Bishop Responds to Madness in Madison (Part 2 - School Closing)

Bishop Morlino at a Pro-Life Event
(Wisconsin State Journal Archives)

The other day I did a review of Bishop Joseph Morlino's letter in 2010 to a lay-led revolt over some traditional priests he brought in to help out given the priest shortage.

After investigating the complaints, especially at St. Mary's in Platteville where there was also a school, the bishop explained that the priests were operating within a range of permissible options, and not guilty of working against Vatican II.   Bishop Morlino said in his letter that the priests were staying and the people needed to be mindful that calumny and gossip were gravely sinful.

In this post, we look at how people responded to that 2010 letter. 

The lay people decided to take it up a notch and withhold donations.  St. Mary's relied on part of it's Sunday collection to keep the school afloat.  The Wisconsin State Journal explained back in November of 2010:

The 75-year-old St. Mary's Catholic School is subsidized by the church, which has seen weekly donations fall more than 50 percent in four months, said Myron Tranel, chairman of the church's finance council.  

Rev. John Del Piore of St. Mary's School talks to students
in the hallway in 2010 (Wisconsin State Journal)

The school, with 106 K-8 students, has enough money to operate until at least January but needs an additional $200,000 to keep the facility open through the end of the school year, he said.  

The financial crisis coincides with Madison Bishop Robert Morlino's decision in June to bring in three priests from the Society of Jesus Christ the Priest to lead the parish. The group is based in Spain and known for traditionalist liturgy and devotion to orthodox Catholic teaching. 

[snip]  

Morlino invited priests from the Spanish society to begin serving in the diocese in 2006, primarily in the Sauk City area. There are now eight society priests serving seven churches.  

Their arrival at each church has ushered in similar changes. They reserve the altar server role to boys to encourage more seminarians. They eliminate participation by laypeople in the distribution of communion. And they preach homilies that supporters find refreshingly forthright in stressing Catholic teaching but critics find short on compassion.  

While opposition to the priests has surfaced in other parishes, it has become particularly loud in Platteville, a city of 10,500 people 75 miles southwest of Madison. Fay Stone, a 25-year St. Mary's member, said the priests' decision-making approach seems heavy handed to her. While the Catholic church is not a democracy, some degree of collaboration with parishioners would be nice, she said.  

[snip]  

The priests do retain considerable support in the church.  

"They're teaching morals, and that's what we need," said Barbara Splinter, a 45-year member. "They are following what I've read the pope is for, and he's our leader, so I don't know why people have a problem with it."  

The priests are "being treated very terribly," she added.  

Mike Worachek said he's disappointed that his fellow parishioners aren't giving the priests a chance. "I think people should grow up and face the reality that people are different and you have to accept them for what they are," he said.

Loss of donations has led to the closure of the school. 

That brings us to Bishop Morlino's letter of last week, which explains why it is being closed, and warns people about potential canonical consequences for some behaviors.  News accounts are brushing over some interesting points, especially secular news sources.   The letter is somewhat long to begin looking at in this post and I would hate to skimp on discussion in an effort to keep it short.  This, along with the last post, provides some good background ahead of disgesting what came next.

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Bishop Responds to Madness in Madison (Part 1: 2010 Review)

Bishop Robert C. Morlino

I'm going to break this post up into two parts.  In this first part, we are going to revisit what happened in the Diocese of Madison, Wisconsin back in 2010.  In part two, we will look closer at what happened last month and, in between those years.


I've been following this case since Bishop Morlino issued a public statement in the fall of 2010. It concerns some priests he brought to the area in 2006 from the Society of Jesus Christ the Priest, based in Spain.  There's a priest shortage in many dioceses so some bishops are reaching out across the world to fill slots - no surprise here.  Sometimes there will be culture clashes, but did not the Apostles go off to foreign lands to spread the Gospel? These priests are more traditional and celebrate both the old and new forms of the Mass. They are educators and there is a school involved - St. Mary's in Platteville.  They are known to foster vocations.  Some people there didn't like the changes they made, nor did they like the orthodoxy that came with these priests.  Thankfully, the bishop defended their right to act within a certain range of options.


In 2010, some people protested by writing letters to the Apostolic Nuncio demanding the removal of these priests.  Bishop Morlino responded:

I am in receipt of your October 8, 2010 letter and petition. I am grateful that you have approached me with your concern, and I certainly recognize and respect your right to do so (Code of Canon Law, c. 212, §§2-3). By means of this letter I am replying to what you requested, namely, the “immediate removal of the priests of the Society of Jesus Christ the Priest from St. Mary and St. Augustine parishes in Platteville.” A number of you have written to the Apostolic Nuncio about this matter. He has forwarded the letters to me after having read them. He asked that I inform you that he has forwarded these letters to me for my pastoral consideration, since the responsibility for priestly assignments rests with the diocesan bishop.

The faithful have a right to take their concerns to the Sacred Pastors, but they are following canon law which must be in harmony with the Gospel.  Priests have rights.  Too many stories over the years show bishops caving in to the demands of lay people and just shuffling priests around.  In many parishes, this has created spoiled brats who throw temper-tantrums when priests - acting within a range of permitted options on liturgy and other things - are derided.  People confuse these options in such a way as to construe them as immoral or unethical.


After explaining what a serious matter it is to have a priest removed from a parish, Bishop Morlino continues:

I have found that much of what has been said amounts to opinion, misunderstanding, and rumor rather than fact. Nonetheless, after carefully weighing all of your reasons for the proposed removal, I have decided to keep Rev. Lope Pascual, Rev. John Del Priore, and Rev. Miguel Galvez in their current priestly ministry at St. Mary and St. Augustine parishes in Platteville. Their charisms for Catholic education and vocations will serve the people of Platteville very well, and they have my full support. 

He then goes on to explain the respect that is due to the priests of that parish, reminding them that they should always first approach them.  Bishop Morlino next gives his judgment on the concerns he looked at in that 2010 letter.

It grieves me to acknowledge that the reputation of three happy, holy, and hardworking priests has been seriously tarnished by rumor, gossip, and calumny (lying with the intent to damage another’s good name) by some within the parish community. Such conduct is gravely sinful, since some parishioners have been driven by fear, anger, or both, to distance themselves from their priests and even the Sacraments. This situation must cease, and charity must prevail on the part of all. 

Before asking the people to give the priests some time and reassuring them of their good will, he writes:

Furthermore, activities such as protest-letter-writing seminars, leafleting of motor vehicles, door- to-door canvassing for signatures on a petition, etc (that is, exerting organized political pressure on people, where the end justifies any means) is an appropriate tactic in a political campaign, but not in the communion of faith which is the Catholic Church. Groups such as “Call to Action” and “Voice of the Faithful” regularly employ such tactics against legitimate authority in the Church. Because these groups dissent from basic tenets of Catholic Doctrine and Discipline, they are not recognized as Catholic in the Diocese of Madison, much less are they able to exercise legitimate authority. It is my hope that these clarifications will prove helpful.   

Bishop Morlino then supplies an addendum where he addresses the chief concerns, in detail.  They complained about the priests engaging in pre-Vatican II things, but the bishop responded:

First of all, it is necessary for us to appreciate the eloquent teaching of His Holiness, Pope Benedict XVI regarding the false dichotomy between the pre-Vatican II and post-Vatican II Church. 

Bishop Morlino Catechizes on the Finer Points in 2010 in the Addendum


There were several areas he touched on.  I was floored to see that one of the complaints was about priests making visits to the sick with Communion rather than having lay EMHC's do it.  A lay person can bring Holy Communion to someone every day for years but, that person cannot hear Confessions or anoint the sick.  I wonder how many EMHC's even ask those receiving if they would like a confessor to come.   The Sacrament is in disuse within the parish itself; how much less in a nursing home where people are at death's door? The elderly, whose souls are every bit as precious to God as that of babies, are in greater need of pastoral care than anyone. They are isolated, sick and in pain, and it is easy to fall into despair.  


Who in their right mind complains about priests taking the Sacramental visits to the sick upon themselves?  And, what prevents those same lay people from stopping in to visit the sick, and to pray with them?  This can be done daily or weekly. Now, this arrangement may very well result in fewer visits, but those people are getting quality, Sacramental visits.   This is how life is at Assumption Grotto.  We have no EMHC's and lay people do not take Holy Communion to anyone; rather, the priests and deacon do it.  Sick people are dispensed from weekly obligations and there is a regular schedule for the sick and homebound placed on the list, but it is not weekly.  Plus, the priests will go to those who request a Sacramental visit outside of that schedule. I know many parishioners who had priests show up, in the middle of the night if needed, for anointing and Apostolic Pardon when death was imminent. I am deeply grateful that my own mother was among those who received this care from priests willing to be sleep deprived to usher that soul to God as cleanly as possible.


Among other topics that Bishop Morlino catechized the faithful on were complaints about all male altar servers and about what the priests said at funerals.  Using females is optional and no pastor can be forced to use them.  My perception is that younger priests are slowly changing the mix back to all male, just based on a number of stories in recent years.  Here too, I can imagine it being consistent with what we get at Assumption Grotto.  On funerals, they are not celebrations of the life of the departed.  We are praying for their eternal soul.  Most souls, if they died without unrepentant mortal sin, will land in purgatory, where there is great suffering brought on by purgation of all that is not pure.  It is an act of mercy to pray for the dead, to hasten their exit from purgatory and entrance into heaven.  Most people expect a funeral Mass to comfort them as opposed to comforting the dead with heartfelt prayers for them. The use of the 1962 Missal has grown at funerals at Assumption Grotto due to the depth of this clear emphasis in those prayers.  They are beautiful and it is how I wish to be buried, now that I  understand this whole thing better.


Go read the full 2010 statement with addendum.  It is very catechetical.  Also, you will see that Bishop Morlino did was not being heavy handed; he was instructing the faithful in the Catholic faith - something that, out of false charity, had been denied them - probably for decades.  We see with the recent Doctrinal Assessment out of the Holy See on the dissenting Leadership Conference of Women Religious, that teaching a proper orientation on the Catholic faith may be neglected no more.


In part two, we will look closer at what happened in between 2010 and through 2012.  I will supply a link in the combox here when that is done, and the post will have appropriate links to diocesan communications, so there is no need for anyone to drop that in here.

Bishop Morlino with Seminarians

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Guest Post by Tim Ferguson: Is Bishop Geoffrey Robinson really looking for dialogue?

Introduction


Tim Ferguson made this post on Facebook and I thought it was a shame to let it scroll off into FB oblivion.  It is about retired Bishop Geoffrey Robinson of Australia and his desire for "dialogue".  Robinson was reprimanded in 2008 by the Australian Bishop's Conference for what was in a book he wrote.   When he came to the U.S. that year, Cardinal Mahony barred him from speaking in Los Angeles due to, "doctrinal difficulties". More recently, Bishop Robinson, back on tour in the U.S., came into the cross-hairs of Archbishop Allen Vigneron of Detroit when it was learned he was invited by a religious order to speak here (see March 27 statement here).

Bishop Robinson says he wants dialogue. Really?  What follows below is Tim Ferguson's Facebook post, made earlier today, and shared with his permission.

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I will not win friends with this post (not that that’s ever stopped me before).


I was reading an article earlier today which highlighted a call by Bishop Geoffrey Robinson, titular of Rusuca, for an “open dialogue on everything having to do with human sexuality” in the Church. +Rusucensis makes a plea that the Church needs to revisit the traditional teaching on every aspect of human sexuality in order to “move forward.” He questions the natural law argument and the supposition that genital expressions of sexuality are only licit within the bonds of heterosexual marriage. He – and his supporters – claim the moral high ground as they call for “openness” and “dialogue,” and castigate the mean old men of the Vatican who resist “dialogue” as reactionary and close-minded


I call “merde de taureau” (pardon my French)!


Dialogue is only truly possible when both parties are willing to admit that the other might be right. I will not enter into dialogue about objective, demonstrable reality. My couch is black. If someone wants to dialogue with me about what color my couch is, it will be fruitless for me to enter into such dialogue. At the end of the day, my couch will remain black.


Similarly, I will not enter into dialogue about subjective opinions – e.g. : whether I should like shoes. I do not like them, I am perfectly comfortable not liking them, and I sincerely doubt that anyone could say anything to me that would make me like them. I would consider entering into a dialogue about the relative value of shoes. You may have something to say. We may end up disagreeing, but we may be enriched by our mutual exchange of ideas. I am open to the possibility that shoes (despite my dislike of them) have some value. Your opinions may influence mine and mine, yours.


Thirdly, if someone were to suggest “dialogue” about something of which I am convinced but he is not, it might make for an interesting conversation, but it would hardly be considered dialogue. If someone wanted to argue that my car’s tires are square, he would be wrong. I could not admit his position to be equal to mine. Therefore, no dialogue is possible.


Robinson and his ilk, despite their claims, do not want to enter into “dialogue.” Their writings and their speeches make it clear that they in no way are open to the possibility that they might be wrong. They do not want to dialogue, they want to push their beliefs and want an open forum in which to do so. They are not being intellectually honest.


The “mean old men of the Vatican” are the ones who are being intellectually honest here: they do not want to enter into dialogue on a topic they consider to be self-evident, objective, demonstrable reality. They cannot and are not willing to admit that the antithesis of the Church’s teaching on human sexuality, which excludes the liceity of all genital sexual activity outside the bonds of marriage (and which defines marriage as a covenant by which a man and a woman, by an act of consent, establish a partnership of the whole of life) could possibly be true. It is not a subject open for dialogue.


But, but, but – the naysayers say – at least Robinson et al. are calling for dialogue! See how open and tolerant they are! The Senes Vaticani are close-minded, they won’t tolerate dialogue.


No, my friend, that’s not the reality. Neither party is willing to tolerate dialogue. Robinson is already convinced that the “Vatican party line” is wrong. He does not want dialogue, because he is not willing to admit that there is any equality between the positions. Dialogue, for Robinson, on this issue means talking and talking (preferably louder than the opponent) until the other side is willing to admit that it is wrong. That’s not dialogue. That demagogy.


That’s why those upholding the traditional Christian teaching are more intellectually honest. It’s not merely that they do not wish to dialogue on the topic of human sexuality, it’s that they recognize entering into a dialogue with Robinson, et al. is not dialogue. The Church is not going to change Her teaching. The matter is settled. You’re free to disagree, and to go elsewhere. You’re not free to pretend that an opposing viewpoint is legitimately Catholic and worthy of an equal status in a Catholic context. To admit that would be intellectual dishonesty.


Tim Ferguson is a canonist with an academic background in theology, history and Latin, and a professional background as a waiter, teacher, and parish secretary. In his spare time he serves as a straw subdeacon, and is working to complete his STL thesis.

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The pseudo-magisterium needs to be neutered....

A pseudo-magisterium  is a group of dissenting Catholics, sometimes working with non-Catholics, who hold high-visibility positions in the community, and who compete with Catholic bishops for authority, and other Catholics.

During the round-table on  today's Meet the Press, Joe Scarborough said of President Obama: "He had a unified Catholic front against him, he split that in half now and now he can move on."

Here it is in context:

All you’re doing is shifting the burden to all Catholics now who are all paying for these contraceptive devices that they may–they may find to be immoral. But at the end of the day, this is all the president needs politically because now we have–we have sisters debating bishops, and we’ve got liberal Catholics debating conservatives Catholics. You’ve got Peggy and E.J. now once again …on opposite sides of an issue.


For the president that’s all he needed to do. He had a unified Catholic front against him, he split that in half now and now he can move on. And I agree with E.J. If this debate moves on and stops being about religious freedom and starts being about contraceptives–contraception, then Republicans lose in a very big way.

When Scarborough talks about "sisters debating bishops", he's referring, in part, to Sr. Carol Keehan of Catholic Health Association, who has been in public opposition to the U.S. bishops numerous times. She initially balked at Obama's mandate because it went too far.  Before the president ever got to the teleprompter on Friday to tell the nation about his, "compromise", the Catholic Health Association (CHA) released a statement saying they were, "pleased".  Rather curious timing, no?

The New York Times filled us in on some interesting, behind-the-scenes details late Friday. 

Rather, the fight was for Sister Carol Keehan — head of an influential Catholic hospital group, who had supported President Obama’s health care law — and Catholic allies of the White House seen as the religious left. Sister Keehan had told the White House that the new rule, part of the health care law, went too far.

“I felt like he had made a really bad decision, and I told him that,” Sister Keehan said of the president. “I told his staff that. I felt like they had made a bad decision on principle, and politically it was a bad decision. For me another key thing was that it had the potential to threaten the future of health reform.”

We also learn from the New York Times:

Tim Kaine, a Virginia Senate candidate and former head of the Democratic National Committee, echoed the concern of Sister Keehan, president of the Catholic Health Association, that it went too far. So did some liberal-leaning Catholics in the news media, like Chris Matthews of MSNBC’s “Hardball,” who called the rule “frightening,” and E. J. Dionne, the Washington Post columnist, who wrote that Mr. Obama had “utterly botched” the issue. 

Meanwhile, Sister Simone Campbell, executive director of Network, a group founded by nuns decades ago to lobby on social justice issues, warned White House officials that nearly 500 Catholic activists would be in Washington this weekend for a conference, and that if no compromise had been reached by then, all of them would return to their parishes fired up about the contraception mandate.

“We were getting killed,” one administration official said Friday. The White House picked the deputy chief of staff Nancy-Ann DeParle to talk to Sister Keehan about ways the rule could be made palatable. Meanwhile, administration officials were hearing from women’s rights organizations, particularly Planned Parenthood, who warned that they would oppose any compromise that made employees pick up the tab.

Pitiful, isn't it?  These Catholic religious sisters have put themselves, and their organizations, on the level of the U.S. bishops!  The Obama administration, and many journalists (some of them Catholics), are using them as tools to pit the faithful against their own bishops.  Division and dissent are not fruits of the Holy Spirit.

Catholic, Kathleen Sebelius who heads the HHS, is also a member of the pseudo-magisterium.  Her actions have created grave scandal, and she was told some years ago by her bishop in Kansas, not to approach for Holy Communion and the bishops of Washington D.C. have publicly acknowledged they will uphold that.

Obama is hedging on winning back a number of left-leaning Catholics, but it doesn't appear he will win them all back. Cardinal Mahony isn't buying it.  Here is Michael Sean Winters, who writes for the dissenting National Catholic Reporter discussing his position. He voted for Obama in the last election.  He says he has lost trust in him and does not plan on voting in November.  I hope and pray that he remains with the bishops as we move forward.  If you watch the video, or read the transcript of today's Meet the Press, or manage to find the Fox News Sunday for today, you will get a chance to hear Jack Lew - Obama's new White House chief of staff.  He comes across as downright arrogant in that the administration is done negotiating with Catholics.

Nancy Pelosi some weeks ago, was doing her best to divide Catholics from their bishops.  Consider that the average Catholic is going to get more exposure to Catholicism during the week  from secular sources who often lift the pseudo-magisterium above the voices of the bishops, or at least equal to their voices.  For secular media and politicians, it's perfectly fine for there to be division between Catholics, as you will find in many reports.  We see this in the reporting about Catholic Health Association, which has absolutely no authority.  

Faithful Catholics who are watching fellow Catholics be duped by the pseudo-magisterium are calling for bishops to make use of Canon 915 - publicly.  Others are wondering about excommunication.

Some may be wondering who is going to win the battle for authority in the U.S. Catholic Church: The pseudo-magisterium or the bishops.  I know one thing for certain: Jesus promised that the gates of hell would not prevail against the Church, so where does that leave the pseudo-magisterium and it's followers?




Pray for the bishops, and for those Catholics who oppose them causing division among the faithful. 




Further reading (list may be updated, so check back):

• USCCB: The only complete solution to this religious liberty problem is for HHS to rescind the mandate of these objectionable services
• Archbishop Chaput: Catholics should not be misled into accepting feeble compromises" on "dangerous and insulting" HHS mandate.....  
• This maneuver was a fraud and an absurdity (George Weigel)
• Don't be deceived! Evil Obama policy now even more evil! (Jimmy Akin)
•  The bishops' tougher response to the Obama 'compromise' mandate (Phil Lawler)
• The White House in bed with the Magisterium of Nuns (Father Z)
• The Counter-Cultural Church has a Credible "Yes" (Elizabeth Scalia)
• Obama "Accommodation" Reactions (Elizabeth Scalia)
• EWTN has no plans to drop lawsuit against U.S. government (N.C. Register)
• Fr. Jenkins, where is your signature? (N.C. Register)

 More:

• Obama's contraception retreat is not enough (U.S.A. Today)
• The Church of Obama (Mark Steyn)
• The Libertine Police State (George Weigel)
• Cardinal Mahony: Just a Minute, Mr. President!

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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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Fr. Perrone: Dissent almost always involves 'below the belt issues'...

Fr. Eduard Perrone during Benediction
at the outdoor Grotto

The conference for the 13th Call to Holiness has ended. Photos will be processed and up soon.  Today, there is an orchestra Mass (Solemn High EF Mass) at 9:30am at Assumption Grotto for Pentecost. There will be a tour at the Detroit Institute of Arts led by Johnette Benkovic after the Mass and there may be openings yet.  

In his June 12, 2011 pastor's column, Fr. Perrone talks about truth, and dissent, referring to a Scriptural passage that captures it better than any commentary can.

PENTECOST is often said to be the birthday of the Church. It marked the day when the Holy Spirit was first received, having been sent by the Father and by Christ at the Father’s right. Our Lord had promised the presence of the Holy Spirit in the Church as the One who assures that the Church remain in truth. The Church–the Catholic Church– has this guarantee of infallibility so that its authoritative decisions cannot err in faith or in moral truth. It is this very reliability, this certainty that the Church has–that its teachings are entirely without error–which gives us the confidence to put our wholehearted trust in them. And so, it is not because the Church’s doctrines seem ‘right’ or merely only ‘best’ that we adhere to them, but because they have the confirmation of divine authority behind them.


How utterly ironic it is then that there are those allegedly within the Church who invoke the Holy Spirit, petitioning Him to reverse what He had formerly reve[a]led in the Catholic Church, as if He had erred in the past or possibly that He had made provisional teachings He meant to change in time. In either, there’s a clear case of blasphemy. If God can’t be trusted with telling unerring and permanent truth, then truth itself is–truth to tell–a lie. The contradiction is inescapable.

By the time you get this the 2011 Call to Holiness (CTH) Conference will have ended. The purpose of CTH from its inception has been to propagate the truth of Christ as the Church has received it: faithfully and entire. This initiative was necessitated by the organized efforts of said Catholics who wanted the Church to depart from truth and make it adopt beliefs and practices that are secular, sinful, and agreeable to the baser tendencies of fallen human nature. In short, the dissenters from Catholic truth (such as the American Catholic Council, Call to Action) want falsehood to be declared as if true. Can a more perverse proposal be made? Recall that original sin began with a deception and that Christ named Satan The Father of Lies. Such reflection however seems never to have been made by objectors to the Catholic faith, they who would prefer truth to conform to their wish and will. I’d like to offer some lines from Saint Peter’s Second Epistle (chapter 2) for meditation by anyone who may ever have harbored doubts about the veracity of Catholic teaching. I myself would never be so bold as to ascribe the following passage directly to our contemporary dissenters from Catholic teaching were it not God’s own word:

False teachers will secretly bring in destructive heresies...bringing upon themselves swift destruction. And many will follow their lewdness, and because of them the way of truth will be reviled...They will exploit you with false words. Those who indulge in lust and despise authority, bold and wilful, like irrational animals, creatures of instinct... t he y wi l l be destroyed... They are blots and blemishes, reveling in their dissipation... They have eyes for adultery, insatiable for sin. They entice unsteady souls. Accursed children!... For them the nether gloom of darkness has been reserved. Uttering loud boasts of foolishness, they entice with lewd passions of the flesh men who have barely escaped from those who live in error. They promise them freedom, but they themselves are slaves of corruption. If, after they have escaped the defilements of the world through the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overpowered, the last state has become for them worse than the first. It would have been better for them never to have known the way of righteousness than after knowing it to turn back from the commandment given to them. It has happened to them according to the true proverb: The dog returns to his vomit, and the sow is washed only to wallow in the mire.

Dissent from the Catholic faith has almost always involved the ‘below the belt’ issues, seeking the freedom to divorce, to use contraception, to have abortion, to engage in any and all sexual practices, to receive Communion without any conditions, to abolish priestly celibacy. It is to these specific ends (cf. the lewd things in Saint Peter’s Epistle above) that they want changes in Church structure and hierarchy. It’s not a power struggle against ecclesiastical authority pure and simple but wanting the controls so as to declare that what isn’t true be true. The Apostle foresees a terrible future for people who hold such opinions and who persuade others to adopt them.


Our Pentecost prayer would be adroitly aimed for the enlightenment of those who have been deceived and for the conversion of those who have wittingly disabused them.


Fr. Perrone

On June 9th, the Archdiocese of Detroit had another press release about the dissent-fest taking place at Cobo Hall this weekend.  The American Catholic Council is an umbrella group for some 30 groups who openly dissent from Catholic teaching.

It’s important to again clarify the significance of who the American Catholic Council (ACC) is— what they espouse and the purpose of their conference. Last fall, the Detroit archdiocese posted a point-by-point advisory to the clergy and faithful on its website. It notes "...all of the invited keynote speakers have manifested dissent from Catholic teachings or support for dissenters." In fact, some of those presenting have publicly— sometimes angrily— left the church or have been dismissed because of their actions.


Certainly, the Roman Catholic faithful have legitimate concerns and aspirations for renewal while remaining grounded in the faith the church professes and united with their pastors. The church and Archbishop Vigneron stand ready to support all authentic efforts for renewal in the church. Regrettably, the ACC conference is not one of them.


The ACC 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. And, it is why the archbishop felt it necessary to issue a warning about attending the conference and its scheduled liturgy.


Ned McGrath
Director of Communications
Archdiocese of Detroit
June 9, 2011


For the position paper from the Archdiocese of Detroit on the American Catholic Council go to www.AODonline.org/ACC.

Father Z, visiting Detroit, decided to drop in to the American Catholic Council event for a few minutes to get z scoop.

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American Catholic Council's dust-up with the Archdiocese of Detroit

Archbishop Allen H. Vigneron

The American Catholic Council, which is an umbrella group for just about every dissident group calling itself Catholic has come under fire by the Archdiocese of Detroit with the event they have planned this weekend in Detroit.  At the same time, Archbishop Vigneron has endorsed the Call to Holiness also taking place this weekend, with the  main event on Saturday.  This post has a number of useful links and information.  It may be updated with additional links later today or tomorrow.

Most would find it absurd if a self-proclaimed vegan were to sit down and eat a beef steak and wash it down with a glass of milk. The American Catholic Council is doing just that. It is using the Catholic name in a disingenuous way, offering a meal stuffed with open dissent from authentic Catholic teaching. Just as one cannot redefine "vegan" to include those who eat steak and drink milk, the American Catholic Council cannot redefine Catholicism.

They want to make the Church into a democracy - literally. Using their rationale, if 9 out of 10 people wanted two-plus-two to equal five, then they would be willing to change the objective reality that the answer is four, by a majority vote.
Before I go any further, I want to suggest that you tune in to Ave Maria Radio (AM 990 in metro detroit or avemariaradio.net online) and listen to Kresta in the Afternoon today (4-6 pm local time here in Detroit) as I believe he will be discussing this today.   Watch his site later this morning to see his agenda which is posted daily at the Kresta in the Afternoon blog.
Many of the changes these groups want involve teachings the Church does not have the authority to change, like abortion, or homosexual activity, women's ordination.  They also want to change the Church's discipline on clerical celibacy often cloaking it with discussion of the clerical abuse scandal.  Apparently they have not briefed themselves on the fact that the greatest number of perpetrators of sexual abuse against children are within the family.   Hence, a man with a "taste" for children is not cured by marriage.  Further, sexual abuse of children is 100x worse by school personnel than by priests according to scholar, Charol Shakeshaft. How many of those teachers, administrators, and coaches abusing children were married?

The Catholic Church has apostolates like Courage which is a support group for people with same sex attraction who desire to live a chaste life, which is the path for anyone not bound in sacramental marriage.  However, you won't see Courage listed on any of the dissident group websites. Stepping back on other arguments as to why the Church cannot approve of homosexual activity which is at the core of same sex "marriage" or unions, I want to look at it with greater simplicity.  Just as the Church cannot say it is "ok" for a man to sleep with a woman who is not his wife, or a woman who is not her husband (which is called fornication or adultery in the Ten Commandments), the Church cannot condone homosexual activity.  The dissidents often consider the 10 Commandments as the "10 Suggestions", or they dismiss them altogether misleading themselves and others to think that either the New Testament or Vatican II itself voided them. Jesus did not come to abolish the law, but to fulfill it, and he mentions the Commandments in the Gospels (see examples here: John 15: 9-12, Mark 10:18, Matthew 5:17-20)

The group also wants the Church to ordain women.  In 1994, Blessed John Paul II explained that the Church did not have any such authority in a document called, Ordinatio Sacerdotalis:

4. Although the teaching that priestly ordination is to be reserved to men alone has been preserved by the constant and universal Tradition of the Church and firmly taught by the Magisterium in its more recent documents, at the present time in some places it is nonetheless considered still open to debate, or the Church's judgment that women are not to be admitted to ordination is considered to have a merely disciplinary force.


Wherefore, in order that all doubt may be removed regarding a matter of great importance, a matter which pertains to the Church's divine constitution itself, in virtue of my ministry of confirming the brethren (cf. Lk 22:32) I declare that the Church has no authority whatsoever to confer priestly ordination on women and that this judgment is to be definitively held by all the Church's faithful.

In 1995, then Cardinal Ratzinger, now Pope Benedict XVI, wrote has head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith saying that the teaching belonged to the deposit of the faith and requires the assent of Catholics

Dubium: Whether the teaching that the Church has no authority whatsoever to confer priestly ordination on women, which is presented in the Apostolic Letter Ordinatio Sacerdotalis to be held definitively, is to be understood as belonging to the deposit of faith.


Responsum: In the affirmative.


This teaching requires definitive assent, since, founded on the written Word of God, and from the beginning constantly preserved and applied in the Tradition of the Church, it has been set forth infallibly by the ordinary and universal Magisterium (cf. Second Vatican Council, Dogmatic Constitution on the Church Lumen Gentium 25, 2). Thus, in the present circumstances, the Roman Pontiff, exercising his proper office of confirming the brethren (cf. Lk 22:32), has handed on this same teaching by a formal declaration, explicitly stating what is to be held always, everywhere, and by all, as belonging to the deposit of the faith.


The Sovereign Pontiff John Paul II, at the Audience granted to the undersigned Cardinal Prefect, approved this Reply, adopted in the ordinary session of this Congregation, and ordered it to be published.

There is more information here on why this is considered infallible teaching.


The Detroit Free Press has an article about the American Catholic Council event coming up this weekend and discussed the archdiocesan position.  Likewise, the Detroit News is running an article on the dust-up this has caused for the archdiocese.  Catholic blogger, Larry D, has had a running list of posts on the American Catholic Council, including an analysis on their "Bill of Wrongs".  Click and scroll in his tab on the ACC


Further reading (note that links to Archdiocese of Detroit may load slowly).

• Archbishop Vigneron's Letter on American Catholic Council (June 3, 2011 - AoD)
• Archdiocese of Detroit Advisory on American Catholic Council (Oct 12, 2010 - AoD)
• Archdiocese of Detroit resource page on ACC (includes FAQ's)
• Commentary on ACC by Bill Donohue of Catholic League

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Archbishop Vigneron on ACC event: "I am compelled to caution any priests or deacons..."

Detroit's Archbishop Vigneron delivers a homily
on August 15, 2009 at Assumption Grotto

Archbishop Allen H. Vigneron of Detroit fired off another shot across the bow for those participating, or thinking of participating in the American Catholic Council (ACC) event in Detroit next weekend.  The ACC is an umbrella group for just about every organization which openly dissents from Catholic teaching.  Sadly, the conference is taking place at the same time as ordinations in Detroit.

Yesterday, I posted again on the upcoming Call to Holiness (CTH) conference (main event June 11).    Archbishop Vigneron endorsed the Call to Holiness while issuing an advisory against the American Catholic Council (the AoD's website loads really slow, but if you click through here, you will see all that the Archdiocese of Detroit has put out on the ACC, including the June 3 statement embedded below).  I recommend reading through the Q&A provided in that link. 

Here is that letter (emphasis mine in bold)

Abp. Vigneron Letter on the American Catholic Council


Issued: June 3, 2011
Contact: Joe Kohn, infodesk@aod.org / (313) 237-5943


My dear brother priests and deacons,

As you may be aware, a group calling itself the American Catholic Council will be meeting at Cobo Hall on the weekend of June 11 and 12. Despite my attempts to engage in a dialogue with them about this planned event, the organizers of this conference have not replied to me directly. I have a number of concerns about this event and caution any Catholic against participating for reasons expressed already in previous communications sent by the Archdiocese.


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.


In order to fulfill my responsibilities, so clearly enunciated by the Second Vatican Council, of fostering of communion with both the local and the universal Church, I am compelled to caution any priests or deacons who may be considering participation in this liturgy. It is not being celebrated with my permission as required by the law and the good order of the People of God. Further, clergy should be aware of the impact of forbidden concelebration with those who are not in full communion (canons 908 and 1365). This is a serious delict, for which recourse to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith is required, and which may result in dismissal from the clerical state (cf. Sacramentorum Sanctitatis Tutela, 2001 and 2010).


I ask that you pray with me for the unity of the Church. As we commemorate the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles and the Blessed Virgin in this upcoming Solemnity, may the Holy Spirit come afresh on all of us, keeping us united in the love of God and keeping our attention and energies focused on the task of sharing Christ in and through His Church.


Sincerely yours in Christ,
The Most Reverend Allen H. Vigneron, Archbishop of Detroit

Please visit the Call to Holiness conference website and look at the list of those speaking on June 11th.  Here is what Archbishop Vigneron had to say about that:

CD's and DVD's can also be ordered at this time for those who cannot come.  Consider supporting the event by attending.

You can find a number of blogposts about the American "catholic" Council and problems with their "Bill of Rights" at Acts of the Apostasy.  Click here and scroll.

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American Catholyc Council throws a nutty after Archbp Vigneron raises his staff

A shepherd has to protect the sheep somehow, and Detroit's archbishop, Allen H. Vigneron, did so well ahead of the June 2011 meeting of dissidents under the umbrella of the American Catholic Council (see Archdiocese of Detroit Advisory and FAQ's on this page). 

Naturally, the ACC threw a nutty. 

In his article, Dissent Continues: American Catholic Council Responds to Archbishop Allen Vigneron,  James Penrice does a pretty good job of pointing out that the boomerang they just pitched is headed back their way.



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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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