(LI) Bishop revamps religious ed (some fear conservative shift)

Newsday ^ | February 3, 2006 | CAROL EISENBERG

[NYer]

Rockville Centre Bishop William Murphy announced a major shakeup of religious education yesterday that reconfigures the program that produced a generation of lay Catholic leaders, as well as many members of Voice of the Faithful, an activist group that has demanded the bishop's resignation.

Murphy said the restructuring would "not mean a major change in the content of what we offer, which is the teaching of the Church," in a column in this week's diocesan newspaper.

But critics said they feared the changes - coming two weeks after he named a new seminary rector known for strict orthodoxy - signal a retreat from what they describe as the progressive, post-Vatican II model that had flourished under the late Bishop John McGann, to a more top-down setup.

Yesterday's announcement offered few details on how programs for adults, as well as those for children, may change. But sources said the bishop had been critical of the Pastoral Formation Institute, a two-year adult program that taught Catholic theology with an emphasis on spiritual and personal development. Although the institute produced almost 1,600 graduates, many of whom are present-day parish leaders, it also incubated many of the members of Voice of the Faithful, a group formed in response to the sex abuse scandals which has been highly critical of the bishop.

"He wants everyone to be on the same page theologically," said one educator who was briefed on the changes and asked not to be named. "So if you're doing marriage preparation, for instance, everyone will focus on the church's teachings on natural family planning. Accountability is a big piece of this."

[NYer]

The institute also has been criticized by some conservatives for promoting a "liberal and pro-feminist agenda," as one anonymous letter-writer to the conservative Catholic Web site, Spirit Daily, put it.

May miracles never cease!

[Knitting A Conundrum]

The loveliness of a bishop doing his job well....

[Desdemona]

I don't quite understand the fear of returning to orthodoxy. Such things never cease to amaze me.

[Knitting A Conundrum]

Since they don't agree that the orthodox teachings are right, they are basically unhappy when they can't make the church over in the way that makes THEM feel good. Thus, they resist.

[NYer]

Those bishops who embrace their understanding of the "spirit" of VCII, began implementing it over the past 40 years. They ordained homosexuals and revamped the religious ed programs to 'open' the minds of children and youth. In so doing, it turned into a power trip, where more and more lay people were given rights and privileges. Once you give power to the people, it is nearly impossible to take it away; like turning a ship around on a dime.

[murphE]

But critics said they feared the changes - coming two weeks after he named a new seminary rector known for strict orthodoxy

This priest, I am told by someone who knows him, may be the most orthodox priest in the diocese, who offers the most reverent and faithful (NO) mass available in the diocese as well as solid Catholic teaching in his homilies. I'm sure his former parishioners' loss will be the seminary's gain. I wish him well, he has a very tough job ahead of him.

[murphE]

The loveliness of a bishop doing his job well....

Not all of what Bishop Murphy has done thus far would allow someone to say he is doing his job well - there are many examples to the contrary- coming out in support of a pro abortion politician is just one that I can think of off the top of my head. Perhaps he had an epiphany and this is the beginning of a new path that he will take.

[sassbox]

Ain't that the truth. It is going to be a very difficult process in many parts of the country to get rid of AmChurch and return to the Catholic faith. Mainly this is because so many lay people run so many vital functions in parishes - namely religious ed and liturgical direction.

The more I read about problems in the Church and observe problems in the lives of Catholics I personally know, the more I realize it all comes down to catechesis. Bad catechesis causes so many problems. Combine bad catechesis with banal, laity-dominated liturgies and you have a disaster on your hands. And lay people are responsible for so much of this. Bishops and priests shirked their duties and ignorant, heterodox lay people took over.

To solve the problems, many laity are going to have to be replaced. The problem is how to get them out of power. As you say, many of them are on serious power trips. In my experience growing up, most the folks running catechesis and liturgy planning at my church were sentimental, bored, well-to-do, middle-aged women. Being a church lady was their hobby and no one was going to take that away from them.

Some of them didn't seem to have much power anywhere else in their lives - husbands and kids didn't respect them and their lives were full of frivolity. So given the opportunity to have some power at church, they took advantage of it. Lots of power-tripping egos. This was especially dangerous because none of these women knew their faith very well. It wasn't so much that they promoted heresy, it's that they promoted apathy and a sentimental dumbed-down version of the faith. For some, it was all they knew.

Imagine the rage and resistance they would put up if a good bishop said, look you either have to change everything you're doing or resign your position. No way were they going to resign anything. No way would many want to change either. Being so sentimental, they would resist teaching basic doctrine as mean-spirited, tough, cold, unloving, that sort of thing. Such a directive would also expose their ignorance, and no one likes feeling ignorant. No one likes realizing at the age of 40 that she doesn't know a thing about what Catholicism really is.

Maybe some of them were already considered foolish and ignorant by their families, and deep down they knew it. How much it would hurt to know that people think you're a foolish flake and then to have it tacitly affirmed by the priest or bishop?

It's a very messy and tough situation to deal with. It will take a lot of pastoral wisdom to deal with these types of women. But it has to be done and it has to be done soon. This kind of set up in American parishes has exposed millions of people to only apathy and a dumbed-down faith and called it "Catholicism." Apathy and ignorance are quiet but very efficient killers of faith. It can't go on like this much longer.

[Knitting A Conundrum]

Don't know about the rest of it, but this part looks promising, anyway...

[AnAmericanMother]

The dreaded Church Ladies!

[Clemenza]

Rockville Centre Bishop William Murphy announced a major shakeup of religious education yesterday that reconfigures the program that produced a generation of lay Catholic leaders, as well as many members of Voice of the Faithful, an activist group that has demanded the bishop's resignation.

This is the Diocese of my childhood. When I was a kid, however, we had Bishop McGann, who was as liberal as they come, but who my mom thought was an archconservative because he still opposed abortion.

[Clemenza]

Who? Suozzi? Pataki?

[Clemenza]

Yes, the Church ladies.

[AnAmericanMother]

It's the priest's responsibility to keep the dread Church Ladies within bounds.

They can be EXTREMELY useful in taking some of the workaday pressures off the priest. But he can NOT allow them to take over. Especially not the liturgical functions.

Because they will, if you let them. I am an incipient Church Lady because I'm a kind of "take charge gal", but I fight against it valiantly and confine myself to doing legwork (like tracking down filing cabinets for the choir music or organizing snacks for the confirmation class.)

[Revenge of Sith]

I have a home in that diocese. The pastor of my church there actually defended the ordination of gay priests in the parish bulletin.

[murphE]

No it was a local politician from Nassau or Suffolk, a Catholic. I forget the name - the story was in Newsday a while back, I think I posted it here.

To his credit, this politician was involved in the opening of a home for unwed mothers, although he did not repudiate his "pro-choice" stance. Bishop Murphy praised the politician overwhelmingly for his involvement in the home, but failed to condemn the the Catholic politician's open support for "abortion rights".

[NYer]

This is the Diocese of my childhood.

Mine too! Except, I can still recall when LI was still part of the Brooklyn Diocese. Yikes, I sound like a dinosaur.

[NYer]

I have a home in that diocese.

Then this is truly a good news day for you!

The pastor of my church there actually defended the ordination of gay priests in the parish bulletin.

Believe it or not, there is worse out there ... actually, right here in upstate NY. I am a native Long Islander and relocated to Albany about 15 years ago. One of my LI neighbors cautioned me about the Albany Diocese. I couldn't imagine anything worse. It is! And so is the Diocese of Rochester.

Consider yourself truly blessed to witness this turnaround.

[lastchance]

"But critics said they feared the changes - coming two weeks after he named a new seminary rector known for strict orthodoxy - signal a retreat from what they describe as the progressive, post-Vatican II model that had flourished under the late Bishop John McGann"
From the pages of the press to God's ear. I sure pray that this will come to pass.