Monday, December 16, 2013

AGAT UPDATE

The family of the murdered man was given an extra 30 minutes for the viewing (1 hour instead of just the original 30 minutes). However, still no funeral Mass, only a Memorial. For the original story go here.

For those wondering about why have a viewing at all if the remains are already cremated, it's really not about the "viewing" since closed casket viewings are not uncommon. It's about paying respect to the person who died and respect to the family.

The diocesan policy really does need to be clarified. There have been other funeral Masses in the presence of cremated remains here on Guam. Does each pastor get to decide for himself?

11 comments:

  1. Could it be that a Funeral Mass was already held in the states for the deceased, before being shipped to Guam? These little pieces are often left out of the story. Just saying cause it has happened before in my parish. If there has already been a Funeral Mass, there is no need for a second one.

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    1. Two answers. 1. According to the family member there has been no funeral Mass for the deceased. It was the desire of the family to have the funeral on Guam. 2. Had there already been a funeral Mass in the states for the deceased, this would have been very easy for the priest to explain. Instead, the reason they were given was that the body was not going to be present. (Of course the body is present in the form of cremated remains.)

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    2. Mr. Rohr: I spoke with the family regarding this matter. They said that Fr. Jason gave them only 1 hour and they (the family) said that they decided not to confront Fr. Jason about what they are going through because at this point, it is easier to say nothing given the fact that the "funeral" is today.

      According to the family, Fr. Jason is not having a "Funeral Mass," (Mass of Christian Burial) but a "Memorial Mass" because the body is not present. I do know that the Church teaches to treat the cremated remains with the same respect as we would human remains. In Guam, it is the practice that the Church inform the family that in cases of cremation, the body first be present for the Mass of Christian Burial (Funeral Mass). If for whatever reason this is not possible, perhaps due to cause of death, or for economic reasons such as the family does not have enough money to fly the body back to Guam, the Church, for pastoral reasons, is supposed to accommodate the family who are in mourning. As you said, there can only be one Mass of Christian Burial, offered either in the mainland or in Guam. In this case, the family has not had any Mass offered in the mainland as today's Mass is the first Mass offered for their deceased loved one, and Fr. Jason has decided it would be a memorial mass only.

      From what I can gather, the family is distraught that Fr. Jason would do this to them, especially after having to deal with their brother being murdered. A family member said that it would be easier to leave the Catholic Church than to convince Fr. Jason otherwise. They are strong and faithful Catholics and have every respect for the Church because that is how they were brought up.

      Mr. Rohr, the practice on Guam has been to accept the cremated remains for Mass of Christian Burial. Many priests, including the Archbishop, have done so. This Neo priest has decided otherwise, to the detriment of the family in mourning, and, I pray not, to the detriment of the salvation of the deceased. For the good of Guam, maybe Fr. Jason should go on a mission like the other four Neo priests, or better yet, should be asked to resign or face an arduous and painful experience like Fr. Paul.

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  2. As surprising as it may be, this is not an isolated incident. Apparently there is a great disconnect between formation and pastoral care!

    I am a relative of a family in Santa Rita who had an untimely death in the family. They went to Fr Fabio (same class as Fr Jason?) and he refused to schedule the funeral mass at "his" parish. The family eventually had to go to St Francis in Yona. We felt totally betrayed by our parish in Santa Rita for denying a funeral mass for our loved one.

    Maybe when Msgr David gets back from his mission duties in Saipan he and the Archbishop can call in Fr Jason and offer him a more painful and arduous journey if he doesn't transfer to Africa. Our leadership is smart, so hopefully they learned from all the mistakes they made with Fr Paul and will get it right this time!?!

    Oh, wait. Fr Jason belongs to "THAT" group so this probably will be handled without bloodshed.

    I agree with Janet B, and urge all people to include in their prayers this week the Agat family grieving the loss of their loved one. May they forgive the Church for its deplorable treatment in a situation where compassion is so dearly needed.

    Fr Jason - you really need to read what the Pope has written about his view of what the church should be - he may use this situation as an example of what the Church should not be.

    Dan - Santa Rita
    (but now a happy parishioner of St Francis)

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    1. Thanks for sharing that Dan. I had tried to forget about that incident. The deceased was a friend of mine. And just in case anyone is wondering, the Church in Santa Rita was not booked, and there was no other commitment. Fr Fabio questioned the life of the deceased which is why he refused to hold a funeral mass for him. At least Fr Fabio is going, maybe Fr Kristoff will be better and more compassionate. At least I can understand him!

      Still in Our Lady of Guadalupe and getting ready to dance
      (but not around the altar! LOL )

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  3. I am sadden by the situation the Agat family had to go through...this is just another reason why I left the NEO church and I now support the NON NEO PARISHES... maybe all Catholics should flock to the NON NEO PARISHES and let the neocats support their presbyters and themselves!

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  4. Many are. But the Archbishop is progressively making sure that there will be no non-neo parishes to flock to. The good news though is that this blog has caught the attention of AMK. The chancery will know who that is.

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  5. I'm curious now. Are all Catholic parishes on Guam following the Neo way? I attend the Merizo parish but really never gave it a thought.

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    1. Anonymous...there are a few safe havens, but no guarantee how long they will last. All the parishes run by the Capuchins are non-Neo, so that is why I support the Caps. As long as they keep their parishes these should also be free from cults. I think the Archbishop could ask them to leave, so that is a scary thing, seeing how irrational he has become lately.

      Then there are still a few non-Neo parishes. I think they are: Dededo, Tumon, Mongmong, Piti, and Umatac.

      If the parish you look at is a "Neo" parish, that is not a sure sign that it is to be avoided. If the Neo is but one of many activities going on in the parish there is a good choice you can fit in without joining a cult. But if you talk to the Pastor and ask to join a ministry, and he says you should come to a "Breaking of the Word" this Wednesday, or a special celebration on Saturday evening, then turn around, head out that door, and go to the next parish as quickly as your legs can carry you.

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    2. Let us get this straight. There are parishes that have full immersion of the NCW way of thinking because the pastor is a NCW member. There are parishes that have communities, but the pastor is not a Neocat.

      As far as the capuchins are concerned, they are probably on contract here and they can up and go or told to leave. When this happens Lord help us.

      Tumon has a community but pastor is not Neo, Piti has community, pastor is Neo. Mania has Wanna be archbishop Adrian, but doubt he has any luck forming a community there. Unless they are all outside the village. With Father Luis Camacho down south the Neo communities probably start if it hasn't already. You forgot Toto, they will fight until the end. Deacon Clarios has been there for what about 2 years and he is in the NEO, but no communities are forming there. I doubt that the parishioners in Toto will budge after we all read the letter from Archbishop Apuron to Father Manny Qimbao. Toto may be one of the small parishes, but the parishioners are strong and we band together. This is what is called FAMILIA.

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  6. During the Mass of this deceased, Father Jason did clarify to the faithful that the family in the states had a funeral liturgy, with the body present. He assured the family to do so before the body was cremated.

    Just thought I'd throw this out since I was present there.

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