Diocese Has Bumpy Road to the Future, by Mary Louise Speer, Quad-City Times, October 1, 2006

Diocese Has Bumpy Road to the Future

By Mary Louise Speer
Quad-City Times
October 1, 2006

http://www.qctimes.net/articles/2006/10/01/news/local/doc451f4f9b55105822422196.txt

The road to the future is paved with faith for Catholics in the Diocese of Davenport.

Catholics celebrated the diocese's 125th anniversary Saturday with a Diocese of Davenport Eucharistic Congress that began with an early morning Mass at St. Anthony's Catholic Church, Davenport.

Worshippers prayed for people in all states of life and those affected by abuse. "Everything that we face, everything that we are challenged with goes on this altar," said the Rev. Robert Gruss, the main celebrant at the morning Mass and diocesan chancellor.

Members of the Knights of Columbus surround Bishop William Franklin during a procession Saturday from St. Anthony's Church to LeClaire Park during a celebration marking the 125th year of the Catholic Diocese of Davenport.
Photo by Larry Fisher / Quad-City Times

The group left the church and processed to LeClaire Park with Bishop William Franklin carrying the Eucharistic communion host in a gold monstrance, or sacred vessel. The head of the diocese walked accompanied by about 30 priests, deacons and seminarians of many nationalities, Knights of Columbus in plumed hats and 200 lay people.

The celebration comes at a time when diocesan officials are exploring ways to pay for sexual abuse committed decades ago by some priests. A Scott County jury awarded $1.5 million to a victim of sexual abuse on Sept. 18, shortly before the start of the annual Diocesan Appeal. In a recent letter, Franklin asked parishioners to continue their contributions to the diocesan ministries, saying these monies go for operating expenses and not to settle lawsuits.

The greatest strength the diocese has today is unity, said Brenda Bertram of Clinton, a youth minister with Jesus Christ Prince of Peace Parish, Clinton. She attended the celebration to hear singer Steve Angrisano of Colorado perform at the bandshell.

"He's just an awesome entertainer with a great message and it's great to come together with people of the diocese," she said.

Bertram knows about the sexual abuse claims and as a youth leader, she is familiar with the programs put into place to keep similar events from happening in the future.

"I'm not concerned about the finances. I think our bishop has been very open with us and the annual appeal will continue. I have faith that we will make it through," she said.

The day's events at LeClaire Park featured plenty of music from Angrisano and singer Lynn Cooper. Speakers highlighted the event, which included members of the Vietnamese and Hispanic communities sharing their culture through music. A delegation of visitors from Antsiranana, Madagascar, also performed.

Pope Gregory XVI created the diocese on May 8, 1881, archivist Arnie Wieser said. The immigrants who made the taxing journey to Davenport felt strongly about having their own churches. "The Germans and Irish did not care too much for co-habitation," he said lightly.

The challenges continued in the 1990s with shortages of priests and the closing and consolidation of schools and parishes. "We continue to have consolidations and closings. These are significant ... and they do require a changing approach," he said.

People stopped by Assumption High School's booth and browsed through old yearbooks and copies of the Marylite student newspaper. The school was melded together into its present co-ed form 49 years ago from the Immaculate Conception Academy for girls and St. Ambrose Academy for boys, said Dan Huber, the school's spiritual director and a religion teacher.

"In our diocese I think the biggest challenge is to bring families back together," he said. "I know the value of having two parents who show unconditional love."

Abuse exists, but it is not limited to the clergy, he said. So many people are abused by family members and that learned behavior gets passed on to the next generation.

The training programs are valuable for everyone who works with children and a helpful tool for parents, he said. "As a parent I really watch. I'm more protective," he said. "The hard thing for some people is to realize our enemies are people we know."

Bill Grothus of Bettendorf is concerned about having more shepherds and lay people stand up for the life of the child and the life of the church. "Think of all the priests and people who have come before us to get to this day. It's fantastic," he said.

He does not see a problem with the state of the diocese's finances. "God only lets evil happen when more good comes out. God will provide that good," he said

The city desk can be contacted at (563) 383-2450 or newsroom@qctimes.com.

Awareness training

All clergy, youth leaders, school and religious education teachers, employees who work with minors and volunteers who have contact with minors four times a year or more are required to enroll in the Diocese of Davenport's Protecting God's Children and Virtues online training programs. They are also required to have background checks.