Annual Meeting 2008
ANNUAL MEETING 2008
Hyatt Savannah, Georgia
January 3, 2008
Executive Committee: Mary Alice Piil, Kathleen Harmon, Keith Peckler
Agenda:
Prayer and Welcome
Reception of Minutes of the 2007 meeting
Discussion on Electronic Voting: Richard McCarron reviewed the rationale and procedures behind CAL’s by law article 2.3.1—8, concerning approval of a statement outside of the annual meeting. This was occasioned by the lack of approval of the CAL statement to the BCL last year following the meeting. While there was overwhelmingly positive support for it during the meeting, it failed to garner enough votes to pass when sent for electronic vote. Several members indicated that they do not check e-mail frequently; others were concerned that the time allowed for a reply (2 weeks to comment on a proposal draft/1 week to approval final text) was insufficient given their schedules. Others simply explained that they had forgotten or not realized they needed to reply to the message.
The discussion then moved on to wider issues of the purpose of CAL, the reluctance on the part of some members to be associated with public statements, and the question of what constitutes the simple majority when the vote is taken outside of the annual meeting. The matters were referred to an ad hoc committee headed by Joanne Pierce, which in turn proposed amendments to the constitution and bylaws that will be take up at the 2009 meeting. This draft was distributed to the members present. A formal version will be prepared by the Executive Committee and sent to membership by e-mail in advance to prepare for discussion and action in 2009.
Discussion of reports
BCL: Msgr Anthony Sherman introduced the new Associate Director, Rev. Richard Hilgartner. Msgr. Sherman addressed questions from the floor:
ICEL: Paul Turner addressed questions from the floor
Election: Richard McCarron was elected to
the board. Thanks were offered to Mark Francis who graciously stood for
election.
Report on Finances: Robert Daly
reporting.
Afternoon Presentation and Discussion: John Baldovin, S.J.
“The State of Liturgical Reform—Where Do We Go From Here? “
John’s thoughts were based on his soon to be published book on the critics of the reform, the summation of which is the question “Where do we go from here?” He then engaged the assembly in a lively discussion.
Future agenda items surfaced for CAL:
1. Catechesis = primary topic; needs to be on-going; make ourselves available to other organizations; help people learn who speaks with authority
2. Focus on key topics that effect people, e.g. focus on theosis -
3. Constructive approach – helps us to set a modus operendi – Mark Searle’s Called to Participate
a. catechesis
b. need for mystagogical preaching
c. Maybe the vision of the reform hasn’t yet really been grasped
4. Importance of articulating the ecclesiology of the latest motu proprio, Summorum Pontificum
5. Re-articulate the reform rather than “reform the reform”
Liturgical Press launch of GIRM Commentary!
Ed Foley, editor of the GIRM commentary thanked all who had made this first project of CAL a success.