| June 30, 2008 | Volume 83, Number 18 | |
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‘Supporting roles’ of women said validWomen are valuable and the roles — supporting or otherwise — that they hold are valuable. It seems that today unless we are all exactly the same, one is somehow lesser than the other. Women are not men, as men are not women. I suppose there are some women who will not be happy until women are priests, but there are some women and men who already know how valuable women in “supporting roles” truly are. My faith comes to me by way of my grandmother — she was never a president, pope, priest or man. It is tiring to hear women deride each other because they chose “traditional” or “supporting’ roles, rather than trying to be men. If women would learn to value these “traditional” roles, then maybe others would value them, too. Some roles — like mother, wife, grandmother, and nun are too important to lose to “equality.” Ms. Snyder should be applauded for not only hearing but heeding a call from God over the noise of popular culture. Offering her virginity as a sign of her commitment to God should be given credence. A women’s sexuality is a part of who she is — virgin or otherwise. And to say that someone’s family situation doesn’t affect their ability to minister is to discount the fact that their role in family IS a part of who they are and how they minister. While attending Engaged Encounter, we learned that love is a decision. Well, so is being Catholic. Some days it might not be easy, but when we chose to be Catholics we chose to believe certain things and act certain ways. Not that we should never question the way things are done. But, rather than clamor for power and prestige, we should see the influence that is available in the smallest roles.
Brookneal church ‘closing’ said to cause great concernIn the fall of 2007, our Parish — St. Elizabeth of Hungary in Brookneal — was “temporarily” closed because our priest became ill. I realize that we are a small country Church that does not generate much revenue and the shortage of Priests is a serious problem. However, this is the only Catholic Church within a 25-mile radius. Its closing has caused great concern among parishioners. I, myself, now travel 23 miles each way to attend Mass. Although no one from the diocese has communicated with us, recent actions lead us to believe that we will not reopen. Our former sister parish has been clustered with two other churches and the locks on our church have been changed so that we do not have access. Our religion decrees that we attend Mass on Sunday and the Church urges us to be further involved. At St. Elizabeth’s, volunteers did everything but the bookkeeping. We cleaned and maintained our Parish and grounds. We assisted at Mass and taught our children. Sunday visitors were welcomed and returned each time they visited in the vicinity because they felt so at home. Every parishioner did something extra to insure the success of the parish. We are still holding weekly Bible Study and distributing a weekly Bulletin so that we can keep in touch while we wait for our fate to be determined. Now, with the distance we must travel, the price of gas, and the age of some of our parishioners, simply getting to Mass is becoming a hardship. While we are sending Missionaries throughout the world, we are ignoring the spiritual needs of the people in our own back yard.
Sr. Bernadette touched many livesOn May 29, I lost a dear friend, Sister Bernadette Kieninger. She passed away suddenly while visiting her family in Florida. I knew Bernadette for more than 20 years since she first accompanied me on my path to becoming a Catholic at St. Augustine parish. I know that she will be missed by all of those whose lives she touched, including those at her last assignment at St. Bridget, where so many of us celebrated her Golden Jubilee last year. For me, her passing is so much more personal. When we first met, I was in my forties and had never met a nun. My background was Protestant; I came from a farm outside a small rural Southside Virginia town. I must admit I was intimidated by the thought of being interviewed by “Sister” for the conversion process. Much to my surprise at that first meeting, there was no funny hat but a woman who showed a deep interest in me and my faith journey.
We joked with her and reminisced fondly about our days with the dream team who had worked at St. Augustine: Monsignor Carr, Monsignor Muench, and, of course, Bernadette. As the years went by, she began to share more and more of herself and how she as a young teenager from Long Island had evolved into the Bernadette that so many of us came to know and love. She even reluctantly shared with us a picture of her in her habit during those pre-Vatican II years. For me, Bernadette put a face on Catholicism. She showed us, mostly through example, that being Catholic transcended hierarchy and ritual and was really about community, service, and love. She was there for us when we needed her, whether as a sounding board or standing in a cold cemetery the day after Christmas while burying my father. She never left town without calling us and letting us know how we could reach her. I believe it is thanks to Bernadette I know the real “nun’s story,” that I can be consoled at her death in knowing that she has found “the inn of ultimate happiness,” and that she has been lifted up by something more powerful than a funny hat and strange winds. Most of all, I feel that our bond is still deep and the love is still eternal. However, Carol and I already miss her.
Caption on photo said to be remissI read with great interest about the adventures of the seminarians of the Diocese of Richmond and their leaders who traveled to Rome. I am a part of Rev. Michael Renninger’s prayer group for Vocations and I, like many others in the diocese, am interested in how these future priests progress in their journey. In this trying time of recruiting new priests, it was a shame that you did not take the time to include the names of all of the seminarians in the picture. It would have helped those who pray to support these men to get to know them better.
(Editor: The Catholic Virginian received the photo close to the deadline for printing and lacked sufficient space at that late time to list each participant on the trip. The Office of Vocations has sent a poster with individual photos of the seminarians to all parishes with the hope that it be posted in a prominent place. Those who wish to see individual photos of the diocese’s seminarians can go to the diocesan website www.richmonddiocese.org and click on Office of Vocations under diocesan offices.)
‘Chicago’ priest highlights concernPossibly lost in (Father Michael) Pfleger’s diatribe was his explicit support of Barack Obama as his candidate with the attack on Hillary Clinton. With the presidential elections coming up the partisan campaigns will begin in earnest and the IRS will again raise their radar and look for tax exempt groups illegally endorsing a candidate. Too often, I have witnessed a priest both explicitly and implicitly endorsing one party or candidate from the pulpit. As parishioners we talk among ourselves and the consensus is that we want our priest to share our Church’s teachings fully and let us decide how we vote. The priest who feels so compelled to try and influence (opinion) needs to be called out and, just like Pfleger, told to stick to the Church’s teachings and policies. It is unlikely, but it is not out of the realm of possibility that if this behavior gets blatant enough a parish or diocese could get investigated by the IRS, which creates another legal mess. I personally would like to see every homily recorded during this election year and our faith leaders constructively critiqued on the faithful citizenship message communicated to their parishioners.
Priest’s support of pro-choice view questionedBarbara Hughes’ commentary, “In Light of Faith: The Fall of the Righteous” (CV, June 16, 2008), is puzzling in the message she does not convey, namely, why is a Catholic priest openly supporting a pro-abortion candidate? It is ironic that Father Pfleger is being criticized AFTER he made a spectacle of himself attacking Hillary Clinton. What of his actions before this time? What of his assistance, including reported financial donations, to Barack Obama whose record is clearly one of supporting abortion? In the hierarchy of evils, what is more serious, the destruction of innocent human life or criticism of Hillary Clinton? It is tragic when people of faith support pro-abortion candidates, but it is an outrageous scandal when a Catholic priest enthusiastically promotes such a candidate. I am appalled that this priest’s behavior is only now being recognized after his childish exhibition. And what were the consequences? He was given a two week “leave of absence” for his “…smear tactics and hostile rhetoric,” but nothing for his support of a candidate who is “pro-choice.” Ultimately, this is the consequence when our bishops refuse to take a stronger stance against those Catholics who support issues clearly contrary to Catholic Church doctrine.
Lynchburg school seeks former gradsIn efforts to contact our alumni of Holy Cross Regional School in Lynchburg for the upcoming 130 year celebration events, I am seeking updated addresses. If you are a graduate and wish to be contacted by HCRS, please contact me with your graduation year and complete address. It’s time to celebrate our history!
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Over the years, my wife Carol and I developed a bond with her through common interests. We were members of her RCIA team for a number of years. The three of us met almost monthly for breakfast and had wonderful conversations about the state of the church and the world.