From Fr. Z: Rabbi Warns that the Left-Wing Is Destroying the Church

Read and share this very interesting commentary from an unexpected source regarding a major struggle the Catholic Church is locked in right now.

Against All Odds

Here's a truly heartwarming video about a young man with autism who accomplished something quite astonishing.

 

Couragous Priest Denounces "Moloch" Rising in the U.S.

Thank God there are still prophets among us who are willing to stand up and speak the truth,  regardless of the repercussions. Father Richard Perozich, a San Diego-area priest, demonstrated great courage with his recent message to his parishioners, "100 Days or End of Days," which was printed in the bulletin on February 1, 2009.

I'm confident that this clarion call to holiness and to abandon the evils of our day will be greeted enthusiastically by some, probably a minority, ignored by most, and attacked with furious hostility by others — you know, the ones who see themselves as participating in those actions and structures that the priest so forthrightly denounces as evil. Which category do you fall into?

Here is a lengthy snippet from Father Perozich's statement. It's well worth sharing, far and wide:

The "governator" Arnold Schwarzenegger starred in a 1999 movie called "End of Days" where the devil was to come to take over the world. In the story line the devil must mate with and be born of a certain mortal if he is to escape hell and begin his reign of dominance over human hearts and freedom, to oppress people with death, pride, avarice, greed, sloth, ire, gluttony and lust. Arnold plays a man wounded spiritually and emotionally who ultimately opposes the devil who is defeated and reconsigned to hell for another 1,000 years. In real life, however, his legislation works for Satan.

The first 100 days of a new presidency is the time when legislation desired by the new leader is rammed through the congress without much discussion and over the objections of the minority party. It often is not good legislation, has been brewing in the hearts of special interest groups for years, who now have a vehicle to impose their will on the American people.

If the special interest groups have their way, the first 100 days will spell the end of days for the American nation as we have known it since 1776. Abominations will be forced on us by the new government, such as which our founders never had intended, and certainly opposed to the Christian life: abortion on demand, homogenital sex, lust in all its forms, euthanasia, stem cell killling, cloning, taxes, oppression of opportunity and entrepreneurs, silencing of faith and free speech among many.

 

In the Old Testament, God’s chosen people abandoned Him and sacrificed their own innocent children to a demon god called Moloch in hopes of a good harvest to feed themselves. The cult of Moloch lives on today, but just not under the god’s formal name, but in the name of abortion, or rightly put, murder of children in the womb to promote false promises, ruined lives, and degraded humanity.

Abortion is our god and Obama, Pelosi, Kennedy are his prophets. His sacrifice is the life of infants and the souls of mothers. His priests are doctors who perform abortions. His church is Planned Parenthood and FOCA, (freedom of choice act). His covenant promises rights and freedom for women. It delivers death of infants, [and] permanent damage to the souls of women, of men, of politicians.

Homosexual lust is our god and Obama, Bishop Gene Robinson, and the Democratic Party are his prophets. The sacrifice is personal integrity and corruption of the body and spirit. Its priests and priestesses are men who have sex with men (MSM) and women who have sex with women (WSW). Its church is the Human Rights Campaign and other activist organizations, Pride clubs and "gay" and "lesbian" centers. Its covenant offers false promises of equality with those who have normal sexual feelings and inner peace. It delivers disease, prolonged adolescent immaturity, and oppression of the church and good people who live upright moral lives.

Money is our god, and the the wealthy and welfare are its prophets. Its sacrifice is hard earned savings and retirement. Its priests are those taking obscene profits by defrauding investors, and those who choose government money over honest work. Its church is a non vigilant Securities and Exchange Commission and congress. Its covenant promises self reliance and security in wealth or sustenance. It delivers collapse of the economy, unfair distribution of wealth, and a drain on the tax system.

Socialism is our god, and Obama is his prophet. Its sacrifice is personal freedom. Its priests are politicians and communist ideological organizations. Its church are legislatures and executive branches in government. Its covenant promises fairness and sameness for all. It delivers power and wealth those who already possess it and takes away opportunity for those out of power and destroys of the economy and future for others.

Liberalism is our god and the Democratic Party is his prophet. Its sacrifice is freedom, integrity, opportunity, and wholeness. Its priests are the fascist elites in government, education, and bureaucracies, who wish to control others’ thoughts and actions. Its churches are political parties, universities, and corrupt professional organizations. Its covenant promises unbridled freedom for perversion of the natural law and oppression for all who disagree with it. It delivers the breakdown of society, constitutional government, and true freedom for morally minded people, especially faithful Christians.

For us Christians, these are abominations, and the people who promote them are truly overcome by evil. 2 Peter 2:19-20 "They promise them freedom, though they themselves are slaves of corruption, for a person is a slave of whatever overcomes him. For if they, having escaped the defilements of the world through the knowledge of (our) Lord and savior Jesus Christ, again become entangled and overcome by them, their last condition is worse than their first."

 

This may not be the change you wanted when you voted for new government, but it is the change you voted for if you did not clearly listen to the evil promises of the new prophets and priests of the new "churches" and ignored the warnings about the new evils that this government clearly promised to impose on America. . . .

(Read full article in PDF format, scroll down to page 4)

(HT to California Catholic Daily)

 

Hans Küng Lobs (another) Stupid-Grenade at the Pope

In my recent commentary about the crisis in the Legion of Christ (This Is No Time for Happy-Face Stickers), I said:

“Watch and see. You'll soon notice certain people trying to use this scandal to malign Pope John Paul II (a long-time supporter of Fr. Maciel and the Legion), in a way similar to how some are right now attempting to exploit the recent SSPX Bishop Williamson Holocaust-debacle against Pope Benedict XVI.”

Here is an example of what I meant about how certain people make use of seemingly disparate issues to advance their agendas.

Fr. Hans Küng has oh-so-helpfully lobbed his very own “stupid-grenade” into the volatile  controversy (which is really a non-controversy) surrounding SSPX Bishop Williamson's inane remarks about the Holocaust.

Who better at this moment to challenge Pope Benedict’s recent un-excommunication of four right-wing prelates than another 81-year-old?

The recent papal edict re-enfolding Bishop Richard Williamson, a British holocaust denier and misogynist, has offended Jews, set interfaith relations back fifty years, repudiated Vatican II’s own views, and left the 40 or so women recently excommunicated because of their illicit ordinations breathless with indignation.

It has also has provoked a sharp response in a German newspaper, one that is being quickly sent around the world on the internet. Its writer is the eminent professor of ecumenical theology at Tubingen University, where he continues to teach eager classes, although he’s not permitted by Rome to teach as an official Catholic theologian.

It is just one of the paradoxes in the story of modern Catholic thought, and in the personal life of Rev. Hans Kung. He is, and has been since 1954, a Catholic priest. When he travels, he stays in the various rectories of Catholic parishes, hearing the confessions of the faithful, as he told us in Toronto in 2002, “as much as I am able.”

With his easy charm, impressive intellect, and clipped accent, Hans Kung, ever a sharp thorn in the Vatican, strides once more onto the ecclesial stage. The world-known Swiss Roman Catholic priest and theologian, who served as a peritus or expert at the Council (1962-65), he shared this responsibility with his German colleague, Josef Ratzinger, then a progressive thinker. How their paths would diverge.

To get right to the point, Kung in his article on February 3, wished Barack Obama were Pope. “The mood in the church is oppressive, reforms are paralyzed, and the church in crisis,” he says. “Benedict is unteachable in matters of birth control and abortion, arrogant and without transparency and restrictive of freedom and human rights.”

For Kung, Benedict should act as Obama has done, declaring a crisis, identifying the problems, proclaiming a vision of hope, revitalizing ecumenism, gathering competent colleagues of either gender, and using the power of his executive office to issue decrees (unhindered by such institutions as a democratically-elected Congress or a Supreme Court.)

But no, “the Pope is reorienting himself backward, inspired by the ideal of the medieval church, looking toward the Council of 1870, not the one of 1965.” (read article)

Legionary Priest: “This Is More Than Just a Crisis In Management”

Legionary of Christ priest, Fr. Thomas Berg, a friend of mine whom I've quoted here before, has just released a new statement regarding the unfolding crisis in the Legion of Christ:

 

Dear everyone —
 
Christ's peace.
 
I write to you this Sunday morning with my heart in my hand. I know personally that so many of our priests, section directors, have been working for hours on end, meeting with groups of RC, first to break the horrible news and then to accompany them, often themselves reduced to the point of tears. Then there have been the endless follow—up phone calls, private conversations. Believe me, we have all been trying to do everything possible to reach out to all of you personally.
 
But my heart aches because our best efforts have not been enough. I want to reach out to you as a brother and friend this morning and try to assure you, if nothing else, that we are here. I know further efforts are underway to attempt to respond more adequately and formally to the confusion you all feel, not to mention the hurt and betrayal. I beg you, in the midst of such pain and hurt, please bear with your directors.
 
At the same time, however, I also beg you forgiveness for the disastrous response which this crisis has received from our upper LC leadership. There is no other way to say it: in so many respects, Legionary superiors have failed, and failed miserably to respond adequately to this crisis, and not surprisingly, have engendered in many of you and understandable lack of confidence. Those are the facts and your reaction is natural and reasonable. With all my heart, on their behalf, I apologize. Our superiors are human instruments; I know in their hearts they have trying to do the right thing, under inhuman pressure. Please understand that.
 
I am not making any excuses, however, for the fumbled media responses (which I believe have been too often unfairly attributed to Jim Fair our communications director who needs your prayers and has earned a very high place in heaven for what he has had to endure this week), for the appearances of being less than forthcoming, for the lack of information, for the confusion of messaging. For that, there is no excuse in a way, and tragically is largely due to the ineptness of many of those in leadership positions to respond with expertise and diligence in a crisis management situation like this.
 
But it is more than just crisis management. The thing I am most pained about—I share this as a brother—is the near absence of but fleeting suggestions of sorrow, and of apologizing for the harm done, both to alleged victims of Maciel, and, frankly, to all of you. I am deeply, deeply sorry, and I personally apologize with my heart in my hand to each and every one of you.
 
I understand your feelings of betrayal. For twenty-three years I have loved and tried to follow Christ in the Legion. I can say before God, in spite of my many human frailties, I have been faithful. I have also, more than many of you to be honest, gone out on limb after limb, trying to defend Maciel. I have lived my priesthood always with that cloud hanging over me, always having to essentially apologize for being a Legionary. You feel betrayed? You feel rage? I can only say that the rage, and raw emotions that I have felt these past days (the hardest days of my entire life, emotions like I have never experienced) are only a glimpse of the unspeakable hell that victims of priest sexual abuse must go through. My thoughts and my heart have been so often with them these days…
 
I know that many of your are utterly confused about what you are feeling and about where we go from here. In no particular order, let me offer my advice and counsel as follows:
 
1. Most of you are going through the stages of mourning. Understand that and know what that means. This is a very useful site: http://www.cancersurvivors.org/Coping/end%20term/stages.htm
 
2. Keep talking to your section directors. Let them know how you feel. Let them know if you are satisfied with their response to you.
 
3. Many of you might find it to be a wonderfully freeing and healing experience to offer acts of reparation for those suffering the effects of priestly sexual abuse. You might also find it healing to reach out to persons who, in any way, have found themselves hurt by their experiences with the Legion or RC.
 
4. For your own spiritual needs right now:
 
a. Remember you are free to speak with anyone, inside or outside the Movement about your pain, your reactions to this tragic news, and for ease of conscience to speak to whomever you believe can best help you at this time. I would encourage you to reach out to and find guidance from priests whose holiness and sound judgment you trust, whether Legionaries or not.
 
b. Your spiritual experiences—even when they came through the letters of the Founder—are valid, and real. God was working through those instruments. The sad revelations about Maciel do not change that. Try to thank God for the past, and sing his praises for the way he has done in your lives through RC. Prayer of thankfulness will help you. Prayer of thanksgiving for this deliverance he has given us now, and for the purification which we are undergoing will also be very helpful.
 
c. If you still find the letters of the founder helpful in prayer, feel free to use them. But it is certainly OK to leave them aside. Remember that in many ways, the spirit and charism we have lived is Pauline. Continue to nourish your spirit on the letters of St. Paul.
 
d. In your meditation, go back to the bedrock truths of your life and ponder them serenely before God and let him use that meditation to soothe your hearts: the Incarnation of the Son of God, the Redemption, the gifts of the Holy Spirit, your Baptism, your call to a more deeply committed Christian life, and a loving meditation ("Mary meditated on all these things in here heart") of all the wonders God has done in your life.
 
e. I also recommend using The Better Part by Fr. Bartunek, and any other spiritual writings be Legionary priests. You might find those helpful. Your section directors should also be able to point you in the direction of other sources on which to nourish your souls. Share your ideas with each other.
 
Finally, I encourage you to speak to Legionary leadership, and even in the form of petition letters, demand nothing less than full transparency regarding the case of Fr. Maciel. Demand that Fr. Alvaro seek an independent third party investigation (perhaps in the form of a temporary review board or Visitation team from the holy see) into uncovering any Legionaries who may have been accomplices to Maciel. Demand that a similar body guide Legionary leadership in introducing any needed reforms into the internal culture, methods and religious discipline of the Legion.
 
And remember: "Entrust your life to the Lord, and He will act."

Let's pray for each other. With all my love, gratitude to all of you for your fidelity.

In Jesus,

Fr. Thomas Berg, LC
 
P.S. Please spread my message far and wide to as many RC members as you can.

Could These Be Future Homes for Uppity Catholics?

Like you, I've heard about the alleged existence of secret government-established "detention centers" before, but only from the black-helicopter crowd, so I personally never paid any attention to the claims, dismissing them as preposterous, because "our government would never do something terrible like that to its own citizens. Right?"

"Well," the voice of reason reminds me, "isn't the government that would never do something like that to its citizens the same government that legally protects and sanctions and pays for the murder of millions of babies, the most defenceless of its citizens, through abortion?"

Point well taken.

So that's why today, when I ran across this detention-camp article that seems to lend credibility to the claims, I thought I'd post it here for your consideration and comments. 

Personally, I can totally see this as being part of a gradually expanding effort on the part of some in our government who would like to see trouble-makers of all kinds sequestered, if they get too vocal in their criticisms of things like FOCA. 

Combine this with the fact that the U.S. military has just recently redeployed a full combat brigade, formerly engaged in combat operations in Iraq, to take up duty right here in the United States — in preparation for massive "civil unrest."

If these are dots we should be connecting, I'm not liking the pattern I see emerging here. 

Rep. Alcee L. Hastings, D-Fla., has introduced to the House of Representatives a new bill, H.R. 645, calling for the secretary of homeland security to establish no fewer than six national emergency centers for corralling civilians on military installations.

The proposed bill, which has received little mainstream media attention, appears designed to create the type of detention center that those concerned about use of the military in domestic affairs fear could be used as concentration camps for political dissidents, such as occurred in Nazi Germany.

 

The bill also appears to expand the president's emergency power, much as the executive order signed by President Bush on May 9, 2007, that, as WND reported, gave the president the authority to declare an emergency and take over the direction of all federal, state, local, territorial and tribal governments without even consulting Congress.

As WND also reported, DHS has awarded a $385 million contract to Houston-based KBR, Halliburton's former engineering and construction subsidiary, to build temporary detention centers on an "as-needed" basis in national emergency situations. (read article)

Legionary Priest Expresses “Shock and Sorrow” at Fr. Maciel's Moral Failings

I've known and admired Father Thomas Berg, L.C., as a friend for many years. I admire him even more after reading his brief but forthright statement, posted publicly today, which reads in part:

“In shock, sorrow, and with a humbled spirit, I want to express my deepest sorrow for anyone who, in any way, has been hurt by the moral failings of Fr. Maciel. Of my readers, I ask your prayers for each of them. They count not only on my prayers, but also on the personal acts of reparation that I intend to do to implore for each of them the grace, healing, and comfort that only God can give. I am so sorry for each of them, and for the scandal this has caused to the entire Church.” (read more)

Pumped Up For the Coming Great Depression!

This, my friends, is an expression of the state Western culture is in now. I'm not sure how we're gonna be able to handle soup lines, if it comes to that, which it might. So . . .

Watch. Laugh. Weep. Then laugh some more. And then weep. Then laugh some more.

Legionary Priest Interviewed by OSV on the Scandal Crisis

(courtesy of New Advent)

John Norton, for OSV:

I asked Legion of Christ Father Thomas Williams, an American who has held various leadership positions in Rome for his order, including as dean of theology for its pontifical university, to comment on the future direction of the Legion in the wake of its recent admission of unspecified failings on the part of its founder, Father Marcial Maciel.

Father Williams is familiar to many American television viewers as an analyst for CBS and formerly for NBC. He's also authored a number of theology books.

Here are his responses via email this morning:

Our Sunday Visitor: It cannot have been easy for the Legion to acknowledge flaws in the founder. What precipitated it now?

Father Thomas Williams, L.C.: Shortly after the Vatican's communique of May 19, 2006 [requiring Father Maciel to retire to a private life of penitence and prayer] Father Alvaro Corcuera [Father Maciel's successor as head of the order] began an internal investigation of the charges lodged against Father Maciel. In this investigation, he discovered that Father Maciel had fathered a child, who is now in her early 20s.

OSV: In the public statements so far from the U.S. and Rome spokesmen for the Legion, there has been acknowledgement of the discovery of “surprising and difficult to understand” facts about Father Maciel’s life that were “inappropriate” for a Catholic priest. Leaks from LC/RC sources indicate that those “facts” include at least the fathering of a child. But swirling around are also the original accusations of sexual abuse of seminarians, and revived rumors of drugs and inappropriate use of congregation funds. If the “facts” discovered by the LC leadership were limited only to the mistress, one would think the Legion would make that clear. (The “rights of privacy” argument advanced by Father Scarafoni yesterday frankly rings a little hollow; it is not like the Legion needs to provide names, addresses and phone numbers of those involved.) So is it fair to read the statements as an acknowledgement that some or all of the other allegations are true, or at least suspected?

Father Williams: During the investigation it became clear that some of the charges were patently false (contradiction of dates and places, etc.) while others seemed plausible and even likely. Obviously it is never possible to know for sure what happened in the past. I do not know which of the accusations were more likely true, but what seems evident is that some of them must indeed be true. . . . (read article)

[N.B. from me: Father Thomas Williams, LC, has been a dear friend of mine for many years. I admire him greatly and have always known him to be model priest and a straight-shooter when asked difficult questions. As a spokesman for the Legion, I hope he will not be constrained by folks above him in the ecclesiastical food chain from being completely forthright and courageously honest in explaining what's going on.]  

Oh, and did you know YOU paid for that blasphemy of the Eucharist?

That's right. In this jaw-droppingly offensive and blasphemous new video produced by Link TV, which is funded with Federal money — a.k.a. your tax dollars — the Holy Eucharist has been yet again desecrated before a camera, for the whole world to see.

Reporting on this apparent simulation of the Eucharist, the Catholic League reports today:

On February 3, Link TV featured a three and a half minute video that mocks Catholicism. The media outlet is available as a basic service in more than 31 million homes that receive direct broadcast satellite TV.

The video, “Divine Food,” opens with a priest waking up to a rumbling noise that shakes the religious symbols and statues in his room. He proceeds to a Catholic church where he discovers several wafers near a cup (the implication is that they are consecrated Hosts). In a disrespectful manner, he chews them vigorously and then admonishes the statues that are “looking at him.” He falls asleep in the church and when awakened he is asked to say Mass, which he refuses to do. The priest then makes large wafers out of dough and gives the pancake-like substance (which he calls the “Body of Christ”) to confused parishioners at Communion. The video ends when he drops the remaining “Hosts” into a dirty aquarium.

If this is not bona fide evidence that we are standing at the threshold of a new persecution against the Catholic Church (against Christianity in general), then I can't imagine what could be classified as such.

Here is the video. I warn you, it will make your blood boil — or at least it should:

http://www.linktv.org/video/2746

IN CASE THEY TAKE DOWN THAT LINK, HERE'S ANOTHER ONE: 

Say some prayers of reparation to our Lord after watching this video, on behalf of the wicked people who are responsible for producing it and for all those who will laugh along with it.

I once had a long conversation with a convert to the Catholic Church, a woman who used to be a practicing satanist. Among the other things she shared with me about how satanists operate, she declared that they simply don't care about or bother with any group of Christians other than the Catholic Church. The way she put it, “We satanists would frequently pose as Catholics and approach to receive Communion at Mass, so we could pocket the consecrated host and bring it back to our group to profane it.” She said, with tremendous sorrow and remorse, that satanists know exactly Who that is in the Eucharist: Jesus Christ. And that's why they focus their energies on attacking and mocking the Catholic Church.

And this new Link TV video atrocity is another, well-publicized, example of that satantic malice at work.

Are you mad now? Then stand up and make your voice heard on this. Pray for the idiots behind this and then raise some hell about it with all the appropriate parties.

(complete article)

Link TV's board of advisors: http://www.linktv.org/whoweare/board

and staff: http://www.linktv.org/whoweare/staff

and contact page: http://www.linktv.org/contactus

Media Contact:
Julia Pacetti
(917) 584-7846
jpacetti@linktv.org

Andrew Sullivan Has Discovered My Blog

I'm not sure if this is good or bad, since Ol' Andrew typically rails pretty hard against most things Catholic. Anyway, he posted a snippet of my commentary on the recent Legionary crisis to his “Daily Dish” section. Interesting. I appreciate the link. Though, I must confess my abject ignorance about the "Yglesias Award," which he mentions. If anyone knows what that is, please share.

Note: The alternative titles for this post were, “Andrew Sullivan Has Discovered My Blog?” and “Andrew Sullivan has discovered my blog?”

Bishop Elect Jim Wall of Gallup, N.M.

Good day, Fr. Bud Pelletier here.


As I sit here and type this post, I still can't believe it, and I'm still shaking a bit. One of my brother priests, one of the finest priests I know, has been named Bishop of Gallup, N.M. this morning. I want to shout it from the rooftops, yet I feel a little sadness too. One of the best priests in our Diocese is leaving, and a personal friend is leaving as well.

Let me give you just a little of the background that I know about Bishop Elect Wall (still can't get used to typing those words!)


Bishop Elect Wall was born on a Native American Reservation in Northern Arizona that is, surprisingly enough, part of the Diocese of Gallup. His parents were school teachers and raised him and his brothers and sister to know, love, and serve God. His father passed away some years ago, but I bet his mother is rejoicing at the family home right now.


Most of his years growing up were in Chandler, Arizona, near Phoenix, and he attended Arizona State University. During his college years, he worked in a retail clothing store.


He attended St. John's Seminary in Camarillo, California, where I met him.


He has served as Parochial Vicar (Associate Pastor) of St. Theresa Parish in Phoenix, Parochial Vicar of St. Timothy Parish in Mesa, Vocation Director for the Diocese of Phoenix, Pastor of St. Thomas the Apostle Parish in Phoenix, Vicar of Clergy for the Diocese of Phoenix, and Director of the Mt. Claret Retreat Center in Phoenix.


Bishop Elect Wall is warm, funny, outgoing, athletic, and one of the best 'listeners' I know. He is truly a man of the Church, faithful to the Magisterium, dedicated to the reverent celebration of Mass, and truly a priest for the People of God. I cannot say enough positive things about him, and I know the Diocese of Gallup will be lead by one of the best Bishops in the world.


Congratulations Bishop Elect Wall.


Update - I guess I should refer to him now as Bishop-Elect James S. Wall, it seems more proper and right. My apologies to anyone offended by my calling him "Jim."

Statement of the Diocese of Phoenix

Re: the appointment of Reverend James S. Wall as Bishop of the Diocese of Gallup
February 5, 2009

The Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI has appointed Reverend James S. Wall, 44, Vicar for Priests for the Diocese of Phoenix, as Bishop of the Diocese of Gallup, New Mexico.

The appointment was announced in Washington, February 5, 2009, by Archbishop Pietro Sambi, apostolic nuncio to the United States.

Bishop-elect Wall succeeds Bishop Donald E. Pelotte, the third Bishop of Gallup, who retired in April of 2008. Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted, Bishop of Phoenix, has been Apostolic Administrator of Gallup since January 2008 and will remain so until Bishop-elect Wall is consecrated and installed.

James S. Wall, son of James A. and Joan L.Wall, was born October 11, 1964, in Ganado, Arizona on the Navajo reservation. He graduated from Chandler High School, Chandler, Arizona and the Arizona State University where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in History. He then earned a Master of Divinity degree from St. John Seminary, Camarillo, California.

He was ordained to the priesthood for the Diocese of Phoenix on June 6, 1998.

Bishop-elect Wall served in several parish assignments in the Diocese of Phoenix including St. Theresa Parish, Phoenix and St. Timothy Parish, Mesa as Parochial Vicar, and St. Thomas the Apostle Parish, Phoenix, as Pastor. He also served as Administrator Pro Tem at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish in Glendale. He currently is Vicar of Priests and Director of Mount Claret Retreat Center, Phoenix.

The Diocese of Gallup is comprised of the Apache, Navajo and those parts of the Navajo and Hopi Reservations in Coconino Counties in the State of Arizona; San Juan, McKinley, Catron, Cibola and parts of Rio Arriba, Sandoval, Bernalillo and Valencia Counties in the State of Mexico for a total of 55,468 square miles. The total population of the Diocese is 491,400 people, with 58,292 of them Catholic.

Bishop-elect Wall will continue to serve in the Diocese of Phoenix until his Episcopal consecration at a date yet to be determined.

“Catholic Edition” Debuts

Here's a new Catholic mega-site. Check it out, and let your friends know!
(Please note: I have no connection with or financial interest in this venture.)

Michael Dubruiel, Rest in Peace

Oh Lord. I am deeply saddened and at a loss for words by this terrible news, which came in just now. Michael Dubruiel, husband of Amy Welborn, and my friend and book editor at Our Sunday Visitor Publishing Company, died suddenly today, of what appears to have been a heart attack. I have no more details other than what was posted on Amy Welborn's blog.

Please pray for the repose of Michael's soul, and for his grieving widow and children. He was a very good man.

This Is No Time for Happy-Face Stickers

Last night, as many of you are learning this morning, some very sad allegations about Fr. Marcial Maciel's duplicitous actions began seeping into the mainstream. While a significant number of people knew ahead of time that this was coming down, no specifics were disclosed publicly until yesterday, and more details will come tumbling out soon in the mainstream press.

Predictably, the range of reactions to this bad news spans the gamut from outrage and stunned incredulity to something approaching despair to blasé "I-told-you-so" unconcern.

Regardless of how you react to this unfolding tragedy, be sure you look at it in perspective. Judging from what I've seen in the blogosphere in the past few days, it appears that some people just don't seem to understand what this deplorable situation really entails and what ramifications may arise from it.

Some have prattled on about how this really isn't bad news. It was long expected and now that it's been proven and publicized, and the temptation to lounge smugly in the worldly-wise posture of "I-told-you-so" may be something too difficult for some to avoid. But we should avoid it, because this story is bigger than just the sum of the embarrassing details of sexual (and other) sins. Let's keep in mind a few important points.

First, this is indeed very bad news — the worst possible kind — for the tens of thousands of good and faithful Catholics in the Legionaries of Christ religious order and its lay-affiliate, the Regnum Christi Movement — the vast majority of whom have, over the years, steadfastly refused to believe any accusation against Fr. Maciel, however plausible and vehemently attested to by those who claim to have been witnesses.

Now, these faithful and dedicated Legionary priests and seminarians (there are thousands of them, don't forget) and the tens of thousands of good-hearted Regnum Christi folk are realizing that they have been duped. They are faced with the stunning, crushing, irrefutable evidence that their trust in this man was in vain, their unshakable faith in his goodness and innocence has finally been shaken to pieces. The gleaming giant of holiness they had admired for so long has been shown to have feet of clay (Daniel 2:31-32).

Yes, many of Fr. Maciel's ardent followers have been naive in their refusal to consider that there may have been some truth to at least some of the myriad of accusations that mounted against him, but I believe theirs was a naiveté born of sincerity and love for Christ and the Church. This sincere love attached itself firmly (and now we know, undeservedly) to a man who, at least by outward appearances, seemed to merit their trust.

If nothing else, this sordid saga proves the powerful truth of Scripture's warning: “Put not your trust in princes, in man in whom there is no salvation. When his spirit departs, he returns to his earth, and on that day his plans perish” (Psalm 146:3).

Second, it is true, as some are saying, that, while painful, this bad news is actually a good thing, at least insofar as it entails light shining in a dark place.

This may be exactly the necessary impetus — albeit a horrible one — that will lead to a purification and renewal of an organization that could do great good for souls in ways that go way beyond what many critics say was merely good work that had serving the Legion as its ulterior motive. I make no judgment personally on that criticism, as to whether it is legitimate or not, but regardless, this new chapter in the Legionary saga can become the starting point for a very good thing in the Church. It may in fact be a bitter harbinger of a sweet and long-hoped-for outcome: a Legion of Christ that becomes free from the controversies and complaints that have dogged it for decades, a religious order that is seen by others to be truly at the service of the Church as a whole and not, as many of its critics allege, merely at the service of itself. It could be that, by God's grace and the prudent courage and honesty of the group's leadership, there can be a good outcome — possibly a spectacularly good one. There may be a viable effort to undertake a thorough reform and reconstitution of the Legionaries of Christ and the Regnum Christi Movement, although there remain nagging reasons to wonder if that will really happen. It's too early to know. But we should be praying now for that to happen, if it be God's will. Time will tell.

One thing is for sure, though. If the Legionaries of Christ and the Regnum Christi movement are going to emerge from this crucible in one piece and remain in existence for the long haul, they cannot lapse into robot mode, they cannot don a happy-face mask and attempt to deny that this is a very serious problem for them. At this precise juncture, denial and dismissal of the clear and present danger that this situation poses to the Legion, will, I believe, sooner or later, prove fatal to its efforts at sustaining itself.

Again, we must keep this unfolding situation clearly in perspective and not sucumb to the various myopic temptations that beckon: at one end, to shrug and simply ignore it as a non-issue, and at the other end, to join in a gleeful feeding-frenzy of morose delectation. Already, on the blogs, one can see people falling into both camps.

Third, let's be realistic. No matter what some of the Internet pundits and commenteers may be saying, THIS IS BAD NEWS. To call it anything else is to badly misunderstand the import of what's taking place here. These salacious revelations (please God, may there be no more of them) have caused and will continue to cause serious damage, not only to the shell-shocked members of this group (many of whom have spent years in dogged defense of the holiness of Fr. Maciel and who now feel the sharp knives of betrayal and fraud sever the bonds of trust they once had in this man), but to the Catholic Church in general.

Watch and see. You'll soon notice certain people trying to use this scandal to malign Pope John Paul II (a long-time supporter of Fr. Maciel and the Legion), in a way similar to how some are right now attempting to exploit the recent SSPX Bishop Williamson Holocaust-debacle against Pope Benedict XVI.

As I've been saying all along on my blog, what we need to do is pray earnestly for all the people involved in this mess. They need our prayers, now more than ever. Pray for the soul of Fr. Maciel. Pray for the Catholic Church and also for those outside the Church who will be swayed or disoriented by this scandal, many of them seeing in it confirmation of their worst suspicions about Catholics and Catholicism. And let's not omit to pray for ourselves, that we might not fall from our own fidelity to Christ, however firm or tenuous it might be.

Now is a good time to contemplate the famous maxim that "There, but for the grace of God, go I." If nothing else, these revelations about Fr. Maciel should serve as a cautionary tale to hammer that point home for each one of us.

Finally, it's worth repeating: Don't lose your sense of perspective. Don't think that this bad news isn't bad news. Let's call it what it is and avoid the temptation to slap a happy-face sticker on it.

Click for more on the Legionaries of Christ situation.