As reported by several emails to us over the past few days, Sr. Joan Sobala, SSJ will be retiring this coming June on the Solemnity of the Baptism of St. John the Baptist.
Here’s something for you to ponder: did St. John the Baptist win more souls to Christ than Sr. Joan has lost?
Tags: Joan, Orthodoxy at Work, St. Anne
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Hmmm…. Right before His Excellency must submit his resignation. Good timing.
September fools joke or is this the real deal?
If real, may the door hit her backside ever so gently on the way out of St. Anne church. She will not be missed, and the parish will only grow stronger in the absence of this cancer (barring the appointment of another radical women’s ordination proponent).
I am very pleased to hear about this. She basically destroyed a very good and faithful parish.
The people in charge in the diocese know that they are basically not going to get away with another “Father” Joan. No one’s going to stand for it, let alone the faithful. Not with a new bishop on the way. No one knows who it’s going to be, but I can rest assured Benedict will not disappoint us.
The liberals in the diocese are going to go the way the liberals tend to go… too slowly, too gradually. But at least they will be going in the right direction: away.
Matt 3:10
“Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees; every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.”
Ok, I’ll tell you the story of my Sister Joan experience.
“Good Morning God”…….Those were the the first words I ever heard uttered by Sister Joan. It was an early Sunday morning radio program…..Soothing voice…..real calming, peaceful like. Pleasant to wake up to. Spiritual stuff…..you know, the kind of talk any spiritual “non-sectarian” speaker speaks…..Not bad nor harmful. So most of you know that. You heard the radio program. No big deal….
(Frankly, I prefer Sister Ann Shields’ FOOD FOR THE JOURNEY. Solid Catholic reflections that help one live the spiritual life…..thanks be to God for Renewal Ministries from Ann Arbor)
My personal and face to face encounter with Sister Joan was just over a year after I had finished 4 years of study at SBI. John Paul II had issued “Ordinatio Sacerdotalis” on May 22, 1994. I was amazed how quickly Saint Bernard’s Institute organized and presented THE TEACH IN.
Sister Joan was one of four presenters who took umbrage with the Pope’s teaching that the Church had no authority to ordain women to the priesthood and that the discussion was closed. It certainly wasn’t a closed discussion for these four: Hart, Karaban, DeRycke and Sobala.
I remember sitting up front next to Judge Tony Sciolino who was studying to become a permanent deacon. The majority of the listeners ate up the ranting and raving. Thankfully, a very brave Catholic woman, Dr. Barbara Fredericks, stood up in the balcony and politely yet directly addressed the presenters. Our faithful sister in Christ challenged, exhorted and encouraged the dissenters to accept the Church, her Pope and his teaching.
It was just before the presentation, that infamous TEACH IN, when Sister Joan and I were in a hall way together with a moment to exchange pleasantries. The conversation went something like this. Sr. said, WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO WITH YOUR MA DEGREE FROM SBI? I replied, DRIVE MY BUS. Sr. irritably said, WHAT A WASTE. I declared, NO, I AM LEARNING TO LOVE GOD AND PEOPLE. I AM APPLYING MY DEGREE IN REAL LIFE, IN THE MARKET PLACE.
Sorry, Sr. Joan, you left me feeling less than understood or accepted. You came across elitist and far removed from practical, real life applications of theological studies. Sr. Joan, it is in society, at work, in the neighborhood, that the laity are called to evangelize and sanctify. Yes, Sr. Joan, I will become a better bus driver because of my theological studies. DEO GRATIAS.
I know Sister Joan from her days at St Felix in Clifton springs. My experience of her was that she was warm, caring , and a spiritual person. I wish her well.
Sr. Joan is one of the finest individuals I have ever had the pleasure of meeting! It saddens me a great deal to know that she will be leaving, but I know she will continue to do God’s work. I wish only the best for my friend, Sr. Joan! I hope she knows that for every person out there who doesn’t appreciate her there are many more who love her and are thankful for the spiritual leadership she has provided!(Although I know she is not working to win any popularity contests… only to bring souls closer to our living Lord, and to create a more inclusive and loving church)
Judging by the steep decline in attendance at parishes she has “administered”, including St. Mary downtown, St. Anne, and Lourdes, she has been an abject failure. You’re not bringing souls closer to the Lord when they’re staying at home on Sunday because of you.
Dr. K
If they are staying at home from These parishes and not going to Mass at all or not going elsewhere to another church, they really were not very committed from the beginning then were they?
Who said they’re staying at home? They’re all at Our Lady of Victory and St. Boniface.
If people were staying home, then the final responsibility on their souls is them. However, do not underestimate the negative impact she has had on them. The type that would not put up with her kind of nonsense are more likely to have simply transferred churches. The type that follow her are much more likely to stop going to Mass as soon as the new Bishop cleans the place up a bit because their understanding of religion tends to be more subjectively based.
Also, they’re at Our Lady of Victory, Saint Boniface OR St Stan’s!
Gen/Lisa Jane
Dr K said they were staying at home and I took him at his word.
Some people are, Raymond, so take me at my word. Others have gone elsewhere. I’m talking about people at all of the parishes she has “administered” over the years, not just St. Anne.
Joan shares in some of the blame, and so does Bishop Clark.
We still have to pray for her.
I wonder. If people are poorly catechized, how responsible are they for their actions when they go astray?
Aaaah, Giovanni, there you go, tossing those words which act on such as me like chalk on a slate, “… a more inclusive and loving church” you wrote.
Drivel; useless, drivel. If you knew what the Church is, offers, and does, you would know it already IS perfect and needs no tweaking and contorting by you and your fellow confreres of delusion.
But on to the original purpose of my post…. LOVE the picture, Gen! Those witch legs from Oz… made me LOL. Thank you, for the news and the laugh.
+JMJ
I don’t think bossing priests around is God’s work. Only priests can bring Jesus to earth in the Eucharist and that merits special treatment.
Preaching homilies: against the majesterial teachings depriving the laity of the grace of homilies delivered by the ordained? That’s not God’s will.
Pushing women’s ordination: going against infallible teachings, thus helping to separate people from the one and holy Catholic church? That’s not God’s work.
Is she in favor of homosexual conduct, birth control? Is she pro choice? If so, she is not doing God’s work but that of the devil.
JLo;
Please help me out by expanding on the concept that the church is perfect. And if it is perfect, then it is unchangeable? thanks!!
I believe JLo was zeroing in on Giovani giving us the usual Matrix Talking Point of a “more inclusive and loving church”, which has long been a euphemism for ordaining anyone we feel like ordaining: Man, women, Protestant, homosexual, trained monkey, etc. I’m sure that JLo would agree that while individual churchmen are imperfect, The Church itself is authoritative, infallible, and indefectable.
The Church and her doctrines are perfect. Doctrines can never be changed.
It is the people within the Church who are flawed. Yet, Christ is ALWAYS with His Church.
And, concerning faith and morals, the pope is infallible. He has never proclaimed any evil concept as Church teaching. And that especially goes for birth control.
The Church is the Mystical Body of Christ on earth, in that sense it is perfect. It is a hospital for sinners, I refer to the Gospel for today, the Feast of St. Matthew the Apostle. So its members are not perfect, but the Mystical Body of Christ is perfect. Christ also said that scandal will come, but ouai to him (or her) by whom it comes. The teaching of Pope JP the Great, Ordinatio Sacerdotalis, as has been said in this blog elsewhere ad nauseam, is infallible, because it presents the unbroken teaching and practice of the Church from the time of Christ Himself. So yes, we must pray that Sister repent, and publicly recant the heresy she has stated. It is the Catholic thing to do. That, and obey all the teachings of the Church, whether you’re left, right or in Kansas… Happy St. Matt’s Day!
Gen, thanks for the picture which accompanies your posting. It made me laugh out loud.
My limited experiences with Sister Joan left me with the impression that I ought not turn my back on her. It seemed that she could turn on the warm, engaging personality but that it masked a cold, calculating interior. Maybe I’ve misread her badly; that’s just my impression of the woman.
In response to Giovanni’s post, I ask what fruit she hath borne. She has single-handedly wrecked St. Ann’s, has she not?