WHO IS "THEY?"

By Tim Rohr 

A June 1, 2025 story in the Pacific Daily News about Fr. Cody Merfalen notes: 

“Merfalen’s ordination marks a rare and significant moment for Guam’s Catholic community because he completed his priestly formation entirely in Rome.”

It’s not unexpected that we in Guam would gush as if this is some sort of honor for Guam. Unfortunately, because we are such a small place, it's easy to blush with juvenile pride at the mere mention of our little island by “anyone” bigger than us. 

That Merfalen moved to Rome, attended a seminary, and was ordained for the diocese he had relocated to is nothing exceptional. In fact, many others have done the same. Bishop Randolph Calvo (born in Agana in 1950) comes to mind.

Now, had Merfalen been selected by our own bishop to attend a seminary in Rome for some special service to Guam, successfully completed his studies, and had been ordained to serve in Guam...well then maybe we could get behind that. 

But just moving to another place, Rome or otherwise, and getting ordained, by the pope or otherwise, notwithstanding that priestly ordination is something of its own to "usually" celebrate, Merfalen's ordination is far from something to celebrate as "rare and significant." 

I say "usually" because since Merfalen is a Neocat, and as we in Guam know, the Neocat "presbyters" have brought us nothing but heresy, hardship, and ultimately, bankruptcy - if you understand the connection between the Neocats and the Apuron scandal that brought this archdiocese to its financial knees. 

But back to "rare and significant." Is it "rare of significant" for a seminarian to be ordained by the bishop of the diocese in which he is to be incardinated?  Umm, no. In fact, (unless otherwise delegated) it is only the diocesan bishop who can ordain and incardinate a priest into that bishop's diocese. And who is the Bishop of Rome? The pope. 

The pope wasn't acting as "pope" when he ordained Merfalen and several other seminarians. He was acting as Bishop of Rome. He was acting as any other bishop. So, in this matter, being ordained by the pope was no more "significant" than any man being ordained in any diocese and by the bishop of that diocese.

Now, and as already mentioned, had Merfalen been especially selected by our own bishop for advanced studies in Rome or something like that, and for ultimate service in Guam, then, well, yes, that might be "rare and significant." But he wasn't. 

I don't know how he ended up in Rome, but the Neocats are always looking for trophy's, so good chance that Merfalen was selected by the Neocat Brass - the priest-makers - to go to Rome for their own political purposes. 

Merfalen notes in his homily that he was in the seminary for 16 years (twice as long as normal, by the way). So that places the beginning of his seminary journey at around 2009 while Apuron was not only still in power, but the Neocats were beginning to assume power of their own. 

It's quite possible that Merfalen was sent to Rome only for a Neocat formation (at Rome's RMS) and not for the purpose of being incardinated there, but was in Rome when Apuron's Neocat house of cards came tumbling down circa 2015-2018, and was advised by the Neocat Brass just to stay in Rome. 

Of course for the Neocats, it doesn't matter where one is incardinated. As we have seen here in Guam, they pretty much go wherever their Brass tells them to go, with no allegiance to the diocese for which they were incardinated - not to mention the diocese which probably paid for his education and training. 

In fact, Mefalen says so in the PDN story: 

"Father Cody Merfalen’s assignment may soon take him to the outer islands in Micronesia, though he hopes to return to serve on Guam one day..."

Interesting. So he's incardinated in the Diocese of Rome, but his "assignment may soon take him to the outer islands of Micronesia..." Assignment by who? 

As a priest ordained and incardinated in the Diocese of Rome, his bishop, his boss, is Pope Leo XIV. Why would Pope Leo assign a Rome-incardinated priest, a diocesan priest, a priest ordained and incardinated to serve in the Diocese of Rome, to the "outer islands of Micronesia?" 

He wouldn't. But the Neocat Brass would, and they will. They call the shots. Not the bishop. We saw, and still see, this first hand in Guam. EXHIBIT A: Fr. Krzysztof Szafarski. 

Per his little pre-Mass speech, Krzysztof is going to Rome to "study." Really? Was he selected by his bishop, Ryan Jimenez, to do this? If so, then Jimenez owes us, the people whom Krzysztof was ordained to serve (not to mention the same people who paid for his formation for so many years), an explanation. But there is no explanation from Jimenez. The only "explanation" was his Aviso stating, effective Sept. 14, 2025, Krzysztof is on "study leave." 

The fact is that Jimenez can't give us an explanation because Jimenez did NOT select Krzysztof for "study leave." The Neocat Brass did. Make no mistake. They still run things, and Jimenez will do what he's told. Why he will do what he's told is a matter for speculation, but knowing these guys, the Neocat Brass, I'm sure Jimenez owes them something.

Functionally, the Neocats (and I don't mean the average "members") are parasitic. They come in, suck up the resources of a diocese, including regular church members, and not only give nothing back, but do whatever they want, go wherever they want, and functionally give us the finger if we don't like it. (Listen to Krzysztof's little pre-Mass speech. He could hardly contain a nasty word about those who didn't like the idea of his "gift.")

At least Merfalen doesn't think an assignment in Guam, the same Guam who is celebrating him as "rare and significant," would be all that bad:

“He said he wouldn’t mind coming here, and it would be nice." 

Merfalen continues:

But he said it’s wherever they need him,” Paul Merfalen said.

Who is "they?" 

It ain't the pope.