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Catholic Police Officer Gets Suspended for Going to Church While on Duty
LifeSite News ^ | 12/15/17 | Doug Mainwaring

Posted on 12/17/2017 7:09:48 PM PST by marshmallow

MIDDLETOWN, Pennsylvania, December 15, 2017 (LifeSiteNews) – A Pennsylvania police officer has been suspended for ten days for going to Catholic Mass on a day of obligation while on duty and in uniform.

Officer Mark Hovan, a 20- year veteran of the Middletown, Pa., police department, attended Mass in uniform on August 15, the Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, a holy day of obligation for Catholics.

“Hovan, who said he is a devout Catholic, said it was necessary at times because of shift changes for him to go to church while on duty on occasion,” reports the Press & Journal, a local news outlet. “Hovan said he kept his radio with him and that he had never missed a call while attending church on duty in uniform.”

The officer also said that attending Church while in uniform had never been an issue over his two decades of service, until a new Chief of Police took over at the beginning of this year.

According to an earlier report in the Press & Journal, Officer Hovan said, “his constitutional right to practice freedom of religion was being ‘infringed upon’ by the chief, adding ‘they (the department) made no accommodation at all for me.’”

Hovan said he believes this constitutes a violation of his religious freedom, and so he is considering taking legal action.

He also suggested the punishment may be related to his current position as president of the borough’s police association.

Contention regarding church attendance while in uniform evidently began shortly after the new department head, Chief George Mouchette, took over.

Hovan received his first formal reprimand from Mouchette in January for attending Mass on a Sunday morning in uniform. Mouchette’s warning read, in part, “Never conduct personal business on Middletown Police Department time.”

(Excerpt) Read more at lifesitenews.com ...


TOPICS: Catholic; Current Events
KEYWORDS: catholic; christianpoliceman; churchservice; paping; pennsylvania; police; policeman
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To: metmom

Can’t do that on duty but he should be able to wear his uniform before running home to change.


61 posted on 12/18/2017 8:18:48 AM PST by fatima (Free Hugs Today :))
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To: DIRTYSECRET
God put him on duty to take care of us. "Us" includes "us" in church, who may -- God knows --- be specially targeted by the Bag Guys and warrant a little protection. Like anybody.

No like Kaepernick. He wasn't protesting anything.

62 posted on 12/18/2017 8:19:54 AM PST by Mrs. Don-o (Stone cold sober, as a matter of fact.)
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To: BlueDragon

Weekday Mass 30 minutes. Twenty if you skip the opening hymn and leave right after Communion.


63 posted on 12/18/2017 8:22:18 AM PST by Mrs. Don-o (Stone cold sober, as a matter of fact.)
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To: ealgeone; marshmallow
"It's more evidence of the Roman Catholic worship of Mary."

Ah! You are misinformed! It makes me happy to assure you that this is not the case.

At that Mass, as at every Sunday and Holy Day Mass, we all pray together, out loud, the following prayer to GOD ALONE. Please note bolded words:

Glory to God in the highest,

and peace to His people on earth.

Lord God , heavenly King,

Almighty God and Father,

we worship You, we give You thanks,

we praise You for Your glory.

Lord Jesus Christ,

only Son of the Father,

Lord God , Lamb of God ,

You take away the sin of the world:

have mercy on us;

You are seated at the right hand of the Father:

receive our prayer.

For You alone are the Holy One,

You alone are the Lord,

You alone are the Most High,

Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit,

in the glory of the Father.

Amen.

`

`

`

`

Let's have an "Amen" here.


64 posted on 12/18/2017 8:38:13 AM PST by Mrs. Don-o (Stone cold sober, as a matter of fact.)
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To: Mrs. Don-o

Amen.


65 posted on 12/18/2017 8:39:17 AM PST by RinaseaofDs (Truth, in a time of universal deceit, is courage)
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To: marshmallow

If the copper was on Caesar’s time and dime, the copper should render unto Caesar.


66 posted on 12/18/2017 8:41:24 AM PST by mewzilla (Was Obama surveilling John Roberts? Might explain a lot.)
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To: mewzilla
Caesar also protects Churches.

All the ones after Constantine, anyway, except for Jude the Apostate.

This is part of keeping public peace and order, and providing security for assembled citizens.

67 posted on 12/18/2017 8:47:05 AM PST by Mrs. Don-o (Stone cold sober, as a matter of fact.)
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To: Mrs. Don-o

AMEN!


68 posted on 12/18/2017 8:48:04 AM PST by Dr. Ursus
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To: Mrs. Don-o
But one of many prayers in Roman Catholicism.

As I've documented previously, Rome has prayers TO Mary where the petitioner pledges their entirety to her and relying upon ONLY her.

It cannot be both.

69 posted on 12/18/2017 8:55:49 AM PST by ealgeone
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To: metmom

do you suppose if he was a Muslim and taking his prayer breaks while on duty he would have been suspended.

As a Catholic, it can be pretty difficult to make the days of obligation when you work 8-6pm and have to commute.


70 posted on 12/18/2017 9:26:08 AM PST by nobamanomore
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To: ealgeone
You're right, if if one assumes that someone might err in praying to "only" Mary as if she could be separated from the Body of Christ.

But can she be so separated?

Mary was and is a member of the Body of Christ --- like, presumaby, you are, too. She is a particularly eminent one, considering her role in the Incarnation of Our Lord. It is through the Body of Christ that we share all spiritual goods and have access to all graces from Mary's Son, God Incarnate.

71 posted on 12/18/2017 9:26:58 AM PST by Mrs. Don-o (Stone cold sober, as a matter of fact.)
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To: ealgeone

Oh, and from here on in I will not hijack this thread into an extraneous discussion of Incarnation Theology: a topic so profound it needs a thread of its own.


72 posted on 12/18/2017 9:29:14 AM PST by Mrs. Don-o (Stone cold sober, as a matter of fact.)
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To: ealgeone
Dear eal:

But the LORD is in his holy temple:
let all the earth keep silence ...

73 posted on 12/18/2017 9:41:44 AM PST by Mrs. Don-o (O Mary, He whom the whole Universe cannot contain, enclosed Himself in your womb and was made man.)
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To: Mrs. Don-o
You're right, if if one assumes that someone might err in praying to "only" Mary as if she could be separated from the Body of Christ.

TO WHICH ROMAN CATHOLICS HAVE ADMITTED THEY DO IN THEIR OWN WRITINGS!!!!

I know you know the Consecration Prayer to Mary.

She is a particularly eminent one, considering her role in the Incarnation of Our Lord.

Yet Jesus said this about John, “Truly I tell you, among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist”.

Not Mary. John

74 posted on 12/18/2017 9:45:33 AM PST by ealgeone
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To: Mrs. Don-o
As Roman Catholicism sees Mary and Jesus.

Big Mary....little Jesus.

But the LORD is in his holy temple: let all the earth keep silence ...

Or is that the one built in the apparition's honor in Mexico??

Roman Catholicism mixes a little truth with their false doctrines and you get false teaching.

75 posted on 12/18/2017 9:51:26 AM PST by ealgeone
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To: ealgeone
It's a symbolic presentation of the pregnant Mary with Jesus inside her. He is portrayed, not naturalist4ically, but iconographically, as clothed and reigning, because He is God: the King of the Universe.

Unborn babies in their mothers are smaller than their mothers. Hence the size difference.

We (as in you and I, or as "we Christians" in general) are Temples of the Holy Spirit. Mary qualifies as a Temple of the Holy Spirit <>par excellence, as the Holy Spirit entered her --- and caused her to become pregnant with God incarnate.

Rather a unique miracle, beinst it only happened once in the history of the Universe, and will never happen again.

Thus we, like Mary, rejoice in God our Savior.

Rejoice, ealg!

Anything else you want me to explain?

76 posted on 12/18/2017 10:31:51 AM PST by Mrs. Don-o (O Mary, He whom the whole Universe cannot contain, enclosed Himself in your womb and was made man.)
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To: ealgeone
Citing this --- as if it were meant literally and without exception --- is not advantageous to your argument, it would also entail John being greater than Jesus--- Jesus, too, having been "born of a woman."

Yet John is not greater than Jesus.

Look, I already broke my resolution not to contribute to the hijacking of this thread. My apologies to all onlookers.

"Friend, do what you came to do."

I'll be mending my socks.

77 posted on 12/18/2017 10:45:15 AM PST by Mrs. Don-o (O Mary, He whom the whole Universe cannot contain, enclosed Himself in your womb and was made man.)
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To: nobamanomore

I under stand that.

That’s why I said it was a hard one as I could see both sides, the pro and con of the argument of whether he should or shouldn’t.


78 posted on 12/18/2017 12:08:21 PM PST by metmom ( ...fixing our eyes on Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of our faith..)
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To: nobamanomore

I under stand that.

That’s why I said it was a hard one as I could see both sides, the pro and con of the argument of whether he should or shouldn’t.


79 posted on 12/18/2017 12:08:25 PM PST by metmom ( ...fixing our eyes on Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of our faith..)
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To: Mrs. Don-o

If understood in context, and yes, if He said it, He meant it.


80 posted on 12/18/2017 12:25:50 PM PST by ealgeone
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