The Danger of Bringing Church Dogma to Catholic Schools

De LaSalle High School in Minneapolis, a Catholic high school,  is at the center of a controversy that magnifies the problem that Western Catholics are just beginning to realize:  We have at least two generations of Catholics who have no clue what the Church teaches, cannot support or defend the Church and are actually willing to attack their own Church to conform to the popular culture.


De LaSalle hosted an assembly where archdiocesan representatives presented the Church's position on marriage.  However, students took offense at several points made by the archdiocese.  Among the points that offended these :


1)  Being raised by two parents is generally better for children than being raised by one parent.


2)  Marriage is a sacrament that takes place between a man and a woman and excludes homosexual couples.


3)  Homosexuality is unnatural and disordered.


High school students, being what they are, spoke up for what they believed in, and in this case, they didn't believe in Catholic teaching.   It is painfully obvious that the messages of secular society resonate far more deeply with these kids than what the Church teaches.

Of course, this IS Minnesota, which has given us Walter Mondale, St. John's Abbey and a plethora of embarrassingly bad bishops throughout the 70's and 80's, so no one should be surprised that the students "formed" by a school in an archdiocese that is still cleaning itself up (thanks be to God and Archbishop Nienstedt).  But some of the remarks made by students and parents are so troubling that they cry out to be addressed, and address them I will.

•  Student Matt Bliss took offense at the "implication" that adopted kids are "less than kids with two parents of the opposite sex."

But that's not what they said.  Children with only one parent simply don't have the same level of opportunity that children with two parents have.  It wasn't a put-down.  It was a statement that recognized that two parents bring more to a child than one does.  Two complimentary personalities working together, under normal circumstances, cannot help but offer more to a child than one person.  The complimentary contributions of two parents of the opposite sex broaden the world view and the emotional space that a child lives in.  Many single people generously adopt children and they are to be commended for doing so.  That doesn't change the fact that the best scenario is a two-parent home.

•  Lydia Hannah, another student, took offense that homosexuality was compared with bestiality.

If we can put our emotions away for a few moments and look at the two "lifestyles" with cold rationality, homosexuality and bestiality are both disorders and perversions of the sex act.

The sex act is procreative and unitive.  It creates life and brings two people of the opposite sex closer together into "one flesh"--which becomes a literal fact when a new life is created. Homosexuality does not create new life.  It is focused on pleasure, not the self-giving of the marriage vocation.  Bestiality is what it is.  If homosexuality is "liberated" and becomes a societal norm, what is to stop us from moving "forward" and mainstreaming other deviations from the human norm such a polygamy, bestiality and pedophilia?  According to the terms of the modern liberal, to outlaw such sexualities would be an unjust violation of one's civil rights.

But what can one expect from students when their own parents feed them the gospel of anything goes?   Miss Hannah's father, Paul, said that he was "very proud" of his daughter and the other kids who spoke out against the diocese.  Which begs the question:  Why are parents like Mr. Hannah shelling out their hard-earned money for Catholic school tuition when they refuse to accept the Catholic Church's position on morality?

The Minnesota paper that ran the story also ran hundreds of comments from readers.  Again, this is Minnesota, so it is no surprise that the majority of comments support the dissenting students and denounce the diocese.  Among them are accusations of attempting to brainwash students and calls to stop supporting the Church financially.

Brainwashing?  Really?

If a married couple (or single parent--we musn't offend anyone who is the exception) sends their children to a Catholic school, isn't it reasonable to expect that such a school would actually TEACH the Catholic Church's position on moral issues?  As offensive as that may sound to the enlightened PBS donors of Minneapolis, I think it is safe to say that the students are not being brainwashed by the archdiocese.  The story itself makes it quite clear that they have developed a reactionary resistance to any message that contradicts a world view formed by a pop culture of celebrity spokespersons, MTV, crude movies and television and sexual licentiousness.  How could the Church possibly compete with all of these other forces?

The only way the Church could possibly compete for the hearts and minds of young people against such an overwhelming zeitgeist is by having parents willing to radically impart the faith in a completely sacrificial way and protect them from the REAL brainwashing that our culture of entertainment and self-seeking pleasure imparts.

If people disagree with the Church's position on homosexuality (or anything else) they are certainly free to withhold money.  However, I would suggest to any dissenting Catholics who think their financial blackmailing would work to consider this:  The Catholic Church has endured 2,000 years of persecution. Emperors, kings and dictators have all vowed to stamp out the Church and failed.  Corrupt bishops and priests have stained the Church's reputation and hurt it from within, but the Church stands unchanged in Her positions on eternal truths.  

Jesus Christ promised St. Peter that the gates of Hell would not prevail against His Church.  Angry social elites, homosexual lobbies and bureaucrats will not prevail against Her either.

As for the kids in this drama?  It's not their fault.  We can join Jesus this Holy Week in praying, "Forgive them Father, for they know not what they do."  And please pray for Archbishop Neinstadt too.  He has a long, hard road ahead of him and a lot of skulls full of mush to set straight.

FALL-GUY PRIESTS

It is an unfortunate fact that we live in an age when the priesthood is under assault like never before.  Nowhere is that assault more visible than in the culture war of homosexuality.


Homosexuals have made great gains in their quest of acceptance by using the courtroom and cloaking themselves in the mantle of Civil Rights.  However, mere acceptance is not enough.  Militant homosexuals will accept nothing less than unconditional approval from all sectors of society and will stop at nothing to destroy anyone who stands in their way.  There is apparently a three-pronged attack on the priesthood, orchestrated by militant homosexuals and almost transparent in its obviousness for those who take the trouble to look beyond the headlines.

PRONG #1:  INFILTRATE AND DISCREDIT 

THE PRIESTHOOD

It is hard to find any diocese in the United States that does not have a significant number of homosexual priests.  However, we must be careful not to assume a priest is homosexual simply because he is soft-spoken, effeminate or has "that look".  There are many effeminate men in this world who are perfectly normal in their sexual proclivities (think Brian Eno).

However, it cannot be denied that, generally, priests as a group are much more effeminate than they were two generations ago.  In his book, Goodbye Good Men, author Michael Rose documents well how dioceses and seminaries across the country have been dominated by homosexuals for at least two decades.  

Does this mean homosexuals are automatically bad people?  No.  What it means is that a homosexual priest is far less likely to freely teach what the Church teaches about human sexuality and other moral issues, because doing so would be a contradiction to his instincts (and, sometimes, lifestyle).  So to change the way the Church teaches, homosexuals have attempted to infiltrate and take over the priesthood.  They have been very effective.

PRONG #2:  USE THE SULLIED REPUTATION OF THE PRIESTHOOD TO ATTACK PRIESTS

The result of the infiltration of the priesthood has been a sexual abuse crisis the likes of which Christianity has never seen before.  The crisis, unearthed to the public at large in 2002, was so widespread that the USCCB commissioned a special study by the John Jay College of Criminal Justice.  After finding that the report did not tell them what they wanted to hear, its findings have been downplayed:  The majority of victims were adolescent males (translation:  The offending priests were homosexuals).

Thanks to the homosexual infiltration of the priesthood, we have spent billions of dollars in settlements, had the unprecedented event of states lifting the statute of limitations on sex abuse cases (only in cases involving the Catholic Church, of course) and a new class of attorneys making a career out of suing dioceses.

If that's not enough, now whenever there is any story of any controversy surrounding a priest or bishop, you can count on at least one letter to the editor that begins like this:

"What do you expect from a closeted Church run by a bunch of child molesters..."

PRONG #3:  USE THE "CIVIL RIGHTS" ARGUMENT 

TO DISCREDIT AND REMOVE PRIESTS 

WHO UPHOLD CHURCH TEACHING

Finally, now that the priesthood is under the cloud of suspicion that homosexuals themselves created for the Church, their final target is the true believers, the priests who refuse to be timid in their practice of teaching the Church and defending Her honor.  Thankfully, less than 2 percent of all ordained priests have been involved with sexual abuse and there are still priests among us who teach the dogmas of the faith without compromise.  As soon as a homosexual learns of one, the setup begins.  These priests have to go.  They not only have to go, they have to be disgraced as hate-filled bigots.  And it's not hard to do, since most Catholics have been lulled to sleep with candy-coated religion for almost four decades now.  Instead of defending these good priests, the average Catholic in the pew will join their voices with the Gay Lobby.  Which brings us to our first Fall-Guy Priest:

  Father Marcel Guarnizo

Father Guarnizo, as you probably know by now, officiated at a funeral Mass in the Archdiocese of Washington, D.C. last week, where he denied Communion to lesbian Barbara Johnson.  Johnson claims that Fr. Guarnizo refused her Communion after learning just before the service about her lesbian relationship with her partner.  However, it's not quite so simple as just a refusal of Holy Communion because of Johnson's sexual orientation.  Canonists and hair-splitters are denouncing Fr. Guarnizo's actions because they insist he did not properly apply Canon 915, specifically, he did not discuss her gravely sinful and public situation with her and give her ample opportunity to repent (and go to Confession).  In Barbara Johnson's case, true repentance would mean ending her lesbian "lifestyle" and no longer co-habitating with a  woman she publicly boasts of as her lover.  However, they were apparently not the only ones in the sacristy before Mass. A commenter on Deacon Greg Kandras' blog wrote this:

I happen to know “First hand” that Barbara went into the sacristy before the mass and introduced herself as a lesbian in an active lesbian relationship… introducing her partner as “her lover” (her words). She left the sacristy before Fr. could have the “private discussion” you talk about. Barbaras “Lover” blocked his way out of the sacristy when he attempted to speak with her further.

This testimony is also confirmed by Diego von Stauffenberg in a story at LifeSite News.


So it appears that Fr. Guarnizo was put in a very difficult position.  He made a "battlefield decision" to protect the Blessed Sacrament from being profaned and the results are obvious:  The Gay community is calling for his head.  If this woman was raised Catholic, then she surely knew that her lifestyle is a polar opposite of what is permitted by the Catholic Church.  Given her age, she may never have been taught that you must not receive Communion if you are in a state of mortal sin.  Instead she is throwing around words like "judgmental" and milking this for everything she can.  And it's worked.  Instead of defending their priest, The Archdiocese of Washington has already issued a public apology.  But Barbara Johnson is a mere pawn in a larger game.  The Gay community cannot stand it that priests like this are permitted to minister in the Catholic Church and they will not rest until these kind of priests are eliminated.  Don't be surprised if some sanction against Fr. Guarnizo follows.


UPDATE:  Sanctions have followed.  Fr. Guarnizo has been stripped of his faculties and placed on administrative leave.  And the enemies of the Church rejoice.

Father Louis Solcia, C.R.S.P.

Father Solcia has been an associate pastor at Our Lady of the Rosary Catholic Church in San Diego since 1992.  OLR is designated an Italian National Parish, which gives it some limited independence from the Diocese of San Diego and has been staffed by Barnabite (Clerks Regular of St. Paul) priests for many years.  Fr. Solcia himself has a reputation of not mincing words, and this has been noted by San Diego's Gay community, since he is one of very few priests in the diocese to denounce the annual Gay Pride festival.  

Their opportunity came in June of 2011 when prominent homosexual John Sanfilippo died.  His family had been members of the parish and the surviving members allegedly arranged for a funeral Mass at OLR.  However, the parish later informed the family that they could not permit a funeral Mass at the parish because of Sanfilippo's notoriety as an unrepentant homosexual.  The Gay community lost no time in running to the media to complain.  No fool he, Fr. Solcia told the congregation at one of his Masses later that week that the parish had been "set up".  And he was right.  However, this only fueled the fire, leaving the Diocese of San Diego trembling to appease the rage in its Gay community.  The appeasement came in the form of a funeral Mass held at the chapel of Holy Cross Catholic cemetery.  Fr. Solcia has been their target ever since, however, declining health has kept him out of the public eye.


The mainstream media neglected to mention more details about the funeral "refusal":  Sanfilippo was the owner of a popular gay bar and had divorced his wife years before.  While the gay media described him as a "devout" Catholic, he had not been active in OLR parish for years.  It was his gay lover, not his "family" who approached OLR for a funeral Mass.  He was not refused a Mass, but told that no Communion would be distributed to protect the Blessed Sacrament from being profaned.


And that's not a setup?

Father Joseph Baca

Father Joe Baca was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Fresno, California in 2001 after jumping around seminaries.  One seminary, St. John's in Camarillo, sent him away three times.  They didn't like his attitude.  He didn't like their lack of orthodoxy and open homosexuality.   After his ordination he served as an assistant at a few parishes before landing in St. Patrick's parish in Merced, California in 2003.  Fr. Baca's presence quickly separated the Catholics from the rest of the crowd.  He was drawing record numbers of people to his religious education classes and was the subject of critical letters to the diocese for his orthodox teaching and strict liturgical observances.


His pastor, Fr. Lastiri, was frequently away.  While Fr. Lastiri was on one of his trips in Tahiti, Fr. Baca raised the ire of the person who was really running the parish, administrator Jean Smith.  After Smith complained to Fr. Lastiri about  Fr. Baca, Fr. Lastiri wrote Bishop Steinbock, asking for Fr. Baca's dismissal because of his "anger problems".  Fr. Baca was removed and given no new assignment,  and instructed to attend a facility for anger management training.  


Two office workers in the parish quit the same week because of the way Smith had treated them and a large number of parishioners petitioned for the reinstatement of Fr. Baca, all to no avail.  At the same time, it was discoverd that Fr. Lastiri had been posting himself on a homosexual website for men, seeking out other men.  


Coincidence?


Fr. Lastiri took some "time off" and returned to parish work in 2005, and continues as a priest in good standing, wearing the mantle of popular respectability.


And Fr. Baca?


His path has not been so smooth.  Fr. Baca languished in ecclesiastical limbo until 2010, when he was given permission by Bishop Steinbock to serve as a visiting priest to the Missionary Diocese of Whitehorse, Yukon.  
UPDATE:  In May, Father Baca's 7 year exile ended when he was transferred to Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Planada, California.


It's always easy to blame the bishop for not supporting the priest in these cases, but Bishop Steinbock knew enough about his diocese to realize that the kind of priests he was stuck with would never welcome Fr. Baca back.  Fr. Baca visited Bishop Steinbock in the hospital before his death in 2010 and he told Fr. Baca that he had no choice but to suspend him, since there was no pastor in the diocese that would accept him.  Keep in mind, this is the same diocese that gave us Fr. Geoff Farrow, the homosexual priest who came out about his sexual identity and his support of homosexual marriage at a public Mass on Respect Life Sunday in 2008.

The prospects for the Diocese of Fresno may not be much better now, since their new bishop is Armando Ochoa, formerly the Bishop of El Paso.  Bishop Ochoa is one of many bishops whose career path was nurtured by Cardinal Mahony.  And, in case you've forgotten, Bishop Ochoa wasted no time in his handling of Fall-Guy Priest #4...

Father Michael Rodriguez

Fr. Rodriguez had two strikes against him in the first place:  He was devoted to Tradition with a capital T and took advantage of Summorum Pontificum's liberation of the Traditional Latin Mass as far as any priest could.  If that wasn't enough, he also became a very public voice in leading the opposition to El Paso politicians who supported homosexual marriage.  Not exactly the way to endear yourself to a protege of Cardinal Mahony.

In October of 2011, Bishop Ochoa transferred the popular priest from his thriving El Paso parish and sent him packing to an obscure little church four hours south in Big Bend country near the Mexican border.

If that wasn't enough, Bishop Ochoa is suing Fr. Rodriguez for allegedly mishandling finances.  For his part, Fr. Rodriguez insists that transfers are just a part of being a priest and he has accepted his new assignment with stoic indifference.  As for the lawsuit, Fr. Rodriguez says he has nothing to hide and is preparing to make a vigorous defense, should it make it to the courtroom.

Fr. James Haley

Father James Haley should be the poster boy for Fall Guy Priests.   Unfortunately, there is no picture available to put on the poster.

Fr. Haley had been bumped from parish to parish in the Diocese of Arlington, Virginia since his ordination in 1987.  It seems that everywhere he went, the underground homosexual  (and heterosexual) activity of unchaste priests made life increasingly difficult for him.  His previous Bishop, John Keating, sympathized but did nothing.  His succesor, Bishop Paul Loverde did do something, but not to any of the offending priests. 

He suspended Fr. Haley in 2001 and ordered him to remain silent about everything he knew.  Loverde, was further angered by Fr. Haley's testimony in a deposition against the diocese.  That was Fr. Haley's only breach of the bishop's order of silence and he has remained silent since.

Fr. Haley's whereabouts remain unknown.

Five Fall-Guy Priests, presented for your consideration.  Why does it seem like this is just the tip of the iceberg?


It would be easy to blame the homosexual movement for this attack, but they too are mere pawns in a greater game.  The real enemy is the same one who has been attacking the Church from the beginning.

  

What's Wrong With This Picture?

Yet more evidence of just how badly our bishops need our prayers:  

The Diocese of Little Rock is selling special photo packages of its movie-star bishop for all of his fans.

Fan club members have a choice of  the bishop's casual look:

or his formal look:

With all due respect to this bishop and the others, isn't this a bit much?  What next?

Next Post:

Altar Girl of the Year Beauty Contest

Fruitful Vocations: Habit Forming&Extinction: The Art of Ignoring the Obvious

The Nashville Dominicans:  It's Getting Kind of Crowded, Don't You Think?

It was surprising to discover that some people found my previous post offensive, since it was merely pointing out the obvious:  Habits worn by religious are a sign to the world.  Since 2002 we've read plenty about what priests can get away with when they're out of their clerics.  And since 1970, we've seen what happens to women's religious orders when they abandon their habits (and their original charisms):  vocational suicide.  

It doesn't take a genius to see that the lay-clad religious "communities" of women are liberating themselves into oblivion.  The same angry sisters who are insulted that the Vatican dares to investigate them should be far more concerned about something else:  They are an endangered species.  No, let me correct that.  THEY ARE A DOOMED SPECIES.  

There is no way that these orders can possibly survive so long as they persist in serving the false gods of feminism, community organizing, peace and justice, administration of non-profits, social work, union leadership, enneagram workshops, reiki, labyrinth-walking and the like.  

Catholics miss nuns who had the simple vocations of educating children, caring for the sick (no, not managing health plans), praying for priests, and being signs to the world of renunciation of vanity and riches for the riches of the Kingdom of Heaven.  

So why are habits so important?  Because they are a SIGN that a nun is following a traditional vocation just as the polyester pants suit is a sign that Sister Ralph isn't about to take orders from any male authority figure.

Here are a few photos of some women's religious groups.  You may notice some older ladies in the habited photos.  Thank goodness for their leadership.  What I was really looking for in my photo search was younger women among the habitless groups.  They just weren't there.  And if they are, there don't seem to be many who want their pictures taken, and certainly not enough to keep these orders going. 

Juxtaposed for your consideration:

The Children of Mary

The Poor Clares of Minneapolis

Benedictines of Mary, Queen of the Apostles, Kansas City, KS

Benedictine Nuns, Indiana

(keepers of the "business suit" habit)

Franciscan Sisters of Renewal, New York

Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet, New York

Servants of the Lord and Virgin of Matara

Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet, New York

Capuchin Sisters of Christ

Sisters of Mercy, Knoxville

(Are they nuns or lawyers?)

Handmaids of the Precious Blood

Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur

Little Sisters of the Lamb

Sisters of Loretto

The Sisters of Life

Sisters of St. Joseph of Orange

Adorers of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Sovereign Priest

Benedictine and Mercy Nuns combined

Dominican Nuns, Springfield, Illinois

 Nashville Dominicans

ANOTHER WAY TO BEAUTIFY THE CHURCHor10 REASONS NUNS SHOULD WEAR HABITS

Behold the Dominican nuns pictured above.   We cannot see their faces, but we are instantly attracted to and fascinated by them.  And we all know why.  IT'S THE HABITS.


Nuns wearing habits are beautiful, enchanting and wonderful.  They are a bold rebuke to a corrupt society hypnotized by its own vanity.  They are a mystery.  Those habits are an invitation to God.  They preach to us.  They say, "I have something deeper that gives my life meaning and I don't need or want all that other stuff."


And nuns in habits almost always look happy.  Very happy. 

If you've ever moved to a new parish and been surprised to find that the older woman in the polyester pants suit sitting near the front every week was really Sister Pat, welcome to the club.


Why do nuns need to see hair stylists?  Why must they suffer the indignities of scanning the selections at Lane Bryant and Woman's World?  Does it bespeak their vows of poverty when they have to find just the right earrings or necklaces?  Do nuns really need makeup?  Does it show fidelity to the Church when their clothing is a product of the same modern world that has given us bikinis, breast implants and birth control pills?  


Does it convince the laity that a woman has renounced all personal vanity when she has to look "smart"?  Can the average layperson believe this is a woman "set apart" for God when she looks like everyone else?


Oh, we've all heard the arguments against habits:  


Many of these nuns work in the world, and habits just won't fit in.  Nuns in habits are not "approachable".  We need to make sure that the laity can see that nuns are real people just like you and me.

BULLCOOKIES!

Of course nuns are real people!  Do you think those are martians in those habits?  There is no more approachable person you will find than a Catholic nun.  And, for the record, nuns are not "just like you and me."  They are ladies set apart, spouses to Our Savior, immersed in love and service.

Are you still not convinced?


All right then.  Here are 10 reasons why nuns should wear habits:

REASON ONE

Sister Joan Chittester

REASON TWO

Sister Jeanine Gramick

REASON THREE

Sister Patricia Cruise

REASON FOUR 

Sister Margaret Mary McBride

(Excommunicated)

UPDATE:  Excommunication Lifted

REASON FIVE

Sister Donna Quinn, OP

REASON SIX

Sister Camille D'Arienzo

REASON SEVEN

Sister Elizabeth Johnson

REASON EIGHT

Sister Carol Keehan

REASON NINE

Sister Barbara Reid, OP

REASON TEN

Sister Mary Ann Hinsdale

And for all you "But what about Vatican II?" folks:

"The religious habit, an outward mark of consecration to God, should be simple and modest, poor and at the same becoming. In addition it must meet the requirements of health and be suited to the circumstances of time and place and to the needs of the ministry involved. The habits of both men and women religious which do not conform to these norms must be changed."

-Perfectae Caritatis 

 Vatican II Decree on the Adaptation and Renewal of Religious Life 

The key word here is "changed".  It doesn't say "eliminated".

Do you know of any religious orders without habits that are "renewed"?  

Finally, just in case you've missed the obvious, there's an eleventh reason nuns should wear habits:  They look more feminine.  Definitely.

COMING SOON:

The Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet choose one of their own for a complete wardrobe update 

and makeover on TLC's 

What Not To Wear 

A little-known fact about the US Bishops:THEIR ATTORNEYS ARGUED ITNOW THEY WANT US TO FORGET IT

Did you know that the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has no power within the hierarchy of the Catholic Church to make policies?


Did you know that the USCCB has "no relationship" with the laity of the Church?


Yet that is exactly what their attorneys have proclaimed in court.


In a 1996 lawsuit filed by clients who were abused by three Dallas priests, the National Conference of Catholic Bishops (NCCB, which later became the USCCB) was named as a defendant, accused of engaging in a decades-long conspiracy to protect known sexual abusers.


Water under the bridge you say?  


You could be right, but it is instructive to understand why the bishop's attorneys made these assertions.  The attorney for the victims, Sylvia Demarest, said this:

"...in their legal papers, they say lay Catholics are 'strangers to the Bishops' conference,' and since the conference had no relationship with them, there was no duty to protect them, even from known danger.

"What lay Catholics need to know is that the Catholic bishops of the United States are telling a judge that they are not the shepherds of the Catholic flock, and they have no duty to protect them from a danger they knew about and, in fact, they created."

If you find this legalese employed by the NCCB to cover their backsides as despicable as I do, good.  You still have a moral compass.   


If you agree with the arguments of the bishops attorneys, bad.  You have forgotten what it means to be Catholic.


Your bishop IS your shepherd, regardless of what any attorney says.  There is one Judge who cannot be bought or bribed and when we appear before him, there will be no attorneys collecting any fees.


But let's go back to the USCCB (formerly the NCCB).  As a body, they DO NOT have quite the authority many of them would have us believe.


They do not have the power or authority to contradict the pope.


They do not have the right to subvert or violate canon law.


Their endless policy statements on topics as diverse as the economy, poverty, immigration, ecumenism, the environment and voting are condescending, tedentious and just plain irrelevant.  This is the same conference that cannot find the moral backbone to warn voters against specific candidates who are clearly pro-abortion and refuse to to stand up as a body to pro-abortion "Catholic" politicians.


So, if these bishops, as a body,  have no authority over us and if they have no relationship with the laity, why are they wasting our collection dollars to hire consulting firms and fly to semi-annual meetings at five-star hotels to make decisions that should have no bearing on us (by their own attorney's admission)?


Why indeed!  But that's the USCCB.


Now, back to YOUR BISHOP.


He DOES have authority.  He IS your shepherd.


Some of us have terrific bishops.  Many of us have so-so bishops.  Some of us have terrible bishops.  A lot of us can't tell what kind of bishop is running our particular diocese.


St. John Chrysostom warned us that the floor of Hell is paved with the skulls of bishops.  But it is too easy for us to blame the ills of our Church on the bishops and turn the TV back on.  We have a responsibility to our Church.  As your shepherd, your bishop deserves your prayers, regardless of what kind of bishop he is.  If he is one of the bad ones, it might just be that your prayers could save him from paving Hell with his skull.  


If you really think your bishop's skull is destined for the walkways of Hell, pray, pray, pray.  You don't want to find yourself stepping on it.