The Statutes of Opus Bono
Sacerdotii
Preface: Spiritual Heritage of OBS
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| Jesus Christ the High Priest as Head of His Mystical
Body, of which we are a part, founded the present Priesthood. |
The priesthood of the Old Covenant
The chosen people were constituted by God as "a kingdom of priests
and a holy nation", but within the people of Israel, God chose
one of the twelve tribes, that of Levi, and set it apart for liturgical
service: God himself is its inheritance. (1539 CCC) A special rite
consecrated the beginnings of the priesthood of the Old Covenant. The
Priests are "appointed to act on behalf of men in relation to
God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins".
At the ordination of priests the church prays with reference to high
priests and Moses. Everything that the priesthood of the old Covenant
prefigured finds it fulfillment in Christ Jesus, the one mediator between
God and Man. (1544 CCC)
The presence of Christ in the minister is not to be understood as
if the latter were preserved from all human weaknesses, the spirit
of domination, error, and even sin. The power of the Holy Spirit does
not guarantee all acts of ministers in the same way. While this guarantee
extends to the sacraments, so that even the minister’s sin cannot
impede the fruit of grace, in many other acts the minister leaves human
traces that are not always signs of fidelity to the Gospel and consequently
can harm the apostolic fruitfulness of the Church. (1550 CCC)
The whole Church is a priestly people. Through Baptism all the faithful
share in the priesthood of Christ. Thus it is necessary to love, support,
pray for and serve ordained Priest as the ordained ministers exercise
their service for the People of God by teaching, divine worship, and
pastoral governance. (1592 CCC) In the 1987 Synod of Bishops, there
was a call for active participation of all the faithful in the mission
of the Church.
"The Holy Spirit continues to renew the youthfulness of
the Church and has inspired new aspirations toward holiness and
the participation of so many lay faithful; by active participation
in the liturgy; in the proclamation of the Word of God and catechesis;
in the multiplicity of services and tasks entrusted to the lay
faithful and fulfilled by them; by the flourishing of groups, associations
and spiritual movements as well as by lay commitment to the life
of the Church and in the fuller and meaningful participation of
women in the development of society." (a)
The Holy Father reminds us: "The particular gift of each of
the Church’s members must be wisely and carefully acknowledged,
safeguarded, promoted, discerned and coordinated, without confusing
roles, functions or theological and canonical status." (b)
Permanence of the Priesthood
By the laying on of hands there is communicated a gift of the Holy
Spirit which cannot be lost (cf. 2 Tim 1:6). This reality configures
the ordained minister to Christ the Priest, consecrates him (cf. PO
2) and makes him a sharer in Christ’s mission under two aspects
of authority and service.
This special participation in Christ’s priesthood does not
disappear even if a priest for ecclesial or personal reasons is dispensed
or removed from the exercise of his ministry. (c) As the priestly character,
like that imparted by baptism and confirmation, is indelible, ordination
can never be repeated, and a return to the lay state is absolutely
impossible. (d)
In light of the present need of those priests that are being singled
out by allegations in the news media, it is beneficial that a lay organization
be available to deal with the present and future needs of these ordained
priests.
John Paul II, Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation (Dec. 30, 1988),
2: AAS 81 (1989), p 396.
John Paul II, Discourse at the Symposium on "The participation
of the Lay faithful in the Priestly Ministry" (May 11, 1994),
3
The Synodal Document on the Ministerial Priesthood 1971, #5
Council of Trent, Sess. XXIII, can. Iv, in Denzinger, n. 964
Social Objective and Purpose
Opus Bono Sacerdotii’s (OBS) social objective is to find
solutions to the problems confronting priest and religious in accordance
with the authentic teaching of the Church, and of the Holy Father
and his predecessors. We believe that it is beneficial that a
lay organization be available to deal with the present and future
needs of these ordained priests. Some of the ways OBS can help the
priesthood is in:
- Facilitating civil, criminal and canon legal defense and due
process for accused priests or religious.
- Outplacing priests that are no longer permitted to perform pastoral
work to productive positions and/or new places with the appropriate
material, financial and psychological support.
- Providing living expenses
for priests that have been accused and put on leave including
financing for room and board, transportation, relocation, health
and auto insurance.
- Advising bishops and superiors confidentially, and acting as
liaisons or facilitators in sensitive and complex situations.
- Providing media relations assistance and public relations.
- Coordinating the logistics necessary for outplacement or for
medical or psychological treatment.
- Providing the funding for facilities or research.
OBS is an association of the faithful dedicated to the support
of the office of the priesthood and religious in union
with the Holy Trinity and to intercede for the work of the Holy Spirit
in the whole Catholic Church. OBS is a link between some special
needs of the Church and secular resources. OBS is created by the
mutual agreement of those called by God to intercede in a united,
committed, focused way in the support of the office of
the priesthood and religious in the Love and Power of the Holy
Spirit for the work of the Holy Spirit in the Catholic Church world-wide.
(Matthew 18:19-20) OBS especially promotes the Mercy of our Lord
through the devotion to the Divine Mercy, Holy Spirit and Mary the
Mother of God.
Headquarters
OBS is located in Detroit, Michigan, USA with the ability to provide
assistance anywhere in the world.
Government
OBS is governed by an experienced management team comprised of a president
and treasurer assisted by a support staff utilizing a worldwide network
of professional resources. As professionals with Fortune 500 business
experience as well as non-profit expertise, the management team is
uniquely qualified to respond to the most complex situations and deploy
a broad network of professional resources quickly. The management team
is advised by competent and vigilant ecclesiastical authority in order
to take care that integrity of faith and morals is preserved and to
watch lest abuse creep into ecclesiastical discipline (Canon 305:1).
In the area of business acumen, OBS is operated with the support of
a corporate board of directors made up of experienced and successful
business people. Finally, in the area of problems specific to the priesthood,
OBS seeks the consultation of a board of advisors comprised of clergy
and professionals with expertise in the problems affecting the priesthood.
Membership
Membership in OBS is a unique calling to find solutions to the problems
confronting priests and religious in accordance with the authentic
teaching of the Church, and of the Holy Father and his predecessors.
It requires the ability by each member to reserve judgment until the
truth can be accurately determined, and then focus on God’s Mercy
even in the most desperate situations. In this way, OBS remains objective
and can affect the most appropriate activities in order to bring about
just resolutions.
Network of Experts
The OBS network is comprised of faithful adult people, loyal to the
Magesterium and the Holy Father in Rome, who have immediate access
to specific resources of professional, financial, material or spiritual
support for priest and religious in crisis. These experts are handpicked
and scrutinized by the management team in conjunction with the advisory
board, board of directors and its ecclesial advisor. The experts’ function
is one of prayer and good deeds. They must understand the importance
of priests in the life of the Church and be willing and able to act
quickly in a very confidential manner. Once an expert is qualified,
invited and approved by the management team, board of directors and
ecclesial advisor, the member becomes a part of the network from which
OBS draws from to organize professional teams for work on specific
cases, or for financial support.
Clients
Clients may include any validly ordained Catholic priest from a religious
order or diocese recognized and approved by the Catholic Church. Priests
that have been granted dispensation from the active priesthood or have
left the active priesthood with no intention of returning are not generally
eligible for assistance from OBS unless there are specific extenuating
circumstances determined by the management team.
In cases where legal procedures in civil, criminal or canon law are
required:
· A client’s innocence or guilt is not a determining
factor in obtaining assistance from OBS.
· A client’s consistent profession of innocence,
or their remorse, repentance and reformation of their life if they have offended are
determining factors in obtaining assistance from OBS.
The management team will make this determination, but may seek the
advice of the ecclesial advisor, chaplain, advisory board or any other
party it feels necessary to determine eligibility for assistance.
Policies
The management team with the ecclesial advisor and board of directors,
and when necessary at the advice of the advisory board, will make policies
based on sound business practices and authentic Church teaching. In
addition, where policies concerning legal and health issues need to
be addressed, OBS will consult competent experts to develop and implement
policies focused on best practices and the most appropriate solutions
for OBS and it’s clients. Policies are made with expediency in
mind since OBS must often act in a "moment’s notice".
Fees for Services
OBS provides its services of finding solutions to the problems confronting
priests and religious without charge. OBS will be entirely self funded
through the generosity of its benefactors and will not collect fees
for expenses or services rendered to the priests or religious who directly
benefit from the support of OBS.
Name
The name is Opus Bono Sacerdotii (work for the good of the priesthood).
The name is selected especially in view of our intended purpose and
in light of the present need of those priests that are being singled
out by allegations in the news media. Opus Bono Sacredotii reflects
accurately our mission statement "to find solutions to the
problems confronting priests and religious in accordance with the authentic
teaching of the Church, and of the Holy Father and his predecessors". Use
of the Latin, which is the official language of the Church, helps to
identify OBS with the Catholic Church in Rome and the Pope.
(No part of this document may be copied or reproduced
in any manner without the written permission of Opus Bono Sacerdotii,
Inc.)
