Friday, March 29, AD 2024 4:43am

Judas as Favorite Apostle

 

 

It is hard to be a Catholic these days and not be deeply cynical about the people who run our Church.  Peter Wolfgang at The Stream explains why:

Last Sunday, The Hartford Courant ran a feature story on a local Catholic laywoman, Linda Bayer, who recently died:

She read at Mass and was the president of the parish council at Sacred Heart Church, and when the diocese required three parishes to consolidate, some parishioners resisted the change. … Bayer met with parishioners reluctant to leave their church and listened to their objections with tact and diplomacy, Melo [Fr. Nicholas Melo, the pastor] said. Bayer became the head of the new combined church’s pastoral council, “and was a very unifying force for us,” Melo said.

The article continued: “Over the years, she received various church honors, and would send her mother pictures of herself at a ceremony. Her mother would cut out the picture of the bishop or other high ranking official and place her daughter’s photo in the place of honor.” All well and good. Except for this:

While she was a devout Catholic, she also supported NARAL, a pro-choice organization, and found no contradiction in her position. “She viewed the church as her family,” said her brother Michael. “You don’t agree with everything your family says, and it didn’t affect the way she related to church.”

It is shameless under any circumstances to say that a good Catholic can be pro-abortion. Emphasizing it in an obituary is in especially poor taste. (Fr. Melo has confirmed to me that he was unaware of her support for NARAL and only learned of it when he read The Courant article.)

This lack of shame, though bad, is fairly common. What is special in this case is that Bayer was also an employee of Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin, at a time when the Mayor colluded with NARAL to pass an ordinance against a pro-life pregnancy center.

A Troubling Pattern

This is a pattern that I have seen throughout my fifteen years as a Catholic layman who is a professional pro-family activist in the State of Connecticut.

It is my job to speak in the public square of my home state for the biblical values Evangelicals and Catholics hold in common: the sanctity of human life, the truth about marriage and the family, and the religious liberties that are our birthright as Americans.

But in the case of the Catholic Church, my job is made harder by the fact that I am defending an institution riddled with fifth columnists. Indeed, as a Catholic layman, I sometimes feel as if I am relying for spiritual support on a Church that does not believe in its own faith.

Or, at least, a Church infested with a deep state that seeks to undermine its faith.

Where Are They Now?

The midwife who delivered one of my children at St. Mary Hospital’s Birthing Center in Waterbury? She is now the head of Planned Parenthood of Southern New England. And she even exploits her own Catholic background to serve her evil cause.

The priest who was my pastor when I was leading a statewide campaign to repeal Connecticut’s gay marriage ruling? He is now “married” to a man, and he publicly promotes various gay and transgender causes. This was a priest who was once the bioethics expert of our Archdiocese. He had a regular column in our diocesan newspaper.

The 2007 law forcing Connecticut’s Catholic hospitals to provide the abortifacient Plan B drug in its emergency rooms? My sources tell me that employees at those hospitals worked with pro-abortion groups to help force that law on the Church.

There are many similar stories, stretching back decades. But those are just a few of the ones with which I was personally involved.

Go here to read the rest.  Too many people who draw a paycheck from the Church, or Church related organizations, seem to have adopted Judas as their favorite apostle.

 

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Philip Nachazel
Philip Nachazel
Sunday, March 31, AD 2019 7:34am

The Bishops have dropped the ball.
In 1973 through 2019 the leaders of the Church should of been good and holy teachers. Silence has gotten us to where we are today. Church of mush.

Lucius Quinctius Cincinnatus
Sunday, March 31, AD 2019 8:18am

How can you be a devout Catholic and support NARAL? This condition exists because priests won’t preach from the pulpit, “If you support abortion or homosexual marriage and you die in an unrepentent state, then you’re going to hell. Repent before partaking of Holy Communion.”

c matt
c matt
Sunday, March 31, AD 2019 8:30am

Preaching would probably do little to change these persons’ minds. They would change Churches before changing their position. What typically happens is those who hold the Catholic faith seek out parishes/pastors who also hold it; those who are apostates in all but name seek out parishes/pastors who are also apostates. Both end up preaching to their respective choirs. My town is a perfect example. I live roughly equi-distant from two parishes, one Catholic, the other “Catholic.” Night and day. Both within a 10 minute drive.

It is long past time to invoke excommunication. Not that the current putative bishop of Rome would do anything about it (to be fair, his predecessors were pretty weak in that department as well).

Jeanne Bergeron
Jeanne Bergeron
Sunday, March 31, AD 2019 9:08am

It would have been better if the priest had not protested Humani Vita and preached the truth about contraception and abortion in the 60’s and 70’s

David WS
David WS
Sunday, March 31, AD 2019 12:10pm

“But in the case of the Catholic Church, my job is made harder by the fact that I am defending an institution riddled with fifth columnists. Indeed, as a Catholic layman, I sometimes feel as if I am relying for spiritual support on a Church that does not believe in its own faith.”

Recently I met with my Diocese Superintendent of schools and the Head CCD Director, only to discover that they are both hostile to what the Church Teaches, Humanae Vitae. I wish I were surprised. I might write a letter to the Bishop, but I’m certain that he would do nothing. He himself has never written anything on the Family, preferring the virtue signalling of undocumented immigration.

Philip Nachazel
Philip Nachazel
Sunday, March 31, AD 2019 1:26pm

cmatt said; “It is long past time to invoke excommunication.”

I’m reminded of a Quaker State commercial featuring Arnold Palmer as spokesman. The catch phrase went; “You can pay for great protection now or you can pay for major repairs later.” (paraphrasing of course)

The idea however has merit.

You can be reprimanded now with time for repentance…or you can suffer separation from God..possibly eternally.

Many Bishops have failed to allow many politicians the merciful act of admonishment. Maybe after the explanation to said politician the politician sought forgiveness in the confessional…however I doubt it.

Same politicians promote or defend same grave matter….abortion.

Paying later seems to be a choice for many a (c)atholic politician.

OrdinaryCatholic
OrdinaryCatholic
Sunday, March 31, AD 2019 2:11pm

“Many Bishops have failed to allow many politicians the merciful act of admonishment.”

It’s really sad that the idea of being admonished for doing something wrong is so looked upon as forcing your beliefs onto someone or being judgmental and hateful. You are so right Philip to call it merciful for excommunication IS merciful if looked at in the proper perspective. I don’t understand the the Bishops call to end capital punishment because it takes the criminal’s time to repent away from him amongst other reasons while on the other hand they remain silent when a person publicly and scandalously commits grave sin as a Catholic and refuse to point out the evil of that sin and POSSIBLY turn that person to repentance.

ken
ken
Sunday, March 31, AD 2019 3:44pm

Whenever I see the term “devout Catholic” I grow suspicious. It is almost always followed by a rejection of some point in Church doctrine; of course relating to human sexuality.

Penguins Fan
Penguins Fan
Sunday, March 31, AD 2019 3:46pm

In the United states, Canada and other countries, we have been infected with the Church of Nice, the belief that the welfare state can cure poverty and “unity” over doctrine.

It is getting worse and will continue to worsen until it gets better. It will likely take a full scale persecution of the Church, where the Left will brutally suppress the Catholic Church (and those who act as the Left’s allies within it) in order to be rid of the Catholic Deep State.

Ernst Schreiber
Ernst Schreiber
Sunday, March 31, AD 2019 4:15pm

Look up Our Lady of Good Success. One Peter 5 has a good article on the story. I’d link it myself, but I’m stuck typing with my fat stubby fingers on this stupid smartphone because my wife is hogging the computer!

Mary De Voe
Sunday, March 31, AD 2019 5:38pm

There is only true joy in sublimating our will to the will of God, as our Mother Mary did. Man can find his destiny only be sublimating his will to the will of God, in union with God in our salvation. if some of our bishops believe that God does not want all men to be saved and that He sent His Son Jesus Christ for our salvation, then that bishop has not sublimated his will to God and he is no leader. He is the devil’s scion.

Lucius Quinctius Cincinnatus
Sunday, March 31, AD 2019 6:47pm

C. Matt,

I think you’re right when you wrote, “My town is a perfect example. I live roughly equi-distant from two parishes, one Catholic, the other ‘Catholic.’ Night and day. Both within a 10 minute drive.”

We have the same thing where I live. There is a south annex to a very large “catholic” parish that is thoroughly liberal. It’s located 2.7 miles to the northeast of us. And there is a rather new Catholic parish of some good orthodoxy (albeit Novus Ordo) 2.7 miles to the south of us. I really like the preaching of its priest. Each is on either side of the housing development in which we live. You can tell if your neighbor is Democrat or not by which church he and his family go to. The liberals all go to the catholic annex on the northeast, or to the local Episcopal or United Methodist churches. The conservatives all go to the Catholic parish on the south or to the local Baptist, Pentecostal or non-denominational Evangelical churches. The only ones that are a mix are the Joel Olsteen style mega churches with preacher boy in T-shirt and jeans, and rock ‘n roll band. They always attract people wanting instant wealth no matter what their nominal political affiliation may be. As for the Eastern Orthodox in our area (several churches within 15 miles), the troubles in Orthodoxy between the Ecumenical Patriarch and the Russian Orthodox Church over the Ukrainian debacle outweigh American politics. Sadly Orthodoxy is no refuge for those seeking to escape Bergoglian heresies.

Michael Dowd
Michael Dowd
Monday, April 1, AD 2019 2:25am

A case can be made that the Catholic Church is Catholic in name only. It is effectively Protestant/Secular. Little authentic faith remains. The facts are undeniable: 90% practice contraception, divorce rate near national average, 50% of Catholics vote Democrat, nearly all the clergy is Democrat, only 25% of Catholic attend Sunday Mass regularly, etc. Pope Francis appears to have little faith in God but more in Socialist politics.

We need an underground Church. The above ground one would be mostly unrecognizable to Christ.

Steve Phoenix
Steve Phoenix
Monday, April 1, AD 2019 7:38am

Of course but Wolfgang is absolutely correct. You cannot tell anything to a diocesan official, priest or lay, in confidence, even if it supports what used to be a traditional Catholic moral position, Because the entire structure is riddled with the “fifth column”, as he calls it.

And this is also why so many good priests are railroaded, and so many bad priests are elevated. Corollary.

Steve Phoenix
Steve Phoenix
Monday, April 1, AD 2019 7:41am

And ditto to David WS’ comment. Spot on.

Steve Phoenix
Steve Phoenix
Monday, April 1, AD 2019 8:05am

Also, with regard to David WS l’ situation:

As Peter Wolfgang in this article has pointed out here, I would discourage any letter writing to the diocese of the bishop. It’s simply get you labeled as a “troublemaker.“ their ears are deaf to your words.

Regarding a very serious scandal created by one of the many wayward priests in the Diocese of Phoenix at that time, I wrote a carefully documented, no-punches-pulled letter to the then- papal nuncio regarding the matter (Gabriel Montalvo Higuera, US nuncio 1998-2005, may God have mercy on his soul). It wasn’t possible to write to the bishop at that time because that man was totally corrupt. (That’s the bishop that shortly later committed a hit-run fatal accident with a pedestrian, and finally was forced out of office in 2003)

About two months later, that priest wrote me with copies of the letter and documentation (which he didn’t contest:it was all true), announcing that he had consulted with Bishop Disgraceful, and was to commence an excommunication process against me for “denouncing a priest.” I guess he has his own code of canon law. No confidence, the Nuncio had simply forwarded him the entire matter.

Fortunately, God intervened and Bo. Disgraceful had a hit-and-run accident which he killed a drunken pedestrian, but fled the scene. Everything was put on hold. When Bishop Olmsted came into office, and cleaned out the rot in the diocese (and that is why Olmsted will never be elevated to higher office under this pope), that particular priest was well-deservedly excommunicated. My excommunication process was halted.

Fr. Wayward now has made himself Bishop of a gay-active “independent catholic” (small ‘c’) church.

So, no, I wouldn’t write any letters. The entire system is corrupt.

Ezabelle
Ezabelle
Monday, April 1, AD 2019 11:10am

If she was supporting NARAL then I would suspect she had undergone abortions herself and was trying to justify it in her heart. I find people who go out of their way to support these organisations or any “causes” which go counter to our Faith usually have an unrepentant sin on their hearts or even those who are close to them. I could be wrong, but there is no other logical explaination.
But what is so arrogant is that it was flouted that she was pro-choice during this ladies eulogy. How completely arrogant and spitting in the face of God.
A friend of mine who has 4 children had a husband who passed away a few years ago with brain cancer. The Maronite priest had just introduced a ban on eulogies being done by family members, but rather, he preferred to talk about the person as his life during the homily. His reason was some of the eulogies were becoming disrespectful or not appropriate for a Church setting. There was uproar by the ladies brother and others. But she told her brother to be quiet as she respected and accepted the Preists decision. And the priest did not care what anybody thought about his decision. We need more Church leaders like this.

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