As we approach the vote on FOCA and the March for Life, I wanted to take a moment for those of us in our Scranton Diocese to remember the good Bishop Martino has tried to do in response to the culture of death.
He has written and spoken about the need for Catholics to vote pro-life, he went so far as to show up unexpectedly at a parish forum during election time where the USCCB's "Faithful Citizenship" document was being touted as proof from the Catholic Church that it was ok to vote for Obama.
Our Shepherd has taken much heat, yes, but he also doled it out.
As he said last November at St. John's Church in Honesdale "There is one teacher in this diocese, and these points are not debateable..." And because of that, his staunch support of the unborn, regardless of what happens I will stand by his decisions in the diocese when it comes to Called to Holiness and Mission.
Many of you know I have been critical of the Bishop's efforts where Called to Holiness and Mission are concerned, believing that a return to tradition will fill our empty churches, but I also understand that all of these buildings standing by filled to 20% capacity is a strain on the resources of the diocese.
Hopefully, they can one day re-open, but for now, we all know in our hearts what must be done. It is a shame, yes, because we love these Church buildings where our grandparents were married, and where we were baptized, but love doesn't pay the bills.
We must be obediant and trust our shepherd, he is here to do what is best for us. He has tried to do his best for the unborn.
Most weren't listening.
Most all shouted back at him "Social justice! Social Justice!"
Please remember that social justice starts in the womb.
4 comments:
Nicely said.
I agree that Bishop Martino has been a courageous defender of the unborn in the diocese, as he should. But I'm still not sold on the necessity of the church closings. It isn't always a case of financial troubles. The recommendation for my home parish is to consolidate with at least two other parishes; all three are safely in the black. Of course, the other issue raised in these discussions is a lack of priests. But can we really justify a major downsizing of parishes based on projections? Will not God provide what we need? Once the buildings are closed, the chances of them reopening ever again is slim to none. If a strong Catholic culture was nurtured in each of our parishes - especially in terms of Sacred Liturgy - we wouldn't be having these problems.
Thanks Christian!
You know, Raphael, I'm not totally convinced either that we need to close churches. But it's not for us to decide. We can trust God will provide the priests we need in the diocese, but right now there are either two or three seminarians. And that number depends on whether or not one of them has dropped out again. Not very promising.
Of course, across Mother Church we see traditional seminaries full and diocesan seminaries vacant. Perhaps this is God's way of balancing things as they should be.
And I agree a strong Catholic culture is needed in our diocese and the church in general. We have lost so much of our Catholic identity in the last 40 years, and Catholics have been so poorly cathecized, that it may take generations to undo all the damage.
More of the fruits of Vatican II.
But in this time in history, we can either continue to raise questions, or we can get squarely behind our shepherd, pray for the Holy Spirit to guide him, and trust he is doing what is needed.
And that's what I intend to do.
Post a Comment