April 28, 2023 Column Father De Celles
Easter Continues. The Easter Season continues through Pentecost, May 28,
reminding us that the power of the Resurrection of Christ extends throughout the
year, i.e., to every day of our lives. The Resurrection is real, and has enduring
effects: “by your Cross and Resurrection you have set us free.” So, let this be a
time of remembering with great joy the Lord’s power revealed in His death and
resurrection, and that His grace makes that power effective in our own lives.
Update on Altar-Rail Repair. Well, the Altar Rail repair is complete now. In the
past few weeks you’ve noticed the iron reinforcements placed at the ends of
each rail. This last week the project was completed by encasing those ironworks
in columns of marble which have dual purpose of additional structural
reinforcement and aesthetic appeal. Thanks be to God, back to normal—only
better.
Synod Developments. In continuing preparation for the Synod on Synodality
in Rome in October, the “Continental phase” has been completed for North
America, resulting in a 40 page document called, “For a Synodal Church:
Communion, Participation, and Mission.” According to the document, it is
summary of the work of, “twelve virtual assemblies (sessions)” involving “931
delegates …from a variety of vocations, with 391 lay women, 235 lay men, 76
deacons, 148 priests (diocesan and religious), 77 women religious, and 4 non-
ordained men religious. There also were 146 bishops who participated in one or
more of the virtual assemblies.”
I am not impressed. Let me quote from an article by Robert Royal on “The
Catholic Thing” last week:
“A good editor might have condensed the material to 5 pages. And the
words ‘redemption,’ ‘repentance,’ ‘mercy,’ ‘forgiveness,’ let alone eternal matters
like Heaven Hell, never appear. And there’s only one allusion to how we’re all
‘broken and sinful.’ So what are we listening to the Spirit for, other than a better
social life in the Church? Doesn’t eternity deserve some consideration?
“…The bishops themselves actually make some sharp observations,
beginning with, ‘People don’t know what the Synod on Synodality is for. They
don’t understand the purpose, couldn’t grasp what was trying to be achieved.’
And: ‘Some polarizations arise within the Church, whereas others originate in the
wider society and are transposed into the Church.’”
I’m not only not impressed with the document, but I also honestly disagree
with this whole project. Among other reasons, as I wrote over a year ago:
“The input/listening is summarized/edited. The ultimate users—the bishops
in synod, the bishops in charge of the synod (“Redactors”) or even the
Pope—are free to pick, choose and ignore, and then come up with final
conclusions based on their own preferences, while at the same time claiming a
“popular approval.” After all, “they listened to the people.”
“….Most importantly, it is not so much important to listen to the people,
especially those who are dissenters, outside or even in opposition to the Church,
as it is to listen to orthodox, wise, holy members of the faithful. And above all, it is
much more important, absolutely so, to listen and obey Sacred Tradition and
Sacred Scripture, i.e., the Deposit of the Faith. The Holy Spirit moves, but the evil
spirit is also ever-present, “looking for someone to devour.”
And allow me a new but small pet peeve: the 931 delegates mentioned
above were all from Canada and the U.S. Note to the powers that be (I know you
know this, but apparently you think we don’t): the “Continent” of “North America”
is not just the United States and Canada, but includes Mexico and Greenland
and all of Central America down to Panama—23 countries.
Senator Kaine Defends Spying on Catholics. Did you see this widely reported
news story last week (quoting here from Catholic World News):
“Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA), a Catholic who was Sen. Hilary Clinton’s running
mate in the 2016 presidential election, defended an FBI investigation into ‘radical
traditionalist’ Catholics that was brought to light by a leaked memo.
“The memo, distributed by the FBI’s Richmond office, linked the traditional
Latin Mass to hate groups. The memo, subsequently retracted by the FBI and
condemned by Bishop Barry Knestout of Richmond, received criticism from 20
state attorneys-general and from former FBI leaders. ….
“Sen. Kaine said the purpose of the investigation was actually to look into
violent extremists who were targeting ‘radical traditionalist Catholics’ in an effort
to recruit them, according to WSET-TV, a television station based in Lynchburg,
VA.
“‘We’ve done the same thing for years working in tandem with mosques
because there have been groups that have tried to target or radicalize, especially
young people,’ added the senator, who ‘said he helped connect bishops with the
FBI so they can further discuss these concerns with transparency.’”
What? Just to name a few problems with Kaine’s logic:
1) Do law abiding Catholics, whose leaders are constantly calling them to
“turn the other cheek” and “love your enemy,” pose the same risk as law abiding
Muslims who have so many of their leaders, and even their holy book, teaching
them the opposite?
2) How many Catholic bishops or priests could be called advocates of
“violent extremism,” versus how many Muslim Imams or Mullahs? (Before you
write me, yes, there are many peaceful and law-abiding Imams/Mullahs).
3) Is it at all reasonable to compare the reaction to “violent extremists” who
gave us the death and destruction of “9/11” and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan,
to the work of so called “violent extremists who were targeting ‘radical
traditionalist Catholics’”?
4) Is the FBI investigating “extremist” public school teachers who are trying
to recruit students into lifestyles and political views contrary to the laws and
founding values of our nation, some of them even promoting the “violent
extremism” of groups like Antifa?
5) Last but not least (and really not “last”): are “traditional Catholics,” LIKE
ME AND MANY OF YOU, really so stupid thst they need Kaine and the FBI to tell
them what to believe and that violent extremism is a bad thing?
Post-Lent: Time to Catch Up, and More. Thanks to the good work of Fr.
Bergida and Fr. Horkan, this Lent was probably the least stressful for me in
years. Even so, with the extra attention paid to the special activities of Lent and
the Triduum, I found myself postponing or overlooking some of the ordinary
“business” of the parish. Because of this, I am now playing catch up, going back
and discovering all the things I didn’t do during Lent. This includes emails I might
not have responded to. In this regard, if I have neglected an email or other
request from you, I apologize, and if I owe you a phone call or email, please
remind me: I consider that an act of kindness. And thanks for your continuing
patient charity.
New Plant Manager. Many thanks to Joe Marquart for his hard work and
dedication as Plant Manager over the last two years. Joe is leaving that post, and
we are looking for his replacement. More details on the job description next
week.
Oremus pro invicem. Fr. De Celles