Posted on 01/28/2006 11:51:17 PM PST by NYer
ROCHESTER, NY - Did Bishop Matthew H. Clark of Rochester, NY prohibit lay preaching at Sunday Masses in his diocese?
According to several reports, at two mandatory - and highly secret - meetings for “all homilists” in the Diocese of Rochester, on January 4 and 5, Bishop Matthew H. Clark allegedly informed lay preachers whom he had previously authorized to preach at Sunday Masses, that the illicit practice must stop.
But the practice did not stop, and probably will not, since lay preachers preached at least at two Masses on January 8 at St. John of Rochester and St. Patrick’s in Victor.
What Bishop Clark, apparently, is doing is urging his lay preachers to be more creative so that they do not elicit complaints - to him or to the Vatican - from Catholics who charge the diocesan policy on lay preaching practice violates Church rules.
Repeated telephone calls for information about the secret meetings to Clark’s vicar general, Fr. Joseph Hart, and his communications director, Doug Mandelaro, were not returned.
Lay preaching has a long history in the Diocese of Rochester and in April 2002, Bishop Clark issued norms for lay preaching, and explained to a gathering of local Catholics at the diocese’s theologate, St. Bernard’s Institute, a week later:
”I would want for us to enjoy as fully as we possibly can ... the beauty of lay preaching in this diocese. It’s a value I don’t want to lose in any way.”
Also speaking at the meeting was St. Bernard’s liturgy professor, Fr. Robert Kennedy, who exulted: “We have had for more than 25 years a wonderful, rich experience of lay preaching in this diocese. It is a rich blessing and is part of what is playing into these norms.”
Among the canon law experts at the May 4, 2002 meeting at St. Bernard’s was Fr. John Huels, from St. Paul University in Ottawa, who offered a way around Church law restricting laity from preaching during the “moment reserved for the homily,” by calling the homily a “homilette,” which would be delivered after a brief homily by the priest. (Just a few weeks after his Rochester presentation, Fr. Huels was accused of committing sexual abuse and subsequently resigned his post at St. Paul’s.)
According to several sources in Rochester, Clark was prompted to offer a halt to lay preaching after Catholics in different parts of the diocese wrote to Francis Cardinal Arinze, prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, providing documentation from parish bulletins illustrating how widespread the practice is in the diocese.
One of the pieces of documentation was an October 23 bulletin insert from Sacred Heart Cathedral, where the pastor, Fr. John Mulligan, informed his rapidly shrinking number of parishioners:
“Dear Sisters and Brothers:
This past week a parishioner approached and remarked, ‘I heard on Catholic radio that only priests an ddeacons can preach at Mass. Is that true? .... And since our pastoral associate, Rose Davis, spoke at the 7am and 5pm Masses last weekend, I would like to provide a more complete response for our parishioners ..
“The diocesan bishop is responsible for the ministry of the word in his diocese. Bishop Clark has carefully developed our guidelines, which he has SHARED with the Holy See’s Apostolic Delegate in Washington. Our guidelines designate who may preach and how the preaching of lay ministers is to take place ... Rose was authorized by Bishop Clark to preach at liturgical functions two years ago ... As the mother of five, she certainly brings a helpful family perspective to her preaching, that we priests JUST DON’T HAVE ...
“WHO MAY PREACH?
“There are five qualifications for competency for lay preaching:
“A healthy and mature spirit”
“The ability to reflect theologically,
“Effective communication skills
“A Catholic perspective
“Adequate academic preparation for preaching ...
“Peace and love,
“Fr. John Mulligan, pastor
“(Sacred Heart Cathedral, i.e. ‘The Cathedral Community’),”
Also, Fr. Kevin Murphy, at St. Louis Church, informed parishioners this past November that he wanted to institute the practice of having women preach at Mass.
Subsequently, a group of St. Louis parishioners met with Fr. Murphy to express their concerns and their view that lay preaching was not permitted by Church law. Fr. Murphy, according to one participant, “was largely dismissive of our concerns and referred us to the bishop.”
The St. Louis parishioners then requested a meeting with Bishop Clark, who, after several weeks, set up a meeting with his vicar general, Fr. Joseph Hart, with whome they subsequently met with for 90 minutes.
Fr. Hart told the parishioners the lay preachers were following diocesan guidelines.
The group hten learned that Bishop Clark, in early December, commissioned three lay preachers at St. Mary’s Church downtown, and the pastor gave them albs to wear while preaching.
Now, according to these parishioners at the January 4 and 5 meetings, Bishop Clark, apparently unilaterally, prohibited lay preaching, and ordered that the practice cease immediately.
Those Catholic laity who had received training at St. Bernard’s to be preachers, can only preach, the bishop allegedly said, “outside of Mass.”
Bishop Clark also said that he will no longer permit the common practice of priests “turning the homily over” to a lay person for a “reflection,” “interpretation,” “exposition,” and that the use of “dialogue” - a diocesan-designed loophole to get around Church rules - is only allowed at specific children’s Masses.
According to well informed sources, Bishop Clark said he expects that he will receive emails, and if the abuse of lay preaching continues, he “will take action.”
Confusion
Questions abound, however. As rumors circulated around the diocese that Clark ordered an end to lay preaching during Mass, on the same day as one of the special secret meetings, on January 5, Clark responded to a parishioner at St. Dominic’s who had objected to lay preaching, and seems to endorse the practice.
“Thank you for bringing your concerns to my attention. I appreciate your interest and your willingness to describe for me your observations at Mass at S. Dominic in Shortsville. I am deeply committed to all parishes in our Diocese celebrating Eucharist in a manner befitting the dignity and sanctity of the Blessed Sacrameent.
“In April 2002, I promulgated a document ‘Norms for Liturgical Preaching,’ which stated, ‘preaching by the lay faithful may not take place within the celebration of the Eucharist at the moment reserved for the homily.” Some presiders in the Diocese, however, in accord with another provision of the diocesan norms, have found it helpful to use ‘dialogue’ in the homily, for example by sharing the homily with another minister of the Church....”
In such an instance, the ordained preacher begins the homily and then invites an authorized preacher or preachers to develop part of the exposition. “Our people often comment to me how enriched they are when the preaching ministry is so shared with the lay people who bring a wealth of experience and insight to the breaking open of God’s Word. Moreover, such a practice conforms to the interdicasterial Instruction on Certain Questions Regarding the Collaboration of the Non-Ordained Faithful in the Sacred Ministry of Priests, issued by the Holy See in 1997 (art. 3, para 3).
“I recently reminded all Pastors and Pastoralk Administrators in our Diocese of th proper application of our Diocesan Norms so that we can maintain our parish practices in keeping with Church teaching. I am hopeful that this letter explains the current practice in our Diocese and how our norms conform to the Vatican Instruction.”
Catholics in the Diocese of Rochester are asked to monitor lay preaching in their parishes, and to send their observations regarding
* Parish name, date, and time of Mass,
* Presiding priest,
* Lay preacher name,
* Length of priest’s comments (minutes)
* Description of the lay preaching format (brief intro by priest, solo homily, using dialogue, or other format, etc.)
* Term the priest used to introduce the lay preaching: (reflection, exposition, dialogue, etc),
* Your name and email address.
Please forward the information to: mfobrienan@rochester.com
ROCHESTER, N.Y. — The abusive practice of laymen — usually nuns or ex-nuns — preaching during Mass, a nearly quarter-century-long practice in several Catholic parishes in the Diocese of Rochester, N.Y., received the imprimatur of Bishop Matthew Clark on April 24, when he issued new norms for lay preaching to take effect immediately.
Lay Preaching To Spread In Rochester Diocese
Liturgical abuse is rampant in many parts of the US and the world. Canon law ensures your rights as a Catholic to a valid liturgy. With regard to lay preaching,
When a homily is given, it may never be preached by a lay man, lay woman, or non-ordained religious, such as a nun. Only ordained men may given the homily.
The Code of Canon Law states:
Canon 767 ß1 The most important form of preaching is the homily, which is part of the liturgy, and is reserved to a priest or deacon. In the course of the liturgical year, the mysteries of faith and the rules of Christian living are to be expounded in the homily from the sacred text.
From the latest 2003 General Instruction of the Roman Missal (GIRM):
66. The Homily should ordinarily be given by the priest celebrant himself. He may entrust it to a concelebrating priest or occasionally, according to circumstances, to the deacon, but never to a lay person.[65] In particular cases and for a just cause, the homily may even be given by a Bishop or a priest who is present at the celebration but cannot concelebrate.
[Reference 65.] Cf. Codex Iuris Canonici, can. 767 ' 1; Pontifical Commission for the Authentic Interpretation of the Code of Canon Law, response to dubium regarding can. 767 ß 1: AAS 79 (1987), p. 1249; Interdicasterial Instruction on certain questions regarding the collaboration of the non-ordained faithful in the sacred ministry of priests, Ecclesiae de mysterio, 15 August 1997 , art. 3: AAS 89 (1997), p. 864.
Know your rights and, like Mr. Brennan, take action. To learn more ...
Is Your Mass Valid? Liturgical Abuse
Here is the letter written by Bishop Clark ...
Please remember the Catholics in DOR in your prayers. Like their Catholic neighbors in the Diocese of Albany, they have been exposed to this nonsense for 25+ years, and their respective bishops still have another 7 years before mandatory retirement.
IMNHO there really isn't much good news for our Roman Catholic bretheren living in diocese that operate such as this one.
Yeah, orthodox parishioners can band together and meet with the Bishop. And yes, they can petition the Holy See. But in the final analysis, I think they're fighting something of a pyrhic battle. Ultimately, the Bishop controls the assets and runs the Diocese. And to a certain extent you have to ask yourself: what good are you achieving by continually engaging someone who's spiritual beliefs are almost diametrically opposed to your own?
That isn't to say that there are no alternatives. I see several:
1. Move.
2. Go to an eastern Catholic church. Virtually every good-sized metropolitan area has at least one.
3. If you're close to another Diocese, attend Mass there.
4. Seek out the independent religious orders (i.e. monasteries) within the Diocese.
5. Find an orthodox priest and/or orthodox congregation within the Diocese. There are always dissidents. A good place to look is within the hospital ministries.
"St. Bernard’s liturgy professor, Fr. Robert Kennedy, who exulted: “We have had for more than 25 years a wonderful, rich experience of lay preaching in this diocese. It is a rich blessing..."
TRANSLATION: "We have had for more than 25 years a wonderful, rich experience of disobedience to rightful Church authority and contempt for the Holy See. It is an absolute disgrace..."
This diocese is OUT TO LUNCH!
There are only two types of person who can deliver a homily (preach) at Mass: a deacon and a priest!
Ooohhh...this really gets my blood up. This is the exact same kind of liturgical abuse that was underway at the parish I used to attend here in San Antonio.
The only thing worse that I've seen is an extraordinary minister (female) of communion saying the consecrating prayers along with the priest. This was in Corpus Christi about a month ago - and the diocese there responded quickly and properly.
I can't say as much for my archdiocese here in San Antonio.
Don't forget nursing homes - there are always a few in every large city - especially in the more Catholic regions of the country. You'll get an accurately celebrated Mass...known to the liberals as "old school."
The only thing worse that I've seen is an extraordinary minister (female) of communion saying the consecrating prayers along with the priest. This was in Corpus Christi about a month ago
What a coincidence! A similar situation occured in the Diocese of Rochester ... AND ... in a parish by the name of Corpus Christi! The difference being that it took Vatican intervention to put a halt to the abuse.
Fr. Mary Ramerman
**“WHO MAY PREACH?**
The priest and the deacon. Period!
They have my prayers. I can see no reason for a lay person to have to give a homily. The priest should be prepared and if not a deacon can serve. I think the root of this problem is pride and vanity.
Maybe someone should right a book " When Bad Bishops Happen To Good Catholics"
*ugh* >> Also speaking at the meeting was St. Bernard’s liturgy professor, Fr. Robert Kennedy, who exulted: “We have had for more than 25 years a wonderful, rich experience of lay preaching in this diocese. It is a rich blessing and is part of what is playing into these norms. <<
Priests, 25 years ago: 502
Priests, 2003: 298
That's Robert Kennedy's idea of a "rich blessing"?
>> Fr. Mary Ramerman <<
Father Mary. Ya know, sometimes we can be so snarky around here, we can fail to appreciate such beautiful, subtle derision.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.