NoFutureChurch

Via Gerald is the good news that newly installed Archbishop Lennon has banned FutureChurch from holding meetings in the rectory basement at St. Marks. Finally they don’t have the cover of retired Archbishop Pilla tacit support.

So here is a little ditty based on a song from another and totally different Lennon.

Imagine there’s no FutureChurch
it’s easy if you try
No rectory to hold meetings in
You can hear them cry

Imagine all the heretics
Without diocesan support

Gerald prints a plea from FutureChurch from a Call to Action website and he also asks:

What I don’t quite understand is why is there Call to Action and FutureChurch? Isn’t that essentially the same agenda? I guess it might be this way to erect a Potemkin village of many organizations behind which only a handful of people stand.

Well I think the answer if fairly simple. They all want into the supposed power of their envisioned Church and want individually to be the ones to bring it about. As history shows even groups with like-minded agendas splinter into multiple groups. Just look at the Protestant reformation. These groups are just an extension of what brought the reformation about in the first place. They are just not honest enough realize their vision is so different from the Catholic Church that they need to start their own instead. Since they don’t even have the illusionary anchor of Sola Scripture they will clash even more rapidly. Sola Relativism isn’t exactly a rallying cry.

Previously FutureChurch in a previous statement said:

FutureChurch welcomes Bishop Richard Lennon to the Diocese of Cleveland even though we are dismayed that he was named Bishop of Cleveland without any significant consultation process in the Diocese.

…FutureChurch prays that Bishop Lennon will vigorously address the priest shortage by inviting open discussion of both married and celibate priestly calls and ordaining women as deacons as a doable next step toward their full inclusion in priestly ministry. Presently there are more lay ecclesial ministers in the Church, (80% of whom are women) than diocesan priests.

Well hopefully Archbishop Lennon will vigorously address the priest shortage, though not by their means. If he does start to plant the sees of orthodoxy in this battered diocese then I am sure he will.

FutureChurch welcomes Bishop Lennon to the Diocese. We trust he will serve us as a good pastor and teacher. We invite him to encourage and welcome full participation of the People of God in the challenging decisions that will deeply affect the future of Catholic sacramental and parish life in Cleveland.

It seems every statement FutureChurch makes always includes a reference back to themselves. We welcome you – but consult with us. We hope you will be a good teacher – if you listen to us first.

FutureChurch Director Sr. Christine Schenk said: “Cleveland isn’t Boston. We hope Bishop Lennon will continue Bishop Anthony Pilla’s pastoral and collegial leadership in the Vibrant Parish Life and Church in the City initiatives. In this time of fewer priests, we want him to respect the integrity of our parish communities and not impose expedient solutions such as simply shrinking numbers of parishes to fit numbers of available

They don’t even see the irony of proclaiming a "Vibrant Parish Life" and then admitting that it produces no priests.