Winner Of The "Allow Me To Crap On Your Shoes & Call It A Spit Shine" AwardBishop Dale Melczek of Gary, Indiana
Whilst celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Diocese of Gary, Indiana, the bishop there stated the following;
Bishop Dale Melczek said lay members of the diocese are more involved in their faith today. "Even though we have fewer priests now than we did 50 years ago, I think we have a more vibrant church than we did 50 years ago," Melczek said.
Melczek, a Detroit native who has led the diocese since 1992, expects to see even greater involvement from members.
Didn't I do a posting a few months back entitled "The Day Catholic Priests Became Eucharistic Sperm Donors"? I sure did.
If I may be so bold as to point out to the learned bishop, most of the Sacraments require a .......... you guessed it. A priest. I could give a Tinkers Damn less about how many of the Laity are "involved".
If I may be even bolder to the learned bishop, (with very few exceptions) here's a real simple equation that even a child could understand;
Salvation = Catholic Church + Catholic Sacraments + Catholic Priests
To paraphrase the late, great Anna Haycraft; Bishop Melczek is taking something pure and strong, mixing it up with something weak and polluted, slashing it about, watching The Church fall apart around him and then congratulating himself on his progress.
posted by Kevin Whiteman at
6:10 PM
5 Comments:
Let's see now! Following his logic, fewer priests equals a more vibrant Church? If that is true then why don't we go back to the days when Venerable Samuel Mazzuchelli OP was the only priest for a huge portion of SW Wisconsin, NW Illinois, & part of Eastern Iowa (including DBQ).
No wait, that wouldn't work:
1. Fr. Mazzuchelli actually was faithful to the Magesterium.
2. He took his respnsibilities seriously. He did his best to provide the sacraments as often as he could to the faithful.
3. He was concerned with converting the indians of the area to the true faith, Catholicism.
4. He had no trouble with a lack of a vibrant laity because the people he ministered to actually believed what the Church taught & didn't want to usurp his role. They WERE involved how they should be involved. They were active because of their faith, not because they were entertained either.
5. He died while going out to minister to the sick a result of exposure in bitter cold weather.
Full bio at cause website: http://www.sinsinawa.org/Mazzuchelli/Mazzuchelli_LifeWorks.html
How much of today's "Vibrant Church" wants a priest like that? I know that most of the Dominican Sisters at now at Sinsinawa (which he founded) would fight ALMOST everything he did & stands for. (By the way they present it, some of their comments on the cause website clearly show that they are trying to downplay cover up what he really did.)
If Bishop Dale Melczek wants a truly vibrant Church there, he should be looking for more priests like Venerable Samuel Mazzuchelli. (May God soon allow the Church to elevate him to the list of saints.)
I think what Bishop Melczek is describing is called "Protestantism." And why the bleep would I want to be a protestant?!
How much of today's "Vibrant Church" wants a priest like that? I know that most of the Dominican Sisters at now at Sinsinawa (which he founded) would fight ALMOST everything he did & stands for. (By the way they present it, some of their comments on the cause website clearly show that they are trying to downplay cover up what he really did.)
[Sigh] More DINOs (Dominican In Name Only). Holy Father Dominic, pray for us!
While the "vibrant laity" is out there usurping the roles of priests, legitimate lay participation in the affairs of the Church is routinely stomped on; witness, for example, the refusal to harness lay expertise in formulating the new Mass translation, or -- for an example closer to home -- the rabid opposition in one parish to a small group of Catholics in my town who have started a schola cantorum dedicated to the promotion Gregorian chant.
These kinds of lay activities are precisely what the Council Fathers of Vatican II meant when they talked about increased participation of the laity in Church affairs, while specifically and explicitly upholding the special role and dignity of men in holy orders. So by promoting the simulation of the Sacraments and oppressing devotees of authentic liturgical music, the "vibrant laity" crowd violates both the letter and the spirit of the true teachings of Vatican II.
What chance do the sheep have with shepherds like that?
Reminds me of my old NO parish. We were actually 3 parishes served by two priests, real good men, deserve a solid A for making the most of what they had to work with.
The diocese decided to close one of the parishes. The Bishop wrote a glowing letter about this development and wanted us to celebrate, and figure out the best way to take this "big step forward." Numb.
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