1.  To congratulate you again on the re-institution of the Lay Advisory Board. This is an important step toward encouraging the whole People of God to take up their responsibility for the life and health of the Church, as Vatican Council II mandated.

2. To ask for the names of the LAB parish reps and deanery reps so we can have regular communication with you and them about concerns and suggestions. We also need dates and location of scheduled meetings of the LAB so we can participate as much as possible. We are seeking simple transparency of our church in order to be active, responsible members who are dedicated to realizing the Church of Vatican Council II.

3.  To ask you to clarify the specific roles of the LAB. We believe that part of our responsibility, as laity, is our prophetic contribution to the whole Church. "That discernment in matters of faith is aroused and sustained by the Spirit of truth." And we accept that this discernment " is exercised under the guidance of the sacred teaching authority" (Lumen gentium 12). We need, as the Body of Christ, to understand how the LAB will genuinely function as the agent of the laity's contributions regarding finance, personnel, moral, and legal issues in the Church. As the Archbishop and chancery staff plan to meet with various subcommittees of the LAB (at least once per week), please inform us about the ways CCCR/CoB can assist in this work.  

4.  To include CCCR and CoB in your communications system so we, who have invested much time and conversation with you on lay participation, will be aware of archdiocesan events affecting the laity. There is a perception that a few select people have their own backchannel of communication with you, to the exclusion of the rest of the laity. The Pentecost event at Mendota is a case in point. We expect all spiritual types and paths (intellectual, devotional, service, social justice, charismatic and evangelical) to be included in a two-way channel of communication. Let this archdiocese be the model of inclusivity for other archdioceses. The past AB has used negative rhetoric and discriminatory actions to keep CCCR/CoB out of the loop, even banned from Catholic Church property. We ask that you restore our rightful place among the People of God in the archdiocese.

5.  To confirm what we have heard you say, in your conference room, that we are a Vatican II archdiocese. Please be assured of our commitment to this Vatican II institutional church. We represent mainstream Catholics who are desperate to heal the grievous wounds of priestly sexual abuse, the growing shortage of priests, and abuse of clerical power. We desire to be in union with all the People of God and embrace those who have been excluded from the sacramental life of the church in this archdiocese because of bias, hatred and neglect. We have been patient through the distractions of bankruptcy, but now we need to take prompt and significant action before our Vatican II institutional church fades into irrelevance.