Group goes to defense of Archbishop Burke

They defend their "shepherd" with their presence and prayers.

A small group of local Catholics calling themselves Defenders of Archbishop Burke attended the 7 a.m. Mass he said at the St. Louis Cathedral Basilica Jan. 26...The group’s founder, Bill McKenzie, a member of St. Mary Magdalen Parish in Brentwood, met the archbishop for the first time after the Mass when he shook his hand in the back of church. He called the archbishop a "holy, courageous, humble man."

McKenzie founded the group a few weeks ago because he said he thought the festering controversy over St. Stanislaus Kostka situation had generated "violent opposition" toward the archbishop.

Archbishop Burke expressed gratitude to McKenzie’s group. "Their love for the Church is most edifying for me," the archbishop said. "Certainly, they encourage me to give the best possible shepherd’s care to the archdiocese. They devote themselves in a special way to clarifying misinformation and dispelling misunderstandings regarding the Church and especially the archbishop".

"They serve the good of the whole Church by being heralds of the truth and of love of Christ. For all of these reasons, I am deeply grateful to the Defenders of the Archbishop," Archbishop Burke said.

Actually, the "violent opposition" began several months ago...the opposition started within a month or two after Archbishop Burke arrived and increased in intensity over the succeeding months.

As always, prayers for Archbishop Burke and his detractors are in order.

More at the St. Louis Review here...