Gibsons' Latin-rite church in Unity ousts priest

TRIBUNE-REVIEW ^ | June 5, 2007 | Richard Gazarik

[Alex Murphy]

An attempt by actor and director Mel Gibson to establish a church that would celebrate the Mass in Latin and attract similar believers outside mainstream Catholicism apparently has failed. St. Michael the Archangel Roman Catholic Church in Unity will be sold after Saturday's ouster of its priest, a former clergyman of the Greensburg Catholic Diocese, parish members said.

Karen Petrone, her husband, Glenn, of Wilkinsburg in Allegheny County, and their nine children attended Mass at St. Michael's until April. They said they stopped because of questions about the credentials of Leonard Bealko, who celebrated Mass each Sunday, officiated at weddings and conducted baptisms.

The building in Mountain View had been owned by the Charter Oak United Methodist Church before it was sold in 2006 to the World Faith Foundation of California, which Gibson funds, for $750,000. Gibson's father, Hutton Gibson, moved to Pennsylvania from West Virginia so he could attend the Mass celebrated in Latin. The foundation paid $315,000 for a home in rural Lycippus, Mt. Pleasant Township, where the Gibsons live.

[GCC Catholic]

Wow. I knew the situation was convoluted (from being a local); I had no idea it was that bad.

It's worth noting this has little to no bearing on how the upcoming Motu Proprio concerning the Tridentine Mass will affect the people of Southwestern PA. This "independent" chapel as well as the others mentioned that Fr. Bealko has pastored have been the object of several warnings from the local Bishop to the people of the Diocese.

Most of the die-hard TLM crowd in the area goes to St. Boniface in Pittsburgh, because it is a licit Indult parish sponsored by the Diocese. And there is another noteworthy contingent who would like the Tridentine Mass but can't justify driving that far.

[Robert Drobot]

Pray God will bring peace of mind to those who were attacked as He leads them to forgive their enemies. Pray they will bring Christ’s light to the spiritual darkness around them. Pray God will use this situation to carry out His plans to bring more souls into His Kingdom.

[Ethan Clive Osgoode]

An attempt by actor and director Mel Gibson to establish a church that would celebrate the Mass in Latin and attract similar believers outside mainstream Catholicism apparently has failed.

Gibson is a schismatic. Somerville, a priest involved with the Gibsons, was suspended by Cardinal Ambrozic in 2004.

[Salvation]

**a former clergyman of the Greensburg Catholic Diocese, parish members said.**

I kept telling everyone that this was NOT a real Catholic Church, however, some people did not believe me.

The fact that the priest was a “former” priest, just proves that everything that happened there was NOT valid as far as being Catholic!!

[topher]

Because I have a relative in St. Marys, Kansas that is part of Society of Pius X, I asked EWTN about what sacraments were valid with these priests.

Confession, as I recall, is valid if you are in danger of death, for example. I hope the Society of Pius X will make sincere attempts to rejoin the Roman Catholic Church after the announcement...

[topher]

Here is one answer from EWTN regarding sacraments and SSPX.

Apparently, confirmation is valid, but marriage would be invalid (according to this response).

Here is the link to the EWTN site:

EWTN Question about SSPX -- http://www.ewtn.com/vexperts/showresult.asp?RecNum=289035&Forums=0&Experts=0&Days=2003&Author=&Keyword=Society+of+Pius+X&pgnu=1&groupnum=0&record_bookmark=1&ORDER_BY_TXT=ORDER+BY+ReplyDate+DESC&start_at=

[Dajjal]

Hutton & Mel bumpus ad summum