Rev. Joan Clark Houk is a careful and cheerful listener to the movement of the Holy Spirit in the world and in her life. She and her husband, John, are life partners and occasional partners in ministry. They have raised six children, and are proud grandparents. Involved in parish ministry for over 30 years, Joan had been Pastoral Director of two Roman Catholic parishes without priest pastors before her ordination. Her education includes:
B.A. in Education, St. Martin’s College;
M.S. in Conflict Management, George Mason University;
M.Div., University of Notre Dame
Joan was ordained a Catholic priest contra legem on July 31, 2006 in Pittsburgh, PA.
She was ordained bishop on April 19, 2009 in California.
Joan retired as the active bishop in December 2018.
Joan and John reside in South Bend, Indiana.
Joan’s web site: www.joanclarkhouk.com
E-mail: [email protected]
Journeying in the Spirit of Vatican II
by Joan on October 15, 2012
Our Roman Catholic Church is often described in terms of Pre-Vatican II and Post-Vatican II. I am a bridge spanning those two time periods. What a blessing! Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 1940, I was educated in Catholic schools from first grade until graduation from high school in 1958. During those years St. Francis Xavier Church was my second family, and the local Catholic high schools were my teen social clubs. My school friends and I were taught about God’s love for us, how we were to treat others with respect, to share our material goods with the poor, and to support the missions around the world with our coins and prayers. “Hearing” mass, receiving the sacraments, praying the rosary, fasting, following the commandments and rules of the Church would help us to get to heaven. Everything was spelled out for us in black and white. We were cautioned to avoid occasions of sin, and avoid friendships with young people who were not Catholic so as not to lose our faith. We were told that the Catholic Church was the only true Church, and that non-Catholics would not go to heaven.
When the Second Vatican Council opened on October 11, 1962, I was 22 years old, and a married woman with a daughter. I could have never imagined how my Church was going to change, and therefore, how my life was going to change because of the Holy Spirit moving through the Church. I embraced the council and Gaudium et Spes, i.e., joy and hope, that moved out through the Church doors thrown open by Pope John XXIII. As an adult Catholic I had new questions in search of answers, and I found other adults who met in groups in the parish meeting rooms to discuss our questions. The “mass” was now in English instead of Latin, and it was called Eucharistic liturgy. We learned that “liturgy” meant “work of the people” because we were all called to conscious active participation with the priest in celebrating Eucharist. Laity proclaiming the scriptures led to laity gathering for Bible study. Laity distribution of communion at the liturgy led to laity distribution of communion in hospitals or to the shut-ins in homes. In time, John and I, as parents, were encouraged to prepare our children for the sacraments of Eucharist, reconciliation and confirmation. We became parish catechists, and then leaders of parish youth groups. We were representatives on parish councils, and participated in diocesan events. Our children were involved in the children’s classes, liturgical ministries and other activities. The parish facility became our family’s second home. Along with praying for and sending money to the missions, we were invited to serve the hungry at the soup kitchen. We marched for human rights, and lobbied against discrimination. We could now attend a friend’s wedding in a Church of a different denomination, and it was probable that my Presbyterian grandfather was in heaven after all. We were actually encouraged to become involved in ecumenical and interfaith dialogue with our brothers and sisters in the global Family of God. Yes, I am a bridge between two very different views of Church. One looks inward with the windows and doors closed, and the other looks outward with the windows and doors open to the world.
+Joan Clark Houk