Founder of Intercessors of the Lamb steps down at request of Bishop Lucas

In July of 2009, Bishop George Lucas was installed in the Diocese of Omaha, Nebraska.  Just over a year later, Mother Nadine Brown, the founder resigns from the Intercessors of the Lamb and the community is given a trustee by Bishop Lucas. 

I have a couple of items on this, including a brief commentary at the bottom.

First, here is the press release, which appears on the Archdiocese of Omaha's website, and on the community's website.  Emphases mine in bold.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Foundress of Intercessors of the Lamb resigns


Archbishop Lucas appoints priest to oversee operation of religious organization


October 4, 2010 (OMAHA, NE) – On Thursday, September 30, Archbishop George
Lucas accepted the resignation of Mother Nadine Brown, foundress and general director of the Association of the Hermit Intercessors of the Lamb. Lucas appointed the Rev. Gregory P. Baxter trustee of the association. Baxter is charged with governing, managing, and guiding the association.

Located at 11811 Calhoun Road, the Intercessors of the Lamb is a contemplative, intercessory, and mixed (lay men, women, and clerics) association of hermits. Founded by Brown, a former member of the Sisters of the Cross (now the Contemplatives of the Good Shepherd) in St. Paul, Minnesota, it was originally recognized by Archbishop Daniel Sheehan as a private association of the Christian faithful in 1992. Its juridical status changed in 1998 when Archbishop Elden Curtiss erected the group as a public association of the Christian faithful.

In May, Archbishop George J. Lucas retained the services of a canon lawyer to act as his delegate in conducting a canonical visitation of the Association of the Hermit Intercessors of the Lamb. The Rev. James J. Conn, SJ, JD, JCD, a canon law professor at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, conducted the first phase of the canonical visitation last summer before returning to Rome. Conn examined the association’s governance structure, in addition to reviewing the doctrinal, spiritual, moral, and financial aspects of the association. The visitation was conducted in accord with the Intercessors’ statutes and in accord with the Code of Canon Law.

Lucas said Conn’s visitation has helped him better understand the unique structure, mission and purpose of the Intercessors. “Father Conn’s preliminary findings, as well as Father Baxter’s appointment as trustee, will help chart a course forward for the community,” Lucas said. “I’m grateful for Father Conn’s good work, and I have full confidence in Father Baxter’s ability to guide the visitation to a successful conclusion.”

Baxter’s appointment as trustee took effect September 30. The appointment is for an indefinite period of time. Lucas and Baxter met with association members October 1 to discuss Baxter’s responsibilities as trustee and take questions from community members. Baxter, who has an advanced degree in spirituality from the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas in Rome, will remain pastor of St. Margaret Mary Parish. He has held key archdiocesan leadership positions, including moderator of the curia, chancellor, and director of vocations.

We learn a little more from Catholic News Agency.  You can read the full article there, but I want to quote this.  My comments will follow below...

Deacon Timothy McNeil, chancellor of the archdiocese and director of communications, explained to CNA on Monday in a phone interview that Sr. Nadine had approached the newly installed Archbishop Lucas last year in order to move the group's status to the next canonical tier.



In an effort to familiarize himself with the group before advancing Sr. Nadine's initiative, Archbishop Lucas had canon lawyer Fr. James Conn act as his delegate in conducting a canonical visitation of the Intercessors.

“We learned some things that were kind of alarming,” said Deacon McNeil, adding that the findings showed that “they were not ready to make the next step.”


“The findings were such” that if the group was going to advance to the next canonical status, he noted, “it would have to be under the leadership of another individual.”

For that reason, the deacon said, Archbishop Lucas asked Sr. Nadine to resign “and she agreed to it.”


When asked what the specifics findings of the visitation were, Deacon McNeil explained that they included “discord within the group, widespread dissatisfaction with current leadership, reservation of the Eucharist in a way that is not provided by ecclesiastical law,” poor “management of temporal goods” and an inability of group members to articulate the Intercessors' charism.

“The combination of all of these things,” he added, “resulted in the group needing a new leadership change.”

Kudos to the bishop for bishoping and for not just rubber stamping them based on past approval. He familiarized himself. He then took the necessary steps for the good of the souls in that community, which also protects the Church. We should remember, in charity, that these people have all given themselves to God. Let us pray that they will have the necessary humility, docility and perseverence to follow the guidance of Fr. Baxter and Bishop Lucas.

There are many new communities emerging. No bishop would want to hinder the Holy Spirit. However, human fallen nature and poor formation - especially in this era when so many are poorly formed in the faith - can allow things which are foreign to will of God to enter. In fact, any new community will be vulnerable to subtle attacks from the Angel of Darkness as well, which could throw them off.

Humble obedience and docility to a delegate, spiritual advisor, trustee, or whatever name you want to give them serves as a test in the "discernment of spirits". It serves to purify the community of those things which are foreign to the Holy Spirit and stemming from human weakness or Satan. As I have said many times, this kind of obedience is a gateway through which only the Holy Spirit may pass, and this same gate serves as a barrier to the Angel of Darkness who can mock humility, but never obedience... "non serviam".

Comments are back on for the time being, but I may shut them off again in the near future so I am not tied to watching for incoming comments to moderate. 


Te Deum Laudamus! Home

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

Note: The recommended links below are automatically generated by the tool, so they are not necessarily related content.

Misleading Title at Spirit Daily puts Bishop of Medjugorje in Negative Light

EDIT: Spirit Daily has changed the misleading title sometime on September 4. I applaud the change. The original title is found below in a snapshot.

I don't like to knock spiritual news outlets, and ordinarily, I just ignore those that have a sensationalist focus or spend too much time and effort promoting apparitions not yet approved. Some of these sites will get people all charged up because someone claims to see the Blessed Virgin Mary in their $4.00 cup of capuccino.

Don't get me wrong. I have a deep devotion to Mary as you will find in my many blogposts and photos.

People I know, including my own father now deceased, have cautioned me to never put much stock into any private revelation before the bishop allows a cult following - the first step in the approval process. It basically means that a bishop has not found any reason to prevent a cult following, such as conflicts with doctrine, or behaviors inconsistent with the level of grace that would guide such souls. The cult following was never authorized at Medjugorje. In fact, the bishop actually informed the parish priest - Fr. Tomislav Pervan - otherwise in 1985 after finding conflicts which did not sit well with him.

Fr. Eduard Perrone of Assumption Grotto takes the same approach as my father. You will not find any material from apparitions or other private revelations in church vestibules or the giftshop which have not gone through a certain level of approval. In fact, there are notes hanging on the racks in the back of Church instructing people to clear material with the pastor before putting it out.


Yesterday, I posted the news release out of the Diocese of Mostar-Duvno, the home diocese of Medjugorje, that Fr. Tomislav Vlasic, OFM incurred canonical penalities from the CDF the for ongoing disobedience and some rather odd behavior for a priest, cited in the CDF document (and found throughout the 1990 document by Bishop Pavao Zanic, the previous bishop, now deceased).

The Bishop of Mostar-Duvno has known about this status since the beginning of the year, but did not publicize it. Bishop Peric was recently asked by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith in the Vatican to share the canonical status of Fr. Vlasic with the community, which he did on his website. Why? People have a right to know that if this priest is availing himself for confession, Mass or other sacraments, that he is not authorized (and faces excommunication if he defies the penalties). Penalties handed down by the Vatican.

I was really disappointed to see the title which was used on a very popular website, Spirit Daily. There is no exclusive article....yet, but it leads directly to an article on Catholic Culture. Incidently, Catholic Culture, which reviews Catholic websites on a set of criteria has given Spirit Daily a yellow status for a number of good reasons, with examples cited.

I took a snapshot to show how ridulous this title is. Look carefully at the red title in the left column that I highlighted with a blue rectangle (click to enlarge). It reads: Bishop at Odds with Franciscans says ex-Medjugorje priest disciplined.

Let's look closer at this title:

1. The Bishop at Odds with Franciscans;
2. [says] ex-Medjugorje priest disciplined.

1) It's not the bishop who is at odds with the Franciscans!

It has been a number of Franciscans from the Hercegovina Province that are at odds with not only the Bishop, but the Church (in all fairness, there are many good and loyal friars in that province caught in the middle who are humble and obedient to the bishop and the Father General in Rome). This began long before the alleged apparitions of Medjugorje started and resulted in Vatican involvment, as well as the Order of Friars Minor in Rome (see "The decree 'Romanis Pontificibus' definitively implemented" at the website of the General Curia of the Friars Minor in Rome).

You will find some writings on promoter websites for Medjugorje about this decree, typically under headings that make the bishop seem like some kind of villian. This is a great time to re-evaluate how badly you need to frequent such sites as people are regularly scandalized into having harsh, and even sinful feelings, towards an eccesiastical leader who is in full communion with Rome.

If you really think the Vatican is against this bishop as they claim, please write the CDF and ask for his status (keep in mind Rome had no problem asking HIM to let the community know about the status of Fr. Vlasic). These folks are real good at subjective speculation and presenting them as fact, especially when it comes to the Bishop of Mostar-Duvno. They will even attempt to use the Blessed Virgin Mary herself to get you turn on the bishop with contempt, even if only in the silence of your heart (a great time to look for a Marian confessor who is devoted to approved apparitions). These same sources will elevate disobedient Franciscans, some of them disciplined by Rome, in ways that lead you to believe they are headed for canonization and that Rome was somehow duped. In the next breath, they call the bishop disobedient. Once again, write the CDF and ask them if they agree with such accusations and be sure to include the name and url of the website, the owner, and author of the article.

Back to the decree: Those arguments you may find against it may seem compelling in isolation and some were written with good intentions by very smart people. However, the Holy See had context of those arguments, along with other things. We have to trust that the Church acted appropriately because if you argue against this decree which went into effect in 1999, then your beef is not with the bishop, but with Holy Mother Church who issued it. We may all struggle with Church decisions and speculate as to whether those responsible had all of the information they needed. I always tell people, it's a matter of trusting God - that all things needed for that decision were present.

One day, I will go deeper into this decree and the history of the Franciscan order in that territory with some hard to find books that I have on this topic.

2) Is it Bishop Peric who says the priest was disciplined?

No. it was the Vatican. Also, why is he called an "ex-Medjugorje priest". Sure, he's distanced himself from Medjugorje. But, he is well known as a promoter of Medjugorje and considered the "spiritual father" of the Medjugorje apparitions. His writings can be found all over pro-Medjugorje sites where he is deeply, spiritually connected to Medjugorje. Why else would the Vatican ask Bishop Peric - the Bishop of Mostar-Duvno, home diocese of Medjugorje - to share his unfortunate canonical status with the community? He can't be separated from Medjugorje any more than Bugs Bunny can be separated from Warner Bros.

You have to wonder about motives here - that is, why not just say it as it is, rather than use it as an opportunity to slam the apostolic successor of a diocese who is doing what the CDF asked him to do? We'll leave judgment for God. However, I will call out a lack of objectivity. Some will go to great lengths to protect Medjugorje, even to the point of attacking the local Bishop. You see something wrong with this picture? Would Mary approve?

Even if a bishop is wrong about his judgment on an authentic private revelation, the Blessed Mother - a model of humility and obedience, would expect nothing but respect for his office and for his person.

I would think twice before spending time at sites that attack the Church in this fashion because it simply encourages these people in their ways. Please don't kid yourself. It is an attack against the Church, no matter how nicely it's dressed. And, there is often money (advertisements, speaking engagements, tours, etc) at stake in protecting at all costs, the very thing being promoted.

Please pray for Fr. Tomislav Vlasic. The Church is not punishing him, but using tough love to try to bring him home. May God grace him with humility and obedience through Our Lady.

NOTE: I have turned comments off for this post. Typically these posts draw voluminous responses out of promoters and supporters who use cookie-cutter responses from promoter sites. Their views are out there in abundance.

Te Deum Laudamus! Home

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

Transalpine Redemptorists - Canonically Regularized

Deo gratias! This is fantastic news flying through cyberspace...

From the blog of the Transalpine Redemptorists, they have received word that they are in good standing, canonically (emphasis mine):

1 July, 2008
Feast of the Precious Blood

My dear friends,

I am happy to inform you that last June 18th, before Cardinal Castrillon and the members of the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei in Rome, I humbly petitioned the Holy See on my own behalf and on behalf of the monastery council for our priestly suspensions to be lifted.

On June 26th I received word that the Holy See had granted our petition. All canonical censures have been lifted.

Our community now truly rejoices in undisputed and peaceful posession of Communion with the Holy See because our priests are now in canonical good standing.

We are very grateful to our Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI for issuing, last July, the Motu Proprio Summorum Pontificum which called us to come into undisputed and peaceful Communion with him.

Now we have that undisputed communion! It is a pearl of great price; a treasure hidden in the field; a sweetness that cannot be imagined by those who have not tasted it or who have not known it, now for many years. Its value cannot be fully expressed in earthly language and therefore we hope that all traditional priests who have not yet done so, will answer Pope Benedict's call to enjoy the grace of peaceful and undisputed communion with him. Believe us, the price to pay is nothing; even all the angry voices that have shouted against us and calumniated us are as nothing when weighed in the scales against undisputed communion with the Vicar of Christ; others have died for it; what are raucous voices?

We publicly thank all those souls who have prayed for us over the last months; some of you have truly stormed heaven for us. You have kept us afloat. We are deeply grateful. Especially we thank that priest who was unknown to us, until June 16th when he wrote in fraternal support. Where did he come from? Why us? But he told us of the number of Masses, Offices, prayers and sacrifices he had personally said for us; he had also enlisted the prayers of contemplatives and Third Order societies and had a great number of people fervently praying for us with an abundance of prayers. We were amazed! Thank you Father! Thank you also to that brave person who, so kindly wrote to us to say that if he said any more prayers for us he would be floating! What wonderful people! Thank you!

Looking to the future, the next stage will be to have our community canonically erected. So please, dear friends, keep praying for us, there will be many crosses to bear; but they will be yokes sweetened by the grace of these last days.

We assure you all of our very best wishes.
Your devoted servant,

Fr. Michael Mary, C.SS.R.
Vicar General

And we must continue to pray for all of those who have found themselves in schism, or an irregular status of some kind, that they too will have undisputed communion with the Vicar of Christ.

More on this from around the net (to be updated so check back!!):

CWNews: Transalpine Redemptorists reconciled with the Holy See

Fr. Z: Transalpine Redemptorists REGULARIZED!

Te Deum Laudamus! Home

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