Last week, an op/ed penned by a Mr. Pat Olivia was published in the Pacific Daily News.
In that essay, he wrote (emphasis mine):
I understand members of both esteemed organizations [CCOG & LFM] want retribution for those who may have done wrong. But do they realize that each time they picket and each time they speak up in the media or are seen out in public as a group, they are nourishing that same division in our church that they themselves are praying to heal? They drag the face of our Catholic Church — the whole church — in the mud in the eyes of everyone, even in front of the Protestant churches and their members.
I won't be writing a seething retort in this post (Although I did respond to him on the comment section of the page of said op/ed - see link above) but I am reminded of John 9: 6-7 and offer this:
Our Church has been tainted by the heinous sins of those clergy who not only engaged in sexually abusing innocent youth in their care, but also systematically hid known abuse by shuffling these priest around, suppressing any reports of abuse, and intimidating anyone who dared expose the molestation and rapes.
Our Church has also been tainted by those who, even with great knowledge of what was going on, turned a blind eye, looked the other way, kept their mouths shut and remained silent when they should have been protecting the poor victims from their attackers. (Even victims of their own flesh and blood.)
These are the sins of our Church here on Guam.
If anything, God has graced the CCOG & LFM to rub "mud" in the eyes of our Church. God has blessed these good people to stir up the dirt and rub the eyes of all of us with this new
clay.
Yes, mud is being rubbed in the eyes of those of the Church and outside the Church.
Now, "Go, wash in the pool of Silo′am."
.... .... .... .... ....
Until then, we picket; we protest; we hold up our signs. And if you remain steadfast that our activity in front of the cathedral is the source of what is bringing down our Church, here's mud in your eyes . . .
For the rest of this set and other albums depicting these "mud slingers", click here.
God Bless you Jose and the LFM and CCOG for keeping up the fight. We need others to come out and show support. Prayers from Tinian. "Silent No More!" Joe Santos
ReplyDeleteThank you, Jose, for the recent picket photos and the accompanying writing. While Mr. Olivia has a right to his opinion, the CCOG and FLM and those of us who support them have a right to our opinion, too. Mr. Olivia espouses one of the key views that enabled Abp. Apuron and those who support him (the NCW, for one) to sustain his decades long systematic take-down of the Archdiocese of Agana. That key view is for the Faithful “not to speak up” and turn a blind eye, as Jose pointed out. Mr. Olivia should be grateful that some of the Faithful have learned from that decades-long mistake to the degree that those Faithful, led by the CCOG and FLM are raising, have drawn attention to the problems (with an “s”) that face the Archdiocese of Agana today. Some of those problems were addressed last summer; some are in the process and in various stages of being addressed; and some have yet to be uncovered and addressed. If not for the attention brought to these issues by the CCOG and FLM, the Archdiocese of Agana would not be on the road to betterment. Mr. Olivia seems not to note that there are various forms of drawing attention to correct systematic problems. The Sunday picket is only one of those forms. To their credit, in addition to the Sunday pickets, the CCOG and the FLM work in other forms other than the Sunday picket to draw attention to and assist with putting the Archdiocese of Agana back on track. Realistically, the problems of the local church cannot be effectively addressed behind closed doors, out of public view as Mr. Olivia desires. The cries for corrections and improvement within the Church were ignored when that private avenue was used. Taking those cries public is a key instrument in the movement to right the wrongs. In his op-ed Mr. Olivia espouses hypocrisy the likes of a Pharisee. The Church (local and worldwide), in the way it was managed by hypocritic humans lacking in compassion and truth created the mud in which it is covered today. The CCOG and FLM and others whose work include the public exposure of the failings of the Church’s leadership and whose work includes suggested solutions, the sweat, the labor to correct the wrongs are on the side of truth. I have no doubt of Mr. Olivia’s love for the Catholic Church. There is more than one way to love the Church. The CCOG and FLM love the Church in their way, too. And they love the Church in its brilliant white and also while covered in mud.
ReplyDeleteIf it is a comfort to Mr. Olivia, the Sunday picket also takes a private form here in Seattle. Jose, I wrote in one of your picket photo posts last summer that I’m in solidarity with the Sunday picketers on Guam at the same time frame. My parish has a 24/7 Adoration Chapel manned by at least two parishioners on a one-hour commitment. I switched my time commitment last fall so that I will be in adoration at the time the picketers are picketing. To Mr. Olivia, the Sunday pickets are both public and private. The Faithful cover their bases.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Rose. Your adoration time falls during the "hour of mercy" in your time zone (except during daylight savings). How very significant!
DeleteThank you, Teri. I didn't know about the "hour of mercy" timing. That's great! This month I arranged a switch (again) for my adoration shift in anticipation of daylight saving time --- I continue to be prayerfully in sync with the pickets!
DeleteThank you Tim, Jose, CCOG, and LFM. The mud is is a necessary reminder of the work that needs to be finished. If not, we would look the other way as we did when all these atrocities we taking place. Even still there is work to hold Apuron accountable. The Promoter of Justice is busy here on the mainland.
ReplyDeleteTake another look at the photos. In it there's an amount of elder's worth our respect. and he says "We were also taught that no matter what, we respect our elders," .. Come on down Sunday @9:00am in front of the Catheldral and support the elder's you may learn why they picket.
ReplyDeleteThe sin here, dear Brutus, is that we are not more visibly enraged by the terrible injustice that innocent young people were and remain subjected. This assertion includes my "Anonymous" comment that shields me from the spite and ruffling of feathers that may arise in divulging my identity. Yes, these people who spend, dedicate and commit their time every Sunday are the real heroes. Their visibility through prayerful and peaceful protest ought to put the rest of us to shame! Here I am, content to let them do the heavy lifting for me in the hope that all this will soon be resolved - shame on me! This action by, mostly of our man'amkos, passionate, respectable and just people is an invitation to all of us to look deep within our hearts. The sacrifice of the handful yet growing participants ought to galvanize our timid selves to do something about the errors of the past. Yes, #RespectAbounds.
ReplyDeleteIf Byrnes won't boot the Neocats from your churches, can you attend Mass at Andersen AFB or any of the other US military base chapels? Cathedral
ReplyDeletepicketing could still continue.
The US Military Archdiocese has its own archbishop in Washington DC and it's entirely separate from civilian dioceses. Some accessible chapels are located off-base. Also, they would appreciate the additional financial support.
If Byrnes was greeted by just a few diabolic Neocats in his otherwise empty Cathedral, he might get the message when its bills come due and cam"t be paid.
DeleteMy understanding is that parr if not all of the money collected from the military masses is donated to a local parish. If not mistaken, AAFB Sunday collections is sometimes donated to the Santa Bernadita Chapel.
DeleteNot true. Donation outside military channels and towards charitable outreach are only allowed as "designated offering" twice a year - this includes the offering given to the Archdiocese for the Military Services. This is designated as such at the beginning of the fiscal year. Any deviation is a no-no, unless for a contingent humanitarian relief aid.
DeleteBig money is given to Fisher House at Travis AFB in Fairfield CA all year long. Connected with the USAF's David Grant Hospital there, friends of mine do volunteer work at Fisher.
DeleteListeners to a Sacramento CA radio station sent Fisher over $150,000 a couple of years ago and large donations continually come in from elsewhere. There's always a way to donate to military charities.