"The Directory says nothing to me!"

Roger Balducelli OSFS, xxxx - yyyy

Thus, opens Roger Balducelli's OSFS 1973 draft commentary on the Directory.

In trying to capture the disquiet of some men within the congregation during the early 70s, he writes... "The direct way to begin describing the collective situation is to quote the description of [the Directory] that has been voiced among us more than once in those informal gatherings where informality prompts outspokenness, and outspokenness becomes blunt."

Fr. Balducelli's commentary takes on the task of responding to the "frustration and disappointment and self-doubt" he sensed among the confreres and which is voiced in this criticism. He does so by situating the Directory in the context of ecclesiology, Christian anthropology, and the theology of religious life.

This is a rich and rewarding treatment of the Directory. He neither scolds nor despairs. Rather, in his usual style, he takes the reader on an invigorating flight toward an increased appreciation for the Directory and opens the door to further discussion.

Archivist