertheless I am convinced that these entities will be headed by teams composed of priests, deacons, religious sisters and brothers, and laypersons entrusted with ministries. Together they will exercise responsibility, ensuring the vitality of these parishes and clusters. 2. THE CHURCH AS PROJECT The Church, which I have been speaking about and which I foresee, is a Church which must be conceived as a project. It is neither a virtual reality, nor a mere project. It is a Church in gestation. One need only think of what has taken place in our Church over the past few years… One need only look as what has emerged here and there to be reassured that, even though there may have been decline in certain areas and in certain ways, there has been startling new birth and new growth in other areas and in other ways. Death and life do indeed exist side-by-side. That is the Pascal Mystery. It is a matter of experiencing death in order to allow new life to emerge. As I speak about these things, I think about all the efforts that have gone into realizing our diocesan faith education project for all ages, Proposing Jesus Christ Today. I know that this has been a huge project. So huge that, whatever successes may have been achieved, these will never be able to match our expectations. But can we be blamed for dreaming big, when God has envisaged the salvation of all humankind? Will we let our hope be snuffed out, when we know that to hope is to work with all our strength, while yet remaining convinced that God alone can realize what we still carry in our hearts as hope? In studying the report prepared by those who were responsible for the implementation and the evaluation of our diocesan faith education project, I have come to realize - just as you yourselves have come to realize today - that we are in the process of making important transitions and of learning to live Church in a new way. Not such a long time ago, catechism was taught in schools. It is now being taught in our parishes. The young people who are taking part do so with greater freedom than in the past and their parents are more aware of the necessity of getting personally involved, if their own sons and daughters are to become Christians like themselves. Faith educators are more and more diversified, just as those who are requesting to become members of the Church are more and more diversified. Baptism is no longer a rite destined almost exclusively for newborns. It is being sought by persons of all ages. The paths that lead to baptism are more and more inspired by catechumenal processes, which are also growing in diversity. More and more persons are getting involved, in different ways, in promoting the faith and in encouraging people to commit themselves to Christ, as members of the Church, and this is occurring at all stages of life. I think of those who animate catechetical meetings. I think of those who accompany young people and adults who are preparing to receive the sacraments. I think also of those persons who render all kinds of services to facilitate this work: providing and preparing adequate meeting spaces, offering babysitting, and so many other things as well. I think particularly of those parents who have expressed to us their joy that the changed context and our diocesan faith education project have provided new opportunities to speak about matters of substance in a family setting. They are learning to speak about God, about Jesus, about the Church, about the serious aspects of life, about the search for meaning and values. Long held to be the responsibility of the few, Christian faith education has increasingly become a mission and a responsibility carried on the shoulders of many. I am particularly struck to see how, in our diocese, teams have been created bringing together priests, deacons, religious sisters and brothers, and a very large number of laypersons. Gradually, proclaiming the Gospel is becoming a responsibility truly rooted in the life of our Church. The face of our Church and its way of being Church are being profoundly transformed. So much so that we can consider in a new light what the Apostle Paul said about the practical life of the Church. The Church is a body which, in order to remain alive and to accomplish its mission, must call upon the talents, charisms and ministries entrusted to its different members. Diversity of roles and diversity of charisms, yes, but with the one and same Spirit, who is acting in and through each member. Diversity of ministries, yes, but always the one Spirit, the one body to build up, the one Gospel to proclaim with joy and hope. CONCLUSION In conclusion, let me speak to you from the heart. I see the Church of Montreal and it is a truly beautiful Church. It is being built up day by day, thanks to the efforts of all of you who are here today and thanks to many others who cannot be with us today. Far from being a Church whose decline must be managed, our Church appears to me as the body of Christ, which is actually living out the Pascal Mystery through each one of us, so as to make present the Reign of God in our world. At the heart of this Church, at its base and at its apex, there is Jesus Christ — and we must become fully conscious of this reality. Jesus Christ, who is relying upon us, in spite of our limits. Jesus Christ, who unceasingly places his trust in us, in spite of our mistakes and our slowness to understand. Jesus Christ, who has promised to be present to us in all circumstances. Christ Jesus, who continues to speak to us, saying: “Do not be afraid!” “Put out your nets into the deep water!” “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations,… I am with you always till the end of the world.”   1. Benigni et Zanchi, Le Bon Pape Jean, page 370 2. Matt. 12, 53. 3. Paul VI, Évangelii nuntiandi, 8 décembre 1975, nos 14 and 18 4. Conférence de S.Em. le cardinal Joseph Ratzinger sur le thème de la nouvelle évangélisation. Jubilé des catéchistes, Dimanche 10 décembre 2000. 5. 1 Tim. 2,4 : «Dieu, notre Sauveur… veut que tous les hommes soient sauvés et arrivent à connaître pleinement la vérité.» 6. Mark 6, 50. 7. Luke 5,4. 8. Matt. 28,19.20
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