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More on celibacy

From the Kennebec Journal: Celibate priests: boon or bane?

I won’t go on to quote from the article. It’s the usual set of arguments and some of the typical confusion between man-made laws like celibacy and other teachings that people would like to change even though they are immutable. I cite the article only because it contains a reference to the PNCC.

Personally, I think that the media would be just as disenchanted with the Catholic teaching of the PNCC as they are with the Roman Church’s teachings on secular culture’s hot-button issues.

If a writer were to set aside those big red arguments and develop some sort of columnar list of agreed points and differences I think they would be able to develop a compelling piece on Churches’ varied approaches to the human condition and Their understanding of God’s relationship to mankind. Of course it would take time and a lot of research. Anyone out there?

PNCC, Poetry, Poland - Polish - Polonia, Saints and Martyrs, , , , ,

Ś+P świetny organizator, patrioty, i naszym pierwszego biskupa Franciszek Hodur

Bishop Franczisek Hodur as a young priest

  • Born: April 1, 1866, in the village of Żarki, six miles from Kraków, Poland. Studies at St. Anne’s Gimnazjum (Kraków, Poland), the Jagełłionian University (Kraków, Poland), and St. Vincent’s Archabbey (Latrobe, Pennsylvania)
  • Ordained to the Holy Priesthood: August 19, 1893, in St. Peter’s Cathedral, Scranton, Pennsylvania by Bishop William O’Hara.
  • Called by the People: To take charge of Saint Stanislaus Bishop and Martyr Parish, March 14, 1897.
  • Blessed and Dedicated the first Polish National Catholic Parish: July 4, 1897.
  • Elected Bishop of the Polish National Catholic Church: September 6, 1904 at the First Holy Synod of the Polish National Catholic Church
  • Consecrated to the Episcopacy: September 29, 1907 at Utrecht, Holland by Archbishop Gerard Gull with co-consecrators Bishop John Van Thiel and Bishop Peter Spit of the Old Catholic Church of Holland.
  • Organized the Polish National Union: February 24, 1908.
  • Established Spójnia Fram and the Home for the Aged: July 4, 1929.
  • Called to his Final Reward: February 16, 1953 in the rectory of St. Stanislaus Bishop and Martyr Cathedral. Scranton, Pennsylvania.
  • Funeral and Burial: Saturday, February 21, 1953 from St. Stanislaus Cathedral. He was laid to rest in the Grotto of Christ the Benign. His remains were later exhumed and re-interred in the Monument of Gratitude in St. Stanislaus Cathedral Cemetery, Scranton, Pennsylvania.

In prayerful remembrance on the 56th Anniversary of the death of our organizor and first bishop, Franciszek Hodur.

[audio:https://www.konicki.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/07-tyle-lat.mp3]

Through the years unto Thee, O Lord,
Faithful service we have rendered,
At the break of dawn marched sunward,
At the chains of bondage straining,
At the chains of bondage straining.

Unto Thee we built a temple,
Which for us became a treasure,
Pouring gifts of faith and courage,
In it is our hope forever,
In it is our hope forever.

Christ Himself speaks from its altars,
As He spoke throughout the ages,
To the poor among His people,
When their blinded eyes He opened.
When their blinded eyes He opened.

Now again He comes from heaven,
Midst the lab’ring, toiling people,
In the form of Bread and God’s Word,
To His humble, needful people.
To His humble, needful people.

When in doubt by Him we are strengthened,
From degrading sin He lifts us,
Animates us and enobles,
From a dormant slumber wakes us.
From a dormant slumber wakes us.

He pours new life into our souls,
Fires our hearts with passion sacred,
In contrition He refines us,
As a sword of steel we’re tempered.
As a sword of steel we’re tempered.

Through the storms of life He guides us,
`Midst the thunder and the tempest,
Christ is ever there before us,
But are we, Lord, always faithful?
But are we, Lord, always faithful?

Would to God we be faithful ever,
Would to God this sacred banner
In our souls and hearts be opened,
Until death our life does sever,
Until death our life does sever.

The Hymn of the Polish National Catholic Church as composed by Bishop Hodur.

Tyle lat my, Ci, o Panie,
służbę wiernie wypełniali,
szli ku słońcu w świt zaranie,
łańcuch niewoli targali.

Dla Ciebiem wznieśli świątynię,
co nam skarbnicą się stała,
z niej moc i wiara nam płynie,
w niej nadzieja, przyszłość cała.

Chrystus mówi z jej ołtarzy,
jak ongi mówił przed wieki,
do żydowskich szedł nędzarzy,
otwierać ślepym powieki.

I dziś znowu schodzi z nieba,
między ludzi pracy, trudu;
w Słowie Bożym, w kształcie chleba,
do nas biednych, swego ludu.

W zwątpień chwili nas umacnia,
dźwiga z grzechów poniżenia,
i ożywia i uznacnia,
budzi z martwoty, uśpienia.

Nowe życie wlewa w duszę,
serce ogniem świętym pali,
przetapia w żalu i skrusze,
jak miecz hartowny ze stali.

Pośród burzy życia wiedzie,
wśród piorunów, huraganu,
zawsze Chrystus jest na przedzie,
a my, wierni zawsze Panu!

O bodajem wierni byli,
o bodaj ten sztandar święty,
aż do zgonu naszej chwili,
w duszy, w sercu był rozpięty.

Current Events, PNCC

Again, what celibacy is and is not…

From the Morning Sentinel: Church acknowledges Dumoulin fatherhood, but takes issue with other details

The Rev. Marcel Dumoulin never denied that he fathered Judy Soucier’s child, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland said last week.

“We have a fair amount of documentation on this,” Diocese spokeswoman Susan Bernard said Tuesday.

…

Asked if a priest fathering a child is an unusual occurrence, Bernard said: “It certainly isn’t something that happens every day. Of course it’s unusual. Priests take a vow of celibacy.”

…

She said Dumoulin made a decision that he still wanted his vocation and recommitted to that vocation. Church officials said he needed to be responsible to the child, but did not force him to leave his vocation or to marry, according to Bernard.

…

“It’s not a crime,” she said. “This is not about a crime, to father a child. He certainly did break his vow of celibacy and that is a mistake to do that.”

First, just to cover what the PNCC teaches, celibacy is not mandatory, in fact most PNCC clergy are married because they are called to that grace. The grace of Marriage and Orders are not mutually exclusive. If the Holy Spirit grants a man with the gift of celibacy that is a great gift, and something they are called to. Celibacy is not a gift that can be demanded, nor is it anything other than a man made discipline as instituted in the R.C. Church.

Now to the issue above. The R.C. Diocesan spokeswoman, the official spokesperson for the diocese at that, has no idea what celibacy means. She is either misdirecting or is ill informed.

Put simply, celibacy means that one pledges that they will not marry. Now certainly, if one is not married one shouldn’t be engaging in sexual relations (the normal requirement of abstention from sexual relations applies to all unmarried persons). However, engaging in sexual relations and fathering a child is not breaking ones vow of celibacy. If Church officials had “forced him to marry” (something they cannot do — you can’t force someone to get married), or if he had chosen to marry Miss Soucier, then he would have broken his vow of celibacy. The statement: “This is not about a crime, to father a child. He certainly did break his vow of celibacy and that is a mistake to do that.” is wrong. He did not break his vow. Rather he sinned against chastity.

Christian Witness, Perspective, ,

Communing the President

An newly ordained Episcopal priest offers his first Sunday, Rite I, service and communes the President of the United States. From Scribere Orare Est: How the President of the United States Showed Up for my First Sunday Mass

Today I celebrated my first Sunday mass.

My first mass ever was celebrated this past Wednesday at 7:15 AM. Bethany got up extra early to be there, as did the rector and a handful of others. It was deeply meaningful.

But today was my first Sunday mass. And, to make it even better, it was at the 8:00 AM, Rite I liturgy, a liturgy that has been a deeply meaningful part of my own spiritual journey. Our senior warden is a regular at the service and when I saw him yesterday he gave me some good advice. —First,— he said, —Wait a couple seconds after the end of the prelude before you begin. Second, take your time. Don’t rush. Let the service be as it should.— I heard, marked, and inwardly digested his advice, pondering them in my heart as I got ready this morning. I was a little nervous, but primarily excited.

As I was putting on my cassock in my office, I heard another priest come in from outside. I poked my head out the door. —Good Morning!— I called out to our Associate for Worship and Pastoral Care.

She smiled, —Good morning. How do you feel?—

—A little nervous,— I admitted.

—Well, have you heard the news?— she asked.

I was a little confused. I thought for a moment, wondering what the news could be, and then said, —No, I don’t think I have.—

She smiled broadly, —The President of the United States is going to be in the congregation.—

I sputtered, —The President, like George W. Bush??—

She smiled, —Yep…—

Christian Witness, Perspective, PNCC,

And the bishop cried

I simply liked this post from OrthoCuban (the Rev. Ernesto M. Obregón of the Antiochian Orthodox Church): And the bishop cried.

…And, so, I am glad to say, —and the bishop cried.— Yes, he does dress up like a Byzantine emperor and he does sit in the middle of the church. But, in his case, he sits in the middle of the church like the heart sits in the middle of the body. May God grant him many years.

The post so reminds me of our bishops in the PNCC. They are men with the gift of discernment and most especially men who are fathers to their flock. May God bless them with many years. Sto Lat!

PNCC,

Our newest priest

We pray that the Lord will grant Fr. Egan wisdom, love, and peace as he begins his new service at the Blessed Virgin Mary of Czestochowa Parish in Latham, NY

The work of the priesthood is done on earth, but it is ranked among heavenly ordinances. And this is only right, for no man, no angel, no archangel, no other created power, but the Paraclete Himself ordained this succession, and persuaded men, while still remaining in the flesh to represent the ministry of angels. — St. John Chrysostom, On the Priesthood.

PNCC, , , , ,

Fact checking, clarification, orders – who’s got orders

The Young Fogey pointed to a discussion board conversation dealing with Anglican Apostolic Succession at the Byzantine Forum.

Typical of such discussions is the back and forth about who has “valid orders,” what Rome thinks of such in opposition to Orthodoxy, and does the Dutch TouchJohn Hunwicke’s article on this issue can be found here. fix everything.

What tends to surprise me is the lack of understanding exhibited in regard to the status of the Polish National Catholic Church and Utrecht.

This is an attempt to clarify some of the statements in the forum.

  1. The PNCC is not part of the Union of Utrecht period.
  2. Whether the PNCC left Utrecht or was thrown out is merely quibbling. The PNCC could not, regardless, accept the innovations the majority of the Utechian Churches have accepted (homosexual ‘marriage’ blessings and female clergy). For more on this see Poles apart by Laurence J Orzell.
  3. To be a member of the Union of Utrecht you must be a Church admitted to the International Bishops Conference (IBC), Utrecht’s governing authority.
  4. If you are not an admitted Church, but seek to be admitted in the future, you are placed under the supervision of one of the IBC Churches. These candidates are referred to as “Dependent churches and municipalities under the jurisdiction of the IBC.“
  5. Obviously the PNCC is not a member of the IBC nor are we under their jurisdiction.
  6. The Declaration of Scranton is the successor to the Declaration of Utrecht. See the commentary I republished for additional details.
  7. The PNCC maintains a relationship with the Polish Catholic Church (a member of Urecht) because the PNCC considers the Polish Church to be a Sister Church (a statement in this regard can be found here). — From my perspective I cannot see the reason for the Polish Catholic Church’s continued affiliation with Utrecht. They are as far apart from Utrecht on core theological and doctrinal issues as the PNCC is. We’ll see how that plays out.
  8. The Nordic Catholic Church is under the supervision of the PNCC. The Bishop of the Buffalo-Pittsburgh Diocese exercises Episcopal oversight.
  9. The alleged Polish-Catholic Church of Canada (the Kozar group) is simply a priest and a small group of parishioners who illegally seized the PNCC Cathedral property in Toronto, Canada. One of the basis for the breakaway was the group’s desire for a continued relationship with Utrecht. While Utrecht still shows them as under the supervision of the Bishop of the Diocese of Utrecht on one web page, recent statements (here) indicate that Utrecht has cut them looseThe IBC in fact is no longer interested in establishing IBC affiliated Churches or candidate groups in North America, leaving supervision of such groups to the Episcopal Church.. The breakaway group is no longer recognized as representative of the PNCC by the Canadian Council of Churches. There is on-going litigation to recover the Cathedral property.
  10. The PNCC has no relationship with the Slovak Catholic Church. The Slovak “Bishop” obtained orders through the Duarte Costa line (vagante) and is trying to set up his own international body.

Ok, now everything is as clear as mud. Really though, I do encourage all who wish to study the PNCC to do so. We publish a lot, and are great on full disclosure. The minutes of Supreme Council meetings and Synods are available both in book form and in the pages of God’s Field. Buy a book, get a subscription, or just ask. It will go a long way in getting the facts straight.

Christian Witness, Perspective, Poland - Polish - Polonia, Political,

You can enjoy Poland, but…

An very nice article from a R.C. Seminarian who spent some time in Poland this past summer. Check out Summer Part I: Tertio Millenio Seminar in Krakow in Poland from his blog, The Law of the Gift.

An amazing history:

Poland certainly has an amazing history. It has played a great role on the world’s stage, a role that goes beyond the two or three sentences commonly taught in U. S. schools. It is unfortunate that students in the U.S. are so unfamiliar with Poland’s history, and that they have a rather narrow understanding of European history. Europe doesn’t stop at the norder of England, France, and Spain. That said, in reading the seminarian’s post I recalled something Dr. Ryszard Sokołowski told me before my first trip to Poland in 1991, “Do not overly romanticize Poland.”

Getting to the truth:

It is a half funny, half true statement. Can you imagine your typical American tourist going to Poland, expecting to be greeted by girls in Cracovian costumes, dancing the Polka, and feasting on pierogi every night; gallant men riding into battle every day with sabers at their sides…

Of course the seminarian is both an idealist and a questioner of the future. It is the advantage and disadvantage of youth. He sees churches filled, he sees a history of faith, he sees the great martyr nation, w jedności siła, and a hero in John Paul II. He also sees uncertainty ahead. I offer him the same caution Dr. Sokołowski gave me. Don’t over idealize it.

Polish history is filled with sins equal to the heroism, fragmentation equal to strength in unity, abandonment of religion equal to conversion. As a member of the clergy you have to look to and understand the culture — long term, but only as the backdrop for the struggles people face every day.

Seeing the Sheep:

Individual struggles have not changed very much. The opportunities for sin may be a bit different today, but at the core it is the same temptation. If we spend too much time looking at the big picture, the movements on the world stage, we miss the souls we are supposed to care for. How can we help people see the way today? Pointing to history is part of the equation, but the greater measure is found in pointing to the future, to our hope in Jesus Christ.

Applying the Gospel:

I appreciate the fact that he states:

[Krakow] provides an interesting context to study the social doctrine of the Church

This is true because the city offers a micro level lesson in the application of the Church’s teachings. We can learn from the witness of people who have lived through the application of the Church’s teaching, both in their heroism and their sin. We can learn from culture because God endows each nation with unique gifts and skills that benefit man’s journey back to Him. At the same time we must avoid the trap of assuming that Church teaching, including social teaching, is solely based on the experiences of a people. Rather, the Church’s teachings are a unified whole formed from the Gospel. The Gospel message applies universally; past, present and future, in Poland, this nation, and in every nation. Bishop Hodur understood that. The Church is here to lift men up to their true potential: intellectually, morally, and spiritually. The Church is key to the fulfillment of God’s plan for mankind. So we have to continually ask: Lord help me to lift your people up to You. Help me to see their gifts and their challenges.

Christian Witness, Current Events, Perspective, PNCC, , ,

Ministry in time of war

At our recent Clergy Conference we heard a report from one of our diocesan priests who is assigned as a military chaplainThe PNCC has a strong tradition of vocations to the military chaplaincy. As of this writing there are at least four military chaplains that I know of.. His report was bracing and was a call to the vocation of military chaplain.

This priest has been to Iraq twice, and both times has been stationed in some of the worst areas of Iraq. He spoke at length about his ministry, especially as it relates to prayer, counseling, Bible study, suicide preventionSee this Washington Post article: Soldiers’ Suicide Rate On Pace to Set Record, interaction with local residents, program development, charity, and Ecumenical conflicts (sometimes greater than interfaith conflictsEven in the case of a long term absence of a Roman Catholic Chaplain, the former head of the Archdiocese for the Military refused to provide a time slot to this PNCC priest so he could minister to Roman Catholic soldiers – a direct contradiction of Canon 844(2) and a failure to provide for the flock. They chose rather to “provide” by appointing an “Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion!”).

He noted that our servicemen and women are heartened to know that the folks back home are praying for them. They also love to hear the chaplains read out the cards and letters sent in-care-of those chaplains. The prayers, cards, and letters brighten their difficult existence.

This priest was very supportive of me in my vocation and when he told me he was going full-time active duty I was not surprised. He definitely had the calling for this ministry. Based on his report I see why he was called. God does make sense, even in the midst of senselessness.

Whether or not you subscribe to the neo-con, Bush Administration line on this war (I do not), the men and women of the armed services need the ministry of these chaplains. It is a worthy vocation and true service in times of difficulty.

I encourage you to do several things: Pray for our servicemen and women and for the ministry of their chaplains. Consider the vocation to serve in this capacity. Send a card or letter in care of a chaplain. Let him or her know they can read it out to their congregation.

O, God, the strength of those who put their trust in Thee; Bless we pray, our soldiers, sailors, servicewomen, and airmen; our chaplains, doctors, nurses; and all enlisted in the service of our country. Give Thy holy angels charge over them to protect them from all harm; deliver them in all temptation, and if it by Thy gracious will, bring them safely home. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. —” A Prayer for Those in the Armed Forces from A Book of Devotions and Prayers According to the Use of the Polish National Catholic Church.

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