CREDO.PRIESTS
Rev. Jerry J. Pokorsky. Pastor
Saint Michael the Archangel Church
Annandale, Virginia
Diocese of Arlington, USA
Contact us: credopriests@gmail.com
Contact
ABOUT US
We are priests of the Catholic Church. Some of us are diocesan priests. Others are members of religious orders. We offer Mass, hear Confessions, administer the Sacraments. We teach. We oversee parishes, schools and other insitutions. We are obedient and respectful to our bishops and lawful superiors. We love Christ and His Bride the Church.
We are asking you, as priests, to consider signing a statement in support of Church teaching in the spirit of Pope Francis’ desire that we be always forthright and honest with our bishops: “…it is necessary to say all that, in the Lord, one feels the need to say: without polite deference, without hesitation. And, at the same time, one must listen with humility and welcome, with an open heart, what your brothers say” (Pope Francis, from the 1st General Congregation of the 3rd Extraordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, greeting to the Synodal Fathers, October 6, 2014).
As you undoubtedly know the upcoming Synod on the family not only involves critical questions of Church doctrine and practice with respect to marriage, but also questions that will have a profound impact on our ministry as priests. The marriage covenant is a participation in the Sacred Covenant between Christ and His Church. Any distortions or misunderstandings involving the marriage covenant inevitably will have an adverse effect on our understanding, living and preaching the New and Everlasting Covenant and our very worship as Catholics.
The Holy Spirit is giving us an opportunity to renew, affirm and express our faith in the authentic teachings of Christ -- and the Catholic understanding of the natural law -- truths we’ve accepted by God’s grace after years of doctrinal and theological study, and prayer.
Hence, for purposes of expressing our faith to our Bishops and the Synod Fathers we are collecting the signatures of priests who are willing to support the statement on this site. Only your names will be published and distributed. Your names and addresses will be used only for communicating our limited purposes. We expect this to be an ad hoc organizational effort in preparation for the upcoming Synod in the fall of 2015. We aim to be respectful and clear.
The letter will be posted on this site with your names in alphabetical order (without other information) and letters will be sent to the Synod Fathers when opportune. These are your options. If you agree with the simple statement of doctrinal and pastoral practice, we invite you to go to "Sign the Statement" and electronically register your signature. You may prefer email or the U.S. mail. See details under the SIGN THE STATEMENT tab.
The organization we call CREDO PRIESTS is not much of an organization at all (except for volunteers, computers, stamps and stationary). It is merely a vehicle to communicate this affirmation of faith, compile those who agree with the statement, and respectfully submit the results to our superiors, including the Synod Fathers. The contact priest is not a "spokesman." The content of this site speaks for itself. Pray for us. Pray for our Church.
