The Dutch strategy

Thank you for the cover story, "The Dutch plan," on the booklet "Church and Ministry" from Dominican priests in the Netherlands (NCR, Dec. 14). The most important thing to note here is that these Dominicans have taken a new approach to the priest shortage, grounded in ancient church tradition. Perhaps it will stimulate Catholics in many parts of the world to consider the place of the Eucharist in the practice of our faith and how to ensure that all Catholics will continue to celebrate this key sacrament. I agree that our bishops have much to answer for in taking the Eucharist away from the people and closing down parishes due to the lack of priests to staff them. Depriving people of the sacrament of the sick is a terrible thing to do, given our understanding of the nature of sacraments.

However, the Dominican proposal does call into question the meaning of the sacrament of holy orders, as perhaps it should, and one thing the article did not address sufficiently is whether these ideas will bring younger people back into the church or whether there will be a new Catholic traditionalist movement in Holland, perhaps in response to the growing number of Muslims.

As Catholics, we need to be able to discuss these issues freely, and our leadership should stop being frightened of such conversations. We are not trying to destroy our Christian faith; we are trying to preserve it.

SHERYL B. ZABEL

Fairport, N.Y.

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