Posted on 06/27/2005 1:42:52 PM PDT by Coleus
| Parents miss Mass, kids get ax |
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The Rev. Michael Cichon, pastor of St. Joseph/St. Thomas in Pleasant Plains, used each family's bar-coded donation envelope to track attendance. He's tossed about 300 kids from classes and told them not to reapply until next April. Without the classes, children cannot receive the sacraments, meaning some youngsters who thought they'd be making their First Communion next year will have to wait. The suspensions, legal under church doctrine, were a shock to many parents with kids enrolled in the 1,400-child program, which caters to kids who don't attend Catholic schools. "It's hurtful," said Joseph LoPizzo, 38, whose 6-year-old son was booted. "I've been a parishioner at that church for 23 years - longer than he's been the reverend." LoPizzo said he paid the $150 for his son's Thursday afternoon classes last year, but his father-in-law's illness hampered the family's church attendance. "I've just never heard of a church kicking you out," complained Lisa Nicol, 36, who got a letter saying her 7-year-old twin daughters had been barred from classes. "They should be more welcoming and sensitive." The pastor said he suspended kids from the 2005-2006 after-school program because Mass is an "essential" component of the Catholic faith. The affected families were attending church less than once a month, he said. Cichon insisted that the move has nothing to do with the lack of a donation. "There are many families who put absolutely nothing inside the envelopes they submit," he said. |
My question is why is it necessary for a Catholic?? Priest?? Reverand?? who is sworn to Celebicy, need to advertise his sexualality/sexual preference??
All that left, right = hom or hetero is old school and/or an urban legend. My guess is the priest is trying to be hip and appeal to the younger generation and/or he was/is a hipster kid with a deep faith who became a priest and kept the jewelry. To the younger generation men with an earing or earings is very common and accepted and doesn't neccesarily indicate sexual preference or radical rebellion.
Besides a priest doesn't have much he can do to his attire that makes it personal/individual.
It's simple ..
If a pastor wants' to make a statement against parents that are not setting a good catholic example, they should treat them just as they treat non-catholic parents. i.e. don't give them the 'catholic student' school rates.
To 'punish' or 'disallow' class attendence, graduation, sacramental receipt for anyone (regardless of their parents faith) shows a real 'hollowness' of the faith that is being preached at this particular church and not a proper Christian message that makes salvation available for all.
And yes, the MSM may be getting this whole thing wrong so I am only commenting on the article as presented.
For the earing thing.. that was eighties culture.... It doesn't matter anymore...
Besides a priest doesn't have much he can do to his attire that makes it personal/individual.
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Humility is all that he needs.
God is the only one who can get anyone to "be serious about their faith." The best that we sinners can do is continue to try, ask for God's help, and ask for forgiveness when we will inevitably fail.
Children should attend Mass. No one will dispute that, but if that isn't going to happen should we really deny them access to any religious education?
Many Catholics leave the church during college and don't find their way back until they have their own children. It may start small, like enrolling their children in religious education and continues to build. Not perfect, but better than nothing. It opens the door for serious practice of Catholicism.
To limit religious education to only those whose parents are "serious about religion" is a very self rightious practice.
Nothing matters anymore, but isn't that the problem?
[ Some people slay me. They show up 1-2-3 times a year. Drop a 5-10-20 bill, in the plate, and think they're square with God. "Hey God, look at me. See how good I am?" ]
What about the ones that show up 52 times a year and think just because they do that they are square with god, those are the ones that slay me.
It doesn't matter where they put the earing, the question is really "why the earing?"
And unfortunately, it does matter still and no one gets it
Time to review your own catechism.
I appreciate the info, but I will probably not abandom my own church, which is this year celebrating its 150th anniversary. We have two Catholic Churches in my small city and they merged their schools a few years back. Unfortunately, St. Alphonsus is also known as "the poor church," and I guess most Catholics in our city prefer the cathedral to our small, plain building on the poor side of town.
"It wasn't very long after this that that church started posting the names of those who (in the priest's opinion) did not pay full tithe."
Help me out here - I didn't know that tithing was a requirement in Catholic churches. I'm a practicing Catholic and I've never heard of tithing as either a doctrine or a practice.
All I could find in a quick peek at the Catechism is this, "From the very beginnings Christians have brought, along with bread and wine for the Eucharist, gifts to share with those in need. This custom of the collection, ever appropriate, is inspired by the example of Christ who became poor to make us rich. Thise who are well off, and who are also willing, give as each chooses. What is gathered is given to him who presides to assist orphans and widows, those whom illness or any other cause has deprived of resources, prisoners, immigrants, and, in a word, all who are in need."
It has always been my practice, and that of other Catholics I know, to give what we could afford and not set a certain amount or percentage. If that is what your priest was asking his parishioners to do (set a percentage of income or some other such scheme), I'm thinking he was not correct to do so. I'm not a Church scholar or theologian, just someone with 40-plus years as a Catholic and I've never been asked to tithe at any parish I attended - and I don't know anyone who has been. I'm sorry you had that experience, but I guess it puzzles me. I would think that the parishioners themselves (if not the bishop) would have brought that practice to a screeching halt.
PS - Keep up the good pro-Life work.
He is correct... anything other than that is idolatry. YOu cannot expect the King of Kings to leave His throne in heaven to manefest himself into a manmade wafer/loaf of bread to be consumed by humans...That is cannibalism and symbolic of human sacrifice which is condemned by God. So, why would God go against himself. ".. A kingdom divided shall not stand..."
Funny!
On a serious note, call me old fashioned, but if the parents were really serious about giving their kids a Catholic education, unless there isn't a Catholic school in town, shouldn't the kids be in Catholic school fulltime instead of taking CCD classes? Just askin'.
well said!!
Everybody can spare 1 hour a week, IMHO.
Im my day, CCD was just before Mass... A sure fire way of getting you to attend...
If you love God...It's more than an hour...If you make it a chore.. an hour can be an eternity...
How do you know that?
I don't think I'd attend a church where I was bar coded. When I donate, I usually place cash in an unsigned envelope.
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