An independent organization of concerned, committed Catholics in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Buffalo formed to assert the laity’s rightful role in the Church and to help lead a movement to restore trust and confidence in the Church in the wake of public disclosures about the Diocese’s handling of clergy sex abuse cases.
U.S. Bishops’ Synod Report
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has reported back to the Movement to Restore Trust (MRT) on the Synod on Synodality submissions for Region XVI that included the MRT’s report.
According to the USCCB, “The document (attached) is an attempt to synthesize and contextualize the common joys, hopes, and wounds called forth with the help of the Holy Spirit in the unfolding of the Synod. The National Synthesis simply tries faithfully to express what emerged from the consultations. While not a complete articulation of the many topics and perspectives shared in the listening process, this synthesis is an attempt to express the broader themes that seemed most prevalent in the dioceses and regions of our country. Its writing is the fruit of an intensive time of prayer, reflection, and discernment by those on the U.S. Synod writing team.”
MRT ISSUES SYNOD REPORT
The MRT has compiled and submitted a SYNOD report to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. A basic question prompted and guided us: How does this journeying together allow the Church to proclaim the Gospel in accordance with the mission entrusted to Her; and what steps does the Spirit invite us to take in order to grow as a synodal Church? Our Synod Report is based on work that MRT Work Groups completed in 2018-19. We believe that we began a synodal process of listening to each other when our movement was established in the fall of 2018. MRT is continuing to advance the common themes developed by the MRT workgroups…
A Conversation with Bishop Mike
May 8, 2021
The Movement to Restore Trust presented a virtual conversation with Bishop Michael Fisher and Father Bryan Zielenieski, the diocese’s new vicar for Renewal and Development in May, 2021.
Bishop Mike and Father Bryan spoke about the present and the future of the Diocese of Buffalo and how the laity can play an active role in the renewal ahead.
Who We Are
We are an independent group of concerned Catholics who are committed to our faith, to restoring trust in our Diocese and to the Vatican II ideal that we, laity and ordained alike, are all the church.
Our Mission
We seek to give voice to Catholics who share deep concerns about the state of the Diocese. Through constructive reform, not revolution, we seek to act in conformity with Catholic beliefs and canon law.
What We Are Doing
We are recruiting interested lay people, religious women and the clergy of the Diocese in developing a path forward for our Diocese, in line with Catholic beliefs, ecclesiology and canon law.
Work Groups
Six work groups have been formed based on The Movement to Restore Trust proposed areas of inquiry. Each group is intended to address one of the these issues
Art For Sale
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From what I’ve seen around the country, I can’t think of a single place where you have a better organized, more talented set of lay individuals who want to partner with their church and their bishop than in Buffalo. And all I can say is that things in the Diocese of Buffalo are moving as quickly as I’ve seen anywhere in the country.
I see their [MRT’s] model as both heart and head. They are keenly aware that people are deeply wounded and angry and committed to their church, and so there’s a process to care for that. And there’s also a process looking at how can we address the leadership culture and the trust rebuilding and the institution of the church moving forward.
Leadership Roundtable is an organization of laity, religious, and clergy working together to promote best practices and accountability in the management, finances, communications, and human resource development of the Catholic Church in the U.S. including greater incorporation of the expertise of the laity.
(from WBFO Radio interviews)
We Believe
That the voices of survivors of sex abuse and their families must be a strong presence in this initiative. We believe that Catholics, lay and ordained, must walk together toward the holiness to which we are called, and create a new culture of leadership and management that is transparent, accountable, competent, and grounded in justice for survivors in order to restore trust and safeguard the essential mission of the Catholic Church.
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