Who is Fr. Richard Fragomeni? (vanity question)

my own skeptical curiousity | 03/06/04 | kstewskis

[kstewskis]

We will be having a priest come to our parish March 13-16th to speak about the "On-going Call to Conversion: Lived Out Through the Liturugy and the Sacraments."

His name is Fr. Richard Fragomeni, I have never heard of him (which isn't unusual). He has recently spoken at the Catechetical Congress in Los Angeles (first hesitation), and some staff members at our (liberal) parish are very enthusiastic that he is coming to our community. It is being highly encouraged that all parishoners attend his talks during that time.

Are any of you familiar with his writings? Work? More and more I get skeptical about how these "priests" are being promoted, not knowing what their background is. I'd like to do some homework before attending his talks, so I can be in the right frame of mind.

Thank you all in advance!

[kstewskis]

inquiring minds would like to know... :)

[kstewskis]

humbly asking for opinions on Fr. Fragomeni if you have them, thanks!

[GirlShortstop]

Hiya kstew... good question, good intention!
I did a google, and the first hit, on the surface, wasn't encouraging:

I heard Fr. Fragomeni speak at the Religious Education Congress on the weekend of Feb. 20, 21 & 22, 1998. He is a fantastic speaker filled with God's grace and wisdom. When he spoke on the Holy Spirit, I was mesmerized. It was an eye-opening and Spirit-inspired talk. He is based in Albany, New York. What an incredible speaker!

Fr. Richard N. Fragomeni Associate Professor of Liturgy and Preaching at the Catholic Theological Union in Chicago

Certainly not everything/everyone in Albany is bad; this comment was from 1998.  NYer, I hope I'm not pestering you, but do you have any experience or knowledge that'd be helpful?

[Siobhan]

From the Defender on the Ninth Annual Catechetical Conference in San Antonion:
Fr. Richard N. Fragomeni spoke on Reconciliation and Eucharist. He said, "Our early ancestors realized early on that we needed a second baptism, so what they did was develop a second baptism called penance."

Fr. Fragomeni seems to be telling us here that the early church and not Our Lord Jesus Christ invented the sacrament of penance. (Christ instituted the sacrament of Penance for all sinful members of his Church: above all for those who, since Baptism, have fallen into grave sin, and have thus lost their baptismal grace and wounded ecclesial communion. It is to them that the sacrament of Penance offers a new possibility to convert and to recover the grace of justification. The Fathers of the Church present this sacrament as 'the second plank (of salvation) after the shipwreck which is the loss of grace.1446 ccc)

He also cast doubt on the Catholic Church being the one true church by saying, "By mercy we enter into one body-one spirit in Christ no matter what our religion is."

[Siobhan]

And then there was a friend who put out this alert when Fragomeni was due to ride his broom into the DIocese of St. Augustine in Florida:

 FAITH ALERT: Fr. Richard Fragomeni, will be the speaker at the St. Augustine Diocesan Catechist Day, Sat., Feb. 3, 2001 @ Bishop Kenny Hight School. Fr. Fragomeni’s specialties include Tarot cards, New Age, seances and a particular fondness for Cardinal Mahony’s GFT Letter. A popular speaker at the dissident-driven Los Angeles annual Religious Education Congress, his theology is, at the least, unsound.

[Desdemona]

He sounds like someone to avoid, or at least question closely.

[Siobhan]

I must say it is very odd, because Fragomeni's name came up in conversation yesterday as one of the most destructive forces in the Catholic Church in America. He has long been an enemy of Mother Angelica and Father Mitch Pacwa, to name but two, and I think it is safe to say that he is in that group of Bernardin's and Mahony's boys.

[Siobhan]

The bit from the Defender is on the EWTN.COM archives website.

[kstewskis]

He also cast doubt on the Catholic Church being the one true church by saying, "By mercy we enter into one body-one spirit in Christ no matter what our religion is."

I also found (what is distrubing) via goggle search a reference to him, welcoming him to a retreat in 1998:

marriedpriests.org

WEORC RETREAT October 23-25, 1998 St. Benedict Retreat Center Benet Lake, Wisconsin

We are happy to announce that our annual retreat this year will be led by Fr. Richard Fragomeni who is nationally renowned as a speaker and spiritual guide. He is a professor of homiletics at the Catholic Theological Union and many WEORC members know him for his Sunday liturgies at Sheil Chapel of Northwestern University. Everyone who has heard him speaks of his talks which touch the heart.

I'm not liking the sounds of this...

(thank you Siobhan! I didn't mean to leave you out of the "ping"!)

[StAthanasiustheGreat]

Wow, he does Mass at my Center in Chicago occasionally (campus Newman Center). He is a close friend of the Schwazanegar's (however you spell it). Kind of liberal I think, but he is very reverential at Mass, so it is a trade-off.

[StAthanasiustheGreat]

For the longest time my Parish Center (Sheil) didn't kneel at the consecration, he wanted people to kneel and when people did, he was glad to see it. Sounds like a very mix-bag.

[GirlShortstop]

I'm not liking the sounds of this...

In the words of Fox's Shep Smith...  "not lookin' pretty folks".
Sadly, that doesn't come as a surprise, does it?  kstew, your "hunch" to check into this was right on the money.  If you get any indication that father Richard Fragomeni's undergone a change of heart and/or he's returned to the Catholic faith and teaching, I'd be interested in what you find.  Lastly, if any of this prompts an intel dissemination project to Catholics, let me know if I can help.   :-)

[bboop]

I'd guess -- if he was popular in the LA Diocese, he has to be liberal/heretical. It is BAD out here -- you would not believe the things we hear from the LEADERS at our RCIA class. If challenged, they say things like, 'Well, we don't always follow the Pope's leadings,' and when queried about Romans 1/ homosexuality they say, 'Well, you would hurt a lot of people's feelings at THIS parish. We welcome homosexuals and they bring a lot of money into the Church.' I'd be on my guard with this guy ... bring a little Holy Water to clean yourself up with afterwards, and be prepared to Speak the Truth in Love.

[GirlShortstop]

I must say it is very odd, because Fragomeni's name came up in conversation yesterday as one of the most destructive forces in the Catholic Church in America. He has long been an enemy of Mother Angelica and Father Mitch Pacwa, to name but two....

As Salvation would say in a matter like this, "no such thing as a coincidence".   :-)    If Mother Angelica and Father Mitch Pacwa are this guy's enemies, then I can easily firm up my opinion of who's on the good side and who's not.  Thanks so much Siobhan for the info.

[kstewskis]

For the longest time my Parish Center (Sheil) didn't kneel at the consecration, he wanted people to kneel and when people did, he was glad to see it. Sounds like a very mix-bag.

I know what you mean about "mix-bag." When the GIRM was implemented in our diocese in January, our somewhat left leaning parish has not, as of this day, implemented standing during the communion. They (the parishoners) continue to kneel, throughout the consecration and communion, which I think is great.

Our parish members (in talking with them) seem to be split down the middle on all things traditional, conservative, or liberal. It's an interesting mix, to say the least.

Thanks for your imput!

[kstewskis]

As Salvation would say in a matter like this, "no such thing as a coincidence". :-) If Mother Angelica and Father Mitch Pacwa are this guy's enemies, then I can easily firm up my opinion of who's on the good side and who's not. Thanks so much Siobhan for the info.

Perhaps it's "the other realm" rearing it's ugly head once again, as Mel Gibson would put it!

Thanks GSS!

[kstewskis]

Lastly, if any of this prompts an intel dissemination project to Catholics, let me know if I can help. :-)

You got it! Thanks again!

[kstewskis]

It is BAD out here -- you would not believe the things we hear from the LEADERS at our RCIA class. If challenged, they say things like, 'Well, we don't always follow the Pope's leadings,' and when queried about Romans 1/ homosexuality they say, 'Well, you would hurt a lot of people's feelings at THIS parish. We welcome homosexuals and they bring a lot of money into the Church.

That is sick, and I take personal offense at their comments and heresy, since I am a team facilitator at our parish's RCIA program in Arizona.

I'd be on my guard with this guy ... bring a little Holy Water to clean yourself up with afterwards, and be prepared to Speak the Truth in Love.

Will do. Can they pipe Holy Water into a shower system?

[Siobhan]

... bring a little Holy Water to clean yourself up with afterwards, and be prepared to Speak the Truth in Love.

Beautifully said. (A Miraculous Medal and the Brown Scapular are always in order too!)

[Maximilian]

Kind of liberal I think, but he is very reverential at Mass, so it is a trade-off.

But didn't you say that your Newman Center Chapel has been consistently using invalid matter? How "reverential" can you be when you are not consecrating a valid Mass?