6207 18th Road Arlington, VA 22205 July 6, 2012 Most Paul S. Archbishop of Arlington Arlington, VA 22203 Dcar Bishop I am writing to most ask that you rcconsidcr dircctivc of May 10, 2012, rcquiring a Profcssion of Faith by all thosc who act as a catcchist in dioccsc of Arlington's parish rcligious cducation programs. I fully support your goals of rcdiscovcring powcr and bcauty of our Catholic Faith and of communicating that faith in a way that young pcoplc may truly bc fonncd as disciplcs of Lord Jcsus. I why you thosc who arc tcaching young pcoplc to bc ablc to to basic doctrincs rcgarding our Lord csus Christ and to importancc of Roman Catholic Church in and passing down faith. What is troubling, is that catcchists swcar an oath to and hold cach and thing dcfinitivcly proposcd by Church rcgarding tcaching on faith and morals" and that thcy with "rcligious submission of will and to tcaching which cithcr Roman Pontiif or of Bishops cnunciatc thcy thcir Magistcrium, if thcy do not to proclaim tcachings by a dcfinitivc act-II I ask you to rcconsidcr that catcchists takc this oath as a condition of thcir bcing allowcd to tcach rcligious cducation classcs in dioccsc of Arlington. In your you statc that part of your in this Ycar of Faith is to "ncw ciforts of cvangclization, aimcd at a rcinvigoratcd communication of Faith, to thosc who havc driftcd away Rom Church." How, I wondcr, docs a Profcssion of Faith by thosc who arc alrcady giving substantially of thcir timc and talcnt to Church contributc to achicving that goal? Why, I wondcr, is my bishop mistrust in cithcr my sinccrity in transmitting faith or in my capacity to convcy of our faith I wondcr why, if is conccm about transmission of faith, arc catcchists bcing rcquircd to swcar an oath of fcalty rathcr than bcing cducatcd in tcachings of Church? For a Catholic who takcs Profcssion scriously, who wishcs to it fully, and who wishcs to bc truc to conscicncc, it is impossiblc to takc such an oath. You do not spccify, nor, as I it, it is not possiblc to spccify ALL tcachings proposcd dcfinitivcly by Church or proclaimcd by Magistcrium "cvcn if thcy do not to proclaim tcachings by a dcfinitivc act." Thus it is impossiblc to know cxactly what a pcrson is to by taking this oath. Morcovcr, although fundamcntal truths of Church's teachings may have been consistent over time, their expression may not have reached their fullest expression in the present. These imperfections may lead a conscientious Catholic to have certain private reservations about certain teachings. Although I fully understand the authoritative role of the Catholic hierarchy in defining the teachings of the faith, in my view only a person who is willing to abandon her own reason and judgment, or who is willing to go against the dictates of her own conscience, can agree to sign such a document. By forcing this issue, you are depriving students who emoll in parish religious education classes throughout the diocese of teachers who, though they may have private reservations on particular issues, are otherwise engaged Catholics who are committed to transmitting the faith in an authentic fashion. In this 50th armiversary year of Vatican II, I hope and pray that you as well as the other officials of the Catholic Church in the United States will work with the laity to promote a sense of loving kindness and compassion that our larger Catholic beliefs and values. Yours truly, Dr. Rosemarie Zagarri Professor of History George Mason University 5th grade catechist, St. Ann's Parish cc: Rev. Paul F. deLadurantaye Rev. Donald Greenhalgh