Posted on 07/06/2008 9:43:53 AM PDT by Pyro7480
A University of Central Florida student, upset religious groups hold church services on public campuses, is holding hostage the Eucharist, an object so sacred to Catholics they call it the Body of Christ.
Church officials say UCF Student Senator Webster Cook was disruptive and disrespectful when he attended Mass held on campus Sunday June 29. It was during that Mass where Cook admits he obtained the Eucharist....
A church leader was watching, confronted Cook and tried to recover the sacred bread. Cook said she crossed the line and that's why he brought it home with him.
"She came up behind me, grabbed my wrist with her right hand, with her left hand grabbed my fingers and was trying to pry them open to get the Eucharist out of my hand," Cook said, adding she wouldn't immediately take her hands off him despite several requests....
"The church feels that I'm the problem here," Cook said. "The problem is actually that this is a publicly-funded religious institution. Through student government here, we fund them through an activity and service, so they're receiving student money."
Cook is upset more than $40,000 in student fees have been allocated to support religious organizations on campus for the 2008-2009 school year, according to student government records. He denied he is holding the Eucharist hostage to protest that support.
...Cook has been keeping the Eucharist stored in a plastic bag since last Sunday....
Cook said he'd consider returning the Eucharist if he gets an apology and a meeting with the Bishop's office to discuss the Diocese's policy on physical force....
(Excerpt) Read more at wftv.com ...
Sorry, California has that position locked up!
Disruption of a religious service is a crime and the diocese should not be reluctant in demanding that this be prosecuted.
Maybe you didn't notice, but this is a Catholic Caucus thread.
I do not know where you attend church. However, my parish consists of 3,500 registered families. Plus, we are located in a Winter resort area, and our church attendance increases by 35% during the cooler months.
At every Mass, of which there are 6 each weekend, our church is standing room only. We have ONE priest in our parish, and at each Mass we have 15 Eucharistic Ministers to assist that ONE priest in distributing Communion under both species.
Now, please explain to me how that ONE priest is going to distribute Communion under both species to approximately 1,200 attendees at each Mass. Are you proposing that we go back to the old days when very few received Communion under only one species?
The problem here is not the millions of Catholics in the US who attend Mass each week and receive Communion. It is one nut case in Florida. The solution to this nut case is simply to ignore him. Do not meet with him. Do not even attempt to retrieve the Host. Jesus Christ has suffered far greater indignities, and He will surely survive this one. Leave it to God to judge this person’s behavior.
You know, there used to be some guys who would be about retirement age now, and who may or may not have Italian-American last names, whose Old Country religious tradition would lead them to regard this thing as a serious act of disrespect.
I believe I am on firm ground in stating that Southern Baptists, like most other mainstream Protestant denominations, do not believe in doctrine of transubstantiation. Consequently, the communion wafer remains a wafer.
(In saying this, I am implying in no way whatsoever that the gentleman still doesn’t deserve an energetic, thorough, and memorable “counseling” session concerning the proper handling of the consecrated host.)
If they send Sister Elizabeth Worley, the CFO of the Diocese, the poor Eucharist-stealing SOB doesn't stand a chance.
She is an “Old School” nun.
I live in Orlando, I'm not even Catholic and I know about Sister Elizabeth!
If, as appears likely, this guy has committed a crime, I want him to do the max!
There's no need to receive the Precious Blood in that species in that instance. The Host, as St. Thomas Aquinas teaches, contains the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Our Lord Jesus Christ in its entirety. Also, are you saying there's no deacon at your parish to assist?
The solution to this nut case is simply to ignore him. Do not meet with him. Do not even attempt to retrieve the Host. Jesus Christ has suffered far greater indignities, and He will surely survive this one. Leave it to God to judge this person’s behavior.
You have that first part wrong. If you ignore it, you open yourself up to lots of others doing it.
See #29.
Trust me, I love her, but every time I see Sister Elizabeth, my knuckles hurt in memory.
... It’s only business.....
As it stands, he is simply an intolerant little twerp.
This is clearly a hate crime, although nothing will be done about it.
Nope!
All of Florida is like DeLand, huh?
Randall and the Schindlers were also Floridians, were they not?
Glass half full my friend.
If Webster Cook wants to impress me he should go to Mecca and act up.
And what have today’s Apostles said on the matter - both forms (recieved with reverance) are acceptable.
Believers of a more...peaceful religion would have slowly sawed his head off.
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