Is This Considered Normal?
If you're an excommunicated heretic, it is

Recently, a gathering at the largest Archdiocese in the United States with a history of inviting "renown clerics" such as "Father" Richard Sparks, who once stated "do you think [St.] Joseph ever wanted to jump [The Blessed Mother's] bones?’ Do you think Joseph ever thought, ‘God, why can’t we consummate this thing?’... Now all I'm saying is -- even if they didn't have sex, did they ever neck? Or did they maybe cuddle and snuggle? Did he ever sort of fondle his wife? Did she ever kind of fondle him?".

Hot on it's heels, we now we have a group founded by the Franciscans bragging that they are intimate with an openly heretical --and not to mention excommunicated-- organization known as Call To Action.

Here's some of the story;

The Oakland-based group, Pace e Bene, which claims the mission “to develop the spirituality and practice of active nonviolence as a way of living and being and as a process for cultural transformation,” has had a “leading role” in developing a Call To Action project, said Pace e Bene’s March 15 e-mail newsletter. Call To Action is a Church “reform” group which calls for women’s ordination, removal of the contraception “ban,” and Church recognition of the normalcy of homosexual acts, among other “progressive” issues.

Pace e Bene was founded in 1989... “under the auspices of St. Barbara Province of the Franciscan Friars of California,” and “... maintains its Franciscan spirit and close ties with the St. Barbara province and its members.” Among its founders are the Franciscans, Father Louis Vitale (formerly Santa Barbara Franciscan provincial and pastor of St. Boniface church in San Francisco), Sister Rosemary Lynch, and Alain Richard.

Pace e Bene still maintains close ties with the Franciscans and others within The Church. To include Sr. Rosemary Lynch, OSF, who Pace e Bene has chosen as its first "Pace e Bene Elder". And Father Robert Cushing (identified on their website simply as "Bob") of the Diocese of Savannah, GA is one of the thirteen "Pace e Bene Partners".

Granted, not all Franciscans are involved with this garbage. But this entire episode reminds me of the old saying "when you lie with dogs, you get fleas". The Pace e Bene article concerning them saddling up with CTA can be found here.

But don't hold your breath waiting for the USCCB to do anything about it... they were the same folks who had Call To Action on their official calendar (Nov 3-5).

But then again... I'm paranoid that Our Lady of Akita was right when she warned the following -- "The work of the devil will infiltrate even into the Church in such a way that one will see cardinals opposing cardinals, bishops against other bishops. The priests who venerate me will be scorned and opposed by their confreres (other priests). Churches and altars will be sacked. The Church will be full of those who accept compromises and the demon will press many priests and consecrated souls to leave the service of the Lord."