tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26883902.post6327067556491556602..comments2024-03-25T11:09:41.538-04:00Comments on a minor friar blog: What's at Stake: MissionBrother Charleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07780326836452864455noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26883902.post-47707135172524492302010-03-23T23:50:00.768-04:002010-03-23T23:50:00.768-04:00thanks so much for this sharing, Fr. C! what you m...thanks so much for this sharing, Fr. C! what you mention in this post is certainly a lot to contemplate. i understand the pressure you must feel as a parish priest with a staff that has become smaller. i truly sympathize with this situation and, as an active, participating member of the Catholic church, we lay people are called to do our part to help ease the burden of our parish priests. a great example of this is the fact that our wonderful pastor, Fr. Moe, has asked all liturgical ministers to actively participate in the Holy Thursday "washing of the feet," by inviting others to participate, as well. i feel this is a great honor and a chance to help our Pastor and priests. unfortunately, some who received this request from our pastor have complained about it and say they don't wish to participate. this is sad because we (even us laity) are called to serve. doesn't it tell us somewhere in Sacred Scripture to "come and worship and praise God as a Royal Priesthood and Holy Nation?" i, too, come from a non-practicing family, but through God's Graces and Blessings, i never strayed from my faith or from actively practicing my faith. it only gets stronger. God hs always put the right people in my life who have been instrumental in my faith journey-the Capuchin Franciscan Friars, in particular, have been and continue to be the most instrumental. i agree with Matt that we need to "witness by our actions and who we are." PEACE! ~tara t~for narniahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18338090370392971487noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26883902.post-65276190681871884972010-03-23T21:14:23.499-04:002010-03-23T21:14:23.499-04:00As with most questions like these, I think the ans...As with most questions like these, I think the answers vary in regards to the place and the culture. So, for example, how I might approach these questions in East New York are different from how you would approach them in Yonkers.<br /><br />As far as the "practical" questions go, I think a model of leadership that involves laity may be a solution, yet this solution presupposes a base of devoted laity who are willing to offer service, which may be too rash of a supposition.<br /><br />But (and I think this was mentioned in a previous comment), I think a key to any answering of addressing of these questions needs to be based in witness. We can't teach or preach with words alone, but rather by our actions and by who we are.<br /><br />This will never satisfy everyone, but we do the best with what God gives to us and sacrifice ourselves on Christ's Cross, uniting ourselves to the Eucharist through prayer.Matthew Ignatiushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00275476255186723128noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26883902.post-23081873270881779502010-03-23T18:53:09.340-04:002010-03-23T18:53:09.340-04:00QR,
If you haven't already, you may wish to r...QR,<br /><br />If you haven't already, you may wish to read this piece by Cardinal Stafford, published in 2008:<br /><br />http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/resource.php?n=675<br /><br />The dissent of priests described in this article occured under a bishop who had been appointed to the See of Baltimore by John XXIII and had been elevated to the episcopacy by Pius XII in 1945.<br /><br />It is also interesting to note that Cardinal Stafford was elevated to the episcopacy by Paul VI in 1976.ben in denvernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26883902.post-44532980674670058902010-03-23T18:10:02.813-04:002010-03-23T18:10:02.813-04:00Thanks for your blessing, QR, and God bless Paul V...Thanks for your blessing, QR, and God bless Paul VI. Everybody should read <i>Humanae vitae</i> again and see that we was a prophet.<br /><br />Nevertheless, my questions aren't about blame so much as what attitudes, reflection, and action does the gospel demand of me.Brother Charleshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07780326836452864455noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26883902.post-52095932036667847302010-03-23T17:28:23.529-04:002010-03-23T17:28:23.529-04:00Father Charles, thanks for this slice of life from...Father Charles, thanks for this slice of life from your world. <br /><br />Kevin - I come from a family of 1st generation immigrants, and out of all of us (including the ones who were actualy born here) it's pretty much just me and 1 aunt who are practicing Catholics. The irony is I even have an aunt who is a nun, but who is not a practicing or believing Catholic. So, your experience is pretty typical. <br /><br />Sometimes I get full of rage at what has brought us to this point. Yes, we can place blame on society and changing morals and priorities following the 60's. But the sad reality is it is the church hierarchy under Pope Paul VI that is squarely to blame for the church's demise, and thus the demise of so many souls. May God have mercy on them for what they did. And may God bless those brave priests like Father Charles who are rebuilding our church.Qualis Rexnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26883902.post-14929758159829925822010-03-23T16:18:27.874-04:002010-03-23T16:18:27.874-04:00Kevin: I offer apology to your or anyone in your f...Kevin: I offer apology to your or anyone in your family who has ever felt beat up. A priest once apologized this way to me, and it was a big help to me, so I offer it for what it's worth.Brother Charleshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07780326836452864455noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26883902.post-50084675310670272832010-03-23T16:11:11.470-04:002010-03-23T16:11:11.470-04:00This is a fascinating series, thank you for writin...This is a fascinating series, thank you for writing it. I wonder if your boys and your young couple might have more in common that it appears on the surface. It seems that in many ways sacraments (especially marriage) are viewed by a good number of people as rites f passage for the comfortably middle class. I have to say that I think an important reason why the poor often don't marry is that they think it is too expensive, and that such parties are for those of a higher economic class.<br /><br />As far as the American mission field is concerned, it seems that there is an increasing awareness of just how much ground christendom has lost in our communities, but there is a long road ahead.ben in denvernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26883902.post-3950212426632083692010-03-23T16:00:01.158-04:002010-03-23T16:00:01.158-04:00Thank you for the post.
In relationship to the I...Thank you for the post. <br /><br />In relationship to the Irish Catholic couple you mention; that hit a nerve. I come from a large Irish Catholic family and out of a family of roughly 25-30 people that I know of in my family I am the only one who attends church anymore (and I have pretty much stopped going within the past month, with no plans to go back). The reasons for the breakdown in my family's Catholicity is very rarely discussed, but I think that there is a general alienation from the Church (even among people who would normally meet the stringent standards to be considered "good Catholics") and the feeling that the Church has become irrelvant or a place to go to if you want to be beat-up. <br /><br />I don't think that there are any simple answers, but I enjoy what you have written and look forward to your thoughts on mission.Kevin Fhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12018428110302687291noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26883902.post-49431619111268032952010-03-23T13:36:28.091-04:002010-03-23T13:36:28.091-04:00Very good questions.
I have begun to address the...Very good questions. <br /><br />I have begun to address the situation with Taming the Wolf a program in which practical aspects of faith - healing relationships - become the focus of an outreach. (see http://tamingthewolf.com)<br /><br />I dream that secular Franciscans take up the vocation in large numbers and we capture the charism of Francis as he went out into the world to bring the gospel message to people on a practical level.Author Greghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09251087160722264433noreply@blogger.com