Catholic Group asks the Faithful to Join in Protest

Fr. Richard Sparks, a well-known modernist heretic and blasphemer, has been invited to the diocese of San Jose to give a series of lectures on "Catholic" moral teaching. This, of course, is a joke – since Fr. Sparks is about as Catholic as Saddam Hussein. He has only denigrated and criticized traditional Catholic morality. Among other blasphemies, he has suggested that Jesus fondled Mary Magdalene and she fondled Him. That Our Lady and St. Joseph fondled each other. That homosexuality in not only normal and healthy but actually a "God given gift". His heresies regarding morality are too numerous to cite here. The point is that in the midst of one sex scandal after another by perverted priests and the bishops who harbor them, the diocese of San Jose is being subjected to another sexual pervert that seems so obsessed with sex that he can't seem to stop talking about it, and all within the context of furthering the agenda of the sexual revolution. He believes in a woman's "right" to choose and is the priest moderator for the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender group at Newman Hall/Holy Spirit Parish in Berkeley, CA.

The St. Joseph's Men Society is fighting Fr. Sparks and his agenda and we are opposing ANYONE who supports him. We need your help to stop him from continuing his disgusting instructions of the laity both here in San Jose, in the diocese of Oakland (where he resides) and in Southern California where he is scheduled to attend and lecture at the Los Angeles Religious Education Conference. My dear brothers and sisters in Christ, we do not have to tolerate this kind of heresy and blasphemy from anyone, particularly a "priest" who is supposed to represent the Roman Catholic Church.

Below you will find the letter we sent to the bishops to silence Sparks. But they are not going to listen just to us. We need other voices to help get our point across. Won't you help us by calling Bishop Cummins and Bishop McGrath and let them know that you do not appreciate them supporting and fostering this heretic?

He will be showing up for his first lecture at Transfiguration Church in San Jose tomorrow, February 6th at 9:00AM. He is scheduled to continue his lectures on February 13, and on February 20th. If you live in or near San Jose and want to protest his presence here you can contact me. I have signs and literature. Spread this news far and wide. Let every Catholic on your list know what is going on. Thank you.

His Excellency Bishop Allen Vigneron Diocese of Oakland c/o Sacred Heart Major Seminary 2701 West Chicago Boulevard Detroit MI 48206

His Excellency Bishop John Cummins Diocese of Oakland 2900 Lakeshore Avenue Oakland CA 94610-3697

Most Rev. Patrick J. McGrath Bishop, Diocese of San Jose 900 Lafayette Street, Suite 301 Santa Clara, California 95050-4966

We are writing to you about Fr. Richard Sparks CSP, pastor of Holy Spirit/Newman Hall, Berkeley CA in the Diocese of Oakland. His infamous history of dissent from Catholic Moral teachings, his years exporting his disparagement and rejection of Magisterium, his "studied ambiguity" (to use Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger's term), and his repeated, scandalous, and blasphemous presentations sexualizing the Holy Family have been thoroughly documented. The venues for his constant departure from Catholic teaching do not just include presentations and audiotapes, but also writings, which are sometimes published under his own name, and at other times, according to his boasts, ghost-written by him for various committees within the USCCB. These documents have been criticized by appropriate Congregations within the Vatican and by prominent members of the Curia. Below you will find a salient fraction of the documentation we have gathered on this man.

We plead with you that Fr. Richard Sparks be silenced immediately to await an official investigation and inquiry into his theological errors and perverted sexual obsessions. This command to be silent should specifically ensure that he will make no further public presentation of any kind from this point forward. We humbly make this request to protect the faithful from further exposure to his serious and grave errors regarding the Faith and Catholic Moral Law. Fr. Sparks is currently scheduled to speak at Transfiguration Catholic Church in San Jose on February 6, 13, and 20 and at Roger Cardinal Mahony's annual Religious Education Congress in Los Angeles, February 27-March 6. It is imperative that you forbid him from attending, speaking, or giving any presentation at these or any other events or Masses.

A transcript of Fr. Sparks' presentation at the 2001 Religious Education Congress, taken directly from our copy of his commercially available audiotape, Catholic Sexual Morality: More Than "Thou Shalt Nots," is enclosed. The following are a few quotes from Fr. Sparks' prior presentations:

On Jesus and St. Mary Magdalene: "He [Jesus] had to go through puberty. He had to decide should I get married. He might have even had a prom date with Mary Magdalene. They might have even necked a little in the back seat of a car. He's like us in all things but sin - necking isn't necessarily a sin. He might have even petted her once or twice - it's like - oh - wait, wait, wait, YES - NOW?" - Catholic Sexual Morality: More Than "Thou Shalt Nots" and at Religious Education Conference 2001, Los Angeles

On the Blessed Virgin Mary and St. Joseph: "If you can't fantasize Mary and Joseph having sex - even if you wanted to say - okay, the Church says, 'ever-virgin' - okay, I leave that in place. I'm not out to change that. Church says, obviously for Jesus, Mary was still a virgin - because it's like a miraculous conception - okay, where did all those brothers and sisters come from? They're cousins? Where did all those brothers and sisters come from? Joseph had children from a previous marriage? Okaaaay. But if somebody says, 'Do you think Joseph ever wanted to jump her bones? Do you think Joseph ever thought, 'God, why can't we consummate this thing?'

"By the way, in terms of Canon Law we could annul this marriage just like this - and he snapped his fingers. 'We can annul it. Joseph can get another wife.'

"Now, all I'm saying is - even if they didn't have sex, did they ever neck? or did they maybe cuddle and snuggle? Did he ever sorta fondle his wife? Did she ever kinda fondle him?" - Catholic Sexual Morality: More Than "Thou Shalt Nots" at Religious Education Conference 2001, Los Angeles

On himself: "When I get up in the morning and look in the mirror in the BVDs, or in the altogether, do I want to be an androgynously healthy member of the human species - NO! I wanna be a handsome, hunky guy - and I am. It's a little bigger than Mel Gibson's, but the bigger the better I say. " - Catholic Sexual Morality: More Than "Thou Shalt Nots" at Religious Education Conference 2001, Los Angeles

On women's breasts: "So I honestly do not know why women's breasts excite me. They are two big fat globules with little knobs on the end. I do not know why they excite me. But I like them. I like them in all sizes and shapes." - Catholic Sexual Morality: More Than "Thou Shalt Nots" at Religious Education Conference 2001, Los Angeles

On abortion: "I tend to be rather pro-life and pretty close to the official teaching of the Church about abortion. I believe in freedom. I believe in responsibility and so I'm not anti-choice." - videotaped lecture, Hot Moral Topics - Homosexuality, Newman Hall, Berkeley CA, 30 July 2002

On homosexuals: "If you're celibate, committed to a partner in a relationship, or playing the field - preferably not promiscuously [LGBT Mass attendees titter loudly] - if you're old or young, whatever your orientation, put yourself and your gifts at the service of God and humanity" - videotaped sermon at "LGBT [Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgendered] Mass," Holy Spirit/Newman Hall, 20 June 2002

Please be sure we recognize that it is indeed desirable for us all to put our gifts at the service of God and our neighbor, however, at no time in this quoted sermon did Fr. Sparks give any admonition whatsoever regarding Catholic teaching that homosexual acts are gravely disordered or unnatural according to God's design and purpose. He makes no effort whatsoever to assist these poor afflicted people to embrace the Catholic teaching on chastity as the only alternative for those with these propensities. In none of the occasions we have personally witnessed and recorded and in none of the events reported upon by others have we discovered even a single occasion where Fr. Sparks has clearly stated the full teaching of the Ordinary Magisterium on homosexuality without denigrating it. It is obvious he does not believe homosexual acts are intrinsically evil or gravely disordered in themselves.

We have attended several of Fr. Sparks' events. His sermon at the 6/20/02 LGBT [lesbian, gay bisexual, and Transgendered] Mass included the endorsement of promiscuous homosexuality as we quoted above.

We also attended and videotaped Fr. Sparks' 7/30/02 Hot Moral Topics - Homosexuality lecture. In that lecture, as consistent with his reputation, Fr. Sparks barely mentioned Magisterial teaching. At this event, as with our past observation and as we and others have documented, when Fr. Sparks mentions authentic Catholic teaching without disparaging it, he glosses over the authentic Catholic teaching and immediately juxtaposes it with other views which are described and/or defended in detail. In no event we or others have witnessed or documented has Fr. Sparks ever placed authentic Catholic teaching on a higher plane than the other views he elaborates. A rhetorical trick he frequently uses is to raise questions (often a series of questions) about morals acts - e.g. "Is abortion always sinful?" or "Are homosexual acts always sinful?" - and then says, "We can talk about that," but he never does clearly elucidate or defend the magisterial teachings on such established. He does all he can to leave uncertainty regarding authentic Catholic teaching and the legitimacy of dissent in the minds of his listeners. We have seen him use that trick of studied ambiguity in every venue we have observed him. Where he does not openly dissent and disparage, he conceals with his studied ambiguity. In defense of his revisionist theology he offers refuted homosexualist junk science as though it is sound or accepted medicine or psychology.

He has referred to our Catholic Church as a "denomination," but never have we found him describe the Church as in the Nicene Creed, "one, holy, catholic, and apostolic." His opening paragraph of his 2001 Religious Education Congress lecture snidely disparages the Church. His stated idols and mentors are dissenters like Fr. Charles Curran and Fr. Richard McBrien.

While lauding his own gift for "civil dialogue" Fr. Sparks has engaged in public ad hominem attacks on the laity with epithets. Witnesses and retained e-mail evidence are available to you upon request.

In short, Fr. Sparks is a vicious, blasphemous dissenter and heretic who is apparently sexually obsessed and who has scandalized thousands of Catholics and Protestants. We pray and plead with you to undertake a long-overdue step: First, to silence him; secondly to investigate him regarding these and other accusations against him. Pending your findings we pray that you bring him to reform by whatever steps are necessary - considering remedial theological study, psychiatric evaluation, therapy, or formal excommunication if necessary. It is hoped that by these actions he will come to his senses and abjure his errors, make reparation, and recommit his priesthood to the Catholic Faith.

Because the public evidence is so overwhelming against Fr. Sparks, we ask that you order him to be silent until you can undertake and complete your own investigation of his theology, sexual obsessions, and blasphemy. We request again that he not be allowed to attend, speak, or give homilies at any Church until such time as you and appropriate medical care deem it safe for the Faithful. Also it might be advisable to relieve him of his duty as pastor at Holy Spirit/Newman Hall.

We pray daily for the faithful who have been scandalized by Fr. Sparks and that your corrective actions will assist him in rejecting the evil he seems to have completely embraced.

Dig through this foul cleric's filthy rhetoric and no doubt even more squalid activities will be unearthed.

If fear of the Lord no longer chills the hearts of these rogues, the fear of prosecution might.

The real problem are the bishops who provide this man a venue. They clearly lack the faith, yet they have been elevated to offices intended to protect the faith. But who elevated such men? Who pushed their names forward, ahead of those who are truly faithful and orthodox--and why? Until Rome starts showing some interest in who these people are and how and why they got appointed, the corruption will continue. So far it has shown precious little curiosity.

This 'priest', and I use the term loosely, is in the domain of the new, conservative Bishop of Oakland. What is he going to do about it?????

Below is the webpage for the Bishops of Oakland. The email address is listed on the webpage. Do with it as you will:-)

http://www.oakdiocese.org/bishop.htm

We need other voices to help get our point across. Won't you help us by calling Bishop Cummins and Bishop McGrath and let them know that you do not appreciate them supporting and fostering this heretic?

Okay ... this one definitely needs freeping!!! Smedley ... I KNOW you will rise to the occasion. Enough is enough. This priest needs to be stopped ... cold dead ... in his path! Please take a few minutes to write a letter. Your support is needed.

Well, now, there's a very interesting question. Vigneron is, as you say, an orthodox and vigorous man. This should be interesting to watch.

This is the Editor of Growing in Love a Catholic Sex Education workbook promoting Homosexuality. Promoting: Always our Children. The workbook accompanying this book to be used WITH the book describes anal sex explicitly and as something to be discussed with second and third graders. I am not kidding, as I took on this catechist book and had it removed from our school, only to be replaced with another shoddy book, though not as bad. Also, the NCCB recommends this book as one of the accepted series for k-8th grade. My diocese, of New York, has it on their list of approved texts. V's wife

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