|
Report of the Chair to the FDLC Board of
Directors during its January 2008 meeting.
 The
Executive Director and the Board Chair remain in regular
communication. Emails continue on an almost daily basis. Each
week Lisa Tarker and I discuss by phone the ongoing work of the
Federation. I want to thank our Staff at the National Office,
Lisa Tarker, Joseph Skeffington, Barbara Conley Waldmiller, and
Dianne Jimmink, for their tireless efforts to implement the work
of the Federation. They work long hours without complaint.
In the midst of heavy workloads, I want to
commend the Board for its faithful work on behalf of the
Federation. I also congratulate the member dioceses of Region 1,
and in particular, Lucy Zocco, Board Liaison and Fr. Dave
Baranowski, Director of the Hartford Worship Office. The profit
form the National Meeting was over $22,000, two thousand dollars
over the projected budget. In addition, the Hartford Worship
Office waived its allocated 10% of the meeting profit. We are
grateful for the generosity of the Archdiocese of Hartford.
At the conclusion of the November meeting
of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, the Bishop’s
Committee on the Liturgy became the Committee for Divine Worship (BCDW).
At that time, Monsignor Anthony Sherman assumed the role of
Executive Director for the Secretariat. We welcome Tony and we
thank him for the continued support of the Federation both by the
Secretariat and by the Committee. We look forward to a very
productive relationship as we continue serving the Church in the
United States.
New committees give rise to new
structures. The Executive Director and the Board Chair of FDLC
will now serve as consultants rather than advisors to the
Committee on Divine Worship. [According to the USCCB Bylaws,
committees may have consultants. There is no provision for
advisory personnel. The USCCB Administrative Committee requested
that the BCDW conform to the other committee structures.] The
non-Episcopal consultants will now attend the November meeting of
the Committee rather than the June meeting. Nonetheless, the FDLC
Chair and the Executive Director will continue to serve in an
ex officio capacity.
The status of the Roman Missal Formation
Project remains a concern. In December, the National Office was
notified by both Our Sunday Visitor and the Raskob Foundation that
the FDLC grant requests were denied. The lack of funding presents
a significant challenge. Lisa Tarker continues to pursue
information from Monsignor Moroney and from the Leeds Group so
that we might move forward with the proposed catechesis. I would
like to commend Lisa, Joan Workmaster, Chair, and the members of
the ad hoc Committee for their efforts and their insights
as we continue work on this vital project.
Respectfully submitted,
The Reverend Monsignor John H. Burton
Chair, Board of Directors |
