Pray for the Pope as he travels to the Fortress of Solitude…. June 24, 2013
Posted by Tantumblogo in Art and Architecture, asshatery, disaster, episcopate, error, foolishness, General Catholic, sadness, scandals, secularism, sickness, Society, the return.comments closed
…..to do battle with General Zod for Whirled Yute Dey. This is the model of the Kryptonic cathedral they’ll be using for real at Rio just next month:
Fly, SuperPope, fly!
There is always such strum and drang during these World Youth Days, but a few years later, do they leave a mark? I mean, are people still talking about the incredible _____________ the Pope did or at Mass or whatever at, say, the Sydney WYD?
Or is it like so much today, all sound and fury signifying nothing?
Diocesan speaker policies raise many questions, concerns June 24, 2013
Posted by Tantumblogo in abdication of duty, Basics, Dallas Diocese, disaster, episcopate, error, foolishness, General Catholic, persecution, religious, sadness, scandals, secularism, self-serving, shocking.comments closed
I have received, through various means I need not go into, a rather illuminating document. It is the Speaker’s Policy for the Diocese of Scranton, PA, for the year of our Lord 2013. I have had such policies described to me verbally by various diocesan officials in the past, but I’ve never had a formal copy of a diocesan policy, until now. Given that the USCCB tends to require standardization in these kinds of things, it is likely that the policy for Scranton is the same in dioceses across the nation. I can state that my experience of these policies lines up precisely with the content in the document linked below:
Now, you may be asking, why is this important? I can tell you it is very important, because these speakers policies are frequently used and abused in various ways to control the content of presentations on the Faith in dioceses across the country, and, in spite of the verbiage in the document, frequently in ways that are not conducive to the right practice of the Faith. As a matter of fact, these policies – and I have personal experience of this, such is the very reason for the foundation of this blog – are frequently abused in a way to permit and even encourage very unorthodox, potentially very damaging presentations on the Faith to be made year after year in diocese after diocese around the country. That is to say, these policies are often used in a manner which permits very problematic, heterodox speakers to speak on parish grounds with the cache’ of being an “approved speaker,” and, one would think, fully orthodox, while at the same time, the very same policies are frequently used to prevent completely orthodox speakers, who might say uncomfortable things, from speaking at all!
Such is certainly the case with Michael Voris, but he is hardly alone. I can think of a number of other names, including my own, which do not have this cherished brand of episcopal approbation. This policy is in fact a major vehicle used by the bishops of this country to keep Catholic media in line, to prevent them from raising uncomfortable or awkward questions.
To get into some specifics, the policy outlines the following requirements for any who would speak, give a presentation, host a conference, etc., on Church property. The requirements include:
- Speaker’s name and topic, which “should attest to the speaker’s fidelity to the Magisterium and the conformity of the topic to the pastoral direction of the Diocese.” That last bit is important, as I’ll explain later.
- In case of a lay person, a Letter of Support from the speaker’s Bishop establishing that he/she is a Catholic in good standing
- In the case of a cleric or religious from outside the Diocese, a “Letter of Good Standing” from the speaker’s Ordinary (bishop) or religious superior.
- Proof that a criminal background check has been performed and that the speaker has been through “safe environment” training.
That’s it. Seems straightforward, right? Well, right off the bat, there is a discrepancy, because one part of the document says religious must have letters of support from both their local bishop AND their religious superior, while the portion quoted above states that religious only require support from their superior.
That is highly significant, because many religious orders are so lost, and the heresy is often worse at the top than at the bottom in these orders, that a “letter of support” from a religious superior is not only not a statement affirming doctrinal orthodoxy, it could often be taken as a guarantor of heresy! I have first hand, practical knowledge, that speakers are routinely approved who either reject Catholic Dogma on numerous grounds, or espouse practices antithetical to the Faith (esp. new age), or both. Such has occurred in this Diocese of Dallas, and such occurs around the country all the time. I must note, however, that these same problematic speakers often have no trouble getting that statement of support from their local ordinary, either. That’s simply the state the Church is in, at present.
Another significant point is mentioned above. The first “requirement” for speakers states that these letters of support must attest to both their fidelity to the Magisterium (and yet Richard Rohr and Thomas Keating have both spoken in Dallas Diocese!) and the conformity of the topic to the pastoral direction of the Diocese. This last bit is a caveat that is also frequently used and abused to bar orthodox speakers, and permit heterodox ones. See, Michael Voris, for instance, could be blocked because his content or manner is somehow – and noone ever says how!! – counter to the “pastoral direction of the diocese,” which is such a ludicrously vague statement it could mean anything. But even worse, that same “pastoral consideration” can be used as justification to bring in someone who is heterodox, but who magically shares the diocese’s pastoral direction! You see, Sr. Groovy Starchild may preach nothing but soul-devouring new age claptrap, but she’s soooo pastorally sensitive. And we in Diocese of Scrantimoradelphia looove that! So, she’s in!
Look, the Church certainly has the right and duty to carefully scrutinize who is allowed to speak on Catholic property – which by itself gives a signal of “Catholic approval.” But at the same time, it must be noted that the current process that has been instituted is regularly gamed in ways that actually permit damaging presentations to spread, while orthodox ones are often denied admittance.
And that is certainly part of the reason why Catholic catachesis is in such a shambles.
It was a busy day yesterday! June 24, 2013
Posted by Tantumblogo in Admin, awesomeness, Basics, disconcerting, family, General Catholic, Liturgy, priests, religious, sanctity, Tradition, Virtue.comments closed
I’ve never been a fan of blogs – or worst yet, Facebook denizens – who post every bit of mind-numbing minutia that occurs in their day. Hey, I cooked rice for dinner! Hey, I went to the bathroom! Hey, I shot a stray dog with an Uzi! Ok, the last one might merit some attention…….
But yesterday was remarkable on a couple of fronts and I think there might be enough general interest here for you, my gentle readers. After Mass at Mater Dei, we drove over to Arlington to meet an old priest friend of ours who was in town for the day. The priest is Fr. John McHugh, who is one of the two founders of the Society of Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity. Fr. McHugh is now 90 but still very active. He is the priest from whom our two oldest daughters received First Communion several years ago, before the TLM wormed its way into our collective souls, never to depart. Fr. McHugh has led a very storied life – WWII airman and combat veteran, POW, priest, co-founder of SOLT, missionary to Belize and a number of other countries, and a very good man. As I said, he is still quite active even though he is now 90! Even though our girl’s First Communion was 5+ years ago, my wife has stayed in touch, and he remembered the girls quite well. He had never met Benedict before.
It was great to see Father McHugh, and Fr. Dale ———- whose last name I did not get! We met them at St. Mary the Virgin parish in Arlington. I had never heard of this small parish before, and we had a bit of trouble finding it. But as we walked into the church we could smell the incense, and noted that the 10:30 Mass was not quite concluded at noon. So, not your average 50 minute in and out Sunday Mass. It turns out St. Mary the Virgin is an Anglican-use parish which appears to be fairly traditional. They were doing some prayers to Our Lady at the conclusion of the Mass, and they apparently offer Mass Ad Orientem. There were a number of chapel veils present. My prior experience of Anglican Use Mass is that the Blessed Sacrament is distributed kneeling and on the tongue, although I cannot confirm that this particular parish observes that ancient practice. But, if you’re in Arlington for some reason and are looking for a Mass with better than average reverence/practice of Tradition, you might consider St. Mary the Virgin.
We had a nice luncheon with the two priests and then we had to part ways as they were returning to SOLT’s Corpus Christi home base that night. God bless Fr. McHugh, still at it after well over 50 years! He is such a nice man. Just very pleasant to be around, and with the wealth of stories his age and experience would suggest. One interesting thought he had, that I will leave you with, is that the Church in Ireland is in such a deplorable state because the Irish Catholics, in general, have never forgiven the English for the numerous, horrendous depridations they committed against the Church and Ireland in general. He cited a number of examples to support his supposition, and I have to admit, it’s an interesting argument.
So, discuss, in 500 words or less, the efficacy of this supposition.
Dominus vobiscum!
Latin Mass at St. Mark tonight June 24, 2013
Posted by Tantumblogo in Admin, Dallas Diocese, General Catholic, Latin Mass, North Deanery.comments closed
There will be Novus Ordo Latin Mass at St. Mark in Plano tonight at 7pm. Bring a friend!
Non sequitur -we have a new pet! June 24, 2013
Posted by Tantumblogo in Admin, awesomeness, Basics, family, fun, silliness.comments closed
There is a portly squirrel in our neighborhood that has taken a liking to our family. He (or she) was very forward from the get-go, running up people’s arms, even running around my wife’s shoulders while she was standing. Of course, he comes for food, but he also seems to come to just hang out sometimes. And even though our neighborhood has been battling a rat problem, I warily eyed the new tomcat I spied in our alley last night. Cats like squirrels, too.
I know, I know, we’re spoiling it, it’s going to get soft, it will be fodder for the hawk that sometimes hovers above our neighborhood……….but you try saying know to him!