Posted on 11/09/2007 7:20:13 AM PST by Alex Murphy
Baltimore's new Roman Catholic archbishop removed a priest who was pastor of three South Baltimore parishes for offenses that include officiating at a funeral Mass with an Episcopal priest, which violates canon law.
Archbishop Edwin F. O'Brien personally ordered the Rev. Ray Martin, who has led the Catholic Community of South Baltimore for five years, to resign from the three churches and sign a statement yesterday apologizing for "bringing scandal to the church."
Martin led the funeral Mass on Oct. 15 for Locust Point activist Ann Shirley Doda at Our Lady of Good Counsel with several clergy, including the Rev. Annette Chappell, the pastor of the Episcopal Church of the Redemption in Locust Point, Martin said.
Doda's son, Victor, who had invited Chappell to participate in the service, was stunned and outraged by the action taken against Martin.
"I am sickened that they would treat our pastor this way," he said. "It doesn't sound possible that the church would take such a petty thing and ruin a man's career."
Sean Caine, a spokesman for the Archdiocese of Baltimore, said this was one example of repeated administrative and liturgical offenses Martin had committed in more than a year.
"Father Martin's received advice and counsel on numerous occasions from the archdiocese, and he has repeatedly violated church teaching," Caine said. His major offense was not complying with hiring and screening policies, but he also allowed dogs in the sanctuary and did not show up for a baptism, Caine said.
Shirley Doda, who owned the Charles L. Stevens funeral home and was known for fighting to change the path of Interstate 95, was a lifelong Good Counsel parishioner but supported churches in Locust Point, including Redemption.
"I wasn't there for Annette Chappell," Martin said. "I was there for Shirley Doda....
(Excerpt) Read more at baltimoresun.com ...
Just who came up with the idea of bringing in an Episcopal priest to a funeral?
The Bishop did the right thing!! Hey, VICTOR baby...you can’t INVITE someone to do the MASS.
My first reaction is the media has an agenda to create division.
Why do you say what you said? SUSPICIOUS??
That's crazy.
That is the absolute bare minimum of his job.
Bishop Edwin O'Brien, current bishop of Baltimore, was previously Catholic Archbishop of the US Armed Forces and prior to that was a military chaplain and served in Vietnam.
I'm guessing he doesn't particularly appreciate those who flout orders or thumb their nose at authority, be it military or ecclesiastical.
WHAT?????
He allowed DOGS in the Sancuary and we don’t know what the circumstances...and just MAYBE the parents didn’t WANT him at their child’s Baptism. This priest is a LIBERAL NUTCASE!
The most basic responsibilities of a priest are to provide the faithful with the sacraments.
Abandoning a baptizand shows that this priest could even get his most basic responsibilities right.
I’m not sure how you misread my post, but it’s clear you’ve severely misread it.
Martin, who has not been defrocked, said he has been barred from celebrating Mass publicly. He will go on an extended retreat and counseling at a monastery in Latrobe, Pa., he said.
Though he gave a statement demonstrating he doesn't understand why his actions gave scandal, he signed the letter and is being obedient to his bishop. Good for Father Martin. Hopefully, reflection will bring enlightenment as to the difference between ecumenism and liturgical profanation. And good for Bishop O'Brien. He has hit the ground running. Maybe the archdiocese of Baltimore can become a beacon of truth for the confused American Church.
I am NOT sticking up for this priest...he sounds horrible. Sorry for any confusion.
(FYI: I was there as I was friends of the families and was at the altar as a ‘guest’ of the Catholic clergy.)
It's a bit later in the article, down below the excerpt. Here's the relevant passage:
[Rev. Annette Chappell, the pastor of the Episcopal Church of the Redemption in Locust Point] did not participate in the consecration of the Eucharist but read the Gospel at the service, Martin said. Someone at the service reported to the archdiocese that Martin gestured to Chappell to take Communion, though Martin said he did not recall doing so.Only ordained priests and deacons may read the Gospel at Mass, and non-Catholics may not receive Communion.
There is also the distinction that Orthodox priests are validly ordained in the apostolic succession and male, unlike the priestess in this tale.
This is a fairly stiff penalty for letting her read the Gospel, IMO, but that was obviously only the latest in a series of issues.
Good to see a bishop with backbone. It will be interesting to see what he does with, e.g., Barbara Mikulski.
Good work by the new Archbishop. Having a phony priestess on the altar is scandalous. I’m guessing she also participated in the consecration, etc. Were I a member of that parish, I would have complained to the bishop, too.
Gee whiz, is this a busy day for religious funny stuff. Now we have a snakehandler family whose mother died when the rattler bit her on the cheek at church suing the hospital for letting her die.
A Catholic priest letting an Episcopal priest do a portion of a Mass is equally strange don't you think?
Just what is this world coming to? Certainly the hard-core should be expected to adhere to their own standards.
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