Today is Bishop Howard Hubbard's 75th birthday and the Agony in Albany finally comes to an end. A group of devout catholics have patiently waited for this day, all the while praying for an orthodox bishop to be appointed by the pope.
It was a woman religious who was able to put those years of liturgical abuse, wreckovated churches and clergy abuse into perspective. She explained that Fr. Hubbard's calling was as a "street" priest to serve the derelicts. That actually made sense given the fact that in 2010, he approved a proposal by diocesan Catholic Charities to distribute free needles to drug abusers in the hope of preventing the spread of AIDS.
In the business world, when someone who is good at one job is noticed by upper management, bumped up the ladder but fails with added responsibilities, the expression used is: Promoted to Incompetence. I believe that also applies among religious.
In May of this year, our parish moved across the Hudson River from Troy to Watervliet, NY. Our Maronite bishop chose the date for the Dedication of hte Church last year, based on his calendar. That weekend just happened to coincide with the destruction of a Watervliet landmark RC church. As clergy gathered for the procession into the church, two blocks away, a wrecking ball was felling the tower of St. Patrick's RC Church, constructed in the late 19th century as a replica of the Cathedral in Lourdes.
The local Maronite Catholic Church, apparently, has always enjoyed a good relationship with Bishop Hubbard. Before they had their own bishop, Bishop Hubbard and his predecessors, oversaw the small community. It's been reciprocal. Each priest assigned to the parish pays a formal visit to the RC bishop to present his credentials and offer his services. Our pastor has been given Latin Rite faculties by Bishop Hubbard and says mass at a local catholic hospital. He also visits RC parishes where no priest is permanently assigned, to say mass during the week to consecrate a sufficient number of hosts for their weekend services.
May Bishop Hubbard enjoy his retirement and may Pope Francis appoint a new shepherd who can seek out the sheep that have strayed over the past 36 years.
Good riddance to bad rubbish. Don’t let the door hit you on the way out.
Bernardin’s Boys are almost all gone.
While the diocese has conducted an extensive $20 million renovation of the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, they were not able to implement the master plan, which called for the renovation of the crypt beneath the sanctuary floor.
Speaking before those gathered in the cathedral on a recent Sunday, the bishop said he has yet to visit the crypt, but that he knows two facts about it. First, that there is only one niche left, and unless his successor dies before him, it will be his own. And second, that the crypt is in deplorable condition.
"If someone could remove the rubble, restore the masonry, and do a thorough cleaning before my demise, I will be very, very grateful," said the bishop, as the cathedral erupted in laughter.
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That brings to mind an old song:
"See That My Grave Is Kept Clean" - Bob Dylan
(I pray that Albany's long penance there is over, and it will soon be blessed with an outstanding Bishop who will do what's right.)
Here’s hoping things get better there. My experience in that diocese when visiting isn’t good. I once went to a Novus Ordo Mass at St Michael’s in Glens Falls never to return. The Blessed Sacrament was in a totally different room and no one kneeled during the consecration.