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| Fr. John Dufell |
Just a hundred or so curious souls bothered to show up, and though the event was mostly a bomb, it did have its moments. They heard from someone who confessed how he mutilated his genitals, and others so depressed they made the mutilator sound normal. Indeed, some of the tales would have made Rod Serling's head spin. Father John Dufell, ever the helpful priest, was there to give advice: when asked by a homosexual how he is supposed to deal with his inadmissibility to become a priest, Dufell told him to lie. He said it was okay to lie because it is the "system" in the Catholic Church that is broken. One poor soul who attended sounded absolutely virginal: "I expected it to be a discussion of church teaching, but instead it kind of assumed that church teaching was wrong—and I wasn't expecting that." Didn't he know where he was? In any event, it was nice to learn that Erma Durkin, who traveled all the way from Maryland, found the sessions "very encouraging." Erma is 82.
To read a story written by someone who really liked the conference, click here.
Contact conference organizer and former Jesuit priest Paul Lakeland: pflakeland@fairfield.edu
Link (here) to the Catholic League press release.
6 comments:
Just sittin' here waitin' for the Fr. Hardon cut-n-paste...
"Enter by the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and many there are who enter that way. How narrow the gate and close the way that leads to life! And few there are who find it".
Matthew 7:13-14
In case you missed it, Anonymous...
FAITH IN THE LIFE OF A PRIEST
"Speaking for my fellow priests and myself, if we are convinced of what we teach others to believe and carry it into practice, then the people will be able to follow, not just our words but our example. BUT IF WE FAIL THEM, GOD HELP THEM. THAT IS A PRAYER.
This is what our people most need in today's confused and convulsive world: priests who are men of faith, who see the unseen, and who are therefore able to tell everyone who enters the ambit of their ministry about the passing nature of this life and the glorious city on high that awaits all who believe.
However, this is not only a matter of good example, although it includes that too; but it partakes of that mysterious law of procreation which obtains not only in the order of nature, but also in the realm of grace. LIKE PRODUCES LIKE. And under God there are only miraculous exceptions. LIKE PRIESTS, LIKE PEOPLE. FAITH PRODUCES FAITH. OR, AS WE SADLY KNOW, UNBELIEF REPRODUCES UNBELIEF.
God wants us priests to be strong, clear and sure in our faith, because He wants the multitude, redeemed by the blood of His Son, to believe. We priests have the undeserved rare privilege to be the instruments of God's grace to the people. But we also have the terrifying duty of being faithful to our calling.
If we priests are to transmit a strong faith to the Faithful, we must ourselves have experienced the realities of our faith by nourishing them at the fountain of prayer. Prayerful union with Jesus Christ, the High Priest, is the only way that a priest can remain priestly. THE SADDEST THING ON EARTH IS A PRIESTLESS PRIEST. The priest must have learned from frequent converse with the Master who the Master is, what the Master wants, and how the Master wants His priests to minister to the people'.
--Fr. John Hardon SJ
Maria -- I think peoples' frustration with your posts is that blog comment sections are intended to be just that: comments on the blog post. Instead, you cut and past texts from Father Hardon. Sometimes, these texts have little or nothing to do with the original post. When people ask you about it, your typical, knee-jerk reaction is 'why the hate?' I doubt very much anyone 'hates' Father Hardon. Instead, I would ask: don't YOU have any opinions on the blog posts? Or do you simply channel them through the late Father Hardon.
Fr. John Duffell, of New York City’s Church of the Ascension, said he believes “the church is perhaps the only way of affecting change in the world,” but he added: “The church is not perfect.”
That might be the most telling quote in the whole piece, and it answers a question I've had for a long time. Why don't these people just go and join another church that agrees with their views? It's because they see the Catholic Church as the most effective change agent in the world. They only want to use the church to give themselves legitimacy.
We all comment in our own way. Maria's way of communicating is fine by me. Is it not proper to reference a Jesuit on a Jesuit themed blog? Can we not meditate on the truths of Sacred Scripture in reference to a selected topic? We should all have the same passion for Our Lord as Maria, If you follow her comments you will know her love for the Society comes from a personal relationship with Jesuits.
JMJ
Joe
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