Sunday, September 29, 2013

MY OP-ED IN TODAY'S PDN: NO MAJOR CHANGES IN CATHOLIC CHURCH

In "Pope risks losing part of Catholic flock" (Sept. 21 Pacific Daily News), Brett M. Decker begins by saying "Pope Francis has put the world's 1.1 billion Catholics on notice that major changes are on the way" and suggests those changes will be to church teachings on "contraception, abortion, and gay sex."

Read full article at the Guam Pacific Daily News website or see a PDF copy if link no longer works.

AN ANGEL STORY FOR THE FEAST OF ST. MICHAEL

When I was ten-years old, my two-year old brother, Chris, was run over by a van - twice. My dad had been working on the family van in the driveway, and, unbeknownst to him, Chris had crawled under the van. Dad had finished fixing whatever he was fixing and was in the washroom cleaning his hands when Mom got in the van to go somewhere.

Read more

POPE FRANCIS AND THE SACRAMENT OF FAREWELL

Pope Francis gave another interesting talk the other day - to the youth in Sardinia. The talk, posted at this blog, is preceded by some comments of note:

1. The pope's security team is working overtime. Obviously this is due to the pope's eschewing the security measures developed by the Vatican since the attempted assassination of John Paul II. Thus, while we all ooh and ahh at this pope's desire to be close to the people minus the bullet proof glass, human shields (probably men with wives and families) are now more necessary.

2. The second group of staffers who are working overtime are the translators, for as the blogger says: "...given Francis' steady stream of words – and even more, the Pope's penchant for shredding his prepared (and already-translated) texts by either adding a host of unscripted asides or veering into a full stream-of-consciousness talk – keeping up is no mean task.

Thursday, September 26, 2013

TIM ROHR WITH RAY GIBSON ON K57

Interview between Ray Gibson and Tim Rohr about Bill 195, Infant Child's Right to Life Act, as introduced by Senator Frank Aguon, Jr.

ESPERANSA: CONGRATULATIONS TO SENATOR AGUON

Dear Friends of the Unborn...and already born:

Congratulations to Senator Frank Aguon, Jr. for introducing the "INFANT CHILD'S RIGHT TO LIFE ACT", BILL NO. 195-32 (COR).

The bill calls for healthcare providers to give "medically appropriate and reasonable life-saving and life-sustaining medical care and treatment" to all infants who survive an abortion procedure. It also goes on to criminalize the intentional lack of care as "criminal homicide."

The senator prefaced the bill with a personal message as follows:

"During my tenure as a Senator, I have accepted the fact that my decisions and actions in the past had been influenced and directed away from my personal beliefs.  As a man of my faith, it is my personal purpose to lend my voice to those who are voiceless and those who have been stripped of their fundamental right to life. Bill No. 195-32 (COR), "Infant Child's Right to Life Act", provides a voice to these children. I am deeply thankful to the authors of the original legislation and to all the staunch advocates for life."

These are good words and the senator can be commended for sharing them. Of particular note is the senator's acknowledgment "of the authors of the original legislation." 

Wednesday, September 25, 2013

NO BETTER PRO-LIFE "COMMERCIAL" THAN THIS

What's great about this news story is not the story, but all the images of fetal life crossing the screen while abortion and legislation to stem it is being discussed. We probably couldn't have come up with a more pro-life commercial if we tried!


KUAM.com-KUAM News: On Air. Online. On Demand.

UNSUBSCRIBE NOW. THIS IS GOING TO GET ROUGH. A POST FROM ESPERANSA

SEPTEMBER 25, 2013

Dear Friends of the Unborn,   


Most pro-life efforts on Guam have been traditionally limited to peaceful waves and quiet marches. Those are good and must continue. However, after many years of doing these things, Guam remained, according to a 2008 AUL study, the easiest place in the nation to procure an abortion. 

Something more needed to be done. We needed legal protections for the unborn and we needed to expose the real facts about abortion on Guam and the records of the people who support it.

This strategy has worked nationwide, where it has been reported just recently that abortions are down by 25% since its peak in 1990. At the same time, pro-life legislation at the state level has grown exponentially. It's a classic illustration of the precept "Lex magister", or "the law teaches". 

NOT A SPOOF

Unfortunately, this meme is NOT A SPOOF. It was posted on NARAL's Facebook page immediately after the publication of the pope's interview with the description "Now, this is progress." Business and media people know that perception is everything. What the pope really meant has nothing to do with it. They have the bigger microphone.


Tuesday, September 24, 2013

ONE MORE RANDOM FRANCIS THOUGHT

In response to the Facebook war over what Francis really said, or what he meant by what he said, or if he said what meant, or if meant to say what he said, or if he really said what he said, etc. And in response to Francis calling himself "a bit naive", and his interviewer calling Francis' words "an eruption of thought". 

"Truly, we need to cut the guy some slack. We're not used to men like this sitting in Peter's chair. Benedict, after nearly a lifetime in Rome and things Vaticano, was the very antithesis of naive. And JP2, winnowed and harrowed by the Nazis and decades of communism, knew well the face of relativism and evil. 


But Francis springs from the South American coca fields of liberation theology and all things Che. That's not to say that he subscribes to any of it, and he says he doesn't, but his eruptions of thought nevertheless smell of Evita and make one nostalgic for the 60's. It should be fun for the next decade or so. At least I think so. Have a beer and pray the rosary."

POPE STAYS CATHOLIC: EXCOMMUNICATES PRO-GAY MARRIAGE PRIEST

"He's not the liberal the media wants."   See story here.

Of course there was never any doubt. He has no power to change any of it. The charism of infallibility would cause him to be struck dead if he tried. So one wonders what everybody was panting about. 

However, on the other hand, just the mere trickle of a thought from Paul VI* that the church's ban on contraception might be changed (it couldn't) led to a giant apostasy on that teaching which has in turn given us closed churches, closed schools, a dearth of vocations, empty pews, and institutions full of the aged because there is no next generation to care for them.


So it matters not what a pope really means. It matters much what he says. Simply because he's the pope.

* Here's the "trickle of a thought from Paul VI":
"We say frankly that so far we do not have sufficient reason to consider the norms given by Pope Pius XII on this matter [of contraception] as out of date and therefore as not binding. They must be considered as valid, at least until We fell obliged in conscience to change them." - Paul VI, Acta apostolicae sedis (AAS) 56 (1964) 588-59, 1964 address to the special papal commission on the use of contraceptives



ESPERANSA PROJECT ANNOUNCES INTRODUCTION OF NEW BILL

Below is a copy of the letter sent out this morning by THE ESPERANSA PROJECT. Informed consent for abortion legislation has proven to be the most effective way to stem the slaughter of abortion. Informed consent puts a booklet in to the hands of every woman seeking an abortion and gives her information about the nascent life within her as well as her risks, rights, and alternatives. Please read, understand, and support if you care about the slaughter going on in Tamuning. For more information about abortion on Guam go to www.esperansa.org


Monday, September 23, 2013

EVIDENCE TAMPERING?

This may be just an internet error, but if not, then the Chancery is trying to erase some of its missteps. 

At the center of the Chancery v Gofigan controversy is Fr. Paul’s “illegal” removal as pastor of Santa Barbara Parish. As mentioned previously, the removal, and even transfer of a pastor, requires a careful canonical procedure (Cann. 1740 - 1752)

Fr. Paul was officially, but illegally removed as pastor by virtue of the fact that he was replaced by a parochial administrator on July 17, 2013, one day after Fr. Paul was called to the chancery and told to resign. 

HE'S GOT NOTHING TO LOSE!

Before posting the last two letters (here and here) between the Archbishop and Fr. Paul, I sought assurances from Fr. Paul's team (I have no direct access to him) that the making public of these supposedly private letters would not hurt Fr. Paul. 

The response was surprising, but logical. The response was "How could it hurt him? He's already lost everything. He's been removed as pastor and told to find another bishop. He's got nothing to lose."

One advisor went on to explain that being kicked out of a diocese by your own bishop is pretty much a death knell for a priest. No bishop is going to pick him up. So unless Fr. Paul can win his case, his life as a diocesan priest is probably over. 

Saturday, September 21, 2013

IT'S JORGE TALKING, NOT PETER

Instead of running around trying to prop up the pope, run interpretative interference, and blame the media, the Catholic press would do well to note what the man who interviewed the pope, Fr. Anthony Spardaro, S.J., actually said about interviewing the pope:

“Talking with Pope Francis is a kind of volcanic flow of ideas that are bound up with each other. Even taking notes gives me an uncomfortable feeling, as if I were trying to suppress a surging spring of dialogue.” 

And the press would also do well to note what the pope said about himself: 

“Yes, perhaps I can say that I am a bit astute, that I can adapt to circumstances, but it is also true that I am a bit naĂŻve.”

RAIN VS HITS

In the last 24 hours Guam has had a record 10-15 inches of rainfall. Meanwhile, in the same period, the blog has had a record 2000 hits.

IT'S NOT THE MEDIA!

Yesterday, the media was abuzz with the news that Pope Francis had denounced the conservative emphasis on moral issues and had urged our church to be more welcoming and merciful. In media-speak, that means more “liberal”. 

I have been wanting to read the actual interview as posted on the website of the British Jesuits (I don't trust America Magazine - the U.S. Jesuits), but the link currently does not appear to be working. So for now, I’ll need to go with the news reports and try (once again) to decipher what the Pope “really” meant. 

POPE SAYS TO BISHOPS: 'STAY HOME!"

In my small opinion, the current pope, seems to better at enunciating the practical aspects and application of the faith than he is at expounding on the theological and doctrinal (as was his predecessor). Here is an example. Incidentally, I posted this on Facebook yesterday and immediately got a ton of “likes”. 


VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis on Thursday lashed out at what he called the scandal of “airport bishops,” urging his peers to remain rooted in their dioceses and spend less time seeking the spotlight.

Friday, September 20, 2013

GOFIGAN TELLS APURON TO RESTORE HIM AS PASTOR

Fr. Gofigan has notified Archbishop Apuron that since he was not officially removed as pastor that he be fully restored to the office of pastor of Santa Barbara Parish.

GOFIGAN TO BE OUSTED

On Patti Arroyo's show yesterday, Arroyo stated that because Fr. Paul was saying Mass again, it appeared to her that the Archbishop was "back-pedaling" on the ouster of Fr. Paul Gofigan as Pastor of Santa Barbara Parish and ultimately from the Archdiocese of Agana. I assured her that the Archbishop was CERTAINLY NOT "back-pedaling" and was proceeding with his plan to remove Fr. Paul as per this letter:

Thursday, September 19, 2013

TIM ROHR WITH PATTI ARROYO ON K57

Tim explains why Bill 52, which requires informed consent for abortion, still has not been implemented nearly one year after the bill was signed into law. Patti then asks about the situation with Fr. Paul, followed by comments and questions about the Neocatechumenal Way.

SEX IN THE CITY...AND IN OUR RELIGIOUS EDUCATION CURRICULUM

It has come to our attention that a program by Sr. Kieran Sawyer is being considered for a religious education curriculum in some local Guam parishes. Upon learning of Sr. Sawyer's invitation to speak at the Catholic Men's Conference in 2013, an Esperansa Project member prepared the following letter. We decided not to release the letter publicly, but did send our concerns to some of the conference organizers. Given the news that her curriculum is being considered for the education of our Catholic children, we decided to post the letter, with some modifications, here. Sr. Sawyer may personally be a good and holy religious sister. We simply disagree with her presentation of Catholic morality as detailed below.

Tuesday, September 17, 2013

GUAM: THE DIVORCE MILL

Did you know that if you google the words "Guam" and "divorce" you'll find our own page on Wikipedia describing Guam as a "divorce mill"?

Monday, September 16, 2013

AND NOW THIS

The whole same-sex marriage, gay rights, hate crimes agenda has as its epicenter the murder of Matthew Shepard. This is where the agenda found its cause celeb. The case has been used to depict anyone who speaks out against the gay agenda as homophobe, a bigot, and a hater. It has led to the revocation of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell", the overturning of key portions of the Defense of Marriage Act, the persecution of clergy and businesses who refuse to mary same-sex couples or serve them, and even to the rights of school children in California to use whatever bathroom they want depending on which gender they feel like identifying with.

CATHOLIC FUNERALS: "WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?"

The following is from an article in Catholic World Report, Sept 9, 2013:



You’re probably witnessing liturgical abuses when the woman in the pew behind you asks out loud, “What the hell is he doing?”

Sunday, September 15, 2013

NINETEEN THOUSAND TWO HUNDRED AND FORTY SIX


Today is September 15. Two months ago, on July 15, one day before Fr. Paul Gofigan was handed a letter demanding his resignation as pastor of Santa Barbara Parish, this blog had a total of 345 page views over the course of two years since it was begun. 

Today it has 19, 246. In those two months I have, as before, posted my views on a variety of issues. However, I'd be fooling myself if I thought people were suddenly interested, at the rate of 315 views per day, in anything other than the Chancery vs Gofigan affair and its tangential issues. 

THE POWER OF FACEBOOK

Some people don't understand Facebook. They think it is a waste of time. Maybe it is. Depends what you use it for. Here's an example of the how Facebook can educate, how Facebook can create a supportive community, how Facebook can save children from the abortionist's knife. Here is a very good example of how Facebook can be used. I'm glad I watched this. You'll be glad too.


FAN MAIL


As expected, my posts on the Neocatechumenal Way have elicited some “fan” mail. Here’s one:
It's really sad how you take things out of context. Do not judge what you can not understand and refuse to understand.
There are some instructive things about this short comment which was sent to me after my most recent post on the NCW: WHY THE “ARINZE” DIRECTIVE WENT UNHEEDED: PART 1.

AIMING AT THE CHURCH


Looks like the Diocese of Orange, CA is up against the same thing our Archdiocese was a few years ago: legislation aimed directly at the Catholic Church. SB 131 lifts the statute of limitations on child sex abuse crimes for a period of one year and specifically targets non-profit organizations. Obviously, the largest non-profit organization is the Diocese of Orange. The bill was passed by the legislature and now goes to Governor Brown for his signature. Read the Diocese of Orange statement on SB 131 here

Saturday, September 14, 2013

WHY THE "ARINZE" DIRECTIVE WENT UNHEEDED: PART 1



Notes:
CDW = Congregation of Divine Worship and Discipline of the Sacraments
NCW = Neocatechumenal Way
  • What is presented here has been gathered through personal observation and conversations and can’t be easily documented. Other than a short history of the NCW in the words of its founders and select papal addresses, the only thing that is publicly available on its official website is the Statutes which give us an outline of the NCW's mission, but not the details and rationale for its practices. Also, there is the expectation that this post will invite the "come and see". I will address later why this invitation is more evidence of the division so many intuitively perceive.

Wednesday, September 11, 2013

THIS WEEK'S PAGE VIEWS


ANOTHER SEMINARY FOR GUAM?

Looking into it.

VULGARIZING THE HOLY: THE GOSPEL OF "RESPONSIBLE PARENTHOOD"

Following is an article found at:
http://www.christianorder.com/features/features_2013/features_may13.html.
The highlights, underlines, emphases, and comments in red are my own.

Perhaps the most important challenge facing first-world Christians today is the very redefinition of the family and its obligations and duties. Concurrently, there is a crisis of Christian parenting itself. Taking on certain sacred cows (firmly but fairly), this inspired critique of the Church's response to the contraceptive tidal wave, and what might be done to stem it, underlines the sine qua non of effective counter-cultural Catholic witness: the Gospel of Grace, shorn of every last taint of social gospel naturalism and lived out selflessly before a selfish world.
Heroic Parenthood
CHRISTOPHER GAWLEY
Now the value of the testimony offered by the parents of large families lies not only in their unequivocal and forceful rejection of any deliberate compromise between the law of God and human selfishness, but also in their readiness to accept joyfully and gratefully these priceless gifts of God — their children — in whatever number it may please Him to send them.
- Address of Pope Pius XII to the Directors of the Associations for Large Families of Rome and of Italy (Jan. 20, 1958)
It should be obvious to anyone that the Catholic Church is in the agony of a great crisis. Despite genuine signs of renewal, make no mistake that Holy Mother Church continues to experience a dreadful decline in nearly every important indicia of spiritual and material health. While I am no pessimist, the worst is yet to come. The soft and widespread apostasy of my generation will turn into a hard and brutish one in the next. Truly, and without any hyperbole intended, Holy Mother Church stands on the precipice of its greatest threat to survival since Diocletian resolved to stamp out Christianity once and for all. But what makes this one so dire is that the threat is not only composed of a ruthless and diabolic enemy — it also comes at a time at which the faithful are simply not prepared to stand and fight for the Truth after two generations of being taught a caricature of the faith.

Monday, September 9, 2013

LINK TO PATTI ARROYO INTERVIEW WITH FR. GOFIGAN

Though we mentioned the radio interview between Patti Arroyo and Fr. Gofigan on this post awhile ago, we did not have, at the time, the link to audio recording of the interview. The post has been updated to include the link and we are also providing it here:

http://pacificnewscenter.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=36208:audio-father-paul-says-&catid=45:guam-news&Itemid=156

FR. PAUL URGED TO REASSUME HIS POSITION AS PASTOR BY PARISH MEMBERS

As per a previous post, it was noted that Fr. Gofigan said he has a letter in hand from the Archbishop stating that there was never any "decree" terminating his office as pastor of Santa Barbara Parish; and some parishioners are wondering why, given this revelation, that he just doesn't simply reassume his duties as pastor!

So there may be no need after all for a canon lawyer or a challenge to the Archbishop's actions of July 16, since there appears to have been no "real" action at all. We now know that Fr. Gofigan's priestly faculties were never removed (he said Mass this past Sunday) and also he was never removed as pastor. 

Thus, apparently, everything is as it was before. Of course there is the little matter of the appointment of the parochial administrator but it is obvious now that the appointment was an error and may have been made in haste since the Archbishop, at the time, was preparing to leave for World Youth Day. 

Someone messed up. Stuff happens. But it appears there is no need for the war to drag on. And we also know that the ex-con/parish volunteer, over whom this whole dust-up arose, can no longer, at least according to the Archbishop (other than attend Mass), be active in parish life. 

And that leaves us with the real question yet to be resolved by the Archdiocese: 

HOW TO INCORPORATE EX-CONVICTS, ESPECIALLY PERPETRATORS OF SERIOUS CRIMES, BACK INTO THE LIFE OF THE CHURCH (should it be their desire), AFTER THEY HAVE SERVED THEIR SENTENCES.

Given the treatment Fr. Gofigan got, it seems that no pastor will want any one with a criminal past to have anything to do with the parish other than attend Mass and immediately leave. This, in fact, may be the forthcoming policy, and it may be necessary given the present paranoia over sex-related offenses in the Church right now. 

(Paranoia that was brought about by bishops and pastors themselves, by the way, by looking the other way, for years - or NOT LOOKING AT ALL - at what was going on in parishes and classrooms, seminaries and rectories, and further, by shuffling problem clergy around. One wonders what problems we might have avoided (AND MONEY SAVED) had problem clergy - and other adults in leadership positions - been dealt with as severely as the ex-con lay person at Santa Barbara.)

And one also wonders how the aforementioned ex-con would have been treated had he attempted to join the Neocatechumenal Way. There are children there too. 

Note: the ex-con's crime had nothing to do with children, but the Archdiocese has continued to emphasize the danger this man supposedly presents to children. 

Sunday, September 8, 2013

THE "ARINZE" LETTER


NOTE: The real issue at the heart of the division in this archdiocese over the Neocatechumenal Way has nothing to do with square tables, Saturday evening-only liturgies, nor the manner of receiving communion. But since we are not prepared to speak openly of the “real issue” at this point, we will continue our discussion of the unique elements of the Neocatechumenal liturgy.

In a previous post, we noted that the uninitiated visitor to the Neocatechumenal celebration of the Eucharist would notice some “immediate and very large differences”, primarily the arrangement of the congregation/community around a central table and the manner of distributing and receiving communion.

These two unique features of the Neocatechumenal liturgy received widespread attention after the release of a letter addressed to the leaders of the Neocatechumenal Way (NCW) from the Congregation of Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments (CDW) on December 1, 2005.

The letter called for the NCW to “follow the liturgical books approved by the Church, without omitting or adding anything,” and further emphasized and clarified six critical matters regarding the NCW celebration of the liturgy. The fifth item addressed the manner of distributing and receiving communion:
5. On the manner of receiving Holy Communion, a period of transition (not exceeding two years) is granted to the Neocatechumenal Way to pass from the widespread manner of receiving Holy Communion in its communities (seated, with a cloth-covered table placed at the center of the church instead of the dedicated altar in the sanctuary) to the normal way in which the entire Church receives Holy Communion. This means that the Neocatechumenal Way must begin to adopt the manner of distributing the Body and Blood of Christ that is provided in the liturgical books.
The letter was authored and signed by Francis Cardinal Arinze, who wrote in his official capacity as Prefect for the Congregation of Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments. However, the letter was treated, at least locally, as the personal recommendations of an individual cardinal who was “not for the Way”. 

In fact, not only was the letter disregarded as an uninformed directive, the Cardinal’s credentials were publicly questioned by a very high ranking member of the local clergy on our own Catholic radio station soon after the release of the letter. Needless to say there was shock and disbelief, particularly since the letter from Cardinal Arinze opened with the words: “I am to inform you of the Holy Father’s decisions.

Apparently, disregard for the letter was not limited to Guam because very soon thereafter, on January 12, 2006, Pope Benedict took the occasion of an already scheduled address to the NCW to hammer home the fact that the Arinze directive was his (Benedict’s) own and he expected it to be obeyed:

“Precisely to help the Neocatechumenal Way to render even more effective its evangelizing action in communion with all the People of God, the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments recently imparted to you in my name certain norms concerning the Eucharistic Celebration...I am sure you will attentively observe these norms that reflect what is provided for in the liturgical books approved by the Church.”
Given the official nature of the original letter and the Pope's own words demonstrating his expectation that the norms were to be observed, it is difficult for outsiders to understand why the directive was, and still is, seen as the mere suggestions of a crotchety cardinal. Yet, they were. We will see why in our next post.

Saturday, September 7, 2013

THE THREE MOST DEADLY WORDS IN THE WORLD: "IT'S A GIRL"

On January 23, 2009, on his second day in office, Barack Obama lifted the "Mexico City Policy" immediately allowing the federal funding of international population control groups that provide abortions. See the ABC news story here.

Today there are more than 200 million missing girls from the world's population. Together, China and India kill more girls than all the girls born in the United States each year.  A new documentary, IT'S A GIRL, has been released to teach the world about the slaughter.

This is the real "war on women", and Americans are funding it. In fact, despite all the financial problems our country is having, Barack Obama's 2013 budget has prioritized funding for International Family Planning (i.e. abortions and sterilizations).

See the trailer for the new documentary. 

Friday, September 6, 2013

UPDATE FROM FATHER PAUL

"O Lord open my lips and my mouth shall declare your praise (Ps 51). Thank God I can finally preside at Mass!!!!! Will be presiding at the 5 pm Mass this Sunday at Santa Barbara!!!!!"

- From a Facebook post

Thursday, September 5, 2013

CHANCERY V. GOFIGAN: ANOTHER LETTER


According to Facebook "buzz", Fr. Paul Gofigan has begun contacting parishes to let them know he is available to say Mass if coverage is needed. 

As per a post obtained second hand, Fr. Paul has received a copy of a letter from the Archbishop addressed to Fr. Adolfo Dacanay, S.J., the canon lawyer representing Fr. Paul, stating that Fr. Paul's faculties to carry on his normal priestly ministry, including saying Mass, were "never removed." 

Previously, Fr. Paul had stated that his faculties had been removed by the Archbishop, but that the instruction was only oral and had been transmitted through Fr. Dan Bien, the parochial administrator appointed by the Archbishop to replace Fr. Paul as pastor at Santa Barbara parish. 

With letter in hand, Fr. Paul shared on a recent post: "Now that I have that in black and white, I am calling several parishes telling them I am available for Mass coverage if they need someone. Pls spread the word." 

Fr. Paul also shared that the Archbishop's letter to Fr. Dacanay said there was never any "'Decree' vacating my office as pastor."

By that account then, Fr. Paul is still pastor of Santa Barabara parish. However, there is a problem: an OFFICIAL AVISO from the Archbishop installing Rev. Father Dan Bien as the Parochial Administrator of Santa Barbara. And according to Canon Law, a parochial administrator takes the place of a pastor.





Can. 539. When a parish becomes vacant or when a pastor is prevented from exercising his pastoral function in the parish by reason of captivity, exile or banishment, incapacity or ill health, or some other cause, the diocesan bishop is to designate as soon as possible a parochial administrator, that is, a priest who takes the place of the pastor according to the norm of can. 540.

Though the canon does not say it specifically, it is irrefutably implicit in this canon that a parish does not have both a pastor and a parochial administrator. 

Thus, Fr. Paul was removed "ipso facto" - by the fact itself - as pastor of Santa Barbara Parish by the clear fact that the Archbishop officially appointed a parochial administrator for the parish. In addition, according to Fr. Paul, he was also locked out the rectory which could certainly be construed as "exile or banishment." 

So, in fact, by virtue of the Archbishop's letter - at least as per Fr. Paul's post about it - Fr. Paul, despite being locked out of the rectory, and despite being officially replaced by a parochial administrator, has been neither exiled, banished, nor removed as pastor, and should not have to go about looking for opportunities to say Mass. He is still pastor of Santa Barbara parish and all of his faculties are intact. 

Are we to assume he will be on the altar this Sunday? If so, it seems he had better keep that letter in his pocket, at least for now. 

(Note: we were able to obtain a copy of the letter but decided not to post it - at least not yet - unless there is a demand for documentation. Also, let us hope, out of consideration for the Archbishop, that he is not the author of this confusion and that he has most likely delegated the handling of this issue to someone else at the chancery. However, if that's the case, we would urge him to find someone else...quickly. These are simply blatant canonical missteps which anyone can see.)


2 HOURS SINCE POST, 201 VIEWS. 1.66 VIEWS PER MINUTE.

Tuesday, September 3, 2013

KEEP YOUR EYE ON THE COUNTER

500 hits in 2 hours. People care.
9pm. Make that 1000.
9/4/13: 2000+

THE WOLVES ARE OUT!

The wolves are out and fangs are bared over on my Facebook page. I don't even get attacked this way by Catholic haters. How dare anyone ever question the Neocatechumenal Way! 

As you can see from my previous posts, my concerns are documented, measured, and for the most part public, and the same concerns I and others have been voicing quietly over the years. 

Perhaps it's because those concerns are now on the Internet that the wolves have begun snapping and snarling. I'm tempted to post a few excerpts so you can see what I mean. Let me think about it. Or if you'd like to see it first hand, go ahead and "friend" me even if you don't want to be my friend. Find me at https://www.facebook.com/timrohr.guam

I do find the retorts surprising, especially in their viciousness. In the past I was just told - whenever I questioned certain things about the Way: "Thank you for your persecutions." I always replied: "You're welcome."

I wonder if you'd like me to tell you about the time I was called in to come up with a lie to cover for... There were several people in that room and I can name them all. 

Monday, September 2, 2013

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR AND CHANCERY V GOFIGAN UPDATE

There are two Letters to the Editor in today's PDN relative to our church. One is a response from Dr. Marjorie DeBenedictis to a previous letter which impugned the honor which Catholics give the Blessed Mother. Dr. DeBenedictis provides an excellent catechesis on Mary with just a few words.

Maria B. Duenas weighs in on the Fr. Paul controversy by supporting an earlier letter from Eileen Benavente-Blas.

For those awaiting an update on the Fr. Paul situation, all we know for now is that Fr. Paul is still not allowed to say Mass or preach, that he has not resigned as pastor, and that a motion to reconsider has been sent to the Archbishop by Fr. Paul's canon lawyer, Fr. Dacanay, S.J.

We also know that should the Archbishop not reconsider, the case may go to Rome, probably to the Congregation for the Clergy.