12 Responses to “It Can Happen Here”

1. Mike says:

   May 29, 2011 at 12:33 AM

   Bishop Bruskewitz was scheduled to ordain 3 of these guys yesterday (see here).

   I find it interesting that one of them came from a family with 4 children, the second from a family with 5 and the third from a family with 6 children. Once again, larger Catholic families prove to be seedbeds for vacations.

2. Jeff says:

   May 29, 2011 at 5:44 AM

   While I am very happy that Bishop Bruskewitz is standing up for real, authentic, and orthodox Catholicism in his diocese (I may help push for his canonization when he passes on, I like him that much), I worry that there’s a bit of “post hoc ergo propter hoc” going on here with seminarian numbers. I wonder if many of the seminarians who seek to be ordained in the “good” dioceses like Lincoln, Peioria, Arlington, and [the French one mentioned in this post] are from other diocese who want to be ordained in an orthodox diocese that upholds authentic Catholicism rather than deal with pastors in their own diocese who allow all sorts of nonsense in their masses and formation. Thus we’re concentrating our best priests in certain dioceses, when they are needed elsewhere to be the pastors of the future where heterodoxy has reigned for too long? Do we have any numbers on how many of these seminarians are home-grown as opposed to transplants?

3. La Sandia says:

   May 29, 2011 at 9:56 AM

   Lincoln, NE has even more seminarians if you count those at Our Lady of Guadalupe seminary (FSSP).

   Interestingly enough, Lincoln is one of the few dioceses that doesn’t permit female altar servers. And they have the highest vocations rate in the country. Coincidence?

4. JLo says:

   May 29, 2011 at 9:57 AM

   I believe you’re correct, Jeff, in that not all those Lincoln seminarians are Nebraskans! I also believe that if one’s attendance is terminated from a seminary, one may not just go and apply at some other diocese’s seminary; hence, those who know they will never pass muster in dioceses like Rochester (just can’t hide their love of orthodoxy and of Holy Mother Church) seek places like in Lincoln. +JMJ

5. Scott W, says:

   May 29, 2011 at 12:11 PM

   I too would be interested to know how many seminarians are refugees seeking asylum from asylums. [bass drum, rimshot]

6. Water says:

   May 29, 2011 at 4:16 PM

   There is a sweet day coming.

7. A Catholic says:

   May 29, 2011 at 7:00 PM

   Even though Bishop Clark has not yet retired, things already seem to be turning around with the new seminarians in Rochester. From what I have heard, they are a solid group. We also have Deacon Scott Caton to be ordained to the priesthood June 11th.

8. jetscubs86 says:

   May 29, 2011 at 7:07 PM

   I’m surprised Bishop Clark didn’t tell Deacon Caton that he’s too orthodox.

9. Hopefull says:

   May 29, 2011 at 10:56 PM

   Maybe we can hope that a new bishop brings some seminarians along with him, young men whose vocations he has personally nurtured?

10. Raymond Rice says:

    May 29, 2011 at 11:14 PM

    Bishop Fabian Bruskewitz was the only bishop in the US out of 195 at a meeting in 2002 of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops who did not sign the “Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People”. Many bishops are still very upset with him because of this.

    Does anyone know why he did not sign???

11. Mike says:

    May 30, 2011 at 2:28 AM

    Raymond Rice,

    It only took a minute with Google to answer your question. Bishop Bruskewitz issued this statement on March 31, 2006:

    Some woman named Patricia O’Donnell Ewers, who is the Chair of something called “A National Review Board for the Protection of Children and Young People”, has said that her Board “calls for strong fraternal correction of the Diocese of Lincoln.” The Diocese of Lincoln has nothing to be corrected for, since the Diocese of Lincoln is and has always been in full compliance with all laws of the Catholic Church and with all civil laws. Furthermore, Ewers and her Board have no authority in the Catholic Church and the Diocese of Lincoln does not recognize them as having any significance.

    It is well known that some of the members of Ewers’ Board are ardent advocates of partial birth abortion, other abortions, human cloning, and other moral errors. It is understandable then how such persons could dislike the Diocese of Lincoln, which upholds the moral teaching of the Catholic Church.

    The words attributed to Ewers seem to confirm the suspicion that the members of her Board are unfamiliar with Catholic teachings, Catholic ecclesiology, and even the basic rudiments of the Catholic Catechism. Rather than concerning themselves with the Diocese of Lincoln about which they appear completely ignorant, Ewers and her colleagues would occupy themselves in a better way by learning something about the Catholic religion and the traditions and doctrines and laws of the Catholic Church.

    The Diocese of Lincoln does not see any reason for the existence of Ewers and her organization.

12. Rich Leonardi says:

    May 30, 2011 at 8:51 AM

    It may come as a shock to some, but the USCCB is an administrative body with no authority whatsoever over individual bishops or dioceses. (Ditto for doctrine.)

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