Excommunicated Priest Marek Bozek Joined Group Tied to the Moonies

St. Louis Catholic Blogspot ^ | February 11, 2009

[NYer]

Kudos to Tim Townsend for running this piece. His colleagues at the Post should follow up on the William Bialczak/towing company connection on the money side, and perhaps we will get a complete picture of the depths of the moral morass at St. Stanislaus.

Well, wouldn't you know it-- the priest declared in schism by Archbishop Burke is in schism in a big way, and, according to the story, misled his own parishioners as to his intent.

Bozek, it seems, requested and was granted priesthood in TWO schismatic groups-- 1) Married Priests Now!, headed by excommunicate Archbishop Emmanuel Milingo and affiliated with the Rev. Sun Myung Moon, and 2) the so-called "Reformed Catholic Church", which describes itself as "an open, affirming, progressive community, alternative to the rigid structure and doctrines of the Roman church."

You reject the authority of the Archbishop, and you cut yourself off of the vine. You embrace a heterodox priest, and you reap the whirlwind. Will somebody at the Post please, finally, write an editorial declaring that Archbishop Burke is completely vindicated, and that the accusations of greed against him might just possibly be as credible as any other statement that came out of that place?

From the full story:

Priest at St. Stanislaus Kostka creates more turmoil for St. Louis parish

By Tim Townsend
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
02/11/2009

Since last spring, the Rev. Marek Bozek, pastor of St. Stanislaus Kostka Church, has been telling his lay board, his congregation and reporters that his interest in aligning himself with bishops outside the Roman Catholic Church was merely research for a hypothetical future in which the pope strips him of his priesthood.

But according to documents obtained by the Post-Dispatch, Bozek a year ago requested — and was granted — priesthood in two Catholic organizations independent from the Vatican.

One of them, Married Priests Now!, is funded by the Rev. Sun Myung Moon and is led by an excommunicated former Roman Catholic archbishop from Zambia.

The documents also show that Bozek also was granted priestly authority in the Reformed Catholic Church on Jan. 16, 2008. The church describes itself as "an open, affirming, progressive community, alternative to the rigid structure and doctrines of the Roman church."

In the vernacular of the church, Bozek was "incardinated" into both organizations, with the authority to perform his religious functions under the supervision of their bishops.

But as recently as last summer, Bozek disparaged independent Catholic groups that, as it turns out, he was a member of at the time. "With all due respect for the independent Catholic movement, it's full of weirdos," he told the Post-Dispatch in a July interview.

On Tuesday, Bozek said he's been transparent with his board and congregation all along — although board members now dispute that.

[...]

Bozek was incardinated into the Married Priests Now! Catholic Prelature on Feb. 28, 2008. In 2002, Archbishop Emmanuel Milingo married a Korean acupuncturist, chosen for him by Moon, in a mass wedding run by Moon's Unification Church. Milingo was excommunicated by Pope Benedict XVI in 2006 after consecrating married priests as bishops.

[...]

Former St. Louis Archbishop Burke declared several St. Stanislaus lay board members excommunicated in 2005 for hiring Bozek. The Vatican upheld those excommunications last May and in the same declaration, hinted that Bozek would be laicized, or stripped of his priesthood.

Then, parishioners and board members raised questions about Bozek's affiliation with independent Catholic groups. Bozek had told the Post-Dispatch that if he were laicized, one option for St. Stanislaus was to worship under Milingo's authority.

Board members also were alarmed after Bozek participated in the secret ordination of a Married Priests Now! priest from Michigan at St. Stanislaus that same month.

Three months earlier, Bozek requested incardination from Married Priests Now! in a letter to its vicar general, Archbishop Peter Paul Brennan. Bozek said he was "fully aware of the canonical consequences of my act."

In a "Letter of Incardination and Recognition," Brennan wrote that Milingo had approved, and said Bozek was "welcomed, formally incardinated and recognized as an ordained Catholic priest in good standing ..."

On Tuesday, Bozek said he was only making sure he'd be able to perform his responsibilities as a priest in case he was laicized.

"That's my main obligation to the parish," Bozek said. "So to fulfill that obligation I had to find a bishop for after I'm laicized."When parishioners and board members began to worry last summer that Bozek was moving St. Stanislaus away from Roman Catholicism toward Milingo's organization, they complained to the priest and he distanced himself from Married Priests Now!

Minutes of special board meetings in early June show two board members — Robert Zabielski and Stan Rozanski — questioning Bozek about the Milingo association and the secret Married Priests Now! ordination.

According to the minutes, Bozek "informed the (board) that because of his impending removal from the priesthood he needed to be aligned with another bishop in order to provide sacraments to the parish. He informed us that the parish itself would not be aligned with this Bishop Milingo, just him."

But in a subsequent e-mail to the board and other church members — dated June 18, nearly four months after his incardination into both organizations — Bozek asked why the minutes hadn't reflected "my statement that 'I have no immediate plans to join any bishop and that I were only interviewing many bishops.'"

[...]

In an interview Tuesday, Bozek said he told all six board members "in February or March" that he had been granted faculties by the two organizations. He said the e-mail was intended to explain to the board that he had no intention of joining more than these two groups.

Krauze disputed that: "He did not say anything about being granted faculties with any other bishop. If we would have heard it, I would have questioned him about it right away."

But another board member, John Baras — who has remained on the board — said he did remember Bozek saying "something about that."

In an interview with the Post-Dispatch in July, Bozek again distanced himself from Married Priests Now!

Milingo's "relationship with Moon is a real liability," Bozek said at the time. "I won't join Milingo, or any other bishop. I know what their liabilities are now."

At the time, Bozek floated the possibility of becoming the bishop of his own "underground Catholic church."

"No one has an ambition to create a new denomination," Bozek said at the time. "My vision is to be Roman Catholic and wait for the regime to collapse."

________________

To my way of thinking, Bozek has three absolutely priceless money quotes :

1) "With all due respect for the independent Catholic movement, it's full of weirdos." (How true.)

2) According to the story, 'Bozek said he was "fully aware of the canonical consequences of my act."' (There goes the good faith excuse.)

3) "My vision is to be Roman Catholic and wait for the regime to collapse." (How is that strategy working for you?)

If souls weren't at stake, this would be the funniest story of the year. This guy is amazing.

To any Catholics left at St. Stan's-- can we please settle this thing now?

[NYer]

Fr. Marek Bozek

[stop_fascism]

priesthood in two Catholic organizations independent from the Vatican.

That is an impossibility. There are no catholic groups independent of the Vatican.

[TCH]

Sun Young Moon owns the Washington Times, correct?

I think Traditional Catholics should steer a wide path around anything connected to that Moon... and this article proves the point. The Cathoic Church is being over-run with revolutionaris. Holy Father please bring back “burning at the stake”... so to kill ONE bad idea before it has opportunity to kill 1000 souls.

[vladimir998]

“Minutes of special board meetings in early June show two board members — Robert Zabielski and Stan Rozanski — questioning Bozek about the Milingo association and the secret Married Priests Now! ordination.”

LOSERS!!! We all told you this is how it would go.

Anyone with common sense knows this is always the way of heretics and schismatics.

[jjm2111]

it’s the lack of humility. such a hard virtue to cultivate.

[vladimir998]

“...Bozek disparaged independent Catholic groups...[He said] “With all due respect for the independent Catholic movement, it’s full of weirdos,”...”

Yep. And now you’re one of them, weirdo.

[NYer]

That is an impossibility. There are no catholic groups independent of the Vatican.

You forgot the /sarc

[Notwithstanding]

He just wants to be somebody important.

Sort of hard when you spit on the pulpit God gave to you.

[stop_fascism]

That’s because I wasn’t being sarcastic. The essence of Catholicism is acceptance of the magisterium.

[NYer]

That’s because I wasn’t being sarcastic. The essence of Catholicism is acceptance of the magisterium.

Where Peter is, there is the Church. And where the Church, no death is there, but life eternal."
St. Ambrose of Milan, "Commentary on Twelve Psalms of David" c. 389 A.D.

Over the centuries, some of those in disagreement with the magisterium set up their own 'independent' churches but retained the word 'catholic'. Independent Catholic Churches. These are not in unity with the Holy See. So, excuse me but I still don't understand your comment: There are no catholic groups independent of the Vatican.

[stop_fascism]

These people can call themselves whatever they want, if it makes them happy. I can call myself President of the United States, but that doesn’t mean Marines are going to salute me. As far as these churches go, I have more respect for Luther and Calvin.

[Mr. Lucky]

Gosh, isn't the Catholic faith defined by the Athanasian Creed?

[stop_fascism]

The Athanasian creed is one of three acceptable doctrines of faith. It was written to divide the orthodox from Arians. Any trinitarian religion should find it valid. What’s your point?