Photos: Seven Men Ordained Transitional Deacons in Detroit

Yesterday, seven men were ordained transitional deacons by the Most Reverend Michael J. Byrnes, Auxiliary Bishop of Detroit, at Sacred Heart Major Seminary. This is the last stop before priestly ordination.  One of the men ordained yesterday, is a fellow parishioner at Assumption Grotto, Rev. Mr. Louis Lapeyre.

I took many stock photos at the chapel of Sacred Heart Major Seminary (SHMS) yesterday, but I will save those for another post some time within the next week.  As you will see in these photos, there was some real craftsmanship that went into this old building.

What follows are just a sampling of the many photos taken.  At the bottom you will find a link that will take you to the full gallery.

The environment was much darker than that to which I am accustomed.  No flash is used during liturgical events, so natural lighting is all there is to work with.  Regrettably, I did not use a white card to set white balance before-hand, so they may be "warmer" in appearance.  I use Adobe Lightroom and can still tinker with quality, but two computers show me two different hues and exposures.  It's hard to tell which one is right.

There were many religious orders represented among those watching, including some of the S.O.L.T. brothers who are studying at SHMS.

The Mass got underway. Roughly 50 priests were there for the ordinations.  I've been told that the window seen in the Sanctuary was made by the same man who crafted the stained-glass windows at Assumption Grotto.

Bishop Byrnes delivers his homily

From left to right: Rev. Mr. Joseph Kirkconnell (St. Ignatius, Cayman Islands), Rev. Mr. Jeffery Allan (St. Colette, Livonia), and Rev. Mr. Ryan Adams (Holy Redeemer, Detroit)

Rev. Mr. John Kopson (St. Mary Queen of Creation, New Baltimore) , Rev. Mr. Louis Lapeyre (Assumption Grotto, Detroit), Rev. Mr. Gregory Piatt (St. Sylvesters, Warren), Rev. Mr. Joseph Tuskiewicz (St. Josaphat, Detroit)

The promise of respect and obedience to the Ordinary of the diocese and successors

The Litany of the Saints

Laying on of Hands and Prayer of Ordination

Investiture with Stole and Dalmatic

Handing on of the Book of the Gospels

Kiss of peace

Incensing the Altar as we entered Offertory

The Sacred Heart Seminary Choir after singing a beautiful "O Cor Jesu" by Rossini

Rev. Mr. Greg Piatt is seen kneeling here

Rev. Mr. John Kopson holds the Sacred Chalice

Rev. Mr. Louis Lapeyre

Rev. Mr. Jeffery Allan spoke on behalf of the newly ordained

Pure cuteness got in the way of my camera lens

I had never been in the gym at Sacred Heart Major Seminary, but even that shows the craftsmanship of a previous era.  The reception was held here. This doesn't do it justice, but gives you a glimpse. 

Please pray for these new transitional deacons for Detroit, and all of the seminarians in the Archdiocese of Detroit working towards the priesthood. (see more at DetroitPriest.com including social media options)

There are many more photos from this event in my Smugmug account.  

• Gallery (several pages of thumbnails you can go through)
• Slideshow (this is a good way to view them, but I recommend setting it to "fast" in the upper left corner)

Want Prints?

Newly ordained deacons should see Rev. Mr. Louis Lapeyre who will have a disk for you and your families, with my compliments. Perhaps you could include me in your prayers.

All others are welcome to purchase photos through the Smugmug site.  Purchases help mitigate the cost of uploading high resolution photos to a quality site that offers a quality service.  If you have problems, please let me know.

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it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!
- Diane M. Korzeniewski

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45 Fewer Parishes in the Archdiocese of Detroit by 2016

It was a sad day for many Catholics in metro-Detroit, but one that was not  unexpected.

Going to aodonline.org - the home page for the Archdiocese of Detroit, one is automatically directed to a new page set up to quickly get heavy traffic to what they want to seer: What is happening to their parish.  Archbishop Vigneron writes:

In November, I received and prayerfully considered input from our Archdiocesan Pastoral Council, which itself built upon thoughtful input from 1,500 parishioners from throughout the six counties of the Detroit archdiocese. After consulting the auxiliary bishops, pastors, and others, I have come to my decisions regarding the next steps in the Together in Faith process. Along with the approved parish action plans, and the mission priorities fundamental to this entire process, on these Web pages you will see what I have concluded, what has been communicated to those involved, and the resources shared with the parishes. 

There is a video at the local NBC affiliate worth watching, from the press conference.  I cannot yet find embed code for it and the AoD has not uploaded it to it's YouTube channel.  In the video, you will hear Archbishop Vigneron state a rather stunning statistic:

"Only half of the people who claim to be Catholic have registered in their parishes.  Of those half, only 30% come to Mass every Sunday.  So, that is 15%, of the people who are members of the Catholic Church are attending church according to what we understand to be a baseline of participation. That's having an impact on our lives."

Consider that when jobs were lost, it meant a loss of donations, as well, and Detroit was hit especially hard with the auto industry.  I never saw so many vacant and foreclosed homes anywhere I went in metro-Detroit. I personally know people who found employment, but were so underemployed, that the only thing they could offer their parish was their time. God bless them for recognizing that their time given, saved the parish money.

A complete list of parishes can be found on the next page.  Click on the Vicariate name in the Action Plan column to see the plan for individual parishes here: http://tif.aod.org/parish-action-plans/

From Archbishop Vigneron's Pastoral Letter:

The life of the Church here in the Archdiocese of Detroit cannot simply continue without significant changes. Faith and prudence demand that we act now to ensure that we will be able to do God's work effectively in the years to come. Charity demands that we pass on to our children both the gift of faith, which is the "pearl of great price," and Church institutions equipped for the mission God will, in turn, entrust to them.

Of course, such changes are always difficult, but even these difficulties become redemptive when viewed with eyes of faith. God is drawing us more deeply into the Paschal Mystery of Jesus Christ. The changes we need to make will surely involve moments of personal loss as some parishes are reconfigured into new worship communities, but we move forward always with the hope that God will raise us up and raise up for us new resources to do his work. We need only to trust in the Lord and follow where he leads us. I believe that with the benefit of Together in Faith, Phase Two, and particularly those elements I will offer in the sections that follow, we have a much clearer sense about where the Lord is leading us than we did before we began this process.

Now, he goes on to talk about a number of pastoral priorities:  Evangelization and Catechesis, Christian Service and Outreach, Youth and Young Adults, Lay Leadership Stewardship and Administration, Catholic Schools, and Vocations.

In a FAQ sheet, the AoD talks about vocations versus retirements:

Archdiocesan priest ordinations are not keeping pace with priest retirements. The Archdiocese of Detroit currently has 44 seminarians in formation for the priesthood, a process of learning and training that takes six to eight years. Thirty-nine of those men are studying at Sacred Heart Major Seminary in Detroit. In May of this year, the Archdiocese anticipates ordaining three seminarians as priests; four are on track for ordination in 2013; and, in 2014, if current numbers hold, seven archdiocesan priests will be ordained. This rate is much lower than the 77 fewer priests projected over the next nine years.

I'm going to come back to vocations because something struck me back in November when I had mined the data provided by the archdiocese.  I think the topic of vocations in Detroit deserves a blog post of it's own for further discussion and I'm going to introduce some thoughts, and ideas, I've not really seen elsewhere.

Getting back to the parish news, in today's Detroit Free Press we read:

At a news conference Monday, Vigneron unveiled a complicated, wide-ranging plan to restructure 267 parishes within the Archdiocese of Detroit. There will be at least 27 fewer parishes, and at least 38 parishes will be merged or reduced to 18 parishes by 2016 -- but a newly merged parish in many instances may retain two or three churches

Vigneron directed many more parishes to merge in the coming years, but did not always specify a date by which the merger must take place. From the looks of the plan, much will depend on the availability and health of the priests who head parishes, and the parish's ability to maintain its finances.

"We face many challenges," Vigneron said. He compared the challenges to those facing the Detroit auto industry, schools, and city government. "Like General Motors or Ford or Chrysler," he said.

[snip] 

Churches including St. Luke and St. Leo in Detroit, which had received death sentences last fall, got a reprieve. Vigneron directed some parishes to merge in the coming years, but did not always specify dates. 

[snip] 

Two parishes will close as planned in 2012: St. Donald in Roseville and St. Elizabeth in Wyandotte. St. Elizabeth is merging with St. Joseph, and the St. Elizabeth building will close. In mid-2012, Our Lady Queen of Peace in Harper Woods will be put up for sale, but parish services and mass will continue until the building is sold. 

The Freep also has:

Vigneron also decided that the following parishes might close or merge if they don't work out an acceptable repayment of the debt they owe the Archdiocese of Detroit:

• Assumption Grotto in Detroit

• SS. Simon and Jude in Westland

• St. Florian in Hamtramck

• St. Alexander and St. Clare parishes in Farmington Hills

• St. Mel in Dearborn Heights.

While not disclosing each parish's debt, the archdiocese previously has said that parishes owe a combined $79 million to the archdiocese, for loans made for repairs, renovations, school-related issues and other needs. The archdiocese said about 35% of city parishes and about 20% of suburban parishes have financial difficulties.

I'm pretty confident that Fr. Perrone has a plan to meet the debt.  I know the number, but it is not my place to make that public, but I can tell you that it is a drop in the bucket in contrast to what I've heard other parishes owing.  I'm sure Assumption Grotto's pastor will be addressing it this weekend and will share with you what he offers.  Here is the text from the action plan for Grotto:

Assumption Grotto is to develop a realistic plan to:


1. Pay its outstanding payables to the Archdiocese of Detroit; and,

2. Participate in all vicariate and archdiocesan activities, policies, and procedures, and follow through on Together in Faith, Phase Two implementation.

The payment plan is to be submitted to the Regional Moderator and the archdiocesan Director of Finance and Administration no later than June 30, 2012. In addition, Assumption Grotto is to identify a cluster partner in early 2012 and develop a cluster plan to be submitted no later than June 30, 2012. The cluster plan should be implemented when a current pastor is no longer available, if a replacement is not available to be assigned, or when either parish begins to experience a net operating deficit. Plans should commence with models for initial collaboration and include contingency plans for programming, outreach and administration, for clustering/merging the parishes, and/or closing buildings and planning for the sale of property.

Now, the language in all of these action plans involves cookie cutter expressions, such as the whole paragraph following, "...submitted no later than June 30, 2012".  You have to randomly click through a number of other action plans and this becomes visible.  For this reason, I wouldn't get hung up on one expression or another in a personal way.  Each parish had something unique, but then each parish had things in common with other parishes, such as debt, or the statement about collaboration on clustering.

Here is the group involving Ss Cyril & Methodius in Sterling Heights.  Note the langauge used for each of the parishes in this group. Use Our Lady of Czestochowa also, as an example of some of the common language you will see in similar parishes.  I'm glad to see that St. Lucy's Croatian parish will be clustered with Ss Cyril & Methodius Slovak parish.  The parish was really in a difficult situation with the Croatian Franciscan Custody in the US, also facing a number's crunch.  Ethnic Croatian parishes have been shuttered in other dioceses due to the shortage.  Being of ethnic Croatian ancestry, and also quite familiar with Ss C&M, I can tell you there are some cultural and devotional similarities, so it is the best possible fit.  This is a generous move by Fr. Ben who already has his hands quite full with his parish which continues to expand.... with lots of non-Slovaks attracted to the reserved liturgies, robust devotion and strong Catholic identity.

Also, after looking at plans for many other parishes throughout the diocese, that most, if not all parishes were suppose to cluster  or team-up with another parish to, " be implemented when a current pastor is no longer available, if a replacement is not available to be assigned, or when either parish begins to experience a net operating deficit."  

The words used by Archbishop Vigneron at his press conference were that he wanted parishes "twinned-up" so that as we go forward, there isn't a scramble should one of the two find themselves without a priest, even temporarily.  What came to mind when I heard him say this is that with so many parishes having only one priest, if the pastor is temporarily disabled through, say, surgery, it can be an administrative nightmare.  Part of this is intended to buffer the impact of such cases.  This "twinning" of parishes would mean that the archdiocese mitigates the need for it to scramble like a deer in headlights when something happens abruptly.  I am aware of several parishes in the past few years that suffered a sudden loss of the one and only priest at the parish - their pastor - either through death, sabbatical, or other. 





Long Term Impact on Traditional Catholics in Detroit?

One of the things I have been concerned with all along is that there is no provision to ensure that the Archdiocese of Detroit has a long-term plan for Catholics attracted to the Traditional Latin Mass (TLM).  There is interest among some seminarians and I believe Archbishop Vigneron will work to address this. In the future, it could mean more opportunities in the suburbs to experience the TLM.  One of the challenges though, is allowing people to follow the full calendar, rather than  having just a weekly or monthly chance to worship in this way, if they are partial to it.

Assumption Grotto is the only parish in the Archdiocese which offers the Traditional Latin Mass 364 days yearly, the exception being Good Friday.  However, even Good Friday's Tre Ore service uses the 1962 Missal.   The parish coming in second is St. Josaphat, which is about a 10-15 minute drive from Grotto.  It offers many of the same things using the 1962 as does Grotto, with the main exception being that they don't have a daily TLM.  There is Mass on Monday evenings and on special feasts during the week, as well as the Triduum, if I recall.  It was clustered years ago with St. Joseph and the Sweetest Heart of Mary.  I am quite concerned as to what this means for them.  The cluster of three has shared one priest, and their plan reads as follows:

Sweetest Heart of Mary (personal parish), St. Josaphat (personal parish), and St. Joseph

In early 2012, these already clustered parishes are to develop a plan to merge, to be submitted to the Regional Moderator no later than December 30, 2012. This plan may result in the elimination of buildings and will include consolidation of Mass schedules to conform to the archdiocesan policy of following canon law for a priest to say no more than three Masses on a regular Sunday or holy day of obligation.

All three of those church buildings are absolute gems.  It would break my heart to see any of those buildings closed. 

The main concern I have about the Traditional Latin Mass communities in Detroit is that I do not feel we are recognized as a component of "diversity" that has something to offer the wider community.    When one thinks of diversity, it often limited to race and ethnicity; it does not include, for example, traditional Catholics.  This is not something unique in the Archdiocese of Detroit, but a common thread in many dioceses.  I think dioceses need to be continuously encouraged to allow those of us with a love for the usus antiquior a place where we can worship in a way that lifts our hearts to God in a deep and profound way, and in a setting proper to the form.

The AoD's plan, unfortunately, has the potential to eliminate this opportunity for traditional Catholics in the coming years.  Where they were careful to ensure that, for example, certain ethnic groups, such as the Polish, Italian, Croatian, and others had some kind of provision, there has not been a similar protection for traditional Catholics.  There is the potential for certain unintended consequences should such a void develop in this archdiocese years down the road.  I don't know if these things have been considered or not.   I hope to discuss them personally, at the very least, with my auxiliary bishop, to raise awareness.

At some point in the future, I may share some of these concerns in a post here, but not before making an attempt to discuss them one-on-one.  Anyone who knows me, should know by now that I will not make presumptions that there is something sinister at the root of such a thing.  CCC 2478 encourages us to interpret the words of others - and, by extension, the actions - in the most favorable light.  I find this mindset helps me to avoid the pitfall of engaging in conspiracy theories which really have no basis in the devout life.  I let God do the interpreting because only He can read hearts.  Besides, it keeps my blood pressure from going too high.

I don't have time to give you updates on all of the parishes affected, so I leave you with local news coverage.  Here is a Google news search on Archdiocese of Detroit and Parish Closings.

Please pray for everyone impacted by this sad news, most especially those with immediate closings. 

The combox is open.  Published comments do not reflect my views and do not mean I am in agreement with what is stated.  I will not be able to respond to every comment, including those with which I may disagree, so nothing should be read into my silence.  I ask that people voice their opinions and concerns in a respectful manner.  If you find your comment not moderated after some hours, feel free to send me an email to inquire why it was not posted: TeDeumBlog (at) gmail (dot) com.

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Michigan and Bishops Meet with Pope Benedict XVI on Ad Limina Visit

Courtesy of L’Osservatore Romano and AoD blog: From left: Auxiliary Bishop Jose Arturo Cepeda of Detroit; Auxiliary Bishop Donald F. Hanchon of Detroit; Bishop Joseph R. Cistone of Saginaw; Bishop Earl A. Boyea of Lansing; Bishop Walter A. Hurley of Grand Rapids; Archbishop Allen H. Vigneron of Detroit; Pope Benedict XVI; Bishop Bernard A. Hebda of Gaylord; Bishop Paul J. Bradley of Kalamazoo; Bishop Alexander K. Sample of Marquette; Auxiliary Bishop Francis R. Reiss of Detroit; and Auxiliary Bishop Michael J. Byrnes of Detroit.

The bishops of Michigan and Ohio were on their ad limina visit in Rome this past week.  The last time Michigan's bishops met with the Holy Father was in 2004 when Cardinal Maida was at the helm. This is a first ad limina visit for most of these men, at least representing this region, including Archbishop Vigneron.  Bishop Boyea, now of Lansing was an auxiliary bishop for Detroit during that 2004 visit, and Bishop Reiss was there, as well.

The Archdiocese of Detroit and bishops have been blogging since shortly before leaving for Rome.  Here is an excerpt from Archbishop Vigneron's post following his visit with the Holy Father:

We’ve just come back from the audience with the Holy Father, all of us bishops from Michigan. It was a wonderful experience. We talked about really all the themes that are important in the pastoral life of the Catholic Church in our diocese. The Holy Father was very sympathetic when we told him about the economic troubles of our region. He assured us of his prayers. 

We spent a good bit of time talking about the liturgy. The Holy Father encouraged all of us to do whatever we can to be sure that your experience of the liturgy is an experience of the Church as she exists in every age. 

Throughout all of his remarks, and also a theme in our conversation with him, was the New Evangelization, which gives us all great hope for the future – especially the evangelization of families.

Auxiliary Bishop Donald Hanchon, consecrated a bishop in May of 2011, is responsible for the area in which Assumption Grotto resides.  He posted this:

On Thursday morning before our mid-day meal, Archbishop Vigneron, accompanied by Bp. Byrnes, Bp. Blair, Bp. Cistone, Bp. Sample and myself went inside the Apostolic Palace to meet with Abp. Dominique Mamberti (charged with the Vatican’s Relations with States) to ask for his counsel in addressing the serious matter of freedom of conscience for Catholics and other people of faith in light of the proposed policy of the U. S. Dept. of Health and Human Services requiring the inclusion of “reproductive services” (including contraceptive and abortion-related ones) in all plans for universal Health Care. I hope the impact of this on all Americans, and on our witness before the people of the world, has gotten wide press coverage, because it deserves to! [continue reading Bp Hanchon's post: A Word on Freedom]

Yes, Bishop Hanchon!  It has gotten pretty good coverage and many of us have been glad to see so many bishops speak out with one voice.  In fact, Tom Peters at Catholic Vote has a running list of bishops speaking out accounting for more than 80% of US bishops.  I'll be sure to email him your post to be added to the list!

Archbishop Vigneron meets Pope Benedict XVI

You can see photos of each of the five bishops of Detroit shaking hands with the Holy Father in this post.

The bishops also discuss the excitement of being in Rome during the unusual snowfall, with pictures.  Rome Reports has made a very nice video of this...

Visit the Archdiocese of Detroit blog and scroll through the many posts there about the ad limina visit.


I hope the bishops will continue using that blog on a regular basis. With five bishops in Detroit now, this should be a walk in the park now.

See also the coverage of the ad limina visit in the Detroit Free Press by Niraj Warikoo: Bishops share concerns for Michigan in meeting with Pope Benedict XVI

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Yesterday I posted on Bishop Edward Slattery's wholesome response to the assault on religious liberty. Check that out if you have not yet seen it.

Also, New Advent is a very good aggregator of news stories and posts on the HHS mandate, and more.  I recommend making a daily visit there to see the latest.

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Interesting canon law discussions shaping up in Voris / RCTV and AoD dispute

There are some interesting developments in the dispute over use of the name "Catholic" in the Real Catholic TV vs. Archdiocese of Detroit dispute.

First, Real Catholic TV has responded with a video

The news link that Michael Voris refers to in his video response is from LifeSiteNews: Archdiocesan canon lawyers differ on asking RealCatholicTV.com to drop ‘Catholic’ name (with 107 comments as of this posting).  In that article we learn that a canon lawyer from the Fort Wayne - South Bend, Indiana diocese -  actually the Judicial Vicar - not speaking as an official of that diocese, but offering his thoughts, feels jurisdiction likely belongs in FW-SB.


Just a short time ago, Ed Peters put out a new post in which he clarifies some things further: Some thoughts on the ‘jurisdiction’ question in the AOD – Voris/RCTV matter.  He points out that the AoD doesn't need jurisdiction for what it has stated.  There are two parts in that single post and he gets into some discussion in "part 2" about jurisdiction and internet ventures that cross dioceses in various ways (consider that the current Code of Canon Law is 1983, really before the internet boomed to hwat we have today).  He brings up some very interesting "what if" scenarios.

I suspect we have not heard the last from these two canonists. 

Update: Peters had a second response concerning his employment and more.

Update 2: Comments have been disabled and hidden.  See why here: Not with insolence do we advance our cause... whatever it is!

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The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church; it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!

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Dr. Peters offers followup on Voris / RCTV - Arch of Detroit Dust-up

Blogging canonist, Ed Peters, has offered a followup post to the one he released previously on Real Catholic TV and the Archdiocese of Detroit. It seems the seminary prof has been following the various comboxes out there after his first post and wanted to address some things.  I won't quote it here, but merely point to it:

A few more things to keep in mind about the AOD and Voris/RCTV


Peters doesn't have an active combox and I'm sure Father Z will be offering a place to discuss it. Click and scroll here to check later.

Here is Ed's first post on the subject: The first thing to understand about the Voris/RCTV vs. AoD disupte.

Here is my post from yesterday: Some links and thoughts on the AoD -Voris / RCTV dust-up

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The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church; it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!

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Some links and thoughts on the AoD -Voris / RCTV dust-up

[Update January 5: Dr. Peters offers a followup post ]

Just before Christmas, the Archdiocese of Detroit released a statement about Real Catholic TV syaing it is not authorized to use the name "Catholic".  This set off a firestorm and I did not want to go there before the solemnity.  (I'll provide a number of links at the bottom for further reading). Among other questions on my mind, I myself was rather puzzled as to why the AoD would release a statement as people were all winding down into such a solemn season. It looks like the archdiocese has gotten some feedback about that very issue and it released a response yesterday:

Subsequent to the release in mid-December, 2011, of a “Statement regarding Real Catholic TV and its name,” inquiries have come to the Archdiocesan Department of Communications regarding the timing and need for this particular declaration. The Director of Communications presents this response:

“The Archdiocese of Detroit has been consistent in its statements to and about Real Catholic TV since the fall of 2008. (Regarding RealCatholicTV.com) Due to continued requests made to the Detroit archdiocese for clarification concerning the use of the title Catholic by Real Catholic TV, and to avoid any confusion among the faithful, it was determined a public statement should make clear what has been told to Real Catholic TV, namely, that it does not have the authorization required under Church law to identify or promote itself as Catholic.”

The response of Real Catholic TV was that it is owned by Marc Brammer who lives in the Fort Wayne - South Bend, Indiana diocese, not  Detroit.  Leadership at RCTV believes that competency does not fall under the Archbishop of Detroit.  From LifeSiteNews:

There is however an interesting twist to this story. Michael Voris, while he may be the star of RealCatholicTV’s programming, is not the owner of the website. The owner is Marc Brammer who lives in South Bend Indiana in the diocese of Bishop Kevin Rhoades.


Brammer told LifeSiteNews, “I own RealCatholicTV.com. I contracted with Michael Voris to produce video content for that website and I pay him for it. It is a business relationship between me and Michael. If all of a sudden now there’s this tussle over the use of the word ‘Catholic’ I’ll deal with it through competent ecclesial authority.”


Brammer noted that he had received a letter from the Archdiocese of Detroit acknowledging him as the owner of the website. He responded to that letter with a request for a meeting with the Archdiocese. He received no response. Brammer has not been asked by his bishop, Fort Wayne-South Bend Bishop Kevin Rhoades to cease using the word Catholic.

Last night, blogging canonist, Ed Peters, who works in the Archdiocese of Detroit at Sacred Heart Major Seminary offered his thoughts (emphasis mine in bold):

The first thing to understand about the dispute between the Archdiocese of Detroit and Michael Voris and/or RealCatholicTV is that the dispute turns essentially on canon law. As a canonical dispute, it will not be decided by seeing who musters more or louder supporters in the blogosphere; it will be decided by recognizing what Church law says about such matters and then abiding by that finding.

With this being firmly understood, however, we may still use the dispute to set out some aspects of Church discipline for those wishing to understand such things better. I comment here not as an advisor to the AOD, but as an established observer on public canonical issues, and I reiterate what is noted to the right of every ITLOTL post, namely, that this blog represents my opinions only.

You can read his full post: The first thing to understand about the Voris/RCTV vs. AoD disupte.  I quote here the relevant part with respect to the argument put forth by RCTV in the above news source:

But sentence two of Canon 216 is another matter: “Nevertheless, no undertaking is to claim the name ‘Catholic’ without the consent of competent ecclesiastical authority.” The plain text of this canon unquestionably puts the burden on those behind an undertaking to secure consent from the competent ecclesiastical authority before claiming the name “Catholic” for their project(s). Voris/RCTV expressly (indeed, pervasively) use the word “Catholic” to name their undertakings. They repeatedly proclaim that theirs is “Real Catholic TV”, that theirs is a “Catholic Investigative Agency”, and that theirs is “The Catholic Critic”.


The Archdiocese of Detroit demurs, whence the dispute.


Let me suggest an analogy.


Say that I’m a pretty smart lawyer, that my legal advice is usually right, that it secures for folks a better situation than they had before, and that it saves them lots of time and tons of money. All of this would mean zilch if, along the way, I held myself out to be licensed for the practice of law in some state where I was not authorized to practice. The state would not have to prove that I don’t have a law degree (in fact I do) or that my advice was unsound (it might be sound or not, depending on the issue) or that I am profiting by my work (perhaps I don’t). The state would simply have to show that I am claiming to be something I am not, namely, someone authorized to act as an attorney. I would be lucky if I got-off with just a Cease-and-Desist order.

Some don't feel Ed has really addressed the issue of jurisdiction.  I believe he has, in his analogy. The blogosphere has been trying to navigate the canonical end of this issue like long-hand division, but Peters just showed us a bit of short-hand division.  Whether one agrees with it or not, the AoD seems to be on solid canonical footing.  Ed goes on to say (emphasis mine in bold):

Similarly, the AOD does not have to prove that Voris does not have a degree in theology (in fact he does), and/or that Real Catholic TV, and/or the Catholic Investigative Agency, and/or The Catholic Critic, etc., is wrong about something they said (frankly, much of what they say is sound), and so on; instead, the AOD simply has to show that one or more Voris/RCTV undertakings claim the title “Catholic” without having secured canonical authorization to make that claim.


Some people apparently don’t like how Canon 216 reads; they are free (per c. 212 § 3 no less) to make their complaints to the competent ecclesiastical authority (postage for first class letters to Rome starts at 98 cents). I can even think of some arguments they might offer (just as I can think of some counter-arguments they would need to anticipate) but, in the meantime, Canon 216 means what it plainly says: as long as Voris/RCTV claim for their undertakings the title “Catholic”, Canon 216 is applicable; but drop appropriation of the name “Catholic” for these undertakings, and Canon 216 has nothing more to say.

So, this particular problem goes away for Real Catholic Tv if they cease use of the name "Catholic" in their works.  Quite honestly, I was surprised when they chose to include the name "Catholic" years ago.  Mother Angelica chose Eternal Word Television Network (EWTN) because she did not want to open the door to this problem.  She knew that her work would be opposed vehemently by some members of the hierarchy, and it was.    I remember her talking about this, and when RCTV was launched using the name "Catholic" it seemed like a risk to me, especially given the shock-jock style of Mike's Vortex series.  That series probably gets more hits than anything else they produce.  When you mention the name Real Catholic Tv, people who are aware of it, talk about the Vortex.

In my online reading, I see some asking about other entities like the dissident rag, the National Catholic Reporter (not the National Catholic Register, which is owned by EWTN).   Well, first of all, That belongs now to the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph, not Detroit.  Secondly, the Reporter was condemned in no uncertain terms as "heretical" in 1968 by Bishop Charles Helmsing.  People should write to Bishop Finn and ask him to affirm this 1968 document and put something on the diocesan site before more people are led into scandal. In fact, I think his office should be flooded with petitions of this kind so that the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph can state that it is responding to numerous requests. After all, the Reporter is still featuring stories promoting things greatly opposed to the teachings of the Church.  Any bishops thinking the "biological solution" will take care of business for that news source (known disaffectionately as, "National catholyc Fishwrap"), they should click that link I just provided, take a good hard look, and think again!   Bishops will have to stand before the Just Judge some day and account for the the many souls who were unwittingly led into sin by sources just like the National Catholic Reporter (see the Catholic Culture analysis of the site here and be sure to click on examples).

What about other, non-dissident entities like Catholic.com (Catholic Answers); and, how is it that they get to use the name?  Well,  Catholic Answers (CA) has the permission of the Diocese of San Diego to use the name "Catholic" and it is considered an apostolate by the diocese in which it does it's work.  We might further ask why the permission was granted in San Diego for Catholic Answers  while RCTV is having difficulty in the Archdiocese of Detroit. 

Detroit does indeed have a troubled past and there are certainly clerics still in the archdiocese at various levels who do not have the mind of the Church.  There's no doubt that some of these folks are voicing strong opposition to RCTV and stirring the pot.  At the same time we must acknowledge a few things:  Noteworthy is Archbishop Vigneron's strong stand against the American Catholic Council's event in Detroit last year, which would have been unthinkable before he took the throne.  He publicly challenged Call to Action when he was a bishop in Oakland for a survey they did on priestly celibacy.  The former Oakland, California bishop had plenty of enemies there given his strong stand on Proposition 8 on marriage.    The pages of this blog have been filled with photos from the pro-life prayer vigils he has led for Helper's of God's Precious Infants. He is friendly towards the Traditional Latin Mass, having celebrated it in Oakland, and offering Confirmations here in Detroit using the 1962 Missal.  For some people, these things make the dispute with RCTV all the more puzzling because Archbishop Vigneron is seen as a relatively orthodox bishop by many.

If we go back to my last question about why Catholic Answers has the permission of it's diocese and RCTV is finding opposition here in Detroit, what is the key difference?   Here is just part of the answer:  Catholic Answers is exclusively identified as an apologetics/catechetical site; RCTV has catechetical content, but it is largely identified with the Vortex commentaries by Michael Voris, "where lies and falsehoods are trapped and exposed".  Only RCTV knows what percentage of people viewing their content actually watch the catechetical content versus the percentage of those watching the Vortex segments (both free and premium members).  Some of these commentaries go after bishops, other Catholics, people of other faiths and Mike doesn't waste time with tact; he just calls them as he sees them.  

There is one more thing I want to point out from Ed Peters' piece that bears noting:

As far as this part of c. 216 is concerned, Voris/RCTV may disseminate whatever they want, whenever they wish, about whatever they please. Whether Voris/RCTV speak correctly or mistakenly on a given matter, or whether they show appropriate prudence and charity in expressing their positions, is their responsibility. Catholics are free to reach differing opinions about those questions.

Setting aside openly dissenting Catholics who would naturally have complete disdain for RCTV, I have seen orthodox Catholics somewhat divided over tone and some content. Some solid Catholics like it; some solid Catholics don't. Few orthodox Catholics seem to be in the middle where they are both supportive, yet forthright to speak up with reasonable, constructive criticism that RCTV may want to consider taking to heart.

Stay tuned for developments.

Links where discussions are taking place:

- A few samples of posts at Father Z's blog here and here.

- Father Z also has a thread running for discussion on Dr. Ed Peters' piece quoted in my post

- LifeSiteNews story of the recent development with AoD is holding at 117 comments

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Metro Detroit priest put on leave following accusation

The Archdiocese of Detroit released a statement today concerning Rev. Gary Schulte (66), pastor of St. Sylvester Parish in Warren, Michigan, who has been put on administrative leave following an accusation of sexual misconduct with a minor in the early years of his priesthood.

Effective October 28, 2011, Fr. Gary Schulte, 66, pastor of St. Sylvester Parish in Warren, Michigan, has been placed on an administrative leave of absence by the Archdiocese of Detroit and is currently restricted from any public ministry.


In September an allegation of sexual misconduct with a person under the age of 18 involving Fr. Schulte dating back to the early years of his ministry in the Detroit archdiocese was received by the Victim Assistance Coordinator. Subsequently, the complaint was reported to civil authorities and considered by the chair of Archdiocesan Review Board and the archbishop's lead advisors on these matters.


An initial investigation found the complaint to be of sufficient substance to require restrictions on Fr. Schulte's service as a priest, i.e., not allowed to publicly celebrate the Mass or sacraments, and not allowed to present himself publicly as a priest.


Fr. Thomas Sutherland, a senior (retired) priest, will serve as temporary administrator of St. Sylvester Parish.

A Detroit Free Press article says the case was referred to the Oakland County Prosecutor in September (which is when the complaint was made, according to the Detroit News).  Ned McGrath, spokesman for the Archdiocese of Detroit says, "We have not made a decision of guilt." 

In other words, they are letting the investigation happen by civil authorities and an accusation is not the equivalent of being found guilty.

Prior to joining Assumption Grotto in Detroit in May of 2005, I spent my Sunday's floating between several area parishes.  St. Sylvester was among those parishes and I knew Fr. Schulte through his celebration of the Mass and Confessions, the latter of which were offered regularly on Saturdays with decent attendance.  He's been at St. Sylvesters since 1994 and I was there for his first Mass at the parish and went periodically there until 2005.  My recollection of him was that of a gentle, charitable soul. 

This really saddens me and I hope he is eventually cleared.  That said, I would never hope for such a thing at the expense of truth, which is most important, especially if someone has been abused.  I am very cautious to not go too far in either direction with my assumptions and interior judgments.  It's really the best approach - to suspend judgment and pray that the process works, and works expeditiously for all concerned.  None of us has access to specifics needed to make an informed judgment - for, or against, either person.  So, we wait to see what the prosecutor finds.

Priests have been accused, and later found guilty of having committed unspeakable crimes against children - harming them physically, emotionally, and spiritually.   There are always people who can attest to an accused priest's great character, even in those who have been found guilty of multiple offenses.   However, priests have also been falsely accused, with evidence-a-plenty of their innocence.  Not all are returned to active ministry, or to parish ministry, even after being proven innocent (read more here, and here). 

What is most important in a case like this is truth and justice.  Please keep the accuser and Fr. Schulte in your prayers, as well as those involved with the investigation. 

• Link to the statement at the Archdiocese of Detroit webpage on Fr. Gary Schulte, and additional info.

*Story updated at 7:45 am, October 31.

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Audio: Interview with Arch/Detroit spokesman about liturgical abuses at ACC dissent-fest Mass

Al Kresta, host of Kresta in the Afternoon on Ave Maria Radio
speaks at the 13th Call to Holiness about dissent in the Church on June 11, 2011

Yesterday, Al Kresta spoke with Archdiocese of Detroit (AoD) spokesman, Ned McGrath about the American Catholic Council (ACC) conference which just took place in Detroit this past weekend.

You can find the archived audio at this link to listen online, or use get the podcast from the sidebar.  I'm providing quite a few notes from the interview below.

Catholics, especially priests and deacons were urged to stay away from the conference, and more importantly, to avoid the "Eucharistic Liturgy".  The archbishop expressed concern in a June 3rd letter on the archdiocesan website, addressed to priests and deacons, about  a potential "forbidden concelebration with the laity" taking place there. 

In the interview, McGrath acknowledges that the AoD was concerned enough about the liturgy, to send a few people there to document what happened.  Because there is a review underway by those commissioned by the archbishop to do so, the spokesman said he could not make public certain details at this time.

Reports back to the archdiocese indicate not just liturgical abuses, "but some that could be deemed flagrant", said McGrath.  He also clarified that what is under review is the liturgy which took place, not an individual or individuals. 

SIDEBAR #1: To my mind, that does not mean that it won't lead to disciplinary action against certain individuals, but that at this point they are merely reviewing what happened.  Simply put, they are not making it personal, but are looking at behaviors that need to be addressed.  Disciplinary actions within the Catholic Church are meant to be medicinal, so to speak, to get someone away from a fragile cliff edge which could harm them.   We are not to yield to things like illicit sexual temptations, but rather accept the sacrifice of associated with saying no in imitation of Our Lord who, "humbled  himself, becoming obedient unto death, death on a Cross." (Phil 2:8)  And, so it is with a group who submits their will, for the will of the Church, and of the local bishop in communion with the Church, with regards to the celebration of the Liturgy.  As Al later points out, groups like the ACC are anti-hierarchical and want a democracy, yet goiing back to the beginning of the Church, specifically referencing the writings of St. Paul, she has always been hierarchical and Eucharistic.

Continuing on with the interview, Kresta establishes first, the point that for any celebration of the Mass to take place, there must be permission from the local Ordinary, in this case, Archbishop Vigneron.  The American Catholic Council was not given the necessary permission, but went ahead with it despite awareness that Detroit's archbishop did not want the Mass taking place.  Kresta points out that the first abuse which took place was defiance to the archbishop who urged them not to hold a Mass.  Referring to +Vigneron's June 3rd letter to priests and deacons [page may load slowly], Kresta and McGrath talk about how that defiance flies in the face of Vatican Council II.  From the archbishop's letter:

Of particular concern is the "Eucharistic Liturgy," noted on the schedule for this conference on Pentecost Sunday, June 12. The Fathers of the Second Vatican Council instruct us, "Every legitimate celebration of the Eucharist is regulated by the bishop, to whom is committed the office of offering the worship of the Christian religion to the divine Majesty and of administering it in accordance with the Lord's commandments and with the Church's laws, as further defined by his particular judgment for his diocese." (Lumen Gentium, 26). I take my role as moderator of the liturgy for the archdiocese (Sacrosanctum Concilium, 22) very seriously. To confirm the legitimacy of what they had planned, the ACC had been asked to provide details regarding this liturgy. The response received was ambiguous, and there are good reasons for believing forbidden concelebration will take place by the laity and with those not in full communion with the Church.

McGrath goes on to say that back in the fall, the archbishop wrote and asked the organizers to cancel the event (which was chased by this advisory sent out in October 2010).

SIDEBAR #2. Just for background, the celebrant of the Mass was Fr. Robert Wurm of Detroit, a priest who retired in 2004 after last serving at St. James parish in Ferndale, Michigan.  The Detroit Free Press discussed his defiance with him:

Wurn told the Free Press afterwards he was aware that Archbishiop Allen Vigneron had explicilty warned all priests and deacons to not participate. But Wurm said he's not worried being punished.

"I don't see that happening," Wurm said. "I'm older than he (Vigneron) is."

Wurm criticized Vigneron's letter that told clergy to stay away.

"He was making a big mistake," Wurm said.

In my humble opinion, his presumption is a big mistake.  In the Detroit News, Janet Hauter, the co-chair of the ACC basically said he cannot be disciplined because he is not a diocesan priest, but from the Benedictine order.  According to the Free Press, John Hushon of Florida who was a lead organizer stated, "He didn't violate canon law....we went right down the straight and narrow".

Who is John Hushon?  Is he a canon lawyer? It appears not.

*John Hushon is a graduate of Brown University (1967) and Harvard Law School (1970). He practiced international corporate law with a major firm in Washington DC, New York and Eastern Europe. He has taught international business transactions at the graduate level at Widener University and Northwestern University as an adjunct. He became the CEO of El Paso Energy International Corporation in 1995, retiring in 2001. He has a Master of Theology from Washington Theological Union with a concentration in Scripture (2005). He has completed significant additional doctoral work in Theology. He co-chairs American Catholic Council and teaches history of religion and Scripture courses at the Renaissance Academy of Florida Gulf Coast University. He lives in Naples, FL with his wife, a PhD environmental consultant who is active in (mostly) volunteer efforts concerning the ecology of Southwest Florida and the Everglades. [source page]

If John Hushon was consulting himself on canon law for this event, he ought to pass it up.  If they consulted a bona fide canon lawyer, they ought to pass him up next time they have questions and that canon lawyer ought to ask for a refund from whatever school he graduated.
Getting back to the interview, Ned McGrath said that if a "forbidden concelebration" was determined to have happened, then Archbishop Vigneron has a responsibility to turn that information over to the Vatican. 

The 20 minute interview continued, but I must take leave now to get off to work.  The remainder of the hour was also devoted to discussion about the problems with the American Catholic Council. 

Al also spoke about the Call to Holiness conference which took place Saturday, June 11th as the ACC dissent-fest was going on.  He lauds Fr. Eduard Perrone for his stalwart defense of the faith, especially with the work he has done as co-founder of the Call to Holiness, and pointed out that the Assumption Grotto pastor was celebrating his 33rd anniversary in the priesthood.  Al also mentions in this segment, Mrs. Grace Perrone, Father's mother, whom he got to meet at the Call to Holiness conference. 

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Please note that I just received a note that Al Kresta will be interviewing Fr.  Robert McDermott at around 4:30pm today.  Fr. McDermott is the postulator for the cause of John A. Hardon, SJ, who spent his final years working out of an office in what is now a convent at Assumption Grotto.  Tune in locally to AM 990 or listen online at avemariaradio.net.   There will be two Masses celebrated on June 18th - one in Michigan and one in Illinois.  See details here.

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Archdiocese of Detroit responds to defiant priest's celebration of Mass at ACC dissent-fest

Photo: Susan Tusa/Detroit Free Press
Fr. Robert Wurm, 78, celebrates an unauthorized Mass at Cobo Hall in Detroit
which closed the American Catholic Council's conference

UPDATE: I have made another post which contains a more extensive audio interview with Archdiocese of Detroit spokesman that Al Kresta had the other day. I've provided some pertinent quotes in the body of that post, as well.

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The Archbishop of Detroit was quick to react through a spokesman to the liturgical abuses which took place at the Mass which closing the American Catholic Council's dissent-fest.

This post has been updated, and may undergo further updates.
The Archdiocese of Detroit website is not yet updated, but Niraj Warikoo of the Detroit Free Press has reaction about the Mass in which organizers claim dozens of priests and deacons attended.  (Note: There are a number of photos in a slideshow in that link, with captions if you hover your mouse over them.  The article continues to be updated with additional info and pics, so you may want to revisit it).  Niraj writes:

The top Catholic leader in Michigan slammed a big liberal Mass today in Detroit, saying it had significant abuses and he ordered a review of a Ferndale priest who led the services before 1,500 Catholics, a church spokesman said.


“There were several, serious liturgical abuses at that service,” said Ned McGrath, spokesman for the Archdiocese. “It’s disheartening that a Detroit priest would preside over a service with so many…serious liturgical abuses. There will be — has to be — a careful and thorough review.”

The Detroit News has a similar quote attributed to McGrath, but it goes one step further, saying it will also potentially be reviewed by the Vatican.

Photo: Susan Tusa/Detroit Free Press

Left, Suzanne Thiel, president of Roman Catholic Women Priest USA,

from Portland, Oregon, and Juanita Cordero,

from Los Gatos, CA participate in the liturgy celebration.

The celebrant, Fr. Wurm is a resident of Detroit.   The Free Press article goes on to read:

Wurn told the Free Press afterwards he was aware that Archbishiop Allen Vigneron had explicilty warned all priests and deacons to not participate. But Wurm said he's not worried being punished.

"I don't see that happening," Wurm said. "I'm older than he (Vigneron) is."

Wurm criticized Vigneron's letter that told clergy to stay away. 

"He was making a big mistake," Wurm said.

Catholics at the conference defended their conference and Mass, saying they are in accordance with the laws and values of Catholicism.

“He didn’t violate Canon law,” John Hushon, of Florida, a lead organizer of the conference, said. “We went right down the straight and narrow.”

According to the Detroit News, he is a Benedictine whose last assignment before he retired in 2004, was St. James in Ferndale.

Janet Hauter, the co-chair of the American Catholic Conference, said her group followed the rules and did not use a diocesan priest for the Mass. She said Wurm can't be censured or defrocked because is from the Benedictine order of priests.

Do they seriously think that a member of a religious order has got some kind of diplomatic immunity which hinders the Church from disciplining it's priests?

While Fr. Wurm is a Benedictine, his incardination in that order is a separate issue from the faculties given to him to celebrate Mass.  From what little is provided in the article, it seems that he had faculties here in the Archdiocese of Detroit back in 2004 when he retired.  Those can be revoked, at least for celebrating Mass.  Further, he is not out of reach of disciplinary action by the Holy See.  Some background on incardination and faculties can be found in this post on the excommunicated and laicized ex-priest, Marek Bozek.

Here is video from local ABC affiliate, WXYZ.  In the article that accompanies the video, they quoted Archbishop Vigneron from a recent statement:

“The American Catholic Council portrays itself as something other than what it is. In effect it advocates for what it calls ‘change’ by putting Catholic sacraments, church teachings and even the sanctity of life up to a vote. That’s not even close to liberal or left-leaning thinking; it’s beyond a bridge too far.”

Please pray for these misguided Catholics, and for the unity of the Church. 

More to come.

FURTHER READING:

• Archdiocese of Detroit Resource Page on the American Catholic Council (AoD)
• Fr. Perrone: Dissent almost always involves 'below the belt issues'...  (Te Deum)
• American Catholic Council's dust-up with the Archdiocese of Detroit  (Te Deum)
• Life imitates art! The American Catholic Council’s “Litany of Lament” (Fr. Z)

NOTE ABOUT CALL TO HOLINESS PHOTOS

I hope to have a photopost up soon on the Call to Holiness Conference which took place with the blessing of Archbishop Vigneron, and from today's Solemn High Mass in the Extraordinary Form at Assumption Grotto.

I know.... I'm really behind.  I still have Easter photos to edit, among others.  The last two months have just been packed.

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