Citi Ministries Seeks Meeting With Papal Nuncio Before NCCB

10/15/2002

From: Louise Haggett of Citi Ministries, Inc., rentapriest@aol.com, 800-PRIEST-9

FRAMINGHAM, Mass., Oct. 15 -- CITI Ministries, a free referral service of married Catholic priests, is seeking to meet with the Papal Nuncio and the NCCB President Bishop Wilton Gregory prior to the November Bishops' meeting, to apprise the Vatican and the American Bishops of the many requests received by CITI for worshipping communities with married priests. CITI (Celibacy Is the Issue) has spent ten years locating, recruiting and promoting priests who married through a website, http://www.rentapriest.com.

"Canon Law says the salvation of souls is the most important law of the Church," according to Louise Haggett, a lay woman who founded CITI in 1992 when she was unable to find a priest for her ailing Mom. Her research into the priest shortage and clergy sexual abuse in the priesthood led to CITI's mission to put married priests back into ministry. "They are still priests," says Haggett, "priests with integrity. According to Canon Law 290, 'once validly received, sacred ordination never becomes invalid.' "

Scheduled to appear in an upcoming 60 Minutes segment (Oct. 20), CITI will be gathering constituents in Baltimore on December 6-8 to discuss the facilitation of these worshipping communities. "This is an effort to assist vast numbers of people who no longer attend Sunday Mass and have nowhere else to go." A recent Boston Globe article indicated one Boston area parish (North Andover, MA) has lost 1000 families in 2002. In 1996, the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA) found that 73.3 percent of American Catholics (48 million) no longer attend Catholic Church.

CITI's goal is to facilitate worshipping communities with pastoral teams of married priests and lay Catholics in time for the holidays so that everyone who wants the sacraments will have access to them. "Canon 843 says a married priestis obliged to provide sacraments to anyone who asks," says Haggett. Donated space is being currently being sought in the Boston area for Midnight Mass with married priests. "We are looking for financial support and also for volunteers."

The purpose of the meeting with the Papal Nuncio and Bishop Gregory is to ask for their assistance in using church property that may currently be empty as well as other ministry supplies. Anyone wishing more information about CITI Ministries may visit http://www.rentapriest.com.