Yes. Pope Michael I, formerly David Allen Bawden. Belvue, Kansas.
Posted on 02/05/2007 8:34:06 AM PST by Cheverus
LAWRENCE - A controversial offshoot of the Catholic religion is planning to hold its worship services in the vacant Sacred Heart Church.
The Willing Shepherds of Jesus Christ, whose members adhere to pre-Vatican II teachings and rituals, has signed a 15-year lease for the church at 321 S. Broadway.
The order, which lists an address in Tewksbury on its Web site, celebrates Mass in Latin with the priest facing the altar instead of the congregation during services.
The order is renting the Gothic-style church and its adjacent rectory from ETC Development Corp. of Boston, which bought the two-acre property last May.
"I think it would be something good for our church if it reopens," said Irene Potvin, a longtime member of Sacred Heart. "God will be in our church again. It's better than having it empty."
But not everybody is happy about the Willing Shepherds establishing a presence in Lawrence.
"We're very concerned for the Catholic faithful up there," said Terrence Donilon, spokesman for the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston. "They are not a Catholic organization."
Rebecca Justin of North Andover, a member of the Lay Dominicans Fraternities of St. Dominic, also has issues with the Willing Shepherds.
"We're concerned because the priests are not properly ordained by the church," Justin said.
The Willing Shepherds, founded in Massachusetts in 1999, is not recognized or authorized by the Roman Catholic Church, Pope Benedict XVI or Cardinal Sean O'Malley of the Archdiocese of Boston.
Brother Antony Mary of the Willing Shepherds declined to comment on the group's relationship with the Roman Catholic Church when reached by telephone last night at the order's house in Tewksbury.
"Any questions regarding that will be answered on Wednesday," Brother Antony Mary said, referring to the Planning Board meeting to be held then.
The Willing Shepherds approached ETC Development Corp. several months ago about leasing the church.
"Initially, we were not really interested," said Paula Herrington, executive director of ETC, a nonprofit organization.
Neighbors and former parishioners were concerned about having offices as part of the $15 million project on the site of the former Sacred Heart property, which also includes two schools and a convent.
Herrington said the businesses were scrapped and the rental to the Willing Shepherds was added.
The church rental would be part of a redevelopment project at the former French Canadian parish and school.
The project includes space for a latchkey program to be run by a social service agency, 26 affordable apartments, a 74-space underground parking garage and a 14-space surface level parking area.
Michael Sweeney, the city's planning and community development director, said part of the deal with the Willing Shepherds includes a 15-year lease with ETC Development and an option to buy.
"There's a desire on the part of the community and the city that this is not a short-term deal," Herrington said. "The community does not want to invest money in an institution that may go away; they want to have some stability."
The city's Zoning Board of Appeals approved the lease by a 5-0 vote on Jan. 25. ETC and the Willing Shepherds will go before the Planning Board on Wednesday for final approval.
Who are these people?
Me thinks he should be more concerned with the influence of the likes of John Kerry, Teddy Kennedy etc. on the faithful up there.
(cont) "They are not a Catholic organization."
But this diocesan approved organization, The Paulist Center is???
Is there a currently living Pope? If so, what is his name, and where does he live?
I think they are a fairly new SedeVacantist group....schism breeds schism after all.
What is very interesting is that these groups were so very rare only a few short years ago (schismatic groups of any stripe) and seem to be increasing exponentially under our current Archbishop.....13 years and counting.
Yes. Pope Michael I, formerly David Allen Bawden. Belvue, Kansas.
Don't be silly. I'm pretty sure you got my point, if not I'll elaborate.
Deep concern is expressed for the faithful lest they be exposed to people who actually believe and practice the faith, (although this group definitely seems to be confused about who the pope is - no doubt due to being scandalized in the past 40 or so years) - yet the spokesman for the diocese has no concern for the faithful regarding the apostate Paulist Center. It is diocesan approved. So are Kerry and Kennedy for that matter.
What is very interesting is that these groups were so very rare only a few short years ago (schismatic groups of any stripe) and seem to be increasing exponentially under our current Archbishop.....13 years and counting.
schism breeds schism after all.
I would say scandal and lack of teaching and defending the faith by Church men has lead to an increase in error and confusion. Sedevacantism is the opposite side of the coin to papalotry.
The papalotrist says, "If the pope says it, does it it must be good." Then he goes on to justify non Catholic practices and policies.
The sedevacantist rightly condemns scandalous actions and policies in the recent past by popes, but he wrongly concludes, "what the pope has done is not good, therefore this must mean he is not actually pope."
Sorry, meant to ping you to 8.
Someone needs to go to the REAL Catholic pastor of this parish and give him a copy of what you posted. Thus, this "Willing Shepherd" sedevacatist organization would get thrown out of their lease.
I got Pax Christi thrown out of my church by copying information about them -- most widely accepted dissenting group ever -- to my pastor!
They are GONE!
Sadly, there is no "REAL Catholic Pastor", because there is no Parish. The physical property is owned by a real-estate development corporation, from which these pseudocatholics are leasing it.
The man with the bald head in the kneeling posture is the Prefect for the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith. He's just been made a cardinal and is awaiting the arrival of red robes.
The official press corps of the Vatican West is recording the event for posterity.
ROTFL
...and the beat goes on in the Archdiocese of Boston (RCAB).
We have a Cardinal who has never seriously considered pastoral needs of traditionalist Catholics who is seemingly bent on shutting down Holy Trinity Church (HTC), home of Boston's German Catholic and Indult Latin Mass communities, despite our pleadings.
Check out:
http://www.holytrinitygerman.org/
Lost on the RCAB is the important role historic churches like Patrick Keeley's Holy Trinity (1877) play in both our physical patrimony and call to evangelization as Catholics. All we seem to experience is a general lack of pastoral solicitude and general diminishment by clerical utilitarians in the role Houses of God play as an effective physical manifestation in the culture war (in Massachusetts). What we hear from the Archdiocese of Boston (RCAB) reconfiguration facilitators are sound bytes that minimize the role churches will play in the modern Catholic identity. Labels as “worship space” and parrotted phrases as , "It only buildings" are most troubling. Previous generations of Boston Catholics regarded the Sacred Architecture of the parish as a primary encounter with the Faith that housed God's Incarnate Reality in the Blessed Sacrament...the "Gate of Heaven". It too said it all. I guess times have changed where a Catholic sense as virtually vanished by those who should be leading the charge.
The Cardinal, despite his physical proximity (a 7 minute walk) to HTC, has never had the decency to even darken Holy Trinity's door...even in unannounced manner. In fact its my understanding that he recently visited “Bridge over Troubled Waters”, a home for troubled young people, in the former HTC Rectory. When asked if he had any interest in seeing Holy Trinity’s interior, he simply responded, “No”. So much for pastoral solicitude, at least as far as the concerns of HTC’s parishioners.
Maybe I’m just “sour grapes”. I get the feeling the Archdiocesan weekly, 'The Pilot' and his Blog (http://www.cardinalseansblog.org/) are very careful to cultivate an impression “Cardinal Sean” is very accessible, very low key and has an interest in the downtrodden. Personally, I have found him less accessible than Cardinal Law in the mid-90’s, who only seems to communicate through his inner circle unless there is some advantage.
Since 2003, we have continually stressed the importance of a dedicated apostolate for the Faithful who seek out the richness of Classical Roman Rite and Sacraments, to both stem an exodus and the general growth of schismatic groups, (particularly those harboring sedevantist error) and attracting newcomers. What has been the RCAB's answer?…
One of dozens of replies:
“Please know the Archbishop has received requests similar to your’s in the past and has consistently responded that in accord with the request of Ecclesia Dei the archdiocese of Boston provides the celebration of Mass in the Tridentine(sic)Rite and has qualified priests to celebrate this Mass. It is not the intention of the Archbishop to begin a Tridentine(sic)Rite parish, thus at this time he does not envision the necessity nor the advantage of inviting priests from either of the two groups (FSSP & ICK) that you mention to the Archdiocese as we can provide for the celebration of the Mass on a weekly basis.”
Most Reverend Richard G. Lennon (now Bishop of Cleveland)
15 Feb 06
There you have it, one of dozens of boiler plate responses received from the RCAB Chancery that continues to dismiss the general aspirations of the Faithful. I never cease to be amazed that our hierarchy thinks this is solely a liturgical issue with never any consideration of a legitimate need for parish life born out of the Classical Liturgy.
FYI, I understand that the sedevacantist CMRI chapel in Woburn (MA) has now more that 300 people attending on a Sunday. Most Sundays we see between 200-250 at HT. Now why the flap and astonishment over Sacred Heart? Maybe the RCAB will get the hint.
Rob:
Don't you know you have to go into schism to get any respect from the Bishops? Just look at what has been lavished upon former schismatics (FSSP, SSJ, IGS, etc.) compared to the faithful who never left.
The best way to preserve Holy Trinity would be to figure out a way to buy it or lease it long term like this and then go into schism and bring in your own priest, who can then petition for reconciliation after a few years. Sad but true.
All,
In case you wondered, the RCAB has been warned repeatedly about this problem and has chosen to ignore the existence and potential growth of such groups by members of the Indult community. This has been particularly dismissed out of hand by the Cardinal and Bishops Lennon and Boles in particular over the last three years. Meanwhile the legitimate need for Parish life that includes formation and traditional spirituality outside of Holy Mass continues to go ignored. Sadly, many souls choose the path of least resistance rather than one of informed discernment. What formation???
While I'll concur the ultimate responsibility lies in individual free will, I attribute much of the responsibilty for loss of Faith with the continued silence and/or inaction of our clerical culture.
As a member of the Indult community since 1994, we were directed for many years “not to advertise” by Msgr. Fred Murphy (former Administrator and Rector of Holy Cross Cathedral) and Bishop Boles (Boston Auxilary). How does this fly in the face of the New Evangelization? Do we share the same responsibility and dignity as other Catholics? You bet! Yet this is but one example that needs to see the light of day before the RCAB can complain about Sacred Heart? Does the RCAB complain about the missionary activity of the CMRI in East Boston and the North End, among unwitting Catholics starved for the Faith of their forebears? What of the steady defections in the Indult community by those simply worn down?
The day Cardinal O’Malley starts showing some genuine pastoral concern for a faithful portion of his flock, I may be swayed in my view point. I honestly think schismatic groups will continue to flourish until he makes a concerted outreach. Inviting the FSSP or ICK to foster parish life could go a long way forming and reforming many souls lost in sad confusion and spiritual abuse.
The reality of the RCAB solution at HTC revolves around a dwindling rotation of aging priests in ill health and a steadfastly refusal to allow several young priests who have expressed interest in assisting, despite personal initiative to learn the Classical Roman Rite. Involvement most assuredly spells political risk and retaliation from the chancery. I'm convinced the current RCAB trajectory is that of institutionalized decline. Scary.
This brings me to wonder and reflect…
John 10:11-18
Salvation of Souls: Not a Numbers Game
Luke 15:4-10
Holy Trinity Church
Paulist Center Chapel
The archdiocese wants to close the first one too!
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