Friday, November 4, 2016

OPEN LETTER TO BISHOP MICHAEL J. BYRNES

Your Excellency,

In  more than one interview with our local media, you have stated your intent to begin your ministry here by "listening." While I certainly respect your pastoral intent, may I recommend that instead of beginning by "listening" that you begin by examining the facts. I believe that Archbishop Hon is now willing to provide those to you. Pardon my brazenness. 

Sincerely,


Timothy J. Rohr


33 comments:

  1. If hon does not file a claim on the RMS property before the statute of limitations expire, can hon be sued for negligence, or whatever?

    And, is there REALLY no recourse to getting the property back from the Neos AFTER the statute of limitations expires?

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    1. I have been assured that the situation will be remedied in the time frame allowed. However, thanks to the 2015 revision of the RMS articles of incorporation - a revision which was quickly done to thwart suspicion of the kiko's clandestine plan after we discovered the instrument of conveyance - the new bishop has a "nuclear option." More on this soon.

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    2. Excellent suggestion to the incoming coadjutor. We have had enough of listening and endless meetings that went nowhere. I just hope that Archbishop Byrnes has tuned into JW where he will find factual data so he can be properly informed prior to his arrival. No doubt he will bring Jesus with him but he needs to be briefed accordingly, otherwise, he will be like Archbishop Hon who breezed in, thinking that it is easy fix, then finds out later that this was a very complicated scenario that he was not prepared to solve. He has the mandate of the Pope himself but he does not have the will and resolve to follow through what is right and just.

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    3. Forgive my simple understanding of Byrne's sucssession abilities of Apuron's authority in a canonical sense and how that impacts RMS and other issues. But how is Byrnes able to exercise those powers under the laws of Guam? What mechanism allows for the assignment of Apuron's authority by operation of Guam law?

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    4. AOA's articles of incorporation

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  2. Your Excellency Bishop Michael Byrnes,
    .
    Pardon my human weakness as I post this comment here.
    .
    Did somebody forgot to take their "dumb pills" this morning that they must point fingers at anyone, everyone other than the one with the problem that got us here in the first place Arch. Apuron. LOL !! This really cracks me up listening to Diana preach without a mention of a single fault on the innocent one the Arch. Apuron. Oops! He's to be address as neo bro. Tony
    .
    Friday, November 4, 2016
    Posted by Diana at 10:10 AM
    Lack Of Spiritual Guidance
    Christ is the mediator between God and His Church. And the Church is the mediator between Christ and the rest of the world. Bishops and priests are to lead all people to Jesus Christ, which is the basic thing to do. They are the spiritual leaders.

    The reason behind Archbishop Hon's failure to bring peace and unity is simply because he never addressed the REAL problem, which was "spiritual" rather than physical. He thought that by changing the physical environment (changing priests around, establishing ad hoc committees, etc.) would resolve the issues and bring peace and unity. Recent events only shows that there was no resolution, no healing, and still no unity. Instead, it has gotten worse that this time members of the NCW wrote letters to Rome.

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    1. Oh Diana, if you only knew. Hon did everything he could to save you. Those were his instructions from Filoni. It took us several months to expose this connection to Filoni Baloney, and we did the plan to save the Neo and RMS went POOF.

      And by the way, Diana, your plan was to bring back Tony and anoint Adrian the Lame Brain as the next archbishop. How's that working out for you? LOL.

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  3. Nuclear ...if thats what it takes!

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  4. Your Excellency,
    begin by examining this fact...

    are you Catholic... the ncw claims they are... Same Same but Different...

    from section 2, pages 9 and 10 of the June 2008, STATUTE OF THE NEOCATECHUMENAL WAY

    Art. 13 [Eucharist]
    § 1. The Eucharist is essential to the Neocatechumenate, since this is a post-baptismal catechumenate lived in small communities.47 In fact, the Eucharist completes Christian initiation.48

    § 2. The neocatechumens celebrate the Sunday Eucharist in the small community after the first Vespers of Sunday. This celebration takes place according to the dispositions of the diocesan bishop. The celebrations of the Eucharist of the neocatechumenal communities on Saturday evening are part of the Sunday liturgical pastoral work of the parish and are open also to other faithful.
    § 3. For the celebration of the Eucharist in the small communities the approved liturgical books of the Roman Rite are followed, with the exception of the explicit concessions from the Holy See.49 Regarding the distribution of Holy Communion under the two species, the neocatechumens receive it standing, remaining at their place.
    § 4. The celebration of the Eucharist in the small community is prepared under the guidance of the presbyter, by a group of the neocatechumenal community, in turn, which prepares brief monitions to the readings, chooses the songs, provides the bread, the wine, the flowers, and takes care of the decorum and dignity of the liturgical signs.

    go back to "§ 3", read the last sentence AGAIN, now continue with...

    DianaSeptember 8, 2016 at 6:13 PM
    Dear Eileen,

    We do not hide how we celebrate the Mass in small communities. We have always be truthful about how we celebrate it. First of all, there is no such thing as a "Neo presbyter." I call them RMS priests only because they were formed in the Redemptoris Mater Seminary. They are diocesan priests.

    In Holy Communion, we receive the Body of Christ standing up. We do not consume His Body immediately. We are to hold His Body in our hands close to our hearts with adoration. After everyone has received the Body of Christ, the priest proceeds with "Behold, the Body of Christ......" And we respond with "Lord, I am not worthy to receive you......" All the words are the same as it is in the regular Mass. But we consume the Body of Christ together with the priest. And yes, we consume His Body sitting down.

    Yes, you can attend the Saturday night liturgy and not walk in the Way. We had others attend the Eucharist, but they are not walking in the Way. We simply let them know that whatever is said in the echoes cannot be taken out of the room.
    http://neocatechemunal.blogspot.com/2016/09/ncw-devotion-to-our-blessed-mother-mary.html

    do you need to read the 2nd paragraph again...

    now, if you're a Catholic... you'll do it like this...

    Holy Communion
    http://www.catholicity.com/baltimore-catechism/lesson28.html

    How to Receive the Eucharist
    http://www.catholiceducation.org/en/culture/catholic-contributions/how-to-receive-the-eucharist.html

    The Blessed Sacrament is supposed to be consumed at once
    http://www.catholicherald.co.uk/commentandblogs/2012/10/10/how-to-receive-holy-communion/

    Questions about Holy Communion
    https://www.ewtn.com/faith/teachings/euchb2a.htm

    The Reception Of Holy Communion At Mass
    http://www.usccb.org/prayer-and-worship/the-mass/order-of-mass/liturgy-of-the-eucharist/the-reception-of-holy-communion-at-mass.cfm

    How to Take Communion in the Catholic Church
    http://www.wikihow.com/Take-Communion-in-the-Catholic-Church

    Sacraments 101: Eucharist (how we receive)
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qdGkTdv4Dt4

    Same Same but Different Catholic... Same Same but Different Catholic...


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  5. From your answer, Tim, it seems to me that it will be the new bishop who will solve the problem of the Yona property (in a "nuclear" way), not hon. Why is hon not doing anything about the Yona property before the statute of limitations expire?

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    1. At first Hon was here to protect the Neo's and RMS. That was very clear, almost to the end. However, recently, he has seen that there is no option but to admit that the Neo's and RMS stole the property. However, since it is a civil matter, he did not know what to do. Hon's first step in the right direction was reconstituting the finance council and making Richard Untalan president. Untalan and Ed Terlaje were there when the property was stolen. They know what happened and they know what to do. And both are back on board. However, in the meanwhile, Hon's authority to do anything ended on Oct 31 when Byrnes was appointed. Moving forward now depends on Byrnes authorizing the action that needs to be taken. In short this will by Byrnes first test and he's not even here yet. If he's smart, and I believe he is, he will recognize the urgency and complexity of the situation and won't try to start from scratch like Hon did. He'll accept that the people now doing the work know what they're doing. We shall see.

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    2. Thank you, Tim. Your reply really shed some light on the matter. I feel now that we must all add our prayers to help the people working on the solution. Thanks again.

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    3. Rose de los Reyes (Seattle, WA)November 6, 2016 at 12:22 AM

      Tim, do you have any knowledge if the Yona property issue and its time-sensitive nature is/was presented to Abp Byrnes since his appointment? I want to assume that the Finance Council and/or Abp Hon and/or anyone has brought this matter before him because of its time-sensitive nature. I mentioned before that down the line, after his closer look or if some other non-litigation resolution comes to the surface, the case can be voluntarily dismissed by the archdiocese (as plaintiff). Blowing the deadline for not having had enough time to review the issues or for none of the parties at the archdiocese office informing him about this situation is an outcome that will be difficult to live with. I trust that Messrs. Terlaje and Lujan and even Abp Hon are in touch with him about this situation ... ? (I end with a question mark because this statement is both a wish and a question).

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    4. The appointment of Byrnes has made things a bit tricky. Hon no longer has the authority to act on his own. In a way the delay could work in our favor. Once the statute of limitations expires we will no longer be able to demand RMS to return the property. This would leave only one option: the dissolution of the corporation altogether at which point the property would revert back to the Archdiocese.

      As the sole incorporator, the Archbishop of Agana has the right to dissolve the corporation. The hedge against this has always been the role of the Board of Guarantors (Gennarini's) who reserved to themselves the right to veto or approve any decision "involving the most important affairs of the corporation."

      The second hedge against this was the belief that Apuron, even though his ecclesial powers are now null, was thought to retain civil authority by virtue of his title. However, the articles of incorporation for the Archbishop of Agana say otherwise. And regardless of Apuron's title, Byrnes now has complete authority.

      But let this be a lesson about "listening" to both sides. That's what Hon did and that's why we are in this mess again. Rather than listening, Hon only had to examine the facts or hire competent people to do so. Instead, he wanted to work out a win-win for everyone. And now we are facing a lose-lose. Christ did NOT listen to both the sheep and the goats.

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    5. Rose de los Reyes (Seattle, WA)November 7, 2016 at 6:07 AM

      Thank you, Tim. In my humble opinion, I’d make the choice not to blow the deadline without filing a lawsuit even though there is the avenue by the sole incorporator to dissolve the RMS corporation. That route involves, as you mentioned, working with the RMS Board of Guarantors, whose members can’t be trusted to do the right thing; and whose members were instrumental in the first place to effect the hand-over of the Yona property to the RMS in 2011. They are not going to approve the dissolution of the RMS Corp. Also, if you will recall, in August, Apb Hon called for the RMS to return the property without litigation. The RMS didn’t. That is indication enough to me that the Guarantors are not going to agree to the dissolution of the RMS Corporation. File the lawsuit and, while the lawsuit is active, if the archdiocese wishes, it can continue to pursue the avenue of the dissolution which will involve discussions and negotiations with the Gennarinis. In fact, having this lawsuit on their heels is leverage for by the archdiocese over possibly getting the Gennarinis to be more amenable to agreeing to terms to return the Yona property without having to drag the lawsuit to its bitter end.

      As to “listening” to both sides. We have a different take on Abp Byrnes’ utterance of his plan to “listen” to both sides. It’s my belief that he made those statements in a general context, fully aware that he is bishop to all of Guam’s Catholics. With only two or three days since his appointment when his words about “listening” to both sides were published, it would have been careless of him to make comments favorable to any subpart of the Guam’s Catholics community had he made them. In that period of time, I doubt he had even studied the situation at that point to be able to make specific statements bashing the NCW. I also think that his view about the NCW is “in general” lacking the knowledge that the version of the NCW that exists on Guam is waaaaayyyy of course from the NCW in theory. For us, we all know by now about the NCW’s ultimate goal to convert the entire Catholic Church on Guam into an NCW church; but with only two or three days since Abp Byrnes granted those interviews, I doubt he had any idea of the NCW-on-steriods version that exists on Guam. I think that there is more than enough evidence out there of the rift within Guam’s Catholic Church caused by the NCW that, even if Abp Byrnes does “listen” to both sides, it won’t take him long, nor would it take too many conversations for him to see the truth.

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    6. Thanks Rose. Maybe I didn't make it clear previously, but dissolving the corporation would NOT involve working with the Board of Guarantors. Legally, the Sole Incorporator has complete authority to dissolve the corporation immediately.

      What I foresee is completely replacing the Board of Directors who would then deed the property back, upon which the corporation could then be dissolved. There is no need for the corporation anyway. The seminary exists by episcopal decree. The corporation is separate from the corporation. The seminary would continue to exist - unless the new bishop decrees otherwise.

      As for the Board of Guarantors, the only thing they could do is bring suit against the Archbishop. But Guam law does not recognize a Board of Guarantors, so they are s--- out of luck. Happily, Gennarini, in his attempt to cover up the fact that he and his bozos had stolen the property, redid the articles of incorporation that insured that the archbishop had complete authority to do this. He didn't realize at the time that Apuron would not be archbishop for very much longer. LOL.

      I agree with you about Bishop Byrnes saying what he needs to say at this point. He will have a very steep learning curve.

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    7. Rose de los Reyes (Seattle, WA)November 7, 2016 at 9:53 AM

      That is great news, Tim! But, can the lawsuit still be timely filed while the dissolution is being worked on? I fear that there would be a glitch in the dissolution process and the glitch would surface after the SOL has passed. If a lawsuit is filed, a voluntary dismissal can be filed after the dissolution process has been completed. That's the nervous me speaking and setting up a safety net "just in case." I don't trust official and/or legal dealings that involve the NCW in terms of taking for granted all will go well, such as trust that all will go will with the dissolution.

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    8. Yes. And you are right to be worried about these shysters. I believe the CCOG stands at the ready to file a suit but they are going to give the archdiocese (Byrnes-Hon) every opportunity to act. I understand that the archdiocese is working with Attorney Ike Aguigui to draft the necessary docs. I'll try to find out more asap.

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  6. Is there a picket this Sunday?

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    1. Yes. So long as the title "Archbishop" is in front of Apuron's name, there will ALWAYS be a picket!

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  7. It doesn't sound like you're off to the best of starts with Bp. Byrnes. In his initial public interview, he said he didn't even know where Guam is. His type can be highly insular.

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    1. Apuron was insular. Byrnes was honest.

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    2. Not everyone knows where Guam is. When I was in the US Army, stationed in California, I was asked by my first sergeant, "Where in Mexico is Guam located?"

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    3. Anon at 5:10 AM - Not everyone knows where Guam is! Airport Agents at the International Airport - and I mean "International" - that I leave out of going to my Island Home of Guam often ask - Where is Guam?

      The one thing I really enjoy hearing is that when most people finally get to come to Guam Loves The Island! I say most because there is always that 2 percent (might even be less) who don't.

      My husband was in the military in the USofA and when his group was asked if anyone wanted to go to Guam, he volunteered not even knowing where Guam is! Now Guam is His Home!

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    4. right you are JDR...
      For me, its 2007 and the word "International" starts an argument in Oakland, CA., I'm flying from CA. with a week stay in Hawaii, and then continue on to Guam...

      Counter lady keeps repeating herself about the need of a passport to board international flights... she states "sir a passport is required, if the flight is over international waters"... funny...

      I counter with, yes "over" the water, Miss I said, yes to get to Guam we will fly over "international waters", and continued with but we're not landing on the water, we're landing in Hawaii, a U.S. state, over the water again, to Guam a U.S. territory...

      Passport stayed in my pocket... and I'm here on Guam... words..

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    5. Rose de los Reyes (Seattle, WA)November 6, 2016 at 12:27 AM

      I have lived in Seattle for decades and until now there are many occasions when, while in conversation, the question of my origin homes come up. Philippines and Guam are part of my response. While I seldom get follow-up questions on the location of the Philippines, I do get many follow-up questions the likes of "Where is Guam?" or even "What is Guam?"

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    6. Rose de los Reyes (Seattle, WA)November 6, 2016 at 12:52 AM

      I have heavy interests in learning about and having experience with the various cultures that exist in this world, even if only temporarily or in snippets. The more I haven't heard about a place or a peoples, the more I'm interested in finding out where that place is. Even with having that natural propensity, I'm first to admit that there are many places in this world that I don't know by name and/or location. Like Abp Byrnes, I have to look up those places. So it's not necessarily a matter of being insular that Abp Byrnes didn't know where Guam is. There's just too many places in this God created world for anyone to know what and where all the places are.

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    7. Rose in Seattle at 12:52 AM - I live in Tennessee and one year we, my husband (who is not from Guam) and I were on our way home to Guam for my Mom's birthday. We got to the airport early and checked in. I had my Military ID, TN Driver's License, but did not have a passport. The travel agents said that they needed to see my birthday certificate (which I really forgot to take with me). Thank God we showed up early and were able to drive home and get it and make the flight on time. I had never had to have a birth certificate or passport to go to Guam but once we got Guam, we made sure we applied and got our passports on time to go back home.

      Students are not being taught Geography now-a-days. Guam is a Territory of the USofA but not too many people know that. But they do with Puerto Rico!

      Well, Guam is on the Map Now because of the NEO!


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    8. Rose de los Reyes (Seattle, WA)November 7, 2016 at 5:21 AM

      Thank you, JDR. Many of us have a story or two about folks not knowing about Guam or where it is. Sometimes you get a response look as if it (and you) were in (from) outer space!

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