From the “Your kidding, right?” files: NCR - Community supports excomm’d St. Louis sister
CATEGORY: SESSIUNCULUM — Fr. John Zuhlsdorf @ 3:32 pm
CATEGORY: SESSIUNCULUM — Fr. John Zuhlsdorf @ 3:32 pm
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Let’s talk about some really interesting censures! Try interdict. Remember, interdict, one of the Church’s censures, is applied to help a person change his … her… way. Get a load of this, a breaking story from the ultra-liberal National Catholic Reporter with my emphases and comments in red:
Let’s talk about some really interesting censures! Try interdict. Remember, interdict, one of the Church’s censures, is applied to help a person change his … her… way. Get a load of this, a breaking story from the ultra-liberal National Catholic Reporter with my emphases and comments in red:
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An excerpt.
Sister of Charity Louise Lears, forced out of all church ministerial roles [Ummm… she attempted ordination – for crying out loud! Can you say "excommunication"?] by Saint Louis Archbishop Raymond Burke, is described by friends and colleagues in near saintly terms.
They call her a bright, energetic, compassionate and faith-filled woman. They see her as a creative, generous and selfless person, a highly effective parish minister. They say she is first rate teacher and preacher. They view her as a person guided by the gospels including an unwavering commitment to justice and the local poor. [Do they see her as a contumacious excommunicate and probably a heretic?] These seemingly universal accolades, however, were not enough to save Lears from a severe interdict by Burke who banished her from all Saint Louis church ministries last week. He also banned her from receiving any of the Sacraments in the archdiocese. It was her belief that all church ministries, including women’s ordination, should be open to women. [Which seems to trump what the CHURCH says about the matter. "I want it this way!"] Curiously, this seems to have been only one of many of her passions and, perhaps, not her central passion, which seems to have been parish work. Lears was shocked twice last week. [You have got to be kidding me now. Really. She didn’t think there were going to be repercussions from attemping ordination after having been warned?] First, she learned that Burke had judged her guilty of three grave canonical offenses against faith and church teachings; then, the next day, she learned that her accuser and judge [You have to love this partisan reporting. Exsquisite!] he had been elevated to a new Vatican post, prefect of the church’s highest canonical court in Rome. [The inuendo is that Burke is in thick with those bad people in Rome. But the other side of this is that when he imposes a censure, he probably knows what he is doing.]
They call her a bright, energetic, compassionate and faith-filled woman. They see her as a creative, generous and selfless person, a highly effective parish minister. They say she is first rate teacher and preacher. They view her as a person guided by the gospels including an unwavering commitment to justice and the local poor. [Do they see her as a contumacious excommunicate and probably a heretic?] These seemingly universal accolades, however, were not enough to save Lears from a severe interdict by Burke who banished her from all Saint Louis church ministries last week. He also banned her from receiving any of the Sacraments in the archdiocese. It was her belief that all church ministries, including women’s ordination, should be open to women. [Which seems to trump what the CHURCH says about the matter. "I want it this way!"] Curiously, this seems to have been only one of many of her passions and, perhaps, not her central passion, which seems to have been parish work. Lears was shocked twice last week. [You have got to be kidding me now. Really. She didn’t think there were going to be repercussions from attemping ordination after having been warned?] First, she learned that Burke had judged her guilty of three grave canonical offenses against faith and church teachings; then, the next day, she learned that her accuser and judge [You have to love this partisan reporting. Exsquisite!] he had been elevated to a new Vatican post, prefect of the church’s highest canonical court in Rome. [The inuendo is that Burke is in thick with those bad people in Rome. But the other side of this is that when he imposes a censure, he probably knows what he is doing.]
Read the rest of Fr. Z's blog post (here)
Read Sr. Louise's good bye in the St. Cronan's Church bulletin (here)
14 comments:
There are some factual errors in your recent post regarding the NCR article on Louise Lears. Lears has not been excommunicated or barred from receiving sacraments--she has only been prohibited from ministerial duties in the STL Archdio. Second, she never attempted an ordination of any kind, although she did attend a women's ordination. There should be a revised decree reg. Louise available on the archstl.org website shortly. In the interest of truth and Christian charity, I would appreciate it if you could post a correction. Thank you.
Dear David,
The post is a highlight from Fr. Z's site at WDTPRS.com and is not my editorial take on the issue. Archbishop Burke has penalized Sr. Lears, this is a fact. Please feel free to post your opinions or corrections to the story that you see fit. The combox is open. I will update the story when further articles appear on the web.
JMJ
Joe
David,
Fr. Z changed his post and I have edited my post to reflect his changes.
JMJ
Joe
“Days before the liturgy Burke, in the archdiocesan newspaper, the St. Louis Review, also wrote a column reiterating the Catholic church’s official position that women cannot be ordained to the priesthood and that participation in any such liturgy would be a gravely sinful act. ‘Any Catholic,” he wrote, ‘who knowingly and deliberately assists… risks the eternal salvation of their souls.’”
If I didn’t read this myself, I’d say this was a joke! However, I know too well the divergence between our Institutional and Pastoral Church today, and the wide gaps between! The (Institutional) Church just doesn’t get it sometimes! Do these ordained guys who dwell solely on their “kingship and authoritative” attitude even see how arrogant, shallow, and ignorant they look and sound? By whose authority is this man speaking when he calls this “committing a ‘gravely sinful act’ or to speak of ‘even risking eternal salvation of their souls?’” just because one participates in a liturgy that ordains women to the priesthood? Are salvific directives solely based on manmade rules and man’s love of power? What about the double standards of ordaining married men? Or bringing married priests from other faiths into the Catholic Church? How does this differ from participation in the ordination of women? When is it permissible to bend these manmade rules?
Seriously speaking, though, “What would Jesus do?” First of all, I think Jesus himself would have long been excommunicated from the Catholic Church – if he even chose to join it. He would have been excommunicated for speaking to a woman – a Samaritan woman, nonetheless; or for dining with tax-collectors. He would have been ridiculed and excluded from society for touching the skin of lepers, and I honestly believe he would have been chastised for including, loving and welcoming gays and lesbians among his friends. He would have been too challenging and outspoken for reminding us that pro-life is not just anti-abortion; that pro-life does not stop at the womb, but that indeed, calls to the respect and dignity of all human life – womb to tomb – for calling us to act immediately and just as readily for all the innocent – for those dying at war, for the hungry, for the homeless, for the immigrant! He would challenge us to protest just as loudly against death roll and capital punishment as we do in front of abortion clinics.
Roman Catholicism has become so (too?) centered on being faithful (and obedient) to the Magisterium and has long drifted from faithfulness and obedience to the Gospel. Those who claim to hold ‘the Truth’ and only means of salvation for our souls forget that Jesus was not Roman Catholic! If Jesus were humanly living among us today, I seriously doubt we would even let him join the Catholic faith. He’d be too challenging and outspoken. He would remind us that the Gospel and Gospel values are much more embracing and welcoming of all people unlike manmade rules and regulations that intimidate, threaten and exclude (and excommunicate) many! I doubt Jesus would have chosen a self-righteous religion when his life and mission promoted a life of compassion.
I’ve been Roman Catholic all my life, and I love my faith, but I have to say that certain clergy leaders in our Church make us look ignorant to the Gospel, arrogant in our faith and overshadow everyone’s equal call to holiness and relationship to God! Ultimately, my faithfulness and relationship with God will be the decisive outcome of my salvation, not the call of a man wearing a collar imposing his powers and manmade laws or excommunication on me for my faith! I am a woman who has no desire to be ordained, but I believe the Sacrament should not be forbidden from anyone who is called by God to serve as an ordained person. In the long run, Jesus probably would have chosen to remain Jewish, for even they already have women Rabbis. What arrogance our Roman Catholic Church must reflect to all our non-Catholic friends!
The issue is not one of choosing whether to be faithfully Catholic or genuinely Catholic, but rather on faithfully and genuinely following Jesus, and on continuing his mission. Excommunication is of this world and of manmade rules. Sr Louise can NOT be excommunicated of her faithfulness to the Gospel and the relationship with her God! Blessings upon Sr Louise!
Dear CB Davis,
I can understand that you maybe upset with Archbishop Burke in his pronouncement in regards to Sr. Lears. However, you say that she is faithful to the Gospel? It is my opinion that she is faithful to her own interpitation of the Gospel, not the interpitaion of our one Holy Catholic and Apostlic Church. Sr. Lears has know since childhood, that the teaching of the church has always been that the priesthood is reserved for males only. It has been this way since the historic events of the Gospel's actually took place. Sr. Lears by the fact that she is a consecrated sister has a duty to her bishop and her Church. She doesn't not have the right to "fix" the Church to match her vision of Christianity. Sr. Lears knew full well what was in store for her if she participated in this "mock" ordination and Eucharist. She did not humbly present herself to Bishop Burke, she brought her canon lawyer. By her own willful and pius participation in this non-Catholic religious ceremony she has seperated herself from her Bridegroom. I wish her well in the future, however you must lay the blame on her for your disapointment, not Archbishop Burke.
JMJ
Joe
Burke is not God, therefore can NOT make a salvific call on anyone. With all due respect, Joe, I cannot move from my stand on the Gospel and Gospel values that Sr Louise promotes. I nor anyone can judge her faith and relationship with God. CB Davis
Dear CB Davis,
Archbishop Burke has not judged Sr. Lears worthiness to enter heaven. He just made the discision that she was not worthy to recieve the Sacraments or to teach the Catholic faith in St. Louis. Sure Archbishop Burke can make judgements on her actions. Have you not made an opinion on Archbishop Burke's actions? We all have a free will, it's what we do with it that is the hard part.
CB, thank you for the give and take. It makes for good discourse, does it not?
JMJ
Joe
Thank you, Joe, as well. Dialogue offers mutual learning and understanding.
My reference to Sr Louise's gospel values are reflected on her life, her compassion. Perhaps I have made judgment on Abp Burke, but it is based on his comment of "committing gravely sinful act" and on "the risk of eternal salvation of their soul." Salvation of our souls is judged (by God) by our moral acts. This statement by Abp Burke does not equate with Catholic Moral Theology.
cb davis
CB Davis,
You have had the last word.
Peace,
Joe
By virtue of our Baptism, don't we all share in the mission of Jesus: priest, prophet and king? This is Canon Law and also found in the CCC.
If we are 'selective' as to when this would or would not include women, then we become 'selective' Catholics, aka Cafeteria Catholics, wouldn't we?
...just wondering.
Tom
Tom,
Jesus selected Twelve male Apostles.
JMJ
Joe
True, but some of those were married males. I doubt Jesus asked them to leave their wives behind. Still leaves the question as to why the 'selectiveness' as women WERE ordained in early Christianity. If this is reflected in scripture, and Canon Law and the CCC reminds us that we ALL share in the mission of Jesus by virtue of our baptism, this still does not answer the question of why women are not allowed to be ordained.
Tom
Thank you, Tom for your insight!
By whose ‘Divine’ authority is Burke speaking when he calls this “committing a ‘gravely sinful act’ or when he speaks of ‘even risking eternal salvation of their souls?’” just because one participates in a liturgy that ordains women to the priesthood? Is our 'salvation' based on Canon Law, the Church and manmade rules? Is this dependant of man’s love of power? Why does the Roman Catholic Church unquestionably defy the ordination of Catholic women who have a solid Catholic faith foundation, yet readily accept and ordains a former Protestant (sometimes married) man and allow him to become 'our' leader in the church? How is this different, and when is it permissible to bend these manmade rules? C.B. Davis
I hope we all learn to see through the eyes of Jesus so that we may not judge with a heart of stone. Since the ordination was held at a synogogue, I would bet Jesus was there in his ‘old stomping Jewish grounds.’ :)
Fr Joseph Dean
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