Testimony of a Former Irish Priest

BereanBeacon.Org ^ | Richard Peter Bennett

[MarkBsnr]

You seem to have a penchant for getting things backwards.

Sad, that. I've always operated under the idea of cause first and then effect. Have the antiCatholics here discovered yet another novelty? Well, I will march into my VP's office first thing Monday morning and declare that True Christians (TM) have discovered that cause does not precede effect and that all the things over the last 105 years that the company has done are now rendered invalid and we need to remake all of our processes. Do you have any convincing arguments for me? This is new to me.

Matthew 13: [55] Is not this the carpenter's son? Is not his mother called Mary? And are not his brothers James and Joseph and Simon and Judas? [56] And are not all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all this?"

And you know the Catholic interpretation lo these two millennia. Right from the dudes that walked with Him.

Matthew 1:25 but knew her not until she had borne a son; and he called his name Jesus.

I am told that the Greek does not imply that normal marital relations did occur after His birth, rather, the emphasis is on Joseph not being responsible for the conception of Jesus.

[Iscool]

Follow your statements, dude. Your posts are as variable as the weather forecast. Of course you have to consent to your salvation. You also must, as St. Paul says in:,p. Romans 2: 5 By your stubbornness and impenitent heart, you are storing up wrath for yourself for the day of wrath and revelation of the just judgment of God, 6 who will repay everyone according to his works: 3 7 eternal life to those who seek glory, honor, and immortality through perseverance in good works, 8 but wrath and fury to those who selfishly disobey the truth and obey wickedness. 9 Yes, affliction and distress will come upon every human being who does evil, Jew first and then Greek. 10 But there will be glory, honor, and peace for everyone who does good, Jew first and then Greek.

Well good for you...Live and die on those verses...I won't...

I won't because Paul said, that was then and THIS is now..

Rom 3:21 But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets;
Rom 3:22 Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference:

It's called 'rightly dividing the word of truth'...That was then THIS is now...

There's a number of those in the scriptures...If you want to keep ignoring those, then you can face your judgment by trying to earn your own righteousness...

Your scripture in Matthew falls under the same category...BUT NOW, in the church age, righteousness is given to us freely, without works lest any man should boast...

YOu need to read ALL the counsel of God, not those sections that show you can lose your salvation...Study the parts where it shows your salvation is secure and eternal...Read the chapters that are written directly to the church...

[Iscool]

Negative. It is strictly Biblical. It is the Reformation that threw open the doors of possibility for violating Matthew 7:21.

Really??? Matthew 7:21 was just setting there for centuries waiting for the Reformation to fulfill the, what is it, a prophecy???

YOu ought to move along from the Books written to the Jews to the Books written to the adoption of the Gentiles into the Body of Jesus Christ...

[OLD REGGIE]

Fact: Martin Luther had powerful protectors. Without those protectors it is likely he'd have been burned and his bones hung on the door at Wittenburg.

Likely? Can you name them?

Yes.

Pope Paul III Kinda chubby too.

The Popes of the time brought the Reformation down upon the Church. I trust that they have been eternally rewarded in suitable fashion.

Pope Paul III was the Counter Reformation Pope. Of course his reign was similar to Nancy Pelosi's "draining of the swamp."

[OLD REGGIE]

Matthew 13: [55] Is not this the carpenter's son? Is not his mother called Mary? And are not his brothers James and Joseph and Simon and Judas? [56] And are not all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all this?"

And you know the Catholic interpretation lo these two millennia. Right from the dudes that walked with Him.

Really? Scripture please.

Matthew 1:25 but knew her not until she had borne a son; and he called his name Jesus.

I am told that the Greek does not imply that normal marital relations did occur after His birth, rather, the emphasis is on Joseph not being responsible for the conception of Jesus.

Who in the world told you that? Can you do any better?

[OLD REGGIE]

Further discussion on the "conversion" of John Wayne may be analogous to "beating a dead horse" but John Wayne's horse has been dead for some time so..............I believe a little "beating" is in order.

To: OLD REGGIE

"It's truly amazing how many conversions take place with no witnesses."

I already posted that I knew an eye witness; Fr. Robert (Bob) Curtis who was in attendance when Archbishop McGrath baptized Wayne.

Add to that the numerous family members and close personal friends like John Ford who recount the same story and you have more proof than the one UK website you found after sifting through who knows how many.

It is pitiful that the conversion of one man, regardless of his fame, has become a cause celeb worthy of the anti-Catholics lies.

4,574 posted on Saturday, July 31, 2010 4:55:35 PM by Natural Law (Extra Ecclesiam nulla salus)

*****************************************************

To: Dr. Eckleburg

"The ONLY person to insist Wayne was awake when he received last rites is the UCLA chaplain who supposedly gave them to him."

Just because the Presbyterian church is dying doesn't mean John Wayne died a Presbyterian.

No one is insisting that Wayne was awake when he received Last Rites, we are insisting that he was awake and alert when he was Baptized, and not by Fr. Curtis, but by Archbishop McGrath.

Playing so loose with the known facts, even in your retorts, is just further damaging your credibility (if that is even possible).

4,706 posted on 07/31/2010 6:51:09 PM PDT by Natural Law (Extra Ecclesiam nulla salus)

******************************************************************************

Lets see this story: Where was Archbishop McGrath? Who were the witnesses?

For those who don't have a .pdf reader see below:

John Wayne became Catholic before he died

LOS ANGELES— Actor John Wayne was received into the Catholic Church, in the presence of his family, Sunday June 10, the day before he died, according to the Catholic Chaplain who per- formed the rites.

Paulist Father Robert Curtis, Catholic chaplain at UCLA Medical Center and assistant pastor at St. Paul's Church, Westwood, L.A., disclosed the information in the following statement issued from his office:

"John Wayne was received into the Catholic Church the day before he died.Mr. Wayne was conscious at the time. We are not releasing any further information on the matter which is private between priest and penitent."

It was further disclosed that Mrs. Toni La-Clava, a daughter of Mr. Wayne, is a member of the family life bureau of the Arch- diocese of Los Angeles. Burial services for Mr. Wayne were private.

Among many visitors to Wayne's hospital room during the past month was Archbishop Marcos McGrath of Panama. Wayne has backed the Panama Canal Treaties.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Another story: And the book???

It seems the Eyewitness testimony of the Baptism of John Wayne doesn't hold up.

"Oh what a tangled web we weave, When first we practice to deceive."

[Natural Law]

"It seems the Eyewitness testimony of the Baptism of John Wayne doesn't hold up."

The only thing Old Veggie has proved is that he just spent the last two days researching for nothing. None of the sources contradict the conversion of Wayne, they only disagree on some of the minutia. I'll stand with the eye witness reports from people I knew and the many, many corroborating reports, thank you. I'll let the public decide for themselves,...oh wait, they already have. Wayne converted to Catholicism before he died.

As I have already stated, I don't care what you or any of your anti-Catholic posse choose to believe. From your postings of bad hermeneutics, false Catechism, and questionable web sources y'all will believe anything and nothing depending on how y'all decide before you see it.

[OLD REGGIE]

"It seems the Eyewitness testimony of the Baptism of John Wayne doesn't hold up."

The only thing Old Veggie has proved is that he just spent the last two days researching for nothing. None of the sources contradict the conversion of Wayne, they only disagree on some of the minutia. I'll stand with the eye witness reports from people I knew and the many, many corroborating reports, thank you. I'll let the public decide for themselves,...oh wait, they already have. Wayne converted to Catholicism before he died.

As I have already stated, I don't care what you or any of your anti-Catholic posse choose to believe. From your postings of bad hermeneutics, false Catechism, and questionable web sources y'all will believe anything and nothing depending on how y'all decide before you see it.

"I already posted that I knew an eye witness; Fr. Robert (Bob) Curtis who was in attendance when Archbishop McGrath baptized Wayne."

"No one is insisting that Wayne was awake when he received Last Rites, we are insisting that he was awake and alert when he was Baptized, and not by Fr. Curtis, but by Archbishop McGrath."

The story as told by you in untrue. Was the late Father "Bob" Curtis still a member of the Paulists when you knew him?

[Natural Law]

"The story as told by you in untrue. Was the late Father "Bob" Curtis still a member of the Paulists when you knew him?"

The story, as told to me was true. Fr. Curtis died in Nov. or Dec. 2004 and was a still a member of the Missionary Society of Saint Paul the Apostle, what you call a Paulist, when he died.

[GourmetDan]

"It is "ordinary" that someone who is moved by the Spirit will seek to be baptized."

Baptism is often taught as a command and a sacrament with no understanding of the 'type' being conveyed because the baptism of Christ is not understood.

John the Baptist was technically a priest, the son of Zechariah a priest, and can be considered as the true High Priest of Israel chosen by the Holy Spirit rather than by the politics of men. His baptism of Christ should be seen as the transfer of the position of High Priest from John to Christ through the Holy Spirit and coinciding with a 'change of the law' (Heb 7:12).

Likewise, our baptism is when we 'receive our priesthood' (I Peter 2:4-11) and pass through a 'change of the law' into love (Gal 5:14). It minimizes the importance of baptism to reduce it to a command or sacrament that is fulfilled by the one-time act of baptism. The far richer truth that believers should be taught is that baptism is the outward sign of their inner decision to become 'priests of the most High God' fulfilling the 'law of love'.

Understanding that truth would change many more Christians than the simple keeping of a command.

[OLD REGGIE]

"The story as told by you in untrue. Was the late Father "Bob" Curtis still a member of the Paulists when you knew him?"

The story, as told to me was true. Fr. Curtis died in Nov. or Dec. 2004 and was a still a member of the Missionary Society of Saint Paul the Apostle, what you call a Paulist, when he died.

**********************************************************
To: Dr. Eckleburg

"I'll believe John Wayne's daughter..."

Apparently there is no correlation between the ability to post a GIF and the ability to tell the truth. I knew an eye witness to the conversion, Fr. Robert Curtis, and know him to be a man of truth and God. The same cannot be said of you.

6,903 posted on 08/05/2010 5:55:36 AM PDT by Natural Law (Extra Ecclesiam nulla salus)

Give it up. Your story is inconsistent from start to finish.

You have him a witness at the Baptism performed by Archbishop McGraph while all recorded accounts have Fr. "Bob" Curtis performing the Baptism.

According to the published material no person other than FR. "Bob" Curtis could have been your "eyewitness".

(Father "Bob" Curtis) "John Wayne was received into the Catholic Church the day before he died.Mr. Wayne was conscious at the time. We are not releasing any further information on the matter which is private between priest and penitent."

Did he violate this "privacy" between priest and penitent?

Further; two other Priests contradict you concerning the "till death" membership of Father "Bob" Curtis as a Paulist.

ROBERT PHILIP CURTIS

Father Bob Curtis died in Los Angeles on November 17, his home for the last 33 years. Information and memories about him have been received from many �54s - all of whom describe a most talented and dedicated man.

Bob came to Dartmouth from the Capitol Page School in Silver Springs , MD. His freshman Greenbook bio reflects a mover and shaker kind of guy with involvements in politics, dramatics, academics and newspaper reporting. He roomed with DICK FRANKLIN and shared the second floor of Hitchcock with eighteen other �54s. The many lines under his name in the Aegis reflect a whirlwind of a student leader - president of Phi Kappa Psi, the Undergraduate Council, the Intrafraternity Council, DCAC, manager of freshman basketball and AFROTC. He was able to keep a balance between the �let it all hang out� aspect of college life and the responsibilities of those who have accepted positions of leadership.

Father George Fitzgerald and Dick Franklin have supplied most of the background which follows.

After graduation, Bob served as an Air Force navigator with planes refueling other planes, based out of Omaha . After discharge, he followed his driving desire to emerge himself in show business. He enrolled in the Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York and managed to land a few small commercial spots. As was the custom, he moved to Los Angeles to develop a career in acting. As was the case with most such young people, he had contact and exposure to many Hollywood �types� but never caught hold sufficiently to move ahead. After attending a retreat at Manresa in southern California , he sought direction in becoming a Catholic. Fitz sent him to the Paulists Fathers in Westwood and he received his instruction from Fr. Bud Keiser, the founder of Paulists Productions. He was received into the church in Los Angeles , then a few years later decided to pursue the priesthood, joining the Paulists (The Missionary Society of St. Paul the Apostle). According to Father Fitz: �Bob was impressed with the ministry of the Paulists in Communications and Television. The Paulists are a distinctly American community, small, but well-known because of its national character .. all over the US with important work, providing campus ministry at non-religious universities.� The rumors of the various Hollywood people who were counseled by Bob range from John Wayne to Cary Grant to .... His enthusiasm, his initial involvements in acting and his being a believer in the causes of the Paulists made him a perfect person for his chosen role.

Bob fell ill some 20 years ago and eventually left the Paulists, �freelancing�.** Dick Franklin had occasional telephone contact with him and once, when I tried to interest him in a reunion his rejoinder was: �I would rather remember all my Dartmouth friends as they were back then and glory in the joy of those times.�
** Color added by Old Reggie

A man who moved in many more directions than most of us, his memory is a fine one. A memorial book will be placed in Baker Library in his memory.
==============================================================

In Memoriam - Robert Phillip Curtis

***********************************************************************

[Mad Dawg]

Nice.

From our POV (which is, of course, correct) GOD does not NEED Baptism to do the things you said, but He promises to do them in Baptism.

To me it is silly to say that my Baptism meant nothing and the only thing that counted was my “Hold ON a minute! You mean ME?” moment in 1971. I see the latter as a stage of the fruition of the former.

[Mad Dawg]

My prayer for all of you, ally and adversary and don't give a hoot alike, today is that you be so filled with the Spirit of Love that people look at you and see what a "God of Love" means, and place their lives in God's hands.

(and give all their money to the Pope)
What! No, I didn't say that.

[Natural Law]

Bob fell ill some 20 years ago and eventually left the Paulists..."

I never had cause to question Fr. Curtis about his affiliation with the Paulists. I do know that he remained both a Catholic and a priest.

[OLD REGGIE]

Bob fell ill some 20 years ago and eventually left the Paulists..."

I never had cause to question Fr. Curtis about his affiliation with the Paulists. I do know that he remained both a Catholic and a priest.

Yet you did insist he remained a Paulist until his death.

It's about time you quit on this subject. The hole you are digging just keeps getting deeper.

History of a troubled record:

********************************************************************************************** I already posted that I knew an eye witness; Fr. Robert (Bob) Curtis who was in attendance when Archbishop McGrath baptized Wayne."

Proven untrue.
**********************************************************************************************

No one is insisting that Wayne was awake when he received Last Rites, we are insisting that he was awake and alert when he was Baptized, and not by Fr. Curtis, but by Archbishop McGrath."

Proven untrue.
***********************************************************************************************

John Wayne became Catholic before he died

LOS ANGELES— Actor John Wayne was received into the Catholic Church, in the presence of his family, Sunday June 10, the day before he died, according to the Catholic Chaplain who per- formed the rites.

Paulist Father Robert Curtis, Catholic chaplain at UCLA Medical Center and assistant pastor at St. Paul's Church, Westwood, L.A., disclosed the information in the following statement issued from his office:

"John Wayne was received into the Catholic Church the day before he died.Mr. Wayne was conscious at the time. We are not releasing any further information on the matter which is private between priest and penitent."

It was further disclosed that Mrs. Toni La-Clava, a daughter of Mr. Wayne, is a member of the family life bureau of the Arch- diocese of Los Angeles. Burial services for Mr. Wayne were private.

Among many visitors to Wayne's hospital room during the past month was Archbishop Marcos McGrath of Panama. Wayne has backed the Panama Canal Treaties.

Not a single member of the Wayne family claims to have been present during the time John Wayne was "received" into the Catholic Church..

Most likely a "Pious" fantasy.
********************************************************************************************** The story, as told to me was true. Fr. Curtis died in Nov. or Dec. 2004 and was a still a member of the Missionary Society of Saint Paul the Apostle, what you call a Paulist, when he died.

Contradicted by Father George Fitzgerald, a fellow Paulist who knew him well.

Most likely untrue.
**************************************************************************

Your credibility is rapidly becoming tarnished beyond repair. It's time to quit on this path.

[Natural Law]

"Yet you did insist he remained a Paulist until his death."

Leaving an order is highly unusual and you have no statement from the Paulists confirming it. I'm not saying it didn't or couldn't happen, but until I see it from a source other than what you have dredged up I will assume it, like the rest of your posts, is a complete fabrication.

Again, what you choose to believe is your business. I don't even care if you believe me or any of the eyewitnesses. Wayne lived the life of a sinner as a Presbyterian, but died a saved Catholic. Facts are stubborn things.

[Dr. Eckleburg]

Great digging for the truth, Old Reggie. Pinging a few to your revealing post.

The RCC counts on people just accepting what it says without looking into the the situation for themselves.

When someone does investigate the outlandish PR, they learn that reality is very different from RC fiction.

People need to ask themselves why a church would feel compelled to lie and present so many untruths about other people and other faiths? Obviously, if the truth were in Rome, Rome would be satisfied with the truth.

[Quix]

REALITY

has been different

from the RC fantasies

from the

ALICE IN WONDERLAND SCHOOL OF THEOLOGY AND REALITY MANGLING

INSTITUTION

for 1600 years or so.

Past behavior is the best predictor of future behavior.

[RnMomof7]

You mean that Catholics would LIE about a conversion?? Unthinkable.. we know that only Irish Catholic priests would do that ....< /scarasm>

Look Reggie if they want to claim John Wayne ..let them have him ... let them have whoever they claim ... it will not help them one bit when they stand before the judge. and learn there is no purgatory .... and the hot seat is from another fire

[RnMomof7]

A “silly “ question if Wayne was a Presbyterian why did he need to get baptized? Presbyterians are baptized as infants or if the convert from no faith as adults ...this makes no sense.. are catholics now anabaptists?