| In the Vineyard
October 20, 2005
"I don't know
where we go from here, but we will muddle through this, together." Fr.
Bob McLaughlin, St. Basil’s Church, Philadelphia Archdiocese,
speaking to his congregation after the grand jury released their
findings.
VOTF
at Work in the World
[Reminder:
THIS Sunday, October 23 at Boston College: “Findings
from a Study of Voice of the Faithful” will be presented.
Come see what this study found out about us!]
Fault lines
clearer than ever. Details from personnel files of 126
priests accused of sexual misconduct with minors were released
by the Los Angeles archdiocese last week. VOTF’s response
is on our web
site. VOTF Santa Barbara also released
a statement. The full released report is available
at NCR Online.
For additional coverage, go to the Los
Angeles Times and The Chicago
Tribune also weighed. (A
subscription is required to view some of theses articles.)
Several dioceses
continue to maneuver around bankruptcies: The diocese of Spokane,
WA, having filed for bankruptcy last December, is appealing a
court ruling over the use of parish and church assets in the
settlement of sexual abuse cases. The diocese claims it does
not own those assets. To fend off their parishes’ liquidation,
the diocese of Tucson, AZ (also in bankruptcy) plans to separately
incorporate its parishes. According to US Catholic magazine,
Tucson is joining the dioceses of New York; Milwaukee; Rhode
Island; Davenport, Iowa; Stockton, CA; Lincoln, NE; and Baker,
OR.
Working toward
resolution of the Church’s financial management issues, members
of the National Leadership Roundtable on Church Management met
last week. VOTF
president Jim Post reports.
Priests’ Courage
and Pain – both seem on the increase: Philadelphia is
still reeling from release of documents three weeks ago (see Oct.
6 issue of the Vineyard) – a catalogue of crimes
against the innocent, yet there’s good news in the Philadelphia
diocese? His name is Fr. Bob McLaughlin of St. Basil’s Church
and he’s as hurt and angry as his parishioners. Significantly,
he is saying so. Reported by Ronnie Polaneczky for the Philadelphia
News, we reprint with permission in Commentary “Duped
priest assails church leaders.”
- John Allen reports
in NCR that a ban on gays is unlikely
- VOTF Greater
Philadelphia will hold a forum on 10/26 on the grand jury report
and a prayer vigil at Cardinal Rigali’s residence on 11/5.
Jim Post will participate on a panel discussion of the grand
jury report at Villanova Law School on 11/1. For more
information on these events, as well as a link to the grand
jury report, go to the VOTF Greater Philadelphia web
site.
- A priest
for 30 years, Fr. Ercolano is taking a leave. His message is
painfully familiar. Read Commentary – “Dear
Family and Friends”
- Another
priest in a NY diocese spoke out in September. “And if they
are truly looking for the root causes of the scandal then perhaps
they should dissect a dysfunctional and top-heavy organization
that has tried to protect its reputation more than it tried
to protect its children. Not an easy reality to face but one
that has to be addressed.” His remarks were published in the
parish bulletin and on their web site. See the full text in
Commentary – “They
Still Don’t Get It”
- A gay priest
speaks. The problem is not his celibate homosexuality. The
problem is his Church. Read
More.
- A priest
and his conscience – trying to honor both: “The popular, 55-year-old
pastor of St. Michael’s Parish in Cobourg, Ont. is simply the
latest to feel the episcopal lash and swift dispatch from his
parish.” Read
about Fr. Ed Cachia.
- Reactions
to the forced resignation of Walter Cuenin in the Boston Archdiocese
continues to reverberate throughout the diocese. Vigils, marches,
and rallies are only the beginning. For updates on actions
being taken at Our Lady Help of Christians, check their web
site or email ourladysfriends@yahoo.com.
For coverage of the Our Lady’s rally, go
to NCR.
SURVIVOR
SUPPORT: Fr. Robert Hoatson’s name is on the short list
of survivors and survivor support organizations for his tireless
work on their behalf. Read about his new outreach to survivors
in “Welcome
these, the little ones.”
A great
voice is gone. Monika Hellwig, theologian, writer, educator
and outstanding model of Catholic intellectual life, died on
Sept. 30. For coverage, click
here.
Affiliate
Spotlight on VOTF Brooklyn, NY - Dialogue with Bishop DiMarzio and
good results for all; VOTF Northern CA successful 10/9
gathering to discern the selection of their new
bishop. VOTF Chicagoland event with
Dr. Eugene Kennedy on Oct. 29.
USCCB Watch – watch
our web site for VOTF’s witness to the November USCCB meeting
in Washington, DC. Not only is our Rep Council meeting nearby
in the same time frame (see National
Representative Council Update), but VOTF’s national interim
communications manager John Moynihan and executive director Ray
Joyce will be present alongside VOTF leaders, as the bishops
gather.
For excellent
Synod coverage, updates on the ouster of Fr. Cuenin in
the Boston Archdiocese, and commentary on the release of information
regarding the Los Angeles personnel files of priest abusers,
go to National Catholic
Reporter at and use the Search box by topic. For the
editorial behind this statement, “Contemporary bishops are
painfully learning that they can either function hierarchically
or they can exercise healthy authority but that they cannot
do both,” click
here.
| A Concert
to Benefit Those Adversely Affected by the Recent Hurricanes Four
well-know artists will perform at Boston’s Cathedral of
the Holy Cross, 1400 Washington Street, Boston, MA on October
22, 2005, 7 pm. (617) 542-5682. Suggested offerings: $20
for students, $25 for adults. Additional details: 781-641-1117
or email Regina at rpontes@endzonepad.com;
call Bonnie at 781-721-2285; and/or visit the web
site. Featured artists: Jeanne
Cotter, Marty Haugen, Donna Pena, and Jojo David. All
proceeds derived from this concert and t-shirt sales go
directly to Catholic Charities USA for Hurricane Relief
Victims & Efforts. For more information on Catholic Charities,
visit their web
site. Mark your calendar, bring a non-perishable
with you, enjoy a wonderful night of music and help the
helpless! |
Letters
to the editor – Last month, the great majority of correspondents
agreed on two aspects of Eucharist: 1) It is a Gift - for EVERYone
and 2) the Gift is from God. Read some of your responses. Send
comments to pthorp.ed@votf.org
Quote for
our time: From by George Bouchey, VOTF member, Camden,
NJ diocese
Yesterday,
during Yom Kippur services, I found in the prayers the statement
that exactly expresses my feelings about why I am still a practicing
Catholic:
"Help us,
then, to fulfill the promise that is in each of us, and so to
conduct ourselves that, generations hence, it will be true to
say of us: The world is better because, for a brief space, they
lived in it."
Coming up
in November issues of In the Vineyard: Retired University
of Texas professor Joseph Heffernan will review The Catholic
Challenge by Thomas W. Rezanka; a review of The Priesthood
of the Faithful by Paul Philibert, O.P., S.T.D.; interview
with Dick Taylor of VOTF Greater Philadelphia. His book-in-progress
is Love in Action; and a look at the Catholic understanding
of acceptance and authority.
National Representative Council Update
To identify your regional representative, click here.
The VOTF National
Council of Representatives will meet at Our Lady Queen of Peace
in Arlington, VA, Nov. 12-13, a date and place selected to coincide
with the Nov. 14-17 gathering of the United States Conference
of Catholic Bishops in Washington, D.C.
VOTF Representatives will discuss the ongoing effort to develop action plans for selected resolutions from the Indianapolis Convocation in July. They will discuss proposals for removing supervision of priest retirement funds from control of the bishops, possible organization of a national day of healing, organization of a new financial accountability team, mutual visitation among dioceses, and principles for independent judicial review of actions taken by a diocesan bishop.
Also on the agenda is a presentation and discussion about VOTF financial matters, and reports from the Board of Trustees, the Officers, and the Bylaws Committee.
Sessions will begin at 9 a.m. November 12 and conclude at midday on November 13. Mass is scheduled for 6 p.m. Saturday evening.
As with all meetings of the National Representative Council, all members are welcome to attend. For more information, contact Frank Douglas (frankdouglas62@yahoo.com) or Evelyn Mercantini (esmerc48@comcast.net).
AFFILIATE
Spotlight – VOTF
Brooklyn, NY
Submitted by Ed and Anne Wilson
On balance the meeting 10/1/05 with Bishop DiMarzio and his committee went well. We were pleased, and said so, that Bishop DiMarzio, in stark contrast to the situation in surrounding dioceses, had reached out to VOTF, among others, for consultation about serious issues concerning the Brooklyn diocese and our church.
While we disagreed
about some matters (like the selection of a lawyer to be the
first responder on the victim’s hotline) and on larger issues
beyond either his or our ability to impact (like the credibility
of the Philadelphia grand jury report), we found some interesting
common ground.
For one thing, the
bishop is vigorously pursuing the establishment of effective
lay parish councils throughout the diocese. He has hired an excellent
professional to assist in this endeavor and we have been in touch
with that person, with the bishop’s knowledge.
Also, in the course
of discussing financial matters, we suggested, in keeping with
our second goal, that priests’ pensions ought to be administered
by qualified trustees, independent of the bishop or the diocese.
We were most pleased to learn that this idea is already in the
works and has been referred to financial professionals. We offered
any assistance he might wish.
We also raised the
issue of the Vatican visitation of U.S. Seminaries and the much-rumored
impending ban on the ordination of homosexuals. The bishop appeared
to take our point that such a ban would be an unfair insult to
many very fine priests, past and present. We mentioned that a
recent news report that major superiors of religious orders for
men were going to Rome to protest this ban and suggested it would
be a fine idea for some bishops to join them. The bishop replied
that he believed that Pope Benedict, an accomplished theologian,
was unlikely to issue such a blanket ban. He expects something
much more nuanced. Fr. James Massa, a theologian at Immaculate
Conception Seminary on Long Island and a member of the diocesan
committee, expressed confidence that the visitation would include
many issues of which the homosexual situation was only one. He
stated his belief that the problem consisted in cases of a few
men who would be judged not suitable for a chaste life in a community
of mostly males. We replied that some heterosexuals might also
have problems dealing with celibacy and thought it was unfortunate
that archbishop O’Brien had made some rather unnuanced comments.
The discussion was wide-ranging and lasted an hour and a half.
Report from Jim Post
on the National Leadership Roundtable on Church Management Meeting
[VOTF president Jim Post is a member of the NLRCM]
The NLRCM held its first formal meeting last week in Philadelphia (October 13-14).
The Roundtable is composed of up to 225 U.S. Catholic leaders from the business community and nonprofit sector, whose expertise can assist the Church to more effectively perform its mission in the world.
In its 2004 report,
the Roundtable identified 48 areas for improving church management
at the diocesan and parish levels, including human resources,
finance, stewardship planning, and organization. (See Thomas
Healey, "A Blueprint for Change," America, Sept, 26, 2005, pp.14-17)
The Philadelphia meeting was designed to develop an operational
strategy for beginning this work.
Geoff Boisi, NLRCM
chairman, stressed the group's commitment to pursue a "call to excellence" in
church management to be pursued in collaboration with the bishops,
individually and through the USCCB. Boisi emphasized the non-doctrinal
character of the problems to be addressed and pledged to steer
the group away from doctrinal issues.
A number of speakers noted the lack of credibility that church leaders now face as a result of the mishandling of clergy sexual abuse cases. Surprisingly, however, none of the keynote speakers referred to the recent Philadelphia grand jury report or the release of information by the Archdiocese of Los Angeles on charges against more than 200 priests.
The NLRCM effort rests
on the belief that some bishops will see the crying need for
change, and respond to it. While some may resist the degree of
transparency being called for in personnel and financial matters,
there is an implicit belief that greater accountability will
lead to better church management. By supporting and promoting
those strategies and approaches that are most effective, the
Roundtable will encourage wider recognition and adoption of "best
practices."
Bishop Dale Melczek of Gary, Indiana is the USCCB representative to the Roundtable and commended its members for their willingness to bring their talents to the challenge of modernizing church management.
One highlight for the attendees was the appearance of Archbishop Alfred C. Hughes of New Orleans who spoke of the Catholic response to Hurricane Katrina. Archbishop Hughes emphasized the extraordinary efforts of people to help those in need, and the Catholic community's plight as it has been scattered and relocated. Special emphasis is now being given to reopening schools which are critical to family life. Rebuilding will take many years, and while the Cathedral of St. Louis in New Orleans was relatively undamaged, hundreds of other churches, schools, and related buildings throughout the archdiocese and Gulf region must be replaced. Insurance will provide only very limited funds for this task. The archbishop closed by expressing thanks for the prayers and assistance.
The Roundtable's board will synthesize recommendations from the meeting and develop an operational plan to be conducted over the next year.
For more information, contact http://www.nlrcm.org
COMMENTARY
[Your thoughts are welcome at pthorp.ed@votf.org] Welcome These, the Little Ones
Robert M. Hoatson, Ph.D., Founder and President of Rescue and Recovery, International, Inc.
Thank you for giving
me this opportunity to describe the work of a new non-profit
organization called Rescue & Recovery International, Inc. R&R
was founded in April, 2005, for the purpose of providing direct
services to survivors of clergy and religious sexual abuse. To
date, we have raised approximately $30,000.00 and distributed
$30,000.00! We need your help to keep the work going.
As a survivor of clergy
abuse myself, I know what it means to have to “survive” its effects.
Many survivors are homeless, addicted, unemployable, psychologically
paralyzed, and distraught. They barely get through each day.
Many are on permanent disability, the result of severe post traumatic
stress disorder.
Rescue & Recovery assists survivors directly. We help pay rents, mortgages, psychologists’ bills, lawyers’ fees,
tuitions, and gasoline and food bills. We have been able to help
survivors with clothing allowances and temporary motel living
arrangements. Whatever survivors need, we provide.
Advocacy is a major
aspect of the mission of R&R. We accompany survivors to court,
diocesan and counseling offices, assist in hiring attorneys,
and stage public protests and demonstrations when necessary.
We have even confronted priest abusers in their rectories, leading
to removal from ministry.
To give you an idea
of the clientele of R&R, here are a few of the sad stories:
P.P is a mother of
twin girls. Their father is a Catholic priest. After P. refused
to abort the girls, the “father” stalked and threatened the family, sexually abusing the girls and rendering them “poor” and homeless. These women lived in an automobile until recently when R&R
helped secure housing and legal representation for them.
J.B. was abused by
a priest for over ten years. He was introduced to alcohol and
drugs by the priest, rendered an addict by the time he was 15
years old, and used as a sex slave for several other priests
who abused him in the headquarters of the diocese. R&R appealed to a judge to allow J.B. to leave prison and get involved in a comprehensive program of rehabilitation and counseling. R&R
has paid for his new apartment.
R.S. was sadistically
abused by a priest from the third to sixth grades. The priest
did permanent damage to his genitalia. The local Archdiocese
boasts that it does not make payments to survivors. Consequently,
R&R stepped in to help R.S.’s family avoid foreclosure on their
house, end of telephone and utility service, and keep them in
food. R.S. cannot keep a job because of the triggers from his
abuse.
M.M. was about to be
evicted from her apartment and lose her family’s country home after being abused by her pastor. R&R stepped in and arranged for payments of back rent and resolution of the mortgage problem. M.M. is back to work now, and R&R
helped her find an attorney who has recently filed suit against
her abuser.
G.G. was abused by
his high school chaplain. After a life of drugs and alcohol,
including suicide attempts, he, his wife, and four children have
a place to call home. R&R helped secure a mortgage for them.
C.P. was abused by
at least one nun in the 1960’s. When she went to the order for help, they gave her $10,000.00 and coerced a gag order out of her. Her needs are so complex that $10,000.00 was a drop in the bucket. She has returned to the order for more help, but they have consistently said no. So, R&R stepped in and paid several months’ rent,
secured food, and paid for car repairs. C.P. is pursuing a legal
case against the order.
These are the kinds
of cases Rescue & Recovery gets involved with on a daily basis. Notice that our funds go out as quickly as they come in. We need the help of ordinary faithful Catholics like those involved in Voice of the Faithful to keep this mission going. There is no better cause today than the rescue and recovery of victims of clergy abuse. As you know, MOST victims will never go public or report their abuse. They will, however, contact organizations like R&R
and seek assistance anonymously. Most of our clients are not
known to the public.
We are attempting to raise $100,000.00 by Christmas of this year in order to serve the disparate and desperate needs of survivors. At the current time, there are two of us on staff. Michael Iatesta is a survivor of Fr. Gerald Ruane, a priest of the Archdiocese of Newark and an internationally-renowned healing priest who abused several teenagers in New Jersey. Michael went public a few months ago, and now wishes to help his fellow survivors. He is doing a good deal of the administrative work on a volunteer basis.
I am on the road most
of the time. I make a trip to Boston at least once a week to
work with some of the thirty former students of mine who were
abused by Msgr. Fred Ryan, Vice Chancellor of the Archdiocese
of Boston. He was abusing these men while I was teaching and
coaching them in the 1980’s at Catholic Memorial High School in West Roxbury. In addition, I am working with survivors from Maine to Florida, New York to California. My car has logged 115,000 in two years! Yes, that’s
115 thousand miles in two years!
Your help is needed!
If your means allow, please be the first to make a significant
contribution to this cause. By “significant,” I mean a donation of $10,000.00 to $100,000.00. Your “infusion” will
really get us off the ground and allow me to visit the two prisoners
I visit regularly; one is in Georgia (abused by a priest in Newark,
NJ and imprisoned because of his abuse); the other is in Massachusetts
(abused by a religious brother in Atlantic City, NJ and imprisoned
because of his abuse.)
There is a third prisoner
in Massachusetts who was abused by Ryan. He is not ready yet.
Help me get to him! I send $80.00 per month to one prisoner for “canteen” purposes.
And, I am trying to get them attorneys. If you know of an attorney
who is interested in their cases, let me know!
That’s what we do…that’s what we need. Please send tax-deductible contributions to:
Rescue & Recovery International, Inc., 107-10 Shore Front Parkway, Apt. 9F, Rockaway
Park, NY 11694. rmhoatson1@msn.com God bless Voice
of the Faithful!
They
Still Don’t Get
It
From the parish bulletin of Fr. Brian Lang at St. Joseph’s Church “On the Hill” in
Camillus, NY/ Syracuse diocese
"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You cleanse the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of plunder and self-indulgence." Matt.
23:25
Over the course of the next year, 117 bishops and seminary staff will visit all facilities in the United States that take part in the training of Roman Catholic seminarians. This delegation will be lead by Archbishop Edwin O'Brien. Archbishop O'Brien is currently the head of the Archdiocese for Military Services. The purpose of these visitations is to look for any possible root causes for the scandal that has rocked the Church in the United States over the last four years.
Ordered by the Vatican, the review of American facilities at first looks like a good thing. However, one has to question some of the motivations that lie behind the visitations themselves.
Archbishop O'Brien has recently stated that he believes that any individual with an inclination to homosexual orientation should be banned from entering the seminary.
He has also made comments that would suggest that homosexuality could be directly linked to priest pedophiles. The Archbishop is currently confident that the Vatican itself is about to release a document that would ban homosexuals from the priesthood.
There are a number of problems with the Archbishop's logic that cannot simply be brushed aside. His contention that it is harder for a homosexual to remain celibate than a heterosexual simply has no psychological or sociological proof. His implied suggestion that somehow homosexuals are more dangerous or predatory than heterosexuals is simply false.
In many ways it appears that the Archbishop and others in the Hierarchy of the Church are currently looking for a scapegoat to lay the blame of the child abuse scandal on. .
It is estimated that anywhere from 15 to 45 percent of ordained Roman clergy in the United States are homosexuals. The vast majority of these men are dedicated, hard- working individuals who have given their lives to Christ and his church. There is no proof that their struggles with celibacy are any more difficult than any of their brother priests.
Archbishop O'Brien states that there is a danger in having them in an all male environment where the temptation would be too great for them. Using that logic, since most parishes have all female staffs, heterosexual men would be bad candidates because women surround them all day.
Priests fall in love. It is simply a fact of life. I have and others have and you simply pray for the grace of God to know what to do. That dilemma has lead nearly ten thousand men to leave the priesthood in the United States in the last forty years. The conferral of the Sacrament of Holy Orders is not a magic bullet that eliminates human emotion or desire. If anything it should open the human heart to the deeper realities of love.
Celibacy is a choice
made, not a mystical gift of the Spirit that makes it easier
to be isolated or alone. Homosexuals are no different in this
than heterosexuals; in the words of St. Thomas, human beings
are made to love. However, since the language of the Church recognizes
that homosexuality itself is "intrinsically disordered," this
must mean that they are unsuitable for the priesthood.
Well, we are all intrinsically disordered; we have all been touched by original sin and will never be fully whole until we achieve perfect union with Christ. If the Church pursues its present course in this matter how far can we/should we take it? Should we ban any individual that may have had a sexual relationship in their life?
Archbishop O'Brien has said even homosexual men who haven't been active should be banned. Do we remove the men, who may be homosexual, who have already been ordained? Those individuals would obviously present a threat. In one brief statement the Archbishop has managed to insult and devalue all those men in active ministry who have been celibate and faithful to the teaching of the Church.
And if they are truly looking for the root causes of the scandal then perhaps they should dissect a dysfunctional and top-heavy organization that has tried to protect its reputation more than it tried to protect its children. Not an easy reality to face but one that has to be
addressed.
To use any group of individuals as scapegoats, ban them from the Church, and then say we are all better now simply won't work.
There was an old saying
in the Church; error has no rights. Whenever the Church found
itself in positions of power it has pulled this concept out to
defend its position. Now it must realize that the saying applies
to the Church too. The responsibility for the crisis cannot be
swept under the rug or shifted to a "homosexual subculture," whether
one exists or not.
I am not a major advocate of gay rights. However, I cannot stand by and watch the Church use homosexuals as a scapegoat for a scandal that had more to do with ignorant or arrogant prelates. The hierarchy of the Church was fully informed to the depth and nature of this scandal almost 20 years ago. In the early 90's they had to deal with this scandal and the National Bishops Conference assured people that it was taken care of.
No one in a position of power in the Catholic Church can say that they didn't know. After 1992 the people who had the priest personnel files did know and simply did little or nothing that was effective. It appears now that they may have found a different way to shift the blame; ban homosexuals and we can get back to having a safe church. If they go through with this, they may find that they will lose much more than they know.
The fact of the matter is that the child sexual abuse scandal has nothing to do with either homosexuality in the priesthood or celibacy. For the Vatican or Archbishop O'Brien, or any other person in a position of authority to shift the focus to those issues simply illustrates the point that they have failed to grasp the issue.
If we continue to make the outside of the cup and dish look clean without truly cleansing the inside then we have failed at a true chance at renewal and reconciliation with our people and our God.
Duped priest assails church leaders
From the Philadelphia News; reprinted with permission. Written by Ronnie Polanczky, polaner@phillynews.com
I’ve got good news
and bad news for Philadelphia Cardinal Justin Rigali. The good
news is that Mass attendance is way up at St. Basil the Great
Roman Catholic Church in Kimberton. The bad news is that it most
certainly isn't because of him.
That honor belongs
to St. Basil's pastor, Father Bob McLaughlin, affectionately
known as "Father Mac" - not just to the 1,200 families of his
Chester County parish, but to me.
Father Mac is one of
the "men of God" I was referring to in a column I wrote three
weeks ago, about how I would not let the repulsive sex scandal
in the Philadelphia Archdiocese tarnish my memories of the wonderful
priests I knew growing up.
Shortly after the column ran, Father Mac contacted me, saying he'd read it and appreciated the vote of support. It had been nearly three decades since we last spoke, but his laugh was as recognizable to me as it was when I'd hear it roar infectiously through the church hall and rectory of my childhood parish. What I loved most about Father Mac back then were his blunt honesty and unwavering moral compass, forces you could count upon when feeling whipped by life's curveballs.
I was thrilled to find, in my face-to-face reunion with Father Mac last week, that he has not allowed sheep-like loyalty to the lying higher-ups of the church to dull those precious qualities.
Father Mac cherishes his church. But he is incensed by his church's leadership.
"They betrayed everything I pledged my life to," Father Mac told me. "When
the scandal broke in Boston, I went to our leaders and said,
'Tell me the truth about Philly.' They assured me - to my face
- that there was no cover-up because 'We handle things differently
in Philadelphia.'
"I took that message
to my people, and they believed me."
When the grand jury report was released, he spent a soul-shattering two days reading its 400-plus pages and realized the extent to which he had been duped - and to which he unwittingly duped his congregation by assuring them that the practice of shuffling pedophiles among parishes was unique to Boston.
"For the first time in my 60 years, I felt ashamed to be Catholic," he said simply. "Their
crime wasn't a crime of passion, where you fly off the handle
and do something stupid, like commit a murder. This was a cold,
calculated series of lies, designed to protect the church's assets
at the expense of protecting children's lives. It's just chilling.
"I've seen them fire
priests for having their hands in the collection basket, yet
they never fired a priest for having his hands down an altar
boy's pants!"
I told you Father Mac was blunt.
"I questioned my vocation," he continued. "I
thought, 'I don't want to work for liars.' And then the Holy
Spirit hit me upside the head with a two-by-four - which he has
a habit of doing - and said to me, 'You don't work for those
liars downtown. You work for the good people of St. Basil's.' "
And so, when Cardinal Rigali released his lawyered-over, five-page statement addressing the grand-jury report, Father Mac refused to read it to parishioners at Mass, the way he'd usually read a missive issued from the archbishop's opulent downtown mansion. Instead, he said, at four services, he spoke from his gut to a congregation that he knew needed to hear the truth as much as he needed to say it.
"I told them that, all my years of preaching, this was the first time I'd rather hide in the woods than face them," he says. "I
told them, 'I will not stand here and defend the indefensible.
We were lied to, again and again and again.' "
He cried, he said, when he shared how deeply it hurt to suddenly be regarded with suspicion, because he'd devoted so much of his life to youth ministry and education.
And his voice boomed
when he pulled from his pocket, right there on the altar, his
license to carry a firearm and told his people, "I have a license
to carry a gun, and I promise - I promise - that your children
will be safe in this parish as long as I am your pastor!"
Did I say Father Mac was blunt?
It took a long time for the standing ovations and thunderous applause to settle, for everyone to wipe tears of relief that finally, at last, a church leader had been human enough to acknowledge their pain and to share his own hurt at the damage the church had wrought.
Father Mac ended his
sermon, he says, by saying, "I don't know where we go from here,
but we will muddle through this, together."
Four times he did this, and after each Mass there was a line of grateful Catholics, wounded beyond words by their church, waiting to embrace the man whose honesty might finally allow them to begin healing.
And the following week, the pews were more filled than they'd been in years. Not because of Cardinal Rigali's clueless dissembling on behalf of church hierarchy.
But in gratitude for a man of God who speaks the truth.
Dear Family and Friends
Fr. Tony Ercolano is from Queens, New York City, NY
After more than thirty years of ministry I decided to request a leave from my ministry as an active priest. My reasons are manifold. But stated simply, I am finding it increasingly difficult to effectively represent our church.
I am troubled by the repression of theologians, and by the definition of discussion, debate, and disagreement as disloyalty; by creeping infallibilism; by the lack of real collegiality within the church; by an increasing sectarianism rather than an inclusive, catholic acceptance of even those with whom we disagree; by the centralization of church authority. When elitist, reactionary groups like Opus Dei and the Legionaries of Christ are extolled as examples of true fidelity to the Gospel, I know I can no longer cooperate in this endeavor.
I am disappointed by
the negligent and cowardly refusal to creatively address what
is truly important (the priest shortage, many deprived of the
Eucharist, fewer going to church, the loss of a generation of
Catholics), while we insist that lay ministers of Communion can’t
fill chalices, which must be made of precious metal.
I am disheartened by the sexual abuse scandal, and in particular by some members of the hierarchy who failed to deal with the problem expeditiously and decisively.
I am offended by the
church’s tacit support of George W. Bush’ re-election in spite
of his war, his support of the death penalty, and his theft from
the poor so the rich can have a tax rebate.
I have always believed that the only way I could change the church was to remain in active ministry and be the best possible priest I could be. I am no longer sure this is realistic.
During this time of discernment, I intend to engage in some form of priestly ministry doing whatever tasks lie ahead.
For the past 32 years, many of you have allowed me the opportunity to serve as your priest. I will always remain grateful to God for that privilege.
Sincerely,
Tony Ercolano
P.S. Yes, your marriages are still valid, your children are baptized, and I am still bound by the seal of Confession.
“Cardinal Scola seems to have forgotten his Canon Law. Canon 213 states: ‘Christ's faithful have the right to be assisted by their Pastors from the spiritual riches of the Church, especially by the word of God and the sacraments.’” John Hynes, Boston, MA
[This same canon was noted by Susan Roll from Ottawa, Canada]
”On the level of grace,
of course, all is gift. However all are gifts from God, not from
the hierarchy or from Cardinal Scola. Scola did not give them;
he cannot refuse them. The hierarchy did not give them and cannot
refuse them. It is poor theology to claim that God does not want
to pour out his gifts on us. It is better theology to believe
that, since God wants to give us his gifts, we should reach out
and take them.” Don Brophy, New York, NY
The Eucharist is certainly
a gift – but not from the church, rather from Christ, Himself. Cardinal Scola prefers to look backward hiding behind archaic traditions rather than face the need of the rest of us to receive this salvific gift (we, who are also ‘consecrated into this royal priesthood’ 1
Peter 2-10) The church is supposed to be a channel through which
grace flows, not a dam.” Philip V.G. Wallace
“I want to go on record as one of the many who do not think that the Eucharist is a gift, a reward, a sign of unity, but instead it is food for the journey of life! The Eucharist is not the ‘source and summit of the Christian life’;
faith in Jesus Christ is.” Ed Hoeffer
“I believe the real
presence is a gift from Jesus to true believers in him. Some
come to communion and are not in communion with the teachings
of the Church and receive Jesus and may not be in a state of
grace, thus grace cannot abound in the person.
A person must have an awareness of the actual presence of Jesus in communion
to be one with Him, it is by faith thru grace not by anything
we do but it is his gift to us!” Deacon Bill Nagle
“The Holy Eucharist
is definitely a gift which must be earned. It is not a right.
When Christ was man he gave the Eucharist as a gift to those
who believe in him and who do his will.” Paul M. Guyet
“Scola and Levada have
spoken, as those who hold the key that opens and closes the institution's
favors to the world. It sounds as if they have a solution to
the Eucharist access crisis: Just excommunicate those who advocate
objective sin. Only a clergy bred on canonism and have never
read the prophecies and the Gospels could talk like that. We
in our turn must remember that Christ comes to those who invoke
him not in judgment but in humble entreaty, standing among the
poor whom he favors.
Best wishes for your work closer to the front line, from someone at the parish
level.”
Paul Schlachter
“God already gave the
gift. He picked Cardinal Scola to be one of the people through
whom it's distributed. Either he does his level best to distribute
that gift universally or he isn't living up to the responsibility
with which he's been entrusted.” Doug
And one of many words of support for all of our members: “It
is edifying to know your organization and that so many people
truly care about what is happening in our Church. Keep up the
good work as it is much needed.” Robert Carroll
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