A Blog for Dallas Area Catholics

Response to Francis Church – “Not One Cent” August 28, 2018

“My people,” saith the Lord, “have been a lost flock; their shepherds have caused them to go astray” (Jer i:6).

Many faithful souls are casting about right now, trying to discern what, beyond the always needed and vital prayer and penance, they can do to help effect change in the Church, to bring this voraciously destructive regime in charge of the Church to an end, or at least lay the groundwork for change to occur.  Many necessary and probably helpful ideas are proposed – call the chancery!  Send a letter to the bishop.  Tweet, post, make a video, denounce Francis and the flock of diabolical narcissists that surround him!

These are all good ideas.  But they ignore the one REAL power the laity has in the Church, given by God as one of our primary roles – the laity is the source of financial, material support to the Church.  There is no other way in which the laity play such a direct role in the daily life of the Church.  I have proposed the idea of withholding donations before – or at least directing them to reliable sources that are not subject to taxation (assessments) from ecclesiastical higher-ups who then often use that money for purposes contrary to the Doctrine of the Faith – as the most vital means the laity have to effect change in the Church.

Many souls seem hesitant to do this, however.  They worry they will be guilty of sin, or violating some precept of the Church.  The precept declares that one must contribute to the material support of the Church – but that does not say right now, or to which organization.  I propose that souls withhold donations for the time being, and instead include a little note in the collection basket that says they will make no further donations until real reform against the sodomitical cabal currently in charge in the Church is implemented (you might use more politic language).  Each soul would have to determine what constitutes that reform, but a stop to the undermining of the Faith from Rome and the institutional hierarchy , and the end of the promotion of heretical, immoral men to high office might be a start. A statement to the diocese might also be in order, but I would suggest doing so anonymously.  There have been ugly reactions to such efforts to de-fund the Church, or parts of it, in the past.

I suggest creating a dedicated account for the receipt of funds which would normally go to the Church.  They would be held there, to be donated at such a time – or to such a Church entity (like a traditional religious order) – that they would no longer go to the furtherance of the activities of immoral men and activities counter to the good of souls.

I recognize this is a huge step.  It might seem drastic.  Yes, parts of the Church you know and love, which may not be as lost in the maelstrom of modernism currently afflicting the Church, would necessarily be hurt by this action, if they are subject to diocesan assessment (as all Ecclesia Dei communities are).  Or, groups of laity might get together to consider ways to support their local parish/community without giving through the normal channels.  If such is done, it must be done extremely quietly, and with as little as possible shared with the priests/religious of those communities (none at all would really be ideal).  Nothing enrages the Church machinery more than the faithful trying to find ways to escape their assessments, so just keeping your own counsel, and acting individually, may be the best course.   If you act collectively, I would suggest keeping it as quiet as possible.

In short, divest, or divert.  If you know, with certainty, of some Church group or entity that does good work and supports priests (like the St. Vincent Ferrer Foundation), then divert your normal giving to such groups.  If not, as I said, make your regular contributions but hold them until such a time as you can, in good conscience, support the institutional Church again.  This is not about being cheap, or greedy.  It’s about using the best lever God gives the laity to see that their voices are not ignored in the Church.

This is my proposal.  It is one the laity can take on their own initiative, and which does not require the compliance of a corrupt ecclesiastical hierarchy (as so many other proposals assume – if we just let the laity get a vote on bishops!  Or if the bishops will only be moved by our thousandth tweet!).  Believe me, if even 10% of the most devout laity did this, you would start to see real changes in the Church. Why was McCarrick never laicized and driven from the Church?  He was a consummate fundraiser, and contributed millions directly to the papacy.  We have the same power, if we are willing to use it.  Perhaps, something, at least, to pray about?