Father Pavone

Priests for Life

6/26/2012
     

We are happy to announce that the Vatican has upheld Father Frank Pavone's appeal and has declared that Father Pavone is not now nor has ever been suspended. Father Pavone remains a priest in good standing all over the world.

We were confident all along that a just decision would be made by the Vatican's Congregation for the Clergy. While we fully agree that Bishop Zurek has rightful authority over the priests of his diocese, we also see the urgent need for Father Pavone to be allowed to conduct his priestly ministry outside the diocese of Amarillo for the good of the pro-life movement. 

by Bishop Patrick J. Zurek

June 20, 2012

In its decree of May 18, 2012, the Congregation for the Clergy has sustained Father Frank A. Pavone’s appeal of his suspension from ministry outside the Diocese of Amarillo and his appointment from me on October 4, 2011 as Chaplain of the Disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ in Channing, Texas.  Father Pavone is to continue his ministry as chaplain until further notice. As a gesture of good will, I will grant permission to him in individual cases, based upon their merits, to participate in pro-life events with the provision that he and I must be in agreement beforehand as to his role and function.

All other matters are outside the purview of this statement.

Amarillo, Texas, June 20, 2012

+Most Rev. Patrick J. Zurek, STL, DD
Bishop of Amarillo

I express my personal and professional gratitude that Father Frank Pavone is not suspended from his priestly faculties.  He is a faithful and loyal son of the Church and I am confident he will continue to respect, honor and obey his diocesan bishop. The work he does as National Director of Priests for Life serves the common good of all the dioceses and parishes and faithful in the United States. It makes sense that he inform his bishop of his activities inside and outside the diocese, which every priest should do. If every bishop kept vigilant on everyone (clergy, lay and religious) who speak in their diocese AS LONG AS the criteria is fair and universal. Specifically, the litmus test must be orthodoxy. If what they SAY and WRITE conforms with the Magisterium (namely, the Catechism, Ecumenical Councils and Papal Encyclicals), then they should be allowed to speak on any church property. 


Dissidents who preach or teach personal opinions which contradict official doctrine and dogma of the Catholic Church should be barred from every Catholic church, school and seminary. When it is a matter of PRUDENTIAL JUDGMENT or private opinion on something not already defined, then DE GUSTIBUS NON DISPUTANDUM EST. Like an imprimatur which does not mean the local bishop agrees with all the opinions of the author, he does verify that what is in this particular book does not conflict with defined faith and morals.  Bishops may not always share the same perspective or they may have a different prudential judgment but as long as the speaker does not say or write anything that contradicts official Magisterial teachings, they should be permitted to speak. 


I am confident that anything Father Pavone says and writes does conform and therefore keeping open communications with his bishop is sensible and proper. As long as all speakers and public persons are treated equally, i.e., they are scrutinized with the same criteria (the measure you measure with ...) then there is justice and fairness. If only certain people are singled out to be examined for their orthodoxy credentials, that would be unfair and improper. God bless Father Pavone and Bishop Zurek and all priests, deacons and bishops so we can be better sons of the Church. As ordained clergy, we should be working together and on the same side, that of TRUTH and GRACE. Preaching and teaching orthodox doctrine and celebrating valid, licit and reverent divine worship is what the People of God deserve and nothing less.

Kresta In The Afternoon: Vatican faces 'urgent' need for priests with new v...

Kresta In The Afternoon: Vatican faces 'urgent' need for priests with new v...: VATICAN CITY ( CNS ) — In an effort to respond to a "clear and pressing" need for priests, the Vatican released a set of guidelines for new vocations ...

HERE IS SOMETHING INTERESTING:

"Some reasons men say "no" to or ignore a call to the priesthood, it said, include:


-- having parents who are reluctant about their son's choice because they have different hopes for their child's future;


-- living in a society that marginalizes priests and considers them irrelevant;


-- misunderstanding the gift of celibacy;


-- being disillusioned by the scandal of priests who abused minors;


-- and seeing priests who are too overwhelmed by their pastoral duties to the detriment of their spiritual life."




Priests who find satisfaction and fulfillment in their vocation are the best advertisement.  Sadly, many good priests and deacons slowly but surely become discouraged and disenchanted, not with their vocation but with the often prolific and oppressive diocesan politics and bureaucracy which can make clerics feel like employees more than as disciples.  The corporate business paradigm must GO once and for all. We clergy NEED a familial model where clergy are treated as BROTHERS not as employees and bishops act like FATHERS and not as corporate executives. Then pastors can be shepherds rather than branch managers. 

Monsignor Escriva

Happy Feast of Saint Josemaria Escriva

founder of Opus Dei

O God, through the mediation of Mary our Mother, you granted your priest St. Josemaría countless graces, choosing him as a most faithful instrument to found Opus Dei, a way of sanctification in daily work and in the fulfillment of the Christian's ordinary duties. Grant that I too may learn to turn all the circumstances and events of my life into occasions of loving You and serving the Church, the Pope and all souls with joy and simplicity, lighting up the pathways of this earth with faith and love. Deign to grant me, through the intercession of St. Josemaría, the favor of ... (make your request). Amen.

Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be to the Father.

Collect:


O God,
who raised up your priest Saint Josemaría in the Church
to proclaim the universal call to holiness and the apostolate, grant that by his intercession and example
we may, through our daily work,
be formed in the likeness of Jesus your Son
and serve the work of redemption with burning love. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. 

Beloved Pastor Blessed by Gift from Parish

A very good friend of mine and fellow member of the Confraternity of Catholic Clergy just told me some remarkable news. His parishioners chipped in and spontaneously of their own initiative collected funds so that their pastor could travel to Rome for his 35th anniversary of ordination to priesthood. He was flabbergasted by the gesture and expression of affection and appreciation for his many years of service to his people. Often, it is easy to focus and remember the few harsh words a few disgruntled parishioners may utter in moments of weakness or highly stressed situations. Sadly, the many kind words and actions of a majority of people can be temporarily forgotten or ignored since our pride likes to zero in on the negative rather than build on the positive. Envy is also the chief temptation among clergy. Favors, honors and esteem of the bishop when given to others are rarely viewed with joy for a brother.

Nevertheless, when you see something like this, which has nothing to do with ecclesiastical politics, it is indeed heart warming to say the least. I am genuinely happy for my friend just as I was with another priest friend who was recently made a Monsignor, a Knight of Malta and Vicar General in his respective diocese. It is refreshing and encouraging to see worthy people being recognized and rewarded for their love and loyalty to Holy Mother Church rather than seeing cronies being repaid for their collaboration and unconditional support of local regimes and administrations.

Sharing in the joy of someone legitimately honored is wonderful. Hope to experience more of it, soon.

Hi Ho, Hi Ho, It's Off to Protest We Go

thanks to Fr. Z at WDTPRS, I found this diddy. 

That’s What Priests Do! A Priestly Tribute | Courageous Priest

That’s What Priests Do! A Priestly Tribute | Courageous Priest

Even the Lone Ranger Had Tonto

Sherlock Holmes had Doctor Watson, Batman had Robin, the Green Hornet had Kato, and the Lone Ranger had Tonto.  Boyhood heroes were certainly fictional but the idea of not going it alone was and still remains a powerful idea. Even Captain Kirk acknowledged he needed Mr. Spock. Unfortunately, many good people today feel as though they must or need to do it by themselves. We Americans pride ourselves for rugged individualism yet history will not let us forget Lewis and Clark.

What I am beating around the bush is that there is an immanent danger of good and well intentioned people of faith falling into the trap of 'solo or no go'. While it is true that a very few have been authentically called by the Lord to embrace the life of a hermit or anchorite, most men and women, be they clergy or laity, married or single, or consecrated religious, need some connection and interaction with community. Our Divine Lord Himself had companions and friends, from James and John to Martha and Mary. Judas, however, seemed conspicuously solitary. While one of the Twelve Apostles, he appears a loner (as well as thief).  He does not consult with anyone before he betrays Christ for thirty pieces of silver.

Other than the instances where a priest has been defrocked, suspended and laicized for sexual misconduct and other heinous crimes, there are some ordained clergy who leave or go off the deep end for more benign reasons. Over the past 24 years of priesthood and being the president of a national association of priests and deacons, I have known many good men who sadly have left their post and are either on leave of absence or are considered AWOL by their bishops or superiors. Don't get me wrong, vows and promises of obedience are very important and are as sacred as wedding vows between a husband and wife. That is why it is difficult for me to personally identify with classmates and friends who have left active priesthood since it is no different than a spouse calling it quits on his marriage. Commitment is supposed to be permanent.

Nevertheless, I can empathize to a degree with my brothers who feel discouraged, disillusioned and demoralized due to bureaucrats, politicians and sycophants in Roman Collars who abuse their office for self-serving needs and personal agendas. When a priest feels more like a business manager than a pastor or when the diocese operates like a corporation and the parish is told to run like a branch office, it can tarnish some of the zeal that led the man to the altar in the first place.

The last canon in the Code of Canon Law #1752 concludes with "the salvation of souls is the supreme law of the Church" (SALUS ANIMARUM EST SUPREMA LEX). That is why I got ordained. Saving souls by hearing confessions, anointing the sick, teaching/preaching/defending the faith, celebrating the sacraments and offering the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass; these are the primary raison d'être for the priesthood. Yet, when the corporate paradigm is used and imposed upon your pastoral work, many priests can get discouraged. Responsible stewardship is important but balancing the checkbook has to secondary to saving souls. Fundraising pays the bills but celebrating reverent worship and preaching orthodox doctrine is what people need and deserve FIRST and FOREMOST.

Worse yet is the nepotism and cronyism often infecting ecclesiastical life. Incompetence is frequently tolerated and political maneuvering encouraged. The usual suspects are always on the Personnel Board, Presbyteral Council, et al. Even good and orthodox bishops are often surrounded by middle management bureaucrats reminiscent of the old Soviet Union. These men buffer what the bishop knows and how his policies are implemented. They filter information coming in and going out. Local loyalty is more cherished and rewarded than loyalty to Rome. Hence, when priests see cronies being made knights or monsignors it can be disappointing but honors and recognition are not why we became men of the cloth. What truly hurts is persecution, isolation, ostracization, ridicule, banishment and disrespect coming from your colleagues and even your boss. When the enemies of the Church attack us, we feel honored to share in a form of dry martyrdom for the sake of Christ. When it comes from your own kind, from your own brethren, it not only stings, it wounds deeply. Play the game and succeed is not only the modus operandi for many businesses, it is the strategy of some ecclesiastics as well.

That results in one of two results. The first is the surrender to discouragement and that inevitably leads to destructiveness.  Priests can become bitter, angry, melancholic, strange, weird, or worse. Dangerous and addictive behavior can manifest itself via prescription drug abuse, alcohol abuse, addictive gambling or shopping, and finally sex (from pornography on down).  Parishioners wonder why the crotchety old cleric ever became a priest if he did not like people. Little do they know that he did have a love for the faithful but something or someone soured that and he never realized it. Sometimes people see their priest practicing his craft as if only a job. He does what he must, no more and no less.

The second option is better. If a priest maintains not only a solid, healthy and daily prayer life but ALSO cultivates sacerdotal fraternity, i.e., has some good priest friends to support and encourage him, then he does not have to turn to the dark side. He can and will remain a loyal son of the Church and still be a beloved man of the cloth. NO, NOT POPULARITY. Popular priests often tell people what they want to hear rather than what they need and ought to hear. BELOVED priests are not showered with presents and invitations to parties but they are respected and endeared long after they are gone (either by transfer or death). Beloved priests are remembered in the heart. Popular priests are courted and wooed. My childhood pastor was not popular but he was beloved. His decisions were not always popular but the fruit of his labor were vocations to priesthood, diaconate and religious life. His work did not merit the accolades of the bishop nor warrant promotion in the diocese, but many, many souls were saved. Many good marriages and many good God-fearing Christian lives came from that parish.

We priests need the prayers and support of our people but we also need the prayers and support from our brother priests. Priests and deacons and bishops share in Holy Orders and there is an Order of Deacons, an Order of Priests and an Order of Bishops, hence the plural use Holy ORDERS. Fraternity among the Order is essential. Bishops get together once or twice a year as a nation and regionally from time to time. Priests and deacons need to do the same.  Our Confraternity of Catholic Clergy allows priests and deacons from around the country to get together for an annual conference. Prayer, study and fraternity. We also promote monthly chapter meetings which are essentially an afternoon of recollection (theological discussion and/or spiritual conference, prayer before the Blessed Sacrament, opportunity for confession, and a friendly informal meal shared together). We even have a five year international gathering in Rome where priests and deacons from the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Great Britain and Ireland meet for a few days in the Eternal City.

Having a few, from one or two to a half dozen of more, good priest friends are crucial for priestly life. Jesus sent His disciples out, not alone, but two by two. He chose Twelve Apostles to be the foundation of His Church. That is why the spiritual, emotional and psychological health of priests depends on having some good friends. QUALITY matters more the QUANTITY.  Popular people have lots of acquaintances but you can usually count on one hand your real, good friends.

There will always be temptations in every vocation and because priests influence so many people and can potentially save many souls, Satan goes out of his way to discourage, disappoint and demoralize Christ's ordained ministers. The Devil wants us to envy each other. He wants us to be resentful rather than grateful. Daily prayer and annual retreat are necessary and obligatory. But very helpful is cultivating priestly FRATERNITY.  The priests who have left, who have gone off the deep end, who have become recluses or eccentrics are the ones who have no good priest friends. When priests stay to themselves we can become idiosyncratic to say the least. Being odd is not good.

Let it be said that every priest and deacon needs some private time to himself. Some time for inner reflection and just to unwind and relax. Catching an occasional movie, playing a round of golf or a game of bowling, going to a concert or play, having a day off, are all wonderful safety valves. When a priest spends all of his free time alone, though, it can be dangerous.  He needs someone to encourage but also someone who can, when needed, give fraternal correction. He needs another voice and opinion to help give him balance. A brother priest knows the struggles and challenges. A lay friend is good to have and several are even better but a priest NEEDS some, one or more, GOOD and SOLID priest friends. Not someone who will commiserate and entice even more complaining and disdain, but someone who can provide healthy PERSPECTIVE and at times needed distraction.

I am blessed to have a few good priest friends. First and foremost is my classmate and best friend, Father Ken Brighenti. We have been ordained 24 years and have been friends since we met in the seminary in 1983. With the untimely deaths of my two younger brothers and having no nieces or nephews as to date, I depend and rely on this friendship more than ever. He has helped me before and after ordination, during difficult assignments and in handling disappointments. He has helped me keep perspective and maintain balance. That is what friends are supposed to do.  I have other friends, not as close but still important nonetheless. My priest friends from the CCC like Msgr. Sal Pilato, Fr. Marcos Gonzalez, Fr. Vince Rigdon, my diocesan buddy and friend Fr. Dennis Dalessandro and of course my mentor and spiritual director Father Bob Levis; these and many other priests help me want to and help me strive to become a better priest. Lay friends like Thomas McKenna and Michael Drake, Drs. Tina and Keith Burkhart, Dr. Liz Burkhart, Lou Falconieri, et al. are close to my heart as well. Deacon friends like Tom Lang, Joe Wrabel, Jim Rush, Joe Gorini and Russ Swim are big helps, too.

I exhort all my brother priests to spend some QUALITY time with other priests. Get and maintain at least one or two VERY GOOD priest friends. Try to socialize and pray with brother priests and deacons once a month and make a serious effort to attend a priest conference or workshop besides the mandatory one your diocese imposes.  We can become our own worst enemies if we allow the Devil to sow the seeds of discouragement and discontent. We can conquer that by cultivating FRATERNAL SUPPORT for each other.

Dear Laity, encourage your pastor, your parochial vicar, the newly ordained and the jubilarians to make time for themselves. Workaholic priests are as in much danger as lazy couch potato ones. Keeping balance as did Our Lord, Who prayed, worked and relaxed. Scripture shows us Jesus in the desert and at the home of Martha and Mary; He ate at Zacchias' house and with His disciples; He worked miracles, preached sermons, cast out demons, healed the sick and took time to take a nap. He also had some close FRIENDS.

Newly ordained priests and us middle agers need the benefit of the wisdom of our senior priests. The old bucks have experience, stories and a sense of humor in that they do not take themselves too seriously nor do they lack the proper seriousness and decorum when needed. New priests can be tempted right out of seminary to let loose and shoot from the hips. I've been there, done that.  Prudence is not selling out. Discretion is the better part of valor. Yet, we need the freshness and zeal of youth and the excitement of possibility. Middle age can get you in a rut just from routine.

Within the last few years, two dear friends died, Father Anthony Dandry and Father Michael Scott.  We all were in seminary together along with Father Brighenti. They died well before anyone expected. Both served God, the Church and their people to the best of their abilities. Both were superb priests and we have some fond and funny memories of both of them. Several years ago, a very young friend, Father James Pilsner died tragically and I often think of him. His short life and priesthood was still a blessing for the people he served. I am grateful for our friendship, brief as it was. Then I see some of my diocesan brethren get together with classmates and friends from seminary going back more than half  a century or more. Those guys have remained priests and they are beloved by their people.

Priests who serve in the parish, in hospitals or prisons, teach in schools, work in seminaries or work in the chancery affect many lives and influence many souls. Whatever ministry any priest does, he must do it well and do it diligently. He may not get much affirmation or appreciation in this life, but what matters is what the Good Lord thinks. Having good priest friends and making time for personal prayer, study and priestly fraternity are not OPTIONS or even RECOMMENDATIONS, they are ESSENTIALS to every priest who has ever been ordained.

If you see or know of a priest who appears to be getting more and more solitary, PRAY for him and if you are a priest, VISIT or at least COMMUNICATE with him from time to time. Encourage him to spend time with other priests and deacons on a regular basis. Mention the Confraternity of Catholic Clergy and WorldPriest.com and other orthodox associations. The dissident groups get plenty of publicity but they feed on themselves. Those groups loyal to Rome may not be as exotic but believe me you will never regret getting involved with them.

2012 Meeting of the Confraternity of Catholic Clergy (USA) 31 July – 3 August – CHICAGO (Mundelein) | Fr. Z's Blog – What Does The Prayer Really Say?

2012 Meeting of the Confraternity of Catholic Clergy (USA) 31 July – 3 August – CHICAGO (Mundelein) | Fr. Z's Blog – What Does The Prayer Really Say?

MAKES A PERFECT BIRTHDAY, ANNIVERSARY or ORDINATION GIFT

for your favorite

PRIEST, DEACON or SEMINARIAN

donations accepted to help financially constrained clergy attend 

this wonderful gathering of orthodox and loyal ordained

Happy Father's Day

St. Joseph, guardian of Jesus and chaste husband of the Virgin Mary, you passed your life in loving fulfillment of duty. You were the head of the holy family of Nazareth and supported them with the work of your hands. Kindly protect all men blessed to be fathers. You know their aspirations, their hardships, their hopes. They look to you because they know you will understand and protect them. You too knew trial, labor and weariness. But amid the worries of material life your soul was full of deep peace and sang out in true joy through intimacy with God's Son entrusted to you and with Blessed Mary, his beloved Mother. Assure those you protect that they do not labor alone. Teach them to find Jesus near them and to watch over him faithfully as you have done. May they be the husbands and fathers they should be as you were yourself. Help them to love, respect and care for their wives and their children. Pray for those fathers who have died that their souls may be rewarded for their goodness. Help those fathers who have strayed, abandoned, or abused their families so they may repent and better serve their loved ones. Bless all our dads with a happy death so that they may leave this world to join Jesus, Mary and you, Good Saint Joseph, in heaven. AMEN

Hundreds of clergy unite to pray Rosary for world's priests :: Catholic News Agency (CNA)

Hundreds of clergy unite to pray Rosary for world's priests :: Catholic News Agency (CNA)

The Confraternity of Catholic Clergy fully supports 

the Rosary Rally for Priests sponsored by WorldPriest.com which also sponsors World Priest Day on June 15

here is what YOU can do

Catholic Church op-ed is filled with falsehoods | PennLive.com

Dr.Drane wrote an offensive and illogical editorial. As a bio-ethicist, he should restrict his pontificating to areas of medicine and its moral application. Instead, he attacks the Roman Catholic Church with ad hominem and non sequitur false arguments.

Pejorative slanders like calling the bishops ‘theologically unsophisticated’ and naïve do not prove his premise. He implies that the Catholic hierarchy is sexist and discriminates against women.  That would only be true if Holy Orders were a right every baptized human being enjoyed. On the contrary, clergy (deacons, priests and bishops) are ordained men by divine institution. Jesus Christ established ordained ministry as a gift and not as an entitlement. No Catholic male can even demand the call to Holy Orders.  There must be discernment and affirmation by the Bishop who is a successor of the Apostles. It is infallible teaching that Holy Orders is reserved to baptized males only as Pope John Paul the Great taught in Ordinatio Sacerdotalis.

The Pope and Bishops alone have teaching authority, called the Magisterium. It is not extended to theologians or bioethicists. Furthermore, faith and morals are not subservient to public opinion or contemporary culture. Hence, the Church’s doctrines on marriage being reserved to one man and one woman; on the sinfulness of abortion, euthanasia and contraception; etc., are not open for debate as they are based on the truth of the immutable Natural Moral Law. Fidelity and loyalty are neither conservative nor liberal, they are just right.

Catholic Church op-ed is filled with falsehoods | PennLive.com

PAPAL MESSAGE FOR THE DIAMOND JUBILEE OF ELIZABETH II

Vatican City, 6 June 2012 (VIS) - Made public today was a message sent by the Holy Father to Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom who is currently celebrating her Diamond Jubilee (sixty years since she became monarch). The English-language text bears the date of 23 May.
"I write to offer my warmest congratulations to Your Majesty on the happy occasion of the Diamond Jubilee of your reign. During the past sixty years you have offered to your subjects and to the whole world an inspiring example of dedication to duty and a commitment to maintaining the principles of freedom, justice and democracy, in keeping with a noble vision of the role of a Christian monarch.

"I retain warm memories of the gracious welcome accorded to me by Your Majesty at Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh at the beginning of my apostolic visit to the United Kingdom in September 2010, and I renew my thanks for the hospitality that I received throughout those four days. Your personal commitment to cooperation and mutual respect between the followers of different religious traditions has contributed in no small measure to improving ecumenical and inter-religious relations throughout your realms.

"Commending Your Majesty and all the royal family to the protection of Almighty God, I renew my heartfelt good wishes on this joyful occasion and I assure you of my prayers for your continuing health and prosperity".

Annual Global Rosary Relay | World Priest Day

Annual Global Rosary Relay | World Priest Day

blast from the past (at least my own)

something to ponder on summer weekends

Happy Feast of Saint Joan of Arc

On a lighter note… ‘Doctor Who’ fans hack a road sign

Fr. Z's Blog – What Does The Prayer Really Say? |

exterminate

40 Hours

 

please pray for my two parishes (Our Lady of Good Counsel & St. Bernadette) 

as we celebrate our annual Forty Hours Eucharistic Adoration.

Our preacher this year is Father Brian Wayne from St. Joan of Arc, Hershey

Annual Conference Australian Confraternity of Catholic Clergy

Annual Conference | Australian Confraternity of Catholic Clergy

24th Anniversary of Priesthood

William Cardinal Keeler ordained me and my four classmates to the holy priesthood twenty-four years ago today.  Each year since then I have renewed my consecration of my priesthood to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Queen of the Clergy and Mother of Priests.

ACT OF ENTRUSTMENT AND CONSECRATION OF PRIESTS TO THE IMMACULATE HEART OF MARY

PRAYER OF HIS HOLINESS BENEDICT XVI

Church of the Most Holy Trinity - Fátima,  Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Immaculate Mother, in this place of grace, called together by the love of your Son Jesus the Eternal High Priest, we, sons in the Son and his priests, consecrate ourselves to your maternal Heart, in order to carry out faithfully the Father’s Will.

We are mindful that, without Jesus, we can do nothing good and that only through him, with him and in him, will we be instruments of salvation for the world.

Bride of the Holy Spirit, obtain for us the inestimable gift of transformation in Christ. Through the same power of the Spirit that overshadowed you, making you the Mother of the Saviour, help us to bring Christ your Son to birth in ourselves too. May the Church be thus renewed by priests who are holy, priests transfigured by the grace of him who makes all things new.

Mother of Mercy, it was your Son Jesus who called us to become like him: light of the world and salt of the earth (cf. Mt 5:13-14).

Help us, through your powerful intercession, never to fall short of this sublime vocation, nor to give way to our selfishness, to the allurements of the world and to the wiles of the Evil One.

Preserve us with your purity, guard us with your humility and enfold us with your maternal love that is reflected in so many souls consecrated to you, who have become for us
true spiritual mothers.

Mother of the Church, we priests want to be pastors who do not feed themselves but rather give themselves to God for their brethren, finding their happiness in this. Not only with words, but with our lives, we want to repeat humbly, day after day, Our “here I am”.

Guided by you, we want to be Apostles of Divine Mercy, glad to celebrate every day the Holy Sacrifice of the Altar and to offer to those who request it the sacrament of Reconciliation.

Advocate and Mediatrix of grace, you who are fully immersed in the one universal mediation of Christ, invoke upon us, from God, a heart completely renewed that loves God with all its strength and serves mankind as you did.

Repeat to the Lord your efficacious word: “They have no wine” (Jn 2:3), so that the Father and the Son will send upon us a new outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Full of wonder and gratitude at your continuing presence in our midst, in the name of all priests I too want to cry out: “Why is this granted me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?” (Lk 1:43).

Our Mother for all time, do not tire of “visiting us”, consoling us, sustaining us. Come to our aid and deliver us from every danger that threatens us. With this act of entrustment and consecration, we wish to welcome you more deeply, more radically, for ever and totally into our human and priestly lives.

Let your presence cause new blooms to burst forth in the desert of our loneliness, let it cause the sun to shine on our darkness, let it restore calm after the tempest, so that all mankind shall see the salvation of the Lord, who has the name and the face of Jesus, who is reflected in our hearts, for ever united to yours! Amen!


© Copyright 2010 - Libreria Editrice Vaticana
---

Parish Priest's Prayer to Mary Most Holy

O Mary, Mother of Jesus Christ, crucified and risen,
Mother of the Church, a priestly people (1 Pet 2,9),
Mother of priests, ministers of your Son:
accept the humble offering of myself,
so that in my pastoral mission
the infinite mercy of Eternal High Priest
may be proclaimed:
O "Mother of Mercy".

You who shared the "priestly obedience" (Heb 10, 5-7; Lk 1, 38),
of your Son,
and who prepared for him a worthy receptacle
by the anointing of the Holy Spirit,
keep my priestly life in the ineffable mystery
of your divine maternity,
"Holy Mother of God".

Grant me strength in the dark hours of this life,
support me in the exertions of my ministry
entrust me to Jesus,
so that, in communion with you,
I may fulfil the ministry with fidelity and love,
O Mother of the Eternal Priest
"Queen of Apostles and Help of Priests".

Make me faithful to the flock
entrusted to me by the Good Shepherd,
You silently accompanied Jesus
on his mission to proclaim
the Gospel to the poor.

May I always guide it
with patience, sweetness
firmness and love,
caring for the sick,
the weak, the poor and sinners,
O "Mother, Help of the Christian People".

I consecrate and entrust myself to you , Mary,
who shared in the work of redemption
at the Cross of your Son,
you who "are inseparably linked to the work of salvation".

Grant that in the exercise of my ministry
I may always be aware of the "stupendous and penetrating dimension of your maternal presence"
in every moment of my life,
in prayer, and action,
in joy and sorrow, in weariness and in rest,
O "Mother of Trust".

Grant, Holy Mother, than in the celebration of the Mass,
source and centre of the priestly ministry,
that I may live my closeness to Jesus
in your maternal closeness to Him,
so that as "we celebrate the Holy Mass you will be present with us"
and introduce us to the redemptive mystery of your divine Son's offering
"O Mediatrix of all grace flowing from this sacrifice to the Church and to all the faithful"
O "Mother of Our Saviour".

O Mary: I earnestly desire to place my person
and my desire for holiness
under your maternal protection and inspiration
so that you may bring me to that "conformation with Christ, Head and Shepherd"
which is necessary for the ministry of every parish priest.

Make me aware
that "you are always close to priests"
in your mission of servant
of the One Mediator, Jesus Christ:
O "Mother of Priests"
"Benefactress and Mediatrix"
of all graces.

Amen.

Il Volo - Mamma "HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY"

Il Volo - Mamma - YouTube

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY

Forest Murmurs: Confraternity of Catholic Clergy Northern Branch

Forest Murmurs: Confraternity of Catholic Clergy Northern Branch: Yesterday two of us from Hexham and Newcastle set of early to reach Leyland to attend the meeting of the Northern Chapter of the British branch of the Confraternity of Catholic Clergy

Never underestimate the self-giving of the Catholic priesthood | CatholicHerald.co.uk

Never underestimate the self-giving of the Catholic priesthood | CatholicHerald.co.uk

Update

Mom is out of ER & in private room. Drs gave her glucose & lasix. Blood sugar back to safe range. Probably will B in hosp. over weekend. Please continue your prayers

Urgent prayers needed !!!

My mom was rushed to ER for extremely low blood sugar. Please keep her in prayer. Very serious.

North America - EWTN

ARCHBISHOP WILLIAM SKURLA ENTHRONEMENT ON EWTN

North America - EWTN

Cathedrals Across America:

Enthronement Of William C. Skurla As The 5th Metropolitan Archbishop Of The Archeparchy Of Pittsburg

Sun. May 6 at 1:30 PM ET, Mon. May 7 at 12 AM ET on EWTN television

Metropolitan Archbishop-elect William C. Skurla, D.D. has been appointed as the fifth Metropolitan Archbishop of the Archeparchy of Pittsburgh and head of the Byzantine Catholic (Ruthenian) Metropolitan Church sui iuris of Pittsburgh, the only Eastern Catholic Metropolitan Church sui iuris (self-governing) in the United States.

Regina Cleri (Queen of the Clergy) ora pro nobis

Our Lady

Queen of the Clergy

and

Mother of Priests

pray for us

Deacons and Priests of the

Confraternity of Catholic Clergy



Election 2012 (Official HD Version - Catholic)

Test of Fire: Election 2012 (Official HD Version - Catholic) - YouTube

Metropolitan Archeparchy of Pittsburgh

Noted priest: Come November, Catholics should vote for...

April 16, 2012

By Matt C. Abbott

I asked noted Catholic priest-author-EWTN personality — and president of the Confraternity of Catholic Clergy — Father John Trigilio Jr. (who thankfully is recovering from a serious automobile accident he was involved in on March 16) to answer the following question:

Taking all things into consideration, would it be better for a Catholic to vote for President Obama or Mitt Romney?

Now, as you'll see, Father Trigilio won't say specifically who you should vote for, but I think, if you read between the lines, you'll know who he believes you shouldn't vote for. I'll even give you a hint as to who that candidate is (the one you shouldn't vote for): His last name rhymes with "Osama."

Here's Father's response (slightly edited):

Legally and morally speaking, as a Catholic priest and pastor, I cannot and will not tell my parishioners (or anyone, for that matter) who they should vote for in an election. I can say who I myself will choose in the voting booth, but I won't since we have a wonderful tradition in the United States of the secret ballot.

Nevertheless, as an ordained priest of the Catholic Church and as a pastor of two parishes, I can and must inform my people of the principles they need to know and use in their selection of a candidate. Pope Benedict XVI, while he was still Josef Cardinal Ratzinger and prefect of the Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith under Pope John Paul II, issued a statement in June 2004. That document explicitly states that abortion and euthanasia are always grave and mortal sins. Furthermore, not only are politicians who support abortion guilty of formal cooperation in evil, voters are likewise culpable if [they] were to deliberately vote for a candidate precisely because of the candidate's permissive stand on abortion and/or euthanasia. This is found in the Nota Bene found at the end of the letter.

What happens, though, when the voter is pro-life and the candidate-politician is pro-abortion (alias 'pro-choice')? Cardinal Ratzinger continues: "When a Catholic does not share a candidate's stand in favor of abortion and/or euthanasia, but votes for that candidate for other reasons, it is considered remote material cooperation, which can be permitted in the presence of proportionate reasons."

This sentence, like any verse in the Bible, must be taken in context with the entire document in order to be accurately understood and interpreted. The N.B. is attached to the entire letter, and specifically paragraph three states emphatically:


'Not all moral issues have the same moral weight as abortion and euthanasia. For example, if a Catholic were to be at odds with the Holy Father on the application of capital punishment or on the decision to wage war, he would not for that reason be considered unworthy to present himself to receive Holy Communion. While the Church exhorts civil authorities to seek peace, not war, and to exercise discretion and mercy in imposing punishment on criminals, it may still be permissible to take up arms to repel an aggressor or to have recourse to capital punishment. There may be a legitimate diversity of opinion even among Catholics about waging war and applying the death penalty, but not however with regard to abortion and euthanasia.'
There it is in plain English. There is no legitimate diversity of opinion among Catholics with regard to abortion and euthanasia. Not all moral issues have the same moral weight as abortion and euthanasia.

The 'proportionate reasons' is an essential qualifier. Hence, if there are only two candidates running for the office of president, senator, representative, governor, and so on, and both are pro-abortion, a Catholic may vote for one of them (1) as long as they do not personally agree (which would be formal cooperation in evil) and (2) they must choose the candidate who is more pro-life or less pro-abortion than his or her opponent.

In other words, Candidate A favors unrestricted abortions on demand at any time of pregnancy, and Candidate B only tolerates abortion in cases of rape, incest and when the life of mother is in jeopardy. Neither position conforms to the natural moral law or the magisterial teachings of the Church. Yet, the lesser of two evils can be tolerated when there is no alternative. Whether Democrat, Republican, Independent, Libertarian or tea party, when the choice is between two candidates who are not 100 percent pro-life/anti-abortion, the one who is more pro-life and less 'pro-choice' must be selected over his or her opponent.

Even though there are many valid and important issues (like the economy, the environment, death penalty, war, health care, family and marriage rights), there is a hierarchy of values. The right to life trumps all other rights and privileges. The Declaration of Independence clearly states: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."

Notice that the inalienable right to life is mentioned first, even before liberty and the pursuit of happiness. There is no 'right' to an abortion. Abortion is legal, but so was slavery and racial segregation at one time in America. There is no 'right' to contraception, either. Both abortion and contraception are legal in the United States, but they do not and should not be financed by the government since the taxpayers are the ones who pay the bills.

Bottom line is that no priest, deacon or bishop needs to say who to vote for in any election. We do not and should not mention any names or political parties. On the other hand, we must and are obliged to inform our people of their moral duty to use a well-formed conscience in choosing a candidate. Cardinal Ratzinger (now Pope Benedict XVI) and the CDF made it crystal clear: Not all moral issues are of the same moral weight. The right to life is paramount; economic, environmental, military, and social issues are secondary, if not tertiary. When the choice is between a candidate who manifests his or her pro-abortion position and a candidate who professes to be pro-life, the moral obligation is to choose life by choosing the pro-life politician.

It is not that we are single-issue voters, but there is a proportion, a hierarchy of values in which the right to life outweighs all other concerns. The unjust killing of innocent lives is not eclipsed or overshadowed by any other concern. When there are two candidates whose stand on abortion is basically the same, then other issues can and must be brought into the equation to make a prudent vote. When Election Day comes this November, we should know well who is more pro-life and who is more 'pro-choice.' Then our well-formed conscience should tell us to choose the former over the latter.

Axios

Today, Fathers Ken Brighenti, Dennis Dalessandro and I attended the Divine Liturgy of Enthronement of Archbishop William Skurla as Metropolitan of the Archeparchy of Pittsburgh for the Ruthenians. Byzantine bliss.

CLICK HERE TO SEE VIDEO

another video



Timothy Cardinal Dolan & Archbishop William Skurla

Easter in Marysville

Christ is Risen! Indeed, He is Risen

Resurrexit sicut dixit

Catholic Clergy in America say NO to Colleagues in Austria: say YES to Pope in Rome

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

HARRISBURG, PA (6 April 2012)

Five hundred priests and deacons of the national association, the Confraternity of Catholic Clergy, pledge their complete loyalty and obedience to the Pope and Magisterium and, by means of fraternal correction, exhort their dissident Austrian brothers of the 'Pfarrer Initiative' to repent and recant. Disobedience among deacons, priests and bishops is not only scandalous to the faithful but injurious to the Mystical Body of Christ (the Church). We are not just resigned to the discipline of celibacy and merely tolerant of the doctrine of a male priesthood, we totally accept and embrace them. The marks of the Church (one, holy, catholic and apostolic) are personified in the Petrine ministry. Hence, to obey the Pope is to obey the Church, the Bride of Christ. Like Judas who betrayed Christ, dissident clergy betray the same Lord by their prideful refusal of submission to lawful authority.

Dissent from Magisterial teaching and disobedience to Papal authority are incompatible with Catholic Christianity. Jesus founded the Church and instituted the Sacraments. Holy Orders is one of the sacraments and it is the essence of the hierarchy (which means an orderly chain of command). The soul of Holy Orders is obedience. Clergy must lead by example, as did Our Lord, who submitted to the will of His Father. When Deacons, Priests and Bishops disobey the Church and her chief shepherd, the Pope, they do a grave disservice to the people they have been sent to serve.

The CCC professes allegiance to the Holy Father, especially in all matters of faith and morals. We see obedience to the authority of the Church as obedience to Christ. As the Bishop of Rome, the Pope is head of the Church. Vatican II and the Catechism (1992) define his authority as, "supreme, full, immediate, and universal," by divine institution.

Rev. Fr. John Trigilio, Jr., President of the Confraternity said: "As all priests renew their promise of obedience each year, we urge our fellow clergy all over the world to imitate Jesus in His humility. Pride prevents one from obeying. Jesus who was Priest, Prophet and King, founded the Church so she could continue His work of teaching, sanctifying and shepherding. He simultaneously created ordained ministry in order to implement that three-fold mission. Hence the deacons, priests and bishops of the Church exist to serve and service is substantially obedience. The cleric submits his will as did the Son to the Father."

on the mend

I want to thank Father Zuhlsdorf, Matt Abbott and everyone on the internet who was kind enough to keep me in their prayers. On Friday, March 16th, I was in an automobile accident. After spending three days in ICU at Clearfield Hospital (Pennsylvania), I was discharged and my Deacon Jim Rush drove me back to my parish. Although there were no broken bones (Deo gratias), I did incur injuries to my leg, arm, chest and lower torso (severe bruising and contusions).  My Guardian Angel deserves a raise and promotion as I am most grateful for no breaks or fractures and am VERY grateful to be alive.  I was driving back to my parish after visiting my mother in Erie. She had major surgery on her spine last month in Pittsburgh. The operation was successful but she encountered several complications which placed her in ICU for a few days. She was then discharged and taken to skilled nursing facility in her home town of Erie.  I was driving (300+ miles one way) every week to be with her.  The Blessed Mother has been watching over her (and me).

I turned 50 on March 31st and sat with the elderly and handicapped priests at the Chrism Mass last Monday at the Harrisburg Cathedral. I was the youngest one in that pew but felt like the rest of my infirm brethren.  We had to watch that our canes did not fall on the floor during the Bishop's homily.  Father Ken Brighenti (Vice Rector of Mount St. Mary Seminary, Emmitsburg, MD) has been very good in helping me recuperate and my doctor is pleased with my slow but steady recovery. I have been overwhelmed by the many cards and emails from friends at EWTN, Catholic Answers Radio, readers of our Dummies' series and those of you who read this humble blog.  Your prayers and support for both me and my mother are an invaluable treasure.  It will take some weeks for my wounds to fully heal but I am most fortunate the Good Lord and His Blessed Mother have never left my side.  Please continue to pray for mom as she, too, slowly recovers.

Please pray for my schoolmate Bishop William Skurla as he prepares to be installed as Archeparch of Pittsburgh for the Ruthenians on April 18.
GOD GRANT HIM MANY YEARS

Please pray for the soul of my late cousin, Father Stefan Katarzynski, a priest of the Diocese of Erie, who died today (April 5) in 1978. He was found murdered in his rectory. His parish had been beset with robberies and there was an active Satanic cult in the area at the time. Father Steve (as we called him) was very influential in me entering High School Seminary. He and my late pastor, Msgr. Ennis Connelly, were true role models, along with my mentor and dear friend, Father Bob Levis (who lives down the hall from my mother at the same nursing home).  REQUIESCAT IN PACE

BUONA PASQUA

PERSONAL PRAYER REQUEST

  Liz Trigilio on left

My mother is having major surgery this Wednesday, Feb. 29th to treat severe spinal stenosis. 

PLEASE keep her in your prayers. She has several risk factors including aortic stenosis, so the operation will be serious.

The discalced Carmelites in Erie, Poor Clares in Hanceville and Sister Servants of the Eternal Word in Irondale, AL, are all praying and I ask EVERYONE to join in.

Constitutional Law and Natural Moral Law Abomination

President Obama and Health and Human Services Sebelius have not given Catholic Americans a real alternative. The original mandate compelled Catholic institutions (other than churches, parishes and dioceses) to provide and fully subsidize contraceptives and abortifacients to any and all employees who asked for them. This was obviously reprehensible for it violated Natural and Divine Law which condemns these items as material cooperation in evil.

Abortifacients are the worst for they actually and directly kill a new embryo before implantation in the uterine wall. Once conception (fertilization of the female egg by the male sperm) takes place, a new and distinct human being exists, body and soul. The DNA of the new human is not identical to the mother’s, but similar. In every cell and organ of her body, the same DNA resides but in the embryo is a different DNA as it is the building block of a NEW human person now growing within his/her mother. Abortifacients do not prevent conception, they prevent implantation. They force the woman’s body to eject a non-viable fetus, which is defined as ABORTION. This is an unjust killing of an innocent human being and is murder plain and simple.

Contraception, on the other hand, is the prevention of fertilization. It nevertheless violates the Natural Moral Law since every conjugal act of human sexual intercourse is simultaneously dual oriented to love (unity) and life (procreation). Artificially separating procreation from marital unity (of husband and wife) is immoral and sinful as we were reminded by Pope Paul VI in Humanae Vitae. Contraceptive sex and test tube conceptions are both wrong for the same reason. Human sexuality is a gift not a right. God allows human beings to participate in the act of creating a new human person, hence the term PRO-CREATION. New human life is meant and intended to take place within the confines a human family, i.e., with mom and dad as husband and wife living together in the same home as one family.

Making Catholic schools and hospitals provide free contraceptives and abortifacients (by assuming the cost totally themselves is completely unjust, unfair and unconstitutional. The government was trying to compel religious institutions to violate their own moral code which of itself is violation of civil law. The US Constitution has a Bill of Rights, FIRST of which is the FREEDOM OF RELIGION. It is not the freedom FROM religion but the freedom OF religion. This freedom is mentioned before the freedom of speech, freedom of assembly, freedom of the press and freedom to bear arms. Nowhere in the Constitution, the Declaration of Independence, Magna Carta, etc., is there a freedom to have contraceptives on demand and without cost. President Obama and Secretary Sebelius (and Planned Parenthood) were attempting to violate the Natural Moral Law and replace it with immoral civil positive law. Contraception is legal in America. That was not always the case. Married couples could not legally obtain contraceptives until 1965 and unmarried couples until 1972. All mainline Protestant churches and denominations condemned abortion and contraception until the Lambeth Conference of 1930.

Now it is 2012 and the US Government wants to make it mandatory that women have FREE access to contraceptives. While the Catholic Church condemns artificial birth control, she realizes that in a pluralistic democratic-republic such as ours, the majority of citizens may not agree and thus these items may be legally permitted. Permission is different from obligation, however. Mandating the free access of something which violates the moral and spiritual conscience of others is an abuse of secular power. The State cannot impose material cooperation in evil. It is immoral and violates the very definition of a just and valid law.

Lex est quaedam rationis ordinatio ad bonum commune, ab eo qui curam communitatis habet, promulgata 
(law is a command of reason for the common good, promulgated by the one who has care of the community) 
This definition of law as found in the Summa Theologica of Saint Thomas Aquinas is the basis for all human law, ecclesiastical and civil. The Nuremberg Laws were not for the common good and were therefore immoral and de facto invalid.  Immoral laws are sins of the legislator. Complying with immoral laws are sins of the citizens.

Cardinal Elect Dolan and the USCCB were totally correct and proper in their public denunciation of this mandate. Moving the financial obligation, however, from Catholic schools and hospitals to insurance companies does not make the mandate moral or acceptable.

The mandate itself is wrong, immoral and sinful from the believer’s conscience which the FIRST AMMENDMENT protects. The material cooperation in evil still takes place, albeit now by means of the insurance companies instead of Catholic schools and hospitals. What if these institutions are SELF-INSURED? Would it not be the same result? There are Catholic insurance companies. What about the moral and spiritual consciences of the Board of Directors and stock holders of the insurance companies? Why must they be compelled to pay for something which by definition is a CHOICE? Contraception is not a medical procedure, it is an optional treatment called VOLUNTARY, DISCRETIONARY and ELECTIVE. Therefore, it is unfair and unjust to compel anyone to pay for this, in part or in whole. Neither the tax payer (via the state) nor the church nor the insurance company should pay one cent for contraception. Since it is readily available at every pharmacy and supermarket today, there is no burden being placed on citizens to obtain at their own cost such non-essential medical devices.

Even though the liberal press and media glamorize the scandal that most Catholic couples use contraceptives despite the Magisterial condemnation of them, this HHS mandate is not about the use but about the subsidizing and supplying of contraceptives. Should store owners be compelled to sell pornography if they find such things offensive and immoral? What if the government told businesses they had to supply (at cost) prostitutes for their employees (male or female)? Telling schools and hospitals they or their insurance companies have to provide contraception is no different. Legally obtainable items are not de fact morally acceptable items.

The First Amendment GUARANTEES that religion is RESPECTED and PROTECTED. It is also evident that there is no state church, no national religion per se. Yet, our founding fathers and the Declaration of Independence as well as the Constitution were formed on and from a Judaeo-Christian ethic and background. Inalienable rights come from GOD not the state. While no one religion is to be established, neither are any religions to be impeded from free exercise. Therefore, the First Amendment guarantees that Catholic hospitals, schools, organizations, institutions and insurance companies can reject any request to supply and/or subsidize (partially or in full) any procedure or treatment considered a violation of religious conscience.

The so-called right to privacy the Supreme Court invented with Roe v. Wade and which many in Congress invoke to shove contraception down our throats does not exist in either the Constitution or the Declaration of Independence. There is no amendment protecting such a theoretical construct. The right to life, however, is a pillar of our American society. The unborn have an inalienable right to life. Some contraceptives work in fact as abortifacients and therefore unconstitutionally rob the innocent of their lives.

Shifting the costs of contraceptives to insurance companies is merely a shell game and glamorous example of presidential prestidigitation. Merely a slight of hand trick, in reality this revised mandate is the same as before. Elective and optional treatments are being forced upon those whose moral conscience finds these methods objectionable. Next, the government will compel businesses and institutions to pay for medical gender change operations if this goes unchallenged. Same sex marriages will be imposed on churches soon after they are legal in all fifty states. Then what is to stop bigamous marriages to follow? If it is not legal to defend the tradition of one man and one woman, then neither is it legal to restrict marriage to just two people. Logic and reason show that once conscience is suppressed, then all is in danger.

This is not a republican-democrat issue per se and neither is it a battle between Obama supporters and Obama opponents. It is not a war between CNN and Fox-News. This is a constitutional and natural moral law violation. If female employees (or male for that matter) want contraceptives, then like cigarettes and alcohol, which are also legal items, let them obtain these things on their own time with their own money. Forcing institutions, schools, hospitals, churches, businesses or governments to pay for them in part or in whole; to provide them in any way, shape or form, is WRONG, IMMORAL and UNCONSTITUTIONAL. Protestants, Jews and Muslims will be joining us one way or another, either to protest together or to suffer together if these offensive procedures become law of the land.

Our bishops have made a courageous stand and the clergy and laity need to compliment them for it. This cannot be a fight for the episcopacy alone. Lay citizens have an active role to play, however, in VOTING and ELECTING and even RUNNING FOR OFFICE which clergy cannot and should not do. To do nothing would be a sin of omission at the very least, which sadly some did at Nuremburg during the 1930’s and in the USA during the time of slavery and segregation.

Father Michael Anthony Vogt, OSFS

Attended the ordination of seminary schoolmate in Wilmington, DE. Bishop Malooly ordained Mike Vogt at Salesianum HS today at 11:30 am. Fr Ken Brighenti and I went to school with newly ordained back in the 1980's (along with Bishop Skurla) and five of us went to Rome in June 1985 for the ordination of our colleage Fr. Dominick

Youth a strong presence at DC March for Life :: Catholic News Agency (CNA)

Youth a strong presence at DC March for Life :: Catholic News Agency (CNA)

2012 March for Life