Posted on 09/27/2004 7:08:14 PM PDT by Land of the Irish
BOSTON - Charged with cleaning up after the clergy sex abuse scandal, Boston Archbishop Sean O'Malley took a low-key approach. He asked to be called ``Archbishop Sean,'' shunned the trappings that go with his rank, and settled lawsuits quickly - winning over many parishioners in the process.
A little over a year later, things have changed. Whether it's fair or not, some Boston-area Roman Catholics now are calling O'Malley ``The Iceman'' as he pushes ahead with plans to close almost a quarter of the parishes in the nation's fourth-largest archdiocese.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.bostonherald.com ...
Imagine the fury when despite the overthrow of the monarchs the Church was still puttering right along. Surely World War II would wipe out the vestiges of the Church,or so the thinking went. It didn't do the trick. Austria presents a partcular challenge to the powers that would be "gods". We must pray for that poor Catholic country.
When our modernist "Catholic" leaders do get their hands on some money, guess where it's spent?
Check out "almsgiving XX"...
http://www.cwnews.com/offtherecord/offtherecord.cfm
Just like the liberal dissenters who are trying to use parish closings to foment disobedience and disruption to legitimate authority in the Church, you will use any excuse to slam the Church and its legitimate rulers. Your anti-Catholic bigotry is on display as usual.
Of for heavens sake can we close the "windows" now. It isn't spring time and I'm getting pneumonia.
Three of the communities that are rebelling are Weymouth, Sudbury and Newton. Driveways in these towns cost more than 2 acre estates in metro Fort Worth. These are the MOST wealthy communities in Boston.....think San Francisco and Manhattan. I've seen these parishes on tv and they are in good shape, that is part of the reason why people are furious!!!
Many of these parishes are deeply involved in VOTF. You talk to these people about the vocations crisis and they are furious that he is not ordaining women.
O'Malley may be just acting on Father Groeschel's diagnosis: We just need to get smaller. The sad thing is that it seems like evangelization is out of the question. These northeast Bishops need some sort of plan to evangelize fallen-away Catholics. The problem is that fallen away Catholics view the Church as too conservative! They want their divorce, birth control, female priests etc etc etc.
It's really frustrating in Boston because everyone and their brother is Catholic but nobody goes to Mass. I'm not sure how much even the freepers understand how Catholic Boston is (was.) Growing up, my town was 95% Catholic...this is not an exaggeration!!
Ultimately, Bishop O'Malley is just shrugging his shoulders...maybe he figures "let them go to Hell."
O'Malley no doubt included some of the VOTF parishes to appear even-handed.
In Boston? It's VERY negotiable$$ LOL!
Reputable Catholic Dioceses and Parishes do the same. Mine (Philadelphia, and St. Cecilia) give us the numbers every year. The most interesting statistic as far as I am concerned is that the parishoners give 4 times the amount of money needed to run the parish, and this balance of about $1 million is given to our school to subsidize 50% of the tuition.
If you want to purchase a Church for the SSPX, it is best to do so through a dummy corporation, or using a lawyer as a front.
The very idea of the SSPX coming to a Bishop to buy a Church sounds ludicrous to me.
In Philadelphia, we go door-to-door to invite the fallen away back.
The problem is that fallen away Catholics view the Church as too conservative! They want their divorce, birth control, female priests etc etc etc.
Well, they aren't really Catholics then, are they?
Ultimately, Bishop O'Malley is just shrugging his shoulders...maybe he figures "let them go to Hell."
They know the truth and they reject it. What is the Bishop supposed to do? Compell them by force to attend Mass?
The return of fallen away Catholics is something that is up to God, not man.
Independent chapels survive this way. I don't see why the diocese can't loosely do the same.
fwiw - our Prot Church is run in this manner - the Church owns the building and property - but operational expenses and Pastoral compensation are the responsibility of the congregation
It does have its drawbacks - particularly during the cyclical growth and decline of congregations / pastoral turnover / capitol campaigns etc
We're obligated evangelize as you apparently do in Philly, the "ecumenical spirit" and laziness have neutralized us. Ecumenism undermines our very attempts to bring Catholics back home.
Well, they aren't really Catholics then, are they?
I'm verrrry leery of performing lay-excommunications, that is the specialty of the neo-Catholics.
Not sure what the Bishop is supposed to do, besides granting universal indult of the Tridentine Mass. Overall, though, closing 25% of the Novus Ordo parishes is an excellent start to returning to Tradition. Maybe this is his plan.
People who do not hold the Catholic faith, and know the Church teaches contrary to what they do hold, are not Catholics. Period.
A material heretic is someone who innocently holds a false proposition about the faith, being ignorant of what the Church actually teaches. Someone who is aware the Church condemns women priests or birth control or abortion or divorce, yet continues to hold to this belief in the face of the Church condemning it is a formal heretic. Similarly those who knowingly deny the real presence or the sacrifice of the Mass.
Most fallen away Catholics are formal heretics.
It does no good to go door to door unless God his disposed the people to return. One first needs to pray for lights and grace and an increase of faith for our absent brethren.
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.