Whoa! Hold the horses! Before you go off on your usual rant, please take into consideration the position of Archbishop Burke. This is not a unique situation but one that requires some clarification, assuming you are open to the position of the Magisterium on matters of this nature.
One additional comment. For those of you who carry the burden of disappointment, angst and bitterness towards the Catholic Church for these changes, I would remind you of our liturgy where the priest proclaims "Peace be with you!". I listened to those words throughout my life but never 'felt' that peace. It wasn't until I shifted 'east' that those words took on a whole new meaning. If you are so bothered and upset with the actions within the Roman Rite, move 'east'. Search for an Eastern Catholic Church in your community, learn about its liturgy and attend a service there.
At the risk of sounding redundant, I will once again reinstate this message. Since joining a Maronite Catholic parish, all of that bitterness has been swept away. When the priest proclaims "Peace be with you!", it is indeed the Peace of our Lord, Jesus Christ, that fills my heart and accompanies me throughout each week. These words are not symbolic, but real! You truly need to overcome this anger and reconcile yourselves with your faith.
February 11, 2005
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
I write to you, once again, about St. Stanislaus Kostka Parish, our historic personal parish for the faithful of Polish descent, and the issue of its control by a board which, in the last few years, has completely removed itself from the authority of the Catholic Church. I regret that my request and that of my predecessor, Cardinal Justin Rigali, that the parish conform to the Catholic Church’s requirements relating to the authority of the diocesan bishop and the pastor has been met with adamant resistance, even to the point of defiance. I also deeply regret that the board, having asked the intervention of the Holy See in the matter and having received the direction to comply with Church discipline, is now adamant in its resistance to the direction of the Holy See.
| Abp. describes interdict When a member of the Church has knowingly, deliberately and publicly damaged seriously the unity of the Church, his or her bishop has the pastoral responsibility to impose a sanction, in order to call the offending person to repentance and to restore the unity of the Church. If Church authority were not to address a public violation of Church unity, then scandal would be caused by those who present themselves as devout Catholics, when, in fact, they are not in full communion with the Church. In the case of St. Stanislaus Kostka Parish, the offense committed by the members of the board of directors of the civil corporation of the parish is the public refusal to obey legitimate Church authority, namely the Holy Father’s Congregation for the Clergy and the archbishop of St. Louis, and the incitement of others to such disobedience. The applicable canons of the Code of Canon Law are canon 1371, paragraph 2, and canon 1373. The sanction of interdict, as defined in canon 1332, prohibits the member of the faithful: 1) from any ministerial part in the celebration of the Mass or any other ceremonies of worship; and 2) from celebrating the sacraments and sacramentals, and from receiving the sacraments. Interdict does not prohibit the offending party from assisting at Mass or other sacred rites. Receiving the sacraments, above all the Holy Eucharist, requires that a person be in full communion with the Church. For that reason, the sanction prohibits the reception of the sacraments. The censure binds the member of the faithful everywhere and until the offending person has been reconciled with the Church. The censure is lifted when the offending party has repented of his or her disobedience and has submitted to Church authority. In the case of the interdict imposed upon the members of the board of directors of the civil corporation of St. Stanislaus Kostka, the archbishop of St. Louis has the authority to lift the censure and must lift the censure, as soon as the offending party has made known his or her repentance to the archbishop. Archbishop Raymond L. Burke |
For this I will certainly pray.
"......to the position of the Magisterium on matters of this nature."
Pssst.......this situation in now way has anything to do with the Magisterium. This is a matter of church discipline, and of Canon Law......all of which has nothing to do with the teaching authority of the Church.
And, in reagrd to Canon Law, while Burke might claim to be desirous of wanting to bring the ownership of this parishes property in conformity with Canon Law, he is clearly using it to suit his purpose - which rides roughshod over the people.
In regard to the interdict over the parish and its membership......Burke has some pair of cahones. He should try disciplining his errent clergy and religious - and rigorouly enforcing the rubrics of the mass & sacraments, and punishing those who preach/teach heresy.
Instead, he picks an easy target: a Polish parish with lots of $$$. Easy pickings!