Thursday, June 30, 2011

Fr. Corapi's Lawsuit Against His Accuser Gets Filed



He alleges that his accuser committed libel and that a letter she wrote to his religious superiors contained "numerous false, malicious and unprivileged statements" about the priest. He is suing for punitive and unspecified compensatory damages.

In the lawsuit, Corapi said the success of his ministry depends on his reputation and his position of a priest in good standing.

Corapi was a well-liked priest who drew standing-room only crowds when he spoke.

All glory to God.

I am not making a judgment on the merits of the case, but I am presuming his innocence. It is, after all, what just and righteous people do.

When speaking to falsely accused priests, one of the stumbling blocks to putting the case before a judge is that judges are reluctant (this is an understatement) to interfere in internal Church business.

I do think I see where he's going. This removes the stumbling block and is a huge can of whopass to the system of taking our priests out of commission without meeting the threshold of 'credible', without due process and canonical, civil and constitutional rights for priests.

Saturday, June 25, 2011

Have You Been Going to The Sacred Liturgy and Parishes Without an Invitation?

All Catholics need to be made aware of two very important clarifications made this week by Cardinal O'Malley about worship and our Roman Catholic Sacred Liturgy.

To our abject horror, it appears we have been uninvited guests at our local parishes and Sacred Liturgies.

For those who are new to the theological and Liturgical controversy in the Archdiocese, let me catch you up to speed on what brought the Archbishop's most recent clarification on Liturgies in Boston.

Once upon a time, there was a parish run by the Jesuits called the "Jesuit Urban Center". It is now closed. The Jesuit Urban Center was the premier spot for Catholics who wanted to be liberated from the Catechism of the Catholic Church. The priests there focused their efforts on gay Catholics. Among other things, they had a dating ministry for gays and lesbians which was voted in 1999 as the "Best of Boston" in the category of gay cruising. Not a nominal feat considering it trumped online dating services, barrooms and clubs.

The parish subsequently was cut loose from the Catholic Church and the building was boarded up. The "ministry" transitioned over to St. Cecilia's where Fr. Unni has been operating it, now called The Rainbow Ministry.

Fr. Unni's Rainbow Ministry has been quite busy over the years. You won't find much of their history now on their website. Fr. Unni has deleted the evidence of how he has brought in speakers promoting sexual promiscuity, gay marriage, gay liberation theology. However, Boston Catholics were wise enough to retrieve and store information before he was aware that he would be under the microscope.

A few of the things stored have already been released and are documented HERE. Do take the time to read the bulletin linked in the post which should give you the gist of what Fr. Unni has been up to. Scroll down to page 2 and you'll see speaker Chuck Colbert who describes himself as promoting, among other things, 'gay liberation' and 'gay marriage'. Chuck Colbert's 'gay liberation' literally includes disrupting the Catholic Sacred Liturgy when moral teachings are proclaimed.


We have scoured St. Ceclia's website, bulletins, ministries and interviewed numerous Catholics who have attended St. Cecilia's. There isn't a shred of evidence he's ever proclaimed Church teaching on faith and morals.

That brings us to a few weeks ago when the St. Cecilia's Rainbow Ministry advertised a trip to the Gay Men's Chorus, which they described as a 'kickoff to gay pride weekend'. Along with that announcement was the now infamous announcement of the gay pride mass. Both of these announcements are in THIS bulletin.

When area Catholics raised concerns with the Cardinal, the Nuncio and the Holy See, the Cardinal 'postponed' the gay pride mass to July. They claimed the Mass was all on the up and up theologically. Why, any fool can see it was simply poor timing which led to the 'unintended' impression that Fr. Unni and the gay pride mass was celebrating gay pride. They simply wanted to schedule one Mass that was open to all parishioners. What a splendid idea.

I didn't know all the other Masses in Boston were closed to all parishioners, did you?

The organizers of the gay pride mass were very confused and hurt at the distancing of the mass from gay pride activities and not simply from all the years of the Cardinal letting Fr. Unni hoodwink them. They claim the 'archdiocese' collaborated with them on the planning of the gay pride mass:

“I am very hurt. (Having) worked so hard for all this stuff, it’s very difficult to stand by and watch this,” said John Kelly, chairman of the Rainbow Ministry.

Kelly and other members of the group say they’d been planning the Mass since January and said the archdiocese was aware of it.
Iandoli also explained the need for a Mass, “specifically to celebrate Gay Pride, because it is difficult to be proud unless you are both loved and supported,” he said.

Fr. Unni publicly characterized Catholics concerned about matters of the soul as hateful people who object to the presence of gays and lesbians in the pews. He positioned himself and St. Cecilia's as the sole priest in the diocese whose parishioners welcome the presence of gays and lesbians. It is heartbreaking to see Mr. Kelly and others be so exploited and hurt.

Moreover, it is very disconcerting to see all Catholic Masses theologically alienated from welcoming all. What a thing to sacrifice to protect a wayward pastor. It can not stand.

For those of us who have spent the better part of our lives loving our gay friends, relatives, neighbors, colleagues while holding on to our witness of why we live chaste lives under circumstances defined by Church teaching, the Cardinal and his Administration have re-calibrated relationships and witness to be hostile to their presence in Church.

The hurt this misunderstanding inflicts upon gays and lesbians, to the witness and ministries of every priest and Catholic in the Archdiocese, is damage which cannot be measured.

The local Bishop, Bishop Robert Hennessey was present at the Mass when Unni did it, and the Cardinal's spokesperson delivered the message that Fr. Unni has the Cardinal's full confidence and support.

Last week, they released the following statement with the announcement the gay pride mass had been 'rescheduled':

The Archdiocese of Boston is committed to evangelization and to being a welcoming Church for all of God's people. St. Cecilia's is a wonderful example of the exceptional parishes in the Archdiocese which seek to serve the Catholic faithful with grace, dignity, respect, compassion and love and being devoted to the Gospel and Christ's saving ministry.

The reports that the Mass, originally scheduled June 19th, was cancelled are not accurate. Rather the Mass was postponed. As indicated in the statement of the Archdiocese on June 10, a Mass welcoming the wider community of the faithful, including gays and lesbians, will be held. The Mass has been rescheduled to Sunday, July 10th at 11am.
We respect the desire of those individuals organizing and participating in the prayer service. We know that the postponement of the June 19th Mass has been disappointing to them. Our hope and prayer is that we can come together as one community of Catholics sharing in the Lord’s divine love for each of us.”


I don't know where he got this notion, but the Cardinal is of the conviction that every other priest, Catholic parish and Liturgy in the Archdiocese of Boston reserves their parishes only to people whom they extend a welcome by invitation. (More on this in a minute were the Cardinal holds to this conviction again in this week's edition of the Pilot.)

What an absurd theological position to take on the Sacred Liturgy.

According to the Cardinal, Fr. Unni and St. Cecilia's in the Cardinal's shining example of what 'grace' looks like when you are teaching dogma and doctrine and celebrating the Eucharist.

Positively. Frightening.




Judie Brown speaks out about the sowing of confusion at Renew America. Earlier in the week she also issued a magnificent press release:

DELUSIONS IN THE ARCHDIOCESE OF BOSTON

Judie Brown, president and cofounder of American Life League, issued a public statement regarding the most recent announcement from Boston’s St. Cecelia’s Church that the archdiocese of Boston had given permission to reschedule a Mass intended to celebrate LGBT pride.

"Even with the deliberate parsing of words, it is clear to the faithful and the public that this Mass is intended as an affirmation of homosexual activity. St. Cecelia’s own church bulletin confirmed this as true: “a Mass in celebration of Boston’s Pride Month.”

To allow the holy Mass and Catholic teaching to be subverted in this way demonstrates a heretical failure of Catholic leadership in the Boston archdiocese.

You can read ALL's press release in its entirety HERE.

Of course, the press hailed the triumphant return of the gay pride mass this week.

As is typical of the current occupants of the Chancery, the bigger the mess gets, the more they dig themselves into the hole.

I would like to be a fly on the wall in their think tanks.

His Eminence: What will we say now?

Terry Donilon:

"Let me also make abundantly clear, the rescheduled Mass is not an endorsement of gay pride activities. There has been much confusion about this issue and it has not been accurately covered in the secular or Catholic media.

Headlines such as the Globe’s “Mass Marking Gay Pride Is Back On” are completely wrong. This gives the unfortunate impression that we are allowing the Mass to celebrate gay pride week/month. We are not. The Mass was postponed so as not to tie it to gay pride activities. The rescheduled Mass will occur on July 10th at 11am and will be a welcoming Mass for all of St. Cecilia’s parishioners."


The fly: No, no, your Eminence - that is a PR disaster! Everyone knows it was scheduled as a gay pride mass to begin with, so when you use the word 'rescheduled', they're going to go right back to the bulletin notice and retrieve the definition of the character of the Mass originally scheduled.

Terry Donilon:
Tearing down the Church! Tearing down the Church!
Maligning and misrepresenting the Cardinal! Hate mongers who don't want to worship with gays and lesbians, that's what they are, Cardinal, that's what they are!
Fly, As you can see from the Cardinal’s statement below, he acknowledges that there has been much confusion. The Mass was postponed so as not to be identified with Gay Pride Week or Gay Pride Month. The Church has not and will not be put in such a position where it appears we are going back on our word that we will not support such activities. The rescheduled Mass will occur on July 10th at 11am and will be a welcoming Mass for all of St. Cecilia’s parishioners.

The fly: Yes, there is confusion Terry. You are the author of it.

Delaying it a week, a month, a year -you can't distance the Mass from the years of sex liberation and pride ministry Fr. Unni has been operating. The evidence is all over the internet. The bulletin is right there for people to read. It wasn't a Mass welcoming the wider community at all. You will look like a liar.

People are going to ask what makes the 8am or the 6pm Mass unwelcome to all of St. Cecilia's parishioners? What about next week at St. Cecilia's?

Do you want people to think Masses all over town are not open to all parishioners unless it is especially scheduled that way? Masses are reserved for invitees only unless an announcement is made? It is poppycock. Chicanery.


According to the lifesite article, even the Globe didn't swallow that whopper:

Archdiocesan spokesman Terrence Donilon on Thursday said he had unsuccessfully asked the Globe to change its headline.


Here's how the Cardinal's statement panned out:

Cardinal O’Malley statement published in The Pilot (June 22, 2011)

“The philosophical and political agenda of Gay Pride in relation to marriage and sexual morality is incompatible with the Church’s teachings. For that reason, Father Unni rescheduled a Mass of welcome for all his parishioners to a time that would not associate the Mass with the Gay Pride agenda.

I realize that Catholics who have same sex attractions are often criticized by their friends for coming to Mass and that the parents and friends of homosexual members of our Church are distressed that their loved ones feel rejected by their Church. We want all baptized Catholics to come to Mass and be part of our community, but we cannot compromise the teaching of the Church rooted in Scripture and tradition.

We hope that all Catholics will come to experience the love of Christ in our community and that in that love they will find the courage and strength to embrace the cross that is part of the life of discipleship.

It is regrettable that there has been so much confusion about this matter. I hope the statement on my blog of last week and The Pilot editorial “A teachable moment” will help people to understand the Church’s teaching. We must be a community that reflects both the love and the truth of the Gospel.”;


Imagine that. It was all a big misunderstanding. Fr. Unni was simply scheduling a Mass that was open to all parishioners.

Too bad Christ and the Apostles didn't think of that, eh?

What an epiphany on Mass etiquette. Do you think the Pope will make an announcement on Fr. Unni's idea to open up a Mass to all parishioners?

Maybe somebody should rush the idea over to Rome and they'll have enough time to make changes in the General Instruction of the Roman Missal.

I keep running to the mailbox to see if I've been invited to Mass to my local parish tomorrow. Does anyone have the Pilot? Is there a new section on who is getting invited where and when? A special invitation for malicious maligning defaming manipulating degenerates?

Can somebody crack the code? Is it a dispensation?

I don't know what to do. Should we stay home?

Coming from a Cardinal, these statements are regrettable indeed.

I have one more, rather sober observation about these developments.

This statement from a parish council member at St. Celicia's indicates a very dangerous situation:

And Iandoli offered strong words of encouragement to gay youth. “I urge you to come out,” he said “The closet is a hateful, lonely, silent, and unholy place.”As Iandoli explained, “If you can, come out when you are ready and when it is safe, I think your yoke will be easier, your burden lighter. The freedom that comes from being honest with yourself, accepting yourself, and sharing that information about yourself when appropriate will release terrible psychological pressure and give you new energy and life.”
This is not a reflection of Mr. Iandoli or anyone else who may currently be in the Rainbow Ministry. He sounds like a good-hearted soul who is just trying to bring people he loves back to Christ. I am certain this is an innocent remark made and Mr. Iandoli is unaware of the ramifications of mingling a ministry where mature men want to mentor the sexuality of gay youth inside of a parish setting.

However, aside from the bad theology, it is impossible to police it. What we have learned from former victims of abuse is that though 99% of it may simply older men who are trying to 'give freedom' or 'ease the 'terrible psychological pressure', this kind of a ministry is a magnet for a pedophile to slip in under the radar. They look for youth who are psychosexually struggling and the 'mentoring' escalates to give them personal sexual experiences.

One would think that after the last decade, the last place we'd invite gay youths to be mentored would be a parish in the Archdiocese of Boston.

We shouldn't be surprised, I suppose. The Dallas Charter is not about preventing abuse inside of parishes, it's about drilling children on the names of body parts so children can testify, should they have the courage to go to the police.

Growing up around Irish Catholics immigrants and their descendants, there's an old Sir Walter Scott quote they would never let you forget:

Oh what a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive.


Thursday, June 23, 2011

Back-Biting Spite-Filled "Professional Catholics" Piling on Fr. Corapi

Voris on the malicious stampede of Catholic Bloggers on Fr. Corapi:




I love it when Voris gets mad!

I also wanted to share this spectacular comment from Susan in my comments section which deserves a more prominent place:


For the last few days I've been reading, with abject horror, the vitriol and rage in rash-judgment that has saturated so many Catholic blogs; by the bloggers and readers alike. I have eliminated many from my 'favorites' bar...and refuse to bump up their numbers in the future. The Tenth Crusade, Sancte Pater, and a few others have been a breath of fresh, blessed air in the midst of the evil miasma...THANK YOU!

I have left comments in a few places about the sinfulness of the mob-stomp of this man who has done much good for the Church. So much accusation and hatred thrown at him; it's literally taken my breath away, and we don't know the facts yet. Good Lord, no wonder vocational acceptance is as scarce as hens' teeth! If this man stepped away from the practice of his priesthood, can these rock-throwers not for one second consider and rumminate on the intense pain he must be in? We forget that our priests are human and sometimes have a breaking point---PRAY FOR THEM. To say to him, "be a doormat, lay down and shut-up for the rest of your life" is not just an injustice, it's evil! To not bring evil into the light and condemn it when given the opportunity, is evil, especially when it's left to fester and prey on others.
He's NEVER said anything against the Church or Her doctines and teachings; he has however spoken out against an injust and evil system set up within the Body of Christ...the Dallas Charter is just the tip of an iceberg, and believe me, we're gonna be losing a WHOLE lot more good priests (who will sadly be vilified from within). He has NOT left the Church; he is not promoting schism or heresy...if I'm wrong, show me. He is however saying that there are some bad bishops, and open up your eyes people, there are..."Have I not chosen you the twelve, and yet one of you is a devil?"

I don't know the details of this case yet and will not pass judgment until the facts (not rumor and inuendo and raging accusation) come out. But I do know that this is a man who has helped MANY people come into or back to the Catholic Church, and taught the doctrines and Catechism with unflinching, unfailing, orthodox clarity...I have NEVER heard him utter a heretical word including thru this mess. HE DESERVES OUR PRAYERS...he is a priest of God, and a brother in Christ.
Thank you (whoever runs this site) for your reason, your balance, and your Charity. God will sort all out (Romans 8:28), and therein lies our hope.
May the peace of Christ be with you, and may we truly live out John 13:35.
God bless you for your good work...


Fr. Corapi clarified today that he is not leaving the Church, nor the priesthood which leaves an indelible mark upon his soul

I'm linking to Terry's blog because the picture he has up is hilarious!

I think it’s a bit too easy to arrive at an erroneous conclusion when you base it on a fallacious presupposition. For instance, some very kind and fine people assume that I have “left the Church.” Please, understand this, I have not left the Church. I love the Catholic Church and would not “leave the Church.” I have resigned from public ministry, which is rather anticlimactic to be sure since I was out of it anyhow due to the suspension or “administrative leave,” which is tantamount to suspension. There are elements of this that you don’t know about, and that’s not your fault.
.
Once a man is ordained a priest he remains a priest for all eternity. Holy Orders is one of the three sacraments that imprints an indelible mark on the soul. What the Church can give or remove is “faculties”, which authorizes the person to publicly administer the sacraments.
.
The leadership of the Church has made it clear to me they don’t want me anymore. They have a right to do that and I have to accept that. So, I’ll do what I can outside of the Church. I’m not leaving the Church. I am simply doing something else in life so that I won’t wither up and die, and so that you can still derive some benefit from my gifts from God. It may not be as good as before, or it may be better. The only thing I know for sure is that I’m not going to disobey the Church and attempt to “minister” as a priest, and I’m not going to lay down and die. I’m not ready to do that just yet. As a matter of fact, you might be pleasantly surprised at what’s in our future. Stay in touch. We may not have the old meeting places anymore, but we have some new ones and I would like to meet you there. - Blacksheepdog


The way Fr. Corapi has been treated, and not just by the Bishops, does indeed take one's breath away.

Wow - They Caught Whitey

Big news in Boston.

Bulger was allegedly the leader of the Winter Hill Gang when he fled in January 1995 after being tipped by a former Boston FBI agent John Connolly that he was about to be indicted. Bulger was a top-echelon FBI informant.
Connolly was convicted of racketeering in May 2002 for protecting Bulger and his cohort, Stephen "The Rifleman" Flemmi, also an FBI informant.
Bulger provided the Boston FBI with information on his gang's main rival, the New England Mob, in an era when bringing down the Mafia was one of the FBI's top national priorities.
But the Boston FBI office was sharply criticized when the extent of Bulger's alleged crimes and his cozy relationship with the FBI became public in the late 1990s.


In spite of all the bad press, his brother Billy is a kind, generous soul. You have to wonder what gets into somebody to make them a callous murderer.

He's on the final stretch in his life. I hope and pray his capture brings him to repentance and reconciliation with Our Lord.

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Is Rick Perry a Candidate for Practicing Catholics? Fugghetaboutit!

Several months back, I came across Rick Perry's supposed conservative and pro-life credentials in blogosphere. Admittedly, I didn't know a lot about him and the write up made him sound like a perfect candidate for us.

He's just foisted STD vaccines on female children starting at age 11.

Women are too dumb, you see, to teach them how to recognize a man who isn't a pig. And, since we start sleeping around at 11, the government must force us to be vaccinated.

What a sexist heel.

When I smelled something stinky, I googled a bit.

Guess who he endorsed for President in 2008. Guiliani.

See ya later, alligator.

Monday, June 20, 2011

Fr. Corapi's Black Sheepdog Announcement

On my life's journey in the Archdiocese of Boston, I've crossed paths with more than my share of falsely accused priests.

Maybe my witness of my love for Christ, so deep that I choose pleasing Him above all things, makes them feel safe.

Whatever the reason, I have been privy to their experiences at the hands of the diocesan kangaroo process.

What Fr. Corapi describes is right on the money.

The accuser does not have to meet any litmus test for 'credibility' of the accusation. In fact, their story can be impossible to have taken place, the priest can have witnesses and facts that vindicate him and they are still out of their ministries for over ten years.

During that time, the allegations are withheld from them and their attorneys. They are forbidden from defending themselves.

Their money is cut off so that hiring an attorney relies on getting somebody to do it pro bono.

What do you think the chances are of that?

They bankrupt you financially, morally and spiritually.

There are no rules of civil procedure. In fact, the accused does not have to testify under pains and penalties of perjury while the priests are forced to sign away their right to civilly recover damages for libel, slander and defamation of character. You cannot cross examine.

The diocese, at least here in Boston, provides the accuser with a coach.

You read that right. The archdiocese helps to coach the accuser.

I am not able to disclose at this point in time what I know about their kangaroo process but some day we're going to blow it out of the water.

You think you're disgusted with them now, just wait until you hear what they have been doing to innocent priests.

I've often said to them that we should put together a book of ten or twelve of their stories. Let it rip.

The overwhelming majority of them go through a period where they want to leave the priesthood. In fact, every one of them I know has gone through this period. Most of them will thankfully celebrate Mass privately every day as they are allowed to do and somehow hold on.

The rage and depression they experience is very, very intense.

Bishop Gracida captures the essence of my thoughts on Fr. Corapi's announcement.

Like Bishop Gracida, I understand Fr. Corapi's rage. I can't make a judgment about the merits of case but as he is professing his innocence, I understand his unwillingness to let the accuser and her enablers at the local Chancery rob him of serving Christ.


I am thrilled that the matter sounds like it is headed to civil court where evidence needs to be presented and examined, witnesses can be called and the accused has access to his civil and constitutional rights.


My colleagues at Boston Catholic Insider highlighted a story of one of the Boston priests abused by false accusers and Chancery enablers, Fr. Murphy, RIP.

Collateral Damage

The first time the Rev. Charles Murphy was cleared of accusations that he improperly touched a minor, a girl 25 years earlier, everyone who ever met him said they had never doubted his innocence.

It was 2006 and priests were all over the news for every awful reason, most of them deservedly so. But Father Murphy swore his innocence, the archdiocese ruled the allegations lacked substance, and the woman dropped her suit on the eve of trial.

When Murphy triumphantly returned to the pulpit of his sun-splashed church in South Weymouth, the applause could be heard across the South Shore. Father Charlie, as he was known, was back — back cracking cornball jokes from the altar, back as a fanatical hockey fan, back as the mad plow driver clearing the parking lot at the hint of snow. He was also back ministering in prisons and helping the deaf, a man of the cloth to his core.

“He was just the same guy as before the accusation, a bubbly guy, fun, a little bit of a jokester, but a diligent priest,’’ said Joe Corcoran, the developer who befriended Murphy decades earlier at St. Agatha in Milton.

Amid so much joy, it would have been impossible to imagine the turn that Murphy’s life would eventually take.

That turn came in April 2010, when lawyer Mitchell Garabedian, who had lodged the first unfounded complaint, brought another. This one involved a man, not a woman. It went back 40 years rather than 25. It centered on accusations of fondling at the old Paragon Park in Hull and on a ski trip up north.

When the charges hit, Murphy canceled a long-planned party celebrating his 50th anniversary as a priest. He cleaned out his room in the church rectory and went to live with his brother. Two accusations in four years, he knew, did not look good.

But it didn’t matter to the prominent friends and everyday parishioners who refused to give up their faith. They hired a lawyer, who in turn brought in a private investigator, who discovered that the alleged victim was mired in financial problems, had a long list of liens placed against him, and faced massive credibility issues even within his own family.

It took nearly six months — about five months longer than it should have — before an archdiocesan review board cleared Murphy of the allegations in September and Cardinal Sean P. O’Malley restored him as a senior priest. But this time, there was no triumphant return to the pulpit. In fact, when Murphy reappeared at St. Francis Xavier in South Weymouth to say Mass, he couldn’t summon the strength to deliver a sermon.

“He would say to me, ‘I just can’t preach. I just don’t have it in me,’ ’’ said Jack Pender, his longtime confidant. “It was so frustrating for him.’’

His spirit was evaporating. His antidepression medicine kept him up at night. He moved to Regina Cleri, a North End residence for retired priests, where he continued his tortured descent.

Garabedian is a talented lawyer who has done vital work on behalf of hundreds of victims of abusive priests, but in terms of Murphy, what he did is a disgrace. Garabedian told me this week his Milton client was “credible.’’ He wasn’t. He lashed out at what he described as a “kangaroo court,’’ the respected, independent archdiocesan panel that cleared Murphy. He didn’t utter the only words worth hearing: I made a mistake.

They brought Murphy to a hospice in Haverhill a couple of weeks ago after doctors determined there was nothing left to be done. There was no cancer, no apparent physical disease, just a broken 77-year-old heart that refused to mend.

And that’s where he died Saturday evening, a wisp of the man he once was. Garabedian lost his compass on this case, and thousands of people all over Massachusetts lost a truly wonderful priest.


We are letting this happen to our priests.

Shame on us.

Friday, June 17, 2011

Joe Fitzgerald's Article on Fr. Unni

Spectacular article by Joe Fitzgerald.

Indeed, so when an articulate young priest such as the Rev. John Unni appears to distance himself from the teachings of the Church, which got him a standing ovation at St. Cecilia’s last Sunday, he immediately becomes the darling of anarchists and malcontents who want the Church to shut up and butt out, allowing them to reshape their faith so that it will accommodate every whim and wayward desire.

“As a Catholic, my only agenda — just like Jesus — is to love and accept one another,” Father John reasoned, assuring his politically correct congregation that all walks of life were welcome to worship there.

True enough, but the rest of the story, as Paul Harvey would have said, was that He also reminded them of what they were, ending His conversations with a reassuring, “Go, and sin no more."



I've put in several calls to Fr. Unni. Apparently, on top of being a bullbleeper, he's a coward.

Thursday, June 16, 2011

There's a New Sheriff in Town - Monsignor Deeley Comes Back to Boston

I hope all the excitement over the Stanley Cup didn't bury this little tidbit of news.

Cardinal Sean P. O’Malley is getting a new top aide: Monsignor Robert P. Deeley, a Massachusetts native, will return this fall from assignment in Rome to become the vicar general and moderator of the curia for the Boston Archdiocese, O’Malley announced yesterday.

The job is like a combination of lieutenant governor and chief of staff, carrying out O’Malley’s vision while dealing with religious and spiritual issues and the nuts and bolts of running a large organization, according to the Rev. Richard M. Erikson, who has held the job since 2006.


In case anyone swimming in the swill had reservations this is not all Cardinal O'Malley's 'vision', there you have it.

Curiously, check out the name of the article's url:


http://articles.boston.com/2011-06-15/news/29661986_1_boston-archdiocese-pension-funds-metropolitan-tribunal

Very interesting.

A Freudian slip of an upcoming story perhaps?

The beauty of underfunding your employees' pension is, a pile of money gets left on the table.

I digress.

On the long list of people trying to get out of Dodge, the Vicar General's departure has been rumored for quite some time. He was reportedly going back to a military assignment. Apparently being in the midst of bullets and bombs is more attractive than the Archdiocese of Boston.

However, as is duly noted in the story, Fr. Erikson is... unassigned.

Monsignor Deeley is orthodox. He tests positive for testosterone. A Roman with connections to the highest yahoos in the Roman Curia. Yahoos well informed on what is happening here in Boston.

Could be the beginning of the end.

Any way you slice it, it's good news.

A little like saying goodbye to Barney Fife and hello to Andy Taylor.

The trick will be loading up Opie's fishing pole with bait and sending him fishing. Way, way out.

Hello Stanley Cup, Goodbye Weiner

It's been quite a few days, hasn't it?

The Congressman who thought woman was a species made to venerate his weiner finally waived the white flag. Hey, when Nancy Pelosi, who thinks decapitating infants alive is moral, is disgusted with your conduct, you've pretty much hit the bottom of the barrel.

Just when you think the story can't get any weirder, a heckler disrupted the press conference.

"Bye bye, pervert."

Can't argue with that.

I sure hope Weiner finds his way to God and redemption in all of it. God makes everything new again.

May God shower blessings on his pregnant wife and unborn child.

Sports fans in Boston had a spectacular day yesterday. Hockey has had quite a come back, given a few years ago the whole league fell apart.

I slept through it and I'll be playing golf on Saturday when 'floating rally' takes place in Boston, but I will wear a Bruins shirt tomorrow.

Saturday, June 11, 2011

Fr. Unni's Gay Pride Mass Gets Canceled

Here's the Boston Globe Article rounding up the usual suspects to incite malice against Catholics and our faith.

Additionally, Boston Catholic Marilyn LoPresti contacted the CDF and Apostolic Nuncio and received assurances that the Pride Mass at St. Cecelia's had been canceled. She was also assured that the Cardinal sent a communication to all pastors: they are to disassociate with the secular Gay Pride celebrations here in Boston and they are not to organize or celebrate such a Mass. These clarifications sent to priests from His Eminence were also supposed to be published in a public media statement.

But in its stead, Boston priests received this peculiar and truncated statement from Terry Donilon:


Good evening,

‪Recently a Mass was scheduled for St. Cecilia Church in Boston and was publicized in the parish bulletin as being held in conjunction with Gay Pride Week. This created the unintended impression that the Church was endorsing Gay Pride activities. It is not. The Mass has been postponed and will be rescheduled to a later date.
‪Saint Cecilia Parish is a loving and welcoming faith community and the Catholic Church treats all people with dignity and respect. The Catholic Church’s teachings on homosexuality and the dignity of the human person are rooted in faith and revelation.

Thank you,

Terry


The good news is, the statement clarifies secular festivities of Gay Pride week cannot crescendo in a Catholic Liturgy, and emphasizes the Catholic Church treats ALL PEOPLE with dignity and respect.

That ends the good news.

Now, let us pull out our BS detectors and have a go at the rest of it.

The statement seems to isolate St. Cecelia's as the only Catholic parish in the Archdiocese where gays are welcomed and treated with dignity and respect.

The last thing we need are statements coming from the Archdiocese validating acumen that Catholics-at-large want the Catholic religion to be reserved for heterosexuals.

People are hurt by this message. You're repeating the urban legend that in the Catholic Church, except for a few people, they are rejected.

Nice job fellas.

Thanks be to Jesus this crew was not in place at the time of the Civil War. The South would still be flying the Confederate flag.

Further, the spin the timing and placement of the announcement of a Mass in St. Cecelia's bulletin and Gay Pride Week is all a big misunderstanding is not gelling. Even with the Globe:


Donilon declined to answer questions about the apparent contradiction of the church’s bulletin and his statement.


Statements that nobody can swallow seems to be the public relations policy of this Archdiocese.

Why not just say there was a theological misunderstanding that is pastorally being aligned to outreach programs consistent with Catholic teaching?

He digs himself further into the hole:

He said, however, that there would be a Mass in the future to welcome the community, but not specifically gays and lesbians.


Is there going to be a broader list?

I hope we can move them beyond their fixations on who is sleeping with whom.

I wonder if we can migrate them to focus physical attributes?

How about segregating out parishes for fat people and skinny people?

It could work.

I'll tell you right now, I'm going to the parish that welcomes skinny people. Keep your coffee and donuts. I'm going where there'll be green tea and fruit cups.

I've got just the song for the welcome home Catholics program: Fat kids, skinny kids, kids who climb on rocks, even kids with chicken pox.

Where are they going with this?

Does Donilon believe a Mass in the community to welcome all is something novel?

This is what every other Mass, on any other day, in any other community has been doing for the last 2000 years.

Why is it the policy of the Archbishop to publish the notion that loving and welcoming is reserved to a couple of handfuls of Catholics, and gays must flock to these places or face the hatred stewing in all other parishes?

Can't they see that they are the ones inflicting wounds?

How would you feel if suddenly the Archdiocese set up the dynamic that there are only a few parishes in town where orthodox Catholics are loved and welcomed in accordance with the Catholic religion?

Oh, wait...

:)

The moral of the story is, this is another shining example of how Cardinal O'Malley is dismantling the unity of One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church in Boston.

He is fractioning our religion to places where every priest or every part of town has its own gig. He's made clear that in the future, it will all soon be handed over to the authority of those in these philosophical and structural subdivisions.

There is a set of teachings in the Roman Catholic Church that should be taught in every parish by every priest and should all be consistent with what is taught by the roots of our faith and tradition, the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

All are most definitely welcome.

We listen, we learn, we strive, we struggle, we are tempted, we fall, we repent and we use the Sacraments to amend our lives in accordance with the Deposit of Faith.

Most if not all of us have at one time or another thought some teaching was foolish and resisted accepting and guiding our lives by the teaching. Some of us even have periods in our lives when the teaching was too much of a burden on our own desires and we checked out.

Sometimes, even a priest will derail and come up with an idea that is not theologically sound. There is supposed to be a local shepherd, the Bishop, who rescues his straying priests and brings us all to unity under sound Catholic teaching and theology.

In the absence of this in Boston, things and people with an ax to grind against religion or Catholics are going to pick up the story and use it for ammunition to divide and conquer.

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Cardinal O'Malley Rekindles Rainbow Liturgies in Boston

About a fifteen years or so ago, a group of presbyteral wizards from the Archdiocese of Boston began using the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass to cultivate promiscuity among gays.

The parishioners in these parishes were not only deprived of the teachings of the Church like the rest of us, there was proactive baiting done by priests and parish yahoos. Several even had a hook-up dating service.

Ironically,by the end of his tenure here, Cardinal Law put the kibosh on it. I wouldn't say it completely went away, but the handful of diocesan priests who continued to deprive and bait gay Catholics to take pride in their sexual liaisons outside of the Sacrament of Marriage, the teachings were not overtly scandalized and the Liturgies devoted to Sacramentalizing sex completely went away.

LITURGY TO COMMEMORATE BOSTON GAY PRIDE MONTH 2011

The Rainbow Ministry of Saint Cecilia Parish invites all friends and supporters of the LGBT community to a Mass in celebration of Boston’s Pride Month. The liturgy will take place on Sunday evening, June 19, at six o’clock, with a reception following. The theme of the liturgy, “All Are Welcome,” honors Christ’s message of hope and salvation to all people. We will also celebrate the diverse community that finds its home at Saint Cecilia and ac­knowledge, in a special way, the generous and warm welcome extended to the members of the Jesuit Urban Center in 2007. The Mass will be celebrated by Father John Unni and concel­ebrated by several of the priests who faithfully ministered at the Jesuit Urban Center for so many years. Please plan to attend this special liturgy and support the diversity that makes Saint Cecilia such a special place.


I don't understand it, frankly, as there is no other Catholic having sex outside of the Sacrament of Marriage that is treated this way in the Catholic Church. None of us have to wonder what would happen to Fr. Unni if he advertised a Mass celebrating pride extramarital affairs or masturbation. But, after all, doesn't Cardinal O'Malley want to welcome them?

Priests leading parishioners to celebrate pride about sexual identity with a Sacred Liturgy is ludicrous.

There's a reason why nobody has ever heard of reaching out to disaffected heterosexuals struggling with Church teaching with a heterosexual pride ministry.
It's the antithesis of the priests role to lead a soul to right judgment. Right judgment is the vehicle to our salvation. Fr. Unni has been getting away with robbing Catholics of their salvation for a very, very long time.

While it isn't as hard to swallow the moral teachings of the Church for a heterosexual, it is no picnic. The teachings are what they are, like them or lump them. If you lump them, you don't enter the priesthood and mislead others to lump them. When you're a Cardinal, you don't select people who lump them as your advisors and do nothing and say nothing as hundreds of thousands of Catholics are being hoodwinked and robbed.



***UPDATE - A Boston Catholic who wrote to the CDF informed us that she was assured Cardinal Sean has sent out a communication to all pastors and will be issuing a media statement.

We can all pray that in the future, Fr. Unni's outreach will be in keeping with the teachings of the Church.

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

Weinergate

So, he signed up to follow 1000 beautiful women on Twitter and one of them received a tweet from him of somebody in their underpants which he says he can't say with certitude isn't him.

Not a very convincing story.

"I'm reluctant to say anything definitively about this because I don't know to what extent our system was hacked," he said.

WEINER: I can tell you this. We have a firm that we've hired -- I've seen it, it's -- I've seen it -- a firm that we've hired to get to the bottom of it.

I can tell you this, that photos can manipulated. Photos can be of one thing changed to look like something else. We're going to try to get the bottom of what happened....

BLITZER: Well, we just want to resolve it once and for all. You would know if this is your underpants, for example.

WEINER: The question is -- I appreciate you continuing to flash that at me.

Look, I've said the best I can, that we're going to try to get to the bottom of what happened here. But you know, I just want to caution you -- and you understand this, you're a pro -- that photographs can be manipulated. Photographs can be taken up from one place and put in another place, photos they can be doctored. And I want to make sure that we know for sure what happened here.

It certainly doesn't look familiar to me, but I don't want to say with certitude to you something that I don't know to be the certain truth....

BLITZER: Have you ever taken a picture of yourself like this?

WEINER: I can tell you this, that there are -- I have photographs. I don't know what photographs are out there in the world of me. I don't know what things have been manipulated and doctored, and we're going to try to find out what happened.



If one hasn't been standing around in one's underpants for the camera, you certainly would be able to say with certitude it wasn't you.

Stay tuned as Weiner's story is still a moving target.

His poor wife of less than a year.

Severe weather and tornados in MA

Prayers for all affected.