For the Sheep in Exile – Bulletin 2015-03-01
Here is Bulletin_2015-03-01.
1. No Longer Missing in Action: Winnie the Pooh can now return to a normal life. In fact, he can invite over all his friend, break out the honey pot, and have a feast. The St. Peter’s Pastoral Council has been found. This week the minutes for the February 15th meeting appeared on the St. Peter’s Website. Here are the 02 15 Pastoral Council Minutes. When there is more time, we’ll discuss some of the items and try to figure out what it all means.
2. Ecumenical Dinner: According to the bulletin:
The ecumenical dinner, prayer and reflection each Wednesday night during Lent continues. All the evening Lenten dinners will begin at Washington Baptist Church with a pot-luck dinner at 6:00 pm. Prayer, songs and reflection at 7:00 pm.
My son and I often share with each other when we find a source for worthwhile spiritual reflection and sound Catholic instruction. Recently, he recommended the Institute of Catholic Culture and specifically noted some of the lectures by Dr. William Marshner. Dr. Marshner was a convert to Catholicism, a Thomistic theologian, ethicist, and a founding professor at Christendom College in Front Royal, VA. So, this week I listened to his three-lecture series called Trent, the Reformation & the Mass.
After hearing Dr. Marshner’s account of the Reformation and what had to be done at the Council of Trent to counter the many heresies that came from the Reformation, I was left with a profound sense of dismay. It began to dawn on me just how much spiritual harm was caused by those heresies – especially to the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.
I’m not saying that all ecumenical exchanges are to be avoided. I will say, however, you might benefit more by spending your Wednesday evenings in Lent listening to one of the many audios offered by the Institute of Catholic Culture.
3. The Prayer to St. Michael: In the Pastor’s Piece our Pastor says:
Some people like to pray the prayer to St. Michael after mass and others do not. Several weeks ago Bernadette O’Heir and I talked about the way around this problem satisfying everyone (those who want to pray the prayer and those who don’t). I suggested that those who want to pray the prayer wait 20 seconds after the end of mass to let those who don’t want to pray the prayer to leave. Another option would be for people to pray the prayer silently. Fr. Murphy avoided this problem in the past by telling people not to pray the prayer at the end of mass.
What used to be a verdant and thriving spiritual garden, seemingly hidden from the rest of the world, somewhere between St. John the Baptist in Front Royal and St. John the Evangelist in Warrenton, is now becoming a desert slowly wasting away. The sheep that abide there are scratching the ground in search of nourishment.
Now the sheep who wish to pray the simple, yet powerful prayer will have to consult their watches to see if the allotted 20 seconds have passed. Those without watches will resort to saying: “One thousand one, one thousand two, one thousand three …. one thousand twenty … Ready or not, I’m going to pray … Here I come St. Michael.”
Meanwhile, in the surrounding parishes there is no referring to a watch or counting to 20 … there the shepherds (after Mass is over) lead their flocks in the prayer to St. Michael.
By the way, wouldn’t it be refreshing if our Pastor started capitalizing the word “Mass.”
Petition Update #8 and Final
1. True to His Word: It was not our intention to attend the 10:45 AM Mass at St. Peter’s today. The weather, however, dictated otherwise. Thus, my wife and I were afforded the opportunity to determine that our Pastor had kept his word concerning the changes he intended to institute as a result of the Petition.
2. Only as He Said He Would: Father did as he said he would. He did nothing more. He can truthfully say that he made an effort to “accommodate some of their requests.” It is obvious from his choice of words in the Pastors Piece in Bulletin_2015-02-15 that he was willing to go only so far. My wife and I suspected that would be the case. That is why we asked Question 3 in Petition Update #7.
S3: We will use gold looking chalices instead of the pewter chalices that I normally use.
Q3: Will the pewter paten (bread dish) also be replaced by a gold paten?
Father avoided using the expression “sacred vessels” because that would have included the paten. Today, we saw the pewter bread dish front and center on the altar throughout the Offertory and Consecration. He was only willing to go so far and his words were fashioned to allow him to show that he would go no farther.
3. Continued Minimalism: Father continues to give the least that he can. The Sheep plead for nourishment and sustenance and they receive so little in answer to their plea. The minimalism continues. My wife and I can now see, that for all intents and purposes, the Petition is a dead topic. The death of the Petition is accompanied by the death of the hopes of a full third of the Parish that had signed the Petition. And is there any reason to wonder why the numbers of the Sheep in Exile continue to grow?
My wife and I will continue to speak about the minimalism that has infected St. Peter’s, but no longer in the context of the Petition. That would be like beating a dead horse.
Rules and Tools for Radical Pastors #4 – Update
Very interesting as we also had the Little Blue Book and now the Black one. I agree with the trepidation when seeing [Bishop] Ken Untener’s name. I also felt that the Advent (Book) [The Little Blue Book] was probably innocuous. I had not really looked at the Black one until this morning after reading your email. Much stronger on the S J [social justice] theme.Right side of the page not as bad as the left side put together by Sr. Ayotte IHM [The Congregation of the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary] (the IHMs really were on the forefront of the modern sisters). I was taught by them from Gr. 1-8 and that was in the years when Nuns were great. Full habit and I have very fond memories of my time with the IHMs. What happened to their order was so sad. I don’t even think there are very many of them left…have not looked into that but recall lots of reports in the Wanderer concerning their times and tribulations.Also, besides CCHD and CRS I see reference to UNICEF in the LBB [The Little Black Book]. Have not read it thoroughly but think the left side is worse than the right.I agree, why not get some ‘good stuff’ out there. Also, is there some big push to get this little booklet out there? Whose idea?After all these years, seems someone must be behind this. There is a plethora of available and more suitable material.
For the Sheep in Exile – Bulletin 2015-02-22
Here is Bulletin_2015-02-22.
1. Rappahannock Clergy Association (RCA): Our Pastor asks that parishioners:
“Please return the Rappahannock Clergy Association/Community Needs Assessment by March 15. You can mail it to the office or drop off the form in the box at the door of the church. If you misplaced the survey you can also pick up ;another one at the door of the church.”
Please refer to the post For the Sheep in Exile – Bulletin 2015-02-08 Supplement for our comments concerning the RCA.
Based on available news reports, the RCA appears to be a relatively new organization and my wife and I still haven’t figured out if our Pastor is a member of the RCA or not. Considering that there is now a call from him for folks to turn in the assessments, one might suspect that there hasn’t been an overwhelming response to the request to return the assessment.
2. Prayers before and after Mass: Perhaps it was a mistake. Perhaps it was intended. Whichever, my copy of this week’s bulletin contained a card with prayers to be said by altar boys before and after Mass. In the 1950’s, Sister always reminded us to come well before Mass and pray. We were asked to pray as this prayer card says, “…that I may serve You reverently and so give You praise and glory…” Sister also encouraged us to stay after Mass and pray. We were asked to pray as this prayer cards says, “…Thank You for the opportunity of serving at Your altar.”
Sister also said that prayers before and after Mass were not just for altar boys – they were for all who attend Mass.
It made sense then and it still makes sense today. So, my wife and I come to Mass early – it’s time to prepare for the unfolding of the great mysteries. And she and I stay after Mass – it’s time to pray the Prayer to St. Michael and other prayers acknowledging our great thanksgiving for all that we have received.
With regard to the St. Michael prayers, our Pastor has indicated that “some parishioners” had approached him to say they didn’t know what to do and some felt trapped in the pew while it was being said. If “some parishioners” feel trapped, perhaps it is because they didn’t have Sr. Mary Gemma or Sr. Mary Lucienne in their lives.
3. Missing in Action?: Sometimes it is necessary for my wife and I to become very serious and intellectual in the way that we approach particular problems discussed in this blog. So it is with the Parish Pastoral Council. It has been weeks since we have heard any mention of the body commissioned to provide our Pastor with good counsel. To quote from a slightly altered version of a highly academic, philosophical consideration posed by Winnie the Pooh:
Think, think. Think. I believe when a question becomes this sticky, I should ask my very good friend... Pastoral Council. [Echoing] Pastoral Council. Are you here? Are you there? Are you... anywhere?
Perhaps when the snows melt and Spring arrives we shall hear from the Pastoral Council again.
Rules and Tools for Radical Pastors #4
According to the Rev. Gordon E. Simmons in his article Rules for Radical Pastors, you must provide a vision:
RULE 2: Build an organization by presenting a vision of where you are going and moving toward it.
How is that done in a parish? One answer is indoctrination using subtly nuanced handouts and devotional materials. Through conscious selection of pamphlets and handouts, and by deliberately emphasizing particular topics in homilies, a pastor can control the “message” and present a specific “vision.” This is a technique that can lead to good ends. Alternatively, this technique can be employed to impose “spiritual blinders” on the flock – they will no longer see the broader view of all that is Catholic. When used by a radical pastor, this technique can lead to serious distortions in understanding .
In our post For the Sheep in Exile – Bulletin 2014-11-30, we talked about “spiritual toxins in the vestibule.” Specifically, we discussed The Little Blue Book, which first appeared in St. Peter’s vestibule on Thanksgiving Day last year. Our Pastor highly recommended it and he also recommend its author, the now deceased Bishop Ken Untener. After doing our homework, we said in response:
A quick look-up in Wikipedia informs us that:
In 1980, Untener was named the fourth Bishop of Saginaw. His consecration to the episcopacy immediately became embroiled in controversy, however, as area Catholics filed complaints with the Vatican about a recent workshop on sexuality Untener authorized at St. John’s Seminary. Detractors of the workshop claimed it promoted lewdness and promiscuity.
Your research on Bishop Untener will show you that controversy is only the beginning, there are also problems with his views on birth control, liturgy, and more. Bishop Untener was a dissenter to Church teaching. A quick reading of The Little Blue Book does not reveal any immediate threat to the soul, but it raises the question: Aren’t there more reputable authors producing Advent and Christmas Season reflections from which to chose?
Is a pattern emerging here? Why is our Pastor selecting materials from an array of dissenters? Where is he leading us? In the words of one our fellow parishioners:
“Taking into account the above referenced evidence, what assurance do we have that this publication would be theologically, morally, and ethically consistent with the Magisterium of the Church? Further, what kind of shepherd would offer such tainted food to his sheep?”
There is a vast reservoir of knowledge and spiritual wisdom that resides in our Parish. St. Peter’s has many faithful Catholics, who are painfully aware of what is happening here. My wife and I are humbled by the work they have done over the years to assist past pastors in building this faith-filled Parish. We are honored that they correspond with us and confide in us.
This past Saturday, one of them emailed us and said, “Well Father Grinnell did it again.” Yes, Father followed on his action of providing “spiritual toxins in the vestibule” for Advent in the form of The Little Blue Book. Now, he has presented us with The Little Black Book, a book of Lenten meditations.
When my wife and I made our assessment after reviewing the Advent meditations, we said, “A quick reading of The Little Blue Book does not reveal any immediate threat to the soul…”. The person who delivered the news to us had already done a great deal of homework by reviewing the contents of The Little Black Book and performing associated research. Unfortunately, the results of this review showed that these Lenten meditations in The Little Black Book were not quite so harmless.
Following are some comments made by the reviewer. Please keep in mind that these comments were hastily written and are not a smooth draft.
The Inspiration: The first comment deals with the primary author and inspiration for the meditations:
Bishop Kenneth Untener of Saginaw, Michigan was the most notorious dissident Bishop in Michigan. At one time he was the rector of St. John’s Seminary in Plymouth, Michigan. St. John’s Seminary is one of the Seminary covered in Michael Rose’s book “Goodbye Good Men”. Bishop Untener is referred to four times in that same book. The Seminary eventually closed but under Untener there were allegations of homosexual activity. Bishop Untener also signed a letter in protest to Pope John Paul’s proclamation that there will never be female priests. Throughout the 1980’s and 1990’s Orthodox Catholics were well aware of how bad Untener was.
Now we have his Lenten Devotional being recommend to us by our pastor.
CCHD & CRS: The second comment is framed in the context of revelations made by Reform CCHD Now, the American Life League, and other credible reporting entities. They exposed abuses noted in the distribution of the contribution made by many well-meaning Catholics:
If you are able to pick one up [The Little Black Book] you will immediately see that it is nothing more that a strong push for social justice through all the left-wing groups like CRS and CCHD.
Liberation Theology: The third comment comes from background knowledge of the statements and writings of Cardinal Ratzinger (Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI) and St. John Paul the Great concerning the Theology of Liberation (e.g. Instruction on Certain Aspects of the “Theology of Liberation”):
I was really upset by the two people that were praised in the booklet, Cardinal Giacomo Lercaro and Father Rutilio Grande, both being proponents of Liberation Theology. Because Bishop Untener included these individuals in the booklet as being people we Catholics should look up to make me believe Untener himself was in favor of Liberation Theology.
In a broader context, we must ask, “Does The Little Black Book come close to being on the mark of actually being “Lenten” in character. If we refer to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, we learn this about the character of Lent:
1438 The seasons and days of penance in the course of the liturgical year (Lent, and each Friday in memory of the death of the Lord) are intense moments of the Church’s penitential practice.36 These times are particularly appropriate for spiritual exercises, penitential liturgies, pilgrimages as signs of penance, voluntary self-denial such as fasting and almsgiving, and fraternal sharing (charitable and missionary works).
Even as the Church instructs us about “charitable” works (this certainly includes social justice), we are also reminded of “missionary” work. The emphasis is on the spiritual without denying the need for the social. The spiritual comes first. The Little Black Book loses sight of that emphasis.
What we see here is not just a selection of material for Lenten meditation that has poorly placed its emphasis. What we have here is another example of the pattern of a what appears to be a deliberate attempt to “Build an organization by presenting a vision of where you are going and moving toward it.” This “organization” will lean towards the “social” and away from the “spiritual”. This “organization” would be St. Peter’s.
So, at St. Peter’s we have been presented, on numerous occasions, the Pastor’s “vision” of where we are going, and we are slowly but surely “moving toward it.”
At St. Peter’s, RULE 2 of the rules for radical pastors is now in play.
Petition Update #7
1. Penance: As I noted in the post Pilgrims of Lent – Meditations, “… just last night I received a mild admonishment from my son.” One of my daughters also indicated that my “tone” in the post Petition Update #6 had possibly been less than appropriate. This morning, the reading in the Liturgy of the Hours was from Ephisians 4:29-32. In those verses I heard the mild and respectful admonishment from my son and daughter reverberating in the words of St. Paul:
“Let no evil speech proceed from your mouth; but that which is good, to the edification of faith, that it may administer grace to the hearers. And grieve not the holy Spirit of God: whereby you are sealed unto the day of redemption.”
So, I went to Confession this morning. I offer my sincere apologies to whomever I might have hurt with my words.
2. Thank You: You will find that the Pastor’s Piece in Bulletin_2015-02-15 provides the official decision by our pastor concerning the Petition. There are thanks to be given:
- Thank you to Ben Shealy for organizing the petition effort;
- Thank you to all who signed of the petition;
- Thank you to all those who were able to attend the petition meeting and contribute; and
- Thank you to our Pastor for providing a public answer to our request.
Special thanks should be given to our Pastor for publishing a clear statement of what occurred at the meeting and for providing the specifics details of his decision. Father’s account of the meeting captures the pertinent details and it is important that all parishioners are aware of what occurred and what was decided.
3. Questions: Father’s response leads my wife and me to ask a host of questions. Below, we will pose some of those questions in the simplest form and most respectful tone possible:
S1: “The petition (which was signed by 33 parish families) requested that I “reinstate one Sunday Mass as previously celebrated” at St. Peter’s. At the meeting on the 24th, I asked what aspects of the mass as Fr. Murphy celebrated it that they were talking about. I made a list of what people told me about the mass as celebrated in the past and I am sure that we can accommodate some of their requests.”
Q1: Why was it necessary to disregard the fundamental and central concern the petition presented in the phrase “as previously celebrated“? Why immediately break it down into individual “aspects” when the petition addressed a much larger concern – an entirety in substance, not just a pro forma set of acts?
S2: “These are some of the changes that we will make.”
Q2: Will there be more changes?
S3: We will use gold looking chalices instead of the pewter chalices that I normally use.
Q3: Will the pewter paten (bread dish) also be replaced by a gold paten?
S4: “We will use more Greek (e.g. Kyrie Eleison) and Latin (e.g. Agnes Dei) in the mass. We will use more incense in the mass (especially during the Easter season and Solemnities).”
Q4: Would it not be more preferable to capitalize the word Mass?
S5: Some requests, we will not do. I will not eliminate the option for people to receive Communion under both species.
Q5: Why is this needed? How does this help to “reinstate one Sunday Mass as previously celebrated“?
S6: The servers will continue to bow instead of genuflect.
Q6: How does this help to “reinstate one Sunday Mass as previously celebrated“? What was the impact on the altar boys when they were made to bow instead of genuflect? Did that contradict and undermine the teaching that their parents had given them?
S7: I will not limit the use of the Eucharistic Prayers (using only 4 of the options instead of all 10 options for Eucharistic Prayers in the Roman Missal).
Q7: Why would that be an inconvenience for one Mass out of three, especially when those who have their own missals would be able to follow along with you?
4. The View from 2,000 Miles Away: At this time, what St. Peter’s is undergoing is an exception in the Diocese of Arlington. Nearly 2,000 miles away, in the Diocese of Boise, the current experience at St. Peter’s is the norm. Let us share a few lines from a friend in Idaho, who was thankful for one Sunday Mass that was a departure from that norm: (We have slightly edited the text for purposes of privacy)
The exceptional things for our Mass on Sunday (by exceptional I mean what is usually NOT done here)1.No Altar Girls. 2 well trained servers and I don’t know the family but they are very well behaved and seem pretty ‘orthodox’.2. Father wearing an AMICE (never seen here).3. NO guitar. That probably just happened but….my preference for Mass. The music selections were much better than usual with correct Gloria, Mass responses.4. A BIGGIE: Eucharistic Prayer #1 (never hear that—always, or almost always they use #2). IMO #1 ought to be used EVERY Sunday at least and on Holy Days. I would like it every day!5. Just the VERY reverent offering of the Holy Mass by Fr. X AND he doesn’t look around etc. etc. Keeps his eyes down like they do for Latin Mass and etc.6. Excellent sermon.
For the Sheep in Exile – Bulletin 2015-02-15
Here is Bulletin_2015-02-15.
We will have comments on the “Pastor’s Piece” on page four in post Petition Update #7.
Pilgrims of Lent – Meditations
My three children follow this blog. They correct me when I am wrong. In fact, just last night I received a mild admonishment from my son. Nevertheless, they encourage me to go on. They pray for me always. Today, this post is for them.
February 15th will be the anniversary of your grandfather’s death. February 18th will be Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent. These two events are strangely intertwined and they tell us something about who we are as a family. Let me explain by telling three short stories. You may think of them as Lenten meditations – in a sense that is what they are. It might be better though, to think of them merely as considerations, just as our discussions around the dinner table were when all three of you were still at home.
Consideration One: Your Mom and I visited the island of Sao Miguel in the Azores thirteen years ago. It was mid-March, with rainy days and sharp, cold winds from the Mid-Atlantic Ocean. The birthplace of your great grandfather spoke to us in many ways, through its culture, its food, and its sense of the sacred. Lent was all around us. It was in the churches, in the way of dress, and everywhere on the streets.
The Romieros, the Pilgrims of Lent, were passing by, always with staffs in hand and the words of the Holy Rosary ever on their lips. We had the good fortune to join them in saying a Rosary inside the Convent of Nossa Senhora da Esperanca, close to the famous statue Senhor Santo Cristo dos Milagres (Lord Holy Christ of the Miracles). In some small way we had shared in their pilgrimage – it was such a very small way.
Since the 16th Century, these groups of Catholics, during Lent, visit all the churches and hermitages where the image of Mary is venerated. This takes eight full days. Each Pilgrim wears a wool kerchief on their head, a shawl to protect them from bad weather. Their possessions include a bag with food, a walking stick, and a Rosary. They sing and pray the Rosary along the way. The aims of the Pilgrims are to make penitence for their sins and those of others and to beg for the blessings of God over the Azores and Portugal. This pilgrimage is not for all. Here are the general Conditions to be a Pilgrim:
“The man can only be accepted to perform this kind of penitence if he is over ten and under fifty years old, healthy and with good moral reputation; if he obeys the ten commandments of the Holy Church, if he has a spirit of obedience in order to accept all orders given to him and accept without any doubts the severity of his penitence.”
My father never spoke of this tradition to me, though I’m sure he knew of it. It is likely that your Mom and I knelt very close to where my grandfather and his father prayed together many years ago. This is a tradition passed from the older generation to the younger. For them it was a joy to acknowledge their sins and perform penance.
Unfortunately, moving to America and the effort expended to make a new home and a new way of life weakened many traditions of great spiritual value. Sometimes, they are lost forever and even the Faith itself can be lost. That is why your Mom and I have tried to establish family traditions based in the life of the spirit.
How many times have we made trips together and we prayed the Rosary? How many times has someone in the family been sick and we prayed the Rosary? How many times have we discussed that Lent is not giving up chocolate, but building up the spirit?
This Lent, Mom and I might not go anywhere, but we will make a pilgrimage. It will not be the pilgrimage of the Romieros, but we will acknowledge our sins and perform penance as they do and we shall pray the Rosary. I know that you will be joining us along the way.
Consideration Two: There were times when my father was far from the Church. In some ways he had grown lax and put other things first. There were times when your father was far from the Church. In some ways he had grown lax and put other things first.
When my father had his first heart attack in 1968, he was forced to quit his job and spend time alone while my mother went to work. It was just he and our old tom cat and one other thing – a Rosary. I don’t know why he picked it up and used it. We had never prayed a Rosary together, we had never spoken about the Rosary at all. In his last few years on this Earth, he prayed that Rosary many times. When my mother gave it to me after my father’s death in 1974, the beads were worn, one was missing. On the back was an inscription we seldom see today: “I am a Catholic in case of an accident notify a priest”.
My father’s journey back to his Faith was a long one but it led him to peace as he neared death. Perhaps he was never really that far away. He did make the sacrifice to send me to Catholic schools and encouraged me to study and learn what the nuns had to teach me. Whatever the reason, he did come back. Christ’s saving grace is always offered to us. We just have to accept it and then follow Him. Lent is the perfect time to do just that.
Consideration Three: Many have seen the painting “Os Emigrantes” by Domingos Rebelo, a famous painter from Sao Miguel in the Azores. In that painting he captured the emotion of those who left Sao Miguel, bound for America. I often imagine a scene like that when I think of your great grandparents.
Rebelo created a lesser known painting that is the focus of Consideration Three. I do not know the name of this painting, but I do know its inspiration. As the Romieros walk the many miles repenting of their sins, and as my father prayed his Rosary and regained his Faith (our Faith) and peace, there is that final consideration about reaching the end of our earthly lives.
Jesus Christ established his Church to assist men to come to salvation. He instituted seven Sacraments as signs to give grace. In one Sacrament he gives Himself to us in a special way – He is truly present in the Eucharist. The Rebelo painting captures the moment in a man’s last days when the Eucharist, the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ, is brought to him. There is no fear of death on the man’s face – he is in the presence of his Maker – he has nothing to fear.
So, my children the journey of life presented in my three considerations for Lent is complete. Our Lady of Fatima told the same story in a much more meaningful way.
Our Lady of Fatima, pray for us!
Petition Update #6
- Additional bells;
- Incense (at Easter and perhaps on other Sundays);
- Precious vessels; and
- Continued use of the Adoremus Hymnal.
Father was asked about Communion under both species and he replied that he plans to continue that practice.
3. End of the Hiatus: Now that there is a decision, The Sheep of Kephas blog will raise its voice again. The petition specifically stated the following:
“We, the undersigned Parishioners of St. Peter, Washington Virginia, respectfully request Fr. Horace Grinnell, Pastor of St. Peter, reinstate one Sunday Mass as previously celebrated.”
As my wife and I said in our very first post concerning the petition:
“Hidden beneath these few simple words is a deep anguish felt by many Parishioners of St. Peter’s Catholic Church concerning the replacement of a longstanding, rich Novus Ordo liturgical expression with something less, something wanting. Instead of a liturgy that reflects the “Holy, holy, holy …” that takes place in Heaven, we are confronted with the imposition of a self-styled, minimalistic celebration of the Holy Mass. What we see now is “correct” and it is “valid.” Yet, we are left with a sense of incompleteness as we leave Mass each Sunday – a sense of near impoverishment.”
4. Our Response: At this time, my wife and I respond to Fr. Grinnell, “You just don’t get it!”
It’s not about “smells and bells” the way the high Anglicans would say. It is about the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. It is about adoring and honoring and praising God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in the Eucharist. It is about giving your utmost and not your least. It is not about throwing some disgruntled parishioners a bone. It is about what we had before Fr. Grinnell came to St. Peter’s. It is about restoring the “status quo ante.”
5. Restitution: For years, the Sheep at St. Peter’s had the inexpressible joy and honor to be served by pastors who made the Mass and the Eucharist the central point of focus in the Parish. As chronicled in this blog, however, bit-by-bit that point of focus has become blurred.
Quite frankly, my wife and I feel that a spiritual crime has been committed. The person in charge of our spiritual finances, our spiritual riches, has embezzled from the spiritual repository that had been built up in St. Peter’s. There has been a theft. What we had has been stolen. A great piece of beautiful spiritual art and grace has been snatched away and replaced by an imitation.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches:
“2412 In virtue of commutative justice, reparation for injustice committed requires the restitution of stolen goods to their owner:”
“Don’t fly like a barnyard hen when you can soar like an eagle.”
Don’t have a “small town” outlook. Enlarge your heart until it becomes universal – “catholic”. Don’t fly like a barnyard hen when you can soar like an eagle.
For the Sheep in Exile – Bulletin 2015-02-08 Supplement
Here is Bulletin_2015-02-08 Supplement containing two inserts that were added to Bulletin_2015-02-08.
The first insert in the bulletin is a Rappahannock Clergy Association (RCA) / Community Needs Assessment. You might ask what is the RCA? An article entitled Rappahannock Clergy Association that appeared in the Rappahannock News on September 18, 2014, explains this way:
“Washington Baptist Church has long participated with other local churches in everything from shared worship on special occasions to joint study programs like Vacation Bible School. Now, Pastor Walt Childress is working to expand on those efforts by forming a Rappahannock Clergy Association (RCA).
“While we each have our own worship and ministry ways, there are still many things that we can do together as God’s people. The RCA is open to all clergy in the county.”
As the article continues, it points out that:
“The group’s first meeting — with County Administrator John McCarthy and Social Services director Beverly Dunford — is 10 a.m. today (Thursday, Sept. 18) at the church, and will focus on the need for foster care.”
The Beverly Dunford mentioned in the article is quite likely (I always leave room for my own research error) the same Beverly Dunford, who was listed in the PeopleInc. Annual Report 2014 as a member of the Board of Directors for People Incorporated. Both as the Social Services Director for the County and as a board member for PeopleInc., it would seem that Ms. Dunford would be very interested in learning that the RCA is canvassing the County in search of social “needs.” So, the results from RCA Community Needs Assessment passed out in the Sunday bulletin could represent a great windfall of social “needs” that would eventually end up on the doorstep of the County Social Services Office.
My wife and I are sure that it was purely a coincidence that on February 6th some folks in Rappahannock County, including members of St. Peter’s, received an email from a representative of PeopleInc. stating the following:
There is an important Community Needs Assessment on the www.peopleinc.net webpage. Please take a few moments to complete the survey and to encourage anyone in you think may be interested to do so, as well. We appreciate your help. This input will help plan programming.
The transmission of the PeopleInc. email and the appearance of RCA needs assessment in the St. Peter’s bulletin occurred within 48 hours of each other. It must be noted that the two assessments do not cover the same set of needs. The RCA assessment confines itself to problems for the elderly, while the PeopleInc. assessment is more broad ranging in its questions. Despite their differences, however, it would not seem to be a stretch to imagine that the results from both assessments will end up on the desk of Ms. Dunford.
The advent of the Rappahannock Clergy Association is, in some ways, reminiscent of the early stages in the founding of Virginians Organized for Interfaith Community Engagement (VOICE). The coalitions are being made and the case for social “needs” is being brought forward to the local government. My wife and I cannot help but recall that one of the training documents available on the VOICE Website was Rules for Radical Pastors.
So, as seniors, my wife and I are looking forward, quite literally, to the “free ride” we might get from the County thanks to the RCA and PeopleInc. On the other hand, I suspect we will see an increase in taxes that will be necessary to pay for that “free ride.”
We would suggest that the Community Needs Assessment form also include a Category of Service item Number 19:
Acknowledging that Rappahannock County has no jurisdiction over and funding for salvation of souls, how would you most want the RCA in general and your pastor in particular to assist you in your spiritual life and well-being?
There is more to this story, but for now we will let the matter rest.
The Sheep of Kephas 