Futurechurch: We hope Bishop Lennon will continue Bishop Anthony Pilla’s leadership

http://questions4bishoplennon.blogspot.com/

Questions for Bishop Richard Lennon

Three Questions for Bishop Richard Lennon from Hopeful Cleveland Catholics

1) After years of silence and just days before his ad limina visit with Pope John Paul II, Bishop Anthony Pilla issued a statement condemning the heretical group Futurechurch and stating, in pertinent part, "it is not appropriate for the activities and meetings of 'Future Church' to be held in church related institutions and/or parish facilities."

Sadly, Bishop Pilla had no intent of enforcing this statement which was never enforced and the national headquarters of Futurechurch remains on diocese of Cleveland property. Note addresses shared by Futurechurch and St. Mark Church:

________________________________

From http://www.futurechurch.org/ :

FutureChurch 15800 Montrose Avenue Cleveland, Ohio 44111 USA Phone: 216.228.0869 Fax: 216.228.4872 E-mail: info@futurechurch.org

_______________________________

From http://www.cleveland.catholicnet.com/parish/stmark/veland.catholicnet.com/parish/stmark/

St. Mark Church 15800 Montrose Avenue Cleveland, Ohio 44111 E-mail:
________________________________

Bishop Lennon, will you have the courage to remove Futurechurch from diocesan property and remove from our Seminary those teachers who support Futurechurch?

---

2) Homosexual Rainbow Gay Pride Symbols continue to be displayed on the Diocese of Cleveland website.

http://www.dioceseofcleveland.org/gayandlesbianfamilyministry/mission/index.htm

http://www.dioceseofcleveland.org/gayandlesbianfamilyministry/other_support/index.htm

Bishop Lennon, will you remove these Homosexual Rainbow Gay Pride Symbols from our diocesan website?

3) As reported by the Cardinal Newman Society,

http://www.cardinalnewmansociety.org/Publications/CHEA/CHEA_2005_02_18.htm ,

John Carroll University in its newly revised "Community Standards Manual," refers its students to a pro-abortion counseling center:

The manual recommends either the University Counseling Center or the Cleveland RapeCrisis Center to students who may have suffered a sexual offense. But last year Cardinal Newman Society disclosed the latter Center's membershipin the Freedom of Choice Cleveland Coalition, which advocates abortionrights. The Cleveland Rape Crisis Center was the originally designatedrecipient of funds raised from last year's performance of The VaginaMonologues, but protests convinced university officials to redirect thefunds to another charity. Apparently the Center was not worthy offunding, but it is entrusted with counseling John Carroll's students whomay be pregnant as a result of rape or incest.

On April 10, a sanctioned John Carroll University homosexual student organization presented on campus the play, "Queer Monolouges."

It is also of great concern that seminary students for the Diocese of Cleveland take classes at John Carroll University.

A couple years ago, one such seminary student penned the following cry for help:

As a seminarian and student at John Carroll University, I feel it my moral
obligation to bring to your attention the following advertisement and activity
taking place at John Carroll the Jesuit University in Cleveland, OH. I will send
you a photo copy of the advertisement when I can gain access to a scanner. Until
that time I will give you the text of the advertisement that has been hung all
over the university (Student dorms, academic buildings etc.)

ALLIES JCU's

Gay/Straight AlliancePresents life partners Sean Donovan and Thomas Ferrara--One of the first gay male couples married in the state of Massachusetts" Picture of
protesters next to sign entitled "Gay Marriage is
our Right!" and holding a sign "I support Trans equality!" New members are welcome! Wednesday September 22 AD 258 at 9PM

I and many others have had enough of this garbage. It has gone too far
and is an abomination. This is a Catholic institution. Please call and email our
President (Father Glynn), Sister Mary Ann Flannery(Head of Communications Dept.) and Bishop Pilla to stop this outrage.

John Paul II, in his document "Ex Corde Ecclesiae" called for the return of a Catholic identity to Catholic universities and colleges and, in the spirit of their Catholic tradition, the certification of those professors.

Bishop Lennon, John Carroll University is a hotbed of dissent and anti-Catholicism. What do you intend to do about John Carroll University and will you continue to let our seminarians take classes there?

Bishop Lennon, you are in our thoughts and prayers. Get to work!

http://questions4bishoplennon.blogspot.com/

Catholic Universe Bulletin 1027 Superior Ave., Cleveland, OH 44114 216.696.6525 \| 1.800.869.6525 www.catholicuniversebulletin.org
	INSTALLATION MASS Bishop Lennon: Unity serves God By Dennis Sadowski, Editor 'There's a lot for me to learn and a lot for me to unlearn. I'm sure I will have a lot of help.' A new era for the Catholic Church in Cleveland is officially underway. In a two-hour, 45-minute liturgy filled with centuries-old tradition and repeated calls for unity among Catholics, Bishop Lennon on Monday became the Diocese of Cleveland’s 10th bishop. Bishop Anthony M. Pilla, the man whom Bishop Lennon succeeds, sat near his side throughout the afternoon ceremony in the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist. He was recognized twice for his 25 years of service during the liturgy, each time receiving a thunderous round of applause. The ceremony included the presence of Archbishop Pietro Sambi, apostolic nuncio to the United States; Cardinal Sean P. O’Malley, a Lakewood native who now heads the Boston Archdiocese; Cardinal William H. Keeler of Baltimore; Archbishop Daniel Pilarczyk, metropolitan of the Province of Cincinnati, and two dozen archbishops and bishops from across the country as well as the Byzantine rite. Archbishop Pilarczyk, was joined by Archbishop Sambi in installing the Boston area native. It was Archbishop Pilarczyk who greeted Bishop Lennon at the main entrance—the Holy Door—of the cathedral and introduced him to the standing-room only congregation of more than 1,200 people. As the choir and congregation began to sing “Church of God, Elect and Glorious,” Bishop Lennon joined the procession of church leaders, Cleveland’s five bishops among them, as they walked up the cathedral’s main aisle to the altar of sacrifice. With the sign of the cross, Bishop Lennon opened the liturgy and greeted those who had gathered in his strong Boston accent. As the congregation settled into their seats, Archbishop Sambi began the Rite of Canonical Installation by reading Pope Benedict XVI’s appointment letter of April 4 naming Bishop Lennon to his new assignment. “The role of the bishop as the spiritual leader of the flock is to promote and strengthen the unity of God’s family,” Archbishop Sambi said. The papal nuncio also thanked Bishop Pilla for his 25 years of “dedicated leadership to the local church.” The two archbishops then led Bishop Lennon to the cathedra, the bishop’s chair, behind the main altar. Once he was presented the crosier, the symbol of his ministry, Bishop Lennon took the cathedra seat as the new bishop of Cleveland. The congregation responded with a long standing ovation. The secretaries of each of the seven main departments of the diocese—the bishop’s staff—then welcomed the new bishop and summarized the ministries and services under their jurisdiction. Representatives of each secretariat present throughout the church stood as ministries were called, indicating their broad diversity of service. As the summoning of representatives in each secretariat was completed, three staff members walked to Bishop Lennon, showed a sign of welcome and bowed in reverence. 'As church founded by our great priest Jesus Christ, it is imperative that His teachings be embraced and lived.' The Mass continued with the Liturgy of the Word as Samantha Pulisiak and Anita Reddi- Chatterjee read from the Acts of the Apostles and Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, respectively. Deacon Steven Yates followed, proclaiming the Gospel of John in a traditional chant. At the start of his homily Bishop Lennon recognized Bishop Anthony M. Pilla for his 25 years as Cleveland’s shepherd. As he did so, the congregation stood and applauded the retiring Bishop Pilla for more than a minute. Bishop Pilla quietly stood as well, offering a slight smile to the congregation and looked downward, as is his custom, until the applause subsided. Continuing his homily, Bishop Lennon said he was pleased to begin his work in Cleveland in serving the church. And he told a story about attending a Cleveland Indian-Boston Red Sox game at Jacobs Field during his visit to the diocese at the end of April. He said a Cleveland hitter slugged a home run and the fans were wildly cheering. The person next to him told him to “clap a little.” Later, in the seventh inning, when a Boston hitter tagged a homer, the bishop said he stood up and cheered his hometown hero. The same person told him to sit down. “As I said, there’s a lot for me to learn and a lot for me to unlearn. I’m sure I will have a lot of help,” he smiled. Bishop Lennon asked for the prayers and support of the diocese as he begins his days as bishop of Cleveland. He pledged to work with all of the faithful throughout the diocese. Demonstrating the pastoral leadership that has so endeared him among clergy and laity alike in Boston, Bishop Lennon issued a call for unity among all of the faithful through the building of the community—both within the church and society at large. Drawing from the liturgy’s first reading from the Acts of the Apostles, Cleveland’s new bishop noted how “the brothers and sisters devoted themselves” to the building of community. To do that, he called upon the church in Cleveland to uphold the “teachings of the apostles” as expressed out by the church today. “As church founded by our great priest Jesus Christ, it is imperative that his teachings be embraced and lived,” he said. “Let us, as a diocese, commit ourselves to a genuine fidelity to the ‘teachings of the apostles,’ thereby enriching our personal lives and offering to the wider community a contribution for the well being of all.” Bishop Lennon also stressed the importance of communion, both in responding to the needs of others, especially the poor and vulnerable, and the unity of Catholic life. “Today we see in the church disagreements which in some cases lead to divisions. This is not what the Lord desired, and thus he prophetically prayed that there be unity among his followers,” he said. “While in some areas there is room for diversity, in other areas of our Catholic life there needs to be unity. Only when we respect one another and listen to one another and have an openness to hearing as a community, may we become a community.” The bishop discussed the importance of communion with the wider society, including others of different faith traditions—particularly the Jewish community—as well as public officials in order to “build up our way of life.” “This was a priority of the Lord’s and so it must be for us, as we desire to be his faithful followers,” he said. Continuing on the topic of communion, Bishop Lennon said that celebrating Mass and receiving holy Communion is the most important activity of his priestly life. He invited the congregation to join him in that, citing Second Vatican Council documents that stated “the celebration of Mass, that Communion are both the summit and the source of our Catholic lives.” “It is my hope that Mass and receiving holy Communion as a member of Christ’s body will indeed be the center of our lives as Catholics,” he said. Bishop Lennon also expressed hope that Catholics who do not attend Sunday Mass regularly will return to worship God “and be fed with his word and sacrament, thereby strengthening us by their presence as we do for them.” Throughout the celebration the congregation, which included more than 400 priests and deacons of the diocese and visiting priests from Boston, joined the choir in singing at the top of their voices both contemporary hymns and traditional Latin refrains. Noted among many in attendance was the diversity of voices and the inclusion of women and men throughout the liturgy. In addition, the prayer of the faithful included petitions offered in German, Vietnamese, Ibo, an African language, Spanish and English. Sen. George Voinovich and Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson were among the elected officials attending the liturgy. As he did after Sunday’s solemn vesper service, Bishop Lennon ended the celebration by walking through the cathedral blessing the congregation. The audi-ence applauded his gesture. With all of its pageantry, holiness and resounding inspirational music, the ceremony left the congregation enthu-siastic and supportive of Bishop Lennon’s call. “It was a wonderful liturgy,” said Karen Lieth, a member of Church of the Resurrection, Solon. “It was really wonderful to see women affirmed on the altar.” Lieth, a leader in Call to Renewal in Summit County, a faith based organization working to end poverty and seek justice in federal and statewide legislation, expressed hope that Bishop Lennon will continue to be as com-passionate toward people as he was in Boston. Carlton Rush, a member of St. Cecelia Church, Cleveland, was impressed by the bishop’s knack for relating to people and hopes that skill will help as he deals with the important issues facing the local church. “He has a tough job,” Rush said. “Hopefully, he’ll be able to re-energize Bishop Pilla’s Church in the City and breathe new life into it.” For Tom Seeman, a member of St. Andrew Church, Norton, it was Bishop Lennon’s holiness that impressed him. He said he is looking forward to meeting the bishop during a future visit to his parish. During Sunday’s vesper service, Bishop Lennon followed ancient tradition by entering the cathedral through the Holy Door, designated by Bishop Pilla during the Jubilee Year celebration in 2000. Father Edward Estok, cathedral rector, greeted the bishop. “We glory in the cross of Jesus Christ for he is our God ... for he alone is the light that will never fade,” Bishop Lennon prayed. He kissed the crucifix before processing up the main aisle to the altar. The focus was on Jesus Christ being a priest for the church. “Only Jesus Christ is the way, the truth and the light,” Bishop Lennon said. Bishop Lennon opened his homily by saying that it’s natural for the people of a diocese to wonder what a new bishop is like once he is assigned. “That’s very understandable,” he said. “I understand it and I appreciate it.” The bishop pledged to help people get to know him as he traveled to parishes, schools and religious communities across the eight counties of the diocese. “I want to listen to you and appreciate and express appreciation for the charism you bring to our church,” he said. He said the work of the people across the diocese demonstrates great faith and belief in Christ. “(Faith) reminds us there is a truth, for with faith, that is more basic and fundamental than who the new bishop is,” he said. “It is my prayer that I may help you and I look forward to you helping me.” Both celebrations ended with receptions at the Galleria. Bishop Lennon greeted people for more than an hour each evening as choirs from diocesan schools performed.
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QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS? E-MAIL DENNIS SADOWSKI, EDITOR AT editorial@catholicuniversebulletin.org THE CATHOLIC UNIVERSE BULLETIN IS PUBLISHED BY THE DIOCESE OF CLEVELAND, COPYRIGHT 2006, CATHOLIC UNIVERSE BULLETIN PUBLISHING CO., INC.

Our Lady's Warriors>Disssent>Organizations

FutureChurch

A regional parish-based coalition seeking to address the priest shortage. FutureChurch claims the remedy is the ordination of married men and women. FutureChurch engages in educational presentations to parishes, grass-roots organizations, and the media. Its current project is a nationally-promoted dialogue on an "inclusive priesthood." Member of Catholic Organizations for Renewal

I am sure this is just a coincidence about the Church of the Resurrection:

http://www.futurechurch.org/about.htm

About us

FutureChurch was founded in Cleveland, Ohio in 1990. The Church of the Resurrection in Solon, Ohio passed a resolution calling on U.S. Bishops to reconsider opening ordination to women and the married, both men, and women, so that the Eucharist would continue to be the center of the spiritual lives of all Catholics. Subsequently, 28 parishes in Northeast Ohio supported this initiative and the local FutureChurch network was born. In response to a national call to recognize that he Eucharist is more important to Catholic identity than celibacy or the gender of the presider, FutureChurch incorporated in 1993 and grew into a national network of parish based activists.

FutureChurch is concerned about the related issues of women in ministry, optional celibacy, inclusive language, and Church decision-making that involves all the faithful, as called for by Vatican II.

Ask and you shall receive:
http://72.14.203.104/search?q=cache:Vc0wNRBjP-MJ:www.ctanewengland.org/+FutureChurch+needs+your+help&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=1
FutureChurch needs your help

You may know that Archbishop Pila has been succeeded by Richard Lennon, late of the Boston Diocese. It sounds as though there is a crackdown on everything that looks progressive. The letter below is a request for badly needed help.

FutureChurch
15800 Montrose Avenue
Cleveland, Ohio 44111 USA
Phone: 216.228.0869 | Fax: 216.228.4872
E-mail: info@futurechurch.orgma.

Dear Friend:

Faced with an enormous challenge, we turn to you, one of our special friends, to ask for help.

For 15 years, FutureChurch has been able to devote maximum resources to our educational and advocacy efforts because our offices have been in very low-cost parish based space.

Now, we have been asked to move out of the rectory basement that has been our home for 8 years. We must find new space by August 1st and know that we have no choice but to find commercial rental space. Doing so will have a significant impact on our operating budget.

There is no possibility of finding space in another church. Diocesan officials have made no secret of their desire to deny FutureChurch access to church property for our activities – including educational programs and prayer services. And, as many of you know, FutureChurch has been the subject of a nasty, vilifying campaign by a self-proclaimed group, which has also harassed pastors who have been supportive of our mission.

We anticipate that going to commercial space will quadruple our office overhead costs. Added to this ongoing operating expense are the costs of moving and replacing office furnishings that were in the basement when we moved in.

We hesitate to turn to you for help, knowing that you have recently received our annual Pentecost appeal, which provides funds vitally needed to maintain and expand our programs. But, we have no choice if we want to continue to move ahead with our educational and advocacy programs, including The Future of Priestly Ministry and Women in Church Leadership, at their current level.

As you know, we are hard at working at expanding our Mary of Magdala celebrations to include a post card campaign to urge that bishops welcome women as proclaimers and preachers of the Gospel. We are also collecting signatures on a letter to Bishop Wuerl, a member of committee drafting the Pope’s Post-Eucharistic Synod with the hope of encouraging the Vatican to adopt meaningful solutions to the priest shortage. We are also moving full speed ahead on our newest advocacy project, Save Our Parish Communities, designed to give Catholic parishioners tools to meet the challenges of maintaining vibrant parishes in a time of fewer priests and closing parishes.

The FutureChurch Leadership Council and staff express our gratitude to the St. Mark Parish Council, the wonderful parishioners of St. Mark and, especially, former pastor, Fr. Doug Koesel for providing us with office space for these past eight years. We will miss our good neighbors and our parish-based home.

We are especially sad to be asked to leave church property because we believe that discussing opening ordination to all who are called and advocating for greater lay involvement in the life of the Church are very important to the future of our Church. We should be talking about these critical issues in every Catholic parish, every Catholic school, and every Catholic home. Otherwise, we risk losing access to Eucharist and losing our parishes because of the ever-worsening priest shortage.

FutureChurch will keep these important discussions alive as we work “to participate in the formulating and expressing the Sensus Fidelium (the Spirit inspired beliefs of the faithful) through open, prayerful and enlightened dialogue with other Catholics locally and globally.”

Thanks to the commitment, trust and generosity of people like you, FutureChurch has grown in fifteen short years from an all-volunteer, ad hoc committee of Catholics concerned about loss of Eucharist to a nationally respected voice advocating for renewal of our Church in the spirit of Vatican II.

We now have 3 full-time and 2 part-time paid staff supplemented by many, many wonderful volunteers. Their commitment, energy and dedication – and willingness to work in a basement amidst washing machines and furnaces, without windows and coping with chronic water leaks – have made our work possible.

We can only move forward in our work to renew our Church with your help. We ask you to be especially generous, responding to our Pentecost appeal and then digging a little deeper to help us with the extraordinary costs that having to move will add to our budget.

We, all the members of the FutureChurch Leadership Council and staff, are grateful to you for your faithful support and for your commitment to our mission and to our Church.

With trust and hope in the Spirit who is working to make all things new.

Sincerely,

Arline Nosse J. Gerard Sheehan Chris Schenk csj

Another entry on Our Lady's Warriors: re: Chris Schenk Quite the crowd, isn't it?

Women Priests
Sr. Lavinia Byrne	Book titled Women at the Altar (condemned by the Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith)
Sr. Joan Chittister, OSB	A supporter of Call to Action who promotes women priests.
Paul Collins, ex-priest	Author of the books "Papal Power" and "Mixed Blessings," who was under investigation by the Vatican claims since 1998, claims that it is ìfar too earlyî for definitive closure on the issue of womenís ordination.
Sr. Fran Ferder	Quixote Center book titled Called to Break Bread? A Psychological Investigation of 100 Women Who Feel Called to the Priesthood in the Catholic Church. As co-author of a National Catholic Reporter article dated 5/12/02 she states "Central to a more inclusive, open system, is, of course, the need to welcome sacramental ministers from all lifestyles and both genders."
Barbara Fiand	Theologian teaching that women should be priests.
Maureen Fiedler	Interim Co-Coordinator of Women's Ordination Conference.
Ruth Fitzpatrick	Women's Ordination Conference.
Fr. John Heagle	As co-author of an article printed in the National Catholic Reporter dated 5/12/02 he states "Central to a more inclusive, open system, is, of course, the need to welcome sacramental ministers from all lifestyles and both genders."
Andrea M. Johnson	Women's Ordination Conference National Coordinator and support of Catholic Organizations for Renewal.
Sr. Elizabeth Johnson	Promotes Women priests.
Sr. Theresa Kane, R.S.M	Promotes Women priests.
Fr. Richard McBrien	Claims that a future Pope must overturn the infallible document disallowing women "priests" (Ordinatio Sacerdotalis).
Sr. Ruth Sch”fer	Organized "Action Purple Stole," a womens' ordination protest.
Christine Schenk	FutureChurch, Women in Church Leadership (WICL).
Sandra Schneiders (cited in Renew 2000)	Speaker at Call to Action conferences.
Karen Schwarz	Coordinates San Francisco Women's Ordination Conference/WomenChurch.
Bishop "Willie" Walsh	Bishop of Killaloe Ireland said that he would happily ordain women and that the Church "missed out" by not doing so.
Fr. John Wijngaards	Author of "Did Christ rule out women priests?"
(ex-Bishop) Romulo Antonio Braschi: Christine Mayr- Lumetzberger, Adelinde Theresia Roitinger, Gisela Forster, Iris Muller, Ida Raming, Pia Brunner, Angela White	Seven women who went through a mock ordination ceremony held by a schismatic ex-bishop Antonio Braschi. See their warning and subsequent formal excommunication notice here.

Wow! The link in the last cell in the table is a notice signed by Pope Benedict XVI!!!!!

Now, we have been asked to move out of the rectory basement that has been our home for 8 years. We must find new space by August 1st and know that we have no choice but to find commercial rental space. Doing so will have a significant impact on our operating budget.

praying that Futurechurch will soon be a thing of the past.

There is no possibility of finding space in another church. Diocesan officials have made no secret of their desire to deny FutureChurch access to church property for our activities – including educational programs and prayer services.

Excellent news. What sane person invites a robber into his home?

And, as many of you know, FutureChurch has been the subject of a nasty, vilifying campaign by a self-proclaimed group, which has also harassed pastors who have been supportive of our mission.

A "self-proclaimed group"?? Wait a minute. Wouldn't Future Church also be a "self-proclaimed group"? Or did I miss its canonical approval as an official Catholic body?

Surely FutureChurch is not against lay initiatives? Doesn't it justify its very own existence by citing Vatican II documents encouraging laity to take leadership roles??

Seems that its committment to lay involvement is somewhat superficial and only extends to groups which support its own agenda.

Surely not.

http://www.dioceseofcleveland.org/gayandlesbianfamilyministry/mission/index.htm

Get out your broom, Bishop Lennon. Time to clean out the stables.

praying that Futurechurch will soon be a thing of the past.

It will. Dissent is always sterile. This weed will die. But, as always, another different one will spring up.

even though we are dismayed that he was named Bishop of Cleveland without any significant consultation process in the Diocese.

Yeah, like Pope Benedict was gonna ask THEM.

Ping

You may know that Archbishop Pila has been succeeded by Richard Lennon, late of the Boston Diocese. It sounds as though there is a crackdown on everything that looks progressive.

I hate when that happens!

Now, we have been asked to move out of the rectory basement that has been our home for 8 years. We must find new space by August 1st and know that we have no choice but to find commercial rental space. Doing so will have a significant impact on our operating budget.
There is no possibility of finding space in another church.

That's excellent news! The presence of such a group on Church property is (was) a continuing scandal.

As you know, we are hard at working at expanding our Mary of Magdala

Say WHAT????? St. Mary Magdalene, pray for us.

With trust and hope in the Spirit who is working to make all things new.

I'm sure that some 'spirit' is motivating their activities ... I'm also fairly sure that said 'spirit' is NOT Holy.

Assuming for the sake of argument that Bishop Lennon means to clean up Cleveland, it will make the labors of Hercuyles look like child's play. Kicking this coven of antiCatholic predators known as "FutureChurch" out of St. Mark's Parish is a good start and let us hope that, as FutureChurch's hysterics claim, all things "progressive" (from the FutureChurch termites' point of view) are under attack in Cleveland.

That having been said, all that gushing over Pilla at Lennon's installation Mass may yet prove to be more than good manners and may suggest that the change won't go anywhere near far enough.

AND: Oh, the horror!!!! This ecclesiastically leftist slime may have to stop being parasites and have to pay their own bills! Isn't that cruel and unusual punishment or sumpthin'???? Where is the Anti-Catholic Libertine Union when FutureChurch really needs 'em?

Lay leaders were not asked to participate in the selection process,...

I don't know anything at all about Lennon, but this looks like a good sign.