The liberal National Catholic Reporter reported yesterday that Archbishop Allen H Vigneron of Detroit has warned his priests and deacons that they could be “dismissed from the clerical state” if they participate in a forthcoming Mass at the American Catholic Council convention planned to take place in his diocese. Needles to say, both the tone of the NCR article and most of its readers' comments are hostile towards Archbishop Vigneron's warning. But, the rest of us can rejoice that a Catholic bishop is taking his role seriously by protecting the Church from error and safeguarding the correct observance of Catholic liturgy!The NCR goes on to describe the ACC as "a coalition of liberal Catholic groups seeking changes in the church [sic]." It also reported that the ACC has experienced "a sharp spike in visits to its Web site, and in registrations for the convention" since Archbishop Vigneron expressed his concerns about the group and its conference Mass. One wonders what would constitute a "sharp spike in visits" to a "liberal Catholic" website - maybe this means they got an extra visitor? (Sorry, I couldn't help myself!)
Writing in Spero News, William Donohue, President of the Catholic League, believes that: "It is with good reason that Archbishop Allen H. Vigneron has warned local priests and deacons not to participate in the American Catholic Council event: many of those who will attend the event, and those who are on record supporting it, reject core teachings of the Catholic Church." He went on to say (with some pertinent humour): "Indeed, this loose confederation of Catholic senior citizens has long been in open rebellion with the Magisterium of the Catholic Church."
In a letter dated 3 June, Archbishop Allen Vigneron said that his main objection to the closing Mass at the ACC convention was that: "There are good reasons for believing that a forbidden concelebration will take place by the laity and with those not in full communion with the church." It seems that some are questioning why the Archbishop would assume that serious abuses will occur at this Eucharist, but most people who have experience of "social action" (NCR's words) groups such as ACC can probably guess what sort of things will be encouraged at its liturgy.
I once had the horrifying misfortune of attending a National Justice and Peace Network Conference - I was accompanying an elderly lady who was desperate to attend. Let's just say that the closing Mass for this event included a transvestite server (in drag), a completely made-up Eucharistic Prayer (not following the rubrics at all), lay-people crowding round the altar acting as priests, about 15 extraordinary ministers of the Eucharist for a congregation of about 60 people, and a Marxist-type homily that denounced the Vatican and the Church whilst promoting gay rights and the like! I did not receive "communion" as I wasn't sure who or what had consecrated the host - I think the priest might have allowed a lay person or a minister from another Christian community to utter the words of consecration. After this sham, I immediately phoned a taxi and got on the next train home - so as to attend a proper Mass!
So, if the ACC is anything like the NJPN or other "social action" groups that prefer to promote secular politics than the Gospel of Life, then it is entirely plausible to assume that its convention's closing Mass will be full of liturgical abuses. It is worth noting that dissenters such as Sr Joan Chittister, the "gay rights" nun, and Fr Hans Kung, the "ageing enfant terrible going nowhere" as Dr William Oddie recently described him, will also be addressing the ACC conference. With friends like this, many will question what right does the group have to call itself the "American Catholic Council"? One hopes that the designation "Catholic" will soon be revoked.
I must admit that a part of me feels sorry for "Catholic" groups, such as the ACC - organisations that seem to be more anti-Catholic than the Church's external enemies. Surely, those who belong to them must know that they're a dying breed on the losing side? Some members must even worry about their eternal souls - especially after having spent so much of their time and energy in trying to abrogate Catholic teaching or in attempting to change the Church? As William Donohue pointed out, most of these so-called liberals are "senior citizens", people of the 60's and 70's who are in their 60's and 70's. Their day has been, and their attempted destruction of the Church has failed. What great testimony to the fact that Christ knew what he was doing when he gave us the Petrine Ministry!
Please join me in offering thanksgiving for true bishops like Archbishop Allen Vigneron. May God in His kindness and love raise more men like him to the episcopacy! And may men and women who wish to "change the Church" by modelling her on the world by given the grace to keep their minds on the things that are above (cf Col 3:2) so that the Church's message may begin to truly change their lives.
[Image: Archbishop Allen H Vigneron; source: this image can be found on the Te Deum laudamus! blog]
14 comments:
Following the previous blog on the potential value of www social communications this post almost seems an aberration from your usual approach.
The only thing Christian and truly Catholic about this intolerant piece is your kind gesture in taking the elderly lady to the Conference.
All the rest is superfluous to Our Lord's command to love, to embrace and include sinners and reject the artificial restrictions of religion as He did.
Please don't let the fanaticism and sarcasm of other bloggers creep into your excellent articles. The liberal/traditional split is a false, divisive dichotomy.
"...attempted destruction of the Church"?
I don't think so.
'As William Donohue pointed out, most of these so-called liberals are "senior citizens", people of the 60's and 70's who are in their 60's and 70's. Their day has been,'
A what age is one considered to have 'had one's day'? Is this a teaching of orthodox catholicism in action or is it ageism? I hear Fr Z wishing people of a certain age a speedy end quite often as he 'tick, tick, ticks'. When will he be retiring? How old is William Donohue btw? Christian euthanasia, it works through prayerful desire of the righteous....if God doesn't like the way you 'pray.'
I am afraid the growing 'let's seperate the ageing sheep form the ageing goats now and save God the bother on judgment day' bias, is killing any message I would hear from such people.
Scripture says we should seek to embrace and love older people, not use age as a stick to mock and poke fun at them with.
What nonsense to to even consider returning to archaic forms of worship and a dead language!
Remind me to learn Aramaic, the language Jesus spoke, "the sacred, scribal language of Scriptures".
Fantasy and idealistion of the past in this post.
@ Rob, devout Scottish Catholic
(I think this comment is on the wrong thread)
Please do learn Aramaic if you wish, then you will be able to actively participate in the liturgies of the Syriac Catholic Church, the Chaldean Catholic Church or several of the other ancient Churches of Syria, Damascus, and Antioch that are in communion with the Holy See.
The language of the New testament is Greek - with Aramaic appearing only a few times, such as the word "Abba" and the phrase "maranatha." The standard version of Scripture in the Latin Church had been completed by AD 405, and was in Latin.
We must remember, always and everywhere, that the one being addressed at the Mass is God - not us. In that sense, then, we do not have to understand everything that's particularly addressed to God the Father on our behalf by His Son, the High Priest of the New and Eternal Covenant - who acts through the ministry of his ordained priest.
Also, you might find that if you know the Mass in English, with all the responses, you will know the Latin. If you know that when the priest would be saying "The Lord be with you" at Mass, then "Dominus vobiscum" means just that. It's not that difficult, really. It also means that every Catholic in the Latin Church would be able to participate in Mass wherever s/he finds him or herself. In this globalised world, it seems to make perfect sense to offer Mass in a common language, so that when we find ourselves abroad (or even in a different London parish!) everyone is "singing from the same hymn-sheet" in the same language!
@ Shadowlands
Point taken and please accept my profound apologies. I did not mean for my words to be taken in this way.
But, many of those who over-stepped the mark in their interpretation of Vatican II were the "young ones" of their day. The buzz phrases of the time were such things as "the Church id for the young", etc. Also, many bishops watered down Catholicism in an attempt to appeal to "the youth."
It is, then, a great irony that most young Catholics actually want a more reverent liturgy and pine for the traditions of our faith which were so needlessly down away with in the past...
It's like all those people who removed fireplaces from their homes in the 1950's, only for their descendants to then have to put them back in the 1990's... People like connections to the past. We're not Communists, so in many ways we shouldn't be too eager to be constantly creating "year zeros", I guess.
I don't know about the original fireplaces, but have you seen how much a Roger Whittaker 'kumbaya' record goes for, in it's original LP sleeve these days? Oxfam can't get enough of them! ;)
"...After this sham, I immediately phoned a taxi and got on the next train home"
I hope you didn't leave the old lady behind!
A fiery piece! Expect a few "disliker" visits.
I can hardly recognise the writing style. Did you have a ghost writer. (I see you were writing at the witching hour). lol
PS. Is it ok to use "lol" again? A few months ago I read it was a secret code for Liberals On Line! x
@ shadowlands
lol ;-)
@ Liz
Oh, no... and I've just used lol above, too! (lol)! I'm sure it's ok - but thanks for pointing out the liberals on line version. I'd never heard of that one before.
I made sure my friend was taken home safely - in fact, it worked out for the best as she'd already arranged a lift back with another friend of hers!
Your blogging colleague "Catholic Commentary" has been recommended on the issues that divide faithful Catholics.
I found his latest post reasoned and helpful and the commentary seems to agree.
This person is in danger of being driven away.
How scandalous that Catholic infighting should lead to this, almost worse than the Protestant/Catholic disputes of old.
Do you blame someone writing to the newspaper with the following comment on the Archbishop Conti news-
"Can't you guys find somewhere else to talk about your fancy dress parties and not within the pages of a national newspaper?"
I'm astonished by the negative reaction to your post, which strikes me as entirely appropriate and not at all intemperate. It is a constant source of amazement to me that liberal dissenters like to paint orthodox Catholics as the ones who are divisive or uncharitable.
The most divisive thing one can do is to promote unfaithfulness in the Church: breaking away from the received Truth of Tradition is damaging to one's own soul and, worse, that of others who are led into error by groups like ACC. The fake Mass you describe may have made a small group of people feel good about themselves for a while, but it will have done unquantifiable damage beneath the surface. This, not the actions of faithful Catholics, is what is divisive.
And while Fr Z's "biological solution" may be in poor taste, there is a kernel of truth: these aberrations in liturgy and dogma belong for the most part to a limited circle of people who had the ascendency for a short time in the Church, but who have failed to convince today's youth that rupture with the past is as desirable as they saw it. So it is true that it is a vision of the Church which has, thanks be to God, "had its day" and while one wishes no harm to those who adhere to it - quite the opposite in fact, I pray for their safe return to Sacred Tradition - we are perfectly entitled to be glad that there is a new spring of orthodoxy arising in the Church.
Keep up the good work.
@ Seth
Thank you :-)
I only wish to state, in writing, how grateful I am that we now have a local bishop who now stands up for the faith. It is a welcome change to the archdiocese of Detroit. I remember well (and with sadness) the days of "rainbow" masses celebrated at our cathedral.
Good to see a bishop keeping the Faith! Deo gratias!
The more decisive action of late by our bishops, i.e., curbing the influence of heretics and dissenters, is welcome protection. When wolves refer to themselves as Catholics and hide their poisonous agenda behind the name of Catholic, it is an affront to all who try to live the Faith in an uncompromising manner.
Those who belong to the ACC can call themselves anything they want, but they have no right whatsoever to refer to themselves as a Catholic organization. Groups like the ACC are protestant in tone and teaching. By misappropriating a name that properly refers to those in full communion with the Successor of Saint Peter, the ACC bunch are identifying themselves as frauds and con artists. Thus, the bishops are right to warn the faithful and marginalize the ACC because, if precedence is any indicator, the ACC appears to have no interest in respecting the authority and teaching of the Church and would, if left unchallenged, continue to spread their errors among an unsuspecting flock.
Post a Comment