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Can the East be the East?

From the National Catholic Reporter: Protests against ‘Roman imperialism’ at Middle East synod

While the Christians of the Middle East face a staggering variety of external challenges, from the Israeli/Palestinian problem to the rise of radical Islam, it was internal ecclesiastical questions which actually loomed largest during day two of the Oct. 10-24 Synod of Bishops for the Middle East.

Concretely, several representatives of the Eastern Churches of the region registered strong protests against what they almost seem to regard as a sort of “Roman imperialism” inside global Catholicism. Their basic argument is that reforms are required if the identity, authority and heritage of the 22 Eastern Churches in communion with Rome are to be preserved.

Six different Eastern churches from the Middle East are represented in the synod: Armenian, Chaldean, Coptic, Maronite, Melkite, and Syrian. Concretely, different prelates from those churches proposed:

  • Eastern Churches in Europe, North America, and elsewhere should be allowed to ordain married priests, not just in the “historical” territories of those churches;
  • Patriarchs and other heads of Eastern Churches should have authority over their communities all around the world, not just those back home;
  • Eastern Patriarchs should automatically have the right to cast votes in papal elections, and should take precedence over cardinals;
  • The process of papal approval of the election of bishops by the synods of Eastern Churches should be simplified and sped up.

Whether any of those ideas actually survives in the propositions which the Synod of Bishops will eventually deliver to the pope remains to be seen, but collectively they suggest a fairly widespread frustration with what leaders of the Eastern Churches sometimes perceive as a sort of second-class citizenship within Catholicism.

The proposal for married priests came from Archbishop Antonios Aziz Mina, a Coptic prelate from Egypt.

“Since the 1930s there has been a ban on the ordination of and the practice of the ministry by married priests outside the territories of the Patriarchy and the ‘Historically Eastern regions,’ Mina said.

“I think, in line with whatever the Holy Father decides, that the time has come to take this step in favor of the pastoral care of the Eastern faithful throughout the diaspora,” he said.

Historically, the Vatican has been reluctant to countenance the ordination of married priests for communities of Eastern faithful outside their home regions, partly on the grounds that it might call into question the practice of mandatory celibacy for Latin rite priests as well.

Bishop Vartan Waldir Boghossian, responsible for Armenian Catholics in Latin American and Mexico, delivered the most forceful argument in favor of extending the authority of Eastern patriarchs and other church leaders over their faithful who have emigrated outside the traditional territories of that church.

“It is difficult to understand why the activities of the patriarchs, the bishops and the synods of the Eastern Churches should be limited to their territory,” he said. “Of the 23 Churches that today in their own right make up the Catholic Church, only one, the Latin Church, is not subject to this limitation.”

“This paternity and jurisdiction must not be limited to a territory,” Boghossian said. “Limiting it to its faithful is perfectly logical, but not limiting them to a territory, especially if there are no longer members of the Church in that territory!”

The same point was made indirectly by American Monsignor Robert Stern of the Catholic Near East Welfare Association, which said that limiting the power of Eastern structures makes sense given an older “geographic” model of the church, but not so much in light of a more personal approach.

“The limitation of the jurisdiction of Eastern heads of churches ‘outside’ their homelands presumes a geographic model,” Stern said. “ If a personal network, this is not appropriate.”

Mina, the Coptic bishop from Egypt, echoed the argument in favor of extending the jurisdiction of Eastern patriarchs.

Boghossian was also the prelate who insisted that Eastern patriarchs should vote for the pope and trump cardinals, since a patriarch is actually the head of a church in its own right.

“The Patriarchs of the Eastern Catholic Churches, because of their identity as fathers and leaders of ‘sui iuris’ churches that go to make up the Catholicism of the Catholic Church, should be ipso facto members of the college that elects the pontiff without the need for the Latin title of ‘cardinal’,” he said.

“For the same reason, they should also take precedence over [the cardinals],” Boghossian argued.

Mina also offered several practical suggestions for streamlining and expediting papal approval of the election of bishops in the Eastern Churches, which is typically done by the body of bishops meeting in a synod. In effect, he suggested that the pope be regarded as a member of each synod even if he’s not physically present, and that his consent to an election generally be presumed.

Finally, one additional “outside the box” idea was floated in the synod this morning: the creation of a bank of priests ready to give three months to a year in service to a community in the Middle East or some other exceptionally priest-starved region of the world…

The best comment on the whole thing which points out the one major obstacle to Church unity:

Eastern rite Catholics have always been treated by Rome as second class citizens. They’d be better off seeking union with their Eastern Orthodox counterparts until such time as Rome sees the light and ends it’s attempts to exercise direct control of the universal church, both east and west.

The imperial or Caesarian papacy always was fictional and the sooner it dies the better. The pope has no authority beyond his own diocese and the Petrine primacy is meaningless outside a synodical or conciliar structure.

Christ did not choose Peter “Lord of the Church”. Which, due to the exigencies of history, he has come and made of his office. A monarchical office exercising overlordship in all matters. Thus, rendering the local bishop little more than a water carrying toady and “Yes Man” for Peter who gave him his job. This has no warranty in scripture or in the pre-Nicene Church.

There can be no true ecumenism as long as the Church of Rome’s model for governance continues.

Reading between the lines, the Synod is worried. In their native lands, they are divided against their very brothers in Orthodoxy (some more than others, but none are one). In their native lands, the number of people practicing is dramatically decreasing due to emigration resulting from persecution. This is the “staggering variety of external challenges.” Unless these Churches can consolidate and extend their authority over the diaspora, they will wither away. Unless they can be who they truly are, who they are will be lost (except in text books and well meaning encyclicals). As a commentator at Byzantine TX implies: They are not a bridge.

For members of the PNCC looking at this, take note and learn. Unity with Rome means that you may well cease to be who you really are. You will lose what is unique and special about your character, your contribution to the life of the Church may be washed away. These folks have been unified for centuries and they are loosing more than they have gained, gaining only unity with an idea of “Peter” which doesn’t bear up under Church Tradition.

The R.C. Church has frequently directed the Eastern Churches in union with it to be who they are. They should maintain their unique Rites and uses, including the liturgies. They should be considered to have equal bearing and dignity with the Church of the West in communion with Rome. They should not attempt to change themselves (self-latinize – see long discussion here) into something they are not. Unfortunately, the reality is at best mixed to something quite different.

As the Synod points out, well meaning directives never reach reality. Internally, many of these Churches have self-latinized trying to fit in with the much larger Western Church. They have introduced devotions and styles not in their tradition (while anyone can practice whatever private devotions he or she chooses, things outside the tradition of a Church should not be liturgically practiced – in fact, not what the R.C. Church teaches). Externally, the more formal reality can be gleaned from relations among the Churches under Rome, as is pointed out above: the traditions of the Eastern Churches are not fully respected, rather they are “adapted” to whatever the West sees as best for itself (Patriarchs powers are limited, celibacy is a rule if you happen to have a site in the west, and the decisions of the various Synods on election of bishops is long delayed in Rome).

In my view, the best step forward would be the dissolution of these Eastern Churches back into communion with Orthodoxy in their ancient Sees. That would start the process of absolving centuries of mistrust that have built up from the very day these Churches were established. Politically, their very reason for existence (at least at the start) was to stand against the rightful Eastern Orthodox Churches, and to sheep steal. Those hurts remain real to this day. For instance, I have spoken with members of the Armenian Apostolic Church who see the very existence of these Churches as hurtful. They have asked, Why is there an Armenian Church in communion with Rome dividing the small Armenian population in Poland? It may be time for an honest assessment of their reasons for existence, and for some wisdom of this ‘middle ground’ existence. Changing the outward explanations for existence will not suffice.

Another interesting study on this issue from Orthocath in Can East & West Coexist With Married Priests? Thank you to the Young Fogey for the link.

Christian Witness, Perspective, PNCC, , , , , ,

Will you buy me?

As some may know, there has been a great deal of stress, sadness, and consternation in Cleveland over the closing of many of the area’s Roman Catholic Parishes. A new website, Endangered Catholics, highlights many of the issues of concern.

I previously wrote about one of the Cleveland Parishes who, with a large share of their membership and priest, have formed their own church in: “What will happen next?” These people are taking concrete steps in an effort to do what the PNCC did over 100 years ago, establish that those who support and work for the Church have a say in its management.

People are finding the courage to speak out. The Rev. Donald Cozzens recently editorialized in the Cleveland Plain Dealer on Why our priests remain silent:

In her letter to the editor, “Silence of the priests” (July 31), Frances Babic lamented the silence of Cleveland’s priests in the face of church closings by the Catholic bishop of Cleveland, Richard Lennon.

For some time now, Bishop Lennon has been the target of heated and often cutting criticism for the closing and merging of 50 of Cleveland’s Catholic parishes. But the strongest cries of protest arose over the closing of perhaps 10 to 12 parishes whose spiritual vitality and ability to meet their bills appeared evident. No satisfactory rationale, it was claimed, was ever extended to these parishioners explaining why their churches had to close their doors — only the oft-repeated talking points of demographic changes, financial realities and the shortage of priests.

But the silence of Cleveland’s priests, with the exception of the Rev. Bob Begin (“Priest sends public challenge to bishop on church closures,” The Plain Dealer, March 13), goes beyond the fate of closed and boarded churches. We priests have remained silent because it is our way of life.

We priests have remained silent as evicted parishioners of closed parishes coped with feelings of disorientation and spiritual abandonment while searching for new parish communities — and others decided not to search at all.

We priests have remained silent about our own tattered morale and the widespread spirit of discouragement in the people of our diocese.

I suspect Frances Babic and other Catholics are thinking: What have you priests got to lose? You have no family to support, no mortgage to pay off, no children to educate, and you enjoy unparalleled job security. Why do you remain silent?

Here is why I think we priests remain silent…

In times of crisis, and I believe it is clear that the Catholic Church of Cleveland is in crisis, mature believers need to ask what they can do to help their church regain its equilibrium and renew its spirit. This is especially true of its leaders, its priests.

A few weeks back I spoke with members of a closed Parish in St. Johnsville, New York, courageous folk who have been hurt. Others in the Albany, New York area have made quiet inquiry. Having just spent a few days at Synod, I heard more on the numbers of disaffected Roman Catholics opening talks with the PNCC so that they might found their own parishes; Parishes where they democratically control the parish property and where each member gets a voice and a vote over their parish’s administrative, managerial, and social matters:

In administrative, managerial and social matters, this Church derives its authority from the people who build, constitute, believe in, support and care for it. It is a fundamental principle of this Church that all Parish property, whether the same be real, personal, or mixed, is the property of those united with the Parish who build and support this Church and conform to the Rite, Constitution, Principles, Laws, Rules, Regulations, Customs and Usages of this Church. — Constitution of the Polish National Catholic Church, Article VI, Section 3

The National Catholic Reporter recently did an article on The ‘had it’ Catholics. The article’s slant toward liberalism aside (no, you cannot change defined Doctrine in any of the Catholic Churches), the statistics reported therein are alarming. The goings-on in Cleveland exacerbate the loss of R.C. adherents. As I have noted on previous occasions, people may not necessarily leave the R.C. Church after a forced closing, but their attendance rate drops. They stay nominally R.C. so that they might be buried from the Church. For those who do leave, and desire Catholic truth in a Church where they have a voice and vote, the PNCC should be seriously considered.

When a group of Christians decide that the idea of this Church answers its convictions and desires to organize a Parish, representatives of said group shall communicate with the Bishop of the Diocese and make known its intention. The Bishop of the Diocese, after investigation and being satisfied of the group’s intention and convictions, shall authorize the giving to the group all manner of assistance, furnish it suitable Church literature, legal requirements, a copy of the Constitution and Laws of the Church and a model charter. This action shall be done in concurrence with the Prime Bishop. — Constitution of the Polish National Catholic Church, Article V, Section 2

This Sunday marks both the 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time (C) and the observance of Heritage Sunday in the PNCC. We mark this Sunday as a day to honor the heritage of our members which now spans the ethnic and cultural diversity of this nation and others. As I reflected today, I felt sorrow over the report at the Endangered Catholics site noting that many of the items from Parishes to be closed are being sold off, even while there are appeals before the Vatican over the closings (anyone get the idea that the Bishop already knows that the response to the appeals will be a pro forma “No”). These items are more than glass, plaster, wood, and cloth. They are the pennies of our ancestors and their heritage, the Church Triumphant. They are now the tears of those who have no say over the fruits of their labor, the Church militant. Looking at them, we have to ask, Who will buy me? Who will cherish me? Who will see more in me than outward appearances?

St. Stanislaus Kostka missing the Crucifix he usually carries
St. Wenceslas with Brass Flag

You can have St. Stanislaus Kostka sans Crucifix for $875 and St. Wenceslas with his brass flag for $3,750.

And I said to them: If it be good in your eyes, bring hither my wages: and if not, be quiet. And they weighed for my wages thirty pieces of silver. — Zechariah 11:12

Perspective, Work, , ,

New Database Tracks Outsourcing, Safety Violations, Discrimination

From Working America: AFL-CIO Releases Database That Tracks Outsourcing, Safety Violations, Discrimination

The AFL-CIO and Working America released Oct. 7 a searchable database detailing outsourcing numbers, safety violations, and discrimination cases for more than 400,000 corporations and subsidiaries.

The groups’ Job Tracker searches for information by zip code, company name, and industry.

“Because of Job Tracker, corporations who have taken advantage of lax trade policies in America and abroad will no longer be able to hide behind the veils of bureaucracy,” said Karen Nussbaum, executive director of Working America. “Every night on our neighborhood canvasses, we hear from people who want to know which companies are profiting off the loss of their jobs. Corporations have created a global race to the bottom and working people won’t stand for it.”

The interactive database uses data from dozens of public sources to allow visitors to find out which companies have exported jobs overseas, violated health and safety codes or engaged in discriminatory or other illegal practices, Nussbaum said.
On a conference call to release the database, speakers noted that both experts and the general public now will be able to easily search through a huge compilation of data on corporate outsourcing.

Drawn From Several Sources

Detailed results are drawn from sources including the Labor Department’s Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) records, Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act notices, Occupational Safety and Health Administration records, and other agencies.

AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka noted the impact of trade and tax policies that make it even easier for corporations to outsource jobs. Trumka pointed to the benefits of the tool for workers as they rebuild the economy.

“We must demand that our leaders show that they stand with working families—fighting to create jobs, rejecting unfair trade deals and putting us on a path to make things in America again,” Trumka said. “For the first time, working people have one place to see the real impact of the failed policies of the past that gave corporations the ability to ship American jobs overseas. With this new data as a benchmark, working people will have the ability to separate the economic patriots from the corporate traitors at the ballot box.”

Trumka said it has “been excruciating” to find information about what companies are outsourcing and to what extent. “This allows anyone to see who is a bad actor in their community,” he said.

Nussbaum said that six researchers spent three months developing the database…

Christian Witness, Current Events, Events, Perspective, Political, , , , , ,

Jobs Crisis March

Are you concerned about the crisis of jobs? If so, join Interfaith Worker Justice at the One Nation Working Together rally in Washington, D.C. on Saturday, October 2.

The rally, at the Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall from noon to 4 p.m., will have terrific speakers, music and informational tables. Four hours is not too long to make a stand for jobs. Please bring your friends and family. The turnout for the rally will demonstrate the extent of concern about the unemployment crisis. The bigger the turnout, the louder message, which will mean more media coverage and greater political impact.

If you want to meet up before the rally and go together, meet at IWJ’s Capitol Hill townhouse at 404 4th Street, NE at 11 a.m. After the rally, plan on stopping by the townhouse around 4:30 p.m. for some snacks and fellowship. Again, the address is 404 4th Street, NE – a short walk up Massachusetts Avenue from Union Station.

Perspective,

An analysis of the Diaconal vocation

From the Pastoral Review: Deacons and the Servant Myth by Anthony Gooley

It is frequently argued that the distinctive character of deacons is that they are servants called to the charitable and social justice ministry of the Church. The belief that service is distinctive of deacons is the servant myth. It is based on a false reading of Acts 6 and it has consequences for the way in which the Church receives the ministry of deacons. Breaking down this myth is the first step in restoring an authentic diaconate in the life of the Church…

What happens in Acts 6.1-7? Is Acts 6 the starting point for the ministry of deacons and what is their ministry? Frequently readers assume that the Seven were called to meet the material needs of the Greek widows who were neglected at the daily distribution and that this form of charitable service establishes the authentic and distinctive character of deacons. This is the beginning of the deacon as ‘servant myth’. This myth is a belief that the distinctive and defining characteristic of a deacon and diaconal ministry is service, usually in the form of charity, especially to the poor and those on the margins of Church and society. It is a myth that continues to distort our understanding of the diaconate and hampers the full reception of the fruits of this restored ministry. Curiously it never seems to touch the transitional diaconate, which is accepted without question or indeed much reflection, at least in the Roman Catholic tradition. If service is the distinctive quality of the diaconate, what does this say about the service dimension of the other ordained ministries and the mission life of the Church? Diakonia is a word Roman Catholics use to describe the ministry of the bishop without any sense that the word is restricted to social justice or charity (Lumen gentium 24). Surely all ministers are called to imitate Christ the servant and a similar attitude should pervade the whole church. I do not argue that deacons cannot have or will not have a charitable or service role, only that it is not the distinctive character of their ministry. The myth does not have its genesis in Acts but is shaped by the revival of the diaconate in the nineteenth century German Lutheran church; reinforced by translators’ choices which shape our understanding of Acts and reflections of diaconate in post-war Germany in the 1940s and 50s. In this article I intend to explore the origins of the myth and suggest why it is not a sound basis for a theology and praxis of the diaconate. The most recent documents of the Roman Catholic tradition on diaconate contain layers of tradition, but it is possible to perceive an outline of diaconate that is balanced and avoids the servant myth as a foundation.

Making sense of Acts

In making sense of Acts 6.1-7 translators in English take some liberties with the Greek text. The choices translators make have influenced the way we hear and make meaning of this text. In verse one the cause for the complaint of the Greek speaking Christians is variously given as a neglect of the widows in the daily distribution of food (NRSV), of funds (GNB) and of food (JB). The RSV is happy to leave the neglect simply at an unspecified distribution. The Greek does not add the preposition of or the terms food and funds and in this the RSV reflects the original text. The text does not say what is being missed in the daily distribution and it has to be inferred from the whole context of Acts. It would hardly seem likely that either food or funds could be intended because Acts 5 deals with what happens to disciples who try to neglect others in the distribution of the material goods of the community. In verse 2 the apostles complain about not wanting to neglect the word and wait on tables (NRSV), neglect the preaching and manage finances (GNB) neglect the word to give out food (JB) and to give up preaching to serve tables (RSV). Again it is the RSV which resists the temptation to add anything to the text and it does not insert a preposition which is not found in the Greek between serve and tables or add references to finances or food. In verse 4 all translators are certain about prayer and with dealing with the word we are most interested in; diakonia, which is translated in the way it is most normally used in Acts and the letters of Paul. Diakonia is translated as ministry, and in the context of the whole sentence a ministry of the word (diakonia tou logou).

If we take the Greek text, as it is reproduced in RSV, we are able to construct a better picture of what is really happening in Acts 6.1-7. The Greek speaking Christians are complaining that their widows are being neglected in the daily diakonia. In Acts the diakonia is the proclamation of the Gospel. They are neglected for two reasons, the Aramaic speaking Apostles predominantly concentrate their proclamation in the Temple and the widows, who cannot comprehend the language and for social reasons are mostly restricted to the home, are overlooked in this daily diakonia. The solution proposed by the Apostles and agreed to by the whole Church is to appoint seven from among the Greek speaking community to do that daily diakonia in the homes of the Greek widows or as the expression in the Greek has it, to minister tables. Both the Apostles and the Seven had been entrusted with the same diakonia which is to minister or proclaim the word. To underscore this interpretation we see that Stephen immediately commences to proclaim the Gospel to the point of giving witness with his life (Acts 6-7.50) and Philip commences his diakonia of the word in proclaiming the Gospel, catechising the Ethiopian and baptising (Acts 8). The laying on of hands becomes the concrete sign that the ministry entrusted to the Apostles is to be entrusted to the Seven. The one thing we do not see the Seven do is charitable works or distributing food or funds to the widows, in fact we do not see anyone in the New Testament with the title of diakonos engaged in a specifically charitable service activity. This should give us some clues as we address the servant myth.

Whether or not the Seven were the first deacons, as Eusebius calls them, is debatable. The one word that Luke does not use of them is diakonos, the noun from which we get our word deacon. Proclaiming the word, leading communities, representing communities and taking messages between communities and other forms of ministry are associated with those who are called diakonos in the New Testament as well as the clear delegation and imposition of a mandate for such ministry by the leaders of the community through the laying on of hands. Therefore it is reasonable to infer that the Seven may have been referred to as deacons in the early Church and that Eusebius is reflecting that understanding.

How did diakonia become service?

We do not have space here to review the many references to deacons in the first nine centuries of the Church, and in particular the first four centuries when so much of the structure of ministries in the early Church was taking shape. A few brief references, taken from the Fathers and used again in the recent Roman Catholic documents, are testament to an earlier tradition, before diakonia was defined as service and deacons as a kind of ordained social worker/charity worker. Three references will suffice to indicate the flavour of this early tradition. Ignatius to the Magnesians, ‘deacons entrusted with the ministry/d of Christ’ and to the Trallians, ‘deacons are not waiters (diakonoi) providing food and drink but executives (hyperetai) of the Church of God’ and finally to the Philadelphians, ‘take care to use only one Eucharist…there is one bishop in union with the presbyters and the deacon.’ The earliest witnesses of the tradition reflect the common Greek usage. Deacons were not thought of as having a distinctive servant orientation but as part of the broader understanding of the apostolic ministry and leadership of local churches.

…

A type of diaconate was revived in the nineteenth century in the Lutheran Church in Germany and gradually this pattern of diaconate was adopted in the Nordic Lutheran and some of the Reformed churches. The Lutheran Pastor Theodore Fliedner and his wife Frederike established a ministry to care for the homeless and poor who were increasing in number in the industrialised cities. This ministry was not an ordained ministry and was modelled somewhat on the lines of a Roman Catholic religious order. The Fliedners took their inspiration from their understanding of Acts 6 as a ministry of charity to the widows who, in their reading of the text, were neglected in the daily distribution of charity and the goods of the community. They called the women in this ministry deaconess and the men deacons.

Brodd argues that the identification of diakonia with charity (caritas) and social service developed into a functionalist understanding of diaconate, where the deacon is defined not from an ecclesiological foundation based on the Church as koinonia and situating ordination within this context but inductively from the sum of the functions performed. The result is that in the Lutheran and Reformed traditions the deacon came to be seen as a kind of ordained social worker. In his study Brodd concurs with the work of Collins and indicates that caritas and diakonia essentially belong to two different conceptual circles.

It is the intersection of four elements that provide us with the final clues as to how diakonia became service. The first is the development of the functionalism in the eighteenth century as a way describing ministry. The second is the practice of diakonia that was revived in this charitable, social work form in northern Europe. The third is the influence of the authoritative work of Bauer, The Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and other Early Christian Literature, which defined diakonia as service. He was perhaps influenced in this by his association with the Lutheran deacon movement. The fourth element is the development of role theory in psychology and sociology and the attempt to account for ministries in the church in terms of roles. What emerged was an understanding of diaconate not based on Scripture and the early tradition of the Church but one developed from the practice of the charitable diaconate movement.

Restoring the diaconate

‘The almost total disappearance of the permanent diaconate from the Church of the West for more than a millennium has certainly made it more difficult to understand the profound reality of this ministry. However, it cannot be said for that reason that the theology of the diaconate has no authoritative points of reference, completely at the mercy of theological opinion.’ …

The one essential reference point must be the recovery of the meaning of diakonia and diakonos from the Scriptures and the early documents of the Church. In order to do this through the Scriptural path churches, deacons and others interested in ministry must go through the work of John N Collins…

The International Theological Commission in its paper, From the Diakonia of Christ to the Diakonia of the Apostles, suggests that the Second Vatican Council intended to implement the principle and not any particular historical form of the diaconate. That is Laurence of Rome or Francis of Assisi or a Nicholas Ferrar might give us some idea of how deacons have exercised their ministry in the past but we may not want to copy their ministry as the model diaconal ministry. What we are looking for is a diaconate for today. It should also be a ministry that includes women in all of the Churches since we know from the Scriptures and the early Church and its laws that women were deacons…

An interesting analysis that provides substance to the ministry of deacon as proclaimer of the Word. Much of what the great deacon saints (most being martyrs) did was exactly that. It may have been exhibited in stories highlighting the service role, for instance Lawrence, but that shouldn’t overshadow the proclamation that was made real as a result of the service. Stephen, as noted in the article, fully proclaimed the Word above his life.

I’ve often half-joked that the deacon’s role is to be the big mouth and troublemaker, the one who stirs up those who are against the Church, exactly by his witness. Whether it was a king, mayor, soldier, or pope, the deacon was there, again, to bear witness to the clear truth of the Word. The deacon himself could be ignored, but the deacon with the Word was a mighty force whop had to be put down.

Deacon Gooley is off-base on the women as deacon issue, and it is too bad he didn’t further develop his article before taking it political. I would have liked to see more on the threefold role of Bishop and the deacon’s share of that ministry. He might have better explored the deacon and his tie to Jesus Christ in Trinitarian formulation, thus supporting the deacon’s role in proclaiming the Word.

On the deaconess issue, credible research and scholarship indicate that the deaconess was non-ministerial, assisting at baptisms (full immersion in the early Church) for the purpose of modesty as well as other liturgical and charitable functions pertaining to the women of the Church, but never serving at the altar. Their role was indeed focused on servanthood. The rite for installing the deaconess was different from that of the deacon, a blessing rather than an ordination (but with some dispute on this issue). The Greek Orthodox make some allowance for women deacons, but only in cloistered communities of nuns where priests cannot frequently visit due to distance or for other reasons (the nuns would go without the Eucharist otherwise since they are not going to handle the mysteries like bread in a cafeteria line). [T]he Holy Synod decided that women could be promoted to the diaconate only in remote monasteries and at the discretion of individual bishops.From ‘Grant Her Your Spirit,’ America, February 7, 2005 – a generally liberal magazine whose reporting may be clouded by agenda. They are, in effect, glorified “eucharistic ministers.” Whatever the Protestant Churches have done on the issue is of no consequence because, as the Young Fogey frequently points-out, everything in those Churches, including the very bases of faith (Jesus is God, Trinitarian doctrine) is only one vote away from being tossed out with the trash.

Perspective, PNCC, ,

Another sad tale

From the MyWebTimes: Small church many called home

Stefan and Teresa Pazur came to Streator (IL) with their family from Poland 27 years ago.

Since the first day they set foot in the United States, St. Casimir Church on Livingston Street has been their home.

“I didn’t know anybody,” Stefan said. “I didn’t know anything about Streator. I didn’t speak English. My family didn’t speak English.”

The smallest of Streator’s four Catholic churches made them feel at home because of its rich Polish heritage.

In 1916, a group of families of Polish descent requested the formation of St. Casimir’s parish. The parish purchased a church from the Beulah Baptist congregation at the corner of Livingston and Illinois streets.

The wooden Russian Orthodox Catholic Church was a gift from Czar Alexander III of Russia for the 1893 Columbian Exposition in Chicago. At the conclusions of the exposition, the building was dismantled, shipped to Streator and reassembled. It was used by a Russian Orthodox congregation until the baptists [sic] purchased it.

St. Casimir’s first Mass was celebrated on Christmas Eve in 1916. Dedication ceremonies were in April 1917 with Bishop E.N. Dunne. The Rev. Mieczyslaus T. Szalewski was the organizer and first pastor of St. Casimir Church.

Shortly afterward, an addition to the church provided two classrooms for parish children to attend school. The Franciscan Sisters ran the school until it was discontinued in 1931.

In 1962, the Rev. Marion Switka was appointed to the parish. He realized there was a need for extensive renovation or a new building.

The old building was razed and a new building, which currently stands, was constructed.

Parishioner Diane Safarcyk Crawford recalls the construction.

“It was sad to see the old church go, but it was no longer functional,” said Safarcyk, who played organ during high school for $1 a Mass. “I remember them raising the steeples and cleaning up after the carpenters.”

During construction of the new building, Masses on Sundays and holy days were in the Polish National Hall across the street and weekday Masses in the basement of the rectory.

Finally, the first Mass at the new church was celebrated on Christmas Eve in 1964. The Rev. George Dzuryo conducted the blessing and consecration of the altar.

The new edifice is of ultramodern pie-fold architecture.

The altar is made of gray granite, slightly tapered from top to bottom, and rests on a base of gray granite forms that create crosses encircling the altar. The altar signifies the firm, solid foundation of the Catholic faith.

Services were suspended in 2004 due to the Rev. Monsignor Jerome Ham’s health. Parishioners conducted a weekly Divine Mercy Novena on Wednesdays.

The church will now be closed to consolidate into St. Michael the Archangel, along with St. Anthony, St. Stephen and Immaculate Conception churches.

“It’s sad,” said Grace Gura, whose husband Ed has a strong Polish heritage. “My husband helped building it. Our daughter was the first one christened in the new church and we were the last ones married in the old one.”

Another Parish where the people honored and kept the presence of Christ, even in the absence of a priest. Sad that they could loose what they had built. Ownership by the laity goes a long way to stopping such closures — part of why the PNCC exists, and why many former Roman Catholics are approaching us after their parishes are closed against their will.

Christian Witness, Perspective, ,

What is mission, what is presence?

From Kenny Be at Denver Westword: Vandalized St. Francis statute unable to lend a hand to animals:
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This week, the St. Francis of Assisi National Catholic Church in southeast Denver will be presented with a new statue to replace their five-foot-tall front door figurine of St. Francis that was stolen on July 30. Meanwhile, the St. Francis of Assisi statue residing with The Sisters of Penance and Christian Charity in Chaffee Park shall just have to try to come to grips with the rationale of being left limbless and ignored for years…
​
Standing before a rock wall at the intersection of West 52nd Ave. and Federal Blvd., the St. Francis statue… is hidden from the view of the Marycrest caretaker’s house just barely seen through the trees. The overgrowth of vegetation and lack of repair suggest that the Marycrest mission may (once again) be in transition. A quick Internet search reveals that the Sisters have sold the property to developers for affordable housing.

A look at the Aria Denver website for the Marycrest development intimate that future plans for the limbless statue include removal of the remaining body parts and complete replacement with an asphalt parking lot and strip mall. Since the statue has not been converted into a curbside nail salon/income tax/doggy daycare sign holder insinuates that there may be little need for new retail development at the location at this time.

The build-out of the proposed eighty co-housing units and 120 apartments planned for the Aria Denver project was supposed to be completed by 2010, thereby hinting that the project is experiencing a slowdown, possibly due to a weak housing market.

The unwillingness to replace the hands on the statue indicate that the property’s current managers believe that the improved economic conditions needed to make this development a success can be achieved without St. Francis’s prayers.

Two sisters from the congregation that owned the property commented on the post. They indicate that the statue had been repeatedly vandalized, and then offered the “well we are the hands of Francis” justification for leaving things as they are. They then go on to indicate that the property’s new owners will be “the hands of Francis.”

I imagine something quite different, amounting to an abdication of responsibility for the statue, the property (note the overgrown/unkept part of the article), and for their mission in this distressed area of Denver.

Where are the sisters of days gone by who did real missionary work, real charity, and real acts of courage? Why aren’t they providing education and healthcare services to the poor in Denver. The hands of Francis appear to be off doing backpacking and camping retreats, massage therapy, community blessings (with a feather, of course), handing the Eucharist off to each other (no priest or deacon necessary), and tying “universal ribbons.” All that’s missing is a labyrinth and a Reiki session. The one good and courageous thing I found in their resume was a home for Lakota children – close to their original missions of education and healthcare. I believe that the order’s foundress would find something lacking.

My suggestions: get proper habits, focus on one or two core missions (once again), and stop trying to be every ministry needed in the world. Humility calls you to remember that the totality of the Church’s ministry is not present in, or channeled through, you.

Perspective, PNCC, Poland - Polish - Polonia, , , ,

Debunking nativism and stereotyping

From The Bristol Press: Addressing Polish stereotypes

Author and scholar Danusha V. Goska came to CCSU to give her “Fiedorczyk” otherwise known as “Brute Polak” lecture, poking holes at stereotypes to a receptive audience Thursday night.

Particularly in the United States, stereotyping of different people is commonplace and unfortunately, socially acceptable, she said.

“In America, Poles have become the prototypical ethnicity associated with the working class. Prejudice against Poles is often commingled with contempt for working class people, and for manual labor itself.”

She discussed the toxic nature of stereotypes and pointed out that “If you think stereotypically, you will stereotype everyone, including yourself.”

Professor M.B. Biskupski, the S.A. Blejwas Chair of Polish American Studies introduced Goska, who teaches at William Paterson University. Biskupski has dedicated his academic career to “setting straight the misinformation about Poles,” according to CCSU media relations officer Janice Palmer.

Goska has written a book on the subject, titled “Bieganski,” which specifically addresses the issues associated with the interaction between people of different cultures, nationalities, ethnicities, and religions, but specifically Jewish, Christian and Muslim relations. This subject encompasses everything from stereotypes, racism, immigration, tolerance, and multiculturalism, the media’s treatment of the concept of ethnicity, the online spread of stereotypes and hate, and the Holocaust.

…

The process of finding someone willing to publish one’s writing is never an easy feat, but for Goska, it seemed impossible. She began showing publishers “Bieganski” in 2002 and continuously received the same reaction: initial praise, promise of publication, and then a final backing-out. Each of the rejections in this series always employed the same reasoning; although compassionately moving, her words were to be written by some famous scholar, not an unknown Polish-[Roman] Catholic writer.

Finally in 2009, her long search ended when she found a pair courageous enough to take on the controversial book and set it out into the world. Antony Polonsky, Albert Abramson Chair of Holocaust Studies at Brandeis University, suggested Academic Studies Press, run by Igor and Kira Nemirovsky.

Before her speech, Goska told reporters, “I knew that somewhere out there were my fellow Poles and Polish Americans, and I vowed that I would reach them someday with a book that would serve them, serve my ancestors, and serve my own family. In the upcoming lecture at CCSU, I will finally reach my audience.”

It would be interesting to see the author address the role of the PNCC and other early Polonia organizations, such as the PNU (not necessarily Roman Catholic at the time, but inclusive of R.C., PNCC, Protestant, and Jewish Polish immigrants), in both fighting nativism and in building the underpinnings of the success found by future generations.

Bishop Hodur, of course, stressed the idea of cohesive community, education, literacy, representation, Trade Unionism, participative democracy, and self-sustaining communities.

Perspective, Political, ,

Government Employees Compensation Lower

State and Local Government Compensation Lower Than Private Sector Pay, Report Says

State and local government employees are compensated by an average of 3.75 percent less than private sector workers when education and other factors are taken into account, with a public employee compensation “penalty” of 7.55 percent for state government employees and 1.84 percent for local government employees, according to a study released Sept. 15 by the Economic Policy Institute.

“Comparisons controlling for education, experience, hours of work, organizational size, gender, race, ethnicity and disability, reveal no significant overpayment but a slight undercompensation of public employees when compared to private employee compensation costs on a per hour basis,” according to the report titled “Debunking the Myth of the Overcompensated Public Employee: the Evidence.” EPI, a Washington-based nonprofit, describes its mission as seeking to “broaden the discussion about economic policy to include the interests of low- and middle-income workers.”

Creating an accurate comparison is important, EPI said, because 37 states are struggling with substantial budget deficits and governors in several of those states—including Indiana, Minnesota, and New Jersey—have identified excessive public employee compensation as a major cause of their state’s fiscal woes.

Differing Education Levels a Factor

Part of the perceived pay gap in favor of state and local employees is due to differing education levels, the report said.
On average, it said, state and local public sector employees are more highly educated than private sector employees, with 54 percent of full-time public employees holding at least a four-year degree, compared to 35 percent of full-time private sector employees. However, state and local governments pay college-educated employees on average 25 percent less than private employers, with the greatest differential for professional employees, lawyers, and doctors, the report said.

At the same time, it said, the public sector also “appears to set a floor on compensation,” compensating state and local government employees with high school educations better on average than their peers in the private sector. “This result is due in part because the earnings floor has collapsed in the private sector,” the report said.

The report focused on education levels rather than job categories in comparing compensation, explaining that it is too difficult to compare job categories due to differences in private and public sector jobs.

“Even private and public teaching is significantly different. Public schools accept all students, while private schools are sometimes highly selective and may exclude or remove any poor performers, special needs, or disruptive students. Consequently, comparing workers of similar ‘human capital’ or personal productive characteristics and labor market skills is considered the best alternative, and well accepted by labor economists,” the report said.

Better Benefits, Less Pay in Public Sector

Compared to private sector employees, state and local government employees receive a higher portion of their compensation in the form of employer-provided benefits, and the mix of benefits is different than in the private sector, the report found.

Among other benefits, state and local employees’ health insurance and retirement benefits are more generous on average than what is found in the private sector. However, public employees on average receive less supplemental pay and vacation time, the report said.

“Some benefits are more generous in the public sector, but it is a serious error to imagine that comparability requires that each and every element of compensation is the same. What is important when considering both the employer-provided benefits and direct pay is whether state and local government workers have a total compensation package that costs what they would receive if employed in the private sector,” the report said.

The report, written for EPI by Jeffrey Keefe, an associate professor of labor and employment relations at Rutgers University’s School of Management and Labor Relations, relied on data from the U.S. Census Bureau and the Labor Department’s Bureau of Labor Statistics. The sample size for earnings estimates was 44,280 total observations and 8,737 public employee observations, according to the report.

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