Dear Tony,
Your column in this weekend's U Matuna is well-written. I commend you for your courage in calling a spade a spade:
"One of the most obvious and most painful fractures that many of us have had to witness is the shattered relationship between our Shepherd on Guam and our clergy in the Archdiocese of Agana."
You went on to sound the trumpet of hope and called on the Archbishop and the clergy to build unity:
"So please, our beloved Archbishop, our dear brother priests, as the Apostolic Delegate and official representative of the Holy Father said during his recent visit to Guam: build unity, build bridges."
This is certainly the right thing to say. And given your position as the editor of the Archbishop's paper, it must have been hard to say. I certainly hope that your direct addressing of the central problem in the archdiocese will not mean an "arduous and painful closure to your assignment."
But on to reality.
Fundamental to the Neocatechumenal Way is the small community. This is not just some sort of intermediate entity, some sort of half-way house to becoming fully integrated into the parish (as the Statute of the Neocatechumenal Way says it is supposed to be.) No.
The small community, according to the Neocats, is the future of the church. It is the "ends" not the "means". According to them, parish-based Catholicism is not only dead, it was an aberration of the true faith to begin with.
Thus the only bridge that can be built, in a diocese with a bishop who is fully a Neocat, is the bridge leading away from the parish and into the small communities where we will learn to dance about flower laden tables, sing gypsy songs, and put our sins on public display.
The fact that the Neocats eschew the consecrated altar and sacred spaces for their "worship" is not just some warm-fuzzy attempt to reach out to disaffected Catholics. Getting rid of churches and sacred altars is fundamental to their founder's theology:
"...in Christianity there is no altar", which is " why we can celebrate the Eucharist on a suitable table and we can celebrate in a square, in the countryside or wherever it is suitable. We don't have a particular place where exclusively we should celebrate our worship." - Kiko Arguello, Catechetical Directory, Vol. 1, Day 3.
And the reason why, according to Kiko Arguello, "in Christianity there is no altar", an altar is a place of sacrifice, and for Kiko, at his eucharist, there is only a meal, there is NO sacrifice.
This is another religion. But it is far more dangerous than just another religion. This is a religion that masks itself as Catholicism. This is why, Tony, despite your plea, there can be no unity, no bridges. This is why every attempt at unity, including the very expensive, three day attempt in 2010 was discarded as soon as it was concluded.
The Archbishop and his neo-brethren simply believe something different than we do. They embrace a different faith. They follow a different hierarchy. There is no bridge to this. To them we are dead. They have told us so. They have shown us so.
But they are wrong. We are not dead. We were only sleeping. But we have awakened. And we have seen the abomination in our temple.
Tim, You said it best.
ReplyDeleteAnd make no mistake about it, Mr. Diaz. There were only two simple requests that Fr. Paul asked the Way and they would have been allowed into Santa Barbara. If only they acceded to these simple requests, Fr. Paul will still be the pastor of Santa Barbara and we would have not cared what else the they were doing. We only cared when they persecuted (their favorite word which they apply erroneously to what they are being subjected to) Fr. Paul. And the two simple requests. For them to have their masses in our Church and for them to let us know when, so we can attend it. Again, you want us to believe, like you, the Archbishop? We will. If he re-instates Fr. Paul. That will be the first step to rebuild bridges. Re-instate Fr. Paul and let his requests to the Way stand. Have their masses in our Church and for them to let us know when so we can attend it too.
ReplyDeleteExactly on point. The NCW has a different liturgy on account of a different theology; and, insofar as the NCW believes that the regular RCC is inherently deficient, the NCW views the regular RCC to be a different church than the NCW. The goal of the NCW is to replace the regular RCC; and in Guam, that effort is being financed, unbeknownst to parishioners, by donations made by members of the regular RCC to the local Church's various fundraising appeals.
ReplyDeleteThe Archbishop needs to lay the first brick seeing he was the one who dismantled the bridges in the first place. Others have tried (Pale Mike) but the Archbishop keeps demolishing their efforts.
ReplyDeleteSTOP GIVING MONEY PEOPLE! It's the only way we can take back our Church. Kiko is only interested in our island because of what he has and can gain through our island's traitor (Arch). The Arch is nothing to Kiko without the money and power that we give him.
ReplyDeleteSo spread the word, wake the sleeping giant. The Churh is the people, spiritual and financially.
Well said! They may deny it, but there has NEVER been a neo who has returned to the parish thru "graduation" from the neo, which is how Rome understands this movement to be. What is taking them so long to address this is anybody's guess. This guy totally misunderstands the mass, and so does the archbishop, who claims to be a liturgist.
ReplyDeleteFrom a simpleton's understanding, the Mass is Jesus SACRIFICE!, made present to us, from that first institution of the Eucharist, until the Second coming will be made present to us at every Mass! the banquet will come when we get to heaven!
Looks like the right time- Matthew 24:15 "...when you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains."
ReplyDeleteDaniel 9:27 "And he shall make a firm covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease; and upon the wing of abominations shall come one that maketh desolate; and even unto the full end, and that determined, shall wrath be poured out upon the desolate."
Daniel 11:31 "And forces shall stand on his part, and they shall profane the sanctuary, even the fortress, and shall take away the continual burnt-offering, and they shall set up the abomination that maketh desolate."
Daniel 12:11 "And from the time that the continual burnt-offering shall be taken away, and the abomination that maketh desolate set up, there shall be a thousand and two hundred and ninety days."
...and the little devils will play their part!
Do not over simplify or mischaracterize the problem in our archdiocese nor with the problem with our Archbishop, Tony Diaz.
ReplyDeleteThe fractured relationship between the Archbishop and the non-neo priests and division in our Catholic congregation is a mere symptom of a graver, more critical problem we're experiencing which is rooted in and stems from the existence of the ncw within our Catholic Church; the membership in and loyalty to the ncw of Archbishop Apuron.
Calling for simple gestures toward unity and healing is trivializing the grievousness of a problem of Canonical, Liturgical, financial and civil nature -- not to mention questions involving moral and ethical stands and practices of the hierarchy and leader of our Catholic Arcdiocese.
When it involves the opposing teaching of the ncw against Core Catholic Teachings and ncw-alterations of Catholic Liturgical practices and norms; when it involves practices, actions and behavior that put our beloved Catholic Faith and Church of our island in jeopardy and at the risk of falling onto hands with intentions toward greed, power and anti-catholicism, then the only moral, ethical and legitimate recourse and remedy we, The Faithful, are called to do is defend and fight for The Truth! That is and will always be our steadfast and only position against anyone's or any group's threats.
Biba Santa Marian Kamalin! Biba y Katolicon Guam!