Posted on 04/30/2012 7:53:30 AM PDT by cleghornboy
Tricia Wittmann-Todd, the "pastoral life coordinator" who refused to circulate petitions in support of Referendum 74, the ballot measure to roll back Washington's same-sex "marriage" law, even though Archbishop J. Peter Sartain asked parishes throughout the Archdiocese of Seattle to do so, is at it again. This time, in her weekly message to parishioners of St. Mary's Church in Seattle, Tricia is commenting on the sixth and seventh chapter of Acts to imply that same-sex unions are called for because of the demands of "justice."
She writes, "This story is a good reminder that ours is a very long and complicated history, and that the Holy Spirit chooses to manifest Herself in first one and then another. Certain things remain constant in our faith: worshipping God, care for the widows and orphans...and a radical equality for justice that includes all people all the time."
Note Ms. Wittmann-Todd's use of vertical inclusive language when referring to the Person of the Holy Spirit. This even though the Vatican has made it clear that, "..in keeping with the Church's tradition, the feminine and neuter pronouns are not to be used to refer to the Person of the Holy Spirit." (See here). Apparently Wittmann-Todd has a problem not only with her Archbishop's authority but with authority in the Church in general. For this reason alone, her competence to serve in any capacity, even at the parish level, is in question.
In her weekly message, Wittmann-Todd writes, "Many have expressed concern and anger that Archbishop Sartain has been appointed to 'overhaul' the Leadership Conference of Women Religious...What will this mean for the countless women religious who have been and continue to be foundational for most of us in our spiritual lives. They have taught us the faith in school and church..."
Some foundation. We are witnessing its fruits in the United States today: emptying churches, seminaries and convents and a Church which needs to be re-evangelized, a mission territory where so many Catholics, like Wittmann-Todd herself, do not even understand the fundamentals of the faith.
If Wittmann-Todd had been given a solid foundation in the faith she would understand, as the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith affirmed in its document entitled Considerations Regarding Proposals to Give Legal Recognition to Unions Between Homosexual Persons, that "civil law cannot contradict right reason without losing its binding force on conscience. Every humanly-created law is legitimate insofar as it is consistent with the natural moral law, recognized by right reason, and insofar as it respects the inalienable rights of every person." (No. 6). Thus, "laws in favor of homosexual unions are contrary to right reason...the State could not grant legal standing to such unions without failing in its duty to promote and defend marriage as an institution essential to the common good." (No. 6).
Wittmann-Todd lacks a solid foundation in the Catholic faith. For this reason, she should be removed immediately from her position as "pastoral life coordinator." Faith, as defined by the Catechism of the Catholic Church, is "..a personal act - the free response of the human person to the initiative of God who reveals himself" (CCC, 166). Faith is a response to what has been divinely given. In other words, a response to divine revelation. Faith is not merely a subjective feeling which we work up within ourselves. St. Thomas Aquinas says [Summa Theologiae II-II, I, 2, ad 2] that: "The believer's act [of faith] does not terminate in propositions, but in the realities which they express."
If Wittmann-Todd has difficulty accepting the Church's teaching, which is divinely revealed, and her authority, how can she faithfully serve a Catholic community?
Archbishop Sartain?
“If Wittmann-Todd has difficulty accepting the Church’s teaching, which is divinely revealed, and her authority, how can she faithfully serve a Catholic community?”
Simple. She cannot. It is indeed time for her to leave the position, and for orthodox Faith Formation. No more scandalizing.
She can't. She has an agenda and it's not from God.
I believe that anyone who hypenates her last name definately has a problem.
She should be denied Holy Eucharist for her disobedience to the Archbishop and her refusal to accept Catholic moral teaching.
She states: “I hope to have a gathering soon where we can learn more about how to form one’s conscience in general and particularly on the question of marriage. “
Who does she think she is? a pastor at a Presbyterian church?
About 16% of active Roman Catholic Priests in the USA are born in another country. Praise God for sending missionaries to help God transform, all of us goats, into faithful sheep.
It may be good to point out the errors of faith made by other Catholics when they >publicly cause >scandal to the Church.
>Scandal: Any action or its omission, not necessarily sinful in itself, that is likely to induce another to do something morally wrong. >Direct scandal, also called >diabolical, has the deliberate intention to induce another to sin. In indirect scandal a person does something that he or she foresees will at least likely lead another to commit sin, but this rather tolerated than positively desired. (From a Catholic dictionary.)
Good Catholic article. The article points out the obligation to the Archbishop of the Diocese. The laity has a >right to a “Catholic Church.”
All of us are obligated to pray for our Priests, especially for the Bishops. The Mitre (Big-Hat) means the Bishops carry a heavier cross for the sake of Jesus Christ.
The nature and the responsibilities of a “Pastoral Life Coordinator” are laid out here:
http://www.dioceseofgallup.org/pdfs/dio_policies/plcexpectations.pdf
Note the responsibilities:
The PLC, appointed by the bishop and accountable to the canonical pastor, is expected to provide for the overall day-to-day pastoral care and administration of a parish.
Sacramental ministry reserved to clergy is provided by ordained clergy appointed by the bishop.
The PLC is expected to provide pastoral leadership and service to meet the sacramental, temporal, formational, and other ministerial needs of the parish. To do this effectively, the PLC is expected to:
• Have a deep love for God and those they serve, faith in Christ and commitment to the Church [Wittmann-Todd fails here], a spirit of hope, the habit of regular prayer, and a sense of call to ministry as coming from God and affirmed by the Church.
• Have adequate initial and ongoing formation (in spiritual practice, academic study in theology or pastoral ministry/leadership skills, prior ministerial background,
and life experience) to provide leadership and service for the many areas of parish ministry. [Wittmann-Todd has displayed a profound ignorance of Church teaching as well as a lack of leadership skills - such as obedience].
• Provide leadership in collaboratively developing a vision and a mission for the parish that are faithful to the Gospel, inspiring, and responsive to community needs. [Fidelity to the Gospel would include acceptance of the Church’s teaching regarding homosexual acts and so-called same-sex “marriage”].
• Provide direction for pastoral decisions and action. [Wittmann-Todd does not provide sound direction as she has resisted her Bishop’s request to circulate a petition in opposition to same-sex “marriage”].
• Facilitate quality ministries of Catholic faith formation, evangelization, ecumenism, and justice that reflect and actualize the reign of God. [How can Wittmann-Todd be said to be committed toward an authentic Catholic faith formation if she doesn’t accept the Church’s Magisterial teaching and resists the Pastors of the Church?].
• Demonstrate the administrative ability to handle parish leadership responsibilities, working collaboratively with the parish pastoral council, serving as liaison
between the parish and the bishop and diocesan offices, and fulfilling all provisions of the Bishop’s delegation of pastoral responsibility in the parish. [Did Wittmann-Todd work collaboratively with the parish pastoral council when deciding to refuse to circulate petitions in opposition to Washington’s same-sex “marriage” law? In her “weekly message” on the subject, she indicates that she made the decision alone: “I have decided.”
• Provide for the sacramental life of the parish, together with the canonically appointed sacramental minister.
• Oversee the parish’s compliance with all provisions of civil and canon law and diocesan policy. [This would include obedience to all ecclesiastical authority including her Bishop whose decision she did not respect].
• Supervise parish finances, in collaboration with the parish finance council.
• Coordinate and supervise the ministry of all parish staff members, with fair administration of just and equitable human resources policies and practices.
• Have the inter-personal and group communication and collaboration skill needed to foster a positive parish spirit and to work well with others in the ministry
setting, including parishioners, co-workers on the parish staff, diocesan staff, and persons or groups in the wider community. [Wittmann-Todd gets an F here].
• Cultivate the art and ability to help others discern God’s call in their lives and respond to that call with faith and commitment, supporting that response as
needed with prayer, formation, advice and encouragement. [How can Wittmann-Todd help others to discern God’s call in their lives and to respond to that call with faith and commitment when her own faith life and commitment to the Church and its Pastors is in question?].
Adapted from the National Certification Standards for Lay Ecclesial Ministers, by the National
Association for Lay Ministry, the National Conference for Catechetical Leadership, and National
Federation for Catholic Youth Ministry; 2003
She is, then, he pastor. Such parishes keep a priest in the background, in the closet as it were, and bring him out to bless the host then put him back in his box. I went to one such parish in Atlanta once. It was a very large basilica style church on a large piece of land. The lady opened the “service” with “In the name of the Creator and the Redeemer and the Sanctifier.” there was a fellow dressed as priest off to the side, waiting for his cue. I got up and left. I had to get back down to the coast in time for evening Mass.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.