It seems as if our CMA donations go to everything under the sun, except for making sure our priests are literate to a sufficient degree. This may sound harsh, but illiteracy (or poor reading comprehension skills) seems to be the only logical explanation for the following:
Many of you will note that the Blessed Sacrament is still in the church-proper of St. Thomas the Apostle in Irondequoit. Canon Law is very clear about the necessity of its presence and the ability of the laity to make holy hours and the like:
Can. 934 §1 The blessed Eucharist:
1° must be reserved in the cathedral church or its equivalent, in every parish church (this means “each and every one,” not “whichever ones please the administation”), and in the church or oratory attached to the house of a religious institute or society of apostolic life.
§2 In sacred places where the blessed Eucharist is reserved there must always be someone who is responsible for it, and as far as possible a priest is to celebrate Mass there at least twice a month. (Seeing as how Fr. Tanck stated a while ago that the problem was not necessarily a priest shortage, this seems like it should be a non-issue, especially when I guarantee that any of us could find priests willing to help at St. Thomas to offer the required two Masses.)
These particular excerpts from Canon Law are explicit, and cannot be denied if one has any grasp of reality or rhetoric. It seems as if the administration of Blessed Kateri “parish” are in touch with neither, seeing as how, and I quote:
“After consulting with the Chancellor of the Diocese of Rochester, it would seem that the canon you refer to encouraging that two Masses a month be celebrated in churches where the Eucharist is reserved does not bear the weight of obligation, and that the Blessed Sacrament does not have to be reserved in a church for it to be considered open and accessible for worship by the faithful.”
They have no legitimate reason to keep St. Thomas locked for the vast majority of the time, allowing Our Lord to sit solitary in the shadows, living his Agony in Gethsemane every day from dawn till dusk. Canon Law forbids it. Human decency forbids it. Pray for the people of St. Thomas, that their sufferings might be united with those of Christ the King, whose glorious and royal title is so horribly profaned on such a regular basis.
Tags: Fr. Tanck, IPPG, Progressive Drivel
|
It’s worth noting that Blessed Kateri will soon have an additional parochial vicar in addition to Fr. English (the new Pastor), Fr. Rice, and a small handful of retired priests.
Fr. Tanck and the Diocese of Rochester are running out of excuses.
I once had a priest get offended when I cited Canon law and the GIRM after he allowed a (heretical) nun to preach the homily. His response: “I am, frankly, offended that you think I don’t know canon law and that you need to cite it for me.” I responded, “I am, frankly, offended that you willingly ignore it, then” This is all to point out that clerical illiteracy and lying, dissenting scumbaggery are often intertwined.
Oh, they know how to read. It’s just that NOTHING is obligatory as far as they are concerned. Same old, same old…
Jim M. here: Gen, just so you know, St. Thomas the Apostle Church is unlocked during the week (Mon-Fri) for visitation/adoration. If you pull in the parking lot next to the Church, there are two glass doors use for entry. (This is on the south side of the Church) The Blessed Sacrament in Our Lady’s Chapel is only a few feet from the door, right inside the Church. There is a sign in/sign out sheet just as you go in.
Well, we musn’t let the Clerical darlings be overworked now.
They’re so busy abdicating their priesthood to the laity and nuns, we wouldn’t want them to be overwhelmed, now would we??!!
Jim, thanks for the heads-up. The last I spoke with anyone from St. Thomas, they had decided to keep things locked up a bit more due to a suspicious man soliciting money from the Rosary group.
Let it be known to all here present that I am not nor related to the Father Rice at Blessed Kateri. I have met him however at Home Depot in Irondequoit. He was wearing his clerical clothing and I was bowled over by it. I could not resist asking him what denomination he belonged to. He said “Roman Catholic”!!
Seemed to be a sensitive,laid back sort of guy with a real amount of character under his pleasant exterior; the type of priest you could go to for a sustantial and game free confession. I hope he eventually passes away at age 95 in one of our parishes!!
Jim M. here: Gen, the suspicious man situation was targeted at the small Blessed Sacrament Chapel, located in the Parish Center across the parking lot from the Church. There hasn’t been any trouble lately, and the Church is still open during the regular times.
Raymond –
Come check out one of Fr. Rice’s homilies sometime …
Raymond, Father Rice is a wonderful young priest (from Texas, I believe), and Rochester is blessed to have him for now. I believe his order extended his stay because of the things going on in Irondequoit during and after his ordination, but he’ll probably not be with us much longer. Too bad. +JMJ
Ludwig, I believe Father Rice achieved exactly what he intended in that homily, and unfortunately, it was completely lost on you. He meant to demonstrate just how hated the Samaritans were, and how utterly shocking Jesus’ homily would have been to His listeners. Would you not have gotten up and left Jesus’ parable as well? I think you would have. I suspect that you would definitely have left Jesus when He taught about eating His flesh. I mean, THAT’S DISGUSTING! And it challenges everything His listeners thought they knew about Him. Goodbye, not for me!
Perhaps we all should be just a bit more open to letting the Spirit lead us to a deeper understanding of Our Lord, rather than being perfectly comfortable that we have Him all figured out, tied up in a nice neat bow, and there’s nothing more to learn.
And even if your criticism of this one homily of Father Rice (from 2010, I might note) were justified, is it fair to write off a good, holy priest based on one Sunday homily? I think not.
Jim M. here: Ludwig, I’ve known Fr. Rice for about five years now, both from St. Thomas and Christ the King. I have to admit, I really didn’t care for his Al Queda reference in the homily that was posted, but I think he has a good heart and means well. He was plopped down into the middle of the Blessed Kateri clustering situation, and has probably been through the mill. Given his young age, I think he’s doing the best he can. Maybe we should cut him some slack. Yes, JLo, he is from Corpus Christi, Texas.