Excerpts from Bishop Clark’s latest Along the Way column entitled, “Being with dedicated ministers is a blessing” (commentary added)
“During the weekend of Sept. 18-19 I presided over eucharistic liturgies [I assume he means “Masses”, but you never know in Rochester] at which we [I assume he means “I”] formally installed pastoral administrators [Priests are installed; lay “pastoral administrators” are not. There is no Rite of Installation for a layperson, despite what Bishop Clark and Sr. Dietz, SSJ want to make us believe] in two of our parish clusters [The significance of this is that lay administrators tend to be placed in charge of as many churches as possible so that Bishop Clark can assert his vision for the Church over as many communities and people as possible. One notable exception is William Rabjohn, but his parish has over 1,500 people, so the result is the same].
On Saturday evening at St. Rose, Lima, we [“we” being who?] installed Sister Karen Dietz, SSJ, as pastoral administrator of St. Rose; St. Agnes, Avon; and St. Paul of the Cross, Honeoye Falls [Yes, she is de facto priestess of three churches].
On Sunday morning at St. Gabriel in Hammondsport, Deacon David LaFortune was installed as pastoral administrator of St. Gabriel and St. Mary in Bath.
The communities gathered at both events were warm and welcoming to their new leaders [Of course the people that show up at these sham liturgies are the ones who are least opposed to these sham leaders]. Both communities seemed to me lively [“vibrant”] and ready to move into the future supportive of their new leaders. Following both liturgies there were receptions at which people had the opportunity to offer their good wishes to Karen and David and to socialize with one another. I noted with some interest how many people stayed for both events and how enthusiastic was the spirit of both groups [Because the Spirit is only alive when we embrace heterodoxy and worship is only vibrant when we embrace liturgical irregularity].
…
As always, it is a blessing to be in the company of dedicated pastoral ministers [What about your priests?] who are in touch with both their faith and their own humanity and who desire deeply to keep growing in the Lord.”
The problem in Rochester is very serious and it continues to worsen. Bishop Clark has made it abundantly clear that his vision for the Church is lay-led communities where priests serve as multi-site sacramental dispensers. We see time and time again that Bishop Clark raves on about his lay administrators. He rarely shows the same enthusiasm for his priests, whom he presses into early retirement against their will (Fr. Joseph Trovato CSB), coerces into unreasonable multi-site service among three or more churches (Fr. Peter Abas), and forces to serve under the oppressive thumb of lay administrators who desire to be priests themselves (Fr. John Lynch under Sr. Joan Sobala, SSJ). This bishop doesn’t want priests. He treats his priests like dirt while at the same time he exalts his lay ministers. And we wonder why we have a priest shortage in Rochester. This shortage, which I contend does not yet exist as of 2010, is a self-inflicted wound being used by Bishop Clark to open the door for a lay-led Church. The proof is the Diocese of Rochester.
Tags: Bishop Clark, Joan, Keeping the Spirit Alive, Progressive Drivel, Vocations
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And if this keeps going, there will be pastoral adinistraters, a few priests and deacons and no one else!
It makes you wonder if the Catholic church is really a weak organization. Will the real leader of the Catholic church please step forward and STOP this wretched mess. Until that happens, I have no faith at all in its hierarchy. Our popes have been weak when it comes to our bishops in the U.S. It seems like they don’t even care. Sad. Very sad.
How interesting that this diocese functions as an aotocratic burtocracy. One at the top. Once he makes his priests knuckle down, he destroys their pastoral authority, then installs all these pastoral people to minister to the burocraacy of the church. It really is about people ministering to themselves.
Very interesting description of what’s happening, and it’s true.
“… we formally INSTALLED pastoral administrators.”
Subterfuge! Favorite technique of this diocese: keep saying/doing it until people believe it is legitimate/normal.
I can’t help but wonder if you’re right. Either way, it sure is a contrast to the view the MSM gives of the heavy handed pope enforcing his way.
I find myself asking my friends over and over “do think it will get better in 2012?” Just about everyone says “yes”. I never feel confident with their answer. It seems if it mattered to those who could change it, something would have taken place by now.Sorry for the negative response but thats how i feel.
Ben, remind me what is the MSM?
SR. EMILY,
‘MSM’ generally means ‘Main Stream Media.’
DrK, Thank you so much for your excellent commentary. It is a breath of fresh air to see these things expressed (much more thoroughly than I could espress them) which I have been silently and painfully witnessing since my conversion.
The second “Anonymous” wrote:
“It makes you wonder if the Catholic church is really a weak organization. Will the real leader of the Catholic church please step forward and STOP this wretched mess. Until that happens, I have no faith at all in its hierarchy. Our popes have been weak when it comes to our bishops in the U.S. It seems like they don’t even care…”
I do believe our leadership knows and cares but that they are being like Jesus who knew when the heart of Judas had irreversibly turned but he kept him as Apostle anyway. Certainly he was doing harm to the faithful when he preached! So our Vatican does what Jesus did. Its only two more years. And we have EWTN and we have faithful who pray. Remember Jesus said, “Do not remove the tares with the wheat.”
The third “Anonymous” wrote:
“How interesting that this diocese functions as an autocratic bureaucracy. One at the top. Once he makes his priests knuckle down, he destroys their pastoral authority, then installs all these pastoral people to minister to the bureaucracy of the church. It really is about people ministering to themselves.”
Wow, this is really what is happening. Very insightful.
I remember my first impression of the DOR being shock that it was an autocratic bureaucracy, and it struck me how different the DOR is led compared to how the universal Church is led. Its kind of like the way the DOR is run is akin to how those abusively authoritarian nuns you hear about used to run their classrooms, back when our bishiop was a child. (Many of those nuns commanded to teach had no gift for teaching.) So its kind of like a child who grows up with an abusively authoritarian parent and decides its his turn, now that he is grown up, to be the king and decide how everything is to be done while the helpless children are to be obedient to his every dictation because they are not entitled to any say …