Earlier this month, Bishop Clark wrote an article which appeared in the Catholic Courier in which he spoke at length about the many questions surrounding his inevitable retirement. As a reader pointed out, it seems that the more that the faithful point out errors and demand their correcting, the more His Excellency reflects on his retirement. Some people will probably raise the objection that, “hey, you’re making the poor guy feel burdened and besieged.” Well, is it really so bad to make a Bishop of questionable orthodoxy squirm a little at the consideration that maybe, just maybe, he has made some unexplainable mistakes? When I went through the Catholic school system here, we were taught that we must all accept responsibility for our actions, and not shirk our duties but “carry them through conscientiously.” I can’t help but realize that there is very little accountability (in the here-and-now) for people who cause as much confusion on the part of their faithful, especially when the people in charge hide behind the same canons that they warp and use for their own devious purposes. As a very wise old dead Roman once said, “Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?” “But who then shall guard the guards?”
This all being said, we need to realize that our Church has been developing organically for two thousand years, and has dealt with much bigger problems than our current Bishop. It survived the French Revolution. It aided in the downfall of Communism. It endured the process of Italian Unification. It stood as a silent witness to the fall of pagan Europe, and then humbly helped rebuild a new Europe in the shadowy uncertainty of the Dark Ages. So, no matter how bad we may have things in Rochester for the time being, and no matter how long the recovery takes, the Church goes on and is always victorious. Bishop Clark’s retirement isn’t going to be as dramatic as the beginning of the Renaissance, or as terribly awe-inspiring as the fall of the Roman Empire, but it serves to remind us that, no matter what, the Church as She is (and not as others would make Her) will go on through the ages. We have endured suffering, but nothing like what our brothers and sisters are enduring in places like China and the Middle East. We languish under the current administration, yes, but we know that it will have a definitive end. That is a blessing not all of the faithful can count on when facing their own calamities.
“A diocesan bishop who has completed his 75th year of age is requested to present his resignation from office to the Supreme Pontiff, who will make provisions after he has examined all the circumstances.”
These words from Canon 401 of our church’s Code of Canon Law are particularly meaningful for me, and for all the people of the Diocese of Rochester, as my 75th birthday is July 15, 2012. On that date, I will submit my letter of resignation to the Holy See after 33 years as your bishop.
On the personal side, I will do so with all the emotions you might expect: sadness that the privilege of serving you as bishop of this wonderful diocese must come to an end; hope that Christ will smile on the work we have done together (will He smile on “us” when “we” lost an entire parish to heresy, closed more than half of our schools, several dozen parishes, and sought to bring “new meaning” to His holy sacraments?); wonderment and anticipation about the journey God will take me on in the years to come; and the ways my ministry will continue. Yet I also will willingly submit my resignation and embrace this new phase of my life with a happy spirit. I am comfortable with the church’s wisdom that the bishop’s office is a demanding one in this day and age, that at age 75 our energies are not what they once were, and that more time for rest, prayer and contemplation is a blessing indeed.
I hope I also will be mindful then, as I am now, that this is not just about me by any means. This will be a significant time of transition for our diocese — for all of us. Quite naturally, we will all have questions, curiosity and interest in what the future will bring.
Already, as I travel around the diocese, people are asking me how the process of naming a replacement unfolds and speculating about the changes or adjustments we may be asked to make under new leadership.
Such questions and interests are the most natural thing in the world and emerge in every diocese at times like this. Reactions vary, of course. Some love change, finding it challenging and exciting; others find it onerous.
Then there is the more personal element. For people who have been pleased with my tenure, this time of transition means one thing; for those who will welcome a new approach in pastoral leadership, it means something quite different. (Recently, a parish staff member at a city church said that “we’ll ride this wave as far as we can” when someone pointed out that norms will actually have to be followed under a new Bishop.” Yes, change will mean something “quite different.” It means obedience.)
But no matter our general dispositions or personal opinions, change is coming. How we move through this time of transition as individuals and as a community of faith is, I believe, of great importance. If we approach it with lively and open faith in God and with prayer for all involved in the process, I am sure we will all be richly blessed. I do believe deeply that it will be a time of special grace and renewal for all of us. With that in mind, I thought it might be helpful to offer a few of my own thoughts about this process and touch on some questions people have asked me about it.
First of all, I must tell you that I do not know who our new bishop will be, or precisely when he will be named. As indicated, my letter of resignation begins a process through which a successor is chosen. Recently, that process typically takes 10 months, although it is not unheard of that it can take 15 months or longer. Once the letter of resignation is sent, the process and its timing are solely in the hands of the Holy See, which, I can assure you, works prayerfully and carefully to provide good leadership for a given diocese.
Secondly, I pray that this period of transition will be a time of renewal for our diocese. It will be a privileged time for us to remember our story, to name our blessings, to consider how God calls us to further conversion, and to put in good order any matters that aren’t where they should be or where we’d like to have them.
Thirdly, it can be a time in which we can convert our questions, worries, hopes, longings and fears into constructive thought, prayer and dialogue about important themes of common interest that give rise to the questions: How do we understand the office of bishop? (Answer: a successor to the Apostles.) What can we legitimately expect from him, and he from us? (Answer: Obedience to Rome and to the richness we find in Scripture and Tradition.) What is the bishop’s relationship to his priests? (Answer: Priests? What are these “priests” which His Excellency speaks of? Might he mean “sacramental ministers?”) To parish communities? (Answer: Parish communities tend to function better when not prematurely closed or clustered.) How does he link communities together? (Answer: Not by closing churches and rennovating the cathedral at the same time. Not by replacing an altar with an organ. Not by sending heretics into our churches to run them and ruin them. Not by closing thriving schools and churches. Not by engaging in ecumenical prayer services when your own flock has unmet needs. Not by having a mistress-of-ceremonies whose words have stifled more vocations in this Diocese than we can possibly imagine.) Are there ways in which we can prepare ourselves so that when he arrives the new bishop will come to know a diocese actively engaged and not passively marking time until his arrival? (Answer: Yes. We can actually meet the Holy Father half-way and show him that, contrary to what our Ordinary does, we will follow him.)
Next month I hope to delve into some of these areas in more depth. Let it suffice for the moment to say that I think we will be well-served if we make this a time of peaceful and prayerful examination of ourselves, our parishes and other places of ministry. How are we doing? What ought to change? (98% of what we see in this Diocese ought to change.) What is God asking of us?
To that end I have set some priorities to which I want to devote time and energy in the time remaining:
* To leave our diocese in as stable and positive financial condition as we can manage. Just now I have been quietly raising funds working to strengthen our financial resources for the education of our seminarians and the support of our senior priests.
* To continue to work together daily in our common quest for a deeper spiritual life. One common goal here, I hope, will be our very best effort to receive and celebrate the new Roman Missal this coming Advent.
* To be responsible in meeting the challenges of the day and not leave to my successor difficult problems because they are too hard or too unpopular to take on.
* To keep working at the interfaith and ecumenical work we have undertaken and to encourage others to join us in this work.
* To maintain our tradition of supporting our sisters and brothers in need, through direct human service and advocacy.
* To work toward creating as honest, warm and hospitable an environment as we possibly can manage, as we welcome our new bishop.
A bishop is a successor to the apostles whether retired or not. Under the church’s traditions and laws, leaving office removes from an individual bishop his power and jurisdiction over a diocesan church, but he remains a bishop forever with bonds to the universal church and College of Bishops, and certainly with a special bond to the diocese of which he was shepherd and to those faithful who were once entrusted to his care. It is not retirement in the usual sense of the term.
So, as “bishop emeritus” — the title given bishops after leaving office — I intend to be as helpful as I possibly can to the church of Rochester and to the new bishop, in ways still to be discussed and determined.
I will relinquish the bishop’s quarters at Sacred Heart Cathedral to make it ready for the new bishop when that time comes, but it is my hope and intention to remain in the Greater Rochester area. I have not as yet settled on where that might be. Personally, I am hoping to continue ministering in the Diocese of Rochester visiting parishes, supporting our pastors and sharing in the Eucharist with our people. I would welcome opportunities such as confirming our young people; helping our ministry in our nursing homes and health-care facilities; and offering whatever spiritual counsel I can in retreats and spiritual-growth projects, a role I have come to enjoy every much.
One important task I already know that I can and will fulfill is to pray constantly for the concerns of each of you individually and of this wonderful diocese as a whole. It has been said that one of the most cherished activities of a bishop emeritus is a “ministry of intercession,” that the closest bond and most important responsibility before God that a bishop emeritus has toward those who were once entrusted to him and to whom he has devoted his life is that of prayer. I could not agree more.
I will write more about this theme over the next months as July 2012 approaches, and I will try to keep you as informed as I can about this transition time.
This will be an interesting and unsettling time, but I pray you will remember that we are guided in every journey by the Holy Spirit. As we enter this new journey together, pilgrims on a new venture for Christ, let us be radically open to the Spirit and to each other’s dreams for the future.
Read more: http://www.catholiccourier.com/commentary/bishops-column/looking-ahead-to-retirement/#ixzz1XpvjGUoe
Tags: Bishop Clark, Catholic Schools, Church Closings, Keeping the Spirit Alive, News and Media, Progressive Drivel, Reflection, Spiritus Christi
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Excellent commentary and very helpful. It is my understanding that the work is already under way in Rome to choose our new bishop, and it doesn’t wait on their receiving a resignation, which timing is quite predictable. I would think that the most meaningful service a Bishop Emeritus can offer to the new bishop is to stay out of his way! As I read the canons, the Rochester Diocese has the obligation to continue to provide housing for the Emeritus Bishop; perhaps that is part of what the big CMA hit is this year? Could the large increase in goal be for the bishop’s retirement perqs? Does anyone know if other dioceses, just before a bishop’s retirement, have a big increase in the tax on the parishes?
After stating in part, “make this a time of peaceful and prayerful examination of ourselves, our parishes and other places of ministry…” Bishop Clark begins to list “some priorities” to which he wants to devote time and energy….
The first is money.
Really, without any trace of sarcasm, in all sincerity, can anyone help me know whether anywhere in Sacred Tradition money is the first priority. I am not so unworldly that I am no worldly good. But please help me understand why we must always list money as the first priority.
Can we never ever really believe and live as if the most important ministry of charity is what the Church proclaims it to be?
Evangelization……The Church exists to evangelize.
To Proclaim The Grace Of God In Jesus Christ, Crucified and Risen! There is no greater priority. Yes, the Church makes good use of resources. And the Church knows why She exists. The Church knows her identity and her mission.
Money?
What about souls? What about the gift of eternal life? What about the Bread of Life?
Did I miss something in the Bishop’s reflections on his retirement and in his set of priorities?
“As we enter this new journey together, pilgrims on a new venture for Christ, let us be radically open to the Spirit….” writes our Bishop. With all due respect, we the faithful in the Bishop’s Diocese exhort him to “proclaim that Christ, the Son of God. Proclaim His Name. Proclaim His Work of Redemption. Proclaim His Good News Of Salvation.
Encourage us to do the same!
Yes, we can agree with all of our hearts, “A bishop is a successor to the apostles whether retired or not.”
Brother of Penance — you comments fit well with today’s reading from 1 Timothy 3
1Ti 3:2 Now a bishop must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate, sensible, dignified, hospitable, an apt teacher,
1Ti 3:3 no drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, and NO LOVER OF MONEY.
Radically open to the Spirit does not mean be open to radical ideas about homosexuality, birth control,aortion, women’s ordination and local control of the Church. Knowing this bishop, he disguises his agenda well.
I had to laugh when I read Bishop Clark’s column about his upcoming retirement. Leave it to Bishop Clark to try and sugar coat an article making it sound like he is looking forward to retirement. In his own words: “more time for rest, prayer and contemplation is a blessing indeed.”
Now you will hear the truth.
Bishop Clark loves the power and money and does not want to retire. It will be very traumatic for him to step down and fade away into the background. He is so defiant with the Vatican, I would be willing to bet the farm that Bishop Clark will not send his resignation on July 15, 2012.
Now is the time for parishioners to write to Rome and ask for an orthodox bishop for Rochester. Send letters, email or post cards. You heard the old saying: the squeaky wheel gets the grease. Get this message out of Rochester and straight to the Vatican.
Gen wrote: “Some people will probably raise the objection that, “hey, you’re making the poor guy feel burdened and besieged.” Well, is it really so bad to make a Bishop of questionable orthodoxy squirm a little at the consideration that maybe, just maybe, he has made some unexplainable mistakes?…”
No! Its not so bad! In fact its an act of charity! Its true love to tell the truth, to possibly move him to examine his error.
Gen continued: “When I went through the Catholic school system here, we were taught that we must all accept responsibility for our actions, and not shirk our duties but “carry them through conscientiously.”…”
How fortunate, how blessed you were to attend Catholic Schools before Bishop Clark’s leadership got to them!
Gen wrote: “…I can’t help but realize that there is very little accountability (in the here-and-now) for people who cause as much confusion on the part of their faithful, especially when the people in charge hide behind the same canons that they warp and use for their own devious purposes. As a very wise old dead Roman once said, “Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?” “But who then shall guard the guards?”
Well, we aren’t guards at CF, but to show the truth is a service toward that end.
Diane wrote: “..It is my understanding that the work is already under way in Rome to choose our new bishop, and it doesn’t wait on their receiving a resignation, which timing is quite predictable…”
Thank you so much for that, Diane! I realize I have been feeling a little depressed since I read Bishops Clark’s words here in this post yesterday about not submitting his resignation till his birthday date, and then expecting that we have to support him in the lifestyle-to-which-he-has-become-accustomed-to for 10 or 15 or MORE months! 10 to 15 more months of flowery, boring columns in the Courier, 10-15 more months for him to soak up the flattery and accolades of his cronies and admirers while DoR continues to flounder? And an additional million sought in the next Thanksgiving appeal? For what? Increased benefits for DoR retirees? And more parishes closed or wreckovated (to insure no Latin Mass can ever be celebratd there?). Please! I don’t think I can take it. Do you realize we’d have to set the counter, today at only 305 days, for anothr 550 days to get it to 15 months??
Its too much!
So thanks for the hope, Diane! I realize the Vatican has reason for being so slow with Clark, but since they know our suffering I am expecting swiftness after July 15!
Good commentary, Brother of penance. Good point – his first priority is money; that’s what his incumbency looks like, too – money the first priority, and spent on two things: veneer, and the secret things we don’t know about since he doesn’t account for how he uses our money…
I find it hard to begin to comment on what Bishop Clark wrote because there is so much wrong with it. Its like his whole worldview is off, so where can you begin? Its NOT a Catholic worldview. And that’s so sad. I guess that’s free-will for you. Judas didn’t have a Christlike worldview either, and he walked with Jesus…
And I will bet that the bishop will continue to work, either in public, or behind the scenes, to keep his heretetical approach going.
Dan Riley;
I suggest that you read a new book on the Vatican by Paul Williams.
Raymond Rice, I read reviews on that book at Amazon and now I wonder where you are coming from, with such an endorsement!
Reading the 5-star and 1-star reviews on Amazon tells you a lot. Why is it loved? Why is it hated? In this case I found better reasons not to read it then to read it. So I’ll save people time and share what I learned.
Below are review quotes that detract:
_______________________________________________________________________
“a shameless pile of bigoted, anti-Catholic crap.”
“fantasy book based on rumors and supposition.”
“To say, “The Holy See” was complicit in WWII is a total lie.”
“…if you bought this yellow journalism thinking you were getting beef on the whole “Vatican-Nazi” connection, Mr. Williams has played you for a stooge. even the guy who critiqued this book before me had nothing out of the ordinary to say–just more of the same, ‘the Vatican is full of pedophiles, the pope himself shoveled people into furnaces for Hitler, the college of cardinals is the original COSANOSTRA, yada, yada.’ ”
“For centuries, critics like Williams have tried to undo the beauty of what is the Catholic Church. Williams’ book is nothing but a self-serving harangue against someone and something that he obviously hates. However, the Church in all her Wisdom, Honor and Intellect will far outlast morons like Paul Williams…”
____________________________________________________________________________
I’m convinced its SHALLOW sensationalist junk, by an anti-Catholic, anti-Vatican author; Catholic he may be, but he sounds like a dissident wanting to tear down so he can rebuild it in his own image… and we are so familiar with those types in Rochester! The positive reviews, below, only support that idea:
_____________________________________________________________________________
“As an ex-Catholic, I found this book fascinating and accurate.”
“Every Catholic should read this. And then revolt.”
“All in all, this was a very impressive book. It is quite short, and probably as easy to read as a Harry Potter book, though shorter than a Potter book.”
“This book is 202 pages long and this reader read it in one Saturday sitting.”
“Vatican, Inc. is a hypocritical corporation of biblical proportions.”
“This book is non-fiction, but is as entertaining as fiction.”
______________________________________________________________________________
Eliza 10; I suggested the book be read. I did not endorse it. There is a difference. I read the book itself and not the reviews. I do my own thinking.
Brother of Penance: with that attitude, I really think ,if you are between 21 and 40, that you ought to contact the Franciscans of the Renewal in New York. You may have budding vocation. I am dead serious!!
“…I suggested the book be read. I did not endorse it. There is a difference….”
Raymond, but why? From the reviews, its not worth a Saturday afternoon, even if it reads like a Harry Potter. What is it that made you recommend it? Because we have so much corruption here in the DoR, so you are showing us it’s in the Vatican, too? Well of course there is corruption there, and among bishops and cardinals, just like Jesus had Judas, just like he promised there would be tares among the wheat. What is miraculous and amazing is that the Holy Spirit works in spite of these cracked pots, and preserves our faith and moral teaching PERFECTLY! That’s what the author leaves out. The important part. Plus, he makes false conclusions against the Church. That’s a good reason not to read it or recommend it. Because then you participate in bearing false witness. Sorry to come down so hard on you when you maybe didn’t think it through. But I don’t want to see people further misled against our Church, which is salvation.
I’m not a saint. I read stupid and worthless things too. Just, recommending stupid things is not such a good idea. (and things that detract? a bad idea…).
Anyway, if you change your mind about the recommendation, its fine with me for Gen to erase our whole side-tracked conversation on the matter!
If you wish to send input to Rome on the desirable (or undesirable) qualities in our next bishop, it should be addressed to:
Cardinal Marc Ouellet, Prefect
CONGREGATION FOR BISHOPS
Dicastery of the Roman Curia
Palazzo della Congregazioni
Piazza Pio XII, 10, 00193
Roma, Italy
If you send directly, don’t expect an answer. That doesn’t mean it isn’t read. If you want a receipt, then send through the office of the Papal Nuncio in Washington, DC. In either case there is no guarantee that your letter or a copy won’t be sent to Bishop Clark.
There’s an awful lot of venom on this site, and not so much Christian charity. And there are unfounded, baseless presumptions put forth. God is the only one who can judge Bishop Clark’s heart; don’t be so presumptuous to think that you can.
We could ALL use a healthy dose of humility, don’t you think?
It will not surprise me if many here wind up sorely disappointed with Bishop Clark’s successor – I can envision the postings now – “why are things not changing more quickly?” “is he BLIND to the fruits of 30+ years of liberal leadership??” “what was the Vatican THINKING?” After all, we all think we know what’s best for Holy Mother Church and her leadership (we’re Americans, after all). We aren’t always so good at trusting in God’s providence and God’s timing, however.
Dear Annonymouse, Sibling in Christ,
Please re-read what you have written. Aren’t you doing just what you accuse many on this site of doing? I’m sorry to say so, because I do believe your intentions are well meant, but words like “venom,” “unfounded”, “presumptuous” and “baseless presumptions” don’t seem meek and humble of heart.
Remember, we ARE called to discern, not to close our eyes. Discernment and speaking the uncomfortable truth are not judging someone. To not do such a spiritual work of mercy is to hide from our responsibilities. That doesn’t mean we each do this with equal or even acceptable levels of skill even when we do our best; your call for humility in all, yourself included, is an appropriate reminder. Thank you.
But I would be careful of assuming there is no base for what is said. You, yourself, may not know the basis, and there are writers who have far more base than you might expect, and who hold back from revealing all in well-tempered charity. If you are not in another’s shoes, it is hard to know. Sometimes we just have to trust each other, especially when we know of people or things in which one cannot trust, and from which others need to be protected.
I just think you are the one being presumptuous in assuming you can predict how any of us will react to a new bishop, what we will think and do. Rather than judging others, as it seems you are doing, wouldn’t it be better to model the way in which you feel we should all approach such difficult subjects? I’m sorry to say so, but I don’t feel you’ve done that in your post. And I know I don’t bat .1000 in mine either.
Your sister in Christ,
Diane Harris
“Were it possible I’d be pleased to ordain women” – Bishop Clark, Democrat & Chronicle interview in 2004
Anonymouse, I don’t think we need to wait for the judgment seat of Christ to know what is in Bishop Clark’s heart. The man’s words and actions paint a clear picture that he does not respect the Church’s teachings, or at the very least wishes they would change.
First, we have been fortunate to have Bishop Clark’s leadership in providing theological and ministerial education for the laity. We are one of the few Dioceses that provide the
great wealth of knowledge of the Church to Jesus’ church.
We are in a time when the laity must provide the leadership that a Magisterium suffering from paycheck and collection basket intimidation is often unable to provide.
While in 10 years we have had 4 Rochester Catholic women ordanied as Catholic priests, our
Bishop was not able to preside over their ordination. It is sad that women are not treat- ed pursuant to Catechism paragraph 1267 and the Vatican II Lumen Gentium. We must remember that a statement from a Church Council trumps the Pope and the Curia. We just don’t have the tools to enforce the work of the Council.
All of the Rush Limbaugh rhetoric seems to forget the founder of Christianity, Jesus.
It appears that the love and compassion that Jesus commanded us to express has gotten
burned up!
How can the Church expect to lead the members of Jesus’ church when the secular society in which both exist is more Christ like than the Church?
There is a call from the Holy Spirit to the laity as well as the Magisterium to abandon
the ways of the 20th and 21st century Pharisees of Rome. It is a call of apostolic
renewal, a call to the life styles of the mendacant friars like St.Francis and St.Dominic. It is a call to honor the heritage of St.Mary Magdalene and St.Pheobe.
As we prepare for Pink Smoke Over The Vatican, we have to laugh at Dorothy Day’s response
to the question of women’s ordination. “Who would do the work of the Church if women were
ordained?”
Like Ezekiel’s observation of the Presence of God with His people even after Ezekiel saw
the Presence leave the Temple, we can observe God’s Presence outside the Rome Dome in the
members of the LCWR who provide prophetic guidance to the Magisterium.
Gerry, please put down the bong.
Yes Dr. K (obviously not a Doctor of the Church)thank you for recognizing Holy Smoke!
The Pink Smoke over the Vatican will be Holy Smoke because it will rise when the first
woman is elected Pope(Magdelene I ??), because the election will be the work of the Holy Spirit.
It is not a countdown to Bishop Matthew Clark’s retirement that the members of Jesus’ church await, but the retirement of the “good” Cardinal Leveada.If only 1% of the LCWR
nuns were ordained by Catholic Womanpriests each year, more women would be ordained in one year than all of the men ordanined in North America. Recognizing that the “good” cardinal has fallen into a fresh pile of manure,the strategy to frustatrate reformation work of the Holy Spirit, is to have the “good” bishops of Seattle, Toledo and Springfield
stay home until the “good” cardinal retires. After the retirement, there will no longer be anyone promoting the Vatican Inquisition. The Nuns Justice Project encouraged people
to make their Peter’s Pence contributions to their favorite congregation of religious women instead of supporting the Rome Dome. Not much has changed in the institutional Church in this respect since St. Paul, money talks (preaches).
While at times, some of the comments posted on the Cleansing Fire site do seem to be the products of Chech & Chongs Up In Smoke, we should not miss the opportunity to add to the fire the Roman Missal revisions of the Eucharistic Prayer and the Corinthians Antiphons
that mistranslate “cup” as “chalice”. In addition to being linguistically incorrect, it
fails to recognize the rich liturgical heritage of the Cup of Salvation and the place in
the Heils Geschicte History of Salvation, Paslm 136, that is correctly part of the Easter
Vigil liturgy in the Protestant denominations, which is wrongly replaced in the Catholic tradition with the Church replacing God as the source of salvation. Certainly the proper
use of Cup was not unknown to the Rome Dome. So, was the change a through back to the pre-Vatican II anti-Semetism of the Church? Or was the change simply to keep the pesky
American bishops busy so they could not have time to push the Vatican for women’s ordina-
tion?
Lumen Gentium states that the prophetic voices of the laity and the Magisterium will speak
in unity. We pray for the reconiliation of the Magisterium to Jesus and His church, which includes all those whom the Magesterium has excluded from their Church, but whom
they lack the authority to exclude from Jesus all inclusive church. We pray that the Holy
Spirit will again visit the Vatican so that there can be a realized eschatology of the
reconciliation of the Magesterium to Jesus.
We know there will be many people as high as if they had been smoking from a bong, on the incense in a Papal procession of Pope Magdelene I. We also know that Jesus will share in that high, and have the same high when the Magesterium is reconciled to Him.
So, yes Dr. K, pray for the Day of the Bong!
i
There are two obvious problems with your proposal:
1. The ordinations would be invalid.
2. The LCWR orders are largely comprised of women at or above the priestly retirement age of 75 (70 in Rochesterville).