Always Our Bishops - A pastoral letter

The purpose of this pastoral message is to reach to parishioners who are trying to cope with discovery of incompetence, heresy or downright buffoonery on the part of their diocesan bishop. It urges parishioners to draw upon the reservoirs of faith, hope and love as they face uncharted futures and the humiliation of Clown Masses. It asks them to recognize that the Church offers enormous spiritual resources to strengthen and support them at this moment in their family's life and in the days to come.

This message draws upon the Catechism of the Catholic Church, the teachings of John Paul II, and statements of the American Bishops as expressed through their official publications, such as The NCCB Compendium of Directives Expressing Our Opinion on Everything But the Catholic Faith While Also Concealing the Names of the People Who Actually Write this Stuff.

We also want to be helpful to priests and pastoral ministers who often are the first ones to learn of difficult behavior in their bishops when they are sent to diocesan Siberia for reciting the Nicene Creed in public.

In recent years we have tried to reach out to families in difficult circumstances. Our initiatives took such forms as getting orthodox priests into the U.S. Marshals program so that they could assume a new identity in an orthodox diocese.

This message is not intended for advocacy purposes or to serve a particular agenda. It is not to be understood as a criticism of what some call ‘Weenie bishops.'

Always Our Bishops is an outstretched hand of RCF to parents and other family members, holy priests and their friends, offering them a fresh look at the grace present in the Church on earth even when their bishop seems to be living on a different planet.

An even more nuanced, intelligent and prudent pastoral commitment, modeled on the German Shepherd, is called for in cases of families which, independently of their own wishes, find the faith and innocence of their children threatened by diocesan sex ed programs. Such scenarios are beyond the scope of this pastoral, but will be addressed in future RCF pastorals.

As you begin to read this message you may feel your life is in turmoil. You and your family might be faced with one of the difficult situations present in many dioceses today. Perhaps your bishop thinks that the doctrine of the Real Presence refers to the contributions he receives from local pro- abortion politicians. Perhaps the diocesan catechetical program is run by feminist nun in a crew cut with a tattoo of Isis on her arm. Maybe the Director of Seminarians has a giant poster of Richard Simmons on the wall.

You need not face this painful time alone, without human assistance or God's grace. The Church can be an instrument of both help and healing.

In this pastoral message, we draw upon the gift of faith, the sound teaching and pastoral practices of the Church, as well as thousands of pages of documentary evidence and photographs detailing the widespread infidelity of America's bishops. Our messages speaks of accepting yourself, empowering yourself, your beliefs and values, as well as purchasing a reliable 35 millimeter twin lens reflex camera and a sturdy photocopy machine.

We address our message also to the wider church community, and especially to holy priests in hiding or who are afraid to "come out" of the orthodox closet and risk censure by their local Ordinary who is often too ordinary.

Because some of you might be swept up in a tide of emotion, we focus first on feelings. Although the gift of authentic Faith can be a great mystery at times, the Church's teaching is clear — Christ founded only One True Church The Catholic Church. However, because the terms of that teaching have become lost in the contemporary Amchurchfog, you may feel confused and conflicted.

Possibly you are experiencing many different emotions, all in varying degrees, such as

RELIEF Perhaps you had sensed for some time that your bishop was different in some way. Now that he has appeared at a banquet for a local pro-abortion politician, or hosted a celebratory liturgy for her in the local Cathedral, or shown up for a clown Mass wearing size 55 polka dot shoes, torn down 15 beautiful Churches and replaced them with three aircraft hangers with a fold-up table inside, things are more clear to you know.

ANGER You may be feeling deceived or manipulated by your bishop and the bureaucrats in the Chancery office. You might be blaming yourself, thinking, "If only we had said our morning prayers God would have not cursed us with a turkey for a bishop." Do not be discouraged. The Bible shows that God often afflicts both the good and the bad. In the past he has sent plagues of locusts, droughts, avenging armies, frogs... and now your bishop. Be strong and know that all the saints have suffered.

MOURNING You may feel that your bishop is not exactly the same individual you once thought you knew. You once envisioned that your bishop might have encouraged vocations and ordained many holy priests. These lost expectations as well as the fact that orthodox Catholic persons often encounter discrimination and open hostility can cause you great sadness.

FEAR You many fear for you child's spiritual and moral safety and general welfare in the face of prejudice against orthodox Catholic people. In particular, you may be afraid that others in your diocese might exclude or treat your orthodox child as if he had AIDS.

GUILT, SHAME, AND LONELINESS Regrets are disappointments are like ghosts from the past. "If only we had sent the Vatican that photo of Fr. X wearing the tutu this wouldn't have happened." A sense of failure can lead you into a valley of shame which, in turn, can isolate you from your children and friends, and support from the orthodox community.

PARENTAL PROTECTIVENESS AND PRIDE Orthodox Catholics often experience discrimination and acts cruelty in their dioceses. As a parent, you naturally want to shield your children from harm, regardless of age. You may experience a sense of pride know that your child, after being told by a nun in jump suit that Christ didn't know He was God, proceeded to give her the Bronx cheer.

There are two important things to keep in mind as you try to sort out your feelings. First, listen to them. They can contain clues leading to a fuller discovery of God's will for getting rid of your current bishop. Second, because some feelings can be confusing or conflicting, it is not necessary to act upon all of them, especially if you wish to stay out of prison.

How can you best express your love itself a reflection of God's unconditional love for your bishop? At least two things are necessary.

First, don't break off contact. Try to greet your bishop after Sunday Mass and hand him a copy of the latest issue of The Latin Mass Magazine, Catholic Family News, The Remnant, or other fine Catholic publications. A shocking number of bishops end up on the street, and you want to give him plenty of reading material to keep him busy.

Your bishop may need you and your family now more than ever. He or she is still the same person (unfortunately). This child, who has always been God's cross to you, may now be the cause of another gift a trip to Rome with two suitcases full of evidence.

The second way to communicate your love is to seek appropriate help for your bishop. Offer to pay for a trip to Fatima. Offer to wallpaper the Rectory with the pages of a reliable Catechism. Buy him a complimentary copy of all past RCF newsletters. Purchase him a painting of Pope Leo XIII, along with a complete copy of his encyclicals.

When you approach your bishop with requests to restore Catholic worship, try to meet him halfway. For example, bishops and Chancery officials like certain magic words such as ‘inclusive.' Therefore, don't ask your bishop for 40 hours devotion. Rather, ask him for Inclusive 40 hours devotion. Other examples are

Such requests will show the bishop that you care about him and his feelings. Likewise, remember that it is important to your bishop that he feel loved and appreciated by all the right people. Tell him that women's groups are pleased with his changes, as are homosexuals, liturgists, illegal immigrants, rich contributors, and professors at the local "catholic" university. Send him Beanie Babies once a month just to show your care. On very special days, send him a Barney doll. Maybe even give him a noogie once and a while.

It is important to understand heterodox bishops. There seems to be no single cause of a heterodox orientation. A common opinion of the experts is that there are multiple factors. Perhaps the bishop understands The Faith but has no backbone. Perhaps the bishop is really a Unitarian. Maybe it has something to do with his hormones, or maybe he was once kicked in the head by a horse.

You can help your bishop in two general ways. First, encourage him to cooperate with God's grace by firing all the bureaucrat in the Chancery as a budget cutting device. Tell him this will free up more funds for ‘inclusive ministries'. Then encourage him to travel a lot. Suggest that you could lessen his worries by allowing the parents to take over Catholic education in his diocese. This would free up the DRE and her assistants to spend more time in Listening Sessions.

Second, concentrate on the person, not the heterodox orientation itself. Given the present state of theological development, there is no guarantee that your bishop will become a Catholic. Sometimes the best course of action is to take a ‘wait and see' attitude. God's providence can come in many forms. Perhaps an 80 year old Italian grandma will whack him with an umbrella saying, "Eh whattsa matta for you?", after which the bishop will sing the Te Deum in Latin and return to the Faith of his fathers. The Bible is full of such miracle stories.

God does not love your bishop less simply because he may have shirked his responsibilities or abandoned the Catholic Faith. God's love is always and everywhere offered to those who are open to receiving it. And for those who do not, the words of St. John Chrysostom offer great hope and comfort

The floor of hell is paved with the skulls of bishops. The Christian community should offer its bishops understanding and pastoral care. More than 20 years ago the American bishops stated that "Bishops are empowered to hire a large bureaucracy and not do any of the work themselves, except perform Confirmations and write a weekly column for their diocesan paper" (National Conference of Catholic Bishops, Skating on Thin Ice; A Pastoral Reflection on Evading Responsibility While Still Getting the Chance to Wear Lots of Purple Clothes, 1978, p. 357).

Without condoning the destructive behavior of bishops or denying personal responsibility, we reject the idea that the imposition of such a bishop on a diocese is always a direct punishment from God. But sometimes it is. This should be a cause for reflection, introspection, prayer and mortification. This may cause him to move on.

2. Do not blame yourself for the fact that your bishop is not a Catholic. On the other hand, cover your bets by frequent Confession and mortifications.

3. Keep close tabs on all the monkey business that goes on in the Diocese. Document everything. Get an extended warranty on your photocopy machine and buy your film in bulk.

4. Seek help for yourself, perhaps in a special devotion to St. Jude, the saint of hopeless causes.

5. Reach out to Catholics in other dioceses who may be struggling with bishops that are even worse. Let's face it, at least you don't have Clark or Untener.

Many bishops in our country are a disappointment. This is a cause for great sadness. Ask your bishop for a Listening Session, and have your friends bring bull horns. Maybe he will listen.

The crisis will pass when we have large numbers of bishops who are real Catholics with courage. This may have to await the Great Chastisement and the Three Days of Darkness. In other words, it probably won't happen by next Sunday. In the meantime, buy a car that gets good mileage so that you can always drive to a decent Mass.

"The NCCB Compendium of Directives Expressing Our Opinion on Everything But the Catholic Faith While Also Concealing the Names of the People Who Actually Write this Stuff."

A lighthearted but pointed read.

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It's good to have a sense of humor and to remember that bishops are after all, human beings with a fallen nature and they are as in need of our prayers as we are.

RCF can be sort of "in your face" but Steven Brady has done a great service by lifting some pretty big boulders while he holds a large klieg light.

I think so too, but I hope and pray that I do and say things (and write things) with the same love and charity that I hope people extend to me. This "pastoral letter" is in some places funny (I loved the part with the "nun with a crewcut and tatoo of Isis on her arm") but perhaps somewhat uncharitable in other places.

His will be done!

Off to Eucharistic Adoration to pray for vocations and for our bishops to honestly and prayerfully address the vocation issue while thinking of the diocese of Lincoln or maybe the FSSP in the back of their minds ;-)

It's good to have a sense of humor and to remember that bishops are after all, human beings with a fallen nature and they are as in need of our prayers as we are.

I think it shows incredible faith on your part that in the face of evidence to the contrary you still believe the bishops are human beings. With my bishop, I find I am almost out of that sort of faith. So I will take your good advice and keep my sense of humor about me, and I will go back this morning and intercede for the bishop before the Blessed Sacrament. (I find it almost impossible to pray for the vicar general however -- so I ask St. Edith Stein to pray for him...........)

There seems to be no single cause of a heterodox orientation. A common opinion of the experts is that there are multiple factors. Perhaps the bishop understands The Faith but has no backbone. Perhaps the bishop is really a Unitarian. Maybe it has something to do with his hormones, or maybe he was once kicked in the head by a horse.

I just knew there had to be a good explanation! LOL

Great piece!

**The crisis will pass when we have large numbers of bishops who are real Catholics with courage.**

We are praying! (At least for some Arch/diocese!)

uhm, now mind you I'm Protestant so this is probably a stupid question, but what the blazes is a 'clown Mass'? ...and PLEASE don't tell me the celebrant is dressed in a clown suit...that isn't it, is it?

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