life-after-RC

The Chaput Approach

This letter stands on its own, and should be a tonic to those who welcome forthright speech, prudence and courage -- three elements that could have served the Legion well in the last three years. Consider how such an approach could have helped the Movement to establish an authentic reform which it seems the Holy Father thought was possible. Sadly, they have clung instead to obfuscation, sentimentality and dodging accountability for very serious and repeated harms to its  members. It would seem that given the current trajectory in the Movement, especially given that those capable of reform are leaving and those most wedded to the obtuse narrative spun by the Macielistas remain at the helm. 

For the record, there has been no restitution to the victims of MM, there has been no apology to the 3gf's who [now!] it seems were subject to 30 years of bureaucratic oversights, and there has been no credible explanation as to how MM had millions of dollars at his personal disposal, decades of depravity with no witnesses and even his own children enrolled in Legion schools (and receiving the sacraments from the Holy Father himself) without anyone noticing. But, there are enormous funds available for the Adizes business consultants to polish their corporate image and self-promotion skills.

December 8, 2011
Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception

Dear friends in Christ,

Exactly three months ago, on September 8, I was installed as Archbishop of Philadelphia. In the weeks since, traveling the archdiocese, I’ve been struck by two things I encounter again and again: the reservoir of good will in our people, and the fidelity of our priests.

The Church in Southeastern Pennsylvania has deep roots and an extraordinary legacy of saints, service and public witness. These are profound strengths, built by the faith of generations of Catholic families. But all of these good facts depend on our willingness to sustain them by our actions in the present. Advent is a season of self-examination in the light of God’s word; a season of conversion and looking forward in hope to the birth of a Savior at Christmas. There is no better time to speak frankly about the conditions we now face as a community of believers.

Christmas Novena

Those of us who can still believe and pray should pray for those who cannot. And those of us who have found freedom can can now pray with confidence to destroy the remaining fetters--on ourselves and those who still don't know they are bound. This series of prayers is easy...

Thank you for all the kind Yuletide wishes. You were all in my prayers, and I hope that 2012 is a year of abundant graces. This was our homily today, and I found it comforting. May Our Lady enfold you in her loving mantle throughout this year and always. Cheers!

[Icon source]

NOR's "Super Catholics"

This is how some on the outside see members of this Movement:

The media spotlight has moved back onto the scandal-wracked Legion of Christ, and the themes of secrecy, servile obedience, financial irregularities, and spiritual abuse are again casting long shadows. For those who were hoping that the humbling of the order (a result of the fall of Legion founder Fr. Marcial Maciel) was having a cleansing effect, two recent events will likely bring them crashing back to earth.

The author then cites the Zenit debacle and the visitation of the Regnum Christi, which revealed that hundreds of women were living an illusion founded on lies (or just oversights?!) by their superiors. The full article requires a subscription (well worth it!) but here's a teaser:

How is it that decades can pass as Church institutions fumble about and fail to muster even basic levels of accountability? New orders rise partly in response to corruption in the local Churches, but the movements that grow “parallel” to parishes and dioceses are clearly not immune to vast and rapid corruption themselves. By now we can all agree that any Church institution that even hints of secrecy, impropriety, or abuse does harm to the faith. Any Church leader who comes across as above the law or even delusional — yes, they’re out there — does harm to the faith.

Unfortunately, we must conclude that those "leaders above the law" are not confined to this Movement, and nothing indicates that there will ever be an accounting in that regard. That said, we know that we need the Sacraments, and must do what we can to rebuild the faith -- for ourselves and others.

As we continue our Advent journey, keep in mind those with a shredded faith, those who worked diligently on so many beautiful Christmas rooms over the years, and who finally came to realise that much of their hard work was coopted by a paper kingdom. May all of these souls remember that True Love lay in a dingy manger--apart from the flash and frenzy of the "super Catholic" life we entertained for so long. God understands and will heal us when we're ready.

New Legionaries

One cannot fail to rejoice in the ordination of priests, and please know our hearts and prayers go out to the 49 new Legionaries (including ten from North America) found here. May they be led by the Holy Spirit to minister wisely, generously and selflessly throughout the rest of their lives.

For those wondering how the Movement to which they are currently attached sees itself, there is an audio file of Fr Garza's webinar found here. God alone knows where this will all lead, but if we stay close to the Sacraments, the Magisterium and our primary duties, we should be fine. More than that, we cannot ask. Prayers for all.

External Commissioner for the RC

As reported at Clerical Whispers:

As the Legionaries of Christ recover from scandal, Pontifical delegate Cardinal Velasio de Paolis has placed its lay branch, Regnum Christi, under the administration of an external commissioner and set out strict guidelines for its future conduct.

Cardinal De Paolis issued a letter with concrete guidelines for consecrated members of the 'Regnum Christi', after the apostolic visit which also placed the lay branch of the Legionaries of Christ under the administration of an external commissioner.

The movement currently has approximately 70,000 members, including young people, adults, deacons and priests, in more than 30 Countries around the world.

Cardinal De Paolis addressed five points: assistants’ duties with regards to consecrated members; the regulation that will be in force during the review phase; the central commission for the review of statutes and 'Regnum Christi' regulations; further study into certain fundamental topics, through conferences and study days and the necessary difference that exists between reflections, suggestions and formal decisions during the process that is currently underway.

The letter concluded with a call for prayer, dialogue and gratitude towards God, for the gift of consecration in the Church and in 'Regnum Christi.'

I'm checking on the significance of this (since it seems rather important) and yet no word of it on the RC site. Nor do we know who the assigned commissioner is. I'd like to know how they are receiving this news. Or have the rank and file been told yet?

Update on Catholic World Mission

A reader provides the following:

1. their new executive director Ricardo "Rick" Medina is strangely absent from their website, facebook and mailings. If he is gone, then that makes 3 directors in 1.5 years.  Thomas Clements left the organization & not a toot about why. The hushed departures look a lot like when the novices leave on a hike day or at midnight or something like that. Seems strange for a charity to have these hushed changes in their top spot...
When "Rick" Medina was initially interviewed he didn´t even thank Tom Clements which is normal practice in most places...weird.
2. they raised their Mano Amiga scholarship to $780 from $650. Since then the peso devaluated from 10.50 pesos per dollar to 13.7 pesos per dollar.  So now they say that the scholarship is 10,686 pesos instead of 6825 pesos. At the same time the Mano Amiga schools have lowered their assistance to each family by 40% or 50%. The families also have to buy their own books and materials when before they were free. that is 2500 pesos more per student for families that live in improvised homes. Mexico inflation has been about 2-3% so this is a totally ridiculous increase. However salary increase of CWM employees may be more to blame for the scholarship increase or of course a year end bonus for their mystery executive director...
3. CWM does not clarify that several other "charities" support the same schools & possibly the same students. We have Catholic World Mission, WorldFund (supported by Carlos Slim, richest man in the world, and others like him), Foundation Mano Amiga, Fundacion Altius, etc.
4. The Legion charges CWM about $80k a year in overhead costs when their original story was that the Legion gives them the use of their facilities, computers, etc for free (since it was a great charity). Being that CWM is two steps from the Legion´s US territorial director in Thornwood, it should be clear that this is quite an unholy alliance...

If you got an annual fund drive notification,  and still think they are a legit charity, ask them for a detailed report of money received for education vs how much is actually transferred to the schools.

Back to the "Kingdom"

ADDENDUM added below

Over the years, we've parsed the theology used by the Movement that sounds very orthodox at first glance, but then may not be so. For those inclined, could we reconsider the foundational use of the word "kingdom," for example used in Fr Oscar Nader's letter?

It is up to you to extend the Kingdom of God in society; the depth of that extension depends on the priests and consecrated members. You are called to make as many souls as possible participate in the richness of our faith, sharing it through your witness and apostolic action. Their task is to help you and the others to live it to the full.

From the Universal Catechism:

543 Everyone is called to enter the kingdom. First announced to the children of Israel, this messianic kingdom is intended to accept men of all nations. To enter it, one must first accept Jesus' word:

The word of the Lord is compared to a seed which is sown in a field; those who hear it with faith and are numbered among the little flock of Christ have truly received the kingdom. Then, by its own power, the seed sprouts and grows until the harvest.

2816 In the New Testament, the word basileia can be translated by "kingship" (abstract noun), "kingdom" (concrete noun) or "reign" (action noun). The Kingdom of God lies ahead of us. It is brought near in the Word incarnate, it is proclaimed throughout the whole Gospel, and it has come in Christ's death and Resurrection. The Kingdom of God has been coming since the Last Supper and, in the Eucharist, it is in our midst. The kingdom will come in glory when Christ hands it over to his Father:

It may even be . . . that the Kingdom of God means Christ himself, whom we daily desire to come, and whose coming we wish to be manifested quickly to us. For as he is our resurrection, since in him we rise, so he can also be understood as the Kingdom of God, for in him we shall reign.

I don't think we extend the Kingdom, per se, because it's already in our midst. It's all around us. We can explain it to those who don't know it exists, or invite them to enter, but I don't it's like an elastic band that grows the more people who step inside it. 

Furthermore, now that I look more carefully, I don't like the language of this, "[making] people participate," and "as many souls as possible." Both thoughts are insidious, as we cannot make anyone do anything, and the call for numbers harkens back to "efficiency" being a part of the charism.

Perhaps it's just me, perhaps it's semantics, but it would seem as this sort of language allows the pride and self-righteousness to enter in, no matter how good the initial intention. At least this is what happened with me.

[And offerings like this only add to the possibility of such pride. I cannot imagine any of the newer priests in our diocese publishing their vocation stories, and I doubt that these men would have done so other than out of sheer obedience. It reminds me of a certain young president who had written two autobiographies before he was 50.]

ADDENDUM: From today's Office of Readings (for Saint Nicholas)

When those who are tending Christ's flock wish that the sheep were theirs rather than his, they stand convicted of loving themselves, not Christ. And the Lord's words are a repeated admonition to them and to all who, as Paul writes sadly, are seeking their own ends, not Christ's.

Do you love me? Tend my sheep. Surely this means: “If you love me, your thoughts must focus on taking care of my sheep, not taking care of yourself. You must tend them as mine, not as yours; seek in them my glory, not yours; my sovereign rights, not yours; my gain, not yours. Otherwise you will find yourself among those who belong to the ‘times of peril’, those who are guilty of self-love and the other sins that go with that beginning of evils.”

So the shepherds of Christ’s flock must never indulge in self-love; if they do they will be tending the sheep not as Christ’s but as their own. And of all vices this is the one that the shepherds must guard against most earnestly: seeking their own purposes instead of Christ’s, furthering their own desires by means of those persons for whom Christ shed his blood.

I write the above with trepidation, for one can never judge the motives of others. I am making no firm accusation of anyone, only noting what struck me about my morning prayer. There are hints that the Legion conflates its mission with that of the Church, and then arrogates to itself the members of the Church, confusing the "vocation" the Movement with the foundational baptismal call.

Non nobis, non nobis, Domine
Sed nomini tuo da gloriam.

Whenever the Legion is glorified for its virtues, it should trigger alarm bells. And whenever the members speak of their own suffering as a reason for the group to be supported and glorified, they are robbing others. We all suffer, we all stumble, and we all need prayers -- but we cannot market those wounds for particular gain. These are the troubling signs I see in the kingdom of MM. Still.

More on "charism"

An important exchange in a recent interview:

The American Redemptorist Joseph Tobin, who has served a year and a half as Secretary of the Congregation for Religious Life, just below the Cardinal Bráz of Aviz, spoke with us about the sad cases that require discipline and discernment on the part of the Vatican ministry that oversees Religious.

- There have been cases of founders who were disciplined: Maciel of the Legion of Christ, Gerard Croissant in Beatitudes, Alphonsus Maria Duran in Miles Jesu ... Who supervises the supervisors? What we learn from these cases?

- Our Congregation, in order to approve an Institute, judges that its charism is an authentic gift of the Holy Spirit and that the Institute has the maturity to develop this charism. But there are cases (I'm not talking about these in particular) that I think misled the Congregation with lies, and likewise deceived the fellow brothers in the community. In addition, the Second Vatican Council, Decree Perfectae Caritatis always asks to see "the original spirit of the Institutes," and the example of the founder. But how can a founder who had a messy life remain a point of reference? I have no answer to this perplexity.

As we approach the crèche...

... I know we will continue to carry one another in our hearts and prayers, knowing that we've come a long way in the three years since the damning revelations exploded into full view. The Vatican investigation and two visitations have been completed, much has been brought to light that had previously been hidden, we've pulled together numerous novenas which have borne fruit, and so many people are inching their way successfully along the path of healing.

The Holy Father has just offered some critical words on the topic of evangelisation (which may have been one of the key magnets that initially drew us towards this group). Such work is an essential dimension of our baptismal commitment, but it need not be hierarchical, highly organised or fit under a snazzy title. Truly, it can be much simpler than that:

"[T]the new evangelisation is inseparable from the Christian family. The family is the Church's 'path', because it is a 'human place' in which we encounter Christ. ... The family founded on the Sacrament of Marriage is an individual microcosm of the Church, a community which is saved and saves, which is evangelised and evangelises. Like the Church, the family is called to live, irradiate and express to the world the love and presence of Christ."

Accepting and transmitting divine love, Benedict XVI explained, "comes about in the spouses' dedication to one another, in generous and responsible procreation, in raising and educating children, in work and social relations, in care for the needy, participation in Church activity and commitment to civil society." The Christian family "reflects the splendour of Christ and the beauty of the divine Trinity in the world" in the extent to which it manages to experience love "as communion and service, as reciprocal gift and openness to everyone."

Yes, "church activity" is on the list, but it ranks well below the steady work of love within families. It's the fidelity and mutual love therein that will speak most profoundly to a world, that is losing its understanding of the family hearth. Recall the words of John Paul II: "Families, become what you are!"

Let's continue to pray for one another and the healing that we need -- that all people need. Most importantly, we pray that in this holy season any remaining family wounds are tended to, relationships are restored and God's generous grace finds its ways into those areas most injured by this abuse of the faith. We cannot give what we don't have, and this may be a time for silence, contemplation and reflexion. God sees all, and awaits the simple gift of your hearts. Slow down and soak in every gift of Advent, so that each of us can kneel at the Holy Manger with childlike humility. God love you all!

[And for those still looking for a gift for a woman, humour me!]