We can be like gods, knowing what is best for us in 2004!

The saga of Archbishop Donoghue's enforcement of liturgical instructions contines in Atlanta.

Church Ban on Women in Ritual Protested
Thursday April 8, 2004 1:46 AM
By ELIOTT C. McLAUGHLIN
Associated Press Writer

ATLANTA (AP) - A day after Archbishop John Donoghue banned Atlanta's Roman Catholic churches from including women in Holy Thursday's foot-washing rite, one priest said he was canceling his parish's foot washings and another said he planned to ignore the ban and include women.

Other priests were looking Wednesday for ways around the order...

Yes, of course! How can we be disobedient without being disobedient? Do we have any legal recourse here? Satan, please help us!

``He's a good man. He just has his opinion, and he's looking at Jesus and the scriptures through a different lens,'' said Patty Caraher, a nun at the International Community School.

Still, Caraher plans to join a protest Thursday outside Atlanta's Cathedral of Christ the King, where Donoghue will celebrate Mass.

Caraher and others say his strict interpretation of liturgy is inappropriate in 2004.

The Holy See has decreed what the liturgical rite entails, yet people, supposedly professed Catholics, refuse obedience to the one chosen by God to be the spiritual shepherd of the people on earth.

``It feels unjust; it feels unkind. It seems to imply that men were more important to Jesus than women,'' said Lalor Cadley, a Catholic who is organizing Thursday's song-and-prayer protest.

The real problem is that this is exactly what happens when people ignore or disobey liturgical law. False expectations became realities when they never should have and when a bishop or priest follows the law, in perfect fidelity and obedience to the lawgiver, people become hurt or offended. Sin can never bring joy and peace - only humble obedience to Christ and his Church will do that.

[Updated article here]

Lexington bishop dismisses 5 top officials

LEXINGTON, Ky. — Lexington Bishop Ronald Gainer is dismissing five high-ranking Catholic officials, four of them women, as part of a "departmental reconfiguration."

The director of pastoral services, Sister Helen Garvey; the parish leadership director, Sister Elizabeth Wendeln; educational ministries secretary Margaret Ralph; the director of ministry formation, Sister Iris Ann Ledden; and chief financial officer Stuart E. Duba are losing their jobs.

The firings stunned some of the diocese's 46,000 Catholics.

Gainer, Lexington's bishop since February 2003, announced the dismissals Friday in a letter to diocesan staff.

[Article here]

The diocese of Lexington under former Bishop Kendrick J. Williams, who was forced into early retirement for sexual abuse complaints, was corrupted from the top down. I had tried to help my brother write letters to get some 'aberrations' resolved when he lived in the area. Apparently the diocese was a hotbed for the homosexual subculture.

The catechetical instruction program for the diocese was abhorrent and run by a religious sister who was repulsed by anything orthodox. They had a practice of First Communion before First Penance despite the fact that this practice was suppose to have ceased 30+ years ago. Many of the churches had no kneelers, stripped interiors, no tabernacles, and were frankly, little more than meeting halls. I have a copy of a letter he wrote in response to a letter my brother sent him. As long as the diocese was engaged in "social justice" programs, all other matters (doctrinal, liturgical, etc) were of little importance. Truly sad!

Three good, faithful priests of the diocese received death threats via mail, presumably by brother priests, for speaking out on the evils and abominations of homosexuality. My brother and father are friends with one of the priests who was threatened - a old priest well past retirement age.

Hopefully, the new bishop will be able to continue fix the problems there.

Catholic priest starting his own church?

Priest may be forming breakaway church
Catholic leaders issue stern warning
Thursday, April 08, 2004
By Ann Rodgers, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

A Catholic priest, who was transferred two years ago after delivering a vulgar Easter homily advocating the ordination of women and married men, may be starting a breakaway church, Catholic officials said yesterday.

A Web site says that the Rev. William Hausen will be pastor of Christ Hope Ecumenical Catholic Church, which will begin holding services May 2 at Sewickley Country Inn.

"Please be advised that this church is not part of the Diocese of Pittsburgh, is not recognized by Bishop [Donald] Wuerl, and is not sanctioned either by this diocese or the Apostolic See [Vatican]," said a notice faxed to pastors late yesterday afternoon. "You may wish to advise your parishioners of this notification and that participation in this church has grave consequences."

In his Easter homily two years ago, Hausen said parishioners should be "pissed off" about the sex scandal enveloping the church and that the church should allow women and married men to serve as priests. He was transferred from his position as parochial vicar of St. James in Sewickley to parochial vicar of his home parish, Sacred Heart in Shadyside.

[Complete Story]

Retired Cardinal seeks Vatican Council

Retired bishop suggests group could govern with pope, help pick next one
Associated Press

VATICAN CITY — A cardinal once mentioned as a possible successor to Pope John Paul II is reviving calls for a broad council to help the pope govern the church and is suggesting top bishops might also take part in a conclave to elect a new pontiff.

Cardinal Carlo Maria Martini, the retired archbishop of Milan and a Jesuit known for his frankness, made the comments in an interview with the right-wing daily Il Tempo published Wednesday.

Martini noted that since the Second Vatican Council — the 1962-65 meeting that modernized the Roman Catholic Church — there have been proposals to create a “permanent governing council” to help run the church along with the pope.

While periodic synods, or gatherings of bishops, have been convened, they have not become the permanent council that Vatican II envisaged, he said.

I'm going to have to re-read the documents again, I see.

I don't recall anything about a 'permanent' council being called for in any of the Vatican II documents.

[Article here]

Marijuana growing priest pleads guilty

Priest pleads guilty to selling marijuana in church home
BY PHIL TREXLER
Knight Ridder Newspapers

AKRON, Ohio - (KRT) - The Rev. Richard Arko offered his contrition Tuesday for growing marijuana inside his Norton, Ohio, church home.

His penance: two years probation.

Arko, 40, told Summit County Common Pleas Judge Patricia Cosgrove that the 35 marijuana plants growing in his church home were primarily for medical use.
Arko requested a leave of absence from the diocese and he said in court that his return to the priesthood is unlikely.

Dressed in a tie and suit, Arko apologized to parishioners and his family for his arrest and took a jab at the media and the Cleveland Catholic Diocese for failing to give him a fair hearing.

He said he prays for the day that the state of Ohio recognizes the positive uses of marijuana.

"I strongly believe in the benefits of marijuana and the use for medical purposes. It's very helpful to many people," he said.

Well, he can always fall back on his outside job of Yoga instruction .

Archbishop Burke to Speak about the Sanctity of Human Life

This was just sent to me. Many thanks to J.H. who let us know of this event!


APRIL 13 at 7:00PM

St. Louis Archbishop Raymond Burke will speak at Saint Louis University next Tuesday evening. He will discuss "The Sanctity of Human Life" at 7 p.m. Tuesday, April 13, in Room 171 of Busch Student Center. The event is free.

The Archbishop will describe the Church’s role in life issues and its dynamic presence in the St. Louis community. His appearance is an early opening of the annual Celebrate Life Week, sponsored by SLU’s Students for Life. During Celebrate Life Week, April 18-24, there will be many activities to celebrate human life, including speakers, parties and movies. Start out the week by attending a 10 p.m. Mass Sunday, April 18.

Students for Life is a positive, non-violent, pro-life organization that focuses more on the beauty of life rather than the destruction of it. The group does not chant harsh words or perform any acts of civil disobedience. In January, the group organized a record number of SLU students to attend the annual March for Life in Washington D.C.

Burke was named Archbishop of St. Louis in December, succeeding Justin Cardinal Rigali, who was appointed Archbishop of Philadelphia. Archbishop Burke was installed in St. Louis on Jan. 26, the fifth anniversary of Pope John Paul II's historic pastoral visit to St. Louis. Before coming to St. Louis, Burke was the Bishop of La Crosse, Wis. Read more about him on the Archdiocese of St. Louis website.

For more information about the Archbishop’s appearance at SLU, call the Loyola Center for Campus Ministry at (314) 977-2425.

Many are upset about surge of faithful Catholic Colleges

From the Chronicle of Higher Education:
Who Is Catholic?
New conservative colleges say existing institutions lead students away from the true faith

It's a given but, as Pontius Pilate asked our Lord, "Truth? What is truth?"

Even better than this article is the transcript of a live, online discussion with David O'Brien, a historian of American Catholicism at the College of the Holy Cross, about the staunchly conservative Roman Catholic colleges that have been recently established in the United States.

In 1989 he was awarded the Theodore M. Hesburgh Award for Distinguished Service to Catholic Higher Education by the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities.

For those who are unaware of Fr. Theodore Hesburgh and his collaborators and what they did to destroy Catholic colleges in the United States, you may want to read about it here.

Letter of Rev. Fr. Charles Murr (New York) to Parish and Parents

I meant to post this the other day, but somehow neglected it.

ST. FRANCIS DE SALES CHURCH
135 EAST 96TH STREET
NEW YORK, NEW YORK 10128

April 5, 2004

To the Parish of St. Francis de Sales and the Children and Parents of the St. Francis de Sales School/St. Lucy Academy:

On Friday, April 2, 2004, I resigned as pastor of the Parish of St. Francis de Sales. I am writing to you now to explain the circumstances that led me to make this decision.

Our parish school, the St. Francis de Sales School/St. Lucy Academy, currently faces some grave problems. One concerns financial management. Contrary to the policies of the Archdiocese, no financial statements for the school have been prepared for any period after August 31, 2001, and thus no one knows what the financial condition of the school actually is. It is clear, however, that for several years the school has not been making required payments for insurance and pension benefits, and the Archdiocese calculates that the school owes the Archdiocese over $638,000. Although I attempted to work with the administration of the school to prepare the needed financial statements, the school’s administration consistently failed to cooperate with me, and, on the advice of the Parish Council, I notified the Archdiocese in January that I intended to replace the principal and vice principal of the school. The Archdiocese accepted this decision and last week resolved to send officials from the chancery to begin preparing and auditing financial statements for the school.

The second problem at the school concerns religious instruction. On the most recent administration of the Archdiocese’s standardized religion test last June, approximately 66% of our students failed. The major reason for this was that several of our teachers were not committed to teaching the Catholic faith. One teacher, for example, was taking her students to non-Catholic religious services on Sunday mornings. Another refuses to teach her students to make the Sign of the Cross. Others do not teach those doctrines of the Catholic faith with which they disagree. To rectify these problems, I appointed a new Director of Religious Education for the school this year, but the teachers who were hostile to Catholic doctrine disrupted his classes, belittled him in front of his students, instructed his students to ignore him, and even spread slanderous reports about him. I thus determined that the employment contracts of these teachers would not be renewed for the coming academic year, and on April 1, I informed these teachers accordingly.

It has been reported to me that, on April 1, at least some of these teachers held their students after school, read to them my letter declining to renew their employment contracts, and provided their own comments on the matter. Predictably, they reduced many children to tearful hysteria. The behavior of these teachers was reprehensible; they intentionally inflicted harm on innocent children in order to advance their own private interests. On behalf of the school, I apologize to these students and their parents for the grossly unprofessional conduct of these teachers.

On Friday afternoon, Msgr. Thomas Gilleece, the Chancellor of the Archdiocese, informed me without further explanation that, by order of the Cardinal, I was to renew the employment contracts of the principal, the vice principal, and all the affected teachers. Since I could not in good conscience, as a pastor charged with the care of souls, comply with this order, I resigned as pastor of the Parish of St. Francis de Sales and as administrator of the Parish of St. Lucy. On Saturday, April 3, the members of the Parish Council wrote Cardinal Egan informing him that they shared my views regarding the need to reform the school and had concluded that they could not in good conscience as faithful Catholics be associated with his order to reinstate the principal, the vice principal, and the affected teachers. The members of the Parish Council thus resigned their positions. The Parish Trustees likewise resigned. As of the date of this letter, none of us has received any reply from the Cardinal.

It has been a great honor to serve as your pastor. You will all remain in my prayers.

Servus, in Christo Jesu,

Fr. Chas. Theo. Murr

Persecution comes to those who try to ensure the faith is handed on in its entirety. Maybe he can transfer here?

No link of which I am aware...

Archbishop Burke has company...

This really is no surprise but it is encouraging that another bishop has openly sided with Archbishop Burke in a manifest way without ambiguity!

On April 6, 2004, Bishop Fabian W. Bruskewitz, D.D., S.T.D., of the Lincoln, Ne. diocese, stated through his office to this writer that his diocese would deny Holy Communion to any manifest, persistent, obstinate sinner.

Referring to canon 915, Bruskewitz said, "We agree completely with Archbishop Raymond Burke in the action he has taken and we would take the same action in the diocese of Lincoln with regard to manifest, persistent, obstinate sinners, including politicians, regardless of which diocese they are from."

Of the 195 U.S. diocesan bishops, all except two still refuse to say they would deny the Eucharist to manifest, persistent, obstinate sinners. In doing so, these bishops are disregarding the clearly defined canons of the Church.

Article here.

Boom Time for Seminaries under John Paul II

...during John Paul II's pontificate the number of major seminarians has virtually doubled, the secretary of the Congregation for Clergy, Archbishop Csaba Ternyak, said when presenting to the press the Pope's Holy Thursday Letter to Priests.

Full story.

Fr. John Minkler's death ruled a suicide...

The February death of Watervliet resident Rev. John Minkler was labeled a suicide Tuesday by the Albany County Coroner's Office.

Kerry's unknown talents have been recently discovered.

He's both a clown and a theologian.

Mr. Kerry became combative when told that some conservatives were criticizing him for being a Roman Catholic who supported policies, like abortion rights and same-sex unions, that are at odds with Catholic teaching.

"Who are they?" he demanded of his questioner. "Name them. Are they the same legislators who vote for the death penalty, which is in contravention of Catholic teaching?"

Oh really? And when did the death penalty become intrinisically evil, your holiness?

Now perpare yourself for his comic relief clown act with a bit of theologian thrown in for good measure:

I'm not a church spokesman. I'm a legislator running for president. My oath is to uphold the Constitution of the United States in my public life. My oath privately between me and God was defined in the Catholic church by Pius XXIII and Pope Paul VI in the Vatican II, which allows for freedom of conscience for Catholics with respect to these choices, and that is exactly where I am.

Pope Pius the 23rd, eh? The last Pope Pius I heard about besides Pius XII was self appointed Pope Pius XIII who is living somewhere, I believe in Montanta or some such place.

Kerry and conscience...sort of like black and white, good and evil, dark and light...once again we witness the fruit borne by deficient catechesis among professed Catholics.

Full story at the New York Time here.

Holy Father's annual Holy Thursday address to priests

LETTER OF THE HOLY FATHER
POPE JOHN PAUL II
TO PRIESTS
FOR HOLY THURSDAY 2004

This has been posted on the Vatican web site.

The Holy Father notes that the ministerial priesthood is "born, lives, works and bears fruit 'de Eucharistia'". He spends considerable time discussing the Holy Eucharist and priesthood.

In speaking of vocations, he also says "...I would ask you, among other initiatives, to show special care for altar servers, who represent a kind of “garden” of priestly vocations. The group of altar servers, under your guidance as part of the parish community, can be given a valuable experience of Christian education and become a kind of pre-seminary."

This would be an indirect way way of calling for males to be asked to serve at Holy Mass.

He also asks for obedience in a special way and prayers for vocations:
"Dear brother priests, your particular mission in the Church requires that you be “friends” of Christ, constantly contemplating his face with docility at the school of Mary Most Holy. Pray unceasingly, as the Apostle exhorts (cf. 1Th 5:17), and encourage the faithful to pray for vocations, for the perseverance of those called to the priestly life and for the sanctification of all priests."

"Catholics" to protest exclusion of foot washing ritual

Let us see some of the "fruits" of willful disobedience of the rubrics. This is from the Atlanta Journal Constitution from yesterday. These "faithful" are upset that Archbishop Donoghue wants the rubrics for the foot washing rite followed:
===========================
Catholics to protest exclusion
By VIRGINIA ANDERSON
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 04/05/04

Women can't officially have their feet washed at Holy Thursday services in Roman Catholic churches in Atlanta, but several plan to air their voices at a protest instead.

Catholics angry that Archbishop John Donoghue has limited Holy Thursday foot-washing services to men plan to protest outside with washbowls, towels and water at the Cathedral of Christ the King in Buckhead while he celebrates Mass that evening.

"We'll stand in solidarity, and we'll sing and we'll pray," said Lalor Cadley, a Catholic who runs spiritual retreats and workshops but does not work for the archdiocese.

The archbishop's position on the ancient foot-washing ritual came in a March 19 letter he sent to pastors telling them that 12 men were to be selected for the rite as the representation of "Christ's linkage of the institution of the Eucharist to the establishment of the ordained priesthood."

A spokeswoman for the archbishop did not return phone calls Monday afternoon.

Cadley said she did not know how many people would attend the 6:30 p.m. Thursday protest. The overwhelming majority of American bishops allow women's feet to be washed in the ceremony, although the decision is left to individual bishops.

===================

Once again, the author of the article is either misinformed or deliberately telling lies. This decision to permit women in the foot washing rite is not up to any individual bishop. But then again, we might recall the adage, "Tell a lie often enough, people will accept it as truth."

"One Child, One Vote" Suggested

If nominal Catholics did not contracept at a rate that most Americans do, think of the possibilities?

In many ways, it does seem quite reasonable...

Full Story

Finally, a balanced report regarding St. Stanislaus

Archbishop offers support for St. Stanislaus Kostka
April 2, 2004
by Joseph Kenny, Review Staff Writer

Archbishop Raymond Burke told St. Stanislaus Kostka parishioners March 28 that if a restructuring plan there is in effect "you can count on my fullest support for your parish."

The Archbishop’s message — that bringing the corporate structure of the parish into compliance with Church law will not result in a closure of the parish or seizure of the parish’s funds — often was hard to hear over some people who shouted out while he spoke.

Several people carried signs opposing the restructuring.

Archbishop Burke came to the church in North St. Louis to celebrate Midday Prayer, explain the reasons for the incorporation change and answer questions.

In an earlier letter to parishioners, the Archbishop expressed his pride in St. Stanislaus as a personal parish for Polish-speaking faithful and Catholics of Polish heritage in the archdiocese. The parish formed in 1880 is known as the base of operations for most of the Polish-American activities in the St. Louis area.

Full story is here.

Kerry receives communion at African Methodist Episcopal Church

Easter is this coming Sunday and where Sen. John Kerry, the Democratic candidate for president, will attend church suddenly has become a political issue.

Yesterday, Mr. Kerry again worshipped at a Protestant congregation: Charles Street African Methodist Episcopal Church in Dorchester, Mass.

"We're thankful that there's going to be a revolution in this country ... a new movement," the Rev. Gregory Groover saidfrom the pulpit during the Palm Sunday service. "And we say, God, bring him on, the next president of the United States."

"People ask: 'Is he making up his beliefs to take the red states?' " said Timothy Thibodeau, a history professor at Nazareth College in Rochester, N.Y. "Kerry's problem is that people doubt his sincerity. They think he is cooking up his religion just in time to run for the election."

Mr. Thibodeau pointed out that the discrepancy between church teachings and Mr. Kerry's public stances is common today.

"Kerry is in many respects symbolic of a great many Roman Catholics who are totally at odds with the church's teaching on many things. He is also divorced and remarried. So are a lot of Catholics."

Another photo op for the the pro-death politician John Kerry who, apparently, has decided that the Catholic Church is not for him. When will Archbishop O'Malley do something?

Full story.

Two bishops lead Catholics against gay marriage

Two bishops led about 1,000 devout, sign-carrying Roman Catholics on a five-block march through North Beach on Saturday to protest same-sex marriages in San Francisco.

"We need to speak out, with civility," Archbishop William Levada said on the steps of SS Peter and Paul Church before leading the procession of the faithful. "We must keep society on the right track."

Full Story here

Archbishop Donoghue of Atlanta enforces Foot Washing Norms!

And people are whining because they have had their way with the liturgy for so long that they become angry when the norms are required to be obeyed. Many no longer understand the significance of Holy Thursday.

The Archbishop needs our prayers in trying times like this when so many nominal "Catholics" and priests have ignored the norms of the Holy See since 1988. (With much encouragement from the Bishops' Committee on the Liturgy, it seems.)

Full article.

French bishops, following the elitists of America, denounce "The Passion"

Some people, even those in the hierarchy of the Church, do not understand.

French Roman Catholic bishops have officially denounced Mel Gibson's controversial film The Passion of The Christ, which opened in France on Wednesday, as potentially anti-Semitic and a distortion of Christian teaching.

The reaction in France to the graphic film about the last 12 hours of Jesus Christ's life has been hostile, with both secular film critics and Church leaders denouncing the extreme violence of the scourging and crucifixion scenes.

"(The film's) violence, which overwhelms the spectator, ends up blotting out the meaning of the Passion and the essence of Christ's person and message -- love carried to its perfection by the voluntary giving of one's self," said the bishops.

Appeasement! Christ's scourging was not violent or demeaning!? Neither was His crucifixion!?...

Article here for those who haven't seen it.