The Conversion of a Catholic Priest

Remnent of God ^ | march 3,2015 | Vincent O'Shaughnessy

[eastsider]

Hail, Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou amongst women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.

Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

[eastsider]

Hail, Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou amongst women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.

Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

[edwinland]

In the final analysis, the Roman Catholic Church teaches a gospel of works (i.e., salvation through man's own efforts to lead a good life and to do penance for sins -- as if Jesus Christ did not pay for it all with His shed blood on Calvary's cross). Ephesians 2:8-9 makes it very clear that salvation is a free gift of God, received by faith: "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast."

So he left the Catholic Church to find a new church, one that teaches Epesians and maybe also Augustine:

Indeed we also work, but we are only collaborating with God who works, for his mercy has gone before us. It has gone before us so that we may be healed, and follows us so that once healed, we may be given life; it goes before us so that we may be called, and follows us so that we may be glorified; it goes before us so that we may live devoutly, and follows us so that we may always live with God: for without him we can do nothing.

Oh wait, that wonderful Augustine quote is quoted in full in the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Maybe the Catholic Church doesn't teach salvation by man's own works after all?? We gotta look into this! What primary sources can we use to address this issue?

GRACE AND JUSTIFICATION from the Catechism of the Catholic Church:

http://www.vatican.va/archive/ccc_css/archive/catechism/p3s1c3a2.htm

The Summa Theologica of Thomas Aquinas:

http://www.newadvent.org/summa/2114.htm#article3

If, however, we speak of a meritorious work, inasmuch as it proceeds from the grace of the Holy Ghost moving us to life everlasting, it is meritorious of life everlasting condignly. For thus the value of its merit depends upon the power of the Holy Ghost moving us to life everlasting according to John 4:14: "Shall become in him a fount of water springing up into life everlasting." And the worth of the work depends on the dignity of grace, whereby a man, being made a partaker of the Divine Nature, is adopted as a son of God, to whom the inheritance is due by right of adoption, according to Romans 8:17: "If sons, heirs also."

[NKP_Vet]

“we never studied the Bible in the seminary” line that is ALWAYS included in one of these stories”

Please keep believing that nonsense. He left the priesthood because he was not cut out to be a priest. He was also never a believer.

[af_vet_1981]

Where are they now ? There is a faith community called "Paradise Four Square Promise Center" which claims them. It is led by a woman, called the "Senior Pastor Anna" ...

Anna Stebbins, senior pastor and ordained with Foursquare, came to pastor Promise Center in Paradise, California on Easter Sunday 2006. Pastor Anna came to Paradise from the Foursquare church in Vacaville, CA. Prior to that, she pastored churches in Washington state. Anna has three daughters, one in Idaho and two in southern California. Her passion is to lead others to the "hope" they have in the Lord who can recover, restore, and release every individual to a purpose-filled life. She devotes and invests herself to walking with those who have broken hearts and lives that they may know the highest purpose for which God has called them to. She is passionate about leading each church she pastors to grow in spiritual excellence and becoming a dynamic force in the community for the Kingdom of God. The acronym H.E.A.R.T.S. (see "What We Value") embraces her life and and is consistently underscored in many of the messages she teaches on Sunday mornings. "Always extrend grace", a frequent reminder she gives to the church, exemplifies her life. Anna is loving, compassionate, and vulnerable; yet bold in confronting and counseling issues that may devastate churches, personal lives and relationships.

...

Richard Zuris is the Pastor of Administration and Worship at Promise Center. Richard also serves as the Administrator and Principal of Promise Academy. Richard is a licensed Foursquare minister since 2007. As the church worship leader since 2006, he is also a band member since 2002. Rich was brought up in the Lord by Pastor Vince and Yvonne O'Shaughnessy, founders of our school, and served as a monitor and supervisor in the school from 1981 through 1987, and as a PE teacher upon returning to Paradise in 1998.

[wagglebee]

You are correct. Unless I missed it, there is absolutely no mention of a period of discernment prior to entering the seminary or before taking his vows.

Confusion about what the Church is and isn't abounds and most of it is spread by former Catholics who never understood what the Church actually taught.

[ealgeone]

Please keep believing that nonsense. He left the priesthood because he was not cut out to be a priest. He was also never a believer.

And you know this how? He send you an email?

[dartuser]

And you know this how? He send you an email?

That would be part of sacred tradition.

[ealgeone]

>And you know this how? He send you an email?<

That would be part of sacred tradition.

So "sacred tradition" now gives you the ability to know if someone has placed their faith in Christ???

Ok then.

[dartuser]

lol ... We haven't interacted before I see ...

Next time I will check who I am posting to and make sure I put the < / sarc> tag ... lol.

[piusv]

The timeline suggests they were married right after Vatican II. Doesn't surprise me.

That's what I was hinting at. Just another priest and religious leaving the Faith after Vatican II. Just another statistic. Just another "fruit of Vatican II"! /s

[RnMomof7]

He is an unregenerate man that figured out that he could make a great living from Rominists..

He was never a minister ordained by the PCA.. if a ministry is built on wood,hay or stubble it will be burned up ..

He claims he was a pastor of the" Trinity Presbyterian Church" before converting to Catholicism. The truth is that church was never a PCA church and he was never ordained a PCA pastor

The "Office of the Stated Clerk, headquarters for Presbyterian Church of America (PCA)" , that he was never an ordained PCA pastor and that Trinity Presbyterian Church was not associated with the PCA .

A copy of this in a letter on PCA letterhead is available from PTG (Proclaiming the Gospel) to anyone sending a stamped self-addressed envelope.”

[vladimir998]

“Because why?’

Sin.

“God wouldn’t forgive them?”

Yes, but you have to repent to have that forgiveness applied to you.

[eastsider]

Look on the bright side: Yvonne is no longer the director of the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine.

[piusv]

True, very true.

[Albion Wilde]

What makes you think they haven’t, or didn’t struggle with their decision at the time?

[vladimir998]

“What makes you think they haven’t, or didn’t struggle with their decision at the time?”

I didn’t say they didn’t. It doesn’t say they did. About “struggle”: I am sure they struggled. What does “struggle” have to do with right being right and wrong being wrong?

[terycarl]

The very moment in the story that the cute sexy little nun appeared, it became a lot easier to understand his new direction...Priests are human beings and they are every bit as susceptable to temptation as are the rest of us....he sounds like a good person, but one that is trying his best to justify the poor decision that he made....it happens all the time and is VERY apparent here on FR...

I was in the criminal justice system and probably the most apparent attempts to "cover your butt" were made by those whose lives were affected by poor decisions that they had made and were now trying to justify...

I guess it let them sleep better, but it NEVER ceased to affect their lives.

Those who realized the error of their way, however, soon rectified the situation that they had caused and went on without looking over their shoulder to see if their past was following them...

[Albion Wilde]

What does “struggle” have to do with right being right and wrong being wrong?

People of conscience recognize that "all fall short of the glory of God" and that none of us is without sin, not one. Recognizing this is the basis of compassion for the struggles of others with sin. If you have never struggled to overcome any sins, congratulations. Heretofore I had learned that there was only ever one perfect Person.

[vladimir998]

You asked. “What makes you think they haven’t, or didn’t struggle with their decision at the time?”

I answered your question. Deal with it.