Whip me, beat me, make me stand…
Gerald Augustinus of The Cafeteria Is Closed blog has posted the story and videos of Bishop Tod Brown in Mean Tod Brown.
Bishop Brown is the heterodox R.C. Bishop of Orange, CA who physically forced a woman to stand up to receive the Holy Eucharist.
Here is the woman’s testimony:
I was sitting on the side of the Church, 3rd row, where Bishop Tod Brown distributed the Holy Eucharist, (in the video, I am the woman with short brown hair and glasses, wearing a black sweater and long white skirt sitting on the opposite side (from the camera) of the aisle in the center of the church) and upon approaching the Bishop to receive, I genuflected, out of reverence for the Sacred Species and remained on one knee to receive the Blessed Sacrament. Bishop Brown refused to give me Holy Communion. Bishop Brown said, —You need to stand up—.
I was in shock and didn’t move or respond. He then reached out and took hold of my folded hands, attempting to physically pull me to a standing position, and said more sternly, —You need to stand.—
I looked up and whispered, quietly and respectfully, —Please, bishop—, and he then grabbed my arm, and pulled me, as though to physically pull me up to a standing position (although obscured, you can see where he bends down and extends his right arm to grab mine) as he stated more loudly, —Get up—.
Still on one knee, I then asked very quietly and with genuine ignorance, —Why?—
As he stood up straight he responded, very loudly and sternly, —Because THAT’S the way we receive communion. Now, GET UP, you’re causing a scene.’
Sarcasm warning!
I’m thinking that he should have beaten her with the ciborium…
Oh shoot! Not ciborium —“ you know the special earthy materials cup thingy that holds the, the, whatchamacallit.
I remember people like him. Another reminder to me that I probably would have been better off bypassing the mainstream RCs entirely when I was much younger, about 20 years ago.
i am just shaking my head at this. what a world.
Thankfully, I was born into a traditional Polish R.C. parish. I am old enough to remember the Tridentine Holy Mass. We didn’t go N.O. until I made my first communion. Even then, the Mass and devotions were sacred and the church was kept in pristine Byzantine condition (look here as well), one of three U.S. churches modeled after the Hagia Sophia.
The tide of heterodoxy grew as I grew. Once outside of that neighborhood and that church I was confronted with a much more self serving attitude among pastors and bishops (not that my own pastor didn’t have issues). Being in seminary also gave me an inside view – and I didn’t like what I saw.
One of the things you learn is that trying to change it is to battle against the wind.
All I know is that, to me, the PNCC or Orthodoxy represent the sacredness that is required, as well as the respect for the Lord that is all too often missing in the American version of the R.C. Church (and I know its prevelant across Western Europe as well and is branching out).
It is another reason why reading certain R.C. bloggers is so disappointing (see The future… so we pray). They are quick to point out how the Oriental, Orthodox, or the PNCC are outside the fullness of the Church. It’s amazing they can see that with a plank like Bishop Brown (and so many others) in their eye.
being raised in the typical post Vatican II Americanized Catholic parish, I was unaware of the traditional liturgy. I know when I left the RCC and started church shopping I missed the liturgy. That was the main reason I joined ECUSA. It was the few ‘high anglo’ parish that I discovered the beauty of the traditional mass. I began visiting some Orthodox parishes as well to be exposed to a more liturgical worship. I am happy to see that the PNCC has maintained the tradition of the high mass. Rome is too watered down.
Just discovered this site.
Well, we ARE talking the O.C. Not as conservative as a lot of people think, I know, I used to live there!
PNCC? Are you still around? I thought you disappeared after going liberal like ecusa. Didn’t even know PNCC had deacons!
I’ve got to look into this.
Christ is Risen!