The Feb 9th "Town Talk"

As many may have already read, Wednesday's "Town Talk" has become a weekly and dreaded "favorite" of mine...It's an opportunity to witness the confusion and the incomprehensible blatherings of individuals who fail to take the time or effort to think rationally.

Look around, archbishop

THIS IS CONCERNING Archbishop Burke and Jamie Allman: I do not trust either one of them. If they would only take a little time and drive around the Carondelet area, especially by St. Boniface Church on Michigan Avenue they will see it is the only Catholic Church in the Carondelet area. It has been there for over 140 years. It is our pride, salvation and hope. If you keep on closing churches, I am sure the Catholic religion will become extinct. Jamie Allman get out and mind your own business. Archbishop Burke get the dollar signs out of your eyes and see what you are really doing to us, especially the elderly. Thanks, I think.

This individual says that he does not trust the Archbishop or Jamie Allman, yet, not only does he not give a sound reason for his lack of trust, he gives no reason at all!

Secondly he claims that his parish church building is his "pride, salvation and hope", rather than our Lord Jesus Christ. While the church buildings have been consecrated for sacred use and the celebration of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, many, it seems, do not grasp the concept of sacrifice, much less that of fidelity and obedience. The closing of churches is certainly not a cause of the diminishing of what faith is left among the people but a response to the symptoms of a far greater malady affecting the Church.

The Church will never become extinct, and this fact should be known by all Catholics - we have the words and promise of Christ, He Who can neither deceive nor be deceived. Making such a statement as the one above, displays a profound ignorance of the Faith.

The antagonism expressed toward Jamie Allman and Archbishop Burke is unwarranted and should not be tolerated - both of them are fulfulling their duties for the Church, despite the fact that many others in the Church are either incapable or unwilling to fulfill their own obligations to the Church. Rather, too many, it seems, are driven to bring discord and dissension into the Church rather than striving for unity and fidelity.

The individual claims to be 'elderly' - one would think that, with time, one would have grown closer to Christ and His Church and would have learned to avoid the darkness and walk in the light of truth; that one would have learned the importance of the virtues and of docility to one's Bishop who is charged with our spiritual well being and for governing the Church.

And next we have another "Catholic"...

Forget the lawsuit; get a life

HEY, I'M CATHOLIC and this guy in Town Talk who's going to file a lawsuit for a hate crime, get a life. Catholic people didn't have this problem until Archbishop Burke came to town. Let's get rid of him. And the other thing, fellow Catholics that voted for Bush, he hasn't stopped abortions has he? So Burke ain't so smart. Oh well, I guess I'll see you at the trial.

This person misses the boat, entirely. My own take is that many, many people would be up in arms were St. Paul alive and preaching to us today, or, they would be leaving the Church because of the demands and sacrifices Christ asks of us.

Any 'problems' to which this individual refers existed long before Archbishop Burke arrived on the scene. The Archbishop, it appears, has decided that problems need to be addressed and resolved - not pushed to a back burner to simmer over months and years.

Of course, some people have a problem with decisive action when complacency and procrastination are so much more convenient.

Oh, and had Kerry been elected, the repulsive murder of innocent unborn children would have ceased by now, I suppose?

The next comment comes from a person who actually sees reality:

St. Louis Polish Christians

TRYING TO GET St. Stanislaus within the Roman Catholic Archdiocese goes back to at least Bishop Ritter, May and Gregali [Rigali] trying to get them in the archdiocese. They all backed off. Burke will not. This is something that should have been done 100 years ago. The young people of St. Stans have no problem with obeying the cannon (sic) laws of the Church. They will not disobey the bishop and the pope. It's hard for the old people to face change and very hard for the board members to give up their power. It's very simple; if they don't want to be a part of the archdiocese like the rest of us, let them go their own way. You could call it the St. Louis Polish Christian Church.

This person hit the nail on the head, so to speak...the elderly are resistant to change (although the impact of the change would not be noticed) and the Board members are afraid to surrender their 'choke hold' on the parish and their power of whatever assets the parish has.

We should have hope, not only because we trust in God, but because we can see, little by little, the return to the faith, both by our young people, as this person has witnessed, and by our younger priests who want to proclaim the Good News faithfully.

Today's "Town Talk" is here.