Father Arko:

It is good to see that the Amrit Yoga Institute, http://www.amrityoga.com/classes.htm , has not turned its back on Father Rick.

And the bellydancers at Visions of the Nile, http://www.amrityoga.com/classes.htm , still sing praise to Father Rick:

Her steadfast and by far the most enriching and education teaching experience has been with Yoga Fr. Rick Arko from Sacred Ground Yoga. Susan has been with Fr. for six years and feels "there's no better feeling when you finally find your teacher/Guru." Through Fr. Rick's introduction, Susan was led to the teachings of Yoga Amrit Desai which she is currently studying and practicing Yogi Desai's teaching for future certifications in Yoga Teacher Training and Yoga Nidra program. "My intention for the future of Yoga is to bring these ancient and healing teaching to anyone who is interested in enjoying a healthier, happier life."

http://www.visionsofthenile.com/toni11.jpg

Sorry, here is the link for the quote and picture at #3.

http://www.visionsofthenile.com/meettoni.html

One picture says a thousand words.

“He cares for the underdog and the needy,” Lecksan said quickly. “And that’s what he preaches to us.”

Sounds like any one of the catholics in the Albany Diocese. Hubbard preaches the same message - social justice!

Here's "social justice" a la Albany Diocese!

Why This Priest Wants To Be A Woman

By FREDRICK U. DICKER

ROTTERDAM JUNCTION, N.Y.

WHEN Father Dennis Brennan, the longtime pastor of St. Margaret of Cortona Roman Catholic Church, goes on his weekly trip to the grocery store, he looks, well, unusual. The 5-foot 8-inch, balding, Irish-born priest wears a dark, full-length dress, an ill-fitting ladies' white wig, and a silver necklace. He also sports a lady's shoulder bag.

Obviously, Brennan -- an Albany Diocese priest for 33 years, 16 of which had been spent as pastor of St. Margaret's -- isn't quite what he used to be.

In fact, Brennan, 65, is in the process of making history as the first priest in America to undergo a sex-change operation.

He's already listed as "Denise J. Brennan" on a newly issued New York State driver's license

Parishioners in this tattered old railroad settlement five miles west of Schenectady are not exactly pleased -- nor is the bishop of Albany.

That's putting it mildly.

At a time when the Catholic Church is reeling from stories of priests who are gay, have AIDS or are involved in improper relations with young men, the incredible story of Father Brennan is one that the Albany Diocese could certainly have done without.

Parishioners here first learned of the dramatic change in their pastor's attitude just a few weeks ago, when Brennan -- long seen as a straight-laced traditionalist -- sent a remarkably candid and moving letter to several longtime parishioners.

In it, he announced the start of what he called his "personal journey." He then disclosed that he had been tormented by sexual conflicts for most of his life.

And he said that he had only recently been diagnosed with an extreme condition of sexual ambivalence known as "gender dysphoria."

"It was determined that this condition began before birth," Brennan wrote the faithful.

"It was never a matter of choice. I had always been conscious of my inner female gender, although I had managed to hide or bury it."

Brennan then bluntly disclosed, "I began, on this past Oct. 4, a period of one year of living, continuously, 24 hours a day, in and out of home, as a female.

"This time of transition is required before undergoing sexual-reassignment surgery."

Michael Mastroianni, a St. Margaret's parishioner, longtime Brennan friend, and a recipient of Brennan's letter, is among many local churchgoers who say they feel betrayed.

"I've known this man for 20 years and we've been friends for many years," said Mastroianni, a Rotterdam Junction resident and prominent local businessman.

"He's been my parish priest, he baptized my son, he baptized my daughter, he's performed marriages for dozens of people in the village.

"Dennis Brennan has been an asset to the Catholic Church all these years, [but] what he is doing now is against all our beliefs.

"Very few people know about what is going on. I think they're going to be falling off their seats once they do."

A prominent Albany priest who learned of Brennan's decision from The Post had to take a seat before he could openly discuss his reaction.

"I'm just stunned," said the priest, who has known Brennan for more than two decades.

"Dennis Brennan was a very conservative guy who I always considered to be very much from the world of the 'tight concept' of what the priesthood was about."

A woman parishioner, who has known Brennan for more than a decade, said he's "been an impostor and a disgrace in the church all these years."

"He had loads of money, his family owns a major insurance company in Dublin, and I know he owns three houses here by himself."

Another parishioner said Brennan often described his family as "prominent" in Ireland, and that the pastor claimed his father was once a senator, three of his brothers were priests and two of his sisters were nuns.

"He was a very cultured man and a fine pianist," said the parishioner, who has also known Brennan for years.

Others in the diocese, including many other priests who have served alongside Brennan, were also shocked by his decision.

It has also been officially condemned by the diocese's top spiritual leader, Bishop Howard Hubbard.

"Bishop Hubbard has strongly opposed Father Brennan in his desire to be transformed into a woman, and he has made that opposition very clear," said the Rev. Kenneth Doyle, Hubbard's spokesman.

Doyle said Brennan left the "active ministry" in September.

"He has applied for laicization with the Vatican, which is a return to the lay state, and that is currently under way," Doyle said.

Brennan's case was first described earlier this month in a small conservative weekly Catholic publication called The Wanderer, published in St. Paul, Minn.

The Wanderer story suggested that Hubbard supported Brennan's decision to become a woman, and hinted that Albany's Catholic leadership, which has long been known for its theologically liberal orientation, was predisposed to approve Brennan's unconventional decision.

Doyle insisted the suggestions were false.

He said the church is not paying for the sex change or related hormone treatments -- even though Brennan continues to be covered by the diocese's health-care plan.

The Post repeatedly tried to contact Brennan, leaving messages with friends and at his home, a modern, upscale, lakefront residence on Ballston Lake in Saratoga County, about 20 miles from his former parish residence at St. Margaret's.

An older couple answered the door at Brennan's home -- both insisting they were not Brennan -- and promised to pass on The Post's request for an interview.

But Brennan never responded.

A Post photographer caught up with Brennan late last week as he was out shopping with a friend.

Four St. Margaret's parishioners later identified their former priest as the person wearing the wig and dress. He sported what looked like a gold wedding band on his left hand.

"Oh, my God. He was such a nice man," said a business woman, who made the identification.

Although it hasn't helped them come to terms with Brennan's surprise decision, in retrospect, Mastroianni and others said there were signs that all was not well with their priest over the last five years.

"He got very sick with emotional problems at that time. That's when I first realized something was going on," Mastroianni said.

"It was then that he told me that he wasn't happy with his life. That he had these problems."

Others close to the diocese said Brennan had been tormented for several years with what one called "his feminine feelings."

"Everyone wanted to help Father Brennan if they could, and arrangements were made to have him receive counseling, to receive therapy, to get him some help," said a source familiar with the situation.

"But finally, he came forward on Sept. 1 and communicated to Bishop Hubbard his desire to become a woman. It was then that the bishop insisted that he resign."

Brennan's poignant "Dear Friend" letter, sent to at least two dozen parishioners, provided a remarkably detailed account of his efforts to come to grips with a condition that, he said, had given him a lifetime of torment.

Brennan wrote that he began seeking "professional help" for his condition in August 1997 and later agreed to enter a "therapy program" designed for professionals, with the approval of Hubbard.

But after two months of therapy, Brennan said, "It was determined that I had been dealing, since infancy, with a problem of gender identity."

As a result, he said, he was referred to a specialty clinic in Hartford, Conn.

"It was never a matter of choice. I had always been conscious of my inner female gender, although I had managed to hide or bury it," continued Brennan, who noted that he had first unsuccessfully sought help for his condition "during college years and before entering the seminary."

Brennan said he eventually became aware of "one doctor in New York City" who he thought might be able to help.

"It is fortunate that I took definite steps, two years ago, to get the medical and professional help that I needed," he wrote in his letter.

"Moreover, it is of very great significance that I have benefited from the understanding and guidance of Bishop Hubbard, who sat down with me and a key doctor after having consulted, by telephone, with other therapists.

"The bishop has also ensured that I have received the very best spiritual direction ...

"My legal name has been changed to Denise, and a new Social Security and Medicare cards and driver's license have been issued in that name, along with the gender designation, female."

Brennan said he had no regrets about the many years he had spent as a man -- and his three decades spent as a priest.

"I can never, adequately, express my profound gratitude for the privilege of sharing, through ordination, in our Lord's priestly ministry," he wrote.

"During 33 years of serving as a priest in the parishes of Albany, I have been lavished with our Father's love, through the kindness and generosity of countless faithful disciples of His Son."

Finally, Brennan said he wanted to thank those former parishioners who had publicly and privately conveyed their support for his decision.

"It is gratifying to have received strength from the love and support of my family and a great number of friends," he wrote.

"The inner tranquillity and overall peace that have enveloped me since this transition began is cause for continual thanksgiving ...

"Thank you for the opportunity to share this time with you. May God bless you."

The letter is signed, "Denise J. Brennan."

* * * * *

Several of the parishioners organized a 'shower' for Fr. Dennis ... er .. Ms. Denise Brennan.

Diago, you and your fellow catholics in the Cleveland Diocese are in my daily prayers. Please remember us in yours!

To cry or to laugh?

Thanks for the prayers, I will remember the Diocese of Albany in mine.

Please God, raise up to great men to lead these flocks.

Parishioners who gathered for Mass Wednesday morning remained optimistic that the gentle man, who is a yogi and massage therapist and was their pastor,

We need more priests who are massage therapists. (/sarcasm)

"We need more priests who are massage therapists."

Especially those who specialize in pediatric prostate massage.

			LOCAL NEWS HOME
Prince of Peace parishioners say they're behind Father Arko			LOCAL NEWS HOME
By Dennis Sadowski, Editor Barberton Aweek after the arrest of Father Richard Arko on a charge of cultivating marijuana, parishioners at Prince of Peace Church say they support him and hope he will return as their pastor. “Parishioners are willing to forgive and have him come back,” said Lawrence Lauter, a lay ecclesial minister who was named parish life coordinator at the church last Friday, the day Father Arko began a leave of absence. “Father Rick has given us a vision of what a caring community is supposed to be about. ... to be an adult faith community, to be in relationship with Jesus and one another,” Lauter said. Parishioners who gathered for Mass Wednesday morning remained optimistic that the gentle man, who is a yogi and massage therapist and was their pastor, would return to lead their parish. Although saddened by events, they remain supportive of the 40-year-old priest, who was named pastor last March of the 19-month-old parish. “I want him back,” said Marie Henke, who remembered the important role Father Arko played in bringing members of St. Mary and Sacred Heart parishes together as they worked to merge into what today is Prince of Peace. She recalled attending Mass at the old St. Mary Church prior to the priest’s arrival as parish administrator and seeing few people in attendance. “Then Father Arko showed up and brought everyone together,” she said. “He brought a lot of kids into the church.” Parishioners Judy Doutt, Terri Snyder and Lois Lecksan gathered together after Mass. Doutt described the priest as “caring, decent and spiritual.” She said she was moved by the way Father Arko worked with cancer patients and the handicapped before breaking into tears. “He cares for the underdog and the needy,” Lecksan said quickly. “And that’s what he preaches to us.” “He really is a wonderful man,” Snyder added. Doutt expressed concern that some people in the church have “already convicted Father Rick.” Snyder said she hoped that the positive impact Father Arko has had on the parish would be remembered. “We don’t want him to become a scapegoat,” Lechsan added. Father Arko’s case in Barberton Municipal Court Wednesday was bound over to the Summit County grand jury. He remains free on $3,000 bond. Father Arko was arrested at the Prince of Peace Church rectory on January 21 when police executed a search warrant and discovered 35 plants in a spare bedroom. During the raid police also arrested Jensen Powell, 24, who was unemployed and living at the rectory. He was charged with trafficking in marijuana. His case also was bound over to the grand jury. Powell was released after Judge Michael McNulty allowed him to post 10 percent of his $10,000 bond. Court records show Father Arko signed the man’s bond papers. Both charges are fifth-degree felonies carrying prison sentences of six months to a year. Norton Police Chief J. Gregory Carris said officers from his department, the Barberton Police Department and the Summit County Drug Task Force searched the parish rectory and confiscated the plants, which ranged from 6 inches to 4 feet tall. Police also seized grow lights, electric transformers, air purifiers and instructional books for growing marijuana. Two small plastic bags with marijuana and $1,100 in cash also were confiscated from Powell. Police allege that Powell sold marijuana from the residence. Carris would not say what specifically led to the raid. He did say, however, that police had heard “whisperings” about the possibility of marijuana plants being in the rectory with sales being conducted there in recent months. The parish is located on the Norton-Barberton border southwest of Akron. The rectory and church are in Norton while the parish hall and parking lot are in Barberton. Father Arko previously was administrator of the parish, which was formed on July 1, 2002 when the neighboring communities of Sacred Heart Church and St. Mary Church merged. The priest had served as administrator of both parishes at different times between August 1994 and the merger 19 months ago. In a letter to parishioners that was read at all Masses last weekend, Bishop Anthony M. Pilla, said the fact that Father Arko “would allow marijuana to be growing in the parish rectory and allow others to reside there without requesting the necessary permission of diocesan officials confuses me.” “I am greatly concerned that the toleration of this kind of decision-making and activity communicates to our young people that engaging in such behavior is acceptable,” Bishop Pilla wrote. The bishop wrote that while he believes Father Arko had ministered to the Barberton community effectively since 1994, he could not “overlook the dreadful judgements that led to his arrest last Wednesday.” Lauter will continue as parish life coordinator until a pastor is named later this year. Auxiliary Martin J. Amos, who is based in Akron, will provide liturgical and sacramental assistance at the parish. Free-lance writer Kevin E. Brown contributed to this report.		Father Richard Arko
	Like what you read? Read more - SUBSCRIBE