Pictures from CTA-NM Conference
The Continuing Education Center of UNM was the site of an enthusiastic meeting of CTA New Mexico. The day was full of prayer, dance, liturgy, and stimulating talks by Mike Crosby, OFM and Chris Schenk, CSJ.
In the morning Crosby discussed the Biblical context of the Jubilee passages of Leviticus and showed how the Holiness Codes outlined the developing religion and how Jesus digressed from the codes and a focus only on religion, and moved to a new spirituality based on an inclusion of people around the table of prayer and communal worship and social action.
In the afternoon Schenk discussed the role of women in scriptures with particular mention of Martha and Mary and Mary of Magdala. She spoke of the Magdala Project which is a focus of the organization she heads called FutureChurch.
Both presentations were followed by questions from conference participants who then met in small groups to discuss questions which flowed from the talks. Each one reflected on personal experience and shared insights on the topics.
Hurricane Restaurant catered the event, and the Las Cruces group supplied a continental breakfast and morning and afternoon snacks.
After the afternoon lecture and discussion the group had a brief review of the history of CTA New Mexico by John Wheeler and then participants broke into regional groups to discuss future meetings and plans.
The liturgies of the day explored the Pentecost theme. The opening prayer recalled the Spirit coming like a Wind (and New Mexicans responding like tumbleweeds), and the closing worship included the reading of four short scriptures and preaching by Judy Andrews, Genevieve Chavez, John Wheeler, and Sharon Pikula. Throughout the day Martha Ann Kirk led conferees in prayerful movement and joyful dance. After the gospel all went into the room with a communal table and recalled the presence of Christ and the Last Supper. The eucharistic celebration ended with song and many hugs.
Note: leftover bread and wine was taken to Las Cruces for their celebration on Sunday; leftover food from refreshments was taken to the Good Shepherd Center.
The participants of the First CTA-NM Conference did fill out the evaluation forms and took the time to add thoughtful comments which will be considered when planning future events. Some said they were willing to become active in CTA-NM.
In general the comments were very positive. In response to "What did you like best?" one wrote " Just having it!" Others urged more efforts to get those excluded from the table made more visible. "What could have been improved?" brought comments on the acoustics. Specifically, 70% thought the registration went smoothly and that participants felt welcomed. Even more liked the Morning Prayer service. The liturgical dance of Martha Ann Kirk got high praise and only a few negatives from those not "into" movement. The music for the conference got similar comments, that is, positive with a few wanting some more familiar songs and something in Spanish. (These songs WILL be familiar next time.) While the closing eucharistic celebration got positive evaluations, a few thought it was too long and wordy after such an intensive day.
The speakers were very well received; Michael Crosby got slightly higher marks than Chris Schenk.; the only negative comments had to do with too much material in too short a time frame.
What was clear from the evaluations was that work needs to be done on the small group gatherings. Some commented that it was difficult to hear each other and that time was very brief for exploring the topics outlined.
There is no doubt in my mind that the Holy Spirit was present at our June
10th conference. She was inspiring us through the words and actions of Mike
Crosby, Chris Schenk and Martha Ann Kirk. The selling of the Last Supper
prints and cards was incredible. Here are the results.
Postcards/Framed post cards: 591 were sold; Prints: 14 were sold
That was awesome!!! Spread them; share them in anyway you can. It is a small way to help bring about a BIG Change. So with those sold at the conference, we bring our Total count to (DRUM ROLL):
45 Large Prints and 2,021 cards since we started in September, 1999. I would have never believed it .
--
There are still more cards and prints available. Here are the details for ordering:
$0.50 for cards, $12.00 for prints, $4.00 framed postcards;
Additional costs for packaging and shipping.
To order, contact Sharon Pikula
Email: SPikulaNM@aol.com
Mailing address: 6098 Cottontail Road NE, Rio Rancho, NM 87124
Contributions: If you would like to simply make a tax deductible contribution to keep the fund going and allow folks to spread the picture who may not be able to afford this, please make a check out to:CTA-NM, Last Supper Fund, c/o John Wheeler, 615 West 1st Street, T or C , NM 87901
If you cannot afford to purchase the cards or prints but can spread them, please make a request to Sharon Pikula and we will make every effort to try to cover your order.
Saturday, August 12th -- Las Cruces
10 am to noon
Where: Kate Pelly's home
2083 Pine Needle Way
Las Cruces, NM 88012
382-7364
Sunday August 13th -- Rio Rancho
2-4:30 PM
Where: Sharon Pikula's home
6098 Cottontail Rd NE
Rio Rancho, NM 87124
896-2726
Saturday, September, 9th -- Las Cruces
10 am to noon
Where: Mary Phillips home
5764 Leasburg Drive
Las Cruces, NM 88005
Phone: 526-5922
Sunday September 10th -- Rio Rancho
2-4:30 PM
Where: Sharon Pikula's home
6098 Cottontail Rd NE
Rio Rancho, NM 87124
896-2726
MAY 21, 2000 (Kate Pelley recorded full minutes)
The May meeting was held at the Val Verde Restaurant in Socorro, NM. It was facilitated by Genevieve Chavez who also led the opening prayer to the accompaniment of Colleen
Fulmer's "Feed Our Hungry Souls. Minutes of the March 19, 2000 meeting were distributed and approved. A Treasurer's statement was distributed by John Wheeler stating a balance as of 4/30/00 to be $4374.54. Further expenditures since that date brings present balance to be approximately $3000. This will be sufficient to cover conference expenditures. Committee Reports were given by Finance (see this newsletter for details from Wheeler)
Mailing List: One list will be developed after the conference.
Newsletter: Due to the conference work and the evaluation meeting to follow it a new deadline of July 6 was set for articles for the newsletter. It was agreed to hire out the formatting and printing of the newsletter on a trial basis.
By-law Committee: Discussion focused on review of procedures to be followed by the Board for replacement of a Board member who has resigned. John Wheeler advised that the Board can act to replace members at any scheduled meeting. It is not necessary to call a special meeting to take this action. It was proposed and accepted that at the annual meeting in September, the term of office for a Board member might be extended from one year to three years to provide more stability and an opportunity for maturation of the Board as a body. Currently, resignation from Board membership has been accepted from Marge Werner, Pat Bonneau-White and Sr. Jackie Sailer; Katherine Pelly was nominated and agreed to accept Board membership on this date. Don Goulet and Joseph Van Den Heuvel were proposed for nomination to replace resigned members. John Wheeler is also desirous that a replacement for the Treasurer's position would be located by the annual meeting in Sept, 2000. An interim appointment from Sept through Dec 31, 2000 would precede the beginning of the formal term of office on Jan.1, 2001.
WOC Listening Sessions: Genevieve informed the Board that Deborah Halter, National director of WOC would be in Albuquerque on dates partially concurrent with CTA conference. It was stated she would be available for listening sessions in the Albuquerque area. However, she resigned her post before the conference. Death Penalty Report: In the absence of Pat Duttle, Mary Phillips informed the Board of a developing coalition of individuals and agencies around the issue of death penalty abolition taking place in Las Cruces. A meeting related to this took place on May 11, and two more meetings also related to this interest are scheduled for June 13 and July 27. Mary also indicated her interest that at the annual meeting in September a proposal might be submitted for the Board to take a formal position to support the abolition of the Death Penalty in NM. In that the 3 NM bishops support this abolition, our concurrence with their position could be an aid to forming in them a favorable disposition towards CTA. CTA Regional Meeting in Chicago on Sept 16, 17, 2000: Distribution was made of minutes and highlights of the last Regional Meeting which took place in Chicago on April 8 and 9, 2000. Twenty-two representatives from CTA affiliated from all over the country met to discuss common concerns. the next such meeting will take place in Chicago in Sept as indicated above. While it would be desirable for CTA-NM to have representation at this meeting, funds are not presently available to pay the expenses. There will be three meetings this year.
CTA-NM CONFERENCE 2000 REPORT
As of Board meeting date, 88 persons have registered to attend the Conference. The following topics were discussed: 1. Preparation of meeting space area, 2. arrival of speakers and dinner with them, 3. transportation of speakers, 4. security ( CTA will not to hire its own security. Reliance will be made on UNM's own police force. Their phone number will be readily available. In the case of possible disruptive incidents, Mark and Rachel Sutton, Catharine S-R and Genevieve Chavez are asked to deal with initial intervention.) 5. moneys collected, 6. stipends and thank you gifts (decision was reached to present Martha Ann, Chris and Mike with Last Supper Posters); 7. registration, environment and table decorations, 8. conference script and liturgies, 9. media coverage, 10. lunch and refreshments , 11. hospitality, (primary responsibility of board members who will wear red ribbons), 12. displays, 13. volunteers, (preparation and clean-up) 14. conference schedule, and, 14. post-conference Board meeting (to take place at 8:00AM to 10:AM on Sunday, June 11, 2000 at the J.B. Restaurant. Catharine will facilitate this meeting.
The lengthy meeting was adjourned with a prayer and song. Sharon will facilitate the September meeting in Socorro.
June 11, 2000, Post-Conference Board Meeting
(editors note: this is a summary of the minutes taken by Marlene Guganig)
The purpose of the meeting was to evaluate the conference of June 10,2000; twelve board members were present (including the newest member Don Goulet), and four guests. The Dignity guests were introduced first and left before the evaluation in order to attend their own conference.
The meeting was facilitated by Catharine Stewart-Roache, Mary Phillips led the opening prayer. Catharine opened the meeting with thanks, praise and pats on the back for all. Everyone pulled together and worked very hard to make this a successful conference. The groundwork has been laid for future conferences.
EVALUATION OF CONFERENCE:
Forms from participants: Sr. Marie and Faye Gibson will review the evaluation forms (see article in this newsletter). Advertising: Cost ran approximately $3000-4000; some discussion followed about spending that much for advertising of future conferences. Most heard of the event by word of mouth. Press: Press releases were not effective in bringing participants. A reporter from the "Wanderer" was present, also a member of CUFF. Security: Rachel and Genevieve were complimented on their efficient handling of the one interruption during Chris Schenk's talk.
Committees: Clearly, Sharon had far too much responsibility resting on her shoulders and far too many things to do. The committees need to be set up earlier, they need to have more members, the tasks need to be delegated sooner and very specifically. A future conference will be able to take advantage of the work already done, so many things would not have to be repeated. Discussion was held regarding making the conference more multicultural; how to appeal to members of other ethnic groups, without their feeling it's just "tokenism". All accepted Rachels suggestion of a team which would go out and visit other "ethnic" group meetings.
Speakers: It was agreed that they both had too much to cover in too short a time. The suggestion was made that in the future, there be only one speaker, in two sessions. We have a commitment from Diana Hayes as a speaker for a conference next year. It was suggested that Sandra Schneider also be kept in mind. Genevieve will write the speakers and send a personal thank you as well as to those who volunteered from outside the organization as well as within. Registration: There was some duplication of lists. One person needs to be in charge people who volunteer to help. Approximately 1/3 of the registrants checked off that they would help out. A list of volunteers and their duties could be posted. Judy Andrews did an excellent job with the registration table as did Mark and Rachael with the packets. The welcoming people did an excellent job of greeting attendees and directing them. 115 was the total attendance. John Wheeler will check the list of registrants and contact those who might join CTA-NM. Liturgy: The liturgies were very fine. Martha Ann Kirk with her liturgical dance was the "glue" that held the conference together. Lawrence Chavez did a great job setting up the sound system at the last minute. Mike Crosby made positive comments about the congruity of the worship and talks. The preaching was excellent. The short times that each person had helped some them to be concise and to the point. The musicians were congratulated, they did a terrific job. It was noted that attendees said they would have liked some more familiar music. There was far more bread than needed for the final liturgy; Genevieve announced that the leftover bread would be used in her home liturgy Sunday evening.
Meal/Refreshments: Sr Marie was congratulated on her work with the caterer. Hurricanes did an excellent job. It was noted that there should be a beverage with the meal next time. People requested water in the conference room, also hot water for tea. Next time, the refreshments need to have less baked goods and more fruit, also something not sweet, such as bagels. The leftover baked goods were donated to Good Shepherd Home, along with the tablecloths. Environment: Everyone was pleased with the decorations, the room looked great. Comments were that it was too small for the number of people attending, and the noise level made it very difficult for people to hear each other during the small group sharing. Schedule: Conference ran smoothly and on time, although note was made that sometimes this was at the expense of not having enough sharing time. Clearly having the "gatherer" with the tambourine was very important. It was suggested that in the morning introduction, people should be recognized by their area of the state. Set up/Clean up: The set up took from 5:00-7:30pm, with excellent cooperation among the volunteers; everyone just pitched in and helped. There were some problems in communication with the facility in regards to exactly what was needed and how it was to be set up. The cleanup went smoothly, but some volunteers had already gone, so there were fewer to do the work. The suggestion was made that next time there be one person, who will know exactly what needs to be done, coordinating all volunteers, assigning tasks and checking completion.
FUTURE CONFERENCE: Pros and cons were discussed of having one next year or waiting a year. The question was asked "What does CTA do?" All last year was spent planning for this conference. After much discussion, it was decided not to have a conference next year. (see Mary Phillips article for a discussion of this). Instead, there will be a year of intense small group activities, with lectures and other activities in an effort to build up the present group, and to try to get more members, especially from the northern part of the state. Since Diana Hayes is already committed to next year, Genevieve will discuss specifics with her. Possibly she could do a lecture. Further discussion and planning for next year will be at the next board meeting on Sept. 17, 2000.
Two possibilities of future conference funding were mentioned (Grand Rapids Dominicans and Franciscans)
Expenses: All bills for the conference need to be submitted to John by the end of July. Genevieve related an offer from Eric Bear Albrecht of Taos to start up a computer web site for CTA-NM; she will investigate further. (editors note: this is now a reality. Check us out at www.newmex.com./cta-nm/ )
The next Board Meeting will be Sept 17, 2000, at the Val Verde Restaurant in Socorro. Sharon Pikula will facilitate.
In closing, everyone prayed the intercessions from the Conference
We did it! We've done it! Our first CTA-NM Conference on June 10, 2000 is history. Our wrap-up meeting on June 11 helped us see a few areas for improvement, and mostly good and even great results from much energy, anxiety, sweat and tears (or fears) and prayers.
The consensus of that group meeting was that we should not repeat with a conference in 2001. You will note that Board Members earlier thought we could have another conference next year. However, as earlier became later, some of us began to realize that all of our energies and time went into the Conference, with very little left over for any other aspect of CTA like who we are, sharing with, caring for, and supporting each others efforts toward making us a more inclusive Church, and caring for the marginalized and suffering, and righting wrongs in our society. In short, our CTA community, our Church and our society needs had to be put aside for the great effort of putting on a Conference.
Because there are so few workers in our vineyard, though we have a large mailing list, we have to take a look at how we use ourselves. Hopefully, the Conference will bring into the vineyard more CTA workers, and this may be evident throughout this next year.
Some of us are doing Church work, and need input and support from our members. How can we best put forth the principles and goals of CTA? How can we bounce back when our efforts are ignored or put down? How do we, can we, strengthen each other?
Some of us are trying to change society, particularly in the area of prison reform/death penalty, starting in New Mexico. There is a lot to be done in this area. You may have noticed that all three bishops in New Mexico have come out to abolish the death penalty, (They have done less on prison reform). Since we've caught them doing something good, lets join them. Wont they love it when they see their strongest supporters are also CTA members? I think that many Catholic pastors would be eager to have trained speakers on the death penalty at their Masses (for the homily?) mostly because the pastors have not done their homework on this subject. Can we one day say that CTA-NM is for the abolition of the death penalty with life sentence as an alternative? This is an area we could give some though to.
Some of our members give meals and religious services at St. Martin's House and the Rescue Mission. Lets hear more about that, support the effort, and learn how we can do Church in other marginalized areas.
There are a few prophets among us in New Mexico. Can we let them know how much we appreciate their efforts to work toward an inclusive Church?
Perhaps now that the Conference is behind us, we can take stock on ourselves, listen to each other, and see where we are being called to do justice, and influence our community, our society. Lets hear from you all. What do you think? Where should we be heading? Contact our editor, Catharine Stewart-Roache, address: 1108 Mesa Loop, Los Lunas, NM87031 or by e-mail at hermosa@swcp.com
By John Wheeler
the Board appoint a Finance Committee consisting of not less than three directors, and its number may be changed from time to time by the Board. The Committee shall determine the adequacy of internal controls and financial reporting and it shall advise the Board concerning the Corporations contribution and other income, the investment of its funds, and other financial matters. The findings and recommendations of the Committee, based on an actual inspection and review of financial records, shall be submitted to the Board a least annually at the annual meeting of the directors.
Our bylaws further require that we have a Treasurer who:
. . . shall (a) have charge and custody of and be responsible for all funds and securities of the corporation; receive and give receipts for contributions, money due and payable to the corporation from any source whatever, and deposit all such moneys in the name of the corporation in such banks or other depositories as shall be selected by the Board of Directors; (who) shall oversee or keep correct and complete books and records of accounts; shall (c) provide such information as the Finance Committee shall request of her or him from time to time; and shall (d) in general, perform all of the duties as from time to time may be assigned to her or him by the Board of Directors.
Our experience in this first year of operation has been that the Treasurer and the Finance Committee need to consult and work with each other on an ongoing basis with several objectives in mind. One of these is to work closely with the Conference Committee for the purpose of assuring the presence of adequate funds for the purpose of putting on periodic public programs and conferences. Another is to develop a shared effort for collecting and acknowledging registrations for programs and conferences. Still another is a well considered program for soliciting and acknowledging contributions from supporters.
Would you be willing to share your time and talent as a volunteer for membership on the Finance Committee or to serve as Treasurer? Please remember that when you support CTA NM in this and in any other area, you are supporting the teaching of Jesus Christ that all people are welcome in the Kingdom of God and that no one - absolutely no one - should be excluded from Gods service, acceptance and love. If willing to volunteer, please contact John Wheeler, email jwheeler@zianet.com or 505/894-0632. Other contacts: Sharon Pikula, email SPikulaNM@aol.com 505/896-2726 and Genevieve Chavez, email gdchavez@zianet.com or 505/525-2358.
1) The dates of the other board meetings are: Nov 19, Jan21, Mar 18 and May 20 (any member may be a guest at a board meeting)
2) We are looking for someone who would be willing to be the recorder at the board meetings. Marlene Guganic has agreed to serve as the finance person beginning Sept., so we need a new recorder.
3) Check out the new CTA NM web site: www.newmex.com/cta-nm/ and a big thanks to Eric Bear Albrecht for his time and effort on the web site.
4) Send money, money money to John Wheeler
5) With regard to the Sr. Jeannine Gramick and Fr. Robert Nugent case there is information at www.newwaysministry.org.
6) Contacts to discuss CTA-NM:
7) If there are individuals who are planning to go the National CTA conference in Minneapolis, please let us know so we can talk about sharing resources, and maximizing our time and information. Perhaps when we get back we can have a couple of presentations or articles for the newsletter.
We were designating this section of the newsletter to include prayer requests that our whole CTA-NM community could include in their prayer life. We have focused on situations here in New Mexico but I would like to turn our attention to an individual that deeply needs prayers at this time. That person is Sr. Jeannine Gramick, SND. By the time this is printed, she will probably be removed from her community. She has spent over 25 years in the ministry to gays and lesbians and their families. In July, 1999 she and Fr. Bob Nugent were silenced by the Vatican. They were banned from ministering and speaking about the issue of homosexuality.
Since July, 1999, Sr. Jeannine has shared her experience of the Vatican investigations and the issues of the "primacy of conscience". Now, almost 12 months later, she and Bob were again called to Rome and were now told that they could not condemn or share their experience with other people regarding the silencing.
It is a sad time in our Church and I would urge you to keep her in prayer. She has been in community for over 40 years and now faces the decision of either remaining in community without the freedom to share her experience or following her conscience and speaking out against the procedural injustices within her experience.
Please keep her in your prayers.
Where do you stand in regard to the resumption of uranium mining in New Mexico?
by Katherine M.Pelley
An important environmental drama is currently being played out in New Mexico to which all CTA supporters need to pay heed. Last November 19th the National Catholic Reporter published a comprehensive in-depth article that highlighted complex issues
On August 20, 1999 an Administrative Law judge of the U.S. Regulatory Commission granted Hydro Resources, Inc. of Albuquerque the license to undertake uranium mining near the Navajo villages of Crownpoint and Church Rock, N.M. In earlier decades, hazardous open-pit uranium mining had occasioned unprotected radio active exposure, and subsequent incidents of cancer diagnosis among the indigenous workers. In 1979 the largest radioactive liquid waste spill in the U.S. occurred when the operator's dam was breached and 93 million gallons of polluted waste was poured into nearby waterways.
Now, a more technologically advanced method called "in situ leach" mining will pump uranium out of the ground rather than blast it from rock. And, according to Hydro Resources, Inc. "it is safe". Further, they add, it will bring needed employment to the region, and monetary benefit to those leasing their lands to HRI for mining purposes.
"Not so", says a sizable number of the Navajo who dispute HRI statements, remembering their poisoned dead and the unkept promises of safety in earlier ventures. These Navajo have banded together to fight this new incursion into their lands.
However, owing to an unusual pattern of land holdings in the area, arising out of an historical context, a certain portion of the region's inhabitants are land allottees having the right to lease their lands and also to pass them on as a legacy to their children. These allottees, often impoverished with high unemployment in their ranks, are open to HRI and the attraction of potential wealth arising from mine development. Their sense of security has been heightened by trips offered to them and paid for by HRI to sites of their operations, as in South Texas. There visitors observe a "very clean, benign mining technique".
Challenges to the administrative judge's August 1999 ruling and a soft world market in uranium (selling at a low of $10 a pound) has not dimmed HRI optimism, nor their intent to gain a foothold in this market. Production costs here would be in the lowest 25% bracket of anywhere in the world. Global nuclear reactor demand for uranium is about twice current annual production. And uranium salvaged from decommissioned nuclear weapon stockpiles could be gone in four or five years resulting in an increasingly rosy picture for operators such as HRI.
The number of nuclear reactors in the U.S. is 100 and none have been built since 1973 -- nor is any on the design board. But, in contrast to the more stringent climate, and greater public wariness of almost three decades ago, losing regulation of safety standards, and some relaxation of new licensing and renewal requirements have been increasingly advantageous to the nuclear energy industry. Nuclear disposal costs are less burdensome to the industry as deregulation advances, and operating costs are reduced. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is more responsive to their interests. As the nuclear energy industry profits from this changing scenario, there is a much greater likelihood that new nuclear reactors will be constructed.
What does all this mean to us in Call to Action? As we grow in our sense of responsibility for the care and protection of our planet's life, and its natural resources, we need to examine where we stand with regard to the generation of nuclear energy. Do we believe that over the past half century science and industry have progressed sufficiently to deal with the problems inherent in its production, its containment in utilization, and the safe disposal of its waste? If the answer is "yes", then the license awarded to HRI will not be disturbing to you.
If, however , the past fifty years or so, have engendered serious misgivings, sadness and/or dismay over harm that has come to human beings and our planet, is there not sufficient ground to question authorities in industry or government that tell us there is no basis for our fears or concerns?
If any reader would like a reprint of NCR's excellent article, I would be glad to send them a copy. If they should also conclude that the potential danger to human beings and environment is sufficient to warrant taking a position against the resumption of uranium mining in this state, I would be glad to send them a petition advocating their stand, addressed to the appropriate authorities.
Katherine M. Pelley
2083 Pine Needle Way
Las Cruces, N.M. 88012
Tel 505-382-7364
While I welcome an article on an issue of interest to many members of CTA-NM, I must respectfully disagree with Kate Pelley's statement that the NCR article was an in-depth one and her conclusion that 1) CTA-NM might publicly become involved in this issue or, 2) that it is appropriate for individuals (other than Navajos) to put pressure on anyone to stop mining plans within the Navajo Nation.
I have lived in New Mexico for over thirty years and remember well the horrors of the uranium mining situation near Grants. For thirty years I have been opposed to uranium mining and the development of nuclear power plants because we have not figured out how to efficiently and safely store the byproducts of nuclear power. However, I think that it is possible that the mining proposed is far different from that of thirty years ago; it may be as safe as uranium mining can be. The "in-depth article" did not cover even superficially the geology and mining engineering issues of this new site. (Even with careful mining there remain problems with nuclear plants).
For me the primary issue in this matter is the sovereignty of the Navajo Nation which covers parts of four states. For CTA-NM to become involved would be like taking a stand on issues within Mexico and Canada or China. Most would agree that this falls outside the scope of our mission statement. The Navajo Nation has not decided on this issue. They are divided. For us to become involved would be like saying "We support the governing rights of the Navajo people ....unless they act unwisely". We in the USA have not always acted wisely in matters of government, domestic and international affairs and environmental matters. As a democracy we have supported abiding by the will of the people....even when "wrong". I believe that the Navajo Nation has the responsibility to sort this out and decide in their own way, what they choose to do. New Mexico has many problems....environmental is one category needing attention and justice. Many organizations in our state are working to develop policies and laws. CTA members working to "act justly" and "love tenderly"...the land and its creatures would do well to become active members in them. But no other organization that I know of can, and I believe must, challenge out own, dear church. Would we want the Navajo Nation to make statements about the dangers and injustices within the Roman Catholic Church? No, they would trust that we, from within our Tradition, would find ways to deal with our problems. I think we must respect them as they struggle to find the way best for them. When they want expert advise, they will seek it. If they ask us, we can give an opinion...but not until then.
GC: John, how did you get interested in CTA?
JW: I was looking for other people who thought like I did about the church. I wanted to meet with other thinking, reform minded people. Catherine Stewart-Roache influenced me greatly as well. I was in the deacon training program, and was attending the deacon ordination when she stood up and talked to Archbishop Sanchez about ordaining women. I remember thinking "That woman has more guts than anyone I've ever known" We talked about it for 2 years in the deacon training program. It took such courage and really tied into the teachings of Jesus.
GC: How did you develop into a person so interested in justice issues?
JW: Well, there's lots of things in my life that have influenced me. My mother is a Choctaw American Indian and I certainly felt her feelings of discrimination. Then I had a sister who was born with a deformed leg. At school I would fight for her when other kids would pick on her. My sister has grown to be a real fighter for justice. I just don't believe people should be treated unjustly.
GC: Tell me something of your views regarding the Roman Catholic Church.
JW: I was raised Southern Baptist, in Bible Belt Oklahoma. My father's family was Roman Catholic. My parents were divorced when I was 12, and I chose to live with my father. We attended Catholic Church and I was attracted to the splendor of the mass, I was impressed with how educated the priests were. I went through the Diaconate Training from 1978-1981. What I realized then and even more so now is that the hierarchy doesn't allow people -- priests, bishops or anyone working inside the church -- to think for themselves.
I think the final straw was when one of my sons revealed to me he was gay. Now the Church teaches that it is okay to discriminate against homosexuals. I was trying to understand all the issues around homophobia and the Vatican. The American Bishops and the Vatican are saying things that are so contrary to the teachings of Jesus.
GC: What work are you currently involved with?
JW: I had a law practice in Albuquerque for 23 years and 10 years ago moved down to T-or-C. I'm doing elderlaw now almost exclusively. I'm doing the kind of law I've always wanted to do. I work with the elderly handling things for them that are difficult for them to negotiate like Medicare, Social Security, investments, trusts and health care. It's a fascinating, exciting and growing field. I truly enjoy what I'm doing.
GC: What would you like to see for CTA in New Mexico?
JW: I'd like a CTA that builds itself into an influential force that the church hierarchy can't ignore. I'd like a strong base of diverse individuals reaching out to expand CTA membership and put together a financially viable organization. I want us all to stand up and say what we THINK!
As described in the gospels, Jesus set forth an amazing example of sharing at table with those so condemned by his own religion. Michael Crosby outlined for us in his conference presentation how the Holiness Codes as presented in Leviticus excluded tax collectors, sinners, women most of the time, and many, many others from what was to be considered right Jewish behavior. It seems that the Vatican is following, not in the footsteps of Jesus, but of those who compiled the Holiness Codes! In the Acts we have clear discourses about how to share at the table of remembrance. How sad I am when I read of yet another step backwards and away from the spirit of Vatican II which addressed issues which separate us as Christians ... and human beings. Indeed, we have work to do within our own church.
Evaluation Forms Point to Success -- Faye Gibson & Editor
Last Supper Report -- Sharon Pikula
Phillips Reports on Future Conferences -- Mary E. Phillips
Call for Volunteers to Serve on Finance Committee and/or as Treasurer -- John Wheeler
Announcements: -- Genevieve Chavez
Forum of Ideas: CTA Members Speak Out Where do you stand in regard to the resumption of uranium mining in New Mexico? -- Katherine M. Pelley
What Makes John Tick? -- Interview by Genevieve Chavez
Editorial -- Catharine Stewart-Roache