Call to Action

Call to Action is an American progressive Catholic organization that advocates reform within the Catholic Church. Its work grew out of a national Catholic conference held in Detroit in 1976, convened as part of the United States Catholic bishops' preparations for the nation's bicentennial. The conference reflected a period of post–Second Vatican Council debate in which lay Catholics, clergy, and church leaders were reconsidering how the Church should participate in social and institutional change. At the end of the three-day Detroit gathering, 1,340 delegates voted to revisit several contested areas of Catholic policy and governance. These included mandatory celibacy for priests, the restriction of priestly ordination to men, the Church's positions on homosexuality and artificial contraception, and the participation of lay people and other church constituencies in important decisions. The delegates did not formally adopt a program demanding that Catholic teaching be changed, but the conclusions alarmed or disappointed many bishops and became the basis for an independent lay movement. A Chicago-based organization emerged from the Detroit initiative, taking the conference's name. A gathering of more than 400 people in October 1978 helped establish Chicago Call To Action as a local organization. Over time, the group developed annual conferences, regional networks, educational programs, public advocacy, and forms of Catholic social activism. Its principal aims have included women's ordination, an end to mandatory clerical celibacy, greater lay participation in the selection of bishops and popes, and changes to Catholic teaching and discipline concerning sexuality and contraception. Call to Action occupies a contested position in American Catholic life. Supporters regard it as a vehicle for lay participation, institutional accountability, social justice, and renewal of the Church. Critics argue that its positions conflict with settled Catholic doctrine and canon law. The organization has been censured by a number of Catholic bishops. In the Diocese of Lincoln, Nebraska, Bishop Fabian Bruskewitz placed members of several organizations, including Call to Action, under a diocesan penalty that could lead to automatic excommunication. An appeal was rejected in 2006 by the Vatican's Congregation for Bishops. That decision concerned the bishop's authority within his diocese rather than issuing a universal doctrinal ruling, although the congregation also expressed strong criticism of the organization's compatibility with Catholic faith. The organization has also received support from some Catholic clergy and theologians. Speakers and supporters associated with its events have included Bishop Thomas Gumbleton, Bishop Jacques Gaillot, theologian Hans Küng, Charles Curran, and Joan Chittister. At the same time, groups such as Call to Holiness organized explicitly in opposition to Call to Action's conferences and objectives. A 2007 controversy in Tucson illustrated the continuing institutional tension: Bishop Gerald Kicanas declined to permit a Call to Action-sponsored address by Gumbleton on diocesan property. In 2013, Call to Action sought to broaden its appeal with the tagline “Inspire Catholics, Transform Church.” The organization has continued to be associated with annual conferences and regional activity. It is best understood not as a commercial product company but as a membership-based advocacy and reform movement operating within debates over Catholic authority, representation, ministry, and social teaching.

Call to Action's roots lie in the reform debates that followed the Second Vatican Council and in a 1976 meeting of Catholic representatives in Detroit. The United States bishops organized the conference in anticipation of the American bicentennial. Its title echoed Pope Paul VI's earlier call for lay Christians to participate actively in renewing society and the Church. The Detroit meeting lasted three days and brought together 1,340 delegates. Its final voting addressed issues that were highly sensitive within Catholicism, including priestly celibacy, the restriction of ordination to men, homosexuality, artificial birth control, and participation in church decision-making. The resolutions did not expressly require the Church to reverse its official teaching, but they called for those positions and structures to be reconsidered. The outcome generated considerable criticism from bishops and conservative Catholic commentators, who regarded the gathering as unrepresentative and excessively confrontational. Rather than becoming a formal bishops' program, the initiative developed into a lay-led organization. More than 400 people attended a follow-up meeting in Chicago in October 1978, and Chicago Call To Action was launched as a local group. It subsequently became known more broadly as Call to Action and built a national profile through conferences, regional groups, education, and advocacy. Its program has consistently emphasized changes to church discipline and governance, including an end to mandatory priestly celibacy, women's ordination, more inclusive approaches to sexual ethics, and greater participation by lay Catholics in the selection of bishops and popes. The movement's style has been associated with a newer form of Catholic activism rooted in protest, peace activism, and confrontation with institutions, rather than only the coalition-building and social programs associated with earlier Catholic action. That orientation has attracted supporters among reform-minded Catholics and opposition from groups seeking to defend existing doctrine and ecclesiastical authority. Call to Holiness, for example, began holding conferences in the 1990s in opposition to Call to Action's program. Relations with the Catholic hierarchy have been especially important to the organization's history. Bishop Thomas Gumbleton became a prominent public supporter, while other church figures and theologians, including Jacques Gaillot, Hans Küng, Charles Curran, and Joan Chittister, appeared at or supported Call to Action activities. Many bishops, however, argued that the group's policy positions were incompatible with Catholic teaching. In 2007, Tucson Bishop Gerald Kicanas would not permit a Call to Action-sponsored appearance by Gumbleton on diocesan property. The most serious institutional conflict occurred in the Diocese of Lincoln, Nebraska. Bishop Fabian Bruskewitz announced a diocesan penalty covering members of several organizations, including Call to Action. Under the terms described in contemporary accounts, the penalty could become an automatic excommunication after a month. Call to Action appealed, but the Vatican's Congregation for Bishops affirmed in 2006 that the diocesan bishop had acted within his jurisdiction. The congregation did not issue a universal doctrinal decree against the organization, although its prefect, Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, stated that membership or support was incompatible with coherent Catholic life and criticized the group's views. Despite the conflict, Call to Action continued organizing conferences and regional activity. In 2013, it adopted the public-facing phrase “Inspire Catholics, Transform Church” as part of an effort to extend its reach. The organization's historical significance rests on its role as a durable lay reform movement in American Catholicism, especially in debates over authority, gender, ministry, sexuality, and the participation of ordinary Catholics in church governance.

• 2013

  “Inspire Catholics, Transform Church” positioning

  [1]Call to Actionen.wikipedia.org

  Call to Action used a new tagline as it sought to broaden its appeal and present its work as a movement for Catholic renewal.

• 2007

  Tucson venue dispute

  [1]Call to Actionen.wikipedia.org

  The Bishop of Tucson declined to authorize a Call to Action-sponsored speech by Bishop Thomas Gumbleton on diocesan property.

• 2006

  Lincoln diocesan penalty affirmed

  [1]Call to Actionen.wikipedia.org

  The Vatican Congregation for Bishops affirmed the competence of the Bishop of Lincoln to impose the diocesan penalty involving Call to Action members.

• 1996

  Call to Holiness begins counter-conferences

  [1]Call to Actionen.wikipedia.org

  Call to Holiness held its first conference in opposition to the program associated with Call to Action.

• 1995

  Reform-oriented Catholic figures address conference

  [1]Call to Actionen.wikipedia.org

  The Call to Action conference featured figures including Jacques Gaillot, Thomas Gumbleton, and Hans Küng, illustrating support from some reform-minded bishops and theologians.

• 1978

  Chicago organization launched

  [1]Call to Actionen.wikipedia.org

  A follow-up meeting of more than 400 people in Chicago led to the launch of Chicago Call To Action, the lay organization that developed into Call to Action.

• 1976

  Detroit Call to Action conference

  [1]Call to Actionen.wikipedia.org

  A U.S. Catholic conference in Detroit brought together 1,340 delegates, whose votes called for reconsideration of priestly celibacy, male-only ordination, sexual-ethics positions, and church decision-making structures.

Progressive Catholic lay advocacy focused on church reform, inclusion, institutional accountability, and expanded participation in ecclesial decision-making.

• Events and education

  Annual conferences

  Call to Action's conferences bring together lay Catholics, clergy, theologians, and activists to discuss church reform, social justice, inclusion, and institutional accountability. They have also served as a venue for public speeches by supporters and sympathetic religious thinkers.

• Membership and advocacy

  Regional organizing

  Regional groups extend the organization's advocacy beyond its national gatherings. Their activities have included local education, networking, public discussion, and organizing around questions of Catholic governance and discipline.

• Advocacy

  Catholic reform advocacy

  The organization's central offering is a reform platform addressing women's ordination, priestly celibacy, lay participation in selecting church leaders, and Catholic teaching or discipline concerning sexuality and contraception.

• 2006

  Lincoln diocesan excommunication controversy

  Bishop Fabian Bruskewitz of Lincoln placed members of several organizations, including Call to Action, under a diocesan penalty that could escalate to automatic excommunication. The Vatican Congregation for Bishops later affirmed the bishop's jurisdiction, while the organization and its supporters disputed the action and its implications.

  Source

Read more

• 2013Inspire Catholics, Transform Church

  United States

  A public positioning and outreach effort presented Call to Action as a vehicle for inspiring Catholics and transforming church structures and practices.

  Outcome. The organization continued its conferences and regional activity; the available reference does not provide measurable campaign results.

  Source

• 2013

  Broadening outreach through a new taglineStrategy

  Background

  After years of controversy and a primarily reform-activist identity, Call to Action sought to present its mission in a broader and more accessible way.

  Action taken

  The organization promoted the tagline “Inspire Catholics, Transform Church.”

  Aftermath

  The available reference confirms continued organizational activity but does not quantify the effect of the repositioning.

  Source

• 1978

  Establishment of a lay-led Catholic reform organizationStrategy

  Background

  The Detroit conference's reform-oriented conclusions did not become a formal bishops' program, creating an opening for an independent lay organization.

  Action taken

  Organizers held a Chicago follow-up meeting and launched Chicago Call To Action, later known simply as Call to Action.

  Aftermath

  The organization developed conferences, regional groups, and advocacy focused on church governance, ministry, and teaching.

  • Call to Holiness — Call to Holiness organized conferences intended to oppose Call to Action's reform agenda.

  Source

1. 1Call to Actionen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Call to Action official websitecta-usa.org