Catholic lay interparish partnership (CLIP)

About CLIP
The Catholic Lay Interparish Partnership (CLIP) originated as lay people from several parishes reached out to the Aquinas Center in response to the recent events brought to light by the Pennsylvania report in the fall of 2018.  The purpose of this committee is to strengthen our voices, connect parishes that have similar concerns regarding the current sex abuse crisis in Church leadership, and advocate for the inclusion of laity in the governance of the Catholic Church.

This group is open to parishioners of the Archdiocese of Atlanta and the greater Atlanta Catholic community in the hope of building a community across parish lines.  Thus far, we have 24 parishes represented in this group.  We also host a series of educational events centered on knowledge of the complex facets that led to our current abuse crisis and what we can do as lay leaders to make a positive impact for the future of the Catholic Church.   This series is entitled “What’s Next?”.  For more information on this series, please click here.

We would like to invite you to join us at our next meeting.  If interested, please contact Alice Cameron at alice.cameron@emory.edu for more information.
Mission of CLIP
Building on our theology of Baptism, we recognize the necessary interdependence of everyone in the Body of Christ (cleric, laic[1], and hierarch).  Therefore, we will engage with the archdiocese to:
  • Institute transparency at all levels of the Church including disclosure of those credibly accused to both the state and the parishes.  Require transparency in church finance and consistency of reporting. Build clear governance structures for all levels. [Transparency]
  • Reconstitute the archdiocesan pastoral council with elected representatives from each deanery, mandated to create a culture of mutual accountability throughout the archdiocese.  [Accountability]
  • Since diversity of perspectives is critical to fulfillment and acceptance of any new vision, we will include laics (women and men, people from various language groups and cultures) in initial and ongoing clergy formation as well as personnel boards for clergy.  We will develop a process for hearing the voice of all our baptized Catholics in the selection of any new bishop.  [Co-responsibility]

​​[1] “Laic” is a term used by Adam A.J. Deville in his book Everything Hidden Shall Be Revealed” to designate an equivalent order or rank to cleric.

    Join Clip 

Catholic Lay response

Catholic Lay Response is an independent initiative by the Leadership Crisis Action Committee (LCAC) at St. Thomas More Church in Decatur, GA and the Aquinas Center, seeking to educate ourselves on the current sexual abuse crisis in the Catholic Church.  Our hope is that by learning about the facets of the issue we can respond in ways that bring positive reform to our church. 

For more information, please visit the Catholic Lay Response website by clicking the link below.​

CLip In The NEws 
December 10, 2019
CLIP Member Callie Tabor's interview on Archangel Radio discussing CLIP, lay leadership and the "Lift Every Voice" survey.  
​(starts at minute 24). 
"Lift Every Voice" Survey 
Please take our survey by clicking on the title above!  The survey is designed to present the views of the baptized on transparency, accountability and co-responsibility in the Archdiocese of Atlanta and in the Church.  

October 31, 2019 - Georgia Bulletin 
CLIP Advocating for Better Collaboration Between Laity Church Leaders and Laity