Rochester Catholic relates his ten years since he returned to the
Church in a couple of posts that detail a large number of things he has
had to contend with. As Rich Leonardi writes in regards to
this post “You can find an abuse or two like those above in most
dioceses, but I know of no other place where they are so widespread and
flagrant.”
Some of the abuses listed are common ones, but others are quite a
doozy, for example:
There were the liturgies at my
daughters’ high school in which the
priest would stop the Mass and take a vote on which Eucharistic prayer
to use. The group that yelled the loudest would win. At the end of
Mass, the priest would walk around the room throwing candy to the crowd
and high fiving everyone in sight.
posts, but currently the two posts are at the top.
15 comments
Lord, PLEASE grant us holy and faithful shepherds for we are perishing.
How old is the priest?
High fives during the Great Amen maybe, after Mass? Never, slows down the kids on the way to the donut line. Although the candy might get people to stay until the final blessing (if there is one).
After my liturgical experience at retreat this past weekend, I have a new appreciation for a simply poor liturgy. Doesn’t have to be perfect, just don’t flaunt the errors.
This sounds like a throwback to the 60’s. The liturgy is about worshipping God, not entertaining the congregation.
Appalling.
Gee I’ve always wondered how they choose which prayer to use…
I keep hearing bad, even scary, things about the Rochester Diocese. How old is the bishop? Retirement/replacement of the bishop seems to be the only way abuses like these can be stopped.
if the parishoners/readers who suffer from such abuse offer their sufferings up for the poor souls in purgatory and for the conversion of sinners, purgatory will definitely be emptied out by the end of the week, together with a hundred sinners converted by the same time period.
stop the Mass to vote by screaming…what a spectacle for the Father to Whom this Holy Sacrifice is offered to, and to the angels present who kneel and revere the Mass most respectfully!
Not to mention at the chrism Mass at the cathedral, a certain priest was dancing down the aisle to bongo drums with the precious blood.
How old is the bishop?
He turns 75 in 2012.
Bishop Matthew Clark is the paradigm case as to why you don’t appoint young bishops. In his over 30 years as the bishop of Rochester, he will have nearly single handedly run the diocese into the ground. The diocese may eventually need to be suppressed back into Buffalo (which is only a little better off) due to the lack of priests, parishes, and faithful. It is an absolute travesty for a diocese which will likely have an emeritus bishop canonized (Fulton J. Sheen).
Bishop Clark is only 70…unless he gets ill or the Pope recalls him, he can continue his “successful” record of destruction, whether intentional or not, for another 5 years. He is at best an overly indulgent shepherd, at worst he is incompetent and dangerous. I have nothing against him personally, he sounds like a nice person, but, he has completely mishandled the flock he was entrusted to guide. Our seminary has been reduced to a “theological school” that trains parish administrators and lay “chaplains,” Parishes are closing or being forced to “cluster” at gun point, with little regard for the parish wishes. Few of the clergy are able to be a “father” to their parish as they have been replaced by the pastoral administrator. Also it is expected by 2012 that we will only have 40 priests to minister to an estimated 350,000 Catholics.
The prospects are bleak. Pray for a true and strong bishop. Of course the running joke among the orthodox here is that the next bishop will be Father Corapi…it may be a joke, and poetic justice, but is going to take someone of his strength and character to clean this mess up.
And I’m complaining about Mahoney, Maybe we don’t have it bad here in LA afterall?
I wish I were charitable enough to share Bishop Tobin. Instead, whenever I hear of a diocese in need of a bishop my first thought is “We need our bishop more than you do.” I didn’t realize my own stinginess! Mea Culpa! How ’bout if I pray more fervently that everyone will receive an apostle as shiny as ours? (We really DO need ours in Providence!)
Or, those in need of a shiny apostle could move to Providence and build up the faithful? Ooh, there’s an idea!