Our parish is getting a new pastor at the end of this month. We have been blessed with many wonderful, faithful, orthodox priests for over 20 years but now we are worried about the new priest.
He is a member of Voice of the Faithful. From what else I can discern he is a typical "progressive" Jesuit.
Already there has been a meeting with a rep from the Chancery asking us to "liturgically" welcome the new pastor. By that she meant that on his first Sunday here, he is to knock on the doors and we are to throw the doors wide open to let him in. *YAWN*. Our parish is called The Little Vatican in our Archdiocese, and when she made that suggestion she hit a brick wall. Everyone in the meeting balked. "Liturgy is liturgy", one parishioner politely reminded her. "We will welcome Father by having a dinner or something after Mass, but we won't change the liturgy to some kind of theatrics." That said, the Chancery Rep scurried back to Seattle.
We are all praying for our new priest. But we are also resolute. If he tries to remove the kneelers, or the statues, or the holy water, he is going to be in for a fight. If he preaches pro ordination for women (as he has done in the past to other parishes) he will meet up with polite but firm rebukes in letters to him and to the Archbishop. If he takes away Eucharistic Adoration every Friday we will still come there to pray. If he moves the Tabernacle to some closet or room we will move it back. If he changes the liturgy to some weird drama with dancers and clowns, well, we'll probably start going elsewhere for Mass and stop giving at the Offertory.
It may sound mean, but I'm so tired of these leftover 60's radicals hijacking the Church. He is due to retire in a few years and I hope his stay here won't be long. Unless he has had a metanoia and serves faithfully.
Best of luck.
ReplyDeleteIt would appear from my experience that a "progressive" cleric has terminally separated from attachment to orthodoxy. That's not intended to corral every priest who thinks that subjects such as female ordination or clerical celibacy (both of which would require alterations in disciplines, not in doctrines) ought to be discussed; I'm thinking of the ones who've become evangelists for breaking with the authority of the Holy See and transmuting the Faith into Yet Another Church Of What's Trendy Now.
It came as a shock to me when, during a counseling session with my parish pastor, he offered me the name and phone number of a "Catholic" divorce lawyer. I was even more surprised to hear him say that "everything but the Nicene Creed is 'on the table.'" It made me wonder whether the parish was headed for serious trouble. But a sheep must struggle along somehow, regardless of the weaknesses of his shepherd. Perhaps part of that is to do what he can to keep the shepherd faithful.
I don't understand the bishop. He has had complaints about this priest from other parishes for his apostasies yet he still has him in circulation. Now he comes to us. Well, we're praying that maybe this priest has changed. But if not, we're ready to show a united front.
ReplyDeleteThanks for visiting!
We are in the Seattle Archdiocese and our little parish has always been very orthodox - so much so that we're called "The Little Vatican".
ReplyDeleteI hope this priest does not try to change this.
I don't understand the bishops. I had wished that Pope John Paul II would do something about it, but nothing happened. Now I hope that Pope Benedict will lay down the law.