Recap of U.S. Bishops’ Spring Plenary in Louisville

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) gathered this week for their Spring Plenary Assembly in Louisville, Kentucky. Throughout the gathering, the bishops spent time in prayer and fraternal dialogue with one another.

The public portion of the assembly began with the bishops sending prayers and a message to the Holy Father, followed by an address by Cardinal Christophe Pierre, papal nuncio to the United States. Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio of the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA, and president of the USCCB, also addressed the bishops.

The bishops received updates on the following topics: the 2021-2024 Synod on Synodality; the bishops’ national mental health campaign; the National Eucharistic Revival and the National Eucharistic Congress; the Religious Worker Visa Program, and the National Review Board.

During their meeting, the bishops held a consultation on advancing the cause for beatification and canonization for Adele Brise, a lay woman who taught and catechized to children in Wisconsin and founded the Sisters of Good Help, a community of lay women. By a voice vote, the bishops affirmed the advancement of the cause of beatification and canonization on the diocesan level.

The bishops discussed and voted on three action items related to liturgical texts pertaining to the Liturgy of the Hours, presented by the USCCB’s Committee on Divine Worship:

• The bishops voted 177 votes in favor, 3 votes against, and 1 abstention to approve the International Commission on English in the Liturgy (ICEL) Supplementary Texts to the Liturgy of the Hours. The approval of this requires a two-thirds vote of the Latin Church members, with subsequent confirmatio from the Vatican’s Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments.
• The bishops voted 180 in favor, 2 votes against, and 0 abstentions to approve the International Commission on English in the Liturgy (ICEL) Additional Texts for the Liturgy of the Hours. The approval of this requires a two-thirds vote of the Latin Church members, with subsequent confirmatio and recognitio by the Vatican’s Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments.
• The bishops voted 178 in favor, 4 votes against, and 0 abstentions to approve the International Commission on English in the Liturgy (ICEL) Gray Book of the 2021 Roman Missal-Liturgy of the Hours Supplement. The approval of this requires a two-thirds vote of the Latin Church members, with subsequent confirmatio by the Vatican’s Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments.

They also reviewed, discussed, and voted on two sets of guidelines to assist with specific ministries:

• “Listen, Teach, Send: A National Pastoral Framework for Ministries with Youth and Young Adults,” presented by the USCCB’s Committee on Laity, Marriage, Family Life, and Youth is a guiding document for use by pastors, ministry leaders, and families in an effort to revitalize ministries with youth and young adults. While an overwhelming number of bishops voted in favor of approving the framework, it was two votes short of meeting the threshold of two-thirds of the Conference membership to pass. The bishops eligible to vote who were not present at the time the vote was taken will be contacted and given the opportunity to cast their vote next week.
• Keeping Christ’s Promise: A Pastoral Framework for Indigenous Ministry, a plan to assist dioceses and Catholic Native communities in their ministry. The bishops voted 181 in favor, 2 against, and 3 abstentions to approve the framework, which is intended to assist dioceses and local Catholic Native communities to develop their own pastoral plans that are sensitive to the vast cultural differences among the various communities.

The Committee on Evangelization and Catechesis provided an update on the Task Force for a National Directory for Instituted Ministries. They put forth two votes before the body that required a simple majority vote of bishops present:

• A friendly amendment to allow the presentation of an interim document on the catechist: the bishops voted 136 in favor, 22 against, and 14 abstentions to pass.
• Writing of a National Directory on Instituted Ministry: the bishops voted 156 in favor, 8 against, and 11 abstentions to pass.

Prior to the public sessions, the bishops spent time reflecting on positioning the Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD) for the future. For a half-century, grants made possible through the annual CCHD collection have gone to help community organizations working to empower people striving to overcome poverty. help community organizations working to empower people striving to overcome poverty. While the bishops met behind closed doors in an executive session, Archbishop Broglio provided an update at a press event without breaking the confidentiality of the bishops’ discussion saying simply: “The bishops had a good discussion, including time to share in small groups. The CCHD subcommittee will take this feedback and discern the best way to incorporate it into the future work of the CCHD. In all these discussions, the bishops’ ongoing commitment to the vital work of fighting poverty was clear.”

News updates, texts of addresses and presentations, and other materials from the 2024 spring plenary are posted to: www.usccb.org/meetings.

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