Signs of Lay Catholics Getting Sick of Status Quo

In Connecticuit last week, a bill was killed in the state legislature's judiciary committee that would have revised the way in which a Roman Catholic parish is organized. The proposed provisions would effectively give control of parish finances over to the laity and allow the priest and bishop only an advisory role. Quite the reversal from the way things are now!

There are a number of issues here. One, this has been done before. In the 18th century it was common to prohibit bishops from control of parish property which lead to the necessity for parish trustees. A big problem with those laws and this proposed law is that it is only focussed on Catholics.

The other side of this is that in this situation it was a group of Catholics that wanted this legislation, not discriminating Protestants. I do not know if this group of Catholics actually thought that this bill would become law or if they were trying to send a message to the bishops of the United States. I think that that message is this: "Bishops and priests have too much control over church finances and we do not trust you. WE NEED FINANCIAL REFORM!" I think the bill, if passed into law, would have created a whole new set of problems, but I think the message is appropriate. And of course, financial reform is not possible without ecclesial reform.

Sex abuse, parish finances and misspending... Perhaps these crucifixions will lead us to a new Church.

A Faithful Catholic

Public Funding for Embryonic Stem Cell Research

President Obama lifted the ban on public funding for embryonic stem cell research. The embryos used for this type of research are the "leftovers" embryos from the process of in vitro fertilization. The hierarchical magisterium already condemns the process of in vitro fertilization.

This entire process is a difficult situation filled with shades of sketchy morality and the dangers of human farming. In one sense, since the embryos are already there, I would lean towards making use of them towards research. These embryos will never be brought to term and be born (and the Vatican would view it as sinful to do so). On the other hand, there is the danger of mothers being paid to be embryo producers if there would be shortage of in vitro embryos and there should be legislation in place to prevent such embryos from being used.

Ideally, mothers would not opt for in vitro fertilization, but would adopt. Any one reading the newspapers these days can see that the foster care system is in shambles and there is a great need for parents to adopt. There is too much stress over having your own genetic children.

A Faithful Catholic

Dolan Reflections & The Next Archbishop

What does Dolan going to NY mean? As Dolan is the first bishop from Milwaukee to be appointed to the Big Apple, it would seem to indicate that Benedict does not want a nasty, in your face character like Burke in the American spotlight. While Dolan is conservative and will toe the papal line, he'll do it with a smile. For those with a more intimate knowledge of the goings-on in the NY Archdiocese, I think their attitude will be reminiscent of Milwaukee - it could be a whole lot worse.

Oddly enough, Dolan as the outgoing bishop and bishop of NY will probably have a considerable say in who the next bishop in Milwaukee will be. This could bode very well for Milwaukee. It could be the difference between a friendly Bishop like Joseph Perry from Chicago and a nasty bishop like Robert Morlino from Madison, WI. I would look more to candidate like Perry to be placed here. I believe Dolan will want the next few years in Milwaukee to go smoothly to show that he did a good job in Milwaukee. Someone like Morlino could make the priests here fed up enough to make some national headlines. Dolan will not want that, because then his name would come up over and over again as his former bishop.

A Faithful Catholic

Dolan Going to NY

Well, Dolan is going to NY. That is the good news AND the bad news, depending on who the new archbishop will be. Steve Avella in today's Journal Sentinel hit Dolan's theology right on the head. Weakland is a Vatican II bishop and Dolan is a John Paul II bishop. In my understanding, the former sees himself as having more autonomy and the latter is more as papal representative.

Dolan's accomplishments: He closed the seminary and did harm to the future of lay ecclesial ministry (bad). He worked significantly to balance the archdiocesan budget by major slashing of Archdiocesan jobs (good and bad). He "handled" the sexual-abuse scandal, but in the end seemed more concerned about being a "father" to his priests than a stalwart for children (mostly bad). For the most part, he has not actively tried to change the liberal aspects of the Archdiocese as long as they were willing to fly underneath the radar (good and bad). And it truth, most Catholics like him because he's jolly. I do not believe that most of those Catholics are very aware of his accomplishments.

The constant refrain of many with my train of thought is that it could have been worse, and maybe it will be...

A Faithful Catholic

Archdiocese Should Keep Great Spirit Open

Back in October, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported that the Congregation of the Great Spirit could stay open if it could fully support itself. For whatever reason, I did not comment on that situation then, but it has been in the back of my mind ever since.

The Congregation of the Great Spirit is a Native American Catholic Church. They follow the Roman rite, but have tweaked certain portions (following the scholarship of liturgists) in order to incorporate their Indian cultures (especially the Lakota and Ojibwe). This includes a co-ed drumming circle and a penitential rite with burning sage.

As the Archdiocesan spokeswoman stated, the Milwaukee Archdiocese has a policy of each parish covering the salary of the priest. That is obviously only a general guideline since they have until now covered the Great Spirit's salary dole.

While if the parish does close, the parishioners can go to another Catholic Church, I doubt they will be able to bring their drums and burning sage. They may not be welcomed anywhere. This could in effect kill the Native American Catholic community. It is reminiscent of the US bishops, as a whole, refusing to reach out to African Americans after the Civil War (this is considered the main reason for there being so few black Catholics). Oddly, enough, I wonder if the two "black" parishes in Milwaukee (All Saints & St. Martin de Porres) could not financially support a priest because of poverty, would the Archbishop close them?

A Faithful Catholic

Archbishop Dolan's Response to SNAP is Troubling

As reported in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Dolan stated that he does not have authority over priests who are in orders in the Milwaukee Archdiocese, even if they are the recipient of serious allegations of sexual misconduct. Now, I realize it was Julie Wolf, the Archdiocesan spokeswoman who said this and not Dolan. But when Dolan is not available for comment and the spokeswoman is, she is only saying what Dolan told her to say.

Dolan (Julie) stated that "he can't force them to distribute names." While that may be true, if he knows that certain priests are in town, he should be distributing their names. This is his Archdiocese and he is supposed to be watching out for his flock (laypeople included, not just priests).

I could understand if he did not know that these priests were here since they are in an order. But he (Julie) did not state that that was the case, just that his hands are tied. This is very disturbing.

A Faithful Catholic

Gay Hater Becomes Bishop

Benedict has certainly been a roller coaster ride. With his theological background and his meeting with persons like Hans Kung, I had hoped that he would begin appointing a higher grade of bishop than John Paul II.

The Vatican announced on Saturday that Gerhard Wagner will become auxiliary bishop of Linz, Austria. Back in 2005, Wagner stated that Hurricane Katrina was God's punishment because of homosexuality in New Orleans. Maybe he didn't get the memo, but the hurricane mostly hurt poor black people. This seems like a throwback to those bishops who originally thought that AIDS was God's punishment of gay people. This kind of bishop seems completely out of tune with the Gospel message of Jesus. 1) People are not sick because of God's wrath and 2) Jesus' mission is one of healing and reconciliation. I cannot understand Benedict's motivation for appointing a priest with such blatant incompetance.

A Faithful Catholic