Replies

Sent to:
chancery@adw.org

His Excellency, Bishop Barry Knestout
5001 Eastern Avenue
Hyattsville MD 20782-3447

Copy to:
Fr. Marcel Guarnizo
St. John Neumann Catholic Church
9000 Warfeld Road
Gaithersburg, MD 20882

Your Excellency:

I was disturbed when I read that Fr. Guarnizo had rudely refused Holy Communion to a woman at her mother’s funeral. It was only later that I realized that I had misjudged the situation by letting anti-Catholic secular press define it for me; that there was a lot more to the story; and that the lesbian Buddhist, Ms. Johnson, actually set a trap which many, including you, your Excellency, fell into.

Ms. Johnson announced her unrepentant grave sin in a challenging way: not only to Fr. Guarnizo, but to the public at large.
She put Fr. Guarnizo into a situation that could not be handled in a quiet, private manner: she herself made every effort to make it a public issue.
Fr. Guarnizo, for the good of this woman’s soul (1 Corin. 11:29) chose to do what he could to prevent sacrilege. This is his duty as a priest.

The spectacular success of Ms. Johnson’s ploy guarantees that the sacrilege will be repeated again and again; in your Archdiocese, and in others.

This should have been a positive “teachable moment”. Upholding Fr. Guarnizo, the Archdiocese could have said that the Eucharist must never be profaned by being received unworthily, but that any repentant person can be received back into the Church by the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

Instead, Fr. Guarnizo has been maligned and slandered. This is scandalous. He ought now to be restored by a public affirmation of his innocence.

If I have misconstrued what happened because of faulty and tendentious reporting, I would gladly be corrected.

Yours in Christ our Lord,

[signed]

Mrs. Don-o, please let us know if you get a reply from the bishop. I’d love to know what he has to say in response to your excellent letter.

Regards,

Excellent response. You are a role model for tactful and respectful dissent. Thank you.

Excellent letter. I wonder if you’ll receive an answer.

Mrs. Don-o, if you hear anything more about what happens, please let me know.