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Posted on 04/30/2005 8:21:18 PM PDT by BizzeeMom
Rigali likes him? That is surprising.
If they can't find a priest to move in, they can always go down to the bus station and get a 15 year old hustler to bunk with them, like Bishop Ryan of Springfield, Illinois.
see rcf.org
Rigali promoted him to Lake Charles, then pulled him into a more "mainstream" diocese.
Can you think of an occasion in the last 50 years in which a bishop of a Southern diocese was promoted to a "red hat see"? (Madeiros of Brownsville in 1969 doesn't count; he was originally from Massachusetts.)
Cardinal Rigali does have a large amount of influence over who is slected Bishop, since he was head of the conregation of Bishops when he was in the Vatican, but so far most of the men that seem to have been influenced by Cardinal Rigalis advice have been sound, such as his repalcement, Abp. Burke.
That said, B-16 may have a more hands on approach on who is appointed to the bigger sees. Belville is a small diocese, and its only improtance was that then Bp. Gregory was the president of the USCCB. It will be intresting to see if the holy father accepts the resignations of Cdl. McCarrick and Cdl. Madia this year.
My assumption had always been that (then)Archbishop Rigali sent Bishop Braxton to Lake Charles to get rid of him. It had never entered my mind that they liked each other but it would certainly make the Belleville appointment seem more logical.
I have seen rcf.org! Very interesting.
ping
Priests and laity have never been consulted.Technically that’s not true. I’ve firsthand knowledge of priests, deacons, and laity being consulted on the next Bishop in a couple different dioceses. Once they were properly consulted they were properly ignored, of course.
The only complaint that these priests really have is that they were ignored before they were consulted instead of after they were consulted. Otherwise this is business as usual.
patent
If the bishop required some company there are a fair number of retired priests who no longer can serve in a pastoral capacity whom I suppose could accomodate this need. Seems like an odd request to me though.I doubt that a retired priest would fit the Bishop’s needs. My take is that he is looking for a servent who will fetch him a glass of tea and run his various errands. He needs a young guy, not a retired priest who can barely make it up and down the stairs. He could always hire for this, but really, who could be better than a priest who has already sworn obedience, and can’t readily quit?
I suspect this is why there are big objections to the idea. It wouldn’t be a big deal for a priest to live there, but still minister to his parishes nearby. It would be a big deal if that priest was so busy doing stupid chores to hear confessions or say Mass, and due to the lack of priests they had to cut the Sacraments somewhere as a result. It would also stink for the priest who was assigned to this.
patent
Years ago, the then-Father Braxton spoke at a clergy conference in a New England diocese. He began by noting his displeasure at the fact that the Bishop and the Auxiliary of the Diocese were not present - when he had agreed to give the clergy day only on the condition that ALL the clergy (and that included the two bishops) would be present. (The two bishops were attending the funeral of the mother of one of their priests). During the luncheon between his presentations, he insisted upon eating alone, all by himself, in a separate room from the priests. To someone in French cuffs with manhole-cover sized cufflinks and one of those fancy button front vests from Rome, I'm sure the "working-class" clergy of this largely urban diocese must have seemed like the lower peasantry. At least that's the impression he clearly gave. Nor did he bother hanging around when, before leaving, the clergy dutifully lined up to buy a book he had written - that none of them would ever read. I remember thinking, "Well, at least when he DOES become a Bishop, it will be somewhere in the Midwest." Insufferably arrogant. Figures he'd be impressive to higher-ups whose character judgments are based on the initials after your name, the obtuseness of your writing, and where your clerical clothing comes from! The people and "lower" clergy are not fooled, of course.
The Diocese of Fort Wayne/South Bend has brought in several priests from Sri Lanka. Without these men, several parishes would have closed.
It sounds as if he may be looking for a rector.
I saw that this morning in the paper and cringed. He was the one auxiliary we've had in the last 20 years who never should have been a bishop. There were things I saw that curled my hair.
In some ways they are conservative, in other ways, not. The decision may have been to put him there to have George keep an eye on him.
Rigali never liked Braxton. Nobody here liked Braxton and we were really happy when he was shipped off. He probably was elevated because he was one of the few who had the degree at the time.
Seriously, Belleville isn't St. Louis and both sides of the river will tell you that. Braxton likes the trappings of bishop too much and that is going to get him into big trouble in Belleville.
Is it America, is is it doing un-natural things to shrimp that's a shock, Sinky?
Something is very strange about this whole story. I guess maybe "progressives," conservatives and traditionalists all dislike Bp. Braxton.
He was on the board of directors (maybe still is, I'm not sure) of the American College of Louvain, prominently featured in Goodbye, Good Men (and not for good things).
Rigali and Bernardin are (were) both of the same stripe..politics first, seamless garment, yada, yada...
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