Below are some exerpts from the Archbishops Homily and pictures from the Mass:

“In the Holy Mass, the Son renews his sacrifice on Calvary, the sacrifice through which he will accomplish the perfect healing of our souls. Every gesture of the Mass signifies our encounter with Christ, who comes to heal us. In the sacrifice of the Mass, earth and heaven meet.

“As the Second Vatican Ecumenical Council taught, the Holy Mass is the source and summit of our faith. The Popes throughout the ages all took great care that the celebration of the Eucharist be carried out correctly and with great reverence.

“And our current Pope, Benedict XVI, in his motu proprio Summorum Pontificum, has taught clearly that there is no contradiction between the two forms of the Mass in the Latin rite, the old Mass according to missal of St. Pius V, and the new Mass of Pope Paul VI. There is progress, but no rupture with the past.”

“And Pope Benedict has made very clear that the old rite, now called the extraordinary form of the Latin rite, cannot be rejected or regarded as dangerous in any way,” … “The double rite is a gift to the Church. The two forms will mutually enrich each other.

“For example, with regard to the old rite, new saints’ feast days, and new prayers, can be added. And, the sense of the sacred which so permeates the old Mass can exert a positive influence on the new form of the Latin rite.”

As rain fell in St Peter’s Square, a solemn High Mass according to the old rite was celebrated this morning in Latin in St. Peter’s Basilica by American Archbishop Raymond Burke. After Mass, the sun came out over the Square, in a blue sky.

By Dr. Robert Moynihan, reporting from Rome

Read the article. See the photos. Watch the video.

Randall Terry continued his reckless campaign of self-promotion today following the murder of Dr. George Tiller in Kansas City.  While continuing to refer to Tiller as a mass-murderer Terry spoke of the tactics that he believed were necessary for the anti-abortion movement to succeed.  At the National Press Club Terry is quoted by the Washington Post as saying:

Terry said abortion opponents “have to be confrontational” and “have to use highly-charged rhetoric” to advance their movement.

“The pro-life movement right now is at a crossroads,” Terry said at a midday news conference at the National Press Club. “We have become steadily politically irrelevant, our leadership is graying, retiring and dying, and many of the new leaders do not have the fortitude and clarity of thought to not flinch in an hour of crisis like this. So the words that I’m going to say today are specifically geared towards shoring up the pro-life movement.”

Terry has become a liability to the Pro-Life movement.  His actions and statements convey sentiments that are harming the movement as a whole.  He has driven those in the middle of the country who are pivotal to the success of legislative efforts away from mainstream and non-violent pro-life groups because all people see is Terry.  These groups have had some measure of success in their lawful and peaceful efforts to enact laws to limit abortion at the state level.

Terry’s comments today show that he is either totally ignorant of the effects of his rhetoric or is desperate to keep himself in the limelight.  I do not believe the Mr. Terry is ignorant of anything. He is a shrewd political operator who has kept himself in the limelight for over 20 years.  From his actions over the past few months in which he has protested Catholic Bishops in Washington DC and Baltimore being arrested for “leafleting” at the Cathedral of St. Thomas More in Washington DC.  Following this Terry went to Rome interviewed Archbishop Burke and then came back to the US to misuse the footage of Archbishop Burke against his fellow bishops, something for which Burke had to apologize to them. (Catholic News Agency Column at:  http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/column.php?n=717 )  His actions showed a callous disregard of his own Church and make me wonder if Terry believes himself superior to the Bishops of the Catholic Church.  I am wondering why he has not been silenced or censured by them for these actions.

Terry’s actions at Notre Dame to attempt to disrupt the graduation speech of President Obama only made Obama look more reasonable to many people than Terry.  Since Terry has been the “face” of the pro-life movement his every action, positive or negative affects the movement as a whole.  His protests at Notre Dame, where he and others attempted to shout down the President showed a reckless disrespect for the office of the President.  There was a time that Christians held the office of the President in respect even if they disagreed with the policies of the man in office.  This too, an interruption of the graduation of college students showed a lack of civility that has been his trademark.

Likewise fellow travelers in the anti-abortion movement including past and current leaders of Operation Rescue, the group that Terry founded and then left in 1991 years ago.  They and Terry have had a running battle of words which moved into to courts in 2008 when Terry sued them over the rights to the name Operation Rescue.  I will not weigh in on the merits of either side, except to note that this seems to be the battle over a name that brings with it real and potential monetary donors.

I do believe that Terry is wrong in stating that the pro-life movement must “be confrontational” and “have to use highly-charged rhetoric” to advance their movement. It is clear to me that the most successful tactics of the pro-life movement have been genuine efforts to provide alternative services to women undergoing unplanned pregnancies.  The best of these include actual care for the woman after delivery.  The other is the use of the legislative process.  While slow this is the legal way to change things in the United States.  As an example the actions of William Wilberforce to eliminate slavery in England used the parliamentary process.  It took time but slavery was eliminated without the trauma of the Civil War.

It is my belief that the type of protests favored by Terry to include the confrontation and highly charged rhetoric has contributed to the violence that occurred this week.  As such he is contributing to the marginalization and “political irrelevancy” of the pro-life movement.  In light of his actions I hope that Catholic Bishops will silence him for the good of the movement as a whole.  Fellow pro-life activists should distance themselves from him and find alternatives to the strategy of confrontation which do not compromise their beliefs but find a way to be redemptive and forgiving to those that practice abortions.

Unfortunately I think that what happened on Sunday was a watershed.  The Rubicon has been crossed.  As I said in my post yesterday, it will be the end of the pro-life movement because Terry and people like him will keep pushing until the entire movement is declared a domestic terrorist organization.  It is incumbent upon leaders of the pro-life movement to try to correct course now, if they do not it will be too late.  Daniel Kupelian or World Net Daily, with whom I seldom find any agreement states the danger quite well and pro-life leaders should take this and quickly change the tactics of their organizations.

“pretty soon some group may decide it can’t take it anymore. Its members might become so enraged that they conclude it’s time to start the next armed revolution. Seeing their nation being raped and envisioning no solution other than violence, they delude themselves that they’re the modern counterparts of America’s revolutionary founders. Making explosives and conspiring in secret – all the while quoting Jefferson to each other about “watering the tree of liberty” from time to time with “the blood of patriots and tyrants” – they murder some federal judges or blow up a government office building in an attempt to fight back. In reality, all they succeed in doing is murdering and maiming a bunch of their fellow Americans (or, as McVeigh did in Oklahoma City, massacring a room full of toddlers in daycare – which he later coldly termed “collateral damage”).

And what would follow? A massive official crackdown on “domestic terrorists” and a severe assault on freedom in America.

Amazing what hatred can accomplish, isn’t it? Exactly the opposite of what was supposedly intended. The “dark side of the force” is very clever.

As the blood-drenched, vengeance-driven French Revolution proved, when “patriots” are full of hate, they’re no better than the corrupt government they’re rebelling against – and maybe worse. Therefore, whether their uprising succeeds or fails, either way they usher in a new “reign of terror.” (See World Net Daily: http://www.worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=99787 )

Peace, Steve+

A few dozen pro-life Notre Dame students skipped their own graduation to attend the alternate ceremony, with Fr. Frank Pavone of Priests for Life giving the address.  In the arena, a few people tried to interrupt President Obama’s speech.  Most of those present, however, chanted, “Yes we can!” to drown out the protesters.  Fr. Jenkins, the president of Notre Dame, gave a glowing introduction to Mr. Obama.

So much for Fr. Jenkins’ claims that, by honoring Obama, they would have a “discussion” about abortion or some kind of “persuasion” or “discourse”.  It sounded like a pretty much wall-to-wall lovefest.  Sort of like “persuading” China to improve its human rights record by giving them every political and economic concession they want.  Yeah, that worked really well; just ask the jailed lawyer who tried to expose the forced abortions (which are supposed to be illegal, anyways) under the One Child Policy.  Gee, it gives the impression that we really didn’t care about either China’s human rights abuses or Obama’s radically pro-abortion record.

The good news is, Fr. Jenkins, et al.,  have probably managed to lay to rest any remaining doubt that Notre Dame might have some interest in being a truly Catholic university anymore…

While writing an answer to our local paper (more on that later), I came across this set of photos from Voices Carry, via Jill Stanek’s blog (Jill Stanek was the nurse who blew the whistle on aborted babies who didn’t die being left in dirty laundry or buckets of water to kill them).  I’m just giving you the juxtaposed photos; go read the rest of the post.  I agree with VC: Obama already got his thunderous ovation, but this priest has earned one from the more important audience.  (Obama is shown receiving his honorary award, the priest is receiving a jail tag from the police.)

Randall Terry made the comment in a newsletter once that only priests who had an arrest record for abortion protests, or at the very least a record of having participated actively in the pro-life movement, should be considered for promotion to bishop.

Where were the bishops at Notre Dame?

The local bishop refused to attend the graduation, for the first time in twenty years as the bishop of the diocese, but, as far as I’ve heard, he wasn’t at the alternate graduation for the pro-life seniors.

Archbishop Burke, formerly of St. Louis and now working at the Vatican, denounced the debacle at Notre Dame to the National Catholic Prayer Breakfast… but none of the U.S. bishops were at Notre Dame to protest, or even said much.

Dr. Alan Keyes, who was arrested for protesting, said on Sean Hannity’s show on Fox News that Bishop Sheen once said that the laity will save the Church.  I’ll take heart in the fact that Bishop Sheen has been downright prophetic on many other things about our society and Church; maybe he was right.

But why aren’t the leaders leading?  Is this why they like the UN so much: both the bishops and the UN prefer to hurl sharply worded papers (preferably with $5 words to make sure few people understand it) from a distance and pretend they’ve solved the problem while the massacres continue?

I’m not trying to be disobedient or disrespectful of my bishop.  I’ve written his office a few times, things along the lines of, “Can we expect to see a letter or press release on this?  Please?  Anything?”  I read the pope’s encyclicals, addresses, etc. when I have time.  I try to “think with the mind of the Church” as the saying goes.  The Church is soundly pro-life.  We have a tradition of being outspoken.  (Remember Peter and Paul in Acts getting flogged, arrested, and thrown out of cities for speaking boldly in the name of Christ?)  Bishops, in fact, wear red to remind them that they, too, must be ready like the martyrs were to let their blood be spilled for the sake of Christ and His Church.  (Do they remember that?  Paper cuts don’t count!)

I don’t want to lead the Church; I have other callings, other things to be taking care of (three of them, in fact, who are finally in bed).  I have no interest in “fixing” the problem by ordaining women.  I don’t think lay boards will improve the situation, either.  More or different groups in power won’t solve the fundamental problem.

I want the shepherds to lead.

But I won’t wait for them, either, if they insist on being silent.

A year ago today, our group of priests concluded our pilgrimage to the Holy Land with a visit to the “Cenacle.”

This is the Upper Room, where our Lord instituted the Most Holy Eucharist, and where the Holy Spirit descended upon our Lady and the Apostles.

Centuries ago, the room was turned into a mosque. Now it is under the jurisdiction of the government of Israel, and no religious services are permitted.

The Franciscans have a chapel next door. We concelebrated Holy Mass there together.

In his homily, Archbishop Burke quoted extensively from Pope John Paul’s encyclical on the Holy Eucharist, which the Pope gave us on Holy Thursday, 2003.

At every celebration of the Eucharist, we are spiritually brought back to the paschal Triduum: to the events of the evening of Holy Thursday, to the Last Supper and to what followed it.

The institution of the Eucharist sacramentally anticipated the events which were about to take place, beginning with the agony in Gethsemane.

Once again we see Jesus as he leaves the Upper Room, descends with his disciples to the Kidron valley and goes to the Garden of Olives.

Even today that Garden shelters some very ancient olive trees. Perhaps they witnessed what happened beneath their shade that evening, when Christ in prayer was filled with anguish “and his sweat became like drops of blood falling down upon the ground.”

The blood which shortly before he had given to the Church as the drink of salvation in the sacrament of the Eucharist, began to be shed; its outpouring would then be completed on Golgotha to become the means of our redemption.

By instituting the Holy Eucharist, Jesus Christ brought about a mysterious “oneness in time” between that hour and the passage of the centuries.

It is very moving for a priest to be at the place where Christ began the Mass and the Priesthood. It reminds us that the Mass and the Priesthood belong completely to Christ.

Archbishop Burke quoted John Paul:

Amazement should always fill the Church assembled for the Eucharist. In a special way it should fill the minister of the Eucharist. By the power coming to him from Christ in the Upper Room, he says: “This is my Body…This is my Blood.” The priest says these words, or rather he puts his voice at the disposal of the One Who spoke these words in the Upper Room.

...you are dust, and to dust you shall return.

T.S. Eliot wrote a complex, difficult, breathtaking poem for Ash Wednesday.

The Holy Father keeps Ash Wednesday in the Dominican church of Santa Sabina, on the Aventine Hill in Rome. He approaches the church in a solemn procession down Via Santa Sabina from the church of San Anselmo, which is about a quarter mile away.

In most of the languages of Christendom, the word for the season of penance before Easter comes from the word for forty, since the season is forty weekdays (and six Sundays) long.

In English, though, the name of the season comes from the verb lengthen, since the days get longer–and springtime comes–during Lent.

Here’s a short Ash Wednesday homily for you:

Everybody remember New Years? Did anyone make any good New Years’ resolutions?

I am going to start doing this good thing or stop doing that bad thing. –Remember those?

The Lord is very patient. Just at the time of year when we have broken our New Years’ resolutions so many times that we have just about forgotten them, Ash Wednesday comes.

Let’s be humble and honest. Lent is the time for us to dedicate ourselves again to growing in virtue and overcoming vice.

Rome was not built in a day. If I had a good New Years’ resolution which I have not kept, then I have a good Lenten resolution. One step at a time.

We start fresh from Christ at New Years. And we start fresh from Christ again on Ash Wednesday.

Remember: No meat today, and only one full meal for adults. No meat for the next seven Fridays.

Argentina expelled Bishop Richard Williamson from the country. He was in charge of a seminary there, but now he has had to return to England. Apparently, Argentina is not the place to be wrong about things.

A reporter hounded the bishop as he made his way through the airport yesterday. The bishop shook his fist at him.

Bishop Williamson may be wrong about the Holocaust, but he could be the man we need for bad-priest beat-downs.

The Tomb of Christ

The Holy Sepulcher is the tomb of Christ, the place where He rose from the dead.

The purpose of Lent is to prepare for Easter, so it is a special gift to remember the empty tomb on Ash Wednesday.

In his homily in the tomb, Archbishop Burke said:

We are witnesses to the truth that He is risen from the dead, and that, through Him, we have the forgiveness of our sins and life everlasting.

We are witnesses that Christ is not in the tomb, that He goes before us, accompanying us and leading us on the earthly pilgrimage which has its destiny in the kingdom of heaven.

Mount Tabor, seen from the north

One year ago today, we priest-pilgrims with were with Archbishop Burke at the top of Mt. Tabor.

The Lord Jesus led Peter, James, and John up to the top of Mount Tabor. He was transfigured before them, and they beheld His divine glory. It was six days after St. Peter confessed that Jesus is the Christ. The Lord and His disciples were on their way Jerusalem for the last time.

Mount Tabor church exterior

interior

In his homily in Antonio Barluzzi’s church of the Transfiguration, Archbishop Burke noted:

Statue in St. Peter's vested for Cathedra Petri, February 22

The six days since St. Peter confessed the faith were very difficult days for the Apostles, especially Peter. Our Lord had begun to instruct them regarding the true nature of His divine glory, namely, the outpouring of His life in a cruel passion and the most ignominious death possible at the time.

The Apostles, including Peter, had a different notion of the Lord’s glory…

The Transfiguration came at the end of six days of our Lord’s instruction on the Way of the Cross, the way in which the glory of God was to be made manifest in our human flesh. Peter, James, and John were privileged to witness the wondrous transfiguration of the Body of Christ in preparation for His coming Passion and Death.

The memory of the Transfiguration would open the eyes and hearts of the Apostles when they saw the Risen Lord in His glorious body. It prepared them to be the authoritative witnesses, the apostolic teachers, of faith in the divine Sonship of Christ.

Michael Graham was the #1 bruiser of the 1984 championship team

During halftime of yesterdays’ Hoya loss, there was a bittersweet memorial for the 1984 NCAA Championship team. I found the nostalgia to be rather lame. To tell you the truth, I napped through the ceremony.

I was trying to think of something to write about the whole business. After all, the Ewing era was the joy of my northwest-Washington youth. But I don’t have to come up with any words, because Dick Heller of the Washington Times has said it all.

My favorite line of his column is:

The last couple of months might have been worse for the Hoyas than for Rod Blagojevich, Tom Daschle and Marion Barry combined.

Here is Archbishop Wuerl inviting the wayward back to the Holy Mother:

The Archdiocese is even starting its own official blog on Ash Wednesday (three days from now).

They have assigned a huge staff to do the job that your humble servant does in my spare time while eating fried pickles and watching ballgames. But I am sure that they will produce a far superior weblog. You can start reading it instead of P&BD, if you want. I won’t be offended.

I am, as you know, rather shameless. The bandwagon pulled up to my stop, and I jumped on: I am hook, line, and sinker for the Caps! Just handed the Penguins an ignominious defeat. RED!!!!

Message 1

If at this stage our anger is directed at President Obama, our anger is misdirected. Obama is not the enemy. He needs and deserves our prayers, not our condemnation.

As Catholics, we are not guiltless. It seems to me that when President Kennedy compromised Catholic teachings and accommodated political pressures in order to be elected to the highest office in the land, he set the tone for many Catholic leaders to follow and to compromise their Catholic principles to get ahead.

In our Supreme Court and in our Congress, we have a plethora of so-called Catholics who are failing to live their Catholic identity. Over 50 percent of our electorate voted for a president who is one of the most pro-culture-of-death candidates from a major party to run for the highest office of the land.

Yes, we can thank one-half of our Catholics for bailing out on their faith!

Message 2

But most damaging, he said, was the document “Faithful Citizenship” that “led to confusion” among the voting Catholic population.

“While it stated that the issue of life was the first and most important issue, it went on in some specific areas to say ‘but there are other issues’ that are of comparable importance without making necessary distinctions.”

Archbishop Burke, citing an article by a priest and ethics expert of St. Louis archdiocese, Msgr. Kevin McMahon, who analysed how the bishops’ document actually contributed to the election of Obama, called its proposal “a kind of false thinking, that says, ‘there’s the evil of taking an innocent and defenceless human life but there are other evils and they’re worthy of equal consideration.’

“But they’re not. The economic situation, or opposition to the war in Iraq, or whatever it may be, those things don’t rise to the same level as something that is always and everywhere evil, namely the killing of innocent and defenceless human life.”

Archbishop Burke also cited the work of the official news service of the US Catholic Bishops’ Conference, that many pro-life observers complained soft-pedalled the newly elected president’s opposition to traditional morality.

“The bishops need to look also at our Catholic News Service, CNS, they need to review their coverage of the whole thing and give some new direction, in my judgement,” he said.

P.S.

Message 3

Perhaps now you can understand a bit better why pro-life Catholics (Catholics who actually vote pro-life) are so upset.  Actually, you  aren’t being persecuted.  These good pastors have the eternal welfare of all their sheep at heart.

More of this, please.

And then there was more:

Burke, who was named prefect of the Vatican’s Supreme Court of the Apostolic Signature in June, told the Italian Catholic newspaper Avvenire that the U.S. Democratic Party risked “transforming itself definitively into a party of death for its decisions on bioethical issues.” He then attacked two of the party’s most high profile Catholics — vice presidential candidate Joe Biden and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi — for misrepresenting Church teaching on abortion.

I tell you: it is comming. Finally. Can’t wait.

Archbishop Raymond Burke, the new prefect of the Apostolic Signatura, and thereby the pope’s canon lawyer, has not wasted any time in authorizing any minister of communion to deny the Eucharist to phony Catholic politicians.  I should clarify that the good bishop has not done this in any official capacity but in the context of a interview with the Italian magazine, Radici Christiane.  In any case it is very significant that Archbishop Burke, in his new and very powerful capacity, has been willing to commit himself once again to this position in the public forum at all.  This clearly means that he is willing to back this up with his authority if necessary.

Woohoo!  Finally!

I wonder what Nancy Pelosi and Joe Biden and Doug Kmiec are thinking now.

Might I not suggest a special ceremony to celebrate.  Something like the following:

Some clear thinking from Ed Morrissey at Hot Air.

I am following up on earlier posts.

Many Catholics maneuver around this by simply ignoring it, and they’re free to do so.  Membership in the Church is voluntary, after all, and people can leave the Catholic Church if they disagree with its catechism (and strictly speaking, they should do so under those circumstances).   However, it’s either a gross misrepresentation or self-delusion to argue that abortion is simply one issue among many for observant Catholics and that economic policy or foreign affairs can outweigh it.

His earlier post is on the mark as well.

It remains to be seen how far Catholics like Doug Kmiec will push the envelope, and how long it will be before canon 915 is actually enforced.

From mealy-mouthed “Catholic” politicians and political advisors, deliver us, O Lord.

I am in La Crosse for the dedication of the National Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe, which is to begin a few hours from now and which will be televised by EWTN.  I will try to get some pictures for AirMaria.

Meanwhile, Bob Fox and his son Gregory drove all the way from Long Island to attend the Encampment.  Bob has written about the experience on his blog.

This non conformity with the present age speaks volumes to young boys and men, and rejects the symbols of the present cultural and moral haziness and laziness! These men draw from the rich past of our civilization when it was at one time informed by Catholic ideals. This community exemplifies the Kingship and absolute sovereignty of Jesus Christ in every age… and they indirectly remind us that it is the Church which builds civilization… it’s not the other way around!

Editors Note: Fratres would like to thank Archbishop Burke for his faithful service in St. Louis and steadfast commitment to Catholic faith and morals as shepherd. I join my voice to those below… James Mary Evans

Members of a Catholic lay organization applauded the appointment of Archbishop Raymond Burke to a high Vatican post — full text of letter

In a letter to Archbishop Raymond Burke, members of the Catholic Media Coalition expressed their deep gratitude and best wishes to a cleric they called, “A bishop after God’s own heart.”

The long-rumored appointment of Archbishop Burke as Prefect of the Apostolic Signatura, the highest ecclesial court, came on June 27th, the feast of St. Cyril of Alexandria.

Mary Ann Kreitzer, CMC president, commented that, “It was a particularly appropriate day to announce Archbishop Burke’s appointment. St. Cyril battled the Nestorian heresy that denied the divinity of Christ.

“That heresy thrives in our modern culture,” Kreitzer said. “Many Catholics no longer believe in the divinity of Christ because of the bishops’ failure to teach and anti-Catholic works like the DaVinci Code. Against that sad background, Archbishop Burke stands out as a champion of Catholic doctrine, a clear and articulate defender of the faith.”

CMC expressed particular appreciation to Archbishop Burke for his great courage and witness for:

• Publicly defending the Holy Eucharist: In 2004 Archbishop Burke said he would deny Holy Communion to Senator John Kerry and other Catholic politicians who support abortion. He also admonished pro-abortion Catholics in the pew to refrain from receiving Communion.

• Resigning as Chairman of the board of Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital Foundation when they refused to disinvite radical pro-abortion singer Sheryl Crow to head up a benefit concert.

• Confronting the scandal of Coach Rick Majerus publicly supporting abortion and embryonic stem cell research.

• For excommunicating Rose Hudson, Elsie McGrath, and fake bishop Patricia Fresen for an act of schism in attempting the ordination of the two women.

• Advancing the Institute of Christ the King to restore the Traditional Latin Mass and promoting solid vocations to the priesthood.

• Fostering the Marian Catechist Movement founded by Fr. John Hardon to teach the authentic Catholic faith based on fidelity to the pope and the doctrine of the Church.

“We are grateful, ” Kreitzer said, “for having such a faithful apostle in the United States. Not only has Archbishop Burke given us hope, he has given us an example of how to speak the truth in love. We are confident that in his new role we will see greater justice especially to priests punished and silenced for their orthodoxy. Arrivederci, Archbishop Burke, we love you.”

CMC is an organization of Catholic writers, webmasters, editors, and others engaged in producing media for and about the Catholic Church.

CMC’s letter to Archbishop Raymond Burke is as follows:

July 1, 2008

Archbishop Raymond Burke, Archbishop of St. Louis

Your Excellency:

The members of the Catholic Media Coalition wish to express our heartfelt gratitude for your faithful service to the Church in the United States. There are many troubling situations that have injured the faith and trust of Catholics in this country. We particularly regret the failure of so many bishops to vigorously defend the teachings of the Church which contributed to the sex abuse scandals and to other major and ongoing problems.

We wish to especially acknowledge your courage in publicly defending the Holy Eucharist from sacrilege, for resigning as Chairman of the Board of the Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital Foundation, for excommunicating the women who invalidly attempted female ordination, and for confronting the public scandal of Coach Rick Majerus’ outrageous statements. But even more than these, we thank you for advancing the Institute of Christ the King, developing vocations, and fostering the authentic Catholic faith through the Marian Catechist Movement.

Be assured of our continued prayers as you begin your new work as Prefect of the Apostolic Signatura. Arrivederci, Archbishop Burke.
Sincerely in Christ,

Mary Ann Kreitzer

President, Catholic Media Coalition

Catholic Media Coalition members endorsing the letter as co-signers are:

Jack Ames, Defend Life, Baltimore, MD,
Janet Baker, Faithful Catholics of MD/DC,
Stephanie Block, Catholic Author, Albuquerque, NM,
Jean Charles, Defender of the Magisterium Vermont,
Kenneth Fisher, Chairman, Concerned Roman Catholics of America, Anaheim, CA
James Fritz, Defenders of the Faith, Inc., Berkeley Springs, WV
Camille Giglio, California Right to Life Advocates,
Alice Grayson, Veil of Innocence, West Falmouth, MA,
Nancy Kokstis SFO, the Shepherds Warrior, Prentice, WI,
Mary Ann Kreitzer, Les Femmes, Woodstock, VA,
Valerie Lubitz, President, Los Pequeños de Cristo, Albuquerque, NM,
Donna Marek, Catholic activist, Ogdensburg, NY,
Karl Maurer, Director, Catholic Citizens of Illinois,
Patricia McKeever, Catholic Truth Scotland,
Kathy Parker, Brothers and Sisters at the Cross, Birmingham, Alabama
Sheila Parkhill, The Holy Family Society of Tucson, AZ,
Vivian Ripton, Call to Holiness, St. Michael the Archangel Chapel,
Allyson Smith, Catholic Author, San Diego, CA,
Georgene M. Sorenson, Romans in the Desert,
Donna Steichen, Catholic Author, Ojai, CA
Carolyn Wendell, VOCAL (Voices of Catholics Advocating Life)

Copyright © 2008 Spero

Archbishop Burke, an outspoken defender of the faith, has been appointed to the Vatican supreme court. This position is usually filled by cardinals, so the appointment clearly shows the Pope’s esteem for Archbishop Burke.

Archbishop Burke has many critics of his stands against dissenters of the Catholic moral teachings. Some are glad he is leaving for the wrong reasons. Archbishop Burke is a champion and defender of the Catholic Faith and deserves our support. The dissenters seemed to be scared that he might get his views heard in Rome. The only problem is, the dissenters need to know that his views have been the teachings of the Church all along. His stance should be nothing new to them. It is sad that many Bishops don’t enforce the moral teachings of the Church more stringently.

Please pray again for Archbishop Burke in his new duties at the Vatican. This is good news for the Church!

This should make the envelope pushers squirm.  I hope.

Of late, I can’t escape pondering the religious sisters. They keep appearing in reading I’m doing on U.S. Church history, in efforts to understand the nature and foundations of Catholic education, and in the audiobook sent this month.

We owe the sisters so much. From hundreds of hospitals that were built on their service and sacrifice to the thousands of schools they founded, they have been a strong and reliable thread binding American society together. Many of those schools are closing, partially because the inexpensive education provided by the selfless sacrifice of so many celibate sisters isn’t sustainable when laypeople take their place (laypeople needing salaries to support families). In 1965, there were 15,000 parish elementary schools, and 50% of school-aged Catholics went to them. The 2004 numbers stood at 6,853 elementary schools, and less than 25% of school-aged Catholics attend them.

Some say these numbers reflect a deep crisis in our culture and the Catholic church itself. Pointing to the incredible decline in vocations to sisterhoods (In 1965 there were 179,954 religious sisters. In 2004, there were only 71,486), there is much speculation for the cause. To hear some tell it, the reforms of Vatican II robbed the liturgy and American Catholicism of much of its unifying identity, and the drop in vocations is a natural outgrowth of Vatican II.

Others say the exodus from religious orders (including priestly orders–which have shrunk some 15%) came with the Council’s refusal to allow religious to marry and for women to be priests. While I don’t feel qualified to make judgments on claims concerning the liturgy (in part because I’ve only known post-Vatican II), I view assertions concerning female ordination and celibacy with great skepticism. Any man or woman who took vows of celibacy under the expectation that the church would erase them took false vows, and probably never had a vocation to consecrated life in the first place.

In contrast to “traditionalists” who would see Vatican II overturned, others proclaim the Holy Spirit is doing something new with the American church and religious sisters. I know some lovely and wonderful sisters. I’ve actively tried to encourage young women to explore possible vocations to that life.

The precipitous drop in female vocations may not have all that much to do with an overly sexualized or individualistic culture (though it is certainly both things), or with a new movement of the Holy Spirit. Much has to do with the abuse of the sisters’ good-will and mismanagement of funds. In the Archdiocese of St. Louis, young men can go on a weekend retreat, eat wonderfully prepared meals, receive lodging and spiritual direction, and enjoy space and time for prayerful discernment–all free of charge.

Not so females. Having sacrificed so much for charity’s sake, the sisters are forced to ask inquisitive young women to pay for discernment retreats. Those retreats seldom receive publicity and promotion anywhere near that given to male “Come and See” weekends.   I had to hunt for 20 minutes on-line to find info for a young woman.

Young men entering formation have educational expenses paid for them. In all the cases I’ve heard, young women are expected to pay their own way, and thus have to work secular jobs while male brethren have ample (I might even say “excessive”) free-time. Do these practices seem just to you?

I do not believe the differences are warranted by the distinction brought by ordination. The Lord said, “the worker is worth (his/her) wage” and did not begrudge the extravagance lavished upon him by Mary of Bethany. I do not think He would begrudge us lavishing some due extravagance on our consecrated sisters. I think it long overdue. Instead, it seems we relegate our women (and yes, the hardworking priests out there) to the role of Martha, forcing them to work to pay a wage before they can sit at the feet of the Lord like Mary.

Quite recently, the Archbishop announced a plan to support seminary expansion in the diocese. It is wonderful more young men are responding to religious life, and certainly the faithful should support them. But the publicized plan calls for raising $30 million for building expansions, and $25 million for the endowment that supports seminarians, leaving the ladies out in the cold once again.

When vocations to religious sisterhood are in such peril, would it not make sense to strengthen, promote, and collaborate with our sisters? And given that 80% of laypeople participating in liturgical functions or ministry are women, wouldn’t it seem sound to grace their willingness to serve with attention to their formation and spiritual development?

I have found Archbishop Burke to be a holy man, and I ignore those who attribute sinister or prejudicial motives to him (you do not know the man). We are all human, and prone to a certain blindness to the “big picture” around us. Perhaps those in positions of such staggering responsibility are all the more prone to understandable ignorance.

Celibate men and women, surrounded as they are by vowed members of their own sex, do not have the perspective (or sense of compromise) that comes with married life. If God is Other, and Mystery, there is perhaps no greater opportunity to encounter God than godly, loving marriage. It stretches one, causes them to move beyond the tendencies of their own sex, and takes them out of comfort zones in ways I believe consecrated life rarely offers. That’s just my perspective on the issue, and should not be construed as an argument against celibacy. The church would be lesser without it.

Still, I’ve seen the shift that takes place in those peers of mine that are religious brothers or sisters. I have watched a few grow more aloof from the Body of Christ, less capable of intimacy, and it leaves me questioning the validity of their professed vocation.

Maybe that’s a necessary shift, but I do think celibacy and communal life requires them to make more deliberate efforts to understand the opposite sex. I have seen a very real (though subtle) sexism in some orders (ladies, do not think yourselves exempt from that statement or risk).

I find myself wishing there were an advocate to speak certain words in the Archbishop’s ear. I’ve been told such thoughts are a sign the person having them is meant to be the messenger. Still, I harbor doubts as to my effectiveness as an advocate.

This whole post was inspired by two audio recordings from Mother Theresa. They got me thinking I understand religious sisters less than ever–they are a greater mystery than before (and not necessarily the good kind)–and that thought was inspired by Theresa’s exposition on celibacy, and being “only for God”. Is my lack of clarity because I’m struggling more than ever with my own sexuality?

My “flesh calls for flesh”, and yet my heart is incapable of truly giving what another person (save one) would deserve.

Or are the sisters more mystery because I’m being drawn by God to strive to understand them–and the Holy Spirit–in a deeper form of communion? Well, I will never rest content with what I know. I know enough about my own ignorance to have the conviction I can always understand and love more deeply…

Yes, more pushing the envelope.

• Catholic League: Where’s Obama’s ‘Catholic Advisory Council?’
• TD Jakes Meets with Obama (And Doug Kmiec)

Obama is taking his general campaign to the “least likely’s,” Evangelicals and Catholics. Of course, the Messiah can do anything, no matter how preposterous, and get away with.

Doug Kmiec is not just an Obama supporter, he is now an adviser. Shame. Shame. Shame.

Kmiec disengenuously quoted Deacon Keith Fournier’s Catholics, Voting and the Common Good. While the deacon still wants to defend Kmiec as a good Catholic, he does strongly disagree with him:

• Why I Disagree with Doug Kmiec, Once Again

While I agree that the civil discourse should be elevated, executing the canons on withholding communion is not vicious and uncharitable. Quiet the contrary. Kmiec is not a merely a defender of the right to vote one’s conscience. He is a flagrant campaigner for Mr. Planned Parenthood himself.

Now that the general election season is underway, the purveyors of ethical compromise are already hard at work. Doug Kmiec Professor of Constitutional Law at Pepperdine University has begun a major offensive to malform the consciences of Catholics in America into thinking that it is morally acceptable to vote for Barack Obama. What is more disconcerting is that Catholic Online is giving him free reign to do so.

Mr. Kmiec was recently denied communion for his roof-top endorsement of Obama. Unfortunatley, it seems that the priest who did so may not have followed canonical procedure. Follow the comments from the last link for an interesting discussion on whether the likes of Kmiec should be denied. Archbishop Burke’s paper is the must-read on this matter.

Aside from Kmiec’s intellectual rationalization by which he convinces himself that the man with the worst pro-life record imaginable is the best pro-life candidate, the typical gooey, leg-thrilling and nauseating enthusiasm for Obama just makes this latest puree of secularist pablum in Catholic sauce too much for my taste buds–and my stomach.

But since misery loves company, I set the table for the readers of MaryVictrix:

Daily Kos Meet Catholic Online

Can Obama deliver on his promise to build bridges and unbuild walls? It is likely unusual for the progressive blog, Daily Kos, to be cross-referenced on Catholic Online, but here is a quotation from a recent blog entry at that liberal site:

“This has been Barack’s pattern through his entire campaign. He has spoken truth to privilege. He’s made everyone uncomfortable, and that’s a good thing. He’s taken hold of some very big skeletons in the American closet, and shaken them until they rattled. He’s thrown the windows open and let in some air.”

The terminology of opening windows is, of course, reminiscent of John XXIII’s description of the animating purpose of the Second Vatican Council, when the Catholic Church, itself, was ecumenically unbuilding walls between itself and other faith communities.

My heavens! The comparison between Obama and John XXIII is Hegelian. “Let’s take the pope in one hand and the Planned Parenthood Poster Boy in the other, and whamo! the great political messiah!” Further indication of this mindset is the “Daily Kos Meets Catholic Online” header. “Yes, yes, lets take the hate-mongering cyber-pit for the bottom-feeders on the left and come up with a brave new synthesis by integrating it with Catholic thought. This is so far out it merits only sarcasm.”

Catholic instruction provides that “a well-formed Christian conscience does not permit one to vote for a political program or an individual law which contradicts the fundamental contents of faith and morals.”

That obviously would preclude a Catholic voter from supporting a referendum providing public funding for abortion, but what about a candidate like Obama who is not pro-abortion, but of the view that the civil law best leaves this question to the mother in consultation with their own clergyman and doctor?

Catholic voters in this circumstance are asked to consider what other social goods Obama represents and whether they can honestly and openly say that they are supporting him for that reason and not his stand on abortion.

The American bishops have put it this way: “A Catholic cannot vote for a candidate who takes a position in favor of an intrinsic evil, such as abortion. . ., if the voter’s intent is to support that position. In such cases a Catholic would be guilty of formal cooperation in grave evil. At the same time, a voter should not use a candidate’s opposition to an intrinsic evil to justify indifference or inattentiveness to other important moral issues involving human life and dignity.”

Make no mistake about it, whatever his intentions, Kmiec’s argument, if successful, will make it virtually impossible to convince anyone that there is any moral imperative to protect innocent unborn babies. Obama is not pro-abortion? Then who is? This is shameless beyond comprehension. The man uses the very rhetoric of Planned Parenthood.

Kmiec entitled the article from which I have taken the above quotes “The Politics of Apostasy,” as though people like myself have some undying loyalty to the Republican Party, and the real reason we believe people like him should be told not to receive communion is because we are politically motivated.

His article would have been better entitled “The Theology of Ethical Compromise for Political Purposes.” Kmiec is the one with misguided loyalties. He is suffering from the “Obama is Messiah” delusion. I pray there is a cure.

St. Louis will ordain nine men to the priesthood this Saturday. That is a lot! They have seen a large increase in vocations and many in St. Louis attribute it to their inspiring bishop who is willingly meets the men in formation (seminarians) where they are at. Read the entire article here.

Archbishop Burke, whether he knows it or not, has pulled a play right out of the St. John Bosco play-book. It seems that one of the most formative times for his seminarians are the walks they schedule with him.

Although I really enjoy reading any story about the recent upsurge in vocations to the priesthood or religious life, this one is special because it shows the effectiveness of these friendly chats that the Archbishop has with his men in training. Don Bosco had his Salesians practice this and we still keep this tradition as it is part of our rule for life. Monthly every Salesian meets with his director for a friendly chat (called “Rendiconto” in Italian) where we share our challenges and joys and seek guidance as we continue to discern God’s call in our lives.

I am so thankful that the Church in the U.S. has been blessed with bishops that chose to make vocations a top priority, not by spending more money in advertising campaigns or hiring more “vocation recruiters”, but by stepping up and being good examples themselves, not being afraid to join in the life of their young men in formation, and being open enough to encourage them along every step of the way.

To all these bishops thank you! I am sure St. John Bosco and our Lord are in heaven smiling down upon you

It is the largest ordination class for the archdiocese since 1987.

Some credit Archbishop Burke for the boom in seminarians.  A frequent visitor to the seminary, the archbishop sometimes drops by unannounced for lunches with the students.

“He’s the center and the core of this whole thing,” archdiocesan vocations director Rev. Michael Butler said to the St. Louis Post Dispatch.

Archbishop Burke explained that he decided vocations would be one of his priorities. 

“A bishop’s principal responsibility is to provide priests for the people in his pastoral care,” the archbishop said in an interview last week from Rome. “Ordinations have to be absolutely right at the top of my priorities.”

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch has reported that Archbishop Burke has a habit of inviting each student at the Kenrick-Glennon Seminary for a walk near his residence.  “The walks,” as the seminarians call them, are opportunities for the young men to have heart-to-heart talks with their archbishop. 

Seminary officials organize the walks using time sheets.  When new sheets are posted, seminarians rush to sign up.

“It’s like when you throw pellets at the Japanese fish at the Botanical Gardens,” said ordinand Edward Nemeth, 26. “Guys falling over each other to get their names on the list.”

There are more than 100 men enrolled at Kenrick-Glennon Seminary, more than half of whom are studying to be priests for the Archdiocese of St. Louis.  Monsignor Ted Wojcicki, president of the seminary, said he hopes to enroll 120 students next year.

All of the ordinands have earned master of divinity degrees and master of arts degrees in theology from Kenrick-Glennon Seminary.

Pro-Abortion Politicians and Holy Communion Reprise

Egan Reprimands Giuliani

ENFIELD— The past week has thrust the issue of pro-abortion Catholic politicians receiving Holy Communion back into the limelight. Four years ago, discussion of this issue reached fever-pitch due the presidential candidacy of Senator John F. Kerry (D-MA).

The opening rounds were fired by the conservative newspaper columnist Robert Novak. Novak observed that a number of pro-abortion Catholic politicians received communion at Masses celebrated during the papal visit:

“In the aftermath of the U.S. visit by Pope Benedict XVI, traditional Catholics are asking a troublesome question: Did pro-choice politicians receiving Communion at the papal Masses indicate the pope had softened on the abortion question?”

Among them were Chris Dodd, Nancy Pelosi, Ted Kennedy, John Kerry, and Rudy Giuliani. Perhaps more incendiary was Novak’s conclusion:

“The answer is no. On the contrary, it reflected disobedience to Benedict by the archbishops of New York and Washington… Benedict’s position was unequivocal when he was Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. Asked in 2004 whether Kerry, as the Democratic presidential nominee, should be allowed to take Communion, he replied, ‘The minister of Holy Communion must refuse to distribute it.’

Ratzinger’s demeanor necessarily has changed with his elevation from doctrinal enforcer to global pastor, but he has not altered his position. When the pope arrived in Brazil a year ago, he declared: ‘The killing of an innocent human child is incompatible with going into Communion in the body of Christ.’”

Within hours, the Archbishop of New York, Cardinal Edward M. Egan, released a statement denouncing Giuliani’s reception of communion:

“The Catholic Church clearly teaches that abortion is a grave offense against the will of God. Throughout my years as Archbishop of New York, I have repeated this teaching in sermons, articles, addresses, and interviews without hesitation or compromise of any kind. Thus it was that I had an understanding with Mr. Rudolph Giuliani, when I became Archbishop of New York and he was serving as Mayor of New York, that he was not to receive the Eucharist because of his well-known support of abortion. I deeply regret that Mr. Giuliani received the Eucharist during the Papal visit here in New York, and I will be seeking a meeting with him to insist that he abide by our understanding.”

Former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani at the Pope’s April 19 Mass at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York (Photo / Chris LaPutt)

This is significant for a number of reasons. First of all, the existence of a gentleman’s agreement between Egan and Giuliani on the matter is extraordinary. It indicates that Giuliani’s avoidance of communion on the campaign trail was prompted by a desire to prevent John Kerry-type coverage, not a belief that he was wrong.

Most Rev. Raymond Leo Burke, Archbishop of St. Louis (Photo / Archdiocese of St. Louis)

Cardinal Edward M. Egan, Archbishop of New York (Photo / CBS News)

It is also significant because it marks a subtle yet important shift in the American hierarchy’s approach to the issue. In 2004, the Archbishop of St. Louis, the Most. Rev. Raymond Leo Burke, found himself ostracized by other members of the hierarchy for taking a firm stance against Kerry. This action by Cardinal Egan gives other American bishops a green light to deny communion to public supporters of abortion.

Giuliani’s spokesman is quoted in The Times as saying:

“Mayor Rudy Giuliani is certainly willing to meet with Cardinal Egan. As he has previously said, mayor Giuliani’s faith is a deeply personal matter and should remain confidential.”

The problem with such a view is that the reception of communion is not a private act; it is both a public act and an ecclesial act— meaning that it is done in the context of the Church community. Because Giuliani has made his support for abortion equally public, he has forfeited any expectation of privacy in the matter.

This point is made quite sharply by Canonist Ed Peters, “Under either heading, then, whether for pro-abortion activism or for divorce and remarriage, to say nothing of both, Rudy is barred from receiving Communion. Period. His very, very public act of defiance in taking Communion at the papal Mass deserves swift and firm condemnation.”

Perhaps the best commentary on the issue comes from the Vatican columnist Sandro Magister. It was Magister who originally broke the story of then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger’s confidential letter to DC Cardinal Theodore E. McCarrick on the matter. Magister writes:

“[T]he impression is that a more strict approach is taking hold among the bishops of the United States. It was striking that cardinal Egan did not limit himself to recalling general principles, but directly criticized a famous political figure, and moreover accused him of violating a private agreement made with him.

In Europe and in Italy, such questions are not even raised. The fact that “pro-choice” politicians should receive communion does not raise any particular reactions. Their decision is left to their personal conscience.

The fact that in the United States, on the other hand, this question is so inflammatory is another sign of the differences in the political-religious landscapes on either side of the Atlantic: a diversity repeatedly emphasized by Benedict XVI during his visit and in the concluding audience on Wednesday, April 30.

In the United States, religion is a public reality to a much greater extent and in a different way than in Europe. With the consequences that follow from this.”

When this issue was it its height in 2004, there were loud complaints that religion was intruding into the political realm. In reality, the pundits got the story backwards, demonstrating their fundamental misunderstanding of religion. This was not a story of the Bishops trying to strong-arm John Kerry. Rather, it was a story of John Kerry expecting to get a free pass for his sins because he was a politician. Cardinal Egan’s actions are a rejection of cheap grace and show that in the economy of salvation there are no free passes for politicians.

Play it again Sam! 

By: http://stlouiscatholic.blogspot.com/

Yes, it’s true. Yet another decree of excommunication was published in the St. Louis Review today. This time it is a decree against Stanley Rozanski and Bronsalaa (Bernice) Krauze, members of the Board of the Polish St. Stanislaus Kostka Corporation. For some reason that I cannot fathom, it does not yet appear on the Review’s website. Therefore, I will try to summarize and publish excerpts from the decree for the benefit of readers. In censure and content, it is similar to the decree issued concerning the “womenpriests” as it relates to the schism finding.The Archbishop begins by recalling that the members of the Board of Directors other than Rozanski and Krauze had incurred excommunication, latae sententiae, “by reason of having committed the canonical crime of schism on December 15, 2005″ (this was after the hiring of Fr. Bozek and before the suppression of the parish on December 29, 2005).Echoing his findings with regard to the “Roman Catholic Womenpriest” organization, the Archbishop finds that since the date of suppression as a Catholic parish in 2005, “the entity of the Polish St. Stanislaus Kostka Corporation has never been and is not now a part of the Roman Catholic Church but instead is a sect and will remain so for as long as it willfully exists separated from full communion with the Vicar of Christ and the fold of the Archdiocese of Saint Louis, loyally subject to him.”The Archbishop further noted that Rozanski received a canonical admonition on July 31, 2007, warning him of his obligation to resign from the Board, and not to present himself as a candidate for further election.

Despite this, Mr. Rozanski and Mrs. Krauze presented themselves for election, and were elected to the Board on August 12, 2007. According to the decree, “Mr. Rozanski and Mrs. Krauze took sacrilegious oaths of office to be directors of said sect”, and have continued to act as directors since that time.

The Archbishop further noted that the two had received three canonical admonitions and summonses since September 2007, and have three times failed to appear as directed.

Therefore, the Archbishop found that both Rozanski and Krauze are guilty of the canonical crime of schism (can. 751), and he has declared them to have incurred the censure of excommunication, latae sententiae (can 1364, sec. 1); they are no longer Catholics in good standing and they are forbidden, as in the case of the womenpriests, to receive Holy Communion and the other sacraments, including absolution, until they have publicly repented and made amends for their crime.

The decree is http://www.archstl.org/images/stories/pdfs/03-12-08-delcaration_rozanski-krauze.pdf

Archbishop Burke has issued the following statement: 

Statement Regarding New Members of Saint Stanislaus Kostka Corporation Board

As Archbishop of St. Louis, it is my responsibility to safeguard the unity of the Catholic Church and protect the souls of the faithful.

I have communicated with both Mr. Rozanski and Ms. Krauze that the Board of Saint Stanislaus Kostka Corporation is in schism, the parish had been suppressed, and that if they joined the board, they would be knowingly joining a sect that held and professed views outside the communion of the Catholic Church. Because they joined the board knowing this information, they excommunicated themselves from the Catholic Church. Church law requires me to publicly declare the excommunication.

The situation of Mr. Rozanski and Ms. Krause is sad for the whole Church. It is cause of great concern for me as archbishop. Please join me in praying that both will be reconciled with the Church and that the great harm which has been caused to the Church, with the help of God’s grace, will be healed.

Archbishop Raymond Burke has made a formal request for the removal of the Rev. Marek Bozek, pastor of St. Stanislaus Kostka Church, for improperly representing himself as a Catholic priest.

Burke and Bozek have been involved in a long-running dispute over the management of funds and property at St. Stanislaus, a Polish-heritage parish in St. Louis.

Burke has accused Bozek of many violations of church law.

Shamleffer said Burke has referred directly to the Vatican his charge that Bozek violated church doctrine by taking part in November in the ordination of two women by a group called Catholic Women Priests.

In 2004, Burke instructed St. Stanislaus to conform to the same legal and financial structure as all of the other parishes in the archdiocese. The Polish-heritage parish just northwest of downtown had managed its own business affairs since its founding in the 19th century. Parish leaders refused, eventually leading to Burke’s removal of the parish priests.

Among the specific findings are simony, or the taking of money, such as Sunday offerings, in exchange for improperly performing sacraments; simulation of the administration of a sacrament; and illegitimate exercise of priestly ministry. Burke said Wednesday thatBozek has been unable to properly serve his parishioners since he joined the rebel parish.

Despite the action, Bozek maintains his position in the dispute.

“I will continue my ministry at St. Stanislaus and I will continue my appeal to the wider Catholic population,” Bozek said.

Read the full story.