Zubik See Women Bishops in Our Future

Bishop Zubik of Green Bay is on his way out to Pittsburgh, but while in Green Bay he appeared to have a good time. According to a June 26th comment on Traditio.com, Zubik put his miter on this girl confirmand and said: "It is never too early to plant the seed of ordination." Then they compare him to a flag burner and then somehow jump to the Arian heresy of the early church.

Assuming that what they are stating about the event actually happened, I'm sure it was in good fun. I never got the sense that Zubik was a flaming liberal like the anti-Vatican II web page Traditio would like to paint him. According to their web site, the last Pope that they recognized was John XXIII. It's odd how different the same picture can seem to two different people. I see Zubik the conservative who courageously spoke out about immigration issues and was willing to have fun with a confirmand, and they see Zubik the flaming pinko liberal who's bringing God's church to the brink of hell fire and damnation.

In any case, I really like this picture, I only wish that the quality was better.

A Faithful Catholic

Bishop Sklba Comments on Lay Preaching

Last year when, for all intents and purposes, St. Francis Seminary closed, its preaching institute was also abolished. One of the purposes of the Preaching Institute, which had been established in the early 1980's by Archbishop Weakland, was to certify lay preachers in the diocese and make sure that they were properly trained. Thankfully, there still are lay some people preaching in the Archdiocese, but Archbishop Dolan has expressed that this should no longer be the case. And with last years closing of the Seminary and the Institute, the training of lay people in the art of preaching ceased.

The interesting twist in this dismal story is that at the inauguration for Cardinal Stritch's St. Clare Center for Ministry Formation on Friday, Aug. 10, Bishop Sklba spoke very much in favor of lay preaching. According to a Catholic Herald article, Bishop Sklba stated that he felt preaching was the primary mission of the church that lay ministers should also be associated with preaching. He went on to state that" [a] compelling question for our day is the challenge to find a way of including our lay ecclesial ministers into the ministry of preaching in a way that respects the integrity of the Eucharist, the needs of our people and the gifts which these individuals can bring to the life of the church.” The reason he states that it needs to respect the integrity of the Eucharist, is that the official theology states that having someone other than the presider preach would make the mass too disconnected.

Intriguingly, Sklba's statement seems to be in direct opposition to the wishes of Archbishop Dolan for our Archdiocese. But at the same time, I do not think the Catholic Herald would print such an article without the knowledge of Dolan. If all the above is correct, I can only assume that Dolan is open to dialogue on the issue. Or at least he is open to his auxiliary bishop raising the question in a public forum. In any case, this is very positive. The next hopeful step would be to reinstate classes for the training of preaching for the laity.

A Faithful Catholic

TMJ 4 News Story on Rev. Iaquinta

Last night, TMJ Channel 4 did a story and interview with Alice Iaquinta regarding her ordination to the priesthood on Sunday. The Archdiocese is for the moment taking the smart move of of simply saying that her ordination is not valid that they will pass on the matter to Rome for consideration. No one from the Archdiocese wanted to go on camera. Click here to see the video of this story.

A Faithful Catholic

Rev. Alice M. Iaquinta?

Documents coming from Rome can seem bleak at times, but there is definitely a sense of pride in knowing that yet another woman has been ordained from Southeastern Wisconsin. I think when all is said and done, the Church of Milwaukee & St. Francis Seminary might make an impressive footnote in the story about how the Roman Catholic Church finally came to accept the ordination of women.

According to a Milwaukee Journal Sentinel article on Saturday, Alice Iaquinta was to be ordained yesterday in the Twin Cities by a female bishop. This female bishop was formerly ordained a bishop in secret by a group of male bishops in good standing with Rome and thus allowing these brave women to take part in the "apostolic succession" that is so important to Rome's definition of Church (I peripherally touched on this in a post a few entries down).

In any case, I am very proud to say that I once had the opportunity to meet Alice and found her charming, engaging, intelligent, and thoughtful. Perhaps sadly, I think she knows more about the Catholic Tradition than many of the priests ordained today. I think she will make a wonderful addition to Roman Catholic priesthood. Congratulations Alice!!!

A Faithful Catholic

Karen Marie Knapp, RIP

On the Catholic blog, Against the Grain, I noticed that Karen Marie Knapp passed away. She wrote the blog From the Anchor Hold. I did not know her, but read her blog regularly. I didn't always agree with her viewpoint, but I felt that it was always well thought out and heart felt. As did Against the Grain, I will post her last request:

"I live alone. I have no kin less than a full day's drive away. I'm chronically ill with a disease that is incurable and fatal. Though I am doing all the things I need to do to collect on the '15 to 20 years of medically manageable symptoms', such as taking all my medicines, doing my physical therapy, using my oxygen, and so on, the fact is that I could easily be Called at any time. And the first notice of my passing, when my body finally stops working entirely, is very likely to be a blaring loudspeaker just like the one in the cafeteria this noontime, at some hospital or skilled nursing facility. I hope that when my time comes, and the loudspeakers start hollering about my room, that there is someone who takes pity on me and prays for me. It's on that list of the Things Catholics Do, the Works of Mercy: Pray for both the living and the dead."

A Faithful Catholic

Can the Catholic Church Learn From the U.S. Military?

In the July 5 issue of Origins (a documentary service by Catholic News Service), Christopher Ruddy (a theologian from the University of St. Thomas) shared his two cents about the reasons behind the sexual abuse crisis. His mantra throughout is: "Accountability for bishops, identity for priests and adulthood for the laity."

In making a loose comparison between generals and bishops, I think he hit the problem right on the head. He quoted Army Lt. Col. Paul Yingling in an article from the Armed Forces Journal concerning the failure of generalship in Iraq:

"Neither the executive branch nor the services themselves are likely to remedy the shortcomings in America's general officer corps. Indeed, the tendency of the executive branch to seek out mild-mannered team players to serve as senior generals is part of the problem. The services themselves are equally to blame. The system that produces are generals does little to reward creativity and moral courage.

"Officers rise to flag rank by following remarkably similar career patterns. Senior generals, both active and retired, are the most important figures in determining an officer's potential for flag rank. The views of subordinates and peers play no role in an officer's advancement; to move up he must only please his superiors. In a system in which senior officers select for promotion those like themselves, there are powerful incentive for conformity. It is unreasonable to expect that an officer who spends 25 years conforming to institutional expectations will emerge as an innovator in his late 40s."

Enough Said.

A Faithful Catholic