Msgr. Gauthreaux: Of synods and priests’ curfews

Msgr. L. Earl Gauthreaux, the pastor of St. Maria Goretti Parish in New Orleans East, a canon lawyer and the judicial vicar of the archdiocesan marriage tribunal, already was wearing about four hats when he got the phone call in 1980.

It was Archbishop Philip M. Hannan on the other end, and he was about to make him an offer he couldn’t refuse.

“Earl, I want to give you another opportunity,” the archbishop told him.

Msgr. Gauthreaux smiled and knew what that “opportunity” meant – about two fewer hours of sleep every night.

Archbishop Hannan knew exactly where to turn when he needed a respected pastor who could coordinate the 8th General Synod of the Archdiocese of New Orleans, a massive project that involved consulting with thousands of clergy, religious and lay Catholics on how best “to renew the life of the people of God by setting forth regulations accommodated to the needs of the time.”

The plan birthed that day took seven years for full delivery.

The synod process that began with townhall meetings across the archdiocese in 1980 was promulgated officially by Archbishop Hannan on June 29, 1987 – the Feast of Sts. Peter and Paul – about 10 weeks before Pope John Paul II made his historic visit to New Orleans. The main synod document was 93 pages long, and there were an additional 270 pages of appendices.

“I had no idea it would take that long,” said Msgr. Gauthreaux, now 83 and still serving as pastor of St. Maria Goretti.

Msgr. Gauthreaux had a sterling pedigree for the appointment, which required patience and meticulous attention to detail. He had been pastor of a thriving parish since 1968, and he also taught canon law and the sacrament of marriage at Notre Dame Seminary after getting his licentiate from The Catholic University of America in Washington., D.C.

One of the first things Msgr. Gauthreaux did after becoming lead coordinator of the synod’s central committee was to review the document produced by the 7th General Synod, which was completed by Archbishop Joseph F. Rummel in 1949.

“It was all in Latin,” Msgr. Gauthreaux said. “And, it was much thinner.”

As Msgr. Gauthreaux leafed through the Latin text the other day, he came up with a few gems of 1940s-style synodal law.

“It told the priests what time they could be in at night – there was a curfew,” Msgr. Gauthreaux said. “When I was ordained a priest (in 1956), I was expected to be in by 11 p.m.”

Wearing clerical garb wasn’t even mentioned in the 1949 book.

“It was just commonly accepted that clerical garb was expected,” Msgr. Gauthreaux said. “We were to be dressed appropriately, especially when we were out in public.”

The Latin text spoke a language of a far different church. If an assistant pastor wanted to buy a car, Msgr. Gauthreaux said, “he had to have the money and had to get permission from the pastor.”

“In those days when I was first ordained, priests were considered ‘junior’ clergy for five years. Twice a year, we had to come in for an examination by older parish priests who had been appointed by the archbishop. They reviewed certain topics with us.”

One of the Latin rules stipulated that newborns had to be baptized within 15 days of birth. Mass intention stipends were $1 for a regular Mass, $10 for a sung Mass and $35 for a solemn high Mass, and the rules stipulated that $5 each went to the deacon, subdeacon and emcee.

“Mixed marriages were not allowed to be performed in the sanctuary of the church – they had to be done outside the Communion rail, and the priest wore his cassock and surplice (rather than regular Mass vestments),” Msgr. Gauthreaux recalled. “You were only allowed to have two candles burning, limited flowers, very moderate use of the organ and no singing.”

For funeral Masses, no English hymns could be sung. “Only Gregorian chant was allowed,” he said.

The impetus for the 8th General Synod in the 1980s came from Archbishop Hannan, Msgr. Gauthreaux said. It was about 20 years after the Second Vatican Council, and that lived experience of the local church was important to review. Archbishop Hannan also was approaching retirement.

“I think he wanted to put a lot of things in order and designate things he felt were important for the entire archdiocese and its pastoral ministry,” Msgr. Gauthreaux said.

There was a big discussion, prompted by Archbishop Hannan, about how much religion was being taught in Catholic high schools. At the time, many schools, because of state educational regulations, were teaching religion for one semester and then teaching P.E. the other half of the year.

“Religion was not being stressed as one of the important elements,” Msgr. Gauthreaux recalled. “That’s one thing he insisted on – that classes in religion were of equal importance to other courses.”

In the end, Msgr. Gauthreaux said the laborious process was worth the effort. One of the major accomplishments was adopting the “due process” system established by the Canon Law Society of America “so that people would have the right to conciliation, arbitration and judicial process,”
Msgr. Gauthreaux said. “It was for the priests and the laypeople, like teachers in schools and people who worked in parishes. I learned a lot.”

Msgr. Gauthreaux once again will be involved in the synod process. Archbishop Gregory Aymond has appointed him to the 12-member Synod Leadership Team, whose duties will be to recommend three to five priorities for the archdiocese over the next five years.

It will not be 363 pages long.

“Archbishop Aymond is looking for something more succinct,” Msgr. Gauthreaux said. To which the church – and Msgr. Gauthreaux – can respond, “Amen.”

Peter Finney Jr. can be reached at pfinney@clarionherald.org.