USD Magazine, Fall 2002

"I don't chink anyone chinks about mar– riage more than a seminarian," he says. "Bur there is a discernment process you go through - could I really fulfill my life as a priest and chose matters attendant co it, or would my calling be marriage? I prayed a lot about ir. " Border Parish Most Fulfilling To be summoned co Rome as a priest is as good as it gees for a so n in a large Italian family. Cordileone admits his seven years working for the Vatican's high court were special, since he was able co introduce his parents co their Italian relatives, learn his parents' native language and study the canon law he respected. Bur it was his four years as pastor of Our Lady of Guadalupe in the dusty border town of Calexico, Calif., chat reinforced the priesthood as the right deci– sio n for him. continued on page 33

USD PRESIDENT SERVES ON NATIONAL REVIEW BOARD Students) Faculty Suppor t Hayes ) Role in Abuse Crisis Within days of her appointment to the National Review Board on Catholic clergy sexual abuse, USO President Alice Hayes' e-mail inbox was overflowing. Students, faculty, friends and even those she taught 40 years ago sent her a clear and convincing message of what they believe the board's mission should be.

"They all said the same thing - we want to have trust in the church, we want you to address this and to put it behind us," says Hayes. "It was very clear people don't intend to tolerate the abuse of children." Hayes is one of 13 lay persons serving on the board, which was created in July by Bishop Wilton Gregory, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, to help implement and monitor the U.S. church's zero-tolerance policy on sexual abuse. Although the board has only an advisory role, it is the first time in the church's history that lay persons have been given the authority to examine the church's hierarchy and internal practices at this level. The stakes are high - millions of American Catholics are looking to the board to help resolve the problems in the church. Hayes predicts the panel - which includes such high-profile members as Oklahoma Gov. Frank Keating, former White House Chief of Staff Leon Panetta and Robert Bennett, President Clinton's impeachment trial lawyer - will do what is necessary to carry out its task. "We know we have no canonical or investigative status," Hayes says. "Our only ability is to determine if the dioceses are in compliance, and call that to the attention of the pub– lic and the bishops." The panel will review diocesan policies on abuse cases, commission research and examine information compiled over the past decade by individual diocesan review boards on sexual abuse. Hayes says the board also will select a director for the newly established Office of Child and Youth Protection, which will prepare an annual report on compliance with the charter and help dioceses implement the zero-tolerance policy. The policy requires removal from the ministry of any priest who sexually abuses a minor. "We are looking for someone with some of the obvious skills - management, super– visory and policy experience - but we also want someone with experience handling sex– ual abuse cases of children, both at the child-care level and investigatory, legal level," says Hayes, who spoke shortly before heading to Oklahoma in September for the board's second meeting . "We are getting really good people interested in the position, and I am pleased they would consider leaving the jobs they have now." Hayes' role on the high-profile board came as a surprise. Gregory phoned her short– ly after she made public her plan to retire from USO at the end of the Spring 2003 semes– ter, a fact she thought might make her ineligible for service. "When Bishop Gregory called, I told him I'd love to help, but I'll be retiring at the end of the year," she recalls. "He said good, you'll be able to give us more time. I had been critical of the whole situation, so I couldn't turn him down when he asked me to do something about it." As one of three academicians on the board, Hayes will play a research role during her term, which is open-ended, analyzing information and statistics and making recommen– dations. She says her task will be made easier by USO faculty, who offered her volumes of research , resources and insight on the topic, most notably Bob Fellmeth, director of the School of Law's Children's Advocacy Institute. "What agreat response I've had from the faculty - we have a resource basehere that will be available to the national review board," Hayes says. "Whatever perspective I can bring to this issue," she adds, "as a woman, as an aca– demic, as an independent person, I will try to do my best. This is one role I did not antic– ipate I would have, and I ask everyone to pray for me, the board and the church."

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FA LL 2002