Wszechmogący Boże, któryś z pomiędzy wszystkich ludzi świętych, wybrał św. Joachima na ojca N. P. Marji, matki Twojego Syna, użycz nam prosimy Cię, abyśmy w każdej potrzebie skutecznej Jego doświadczali opieki. Przez Chrystusa Pana naszego. Amen.
The folks at Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam are at it again.
Not satisfied with dealing with the problems in their own Archdiocese in St. Louis (St. Stan’s, Archbishop Burke, and all, which they have ranted on about incessantly in their ‘we’re more Catholic than thou’ way), they now have to take pot shots at the PNCC.
In commentary about some Roman Catholics from Toledo who have left the R.C. Church for the PNCC due to the Toledo Bishop’s closing of their parishes the AMDG folks said:
How many disgruntled individuals go about starting their own “church”? How many professed Catholics do this?
“Some people will say we are not Catholic. That is not true,” Father Nowak said after the service. “We are independent but Catholic.”
A defective understanding of what it means to be Catholic…A defective understanding which has been propagated among the faithful for years by many who have claimed to be Catholic and who have been allowed to spread their poison of dissent and heresy due, in part, to the failure of leadership to discipline those responsible for leading souls away from the Church.
And how exactly are the clergy in the PNCC, and former Roman Catholics to be disciplined by the leadership of the Roman Catholic Church?
I would imagine that the AMDG folks would have us all whipped, put in stocks, and then burned at the stake. Better yet, why not advise their leadership to start closing cemeteries too. Perhaps then they could dig up our R.C. ancestors and throw their bodies out —“ you know they must have had a hand in fomenting heresy.
I’ll even one up that. Since you’re so bent on punishing heretics why not drive down to St. Stan’s on Sunday and forment a pogrom. Give them a taste of the hell fire you so adamantly claim they are destined for.
The article on the Toledo situation is available at the Toledo Blade.
Of course the Toledo Diocesan spokesman gave the typical line:
The Rev. Michael Billian, episcopal vicar of the Toledo Catholic Diocese, said “it is important to note” that Father Nowak and the PNCC are “not affiliated with the Roman Catholic Church, Pope Benedict XVI, or Bishop Blair.”
Uh, yup. That’s right. No mystery there. The PNCC never purports to be R.C. I think these people very well know that. That is what they are running from.
Did you ever notice that this is a stock statement? They pull it out when the SSPX shows up too.
A final word to the AMDG folks: Read Dominus Iesus, specifically IV, 17. Also check out the Code of Canon Law, the USCCB Ecumenical Directory, and the R.C. —“ PNCC Dialog Documents.
You will find that the members of the PNCC are not heretics (unless of course you consider Orthodox Christians heretics as well – which you probably do.)
So, get busy pulling the plank out of your own eye, while you sit inside your comfy parish, before you pull the speck out of the eyes of the folks in Toledo while they sit outside their closed churches.
The law of the LORD is perfect,
refreshing the soul;
The decree of the LORD is trustworthy,
giving wisdom to the simple.
The precepts of the LORD are right,
rejoicing the heart;
the command of the LORD is clear,
enlightening the eye.
The fear of the LORD is pure,
enduring forever;
the ordinances of the LORD are true,
all of them just.
They are more precious than gold,
than a heap of purest gold;
sweeter also than syrup
or honey from the comb.
This is beautiful poetry summarizing beautiful truth, but how worldly we are. We are worldly because we will not trust the law, decree, precepts, command, or ordinances of the Lord. We are tied to this world because we have forgotten fear of the Lord.
The Lord is perfect, trustworthy, right, clear, pure, and true. His Word is Jesus and Jesus is the truth. Yet, we analyze and engage in hermeneutics. Some buy into Dan Brown’s fantasies and hatred for Christianity, his hatred for the very Word of God. Some will take any path as long as it is the path or questioning. Many take the path that allows their answers to be self serving. —What, did that commandment apply to me?— —Since when!?!—
In this Church the Word of God is a sacrament.
In a few weeks I will be explaining this sacrament to my First Communion Catechism class. The children here can tell you that the Catechism is a study of religion using questions and answers. And in a few weeks they will learn that the sacrament of the Word is important to us because it:
- Brings us closer to God through Jesus Christ;
- Teaches us the Divine Will of God;
- Makes our faith stronger, and
- Tells us how we can enter the Kingdom of God
In other words everything we need to achieve the fullness of life and eternal joy is contained in the Word of God. The Word gives us sacramental grace which is sanctifying grace —“ the grace that changes us —“ makes us holy and pleasing to God.
But, you have to listen and believe! We must put the Word into action. The action that makes us constant converts to the way of Christ.
Paul tells us that, “Jews demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom, but we proclaim Christ crucified.”
Jesus Himself told us that no sign will be given:
The Pharisees and Sadducees came to Jesus and tested him by asking him to show them a sign from heaven. He replied, “When evening comes, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red,’ and in the morning, ‘Today it will be stormy, for the sky is red and overcast.’ You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times. A wicked and adulterous generation looks for a miraculous sign, but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah.” Jesus then left them and went away.
Signs and wisdom will not be given. You have to look at what is right in front of you and recognize it. The words are simple, follow them.
In every Holy Mass you are forgiven your sins, you hear the Word of God and are taught, and you receive Jesus in the Holy Eucharist. Three times you receive sacramental grace. Three times you are sanctified. Three times you are made holy and pleasing to God.
Yet doubt persists. Disbelief persists. Questioning persists.
Paul told us:
We have been made a spectacle to the whole universe, to angels as well as to men. We are fools for Christ… [T]his very hour we go hungry and thirsty, we are in rags, we are brutally treated, we are homeless. We work hard with our own hands. When we are cursed, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure it; when we are slandered, we answer kindly. Up to this moment we have become the scum of the earth, the refuse of the world.
Yes, we must be fools. We must be foolish enough to set aside our questioning disbelief. We must be foolish enough to accept the real truth —“ the truth of Jesus Christ crucified, Who died and Who rose again. Foolish enough to follow the Commandments in the way Jesus taught; in spirit and in truth.
For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom,
and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength.
During this third week of Lent contemplate Jesus’ actions in the temple. Contemplate, as His disciples did, the words of Scripture fulfilled in the person of Jesus Christ
His disciples recalled the words of Scripture,
Zeal for your house will consume me.
Let zeal for God’s house consume you, break you down, make you foolish and hungry.
Let us be foolish, not worldly, so that God’s Word will refresh the soul, give us wisdom, allow our hearts to rejoice, enlighten our eyes. Let us be foolish so that the fear of the Lord will endure in us forever, so that we may know justice. The Word of the Lord is more precious than gold, than a heap of purest gold; sweeter also than syrup or honey from the comb.
Amen.
Check out the player below for hymns:
Szczęśliwy, kto sobie Patrona
[audio:https://www.konicki.com/wp-content/uploads/2006/03/jozszcz.mp3]O Józefie ukochany!
[audio:https://www.konicki.com/wp-content/uploads/2006/03/jozukoch.mp3]
Najczystszy Oblubieńcze N. P. Marij i najmilszy Opiekunie Chrystusa św. Józefie! Wszak nigdy nie słyszano, aby ktokolwiek z tych, którzy uciekają się do Twej opieki i błagają Twego wspomożenia, był nie wysłuchanym. Pełen ufności w potężną przyczynę Twoją gorąco polecam ci potrzeby moje. Nie pogardzaj prośbami mojemi, lecz wysłuchaj je litościwie. Amen.
Św. Cyrylu Jerozolimski, któryś cierpliwie znosił prześladowanie heretyków, i nie przestałeś ani na chwilę bronić prawdziwości wiary katolickiej, uproś nam tę łaskę, abyśmy także otwarcie przyznawali się do wiary katolickiej, za wszystkie zaś grzechy szczerze żałowali i niewracali do nich nigdy. Przez Chrystusa Pana naszego. Amen.
Wszechmogący wieczny Boże, przebacz nam lękliwość, chwiejność i niewypełnianie przepisów kościoła katolickiego, a za przyczyną błg. Jana Sarkandra umocnij nas w wierze, którą chcemy odtąd wyznawać nie tylko słowem ale i uczynkiem. Amen.
Jesus said
—Let the children come to me
for it is to such as these
that the kingdom of God belongs.—
So we adults have decided to act like children.
We break out the shalalie and the shamrocks
and get drunk as fools,
engorged on green beer
and a side of corned beef.
In the weeks to come
we will paint eggs
and engorge ourselves on
ham, eggs, and chocolate
while giving our children the notion
that the Easter bunny brings it all.
What we forgot
was that children have the innocence
to see Christ clearly.
We sold our innocence for stupidity
and lost God in the transaction.
Pray that our Lord, through the intercession of St. Patrick, turns our hearts toward Him and protects us from the evil of the day.
As you may know, I have been following the events at St. Stanislaus Parish in St. Louis for some time. Because of my personal history with church closings and my membership in the PNCC the issues raised there resonate with me.
I came across this posting over at Catholic World News. They were posting on Fr. Marek Bozek’s appearance at the installation of a pastor in a St. Louis area church which styles itself as the —Ecumenical Catholic Church—
I cried. Sts. Clare and Francis, it appears, belongs to something called the Ecumenical Catholic Communion, which received its warrant of apostolic succession from the Old Catholics of Utrecht, along with an accredited degree in refrigerator repair at the same low price. SCF’s pastor, unsurprisingly, is a partnered gay man who used to be a Catholic priest, and who’s done a great job of coaching his flock that it is they who sit in judgment of the Gospel, and not vice-versa. Parishioner Jessica Rowley gushes:
Now just to clear things up for the sake of accuracy:
The —Ecumenical Catholic Church (ECC)— is not a member of the Old Catholic Churches in the Utrecht Union. Their membership directory makes no mention of the ECC. As a matter of fact, the only North American Church that was a member of Utrecht was the PNCC. Thankfully, once Utrecht went all innovative with gay marriages and women priests the PNCC said goodbye.
As of today, there is one North American parish, a former PNCC parish, in Toronto Canada, that is a parish under the jurisdiction of the International Bishop’s Conference of Utrecht.
Generally, these American churches are churches that style themselves as Old Catholic, Liberal Catholic, etc. and trace their way back to Episcopal vagantes like Joseph Rene Vilatte, Arnold Hans Mathew, Carmel Henry Carfora, William Francis Brothers, etal.
In my opinion, Fr. Bozek is reaching. I was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt, but he is so far outside the mainstream by cavorting with people who are heretics and self obsessed that I could not see myself as being supportive of that.
I began to get suspicious when I heard he was creating more —Special Ministers of Holy Communion— at his parish (nooooooooo!). That action, coupled with his statements about the ECC show him to be just another N.O. created ‘do whatever feels right’ cleric.
I would hope that the Board at St. Stans sets him back on the road to traditional Catholicism, be it Roman Catholic, PNCC, Orthodox, or SSPX. The faithfulness of the St. Stan’s parishioners will be harmed a second time by yet another clergyman who cannot see the beyond his own ego.
And, when did our catechesis begin turning out non-Catholics?
The following are excerpts from an article at the Times Newspapers Online about the ECC pastor’s installation, the history of this church, and Fr. Bozek’s appearance:
Sts. Clare & Francis
Ecumenical Catholics establish Parish in Webster Groves
by Fran ManninoSts. Clare and Francis Parish was welcomed into the fold of the Ecumenical Catholic Communion on Saturday, Feb. 25, during a celebratory Mass at its borrowed home, Evangelical United Church of Christ in Webster Groves.
“Inclusivity” is a word that resonates with the ECC, and is what distinguishes it from the more traditional Roman Catholic Church.
The clergy of the ECC are a prime example of these beliefs in action. The newly-elected pastor of Sts. Clare and Francis, Rev. Francis Krebs, is an openly gay former Roman Catholic priest. ECC presiding bishop Peter Hickman is the married father of five.
Sts. Clare and Francis parish currently has two women pursuing the deaconate and priesthood, Jessica Rowley and Lisa von Stamwitz.In The Beginning
The ECC is a group of independent Catholic faith communities with roots in the Old Catholic Church. The Old Catholic Church separated itself from the Roman Catholic Church in 1870, in rejection of the First Vatican Council’s decree of Papal Infallibility, and other church dogma.
“Most of the clergy who are part of the ECC are former Roman Catholic clergy,” said Hickman. “I was raised in the American Baptist Church, and ordained a baptist minister in 1979.”
Three years later Hickman converted to Catholicism through the Old Catholic Church. He founded St. Matthew Church in Orange, Calif., in 1985, and became a bishop in 1996.
“I began to have contact with other independent Catholic faith communities and Roman Catholic clergy who wanted to look at another way of being Catholic,” he said. “That’s how the ECC came into being. We’re about 21 communities at this time across the nation, and continuing to grow.”
Sts. Clare and Francis
“Sts. Clare and Francis has been around in a formative stage for slightly more than a year,” said Rev. Krebs. “Our first eucharist together was on the 23rd of October, 2004.”
Inclusion is evident even in the name parishioners chose for their parish – that of St. Francis of Assisi, a man, and St. Clare of Assisi, a woman. The two were contemporaries in the 13th century, and are important figures in Catholic history.
In his former calling as a Roman Catholic priest, Krebs served as pastor of St. Peter and Paul Catholic Church in Soulard for 13 years. Although he left the priesthood in 1990, he missed the ministry.
“I’m a gay man, and have been in a committed relationship for the past seven-and-a-half years,” he said. “That’s a primary feature in my life, and I didn’t want to leave that. I thought, ‘How can I be a priest and still live as a gay man?'”
Krebs began searching for options. He looked to the Episcopal church, a community he admired, but soon found what he calls a “more cultural fit” within the Ecumenical Catholic Communion.
Krebs, along with another ECC priest, Bob Blattner, began forming a faith community that eventually became the parish of Sts. Clare and Francis. The congregation now has approximately 50 registered members, with about one-third of them coming from the Webster-Kirkwood area.
“We would love to be able to have our own space, and when we grow I presume we will,” said Krebs. “At the moment, we are very grateful to the Evangelical United Church of Christ.”
Sts. Clare and Francis draws parishioners from all over the St. Louis area. Acting president of the parish council, George von Stamwitz, lives in the Lafayette Square neighborhood of St. Louis.
“We’re trying to grow, develop ministries, and be a lively, functioning church,” he said. “Within the next couple of years, we hope to certainly have another ordained person, and also hope to have space of our own.”
…
“The Catholic Perestroika”
Bishop Hickman spends part of his time traveling the country, speaking to lay Catholics and Catholic reform organizations about the ECC.
While in St. Louis he spoke with local and visiting clergy, including Rev. Marek Bozek, pastor of St. Stanislaus Kostka Church.
Bozek was recently excommunicated from the Roman Catholic Church for his efforts to minister to the parishioners of St. Stanislaus, which is battling with the Archdiocese of St. Louis over control of the church.
“I wish Sts. Clare and Francis all the best, and congratulate the new pastor and the new candidates for ordination,” said Bozek. “I wish there was a way that Sts. Clare and Francis could be part of the Roman Catholic Church, because I believe that what they are doing is very Catholic.”
Bozek received a standing ovation from celebrants at the installation Mass for Sts. Clare and Francis, but said he was not there looking for options for either himself or St. Stanislaus.
“I hope and I pray that there will be a day when there will be room in the Roman Catholic Church for diverse communities such as Sts. Clare and Francis,” he said. “The purpose of theology is to bring God’s word to a new generation of people. The message does not change; how we proclaim this message and the means we use has to change.”
“It’s an issue of justice,” said Hickman. “The church needs to be a voice of hope for the future, rather than looking like an antiquated institution dragging us back to the past. If the church is the people of God, let the people have a voice.
“The Catholic faith tradition is much larger than the Roman Catholic hierarchy, or the Roman Catholic Church,” he added. “We need to put our emphasis on the Gospel of Jesus, rather than canon law. We’re the Catholic Perestroika.”
…
As you may know I attended the funeral of my aunt this past Wednesday. The pastor of the R.C. parish was very generous in allowing me to lead the prayers for my aunt at the funeral home. He was also a really gentle and nice person.
Because he was kind I find it hard to find fault with the funeral mass he conducted. So I will put my observations out here as a question.
In the R.C. Church is there a form of the Eucharistic Prayer that allows for only the epiclesis and consecration of the bread and wine? It was very basic and bare bones and not any of the first four prayers that I grew up with in my N.O. parish.
On the subject of the liturgical question, —what was that,— Bernard Brandt at A (little) Light from the East points to a video of a processional monstrosity in his posting Processional. He also does a great spoof on Willy Wonka.