Bishop’s visits inspire John Knox residents

NORTH TAMPA –

As the spiritual leader of 450,000 Catholics in West Central Florida, Bishop Robert Lynch leads a Mass like few others in the Tampa area.

His appearance can pack assembly halls with adoring parishioners, turning routine worship services into special occasions.

Lynch is admired for his teachings, adherence to Catholic principles, and concern and care for his flock, especially the sick and elderly.

“The bishop is quite understanding on the condition of aging,” said Claudia Behr, a seven-year resident at St. Joseph’s John Knox Village, 4100 E. Fletcher Ave.

As the cantor for Catholic services at the retirement center, Behr draws inspiration to sing her best when Lynch is in attendance.

Such was the case April 25 when the bishop led a special Mass of the anointing of the sick and elderly at John Knox. His visit drew about 150 residents, staff members and student volunteers, who filled the center’s Crystal Dining Room.

John Knox Village in Tampa and Bon Secour Maria Manor in St. Petersburg are the two area retirement health care centers most closely associated with the Diocese of St. Petersburg, said Frank Murphy, director of communications for the Catholic diocese spanning Hillsborough, Pinellas, Pasco, Hernando and Citrus counties. Lynch tries to visit both centers at least twice a year to connect with the residents.

As a retirement center with Protestant and Catholic residents, John Knox Village opens its doors daily to a host of preachers and spiritual leaders. But perhaps none has the appeal among the residents and employees as the leader of the Tampa area’s Roman Catholic Church.

* * * * *

Since his installment as bishop in 1996, Lynch has made ministering to the sick, elderly, poor and imprisoned a priority, Murphy said. He regularly visits county jails and prisons during the holiday season.

He strives to bring hope, encouragement and prayer to people in poor health or with other frailties.

Lynch, who is based in St. Petersburg, enjoys his trips to the retirement center in North Tampa and is willing to stop by “whenever I’m invited,” he said.

“I think it gives our senior citizens hope,” Lynch said. “They connect very well with the bishop.”

The Mass of anointing and sacrament paying tribute to the sick and elderly at John Knox is held a few times a year.

The bishop’s most recent visit attracted several priests, who assisted him in carrying out the Mass. The rites included the receiving of Holy Communion and Lynch and the priests conducting a special blessing of the hands.

The audience was sprinkled with many residents in wheelchairs from the village’s medical center and nursing home. They were joined by members of Jesuit High School Key Club, who serve as center volunteers; and Isaac Mallah, president and chief executive officer of St. Joseph’s-Baptist Health Care, a five-hospital health care system with locations in Tampa and Plant City.

The rituals traditionally are performed by Monsignor Austin Mullen and the Rev. Robert Schindler, two retired priests who live at John Knox. They were among eight priests who participated in the Mass.

“It’s not always a physical healing,” said Behr, the cantor who leads congregational singing at Catholic Mass at John Knox. “It is quite often a spiritual, mental and emotional Mass to help us cope with the process of aging.”

The bishop embraced residents, staff members and volunteers at the hour-long service. He delivered a message of faith and caring, and offered guidance on living a Christ-centered life.

Sister Marie Celeste Sullivan, a John Knox Village resident who has known Lynch nearly 20 years, considered it a privilege to see him again.

“It’s wonderful for the people who are [shut-in], too,” said Sullivan, who served 30 years as administrator at St. Joseph’s Hospital on West Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. “There is something about being confined that is hard” to handle.

Caroline North, the marketing director at John Knox, found solace in the bishop’s words. She said she cherishes the relationship he has formed with residents and staffers at the center.

“We are a Catholic institution,” North said. “A lot of our residents select us because of our Catholic affiliation.

“The bishop comes out to anoint the sick as well as the employees, because we are the caregivers.”

Lisa Lyons, John Knox’s executive director, said Lynch’s visits help fortify her faith.

“It’s the essence of who we are,” Lyons said. “The bishop has a great rapport with the seniors. I wanted to make sure they had an opportunity to be with him.”

Loyola Institute for Ministry holds virtual open house, webinar on spirituality

The Loyola Institute for Ministry, in cooperation with the Archdiocese of New Orleans, is hosting the free webinar, “The Roman Missal: A Look at the New Translation,” on Tuesday, May 15 at 8 p.m. The presentation, by the Rev. Stephen Sauer, S.J., pastor of the Jesuit Church of the Immaculate Conception in New Orleans, is dedicated to providing a deeper understanding of the recent changes to the language of the Roman Catholic mass.

LIM will also host a virtual open house on Wednesday, May 16 at 8 p.m. and provide information on Loyola’s online graduate program in religious education and pastoral studies. For details on the webinar and open house, visit the LIM website.

LIM offers both Master of Religious Education and Master of Pastoral Studies degrees, which are 36-credit hour degree programs designed to be taken completely online.

The Loyola Institute for Ministry responds to the needs of ministry and education personnel who have limited access to Catholic educational resources. Focus areas include Christian spirituality for pastoral ministers, pastoral life and administration, youth ministry, Hispanic ministry, religion and ecology, marketplace ministry and small Christian community formation.

For more information about LIM and the information session, contact Eileen Hooper Chapoton at 504-865-2109 or email her at chapoton@loyno.edu.

Change afoot at Most Holy Redeemer

View Comments     Email Article
     
Printable Version

Published: May 7, 2012

Fr. Steve Meriwether replaced as pastor at renegade San Francisco parish

Fr. Steve Meriwether is being replaced as pastor at San Francisco’s notoriously “gay-friendly” Most Holy Redeemer Church.

Fr. Meriwether, whose pastorate began in 2004, had been reappointed to serve a second six-year term in 2010. No reason was given for his early departure in a two-paragraph story announcing the change in the May 4 issue of Catholic San Francisco. The archdiocesan newspaper did not say where or if Fr. Meriwether was being reassigned or whether he left his position for other reasons.

Fr. Brian Costello, currently serving as pastor of San Francisco’s Star of the Sea Church, will replace Fr. Meriwether effective July 1, according to Catholic San Francisco.

Whether the change will result in a different direction for the renegade parish remains to be seen, especially since the selection of pastors for Most Holy Redeemer appears to be handled differently than in other parishes.

Fr. Meriwether is the third pastor (plus one administrator) to serve at the parish since 1982. On page 27 of Fr. Donal Godfrey’s Gays and Grays: the Story of Most Holy Redeemer Catholic Church, Fr. Godfrey reports a 1982 discussion regarding a new pastor for the parish. He quotes Deacon Laurence Rolle, then serving at MHR:

“‘They came from the chancery, the personnel board, to ask questions, to see whom to send. We have to replace Fr. Moriarity, they said; ‘What kind of pastor do we need in this parish?’ I said, ‘The parish is gradually becoming more gay. These are the demographics of the area. This needs to be thought about in making this decision.’ There was absolute stone-dead silence in the room… and the meeting went on to another point… Fortunately, Archbishop John Quinn was well aware the question needed to be asked, and chose a man who turned out to be especially suited to the new sociological profile of the parish. Under Father Anthony McGuire — ‘Fr. Tony — the parish was reborn… Anthony McGuire became the ninth pastor of Most Holy Redeemer parish in 1982.”

On page 48 of Gays and Grays, Fr. Godfrey confirms the suspicion that parishioners at Most Holy Redeemer seem to have played a larger than usual role in the selection of their pastors. He quotes Fr. Randy Calvo (now Bishop of Reno), who served at MHR: “One of the first encounters I had was with Jim Stultz, President of the parish council at the time. He came to me and said I’d like to interview you before you get to the parish… I remember one thing he talked about. He criticized someone who gave a homily at MHR bashing people for going to the gay baths, and all that.”

It was during Fr. McGuire’s pastorate that the transformation of MHR to an openly gay parish began. In 1990, Fr. McGuire was replaced by Fr. Zachary Shore, who served until 2002. It was during Fr. Shore’s pastorate that s/m leather groups were first documented to be meeting in the parish hall, and an open “leatherman,” Patrick Mulcahey, served as vice-president of the pastoral council. It was also during Fr. Shore’s pastorate that the church began to participate collectively in San Francisco’s ‘Gay Pride’ parade.

Here is a passage from page 112 of Gays and Grays regarding participation in the ‘gay pride’ parade: “But it was a first for a Catholic parish in San Francisco. Parishioners who marched were unsure what to expect, some expected the worst, but found themselves moved by the overwhelming response of the crowd. Since 1998, taking part in the Pride Parade has become an MHR tradition. Shore’s semi-tacit sanctioning of a parish presence in the parade lent the Church’s legitimacy to this event of the gay community…”

Fr. Edward Phelan replaced Fr. Shore, serving as parish administrator from 2002-2004. In August 2003, the San Francisco Faith reported that Fr. Phelan participated in the 2003 “Gay Pride” parade.

In 2004, Fr. Meriwether took over. Readers of CalCatholic are familiar with Fr. Meriwether’s pastorate: the hosting of obscene bingo by the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, the blessing of parishioners on their way to the Gay Pride Parade, the hosting of drag shows, of leather s/m groups, of anti-Catholic speakers, the presence of openly same-sex “married” persons and open “leathermen” serving in liturgical ministries.

MHR’s new pastor, Fr. Costello, has previously complimented the renegade parish in the Castro. In the August 16, 2009 parish bulletin of Mater Dolorosa Church in South San Francisco, where Fr. Costello was then serving as pastor, Fr. Costello reproduced a letter that had been published in the Most Holy Redeemer bulletin the previous week.

The letter was by a person from Southern California who had been visiting San Francisco for “Pride weekend.” Fr. Costello thought it “a wonderful letter” and noted, “I hope what was said about Most Holy Redeemer can also be said about Mater Dolorosa as well.”

Here is part of the letter:

“My daughter and I were visiting from southern California last weekend (pride weekend). I am a cradle Catholic and belong to a wonderful church in Yorba Linda: St. Martin de Porres. I just wanted you to know what a wonderful experience we had in your church. Although we goofed up the time and came late to Mass, we were made to feel welcome by the friendly greeter at the door who showed us where to enter and not feel disruptive. Three separate people came up to us and spoke to us, welcomed us, invited us to fellowship downstairs after Mass. The beautiful feeling of inclusion and spiritual peace is palpable in your church. The music was incredible. Singing “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” in church is something I will never forget….”

---

Posted Monday, May 07, 2012 6:03 AM By JLS

If the diocese ghettoizes the gay (gayttoizes them), then they won’t be bothering people at other parishes.

---

Posted Monday, May 07, 2012 6:24 AM By JMJ

Once again: misusing the word gay as if it was the right word to be using for such a disgusting type of sexual behavior. Too bad your parents didn’t put the tag of Gay somehow in your name: Gail, Gayle, Gaylord, etc.. I bet you wouldn’t like it when someone insults you in this manner. Very sinful. +JMJ+

---

Posted Monday, May 07, 2012 6:26 AM By Ross

somewhere over the rainbow??!! Hilarious!!

---

Posted Monday, May 07, 2012 6:29 AM By Loraine

I would like to urge every concerned Catholic to Please go to www dot sanfrancisco hyphen catholic dot com and educate yourselves to the scandalous activities and events which have been allowed at MHR, I would like to note that most of the scandals at MHR have been during Archbishop Niederauer’s leadership of the diocese and that his office is aware of the scandals. I for one have called two or three times and left messages for his Excellency expressing my concern and digust as to what has been allowed at MHR. I have also directed his staff, a secretary and Maurice Healy, to the website I noted at the top of this comment. I think it would be very helpful if California Catholic Daily would include the reference this website and include a link with every article regarding MHR or any pro homosexual scandal in the SF Diocese.

---

Posted Monday, May 07, 2012 6:37 AM By St. Christopher

This is certainly precious — “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” sung in at a Catholic Mass. No wonder that so few people, including clergy, have any idea what it means to be Catholic. Of course, the Church leaders are mostly at fault here, for permitting this level of insanity to happen. The new pastor described as likely been vetted by homosexual leadership to confirm that he too is lost, and will therefore be acceptable to them. What MHR and the Archdiocese of SF need is to shut down the Diocese and engage all clergy in a cram course of theology and effective outreach to those outside the Catholic Church, including any having sex outside of heterosexual marriage. Parishioners at MHR, and throughout SF, are at risk with such scandalous administration. Where is the USCCB and the Vatican in all of this? Look at the intensity of the opposition to Tradition, to groups like the SSPX and others that wish only to worship consistent with the Church’s teachings throughout the centuries. Many bishops and clergy, including outside of CA, see MHR as more of a model parish, than a grave problem. With a world-wide schism — see Austrian and German clergy in this regard — all but certain, the Pope needs to draw a clear line in the sand and let the Holy Ghost bring His cleansing fire to the Church.

---

Posted Monday, May 07, 2012 6:42 AM By Daniel

Homosexuality is defined by sex. Heterosexuality is defined by God.

---

Posted Monday, May 07, 2012 6:43 AM By John

We were so pleased when at the end of Mass on Sunday we sang,
‘I Left My Heart In San Francisco”. Maybe next week at the end of Mass we can sing a more traditional song like, “Take Me Out To The Ballgame”. It will bring a tear to your eye.

---

Posted Monday, May 07, 2012 6:55 AM By Shar

The Pope has stated that the Church is about to become a lot smaller, let it begin….. God Bless America…

---

Posted Monday, May 07, 2012 6:56 AM By jp

Wow, hope he brings lots of rosaries and purell.

---

Posted Monday, May 07, 2012 7:07 AM By Sue

Am I missing something? Where’s the big change? Sounds like more of the same perverse abuse of the sacred liturgy. May God send them some real help.

---

Posted Monday, May 07, 2012 7:07 AM By Juergensen

The song remains the same.

---

Posted Monday, May 07, 2012 7:18 AM By AnnAsher

Really? Somewhere Over the Rainbow ? How utterly cliche’. This “parish” is disturbing. How does Rome allow it?

---

Posted Monday, May 07, 2012 7:46 AM By Al Janson

Gay people have a right to attend mass but should also be informed that if they are active sexually that it is sinful and should not receive communion. I do not think it is wise to let groups of gay people basically take over or participate in majority in the council, etc. The pastor should emphatically make known the position of the Church and not go with the flow.

---

Posted Monday, May 07, 2012 7:47 AM By CalWalkr

It’s all about being “Pastorial”… God calls on all of us to reach out to all of His people. If we bar the GLBT community from our parishes we will never be able to bring them (and all of us as well) closer to God. We should not condone the over the top, in your face antics of the extremes but we should always be welcoming to those in search of God’s love and welcoming embrace. If the best way to accomplish that is to have one or two parishes that openly welcome gays and lesbians then good for those who who are doing the outreach. The rest of us need to “get over it” and support/applaud them for their pastorial commitment.

---

Posted Monday, May 07, 2012 7:48 AM By Elizabeth

PLEASE everyone, pray for a new Archbishop who is
orthodox and will do a ‘major house cleaning’ at MHR
and throughout the archdiocese.

---

Posted Monday, May 07, 2012 8:10 AM By MacDonald

Father Brian Costello is, thank God, very Catholic, and will have no Gay Pride Parade nonsense or anything of the sort. The thing he praised was about HOSPITALITY, for which he is famous. He’s down to earth, not hateful, about as gay as the Holy Father, and believes in traditional, healthy Catholic stuff — he even introduced the Traditional Latin Mass to his former parish, Mater Dolorosa in South San Francisco. I will pray for him very much in this new assignment, which probably no OTHER priest in the Archdiocese of San Francisco would be willing to take on, given the problems. However, Father Costello is an obedient solider of the Church and will do his best. PLEASE EVERYONE PRAY FOR HIM, as this is not going to be easy!!!

---

Posted Monday, May 07, 2012 8:17 AM By max

Singing “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” in church is something I will never forget….” GOOD GRIEF!!! whhatever happened to church music, instead of show tunes??? this new priest needs to set some paramenters for his new flock so they don’t look like goofballs to the rest of the catholkic world!!!

---

Posted Monday, May 07, 2012 8:29 AM By Patrick

One does not have to be hateful to realize that practicing any sex outside marriage is wrong and against God’s Law. The song, “Somewhere Over the Rainbow,” is certainly not Catholic and violates the liturgical rules, few as they might be, of the Church.

---

Posted Monday, May 07, 2012 8:31 AM By M. Gamache

I sounds like a lot of people who belong to this Church are not Catholic. I hope this new priest knows how to teach. Looks like some of these people have bought the lie and have got away with doing things their way insted of Gods way. May God have Mercy on them. May God have Mercy on the pour priest.

---

Posted Monday, May 07, 2012 8:33 AM By Laurette Elsberry

Why is the letter from the Yorba Linda resident printed here? This is undoubtedly a PFLAGer (Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays) attending the sodomite weekend called “Gay Pride”. Of course he is excited about he and his daughter being affirmed at MHR church. How better to be confirmed in your sin than by having the Catholic Church let you wallow in it! And for those of you who aren’t aware, “Over the Rainbow” is one of the sodomite movement’s anthems…….. I doubt if anything will change at Most Holy Redeemer. There is no will to confront the problem head on. The Catholic Church in California has been taken over by the “social justice” crowd who see “gay rights” as something to protect and foster. Is that how Jesus sees it?

---

Posted Monday, May 07, 2012 8:40 AM By Deacon Don B

This is an abomination before God! And the blames lies on the shoulders of Archbishop John Quinn who is supposed to be the shepherd of the flock. Unfortunately he has allowed this and Nancy Polosi to continue to make a mockery of the Eucharist and the Church by not excommunicating her for her defiance of Church teaching that brings scandal to the Church with her promoting the murder of innocent children in the womb and the abomination of what has happened at Most Holy Redeemer Church.

---

Posted Monday, May 07, 2012 8:43 AM By Carolyn

Forgive them, Lord, for they know not what they do.

---

Posted Monday, May 07, 2012 8:44 AM By Chris

Thanks to CalWalkr for reminding us all that we are all God’s people and that the only way to God is through His Son. Our priest’s are walking in Christ’s sandals, doing His work and need our support, not cheap shots.

---

Posted Monday, May 07, 2012 9:05 AM By Jacqueline

May Our Lord remove the smoke that has entered the church….Please forgive them for they know not what they do and if they do know, please change them for the end is very near. I pray this prayer in the name above all others, Jesus, for the gay community throughout this nation and for the clergy who approve of their ongoing lifestyle. May they all be converted before it is too late. Amen.

---

Posted Monday, May 07, 2012 9:08 AM By lisag

There is going to be a “holy war” at this parish if any major changes take place. The gay rights activists would love it too. After all of these years they will not just pack up and go away or say, “your right I must change”. This could be a huge problem for the diocese. I can see national headlines, church encampments, desecration and bombastic speeches. Whoever takes over will need to be a saint in the making to endure the righting of all of the wrongs.

---

Posted Monday, May 07, 2012 9:17 AM By Life Lady

Wow it sounds as if the faintest line has been drawn in the sand and that the new pastor will need a lot of prayer to overcome the indulgent administration of previous pastors. The person selecting the music for Mass needs a lesson or two in what is proper for that and then everyone needs to take a deep breath, say a prayer and then begin the long trek back to the Truth about the burden of sins of the flesh which are most offensive to God and to the persons who suffer under that oppression. None of us must forget that every person created by God is worthy of our prayers and patience if they turn from sin. If they decide to remain in their sin they still need prayer. God listens no matter the outcome. We never know what good we do with prayer.

---

Posted Monday, May 07, 2012 9:27 AM By Karen Ryan

Wow, I still can’t believe how far homosexuals have come in the Catholic Church, not through God’s plan, but through man’s. I will pray for these people because when they die they will be quite surprised who will be greeting them. Not God, but satan and his minions. Life is but a short time, but eternity is forever I would tell my students. These people think they are getting everything they want on earth, but watch out eternity, there is a special place in hell for you.

---

Posted Monday, May 07, 2012 9:34 AM By Bud

Next will be the “blessing of the baths”!!! What are we complaining about if everyone from the bishops on up seem to believe this is an “ex cathedra” decision and must be accepted as a matter of faith! I’m tired of the silence especially the belief that each bishop is so totally independent of the real truths that we supposedly must follow.

---

Posted Monday, May 07, 2012 9:35 AM By love

The situation seems dire in san fran. But before we judge too harshly let us look at the states of our own lives. We may be surprised that a gay person with good intentions makes it into heaven faster than us. Just saying lets not be too self righteous.

---

Posted Monday, May 07, 2012 10:03 AM By Michael

There is certainly a great deal of self-righteous anger in these posts. I would only ask that people remember our Lord’s response to those who wanted to stone the woman who was caught in adultery. How many posters to this sight are themselves without sin? They should also remember they are not the Church “police”, responsible for keeping us on the right path. I trust the Holy Spirit to do that.

---

Posted Monday, May 07, 2012 10:04 AM By Curtis

I am disturbed by the hatred expressed in these comments. Certainly obsessive condemnation of our fellow man cannot be a Christlike expression of love. When our judgement of others defines our religious practice it is we that our “lost” and have truly lost sight of Christ’s message.

---

Posted Monday, May 07, 2012 10:24 AM By WhereIsLove?

Wow. The comments on here really make me embarrassed to be Catholic. Which of you that have said such horribly judgmental things are without sin? I guess you’ve fed your share of hungry people, clothed as many people as you can and healed all of the sick in the world and have nothing better to do than gossip and judge people you don’t know the first thing about.

I’ll pray for all of you. Much love, to my fellow Catholics.

---

Posted Monday, May 07, 2012 10:43 AM By SNoel

I feel sorry for any priest that has to pastor this parish. Maybe the best course of action should be to close MHR.

---

Posted Monday, May 07, 2012 11:01 AM By MD

If I were pastor of this parish I would not only allow them, but would encourage them to march in the pride parade, but with signs about abstinence, purity and repentance. Maybe the new pastor will share the truth about human sexuality with all the men and women who have bought into the lies of our culture of death. Lets pray for him. God Love You.

---

Posted Monday, May 07, 2012 11:05 AM By Rod

Why not excommunicate everyone at MHR? It would be so much simpler. Then True Catholics® from the neighborhood can attend. Oh, wait… there would be no one left, because it’s a GAY neighborhood.
Some folks here seem to forget that the Church’s mission is to Minister to the Community. Each community has its own unique needs, and MHR has found its niche. It might not be right for Topeka, but then a church from Topeka would be uncomfortable in San Francisco’s Castro district.

---

Posted Monday, May 07, 2012 11:25 AM By Diane B

I don’t get it: the place for people who think differently from the Magisterium is the protestant church. They welcome self-revelation. The Catholic Church is “apostolic,” teaching not only what Jesus taught, but also the well-informed disciples. The church has worked to uphold all the teachings since Jesus Christ walked and preached on this earth, including those of the disciples. Like it or not, they taught that the homosexual lifestyle is condemned by God. It’s the sexual revolution that embraced every kind of sex. Are we going to live our lives based on the impact of the chemicals found in a pill??

---

Posted Monday, May 07, 2012 11:33 AM By Elsie

It saddens me to see that we confuse “tolerance” with true Christian love. If I truly love my brother or sister, I would want for them to go to heaven. To encourage anyone to continue on a path that is condemned by God, is not loving @ all, but actually apathy disguised as love. Let us love our homosexual brothers sisters enough to encourage them to lead a chaste lifestyle. They have a tough cross to bear the Lord will help them with it if they ask Him to.We need to pray for this parish for all those who bear this terrible cross.

---

Posted Monday, May 07, 2012 11:47 AM By Fr Bill

There is a place for those who actively practice homosex. It is the Confessional.

---

Posted Monday, May 07, 2012 12:00 PM By Bakersfield Crusader

An empty but orthodox Most Holy Redeemer Church is better than a half-empty by heterodox Most Holy Redeemer Church. Maybe someone will get a clue that the church is there to help them resist the temptation to act out their homosexual impulses.

---

Posted Monday, May 07, 2012 12:01 PM By Marty

More of the fruits of Vatican II. We need a schism. Let those who won’t serve leave, like all the rest of the Protestants.

---

Posted Monday, May 07, 2012 12:09 PM By Concerned

Everyone please remember that most of these poor gay people were raped as children and are not intentionally emotionally damaged. You who have had the pleasure of leading a normal sexual life and were not shunned, rejected and bullied could take a compassionate view of these hurting people and kindly redirect them toward God’s standards. Harsh condemnation will not heal a traumatized person, patience and gentleness will.

---

Posted Monday, May 07, 2012 12:09 PM By cpatt

First off the Pope, nor the Catholic Church hates the homosexual person. They dispise the sin, not the sinner. Secondly, I will pray for this priest. He needs all the help he can get. He can accept the people, but not condone the actions of the parishoners. I am sorry that the gay community has corrupted MHR, but God’s mercy will prevail.

---

Posted Monday, May 07, 2012 12:16 PM By JMJ

Bishops are accountable to God for the faithful in their charge and the clergy in their obedience to him as their leader and father-figure.

Jesus is the heart and soul and substance of the holy Catholic Mass, no other can take his place. The faithful know this, the faithful want only this, nothing else will do.

Return the holy Mass to the worship of Christ, and his priests to his service.

---

Posted Monday, May 07, 2012 12:18 PM By gilad

I wish every parish made us feel welcomed! Now, arriving to Mass late, does anyone look at there watches anymore?

---

Posted Monday, May 07, 2012 12:21 PM By Blessed

Seriously where is the Vatican. I can feel and see Jesus crying over this church The Most Holy Redeemer. What a blasphemy! These priest should be removed and the church closed until exactly a purifying can be done and a re-consecration of this church to the true faith. THIS IS HOW THE ADVERSARY ENTERS OUR CHURCH.

---

Posted Monday, May 07, 2012 12:24 PM By Sawyer

Admonishing the sinner and instructing the ignorant are spiritual works of mercy. Remember that when small-”c” “c”atholics such as those who posted between 10:00 and 10:30 this morning attempt to shame you into being reluctant to evangelize.

---

Posted Monday, May 07, 2012 12:25 PM By Juergensen

The sodomites are minions of Satan and they have infiltrated the Church. I am convinced this is what Pope Paul VI was referring to when he said “da qualche fessura sia entrato il fumo di Satana nel tempio di Dio” (“through a fissure the smoke of Satan has entered the temple of God”). Omelia di Paolo VI, June 29, 1972.

---

Posted Monday, May 07, 2012 1:04 PM By Rick DeLano

@ MacDonald re:Monday, May 07, 2012 8:10 AM: Thank you very much for this. I will immediately add Fr. Costello to my daily rosary intention, and also offer a communion for him soon.

---

Posted Monday, May 07, 2012 1:07 PM By Maureen W.

Jesus Christ is Lord. Jesus Christ is Lord. Jesus Christ is Lord. Jesus Christ is Lord. Jesus Christ is Lord. Jesus Christ if Lord. Jesus Christ is Lord. Jesus Chris is Lord.

---

Posted Monday, May 07, 2012 1:18 PM By Len


Just to give some insight into a few things, I have visited the St. Martin De Pores Church in Yorba Linda, Ca, and I could see why the visitor to the Church in the article was to her liking. The songs are largely protestant-style/folky, there’s way too much chitchat before/during/after Mass, and it lacks all the quiet reverence that you would normally get from a traditionally Catholic Church. Very typically modern, with people also dressing less appropriately too. The Orange County Diocese has VERY few Churches with a more trad Mass(except for the Abbey-Thanks Be To God). So, based on this, I can see why the woman mentioned enjoyed the San Fran Church.

---

Posted Monday, May 07, 2012 1:28 PM By Peter K

This must be what the Apostles called “the Synagogue of Satan”

© California Catholic Daily 2012. All Rights Reserved.

Richard Roxas Smith–the Filipino Rick Riordan

Richard Roxas Smith has not started a popular book series like Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson stories which are now being made into movies. And, while Riordan had the training to go into book writing, having been a teacher of English and history, Smith is a personal trainer.

He was, in fact, one of the Philippines’ first personal trainers, way before people became obsessed with fitness, and was the first Filipino manager for an international chain of health clubs (Clark Hatch), even writing the column “The Fitness Edge” for the defunct Manila Chronicle.

(Yes, despite the very foreign-sounding name, Smith is Filipino, his family having lived in the Philippines for over a century, since his paternal great-grandfather landed on the country’s shores as one of over 700 Thomasites, Americans who were brought here on the SS Thomas, from where they got their name, to set up a public-school system.)

But the Filipino with the American name has one thing in common with Riordan—they both turned fictional bedtime stories they told their kids into published works for other youngsters to enjoy.

Riordan, the father of two boys, developed the “Percy Jackson” series which started with “The Lightning Thief,” as a bedtime story for his oldest son. Smith similarly decided to try writing and illustrating a children’s book after noticing his kids enjoyed the bedtime stories he made up for them.

“I was also inspired by Maurice Sendak, Caldecott-winning author-illustrator of ‘Where the Wild Things Are.’ I wanted to try both writing and illustrating, as he did, resulting in my first children’s book, ‘Amelia’s Angel,’ which to my surprise was one of three finalists in the Best Children’s Short Story category of the 2011 Catholic Mass Media Awards (CMMA).”

Tragic start

Like most children’s stories, Smith’s tales are positive—full of hope and with de rigueur happy endings. It is hard to imagine that his book-writing career was launched by a tragedy.

“My first book was actually borne out of the harrowing experience of losing my first son a few days after his seventh birthday to a still unknown disease. I decided to write about the loss to provide a ‘companion’ in book form for other parents similarly experiencing such an unusual journey of grief.”

The book, “A Rainbow of Peace,” was published in 2003 by St. Paul’s Publishing, through Fr. Domie de Guzman.

It took almost a decade before Smith wrote his second book. The author, who has four other children with his Italian-Filipino wife, says he decided to develop his own bedtime stories rather than just read published materials, because he thought his kids would enjoy them more.

He also feels that materials for children in modern media, like cartoons, have few moral lessons. As for traditional stories, he finds them lacking in the kind of action that would hold the attention and interest of today’s children.

“So I decided to try action-filled story-lines that still taught valuable lessons and still featured traditional fairy-tale characters like witches, unicorns, princes and princesses.”

CMMA finalist “Amelia’s Angel” is a modern action-adventure tale about a little girl wanting to be bad. But after being turned by a witch into an ugly troll, who had to give children nightmares, she changed her ways with the help of an angel and became more prayerful.

Amelia, says Smith, is physically based on his daughter Amber, now eight years old.

Early environmentalist

Smith’s second book, “The Gift of the Unicorn,” is a story in verse that aims to teach children to value and care for the environment. The author’s concern for the environment is not a newfound passion.

“My earliest literary experience was writing a poem about saving the environment when I was in fourth grade in 1971, which won the gold medal for creative writing at La Salle Greenhills where I attended grade school,” he says.

“The Gift of the Unicorn” tells the story of a young prince who learns the value of protecting and preserving nature after setting free a unicorn he got for his birthday. The prince, Smith says, “is an amalgam of the two boys (his sons)—Liam, who will be 10 end of May, and Kieran, 5.”

The book was Museo Pambata’s Book on the Spot in February. Smith not only read the story to public-school students during the event but also conducted an interactive drawing session.

He is working on his third children’s book, “Hot Rod Teddy,” which aims to teach 5- to 7-year-old kids the virtue of humility. A fourth book about a “tree boy” is percolating in his mind.

Smith says his dream is to have each of his kids work with him on a book.

“My eldest daughter (Alexandra, 19) inked my pencil sketches and contributed two pages of her drawings to my second book . . . Three more kids and at least three more books to go! ”

Smith says he will be happy to accept invitations to book readings and interactive illustration sessions(ricmarsmith@gmail.com).

Both books are available at St. Paul’s stores (http://www.stpauls.ph/branches/); St. Francis bookstore, G/F, St. Francis Square, Julia Vargas cor. Bank Drive, Ortigas Center, Mandaluyong City; tel. 6321010; and soon at Museo Pambata.

7 killed at Nigeria university worship service

• Print
• E-mail

By SALISU RABIU

The Associated Press

KANO, Nigeria — Gunmen attacked worship services at a university campus and a church Sunday in northern Nigeria, killing at least 21 people in coordinated assaults that saw panicked Christians gunned down as they tried to flee, witnesses and officials said.

The deadlier attack targeted an old section of Bayero University’s campus in the city of Kano where churches hold Sunday services, with gunmen killing at least 16 people and wounding at least 22 others, according to the Nigerian Red Cross.

A later attack in the northeast city of Maiduguri saw gunmen open fire at a Church of Christ in Nigeria chapel, killing five people, including a pastor preparing for Communion, witnesses said.

No group immediately claimed responsibility, but the attacks bore similarities to others carried by a radical Islamist sect known as Boko Haram.

The Bayero University attack occurred around an old theater and lecture halls where local churches hold services, Kano state police commissioner Ibrahim Idris said. The gunmen rode into the campus on motorcycles, then threw small explosives made out of soda cans around the area, Idris said.

The worshippers ran out in an attempt to escape, only to be shot by the waiting gunmen, the commissioner said.

“By the time we responded, they entered (their) motorcycles and disappeared into the neighborhood,” the commissioner said.

After the attack, police and soldiers cordoned off the campus as gunfire echoed in the surrounding streets. Abubakar Jibril, a spokesman for Nigeria’s National Emergency Management Agency, said security forces refused to allow rescuers to enter the campus. Soldiers also turned away journalists from the university.

The city of Maiduguri, the target of second attack, is where Boko Haram once had its main mosque.

Witnesses who declined to give their names out of fear the sect would target them said the gunmen stormed into the service and began firing. Most escaped, though as people came out of hiding later they found the pastor dead in a pool of blood in the sanctuary, witnesses said. Four other worshippers died in the attack, they said.

Borno state police spokesman Samuel Tizhe later confirmed the attack took place and said officers would investigate.

Representatives of Boko Haram, who typically speak to journalists at times of their choosing in telephone conference calls, could not immediately be reached for comment Sunday.

Boko Haram is waging a growing sectarian battle with Nigeria’s weak central government, using suicide car bombs and assault rifles in attacks across the country’s predominantly Muslim north and around its capital, Abuja. Those killed have included Christians, Muslims and government officials. The sect has been blamed for killing more than 450 people this year alone, according to an Associated Press count.

Diplomats and military officials say Boko Haram has links with two other al-Qaida-aligned terrorist groups in Africa. Members of the sect also reportedly have been spotted in northern Mali, an area where Tuareg rebels and hardline Islamists seized control over the past month.

In January, a coordinated assault on government buildings and other sites in Kano by Boko Haram killed at least 185 people. In the time since, the sect has been blamed for attacking police stations and carrying out smaller assaults in the city.

On Thursday, the sect carried out a suicide car bombing at the Abuja offices of the influential newspaper ThisDay and a bombing at an office building it shared with other publications in the city of Kaduna. At least seven people were killed in those attacks. Late Thursday night, gunmen also bombed a building at the campus of Gombe State University, though authorities said no one was injured in the attack.

Boko Haram has rejected efforts to begin indirect peace talks with Nigeria’s government. Its demands include the introduction of strict Islamic law across the country, even in its predominantly Christian south, and the release of all imprisoned followers.

Churches also have been increasingly targeted by Boko Haram. A Christmas Day suicide bombing of a Catholic church in Madalla near Nigeria’s capital killed at least 44 people.

Nigeria, a multiethnic nation of more than 160 million people, has seen anger grow over crushing poverty and corrupt politicians in the north, fueling resentment against the government and the West in the oil-rich nation.

___

Associated Press writer Haruna Umar in Maiduguri, Nigeria contributed to this report.

___

Jon Gambrell reported from Lagos, Nigeria, and can be reached at www.twitter.com/jongambrellap.

___

April 29, 2012 05:56 PM EDT

Copyright 2012, The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Lakeland Deputy Mike Ison’s Funeral Set for Monday

The viewing for Deputy Mike Ison will be from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday at Marion Nelson Funeral Home, 454 South Buck Moore Road in Lake Wales.

A funeral service and Catholic Mass will be at 2 p.m. Monday at Holy Spirit Catholic Church, 644 South 9th Street, Lake Wales.

Law enforcement honors will be conducted outside the church immediately following the service. A reception will follow.

Meet and attend Catholic Mass with Father James Shea, president of the …

05/08/2012
 ·  10:30 AM
- 12:00 PM
 ·  (701) 476-1200
 ·  Website

Father Shea will be at Touchmark on Tuesday, May 8th10:30 am Meet Father Shea – Foyer11:00 am Catholic Mass – AuditoriumAll are welcome regardless of your religious affiliation.Father James Patrick Shea serves as the President of the University of Mary. He was inaugurated at the age of 34, making him the youngest college or university president in the United States.

Admission Information: Free and open to the public.

Location:
Touchmark at Harwood Groves
1200 Harwood Drive
Fargo, ND 58104

Events Search

Double fiesta for Cinco de Mayo

Cinco de Mayo on May 13? Sounds like a joke, but it’s happening this year.

The 11th edition of the popular Cinco de Mayo Festival in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park will take place Sunday, May 13, instead of the usual first Sunday of May.

Organizers are making the most of it, deciding to celebrate not only the anniversary of the Battle of Puebla but also Mother’s Day, two themes they call dear to the Mexican community.

“This weekend, the Mets play at the Flushing stadium and the city moved our festival for the weekend after,” said Carmelo Maceda, the festival’s director.

“We thought that would be a big problem since it’s Mother’s Day, but later we said, ‘Let’s pay tribute to them!’”

He explained that this year is not a regular celebration of Cinco de Mayo, but a big milestone.

“It’s the 150th anniversary of the battle,” said Maceda, “that finally kicked out the French Army from our country.”

Each mother who comes to the celebration will get a rose at the entrance so she can be recognized, said Maceda, adding that the Catholic Mass in honor of mothers will be officiated by Monsignor Eugenio Lira, who is traveling from Puebla, Mexico, for the occasion, and Father Lorenzo Atto of New York.

Among the Mexican artists performing, the main attractions will be the bombshell pop and cumbia singer Ninel Conde and corridos star Larry Hernández.

 

Mexican singer and actress Ninel Conde (Guillermo Arias/Ap)

Casa Puebla, which organizes the festival, estimates that despite the date change 200,000 people will flood the festival area at Flushing Meadows-Corona Park from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

A long list of visiting and local artists at the event includes Dimas de la Fuente, a former member of the group Los Angeles Negros; the rock en español band Teoría Quintuple, and Los Herreros del Norte. La Sonora de Veracruz also will help get the dance going.

Ballet Durango and Ballet Amanecer will perform authentic indigenous dances from Mexico.

“It will be a day of fun and celebration in a family environment,” said Maceda.

For those who want to start the festivities on the actual May 5, there’s plenty of Cinco de Mayo special menus and margaritas in Mexican restaurants across the city this weekend, from midtown to East Harlem to Sunset Park.

And the Cinco de Mayo Parade, organized by the Asociación Tepeyac of New York, will take place Sunday starting at Central Park West at 106th St. at noon.

josebayona@gmail.com

Rubio Biography Largely Flattering

A soon-to-be released biography of the Republican vice presidential contender turns out to be a nuanced and largely flattering portrait of one of the most exciting figures on the national stage, rather than the hatchet job some Rubio allies had feared.

“The Rise of Marco Rubio” by Washington Post writer Manuel Roig-Franzia may leave some readers questioning Rubio’s political core on issues ranging from immigration to government spending, but it’s unlikely to dent Rubio’s star power. Nor will it enhance the arguments of those who say Rubio has been inadequately vetted to be seriously considered as Mitt Romney’s running mate.

The unauthorized biography explores Rubio’s remarkable life story as the son of working-class Cuban immigrants whose extraordinary political gifts and instincts helped him rise to West Miami city commissioner, to the first Cuban-American speaker of the Florida House, to a 40-year-old senator overshadowing colleagues with decades more experience.

It’s a complex tale thoroughly reported to the point that Roig-Franzia dug up a 50-year-old recording of the immigration hearing of Rubio’s grandfather, nearly deported from America a decade before Rubio was born.

The Tampa Bay Times obtained a 242-page advance copy of the book, which is scheduled for release June 19. Rubio has his own memoir scheduled for publication at the same time.

For Americans just getting to know Rubio, there is plenty in the book to raise eyebrows — criticism that he used Republican Party credit cards and political committees for personal expenses, for instance — though most of that has been detailed by the Tampa Bay Times and Miami Herald. Those allegations did little to damage Rubio’s Senate campaign in 2010.

The book recounts his longtime friendship with U.S. Rep. David Rivera, R-Miami, who has been engulfed in assorted investigations into his personal finances and consulting work. And it delves into Rubio having often said or implied that his parents fled Fidel Castro, when in fact they immigrated to Miami before Castro took power.

Roig-Franzia writes: “Whether Rubio intended to mislead voters or simply never investigated the circumstances of his family’s arrival is a question only he can answer. What is clear is that during his rise he placed great emphasis on his family’s narrative, and he was eager to identify himself as the son of exiles.”

Likewise, tea party conservatives unfamiliar with Rubio’s legislative record may be surprised he often supported big spending, whether it was public money for a new baseball stadium or local projects.

Rubio did not speak to the author. Plenty of friends, legislative colleagues and relatives did, however.

They help him write a rich portrait of a thoroughly likable and ambitious politician, who outhustled political rivals to rise to the speakership of the state House and to the U.S. Senate. Rubio had a knack for landing plum positions — working on redistricting in the Legislature or landing on South Carolina Sen. Jim DeMint’s conservative policy committee — to help him advance.

In Washington, the author notes, Rubio’s star power and media savvy helped him rise above the seniority system that usually establishes power.

Of Rubio’s start in Washington, he writes: “Power came to those who waited. But Rubio was not one who waited. Validation outside the building — on blogs, among conservative activists, on Twitter and Facebook — gave him more stroke inside it. More stroke inside the building gave him more validation outside it.”

He also notes the hardball tactics Rubio’s media handlers use to guard his image, including a well-publicized skirmish with Univision when it started to report about an old criminal arrest of Rubio’s brother-in-law. Rubio’s team argued that the network was going after a private citizen and said Univision offered to spike the story if Rubio agreed to an interview with their star anchor, Jorge Ramos. Univision denies that.

Roig-Franzia recounts a heated conference call about the story between Univision editors and Rubio’s staff, including political adviser Todd Harris. Harris, the book says, at one point asked if the editors thought it would be appropriate to ” poke into the private life of Jorge Ramos.”

Roig-Franzia writes: The Univision staffers heard the question as a threat. For a consultant who represents a senator who sits on committees with subpoena power to make such a suggestion made … those journalists uncomfortable.

Harris called that ” insane” and said he never said that.

The book also delves into Rubio’s unusual religious journey, which included being baptized as a Mormon at age 8 when his family lived in Las Vegas: He was the little boy who went to Catholic Mass. Then the adolescent who embraced Mormonism. He was the teenager who circled back to Catholicism. Then the thirty-something who defined himself as a Baptist. He was the ascendant politician who wanted to be Catholic again.

A cousin told the author that Rubio was always deeply focused on religion and as an adolescent persuaded his family to leave the Mormon church.

Most of the people quoted by name say flattering things about the senator, though former Hialeah mayor and onetime political ally Raul Martinez was stunned when Rubio endorsed Arizona’s tough immigration law while running for U.S. Senate.

Writes Roig-Franzia: ”This is the new Marco,” Martinez thought to himself. ”The I-want-to-be-a-senator-at-any-cost Marco.”

Former House Speaker Johnnie Byrd weighs in as well, suggesting that former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush had selfish motives for deepening his friendship with Rubio as he became speaker.

Byrd has heard the stories that ”Bush helped Marco.

” I think the opposite is true. As Bush was waning, Jeb seized upon Marco as someone he should hitch to.”

[ Adam C. Smith can be reached at asmithtampabay.com. ]

Cardinal Dolan at – Times Herald

Copyright © Dow Jones Local Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved.