I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.  (John 15:5)

An independent organization of concerned, committed Catholics, based in Pittsburgh, formed to affirm the laity’s rightful role of co-responsibility in the Church. Our focus is to bring about positive changes grounded in working collaboratively with the clergy and having the qualities of transparency, accountability, and competency.

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WHO WE ARE

We are a group of concerned Catholics committed to the Church – the Body of Christ – to promote healing among all affected by the sexual abuse scandal and to instill a sense of co-responsibility between laity and clergy to restore trust through transparency.
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OUR MISSION

We seek to give voice to Catholics who share deep concerns about our Church. Through constructive reform, not revolution, we seek to act in conformity with gospel values to make positive changes.
Learn Our Mission

WHAT WE ARE DOING

We are bringing together committed lay people, religious, and clergy to work in a spirit of co-responsibility with our Church leaders and hierarchy to create a template for constructive reform to move our Church forward.
Join Us In Our Efforts

FOCUS GROUPS

Seven Focus Groups within CCOC allow its members to use their gifts, energies, and abilities to prayerfully and deliberately discern how best to effect positive change in our Church.
Focus Group Details

CCOC ISSUES PROGRESS REPORT TO MARK THE THIRD ANNIVERSARY OF THE RELEASE OF THE PA GRAND JURY REPORT ON CLERGY SEXUAL ABUSE

CCOC has published a Progress Report on State of the Catholic Church in Pittsburgh commemorating August 14, 2021, the third anniversary of the PA Grand Jury Report that shocked our Church with its revelations in 2018.

The Progress Report provides a three-year assessment of the changes occurring in the Catholic Church of Pittsburgh as it responds to the sexual abuse crisis, the declining participation from lay Catholics driven by the global COVID-19 pandemic and parallel financial crisis, and the resistant entrenchment of clericalism in the hierarchy of our Church that has inhibited the Church from responding well.

CCOC’s has also had Public Statements on the first and second anniversary of the Release of the Grand Jury Report, published in 2019 and 2020.  This year, the focus has moved away from the inability of the Church hierarchy to cope with the seismic changes in our Church, and instead attention is on lay Catholics finding ways to discern the Spirit’s movement and follow it.  This includes finding hope within Pope Francis’ call for synodality and co-responsibility as the way forward for all.

CLICK HERE TO READ CCOC’S THIRD PROGRESS REPORT

CCOC PARTNERS WITH DISCERNING DEACONS PROJECT IN NEW INITIATIVE

CCOC is actively involved in partnering with the Discerning Deacons Project to assist that project in its mission to engage Catholics in the active discernment of our Church about women and the diaconate. The project’s main objective is to educate Catholics on the history of the diaconate, which includes recognizing there were women deacons in the first 1,100 years of our Church’s history, and consideration of renewing women’s participation in the diaconate.
Click here to learn more about the Discerning Deacons Project

CCOC monthly mass for social justice

CCOC is sponsoring a Mass at 1:00 PM on the second Sunday of each month at the Kearn Spirituality Center Chapel.  All are welcome and encouraged to join us to celebrate Catholic Social Teaching tradition within the Mass and all its components, including song, either in person or through livestreaming. 
CLICK HERE To learn more about the CCOC Monthly Mass

WE BELIEVE

We believe that Catholics, lay and ordained, must walk together toward the holiness to which we are called by our baptism, and create a new culture of co-responsible leadership and governance that is transparent, accountable, competent, and rooted in the gospel values of justice and mercy. These positive changes are the only way forward to restore trust and safeguard the essential mission of the Catholic Church.

Join Our Mailing List

CCOC invites you to join over 1,000 other CCOC members to find your own voice in our Church!

Please use the Mailing List Form below to sign up for email alerts and become a part of a movement to make positive changes in our Church.

If you want to register more fully, including to be a part of a Focus Group, please fill out our Registration form. 

If you simply have a question or comment, please use our Email Us form.

CCOC appreciates and values your privacy. Your contact information will NOT be shared with or sold to anyone.