Consider the following.
The ranks of Priests are declining, even as the number of practicing Catholics continues to diminish at an alarming rate. Yet, territorial parishes designed to operate with more of both continue to be the organizational infrastructure of the diocese.
The result.
It is becoming more and more common for a single Priest to have care of two (if not more) parishes, while the actual number of practicing Catholics in these multi-parish assignments may very well be less than the Priest would have had in previous decades.
However, since the fewer number of parishioners is divided between multiple parishes, the Priest is confronted with the an inordinate increase of work in the demands upon his time and energy.
Being Pastor of two (or more) parishes means having two Confession and Mass schedules. Now, there are two sets of parish accounts to administer. In some cases, two schools to govern. Two sets of choirs, liturgical ministries and catechetical teams (for Baptism or Marriage Preparation) to oversee.
On any given weekend, the Pastor must divide Saturday evening and Sunday morning Masses between two church sites, sometimes saying four Masses for a combined congregation which could fit, often very comfortably, into three or perhaps two Masses at one site alone.
Such an arrangement is damaging both to the physical stamina of an aging Priesthood, but also to their spiritual and psychological well-being.
The solution is by no means ideal for parishioners either.
That is most obviously so for those in the Pastor’s “other” parish, the one away from where he actually resides.
Beyond that, for both sets of congregations there is the negative impact on parochial morale of never being in a full church.
Sadly and all too often, parishioners of one parish may be reluctant to fully engage and cooperate with their parochial counterparts, resulting in tension and growing animosity between or among them.
The simple truth, which many Bishops are loathe to publicly admit and confront, is that there are far too many parishes, or rather, far too many churches.
That’s because Bishops and their advisors have chosen the easier (for themselves) solution of combining two parishes into one, but retaining both church sites.
No Bishop wants to be the “bad guy" and close churches. The backlash from parishioners is often overwhelming. It is deeply upsetting and unpopular for Pastors and parishioners alike.
Combining faith communities is difficult. And, there will always be a portion of parishioners for whom this change to the status quo simply means they stop going to Mass altogether.
Often times, the churches themselves are historic or beautiful buildings where generations of Catholics have celebrated their faith, been baptised, married and buried. They comprise an identity which should not be lost lightly.
Moreover, once churches are sold, it is unlikely they could ever be re-purchased or constructed in their former grandeur.
And so, Bishops are rightly concerned that churches should be closed only as a matter of last resort.
Since I lack the wisdom of Solomon, I have no ready solution to this growing and problematic trend.
However, I do believe it is time for the Bishops to begin to have a frank and honest discussion of these facts with Pastors and parishioners.
Bishops need to initiate and engage in a mature dialogue which may lead to solutions which effectively serve both the needs of the Priests and the people entrusted to their spiritual care.
Sunday, January 7, 2018
Saturday, January 6, 2018
"CREATED MALE AND FEMALE": LETTER PUBLISHED ON USCCB WEBSITE MEETS STIFF RESISTANCE FROM GAY ADVOCACY GROUPS
On December 15 of last year, the letter “Created Male and Female” was published on the website of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB).
Signers included Archbishop Charles Chaput of Philadelphia, who chairs the U.S. Bishops’ Committee on Laity, Marriage, Family Life and Youth; Bishop James Conley of Lincoln, Chair of the Bishops’ Subcommittee for the Promotion and Defense of Marriage; Archbishop Joseph Kurtz of Louisville, Chair of the Bishops’ Committee for Religious Liberty; and Bishop Joseph Bambera of Scranton, who chairs the Committee on Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs.
Other signers included religious leaders from Orthodox, Anglican, Lutheran, Presbyterian, Pentecostal, Baptist, and Muslim backgrounds.
The religious leaders stressed that male and female are God-given differences that must be publicly acknowledged, and that those who are confused about their own identity deserve authentic support.
They voiced the belief that “God created each person male or female; therefore, sexual difference is not an accident or a flaw – it is a gift from God that helps draw us closer to each other and to God. What God has created is good.” They cited the Book of Genesis on the creation of humankind: “male and female he created them.”
The letter said the movement to enforce the idea that a man can become a woman or a woman can become a man is “deeply troubling.”
They voiced concern that children are affected by current trends in sexual identity and are harmed when told they can change their sex or are given hormones that can affect their development or render them infertile.
Desires to be identified as the opposite sex are “a complicated reality that needs to be addressed with sensitivity and truth” and with a response of “compassion, mercy and honesty,” the letter stated.
Almost immediately, New Ways Ministry’s Executive Director, Francis DeBernardo, encouraged his group’s supporters to write the four bishops who signed the recent letter. Claiming gender transition helps people “become closer to God,” he said the letter is “denying transgender experience” and “promotes a false scenario about how gender topics are being taught to children.”
This is not the first time that New Ways Ministry has contested official Church teaching.
The advocacy group has faced correction from leading U.S. bishops in the past, including a March, 2011 statement from Cardinal Donald Wuerl of Washington. A February 2010 statement from Cardinal Francis George of Chicago, then-President of the USCCB, said the group’s claim to be Catholic “only confuses the faithful regarding the authentic teaching and ministry of the Church with respect to persons with a homosexual inclination.”
In 1999, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, headed by the future Pope Benedict XVI, said New Ways Ministry’s founders took an approach to homosexuality that had “ambiguities and errors” which cause confusion among Catholics and harm the community of the Church.
The immediacy and shrillness of New Ways Ministry’s response to the letter should put all Bishops on alert that the effort to proclaim official Catholic teaching regarding the sanctity of human sexual identity will be met with fierce resistance by LGBT lobby.
Let us pray that the Bishops will persevere in their effort to combat the false narrative of such agenda-driven groups and speak the truth, honestly and lovingly to all.
Signers included Archbishop Charles Chaput of Philadelphia, who chairs the U.S. Bishops’ Committee on Laity, Marriage, Family Life and Youth; Bishop James Conley of Lincoln, Chair of the Bishops’ Subcommittee for the Promotion and Defense of Marriage; Archbishop Joseph Kurtz of Louisville, Chair of the Bishops’ Committee for Religious Liberty; and Bishop Joseph Bambera of Scranton, who chairs the Committee on Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs.
Other signers included religious leaders from Orthodox, Anglican, Lutheran, Presbyterian, Pentecostal, Baptist, and Muslim backgrounds.
The religious leaders stressed that male and female are God-given differences that must be publicly acknowledged, and that those who are confused about their own identity deserve authentic support.
They voiced the belief that “God created each person male or female; therefore, sexual difference is not an accident or a flaw – it is a gift from God that helps draw us closer to each other and to God. What God has created is good.” They cited the Book of Genesis on the creation of humankind: “male and female he created them.”
The letter said the movement to enforce the idea that a man can become a woman or a woman can become a man is “deeply troubling.”
They voiced concern that children are affected by current trends in sexual identity and are harmed when told they can change their sex or are given hormones that can affect their development or render them infertile.
Desires to be identified as the opposite sex are “a complicated reality that needs to be addressed with sensitivity and truth” and with a response of “compassion, mercy and honesty,” the letter stated.
Almost immediately, New Ways Ministry’s Executive Director, Francis DeBernardo, encouraged his group’s supporters to write the four bishops who signed the recent letter. Claiming gender transition helps people “become closer to God,” he said the letter is “denying transgender experience” and “promotes a false scenario about how gender topics are being taught to children.”
This is not the first time that New Ways Ministry has contested official Church teaching.
The advocacy group has faced correction from leading U.S. bishops in the past, including a March, 2011 statement from Cardinal Donald Wuerl of Washington. A February 2010 statement from Cardinal Francis George of Chicago, then-President of the USCCB, said the group’s claim to be Catholic “only confuses the faithful regarding the authentic teaching and ministry of the Church with respect to persons with a homosexual inclination.”
In 1999, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, headed by the future Pope Benedict XVI, said New Ways Ministry’s founders took an approach to homosexuality that had “ambiguities and errors” which cause confusion among Catholics and harm the community of the Church.
The immediacy and shrillness of New Ways Ministry’s response to the letter should put all Bishops on alert that the effort to proclaim official Catholic teaching regarding the sanctity of human sexual identity will be met with fierce resistance by LGBT lobby.
Let us pray that the Bishops will persevere in their effort to combat the false narrative of such agenda-driven groups and speak the truth, honestly and lovingly to all.
Friday, January 5, 2018
THIS YEAR'S SYNOD ON YOUTH: A FANCIFUL WASTE OF TIME AND RESOURCE
The Holy Father has directed that the Synod to be held in October of this year be focused upon young people and their role within the Church.
Pope Francis is keenly aware of the numbers of youth who have simply abandoned the Catholic Faith.
Many in positions of leadership and influence within the Church believe that the vast majority of young people who have fallen away from the practice of their faith will return when they marry and begin having families of their own.
The facts, however, tell a much different story.
According to the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA), in 1990 there were 10 million people who referred to themselves as “former Catholics.”
Last year, that number was more than 30 million.
As for their returning to Catholic practice when they marry?
There were 326,079 weddings in the church in 1990. In 2016, the number fell to just 145,916.
Hence, Pope Francis announced that the general assembly of the Synod of Bishops will focus on the topic “Young People, the Faith and Vocational Discernment.” Young people ages 16 to 29 have been invited to participate in an online survey in preparation for the bishops’ meeting in October 2018. More recently, Pope Francis has called for a pre-synod meeting of young people, to be held March 19 to 24 to hear firsthand their hopes and concerns.
One must wonder if such attention on the younger generation will have any practical effect upon their allegiance to and practice of the faith.
Pope St. John Paull II initiated World Youth Days. Yet, despite the success of such events, parishes, high schools and colleges still struggle to successfully reach a wider audience among young people. Many Church ministers are working to re-examine the church’s relationship to youth and young adults.
According to a study from St. Mary’s Press and CARA, among those Catholics who choose to leave the church, 74 percent do so between the ages of 10 and 20. And 87 percent of them say that it is for good.
Here’s the real problem, however. Pope Francis and the Bishops apparently don’t see or are reluctant to admit that the Church has lost its youth because the Church has lost their parents.
The underlying reason for this crisis in the loss of faith among young people is the fact that the vast majority of young people these days come from broken homes and are affectively denied the guidance and supervision of their parents. Many others are raised in families whose parents do not actively practice their Catholic faith and give little example which would inspire their children to embrace the wisdom and teachings of the Church.
Youth ministry must begin and end with ministry to parents.
Until the Church realizes this fundamental truth, all the Synods and World Youth Days are nothing other than gimmicks which can never replace the influence which the good example of parents who are devoted to and who actively celebrate their Catholic Faith has upon their children, the future generations of the Church.
Pope Francis is keenly aware of the numbers of youth who have simply abandoned the Catholic Faith.
Many in positions of leadership and influence within the Church believe that the vast majority of young people who have fallen away from the practice of their faith will return when they marry and begin having families of their own.
The facts, however, tell a much different story.
According to the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA), in 1990 there were 10 million people who referred to themselves as “former Catholics.”
Last year, that number was more than 30 million.
As for their returning to Catholic practice when they marry?
There were 326,079 weddings in the church in 1990. In 2016, the number fell to just 145,916.
Hence, Pope Francis announced that the general assembly of the Synod of Bishops will focus on the topic “Young People, the Faith and Vocational Discernment.” Young people ages 16 to 29 have been invited to participate in an online survey in preparation for the bishops’ meeting in October 2018. More recently, Pope Francis has called for a pre-synod meeting of young people, to be held March 19 to 24 to hear firsthand their hopes and concerns.
One must wonder if such attention on the younger generation will have any practical effect upon their allegiance to and practice of the faith.
Pope St. John Paull II initiated World Youth Days. Yet, despite the success of such events, parishes, high schools and colleges still struggle to successfully reach a wider audience among young people. Many Church ministers are working to re-examine the church’s relationship to youth and young adults.
According to a study from St. Mary’s Press and CARA, among those Catholics who choose to leave the church, 74 percent do so between the ages of 10 and 20. And 87 percent of them say that it is for good.
Here’s the real problem, however. Pope Francis and the Bishops apparently don’t see or are reluctant to admit that the Church has lost its youth because the Church has lost their parents.
The underlying reason for this crisis in the loss of faith among young people is the fact that the vast majority of young people these days come from broken homes and are affectively denied the guidance and supervision of their parents. Many others are raised in families whose parents do not actively practice their Catholic faith and give little example which would inspire their children to embrace the wisdom and teachings of the Church.
Youth ministry must begin and end with ministry to parents.
Until the Church realizes this fundamental truth, all the Synods and World Youth Days are nothing other than gimmicks which can never replace the influence which the good example of parents who are devoted to and who actively celebrate their Catholic Faith has upon their children, the future generations of the Church.
Thursday, January 4, 2018
GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH REINSTATES ORDER OF DEACONNESS: A MODEL FOR A ROMAN CATHOLIC FEMALE DIACONATE?
Patriarch Theodoros II and the Greek Orthodox Holy Synod of the Patriarchate of Alexandria recently reinstated the order of deaconesses.
"We respectfully support the decision of the Patriarchate of Alexandria to restore the female diaconate, thus giving flesh to an idea that has been discussed and studied by pastors and theologians for decades," nine Orthodox theologians from theology schools and seminaries of the United States and Greece stated.
"The reinstitution of the female diaconate does not constitute an innovation, as some would have us believe," the theologians said, "but the revitalization of a once functional, vibrant, and effectual ministry," the theologians said.
Theodoros, Pope and Patriarch of Alexandria and All Africa, consecrated five women to the diaconate last year in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, primarily to assist in missionary churches.
Modern Orthodox scholarship acknowledges the existence of a female diaconate in the early church. The ministry was suppressed in the late Byzantine period.
In what appears to have been a blending of the ordination of Deacons and the blessing of those entering the Subdiaconate (the highest minor order in the Orthodox Church), Theodoros did not ordain the women in the traditional manner, with the laying of hands at the altar, but "consecrated" them at a place removed from the sanctuary.
How the revitalization of a female order of Deacons in the Orthodox Church may influence the work of Pope Francis' commission studying the possibility of female Deacons in the Roman Catholic Church will certainly be studied closely by Vatican watchers and scholars, to be sure.
It should be noted that, in the Orthodox Church, the Diaconate is a ministry which is permanent and not seen as a step to the Priesthood or Episcopacy. It is a vocation in its own right as is the Permanent Diaconate in the Roman Catholic Church.
"We respectfully support the decision of the Patriarchate of Alexandria to restore the female diaconate, thus giving flesh to an idea that has been discussed and studied by pastors and theologians for decades," nine Orthodox theologians from theology schools and seminaries of the United States and Greece stated.
"The reinstitution of the female diaconate does not constitute an innovation, as some would have us believe," the theologians said, "but the revitalization of a once functional, vibrant, and effectual ministry," the theologians said.
Theodoros, Pope and Patriarch of Alexandria and All Africa, consecrated five women to the diaconate last year in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, primarily to assist in missionary churches.
Modern Orthodox scholarship acknowledges the existence of a female diaconate in the early church. The ministry was suppressed in the late Byzantine period.
In what appears to have been a blending of the ordination of Deacons and the blessing of those entering the Subdiaconate (the highest minor order in the Orthodox Church), Theodoros did not ordain the women in the traditional manner, with the laying of hands at the altar, but "consecrated" them at a place removed from the sanctuary.
How the revitalization of a female order of Deacons in the Orthodox Church may influence the work of Pope Francis' commission studying the possibility of female Deacons in the Roman Catholic Church will certainly be studied closely by Vatican watchers and scholars, to be sure.
It should be noted that, in the Orthodox Church, the Diaconate is a ministry which is permanent and not seen as a step to the Priesthood or Episcopacy. It is a vocation in its own right as is the Permanent Diaconate in the Roman Catholic Church.
Wednesday, January 3, 2018
A BULLETIN OF SORTS: TAX REFORM LEGISLATION AND CHARITABLE GIVING
Previous IRS laws allowed taxpayers to avoid paying federal income tax on donations to qualified non-profit organizaions if they itemized their tax return.
However, with the passage of the recent tax reform bill, the number of people who qualify for the charitable deduction is projected to plummet next year from about 30 percent of tax filers to as low as 5 percent.
That’s because the new tax code nearly doubles the standard deduction and limits the value of other deductions, such as for state and local taxes.
The biggest change is expected to be among households earning $75,000 to $200,000 a year.
The tax changes come at a time when charities are already worried about the fate of small donors.
The new tax code further reduces the privileged status of charitable gifts, treating them the same as purchases from Walmart for the vast majority of taxpayers.
As a result, charities will face more uncertainty about finances in 2018 and beyond.
Some donors might not know about the tax code changes and continue donating as a result, only to be surprised when they pay taxes in 2019. Others might stop making regular $1,000-a-year donations and bundle several years together into a single $5,000 gift now to take advantage of the old tax rules.
This could create cash flow challenges for nonprofits.
Granted, charitable giving is not primarily inspired or motivated by tax legislation. However, the impact of the new tax reform upon middle class budgets may indeed affect the both the manner and amount which the vast majority of those who support charities continue to donate in order to continue the works of mercy these organizations provide.
Pastors of churches can expect to see significant changes in traditional patterns of donations and contributions in the year ahead.
However, with the passage of the recent tax reform bill, the number of people who qualify for the charitable deduction is projected to plummet next year from about 30 percent of tax filers to as low as 5 percent.
That’s because the new tax code nearly doubles the standard deduction and limits the value of other deductions, such as for state and local taxes.
The biggest change is expected to be among households earning $75,000 to $200,000 a year.
The tax changes come at a time when charities are already worried about the fate of small donors.
The new tax code further reduces the privileged status of charitable gifts, treating them the same as purchases from Walmart for the vast majority of taxpayers.
As a result, charities will face more uncertainty about finances in 2018 and beyond.
Some donors might not know about the tax code changes and continue donating as a result, only to be surprised when they pay taxes in 2019. Others might stop making regular $1,000-a-year donations and bundle several years together into a single $5,000 gift now to take advantage of the old tax rules.
This could create cash flow challenges for nonprofits.
Granted, charitable giving is not primarily inspired or motivated by tax legislation. However, the impact of the new tax reform upon middle class budgets may indeed affect the both the manner and amount which the vast majority of those who support charities continue to donate in order to continue the works of mercy these organizations provide.
Pastors of churches can expect to see significant changes in traditional patterns of donations and contributions in the year ahead.
Monday, January 1, 2018
THE TIME HAS COME: BISHOPS WHO DISSENT FROM THE AUTHENTIC MAGISTERIUM OF AMORIS LAETITIA MUST EITHER RESIGN OR BE REMOVED FROM OFFICE
Three Bishops have spoken out against Pope Francis’ interpretation of Amoris Laetitia to allow some remarried divorcees access to Holy Communion, saying such a reading is causing “rampant confusion,” is “alien” to the Catholic faith, and will spread “a plague of divorce” in the Church.
Bishop Athanasius Schneider, Auxiliary of Astana, Kazakhstan, Archbishop Tomash Peta, Metropolitan of Astana, and Archbishop Jan Pawel Lenga of Karaganda, Kazakhstan issued a Profession of the immutable truths about sacramental marriage on December 31 as a “service of charity in truth” to the Church of today and to the Pope.
The Bishops took the decision to make a “public and unequivocal profession of the truth” regarding the Church’s teaching on the indissolubility of marriage because they say they “are not allowed to be silent.”
As Catholic Bishops charged with defending and promoting the Catholic faith and common discipline, they say they have a “grave responsibility” and “duty before the faithful” who expect from them “a public and unequivocal profession of the truth and the immutable discipline of the Church regarding the indissolubility of marriage.”
They note that after the publication of Pope Francis’ document on the family, Amoris Laetitia, various bishops and bishops’ conferences have issued norms allowing some civilly remarried divorcees, not living in sexual continence, to receive the sacraments of Penance and Holy Communion. They point out that these various hierarchical authorities (Germany, Malta, and Buenos Aires, although they do not cite them by name), have also received approval “even from the supreme authority of the Church.”
Last month Pope Francis decided to formally declare the Buenos Aires bishops’ interpretation of Amoris Laetitia “authentic magisterium.”
In light of that fact alone, these Bishops have no alternative but to resign their respective offices since they are no longer in union with the Vicar of Christ for the Universal Church.
Any confusion which persists regarding the authentic interpretation of Amoris Laetitia is being perpetrated and extenuated due to those Bishops who willfully and obstinately refuse to accept what has been declared to be “authentic magisterium”. The division which such Bishops are causing among the Christian faithful is injurious to the Body of Christ.
Should they not have the integrity to step down from their Apostolic Office, the Holy Father should remove them immediately and begin taking steps to see that the seeds of dissent are crushed before they ever have a chance of blossoming into full-fledged schism.
Bishop Athanasius Schneider, Auxiliary of Astana, Kazakhstan, Archbishop Tomash Peta, Metropolitan of Astana, and Archbishop Jan Pawel Lenga of Karaganda, Kazakhstan issued a Profession of the immutable truths about sacramental marriage on December 31 as a “service of charity in truth” to the Church of today and to the Pope.
The Bishops took the decision to make a “public and unequivocal profession of the truth” regarding the Church’s teaching on the indissolubility of marriage because they say they “are not allowed to be silent.”
As Catholic Bishops charged with defending and promoting the Catholic faith and common discipline, they say they have a “grave responsibility” and “duty before the faithful” who expect from them “a public and unequivocal profession of the truth and the immutable discipline of the Church regarding the indissolubility of marriage.”
They note that after the publication of Pope Francis’ document on the family, Amoris Laetitia, various bishops and bishops’ conferences have issued norms allowing some civilly remarried divorcees, not living in sexual continence, to receive the sacraments of Penance and Holy Communion. They point out that these various hierarchical authorities (Germany, Malta, and Buenos Aires, although they do not cite them by name), have also received approval “even from the supreme authority of the Church.”
Last month Pope Francis decided to formally declare the Buenos Aires bishops’ interpretation of Amoris Laetitia “authentic magisterium.”
In light of that fact alone, these Bishops have no alternative but to resign their respective offices since they are no longer in union with the Vicar of Christ for the Universal Church.
Any confusion which persists regarding the authentic interpretation of Amoris Laetitia is being perpetrated and extenuated due to those Bishops who willfully and obstinately refuse to accept what has been declared to be “authentic magisterium”. The division which such Bishops are causing among the Christian faithful is injurious to the Body of Christ.
Should they not have the integrity to step down from their Apostolic Office, the Holy Father should remove them immediately and begin taking steps to see that the seeds of dissent are crushed before they ever have a chance of blossoming into full-fledged schism.
HAPPY NEW YEAR 2018
To all those who were energetic and brought in the New Year at Midnight as well as to those who welcome 2018 (after a long winter's nap), I wish the blessings of health, happiness and peace.
In so many ways, Our Heavenly Father bestows his bounteous blessings upon us, so often that we are not even cognizant of how He provides for our needs each moment of our lives.
May we place our trust in His Providence and thank Him for His Love for all of us!
Whatever may happen in the New Year, for good or ill, as blessing or challenge, may we turn to the Lord each day and welcome His Presence in our lives.
God bless you, each and everyone!
Enjoy the day however you may and may the love of family and friends be constant and always supportive.
Happy New Year!
Father Joe
In so many ways, Our Heavenly Father bestows his bounteous blessings upon us, so often that we are not even cognizant of how He provides for our needs each moment of our lives.
May we place our trust in His Providence and thank Him for His Love for all of us!
Whatever may happen in the New Year, for good or ill, as blessing or challenge, may we turn to the Lord each day and welcome His Presence in our lives.
God bless you, each and everyone!
Enjoy the day however you may and may the love of family and friends be constant and always supportive.
Happy New Year!
Father Joe
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