CROSSROADS: Part One

And so we approach the end of the Pauline year, which Pope Benedict XVI inaugurated to celebrate the 2000th birthday of the consummate Apostle.  With its conclusion, however, comes a new beginning - The Year of the Priest, beginning this Friday, June 19, on the Feast of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus.

As the Universal Church comes to a crossroads, so too does its little Pizza-Hutted microcosm in Kenai, Alaska - Our Lady of the Angels Parish.  Here, too, begins a Year of the Priest for the first time in over 20 years, as former parish administrator Sr. Joyce Ross and her attaché Sr. Joan Barina are currently en route to the eastern seaboard from whence they came over 30 years ago.  Their management of the parish - lauded by some, condemned by others - should neither be underestimated nor forgotten.  But it is done.

What now?

There are many issues to be addressed.  In no particular order, this blog will attempt to identify and comment on them.

1.  THE "PASTORAL TEAM" METHOD OF MINISTRY.

While Canon Law makes concessions for an in solidum ministry "when circumstances require it" (Can. 517), the circumstantial reason given for the 'Pastoral Team' was the OMI vocation to "live in community" with fellow OMI brethren.  This is not one of the four OMI charisms, and in any case was certainly not one of the conditions demanded of the very first Catholic priest in Alaska, Fr. Jean Séguin, OMI.

Also, given their beloved and somewhat solitary predecessor Fr. Tero, neither does it seem likely that Fr. Tony, Fr. Andy, and Fr. Joe were viewed by Peninsula Catholics as possible predators in need of constant self-surveillance . 

The most likely reason for the Pastoral Team method was the presence of Sr. Joyce at Our Lady of the Angels parish, Marlys Verba at Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Soldotna, and Sr. Carol at St. John the Baptist in Homer.  Because these women had become entrenched in their authoritarian roles in the absence of a constant priestly presence (and at the expense of a beleaguered Fr. Tero, one might add), and because removing them from said roles would be a possibly painful transition, and could plausibly alienate some parishioners, it no doubt seemed prudent to Frs. Tony, Andy, and Joe to allow them to continue to dictate parish policy and serve as the de facto administrators of the Peninsula parishes.

However, with the departure of Sr. Joyce, the dynamic changes significantly.  Not only was Sr. Joyce the most audacious and knowledgeable at navigating the liminal area between bending and breaking the rules of liturgy, orthodoxy, and hierarchy, but she had the benefit of spending an entire generation at one parish.  Thirty years of attending and assisting at baptisms, first communions and confessions, marriages, and funerals will win hearts simply by virtue of consistency.  As evidenced by comments on this blog, even those who opposed Sr. Joyce's usurpation of priestly duties will miss seeing her friendly and familiar face.  And those same opponents would probably begrudgingly admit that, of the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit, Sr. Joyce had a particular capacity for understanding and counsel -- such things solidified her claim as "pastor" on more than one parishioner's heart.  It remains to be seen whether or not Sr. Joyce's influence will outlast her manifest presence among such hearts.

Our concern is mainly with the priests.  Now that Sr. Joyce is gone, so too is their greatest hindrance in assuming full pastoral responsibilities in each parish.  Let us remember that the Church's law defines a parish as a "certain community of the Christian faithful stably constituted in a particular church, whose pastoral care is entrusted to a pastor" (Can. 515).  And to become a pastor, "one must be in the sacred order of the presbyterate", i.e. priesthood.  (Can. 521).  Therefore, priests are the norm for each parish - not Pastoral Teams, not nuns, and certainly not laywomen in albs.

Over the past year and a half, the priests have expressed their desire to get to know their parishioners better; Fr. Tony said as much to a national audience at Catholic.org:

One of the more important tasks is to make sure parishioners get to know their priests, Father Dummer said.  Familiarity is important when a priest is called upon to anoint the sick, visit the homebound, and perform baptism and funeral services, he added.

"We decided that it is most important for them to get to know us, so they feel comfortable," Father Dummer said.  "It's hard on people when they don't know us."

Most parishioners at Our Lady of the Angels no doubt agree with Fr. Tony.  Most, however, would also say that these have become empty words in the wake of the Pastoral Team method.  This reader's comment from an April 9th post sums things up:  

Our three priests, although always attempting to be effective as priests, are not familiar to us. Fr. Tony is more familiar than Fr. Joe and Fr. Andy. But there is little more than chit chat that takes place between us. Numerous parishioners have commented that they wanted to get to know the priests better, spend time with them, but when asked to get together, there is never time. At Church after Mass, there is the usual greetings and smiles, then the running away to meetings. (No peaceful time to just be a pastor to us.)

It is the opinion of this blog that the Pastoral Team approach should be seen for what it is: a failure.  The People of God on the Peninsula need more than a part-time priest in their parishes; they need the full, sacramental, pastoral presence outlined by Church law.  It is also the opinion of this blog that Peninsula Catholics should make known both their desire and their need for a full pastoral presence, both to the OMIs on the Peninsula and the Archbishop.

Lastly, the Vatican has announced a plenary indulgence in conjunction with the Year of Priests.  Here are the necessary details:

The means to obtain the Plenary Indulgence are as follows:

(A) All truly penitent priests who, on any day, devotedly pray Lauds or Vespers before the Blessed Sacrament exposed to public adoration or in the tabernacle, and ... offer themselves with a ready and generous heart for the celebration of the Sacraments, especially the Sacrament of Penance, will be granted Plenary Indulgence, which they can also apply to their deceased confreres, if in accordance with current norms they take Sacramental Confession and the Eucharist and pray in accordance with the intentions of the Supreme Pontiff. Priests are furthermore granted Partial Indulgence, also applicable to deceased confreres, every time they devotedly recite the prayers duly approved to lead a saintly life and to carry out the duties entrusted to them.

(B) All truly penitent Christian faithful who, in church or oratory, devotedly attend Holy Mass and offer prayers to Jesus Christ, supreme and eternal Priest, for the priests of the Church, or perform any good work to sanctify and mould them to His Heart, are granted Plenary Indulgence, on the condition that they have expiated their sins through Sacramental Confession and prayed in accordance with the intentions of the Supreme Pontiff. This may be done on the opening and closing days of the Year of Priests, on the 150th anniversary of the death of St. Jean Marie Vianney, on the first Thursday of the month, or on any other day established by the ordinaries of particular places for the good of the faithful.

The elderly, the sick and all those who for any legitimate reason are unable to leave their homes, may still obtain Plenary Indulgence if, with the soul completely removed from attachment to any form of sin and with the intention of observing, as soon as they can, the usual three conditions, "on the days concerned, they pray for the sanctification of priests and offer their sickness and suffering to God through Mary, Queen of the Apostles".

Partial Indulgence is offered to all faithful each time they pray five Our Father, Ave Maria and Gloria Patri, or any other duly approved prayer "in honour of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, to ask that priests maintain purity and sanctity of life". 

Please consider offering the graces attributed to the indulgence for our priests.

FAILURE TO COMMUNICATE: Bad Teaching Leads to Unfulfilled Obligations

KENAI, AK - For the second consecutive weekend, Sr. Joyce Ross, RSM conducted a paraliturgical communion service in place of a Mass at a Catholic Church on the Peninsula, this time at Our Lady of the Angels parish on Saturday, May 30th, and Sunday, May 31st.

According to the church bulletin, the previous weekend saw Sr. Joyce "preside at Eucharistic Service" at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Church in nearby Soldotna.  Fr. Tony Dummer, OMI and Fr. Andy Sensenig, OMI both made personal remarks that Sr. Joyce's presence was necessary because of the absence of Fr. Joe Dowling, OMI, a fact which the bulletin neglects to mention.

While neither conducting nor attending a paraliturgical communion service is proscribed by Canon Law, a communion service does not fulfill the Church's mandate that the faithful should  attend Mass on all Sundays and Holy Days of Obligation as stated in canon 1247:

Cn. 1247 - On Sundays and other holy days of obligation, the faithful are obliged to participate in the Mass.

Canon 1248 does suggests that, in the absence of a priest, the faithful may participate in a paraliturgical service, viz.

Cn. 1248 §2 - If participation in the eucharistic celebration becomes impossible because of the absence of a sacred minister or for another grave cause, it is strongly recommended that the faithful take part in a liturgy of the word if such a liturgy is celebrated in a parish church or other sacred place according to the prescripts of the diocesan bishop...

However - and this is the crux of the argument - this "liturgy of the word" or "Eucharistic Service" are not "options" for fulfilling the Sunday obligation; rather, the obligation is void when it becomes impossible to fulfill.  So the first question one should ask himself when a priest is absent is not "Is it permissible for me to attend this Eucharistic Service at my church?", but "Is it possible for me to attend Mass elsewhere?"  This is, in fact, what the Congregation of Divine Worship stated in 1988:

¶18 - Whenever and wherever Mass cannot be celebrated on Sunday, the first thing to be ascertained is whether the faithful can go to a church in a place nearby to participate there in the eucharistic mystery.

Further on, this same letter warns of the abuse currently taught ex operatio in Kenai and Soldotna:

¶21 - It is imperative that the faithful be taught to see the substitutional character of these celebrations, which should not be regarded as the optimal solution to new difficulties nor as a surrender to mere convenience.

¶22 - Any confusion between this kind of assembly and a eucharistic celebration must be carefully avoided.

Now, in the past some have claimed that when Mass is celebrated in Kenai and not Soldotna, or vice versa, that the extra miles make fulfillment of the Sunday Mass obligation impossible.  However,  the distance between Our Lady of the Angels parish in Kenai and Our Lady of Perpetual Help parish in Soldotna is just over 12 miles one way - a long distance to walk, but a relatively short distance to drive by Alaskan standards.  Below are examples of longer and shorter commutes made by Catholics in the Archdiocese of Anchorage:

South Anchorage to Downtown Anchorage = 9 miles

Sterling to Soldotna = 11 miles

Sutton to Palmer = 13 miles

Eagle River to Downtown Anchorage = 15 miles

Anchor Point to Homer = 15 miles

Moose Pass to Seward = 28 miles

Wasilla/Palmer to Downtown Anchorage = 42 miles

As the table makes explicitly clear, many members of the Archdiocese travel about or more than 12 miles one way on a daily basis.  Thus, to ask these same members to travel an extra 12 miles once a week in order to fulfill their Sunday obligation by participating in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is not only possible, but entirely reasonable.

VERDICT: The People of God on the Kenai Peninsula continue to be malformed regarding the fulfillment of the Sunday obligation to attend Mass as proclaimed by Holy Mother Church in her Canon Law and Congregation for Divine Worship.  In accord with the Second Vatican Council, which exhorted all bishops to promote and safeguard "the unity of the faith and the discipline common to the whole Church", it is the opinion of this blog that Archbishop Schwietz must correct and teach that unity and discipline which Our Lady of the Angels and Our Lady of Perpetual Help currently lack.

Please pray for Archbishop Schwietz, Sr. Joyce, and Frs. Tony, Andy, and Joe.

ECCE HOMILY: Nun Continues to Preach in Breach of Canon 767

KENAI, AK - Sr. Joyce Ross, R.C.M, again delivered the homily at the Saturday night vigil Mass at Our Lady of the Angels parish in Kenai.  Rev. Andy Sensenig, O.M.I. was the celebrant otherwise.

This is in persistent and knowledgeable disobedience to Canon 767, as posted earlier on this blog here.  Here are some comments from parishioners regarding this 'sermon' and the equivocations used by the Pastoral Team to explain it:

Last night's Mass featured Fr. Andy turning over the sermon to Sr. Joyce.  I would say the time was 30/70, maybe 40/60 in balance between Fr. Andy's sermon and Sr. Joyce's.

At times the priests have used phrases like 'Sr. Joyce will share with us her reflections', I would guess as a way of screening what she is giving really isn't a sermon.  But yesterday she referred to her time as a 'a homily', as in 'whenever I prepare a homily...'

To quote Shakespeare:

Faith, here's an equivocator that could swear in both the scales against either scale, who committed treason enough for God's sake, yet could not equivocate to heaven.

Please pray for Our Lady of the Angels parish.

CLARION CALL: Nuns 'Restricted' by Canon Law

KENAI, AK - Today's issue of the Peninsula Clarion revealed that Sister Joyce Ross, R.S.M., and Sister Joan Barina, M.M.S., were "Restricted by Canon Law" during their 30 year tenure at Our Lady of the Angels parish in Kenai.

This comes as a surprise to just about everyone, including the sisters themselves.

Here's the quote, from an article written by Phil Hermanek:

Restricted by Canon Law in which official duties they can perform, the sisters were allowed to baptize, perform marriages, conduct funeral services and conduct eucharistic services.

No mention was made as to which authority "allows" the sisters to baptize, perform marriages, conduct funerals, and eucharistic services.

An equally startling epiphany was that which Sr. Joyce believed to be her most outstanding achievement in 30 years:

...the fact that we were able to meet and associate with the people in all the Christian communities.  We got so much more from them than we gave.

No mention of the Church, sacraments, catechesis, or any other distinctively Catholic traits was made by either nun.

Please pray for Sr. Joan and Sr. Joyce and the parishioners they have influenced - for good or ill - at Our Lady of the Angels.

BREAKING: More Liturgical Abuse in Kenai

KENAI, AK - Rev. Joe Dowling, O.M.I. neglected to give a homily today, instead permitting Sr. Joyce Ross, R.S.M. to preach during the 10:00 AM First Communion Mass at Our Lady of the Angels Parish in Kenai.

This is directly disobedient to Canon 767, which states that only ordained ministers - priests and deacons - should deliver the homily.  Here are the pertinent sections of the aforementioned Canon:

can. 767, §1: Among the forms of preaching, THE HOMILY, WHICH IS PART OF THE LITURGY ITSELF AND IS RESERVED TO THE PRIEST OR DEACON, IS PREEMINENT; in the homily the mysteries of the faith and the norms of Christian life are to be explained from the sacred text during the course of the liturgical year.

can. 767, §4: It is for the pastor or rector of a church to take care that THESE PRESCRIPTS ARE OBSERVED CONSCIENTIOUSLY. (caps my emphases)

This is yet another instance of  liturgical abuse by Sr. Joyce reported by this blog; you can find earlier abuses here.

With the retirement announcement of Sr. Joyce, more abuses have been planned: this parish bulletin states that she will preside at communion services May 23rd and 24th at Our Lady of Perpetual Help parish in Soldotna.  This is a grave abuse that would deprive OLPH parishioners of the right to fulfill the mandate of Canon 1247, which states that the faithful are obliged to participate in the Mass on all Sundays and holy days.

Please pray for Our Lady of the Angels and Our Lady of Perpetual Help parishes, and especially for Sr. Joyce.

UPDATE: "ORIGIN OF SPECIES", LITURGICAL ABUSE

SOLDOTNA, AK - Alternative Eucharistic species, a profane altar of repose, and a corpus-less veneration of the cross were liturgical aberrations committed by Reverend Tony Dummer, O.M.I. this past Triduum at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish in Soldotna, Alaska.

On Maundy or Holy Thursday, Fr. Tony consecrated loaves of homemade bread in lieu of the usual communion wafers. While this is not expressly forbidden, Canons 924 and 926 specify that the bread must be only wheat, recently made, and unleavened. Communicating parishioners reported that the bread tasted "mealy" and that they were unable to easily swallow the Eucharist and felt uneasy about the particles retained in their mouths.

Following the Thursday Mass, the consecrated species was then placed in a dish on a sacristy countertop, covered with a cloth, and left alone for the evening with a lit vigil candle. This contradicts the necessity of both tabernacle and ciborium outlined in the USCCB's guide to Holy Thursday liturgy.

At the Good Friday liturgy the next day, a plain cross without a sculpted Christ was venerated. Instead of the traditional procession to the foot of the altar, whereupon the crucifix is kissed or otherwise venerated by the faithful, Fr. Tony handed the cross over to the faithful in the pews, where it was passed from one to another until it had made the rounds of the entire congregation.


More details forthcoming.

Response to Good Friday Liturgy, "Pastoral Team"

Here are some nuggets from the Hierarchical Constitution of the Church (Canons 515 - 544). 

Canon 517, §1 - When circumstances require it, the pastoral care of a parish or of different parishes together can be entrusted to several priests in solidum, with the requirement, however, that in exercising pastoral care ONE OF THEM MUST BE THE MODERATOR, NAMELY, THE ONE WHO IS TO DIRECT THE JOINT ACTION AND ANSWER FOR IT TO THE BISHOP (emphasis mine).

Comments - in solidum is, I would assume, the juridical equivalent of "Pastoral Team"; however, is Fr. Tony Dummer clearly and explicitly the "moderator"? Do parishioners know this? Again, I would stress that you are within your rights as the "People of God" (Lumen Gentium terminology, the Constitution of the Church from Vatican II) to know these things. Remember, hierarchy - i.e. the Kingdom of God - entails looking into one's own soul and being held accountable for one's own actions not just by his fellow men, but by the light of reason and Eternal Truth; it forces an encounter with God.

Canon 519 - The pastor (parochus) is the proper pastor (pastor) of the parish entrusted to him, exercising the pastoral care of the community committed to him under the authority of the diocesan bishop in whose ministry of Christ he has been called to share, so that for that same community he carries out the functions of teaching, sanctifying, and governing, also with the cooperation of other presbyters or deacons and with the assistance of lay members of the Christian faithful, according to the norm of law.

Comments - This outlines the functions of the pastor. Nothing incendiary, but it's good to know.

Canon 526, §1 - A PASTOR IS TO HAVE THE PAROCHIAL CARE OF ONLY ONE PARISH (emphasis mine); nevertheless, because of a lack of priests or other circumstances, the care of several neighboring parishes can be entrusted to the same pastor.

Comments - With regard to the three largest parishes on the Western Kenai Peninsula - Our Lady of the Angels in Kenai, Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Soldotna, and St. John the Baptist in Homer - this Canon is being cheerily ignored; I would suppose that in solidum is the loophole that supposedly nullifies it. However, given the following Canons, it becomes clear why personal responsibility is inextricable with the life of a pastor and his parish.

Canon 526, §2 - In the same parish THERE IS TO BE ONLY ONE PASTOR OR MODERATOR in accord with the norm of can. 517, §1; ANY CONTRARY CUSTOM IS REPROBATED AND ANY CONTRARY PRIVILEGE WHATSOEVER IS REVOKED. (emphasis mine)

Comments - Very strong language with "ANY" - the reason is the Hierarchical Constitution of the Church. It is no coincidence that this entire part of Canon law is labeled as such! Canons 542-544 bolster the interpretation that the moderator is the de facto pastor with regards to juridical representation, possession of a parish, and personal accountability to the bishop.

Canon 528, §2 - The pastor is to see to it that the Most Holy Eucharist is the center of the parish assembly of the faithful. He is to work so that the Christian faithful are nourished through the devout celebration of the sacraments and, in a special way, that they frequently approach the sacraments of the Most Holy Eucharist and penance. He is also to endeavor that they are led to practice prayer even as families and take part consciously and actively in the sacred liturgy which, under the authority of the diocesan bishop, THE PASTOR MUST DIRECT IN HIS OWN PARISH AND IS BOUND TO WATCH OVER SO THAT NO ABUSES CREEP IN. (emphasis mine)

Comments - Seems to speak for itself. If the "moderator" of the parish is Fr. Tony, and his status as "moderator" is juridically equivalent to "pastor", then he's the one - not Fr. Andy or Sr. Joyce - that should be petitioned regarding this Good Friday abuse.

Canon 529, §1 - In order to fulfill his office diligently, a pastor is to strive to know the faithful entrusted to his care. Therefore he is to visit families, sharing especially in the cares, anxieties, and griefs of the faithful, strengthening them in the Lord, and prudently correcting them if they are failing in certain areas. With generous love he is to help the sick, particularly those close to death, by refreshing them solicitously with the sacraments and commending their souls to God; with particular diligence he is to seek out the poor, the afflicted, the lonely, those exiled from their country, and similarly those weighed down by special difficulties. He is to work so that spouses and parents are supported in fulfilling their proper duties and is to foster growth of Christian life in the family.

Comments - This is just sad. It seems to me that one of the joys of being a parish priest would be participating in the community life of a town, village, or city, and therefore being installed as a permanent fixture therein. Canon 522 implies as much, "A pastor must possess stability and therefore is to be appointed for an indefinite period of time". Having a rotating "Pastoral Team" - wherein no priest is at the same parish for more than 2 Sundays per month - is gravely opposed to Canon Law, common sense, and the Hierarchical Structure of the Church, not to mention the Word of God, "I am the good shepherd; I know my own and my own know me" (Jn 10:14). In more practical terms, it implies that the permanently fixed Parish Director/Associate - Sr. Joyce, Marlys, or Sr. Carol in Homer - is more of a pastor than the pastor himself, although this is technically impossible according to Canon 521, §1,"To become a pastor validly, one must be in the sacred order of the presbyterate".

Canon 529, §2 - A pastor is to recognize and promote the proper part which the lay members of the Christian faithful have in the mission of the Church, by fostering their associations for the purposes of religion. He is to cooperate with his own bishop and the presbyterate of the diocese, also working SO THAT THE FAITHFUL HAVE CONCERN FOR PAROCHIAL COMMUNION, CONSIDER THEMSELVES MEMBERS OF THE DIOCESE AND OF THE UNIVERSAL CHURCH, AND PARTICIPATE IN AND SUSTAIN EFFORTS TO PROMOTE THIS SAME COMMUNION. (emphasis mine)

Comments - The next time a parish council claims that they, "...don't want a Latin Mass or any of that stuff down here!", you might gently remind them that by dint of their membership in the Universal Church, they are obliged to 'have concern for parochial communion'. More below...

Canon 536, §2 - A PASTORAL COUNCIL POSSESSES A CONSULTATIVE VOTE ONLY and is governed by the norms established by the diocesan bishop.

Comments - Most people - both members and non-members of parish councils - know this already. It's just nice to see it in writing.

Canon 539 - When a parish becomes vacant or when a pastor is prevented from exercising his pastoral function in the parish by reason of captivity, exile or banishment, incapacity or ill health, or some other cause, the diocesan bishop is to designate as soon as possible A PAROCHIAL ADMINISTRATOR, THAT IS, A PRIEST WHO TAKES THE PLACE OF THE PASTOR according to the norm of can. 540.

Comments - At times, I think Sister Joyce and Sister Carol were called "Parish Administrators"; now they are "Parish Directors". This Canon is likely the reason why. Just a footnote.