Recently, the "National Catholic Reporter" had our Bishop (Bishop Finn) & diocese (Kansas City- Saint Joseph, Missouri) as it's cover story. To say the article had "half truths, misquotes and huge omissions" (as a friend said best), would be an understatement. Here is my quick point of view, that of a busy, single, Catholic mom.
Here is the article -
Extreme makeover: the dioceseAnd here are my comments -
Dismissed the chancellor, a layman with 21 years of experience in the diocese, and the vice chancellor, a religious woman stationed in the diocese for nearly 40 years and the chief of pastoral planning for the diocese since 1990, and replaced them with a priest chancellor.
I did not know the chancellor (a layman by the way), but I heard he was NOT trad friendly in the least! Our current chancellor came to speak to our parish (
Old Saint Patrick Roman Catholic Oratory, which has the Traditional Latin Mass offered by a priest from the
Institute of Christ the King.) He told a story where he was asked to help say the Latin Mass (years ago). He agreed, but before he could start the training, the then chancellor found out and told him to "STOP IT!" At this point in the story, Father spread his arms out wide & said, "And now *I* am the the chancellor!" LOL!
As for the naked nun (as in she did not wear a habit), I saw her once. It was at a funeral for a priest. I saw my then priest talking to her, & I asked someone I knew who that striking woman was (very well dressed - expensively dressed, hair & makeup perfect, perfume, looked like a socialite). I about fell out of my chair when I heard it was Sister so-and-so!
Ordered the editor of the diocesan newspaper to immediately cease publishing columns by Notre Dame theologian Fr. Richard McBrien
Well, we all know THAT is a good thing!
Announced that he would review all front page stories, opinion pieces, columns and editorials before publication.
Bishop Finn was the editor of the paper in Saint Louis before he came here. So it is natural for him to do this.
The Vocation Office went from a part-time priest vocation director to a full-time priest vocation director with a part-time priest assistant and additional support from the head of the newly established Office for Consecrated Life.
Oh my goodness! We don't want this to happen! There might actually be too many priests!!!!! (insert major sarcasm here!)
A separate Respect Life Office was established to handle pro-life issues and battle stem-cell research.
Another disgusting thing - protecting life! (sarcasm again)
Finn upgraded a Latin Mass community, which has been meeting in a city parish, to a parish in its own right and appointed himself pastor. ( See accompanying story.) Later, he asked the parish that the Latin Mass community will be leaving
to donate $250,000 of the estimated $1.5 million the Latin group needs to renovate the old church Finn gave them.
What this author fails to tell, is ---well, it is not my place to say; suffice it to say there is much more to this than the author is saying--- For example - The fact that Rome has been asking the Bishops for years (the two previous Bishops), to pull the Latin Mass Society out of Our Lady of Sorrows & give them their own parish; requests made by our current & previous Holy Fathers. Bishop Finn is being obedient. And that The Oratory we are moving to has always had the Bishop as it's pastor. Let me say here that I am extremely grateful to the parish, Our Lady of Sorrows, for sharing their church with us! It is a beautiful parish - almost as beautiful as it's parishioners!
A lack of respect -- some say total disregard -- for what has been developed in he diocese during the past half-century was one of the foremost complaints among many in the diocese upset to find highly regarded structures and programs gone.
Maybe that is because what was developed was more about "touchy feely, let's all be buddies" than it was about God and the Church. Yes, I like friends, but I sure hope if I am headed down the wrong path, my friends would tell me. Not like it has been - so politically correct, let's not upset anyone even if they are obviously in the wrong. What Bishop Finn has been doing is bringing the diocese back in line with all of the Church's current teachings, not just the ones that are the most politically correct!
I know there may be some protestants who may be reading this & not really understanding it all, & unfortunately, there are probably some Catholics too. Yes, Canon Law allows the use of lay members (and a necessity with the unfortunate priest & religious shortage), but that use has been abused. Yes, I do attend the Traditional Latin Mass, but I am not anti-Vatican II. I have not thoroughly studied V II, but it is my understanding that the intention was good, but that things were not explained well (or they were explained, but people choose not to hear it.) I recognize the Novus Ordo Mass as a valid Mass (though, unfortunately, many are made illicit by abuses). I prefer the Latin Mass, the same way some people prefer the Novus Ordo Mass. I appreciate all of the hard work Bishop Finn has been doing, going against the flow, not succumbing to peer pressure, but enforcing what has been Church teachings all along, what is in Canon Law. Is he perfect? No, nor do I think he wants to be thought of as perfect. And I am sure he makes no decision lightly, but through a lot of prayer. For myself, I will continue to pray for him, and support him.
I enjoyed this blog concerning the article - "
Extreme Diocesan Makeover" (no, not my blog - far too eloquent to be my blog), and its comments.
AMDG - J+M+J
