Dobrotliwy Boże, któryś przez Chrystusa Syna Swego środki konieczne nam do zbawienia w Kościele swoim przygotował, nie chcąc aby ktokolwiek z nas zginął i był potępionym, – wejrzyj miłościwie na dusze zdradliwie od kościoła oderwane, i w odszczepieństwie zostające, i za przyczyną św. Piotra z Werony spraw, aby złość i błędy heretyckie porzuciwszy, do jedności kościoła katolickiego powróciły. Amen.
Najświętsza Panno Marjo, któraś zawsze wspierała czcicielkę Twą i służebnicę, błg. Konstancję, racz i nam uprosić u Boga łaskę prawdziwego żalu za grzechy, i śmierć szczęśliwą. Orędowniczko nasza, obróć na nas Twe miłosierne oczy, i błogosławiony owoc żywota Twego, po tem wygnaniu racz nam okazać. Amen.
Bishop Lynch —“ the defender of the poor and voiceless (NOT!!!!) gets a big comeuppance at several blogs over his recent statements regarding immigrants and death row inmates.
You will recall it was the self same bishop who went on vacation while Terri Schiavo was being killed.
Pro Ecclesia*Pro Familia*Pro Civitate opines in Bishop Lynch FINALLY Speaks Out …
Also, check out Another Bishop With Credibility Issues at Jumping Without A Chute
The even more striking thing is that he has no concept of why Jesus had to die. He figures Jesus was just another poor, persecuted alien without a good lawyer.
Speaking of aliens, maybe the Scientologists’ could take him?
A very interesting reprint From Ad Orientem of the essay: The Significance of Apostolic Succession in Heterodoxy* which was written by Metropolitan, later Patriarch, Sergii (Stragorodsky) and first published in the Journal of the Moscow Patriarchate in 1935 (No. 23-24) and republished in the October 1961 edition of the JMP.
The editors note that the importance of the subject, the authority of the author and the unavailability of this essay to the wide circle of their readers convinced them to reprint Metropolitan Sergii’s essay.
Here are a few interesting excerpts.
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For example the Old Catholic and the Belakrinitza hierarchies both base their origin on individual ordinations. The Orthodox Church unconditionally rejects the latter hierarchy and declares all of its acts as invalid, and those who enter the Church are received through chrismation. Our Church likewise does not recognize Old Catholic hierarchy. At this time no one knows how they are treated in the Greek East. However the relations of ruling Church circles towards the Old Catholics (at least in the past) has been most sympathetic both from our part and in the East. Particularly, individual consecration was not an unconditional impediment for the recognition of the Old Catholic hierarchy. In justification, reference was made to the acceptance by Western practice of individual consecration (one bishop and two specially empowered abbots). Perhaps this departure became established because the bishop’s office, in view of the development of Papal authority, does not differ much from that of the presbyter. Be that as it may, but if the Old Catholics truly adopted for themselves the teaching of the ancient undivided Church, and would not resort to dogmatism, analysis and arguments about details of teaching and ritual, and if the leaders would be less imitative of Protestants, it is very possible that Old Catholics would have by now received in communion with the recognition of their hierarchy.
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In order to establish itself in communion, the heterodox “Church” must at least recognize its dogmatical and canonical defects and correct them, which it can do on its own initiative and then by that fact of correction it becomes a full member of the union of local Orthodox Churches, joined together by mutual communion in the Eucharist and prayer. In such a case there is no need of an official reception or a union with one of the existing Orthodox Churches. The Westerners, knowing only about unions with Rome which requires the suppression of any local customs or independence, are afraid that an invitation to unite with the Eastern Orthodox Church would result in the same attempt to subject them to the East with a loss of their own originality. This fear of course, chills any already lukewarm thoughts about Church union. In point of fact, if the Eucharistic communion with the Orthodox Church is merely a desirable embellishment of Church life and not life itself, then is it not reasonable from the point of an abstract idea, perhaps one which is fascinating and edifying, but practically not very beneficial, to risk some very precious realities? This leads to an exchange of many sweet words, much erudition, many arguments over secondary matters, much persistence in vindicating principles, but there is not that thirst which forces one “…to come to the waters” (Is. 55:1), there is no spiritual effort with which one can “accomplish great things” (G. Canon).
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* Heterodoxy = anything not Orthodox i.e., R.C., Old Catholic, PNCC, Anglican, Protestant, etc.
Also note, since this was 1935, the term ‘Old Catholics’ includes the PNCC. Many of the Old Catholic churches have fallen so far from orthodoxy (women ‘priests’, homosexual union blessings) that I would venture to guess that they would no longer be viewed as they were in 1935.
You just have to check out Satan’s blog (as highlighted by the Curt Jester). His post on the Liturgy in California is right on. It’s 12:44am and I almost woke everyone up laughing.
O św. Zyto! swem życiem zasłużyłaś sobie na to, że Chrystus przyjmując cię w niebie wyrzekł do ciebie te słowa: – Sługo wierna i dobra, iżeś była wierną nad małem, postanowię cię nad wielą —“ wnijdź do radości Pana twojego. Uproś nam u Zbawiciela tę łaskę, abyśmy służyli Bogu w tym stanie, w jakim jesteśmy, i nie pragnąc złudnych rzeczy ziemskich, spełniali wiernie obowiązki na nas nałożone. Amen.
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.
O Jezu! któryś umiłował kościół, iż samego siebie wydałeś zań, aby był bez zmazy i zmarszczki, powstań i ucisz wiatry piekielnych potęg, który w dzisiejszych czasach na nas uderzają. Amen.
Note: Your deacon blogger is an alum of Canisius College in Buffalo, NY. At the time the book I am transcribing was written (1904) Peter Canisius was not yet declared a saint by the Roman Catholic Church.
Pontifications has reprinted Convert Provocateurs, an article by Fr Addison H. Hart that originally appeared in the September 2000 issue of Touchstone magazine.
It’s a great read and I highly recommend it.
After reading it you will be amazed reading some of the comments. Amazed and sad really, because in short order some people digress into the typical, yes, but argument. Yes, but didn’t I mention that we belong to/have the only true Church. Yes, you’re close, but you don’t have the fullness of “the Church”.
Fr. Hart speaks a quasi-prophetic message about our eschatological times. He discusses our need to work together, faith, hope, charity… In conclusion he states:
So, in place of polemicism, let us witness to a better way: humility at all times about each of our own Traditions, charity towards one another now in all our dealings (even in our theological exchanges), and hope for a future that—”like it or not—”will put all things in proper perspective and that we will inevitably share.
We (and yes, I’m mindful of my own sinfulness and lack of charity) will have a lot to answer for.
[dels]blogs4god/church[/dels]
While the Turks hold the Secretary of State’s feet to the fire over Cyprus, Fr. Joseph Huneycutt has a piece on the refusal of Israel to recognize the validly elected Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem – all in an attempt to blackmail the new Patriarch into turning over property in Jerusalem for more Jewish settlements :cry:. See When Jews Run the Church (Kinda Sorta).