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Excellent letter from Fr. Guarnizo.

This is the letter I sent right afer the story broke:

Sent to:
chancery@adw.org

His Excellency, Bishop Barry Knestout
5001 Eastern Avenue
Hyattsville MD 20782-3447

Copy to:
Fr. Marcel Guarnizo
St. John Neumann Catholic Church
9000 Warfeld Road
Gaithersburg, MD 20882

Your Excellency:

I was disturbed when I read that Fr. Guarnizo had rudely refused Holy Communion to a woman at her mother’s funeral. It was only later that I realized that I had misjudged the situation by letting anti-Catholic secular press define it for me; that there was a lot more to the story; and that the lesbian Buddhist, Ms. Johnson, actually set a trap which many, including you, your Excellency, fell into.

Ms. Johnson announced her unrepentant grave sin in a challenging way: not only to Fr. Guarnizo, but to the public at large.

She put Fr. Guarnizo into a situation that could not be handled in a quiet, private manner: she herself made every effort to make it a public issue.

Fr. Guarnizo, for the good of this woman’s soul (1 Corin. 11:29) chose to do what he could to prevent sacrilege. This is his duty as a priest.

The spectacular success of Ms. Johnson’s ploy guarantees that the sacrilege will be repeated again and again; in your Archdiocese, and in others.

This should have been a positive “teachable moment”. Upholding Fr. Guarnizo, the Archdiocese could have said that the Eucharist must never be profaned by being received unworthily, but that any repentant person can be received back into the Church by the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

Instead, Fr. Guarnizo has been maligned and slandered. This is scandalous. He ought now to be restored by a public affirmation of his innocence.

If I have misconstrued what happened because of faulty and tendentious reporting, I would gladly be corrected.

Yours in Christ our Lord,

[signed]

“Fr. Guarnizo, for the good of this woman’s soul (1 Corin. 11:29) chose to do what he could to prevent sacrilege. This is his duty as a priest.”

Father very quietly and discreetly refused to give communion. It didn't matter, Ms. Johnson went into the other line and took communion from the Eucharistic minister. He hadn't heard Father refuse communion because he had done it so quietly and discreetly.

This woman is not a Catholic. She is a self-proclaimed Buddhist and lesbian activist.

Good letter, Mrs. Don-o! I was talking to my co-workers about this today, one a lapsed Catholic, another an Episcopalian of dubious conviction, one a Protestant and the fourth whose beliefs are unknown to me. None of them have any concept of what the Real Presence means and none of them see anything wrong with non-believers receiving the Catholic Eucharist.

I believe that Fr. Guarnizo handled the matter correctly, particularly considering the offhand and late in time way the woman's orientation was disclosed to hm. It is clear to me that he had a duty to prevent sacrilege which he discharged correctly.

I am appalled at the way my Bishop has handled this matter. Fr. Guarzino, IMHO, deserves accolades for his steadfast adherence to his priestly obligations.

Nos genuflectitur ad non princeps sed Princeps Pacem!

Listen, O isles, unto me; and hearken, ye people, from far; The LORD hath called me from the womb; from the bowels of my mother hath he made mention of my name. (Isaiah 49:1 KJV)