Bishop Schneider responds to Pope's "Amoris Laetitia" document

On May 10, 2016 Christopher Ferrara wrote an open letter to Bishop Anathansius Schneider about Pope Francis' "Amoris Laetitia" document- the product produced from the Synod on the Family. 

The open letter was published in The Remnant Newspaper (see HERE). 

This week, the good Bishop responded- and what an amazing response!

quote (in part):  "In these our dark times, in which Our Beloved Lord seems to sleep in the boat of His Holy Church, all Catholics, beginning from the bishops up to the simplest faithful, who still take seriously their baptismal vows, should with one voice (“una voce”) make a profession of fidelity, enunciating concretely and clearly all those Catholic truths, which are in some expressions of AL undermined or ambiguously disfigured. It would be a kind of a “Credo” of the people of God. AL is clearly a pastoral document (i.e., by its nature of temporal character) and has no claims to be definitive. We have to avoid to “make infallible” every word and gesture of a current Pope. This is contrary to the teaching of Jesus and of the whole Tradition of the Church. Such a totalitarian understanding and application of Papal infallibility is not Catholic, is ultimately worldly, like in a dictatorship; it is against the spirit of the Gospel and of the Fathers of the Church. Beside the above mentioned possible common profession of fidelity, there should be made to my opinion, by competent scholars of dogmatic and moral theology also a solid analysis of all ambiguous and objectively erroneous expressions in AL. Such a scientific analysis should be made without anger and partiality (“sine ira et studio”) and out of filial deference to the Vicar of Christ."

Please visit The Remnant Newspaper website to read the full letter: http://remnantnewspaper.com/web/index.php/articles/item/2558-bishop-athanasius-schneider-replies-to-the-remnant-s-open-letter-on-amoris-laetitia


In Christ,


Julie @ Connecticut Catholic Corner



Source: 
http://remnantnewspaper.com/web/index.php/articles/item/2512-an-open-letter-to-bishop-athanasius-schneider

Vatican: Woohoo! Front and center dissenting gay activists!

Once more, this papacy has caused scandal to the faithful (and by “faithful” I mean devout practicing Catholics who accept Church teaching) by giving a dissenting group of homosexual activists a VIP seat in St. Peter’s Square during a papal audience with the “Who am I to judge” Pope Francis.

Quote: A prominent American Catholic gay rights group was given VIP treatment for the first time at an audience with Pope Francis on Wednesday, a move members saw as a sign of change in the Roman Catholic Church.“This is a sign of movement that’s due to the Francis effect,” said Sister Jeannine Gramick, co-founder of New Ways Ministry, which ministers to homosexual Catholics and promotes gay rights in the 1.2 billion-member Church.Gramick and executive director Francis DeBernardo led a pilgrimage of 50 homosexual Catholics to the audience in St. Peter’s Square.They told Reuters in an interview afterwards that when the group came to Rome on Catholic pilgrimages during the papacies of Francis’s predecessors John Paul and Benedict, “they just ignored us”.This time, a U.S. bishop and a top Vatican official backed their request and they sat in a front section with dignitaries and special Catholic groups. As the pope passed, they sang “All Are Welcome,” a hymn symbolising their desire for a more inclusive Church.

How nice (not!) that a U.S. Bishop and top Vatican official (would like to know who that is) supported the request to give dissenting Catholics who support mortal sin and flaunt it (sin of scandal) a special VIP place at the Vatican.   

And these dissenting ‘catholics’ sing a protestant song (“All are welcome” see link below for more on that little gem) to push their desire for the Church to welcome mortal sin and redefine it.  

Clearly, some Bishops and “top Vatican officials” DO support mortal sin and we’ve learned from the Synod on the family last fall that there is a deep evil desire within the Church to do just that-redefine what is and isn’t sin.  Thank our dear Lord that He sent the Holy Spirit to protect the Church from not only the evil outside the Church, but also the evil disgusting men inside the Church who work to destroy Her from the inside.  They will not succeed in destroying the Church, so there NEVER any need for Catholics to run out of the Church Jesus Christ founded for something else that “looks” like His Bride.  Christ wasn’t a polygamist- he has only One Bride. 

I am a big fan of Blessed Anne Catherine Emmerich and have been for many years.  I think she would completely understand what devout Catholics today are suffering because of the current state of the Church: 

Quote: Sister Emmerich lived during one of the saddest and least glorious periods of the Church's history, when revolution triumphed, impiety flourished, and several of the fairest provinces of its domain were overrun by infidels and cast into such ruinous condition that the Faith seemed about to be completely extinguished. Her mission in part seems to have been by her prayers and sufferings to aid in restoring Church discipline, especially in Westphalia, and at the same time to strengthen at least the little ones of the flock in their belief. Besides all this she saved many souls and recalled to the Christian world that the supernatural is around about it to a degree sometimes forgotten. A rumour that the body was stolen caused her grave to be opened six weeks after her death. The body was found fresh, without any sign of corruption. In 1892 the process of her beatification was introduced by the Bishop of Münster.

Our Lord gave Emmerich a lifetime of amazing visisions and among those visions include the attempted destruction and then restoration of the Church.  I thought I would share today, one of Emmerich’s visions for two reasons 1) I am reading Emmerich again as part of my Lenten plan (I always make a Lenten plan) and 2) because I think some might find comfort in this vision- especially those who are considering leaving the Church for something else that merely resembles the Church.

“[Dec. 27^th] I saw St. Peter’s.  A great crowd of men were trying to pull it down whilst others constantly built it up again.  Lines connected these men one with another and with others throughout the world.  I was amazed at their perfect understanding.  The demolishers, mostly apostates and members of different sects, broke off whole pieces and worked according to rules and instructions.  They wore white aprons bound with blue riband.  In them were pockets and they had trowels stuck in their belts.  The costumes of the others were various.  There were among the demolishers distinguished men wearing uniforms and crosses.  They did not work themselves, but they marked out on the wall with a trowel where and how it should be torn down.  To my horror, I saw among them Catholic priests. 

Whenever the workmen did not know how to go on, they went to a certain one in their party.  He had a large book, which seemed to contain the whole plan of the building and the way to destroy it.  They marked out exactly with a trowel the parts to be attacked, and they soon came down.  They worked quietly and confidently, but slyly, furtively, and warily.

I saw the Pope praying, surrounded by false friends who often did the very opposite of what he had ordered, and I saw a little black fellow (a laic) laboring actively against the Church.  Whilst it was thus being pulled down on one side, it was rebuilt on the other, but not very zealously. 

I saw many clergy whom I knew.  The Vicar-General gives me great joy.  He went to and fro, coolly giving orders for the repairing of the injured parts.  I saw my confessor dragging a huge stone by a roundabout way.  I saw others carelessly saying their breviary and, now and then, bringing a little stone under their cloaks or giving it to another as asomething very rare.  They seemed to have neither confidence, earnestness, nor method.  They hardly knew what was going on.  It was lamentable! 

Soon the whole front of the Church was down; the sanctuary alone stood.  I was very much troubled and kept thinking, “Where is the man with the red mantle and white banner whom I used to see standing on the Church to protect it?” [Interesting to note: earlier in her writings Emmerich identifies this “man with the red mantle” as St. Michael the Archangel- some suggest he is no longer seen atop the Church because the St. Michael prayer is no longer said at the end of Mass, in Emmerich’s vision of December 30, right after this vision of the Church being restored by a new pope, she once more sees Michael atop the Church] 

Then I saw a most majestic lady floating over the great square before the Church.  Her wide mantle fell over her arms as she arose gently on high, until she stood upon the cupola and spread it over the Church like golden rays.  The destroyers were taking a short repose, and when they returned they could in no way approach the space covered by the mantle. 

On the opposite side, the repairs progressed with incrediable activity.  There came men, old, crippled, long-forgotten, followed by vigorous young people, men, women, children, ecclesiastic and lay, and the edifice was soon restored.

Then I saw a new Pope coming in procession, younger and far sterner looking than his predecessor.  He was received with pomp!  He appeared about to consecrate the church.  But I heard a voice proclaiming it unnecessary as the Blessed Sacrament had not been disturbed.

The same voice said that they should solemnly celebrate a double feast, a universal jubilee and the restoration of the Church.

The Pope, before the feast began instructed his officers to drive out from the assembled faithful a crowd of the clergy both high and low, and then I saw them going out, scolding and grumbling.  Then the Holy Father took into his service others, ecclesiastic and lay.  Now commenced the grand solemnity in St. Peter’s.  The men in white aprons worked on when they thought themselves unobserved, silently, cunningly, though rather timidly.”  [Quote from ‘The Life of Anne Catherine Emmerich” by the Very Reverend Carl. E. Schomoger, C.SS.R., Volume I, pages 564-566]

Again I say, stick with the ONLY Church Jesus Christ created on earth no matter who the pope is or what evil the clergy are doing.  The Church belongs to Christ and He will sustain Her through all attacks- inside and outside the Church.   We are called “the faithful” IF and when we actually REMAIN faithful to Her. 

“To whom shall we go Lord?  You have the words of eternal life.” asked Saint Peter in John 6, and Jesus answered “Have I not chosen you, the Twelve?  Yet one of you is a devil.”

There were devils in the Church when Christ founded Her, and there are devils in the Church now. 

To whom shall we go?  There is nowhere else but Christ’s Holy Catholic Church.  Remain faithful by remaining in Her through all Her tribulations.  Don’t let evil men inside the Church chase you out- that’s the devils hope and plan for you.  He delights when people leave Christ’s Church.  Be faithful!  Remain inside Christ's Church.

In Christ,

Julie @ Connecticut Catholic Corner

Sources:

Sin of SCANDAL: http://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG0015/_P80.HTM

Link: http://blogs.reuters.com/faithworld/2015/02/18/gay-catholic-group-gets-vip-treatment-at-vatican-for-first-time/

Video Link: http://www.usatoday.com/videos/news/world/2015/02/18/23624209/

Link to Bishop’s letter on “All Are Welcome” protestant hymn:  http://www.madisoncatholicherald.org/bishopscolumns/2596-the-beauty-of-our-worship-in-the-liturgy.html

Emmerich Book: http://www.ebay.com/itm/like/231230868914?lpid=82&chn=ps

Anne Catherine Emmerich: http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/05406b.htm

The Blogger from Brooklyn is wrong

'There is not in the whole world a monster to be compared with a priest in the state of sin, for the unfortunate man will not bear with correction.' 

 -St. Jerome-

Over at the blog “Catholic in Brooklyn”, Church Militant TV's Michael Voris has once again (this is at least the 12^th time by my count) been the target of this blogger’s wagging finger.  I don’t know what it is about Voris that sets this person off, but a simple search of the “Catholic in Brooklyn” blog shows PAGES of posts ranting about Michael Voris.

The post I am talking about today is entitled “St. Catherine of Siena warns Michael Voris and the Catholic Blogosphere”.  The blogger completely twists the meaning of words, scripture and our Catholic faith to attempt some sort of attack or correction of Michael Voris and other Catholic bloggers (that would include me because I do the same things as you'll see in the links to my own past posts on this issue) for reporting on priests in the Church who reject the Faith and teach heresy.  

This blogger firmly believes Catholics are not allowed (by fear of God) to point out evil within the clergy(more on that later).  But first the blogger wrongly accuses Voris of "manipulating" viewers because he shows videos of Catholic clergy and Catholics behaving in ways that are not Catholic [supporting and/or marching in gay pride parades].  The misuse of the word "manipulate" is only the beginning...read on and see for yourselves.  

Of course this is wrong -and I said so in my comments left on the blog(see below).  

Catholic clergy ARE participating in gay parades - I've done posts on it with photos of the priests AT the gay pride parades (see photo below): 

And this has been going on for DECADES in the Church...

Photo link: http://www.traditioninaction.org/RevolutionPhotos/A093rcLA_PriestsGayParade.htm

Photo link: http://www.traditioninaction.org/RevolutionPhotos/A181rc_MHR_GayParade.htm

So I have just proven that "Catholic in Brooklyn" is WRONG about Voris "manipulating" people with false images.  Catholic clergy ARE doing these things, Voris is right and Catholic in Brooklyn is wrong.

The only "manipulating" going on here is done by the Catholic in Brooklyn blogger who seems determined to attack Voris and other bloggers for reporting on Catholic clergy who are promoting MORTAL SIN.  As I mentioned at the beginning of this post, this is not the first time Catholic in Brooklyn has taken shots at Voris and others who report on this issue. There is a clear and distinct bias from this blogger against any Catholics who point out heresy or other evils done by Catholic clergy.

The "Catholic in Brooklyn" blogger goes on to butcher the meaning of "persecute" to mean Catholics aren't allowed to condemn evil done by clergy because...God says so.  If one looks at how "persecute" is used by the Catholic Church in our catechism it is clear those being persecuted are KEEPING the Faith, not those rejecting the faith.  More: here.

See how "Catholic in Brooklyn" distorts the word and God himself to justify his/her personal beliefs and manipulating people into thinking he/she is making some sort of point.  They aren't and don't. 

Link: http://catholicinbrooklyn.blogspot.com/2015/02/st-catherine-of-siena-warns-michael.html

To manipulate the word "persecute" in such a way is shameful and entirely wrong. Christ's priests are those doing God's Will, not heretics.  You'd think the Catholic Church its self must have "persecuted" old heretic Martin Luther when he was a priest in the Church by this blogger's twisting of quotes and definitions!

Apparently this blogger also believes Catholics are not allowed to speak against any evil done by clergy- that we must keep silent and allow the evil to go on.  I wonder if this applies to child molesting priests in the Church too?  Should we keep our silence about them?  

If we take this particular Catholic blogger’s twisted personal interpretation of St. Catherine’s quote then we MUST keep silent and not expose sexual predators in our clergy.

Of course that is ridiculous and disgusting!  

So is keeping silent about heretics in the Church who are leading people to HELL.

To keep silent is to ALLOW the evil to continue and spread.  

"Not to oppose error is to approve it; and not to defend truth is to suppress it; and indeed to neglect to confound evil men, when we can do it, is no less a sin than to encourage them." -Pope St. Felix III

The blogger over at "Catholic in Brooklyn" is 100% wrong in ALL he/she has written in this post.  

We ARE our brother’s keepers and it is not just our right to speak out against evil-even in the clergy- it is our DUTY.  Saints in our Church's history have called out priests who do evil and they have not been "persecuting" God as this Brooklyn blogger seems to think.

'This is the way I am dealt with by the priests who are my betrayers . . . Their sentence is condemnation. David condemned those who were disobedient to God, not out of anger or bad will or impatience, but out of divine justice, because he was a righteous prophet and king. I, too, who am greater than David, condemn these priests, not out of anger or bad will but out of justice. Accursed be everything they take from the earth for their own profit, for they do not praise their God and Creator who gave them these things. Accursed be the food and drink that enters their mouths and fattens their bodies to become food for worms and destines their souls for Hell. Accursed be their bodies that will rise again in Hell to be burned without end. Accursed be the years of their useless lives. Accursed be their first hour in Hell that never will end. Accursed be their eyes that saw the light of heaven. Accursed be their ears that heard my words and remained indifferent. Accursed be their sense of taste by which they tasted my gifts. Accursed be their sense of touch by which they handled me. Accursed be their sense of smell by which they smelled delightful things and neglected me, the most delightful of all. May they be accursed by earth and sky and every brute creature. These obey and glorify God, whereas they have shunned him. Therefore, I swear by the truth, I who am the Truth that if they die like this with such a disposition, neither my love nor my virtue will ever encompass them. Instead, they will be forever damned.' -The Lord, to St. Bridget of Sweden

That all said, here is my comment I left on the Catholic in Brooklyn blog:

Connecticut Catholic Corner February 9, 2015 at 9:18 AM "If the faith is in imminent peril, prelates ought to be accused by their subjects, even in public." -St. Thomas Aquinas

You're wrong about priests and gay parades. Catholic clergy are continually leading people into Hell over the issue of homosexual sins (gay sexual relationships).

See here: http://connecticutcatholiccorner.blogspot.com/2014/06/when-will-vatican-end-catholic-parishes.html

And here: http://connecticutcatholiccorner.blogspot.com/2013/11/a-catholic-priest-helps-people-go-to.html

And here: http://connecticutcatholiccorner.blogspot.com/2014/10/priest-i-am-coming-out-for-gay-equality.html

 I could go on as Voris has because the examples go on and on and on. 

 Heretics in the clergy are leading people to HELL and that is something EVERY Catholic should worry about and attempt to stop. 

  "Not to oppose error is to approve it; and not to defend truth is to suppress it; and indeed to neglect to confound evil men, when we can do it, is no less a sin than to encourage them." -Pope St. Felix III

"The greatest obstacle in the apostolate of the Church is the timidity or rather the cowardice of the faithful."-Pope St. Pius X

“If one yields ground on any single point of Catholic doctrine, one will later have to yield later in another, and again in another, and so on until such surrenders come to be something normal and acceptable. And when one gets used to rejecting dogma bit by bit, the final result will be the repudiation of it altogether.” - and - “What shall a Catholic do if some portion of the Church detaches itself from communion of the universal Faith? What other choice can he make if some new contagion attempts to poison, no longer a small part of the Church, but the whole Church at once, then his great concern will be to attach himself to antiquity (Tradition) which can no longer be led astray by any lying novelty.”  quotes from St. Vincent of Lerin

And of course Canon Law is on Voris' side too:

"According to their knowledge, competence and prestige which they possess, [the Christian faithful] have the right and even at the times the duty to manifest to the sacred pastors their opinion on matters which pertain to the good of the Church and to make their opinion known to the rest of the Christian faithful" - Canon Law 212 Section 3

I don't know why the "Catholic in Brooklyn" blogger insists on redefining words, manipulating quotes from Saints and "shooting the messenger"(Voris). 

Voris is not creating the problem in the Church, he's exposing it and wanting it cleaned up.  

The "Catholic in Brooklyn" blogger seems to prefer pointing fingers are Voris and other Catholic bloggers rather than the offenders themselves.  Strange way to live out our Catholic faith which requires us to expose evil, not cover it up- even if its Catholic clergy doing the evil.

"If the faith is in imminent peril, prelates ought to be accused by their subjects, even in public."

 -St. Thomas Aquinas

Just before finishing my post, "Catholic in Brooklyn" responded to my comment left on his/her blog...

You may well have good intentions Catholic in Brooklyn, but you are manipulating and warping everything because of your personal biases.  If you believe what you just said to me, you MUST believe it is wrong to condemn priests who sexually abuse children and that the Church was in error to condemn Martin Luther for all he did. 

Sorry "Catholic in Brooklyn" but you are dead wrong because they are your words that have twisted, redefined and manipulated Church teachings and quotes.

And because it isn't in my nature to simply shut up about such errors, this Catholic blogger isn't going to be silent.  God will indeed be my Judge and I am good with that.

May the peace of the Lord be with you.

In Christ,

Julie @ Connecticut Catholic Corner 

Priest: "I am coming out for gay equality because its what Jesus would do."

Openly gay priest, Fr. Gary Meier of the archdiocese of St. Louis speaks out for gay equality but refuses to tell homosexuals that homosexual ACTS are a mortal sin that will lead to eternal damnation.  

He has written books for gay rights and has begun his own gay rights activist outreach program called "Rising Voices of Faith" - don't be fooled, the Catholic Faith is nonexistent in this program.

Father Meier rejects Catholic teaching on homosexuality in favor of Pew polls.

No really...Here is what Father Meier states on his website:

link: http://www.risingvoicesoffaith.com/#!blog1/c13nz

Got that?  

This Catholic priest is teaching that a mortal sin is "a gift from God".




When Pope Francis said "Who am I to judge?" back in 2013, Father Meier said;

"At the very least, perhaps now others will follow the Pope’s lead and be a little less judgmental themselves.  If the only good that comes out of the Pope’s statement is that others will be less judgmental, than that would be a great place to start. For years, members of the LGBT community have been judged and told that they are disordered; that they have a disease like alcoholism; that they are defective in some way; that they are wrong when they should be right, that they are unfit and unworthy of ordination – and today, our Pope seems to be opening the door for what I hope will lead to a conversation about homosexuality in our church.  LGBT Catholics who have come to the church looking for love and acceptance have instead found an atmosphere of silence and shame.  And it’s not just the gay population who suffers, it is all those who have accepted a member of their family and all of those who have allied as friends.  They too have been silenced and shamed, ostracized by a church teaching and hierarchal positioning that will not allow us to support, love, nurture and foster positive gay relationships in our church.  I am optimistic, that our Pope’s comments can lead to greater love and acceptance of the LGBT community.  And at the same time, I am cautious – cautious that the change in tone and attitude represented by the Pope’s statement will not lead to a change in theology and doctrine which so desperately needs to change." 

Got that?  Another Catholic priest wants theology and Church doctrine to CHANGE so that what God calls mortal sin (homosexual acts) can be redefined as "love" and then allow Catholics (clergy and laity) to "support, love, nurture and foster positive gay relationships in our church."

"positive gay relationships"?

Are those anything like "positive adulterous relationships"?  How about "positive fornicating relationships"?

Where (if at all) do progressive liberals in the Church STOP attempting to redefine sin?  As if God made a mistake and now, after more than two thousand years of the Catholic Church He has decided to fix this teaching so that what was once mortal sin is now 'love'.  

Ridiculous and blasphemous at the same time!

I just can't understand how a priest (presumably well educated) can read Catholic doctrine, the catechism, the Saints, Papal Bulls, encyclicals etc. and yet still come out with this heretical drivel.

That these priests SEEM to believe what they are saying is the most baffling part of it for me.  How can *I*, a mere member of the laity- without the extensive theological education our priests have- see what is wrong with this sort of thinking, and they so oblivious?

Father Meier continues his harmful heretical rhetoric with assorted non-approved gay website links on his "Rising Voices of Faith" website.

But perhaps even more harmful and damaging is Father Gary Meier's personal website where he offers his services to guide and counsel people in HIS beliefs rather than the Church's official teachings.  He also offers to do speaking engagements to spread his heretical beliefs to others.

Why is this allowed?

Does the Bishop approve?

Does Father Meier have the SILENT approval of the Archdiocese of St. Louis?

Looks that way since nothing has been said about Father Meier's personal website offering his services or his gay activist outreach program.

As a matter of fact the only thing the Archdiocese has said has been about Meier's gay book.  

Does that mean they have no problem with his doing speaking engagements and guiding others in his beliefs that oppose Catholic teaching?

Again, it would seem so.


In Christ,


Julie @ Connecticut Catholic Corner


Catechism on homosexuality:

2357 Homosexuality refers to relations between men or between women who experience an exclusive or predominant sexual attraction toward persons of the same sex. It has taken a great variety of forms through the centuries and in different cultures. Its psychological genesis remains largely unexplained. Basing itself on Sacred Scripture, which presents homosexual acts as acts of grave depravity, 141 tradition has always declared that "homosexual acts are intrinsically disordered."142 They are contrary to the natural law. They close the sexual act to the gift of life. They do not proceed from a genuine affective and sexual complementarity. Under no circumstances can they be approved.

2358 The number of men and women who have deep-seated homosexual tendencies is not negligible. This inclination, which is objectively disordered, constitutes for most of them a trial. They must be accepted with respect, compassion, and sensitivity. Every sign of unjust discrimination in their regard should be avoided. These persons are called to fulfill God's will in their lives and, if they are Christians, to unite to the sacrifice of the Lord's Cross the difficulties they may encounter from their condition.

2359 Homosexual persons are called to chastity. By the virtues of self-mastery that teach them inner freedom, at times by the support of disinterested friendship, by prayer and sacramental grace, they can and should gradually and resolutely approach Christian perfection.

2396 Among the sins gravely contrary to chastity are masturbation, fornication, pornography, and homosexual practices.

source: http://www.risingvoicesoffaith.com/
source: http://www.risingvoicesoffaith.com/#!“Gay-Priest-It’s-Time-to-Come-Out”/co43/3
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8AX3RrM3wBI
source: http://www.fathergary.com/

St. Gregory the Great- why is/was he so great?

St. Gregory the Great: Pope, Confessor and Doctor of the Church

St. Gregory was born in Rome around the year 540, he was the son of Gordianus.  For a time he was a wealthy senator who would later renounce the world and become one of the seven deacons of Rome.  In 574 the Emperor Justine the Younger appointed him 'Chief Magistrate' of Rome, though he was only thirty-four years old at the time.

After the death of his father, he built six monasteries in Sicily and founded a seventh in his own house in Rome where he had grown up.  This monastery was the Benedictine Monastery of St. Andrew where he himself assumed the monastic habit in 575.

After the death of Pelaguis, St. Gregory was chosen Pope by the unanimous consent of priests and people.  Now began those labors which have merited for him the title of "Great".  Hi zeal extended over the entire world, he was in contact with all the Churches of Christendom and, in spite of his bodily sufferings and innumerable labors, he found time to compose a great number of works.  He is known above all for his magnificent contributions to the liturgy of the Mass and Office.  He is one of the great Doctors of the Latin Church.  He died on March 12, 604 (March 12 used to be his Feast Day).

A prayer to St. Gregory the Great...

O God, You who have given to the soul of Your servant Gregory the rewards of everlasting bliss, mercifully grant that we who are oppressed by the weight of our sins, may be relieved by his intercession with You.  Amen.

Source: "Lives of the Saints: for every day of the year" by Rev. Hugo Hoever, S.O.Cist, Ph.D.
Catholic Book Publishing June 1, 1955
NIHIL OBSTAT: John M. Fearns, S.T.D. - Censor Librorum
IMPRIMATUR: Francis Cardinal Spellman, Archbishop of New York

Dear Father, your children are starving...

Dear Father,

I write to you today from my heart because I don’t understand what you are doing or why.  You are not my biological father, and yet you are my Father (“For though you have countless guides in Christ, you do not have many fathers. For I became your father in Christ Jesus through the gospel.” 1 Cor. 4:15). I look at you as a daughter watching her father…watching to see the work you do, recalling Christ’s commission to his priests through our Holy Mother Church to … 

“Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and behold, I am with you all days, even unto the consummation of the world.” [Matt. 28:19-20]

I also recall the beloved words of my Savior to Saint Peter… [When I read this, I can almost hear Jesus’ voice TRYING to convey more to Peter than His words might have sounded to the others.]

“When, therefore, they had breakfasted, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, dost thou love me more than these do?” 

He [Simon Peter] said to Him, “Yes, Lord, thou knowest that I love thee.” 

He [Jesus] said to him, “Feed my lambs”. 

He said to him a second time, “Simon, son of John, dost thou love me?” 

He said to Him, “Yes, Lord, thou knowest that I love thee.”

He said to him, “Feed my lambs.” 

A third time he said to him, “Simon, son of John, dost thou love me?” 

Peter was a grieved because he said to him for the third time, “Doust thou love me?”  And he said to Him, “Lord, thou knowest all things, thou knowest that I love thee.

He said to him, “Feed my sheep.” [John 21:15-17 Challoner-Rheims Catholic Bible Version]

What an amazing commission our Beloved Lord has given to you my Father in Christ.  A commission I am sure is not an easy task in our corrupt world.  The cross of our clergy is indeed a heavy cross to carry as you follow Christ.  Please know, in my plea to you here today, I do not for a moment forget the weight you are under to follow Jesus while carrying that heavy cross.  Yet still I must bring my concerns to your ears because only you can answer them.

Our Holy Mother Church is what to the world, Father?  Is She not the Ark upon the earth which mankind finds salvation in the Sacraments and graces our Lord gives through Her?  Salvation from Christ through His Holy Catholic Church, is that not so, dear Father?

Catechism: #845   To reunite all his children, scattered and led astray by sin, the Father willed to call the whole of humanity together into his Son’s Church. The Church is the place where humanity must rediscover its unity and salvation. The Church is “the world reconciled.” She is that bark which “in the full sail of the Lord’s cross, by the breath of the Holy Spirit, navigates safely in this world.” According to another image dear to the Church Fathers, she is prefigured by Noah’s ark, which alone saves from the flood.³³⁴ (30, 953, 1219)

845   To reunite all his children, scattered and led astray by sin, the Father willed to call the whole of humanity together into his Son’s Church. The Church is the place where humanity must rediscover its unity and salvation. The Church is “the world reconciled.” She is that bark which “in the full sail of the Lord’s cross, by the breath of the Holy Spirit, navigates safely in this world.” According to another image dear to the Church Fathers, she is prefigured by Noah’s ark, which alone saves from the flood.³³⁴ (30, 953, 1219)

 “Outside the Church there is no salvation”

846   How are we to understand this affirmation, often repeated by the Church Fathers?³³⁵ Re-formulated positively, it means that all salvation comes from Christ the Head through the Church which is his Body: (161, 1257)
Basing itself on Scripture and Tradition, the Council teaches that the Church, a pilgrim now on earth, is necessary for salvation: the one Christ is the mediator and the way of salvation; he is present to us in his body which is the Church. He himself explicitly asserted the necessity of faith and Baptism, and thereby affirmed at the same time the necessity of the Church which men enter through Baptism as through a door. Hence they could not be saved who, knowing that the Catholic Church was founded as necessary by God through Christ, would refuse either to enter it or to remain in it.³³⁶

You Father, know our Church, and matters of salvation and Jesus Christ’s commission to you as a priest to teach and bring salvation to others far better than I, so please forgive me for asking you, “Have you forgotten your priorities?”

You see, I watch you closely, not to criticize, but to learn from you.  To see how you handle situations, events and most of all to see your salvational work in progress.  Not just when you stand behind the pulpit, but also when you are out in the world.  I see you Father and I hear what you say.

My confusion comes, when I hear you talk constantly about social issues, like immigration reform or when you take photo ops with political figures or even other 'liberal' clergy who publicly reject Christ and Holy Mother Church’s official teachings by saying they support gay 'marriages' and unions.

I am well aware that our Lord ate with sinners.  I am also well aware that when He met with such sinners He told them to their face “Now go, and stop sinning.”  I don’t mind you dining with sinners Father, but I truly wish you would pass along Christ’s message to them after dessert.

You see Father, the words of Jesus to His priests are very clear to my simple mind, “…teaching them to observe all that I commanded you…”(Matt.28:20)  I don’t see Jesus commissioning his priests to work out immigration issues or sort out which political party is best.  To my simple mind, Jesus’ focus was always on helping people reach eternity in heaven.  Salvation.  Am I wrong Father?

I don’t understand why my Fathers, be they parish priest or Bishop, spend so much time, money and energy working on immigration when souls are being lost. Why are you so worried with our temporary life, instead of our eternal life?  

Please tell me how you justify it Father, because I honestly do not understand and I honestly do not want to think badly of my Fathers who answered Jesus’ call to the priesthood.  Jesus chose you all for a reason, and I can’t think it was immigration reform.

Jesus said over and over “Feed my lambs.” And “Feed my sheep.”  He knew we would be starving for Spiritual guidance and help on our journeys to eternity.  All of us, are going to end up in either Heaven or Hell and a lot of that responsibility falls on the cross you my Father picked up when you became my Father through the Gospel.  You chose that cross and with it comes the priority of saving souls. Let the politicians and people work out immigration, they can do it Father, but what the laity cannot do is what you were called to do.

1564    “Whilst not having the supreme degree of the pontifical office, and notwithstanding the fact that they depend on the bishops in the exercise of their own proper power, the priests are for all that associated with them by reason of their sacerdotal dignity; and in virtue of the sacrament of Holy Orders, after the image of Christ, the supreme and eternal priest, they are consecrated in order to preach the Gospel and shepherd the faithful as well as to celebrate divine worship as true priests of the New Testament.”⁴⁶ (611) 

1565    Through the sacrament of Holy Orders priests share in the universal dimensions of the mission that Christ entrusted to the apostles. The spiritual gift they have received in ordination prepares them, not for a limited and restricted mission, “but for the fullest, in fact the universal mission of salvation ‘to the end of the earth,’”⁴⁷ “prepared in spirit to preach the Gospel everywhere.”⁴⁸ (849)

Yes, we all work out our salvation in “fear and trembling”, but you Father were commissioned to “teach” us and our Holy Mother Church was given the commission to bring the Sacraments and graces to us from our Savior.  That’s the entire reason She exists and you have become a Father through the Gospel.  If we, the laity didn’t need Holy Mother Church or the priesthood Jesus wouldn’t have created and commissioned either.

But we do need you Father and our Church.  We need you to TEACH.  We need you to GUIDE us to salvation, not political reforms.  We THIRST for spiritual direction, not political dinners and photo ops. Where are the Church's priorities in the United States?  Is salvation still the priority for the Church here?  Please tell me Father, because I don't know any more.

Has the Church in the United States forgotten Her mission?

Catechism: Mission—a requirement of the Church’s catholicity

 849   The missionary mandate. “Having been divinely sent to the nations that she might be ‘the universal sacrament of salvation,’ the Church, in obedience to the command of her founder and because it is demanded by her own essential universality, strives to preach the Gospel to all men”:³³⁹ “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and Lo, I am with you always, until the close of the age.”³⁴⁰ (738, 767) 

850   The origin and purpose of mission. The Lord’s missionary mandate is ultimately grounded in the eternal love of the Most Holy Trinity: “The Church on earth is by her nature missionary since, according to the plan of the Father, she has as her origin the mission of the Son and the Holy Spirit.”³⁴¹ The ultimate purpose of mission is none other than to make men share in the communion between the Father and the Son in their Spirit of love.³⁴² (257, 730) 

851   Missionary motivation. It is from God’s love for all men that the Church in every age receives both the obligation and the vigor of her missionary dynamism, “for the love of Christ urges us on.”³⁴³ Indeed, God “desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth”;³⁴⁴ that is, God wills the salvation of everyone through the knowledge of the truth. Salvation is found in the truth. Those who obey the prompting of the Spirit of truth are already on the way of salvation. But the Church, to whom this truth has been entrusted, must go out to meet their desire, so as to bring them the truth. Because she believes in God’s universal plan of salvation, the Church must be missionary. (221, 429, 74, 217, 2104, 890)

Father, I love my Catholic Faith, I love my Holy Mother Church and I love my Fathers who answered the Call to become priest, but far too often I do not understand what I see happening today.  I honestly ask you Father, has our Church forgotten Her mission?  Have her priests forgotten Christ’s commission to them to bring salvation to nations?

I understanding wanting to help the plight of the less fortunate in our world, our Church has always been a beacon of light to the poor and suffering.  I am not saying we should not help others in their sufferings on earth, I am saying what are our priorities?  Is it more important to help people find a temporary home on earth or an eternal home with our God?

And what about correction?   Is it not the obligation and duty of our Fathers and Mother Church to correct us in our errors?

890   The mission of the Magisterium is linked to the definitive nature of the covenant established by God with his people in Christ. It is this Magisterium’s task to preserve God’s people from deviations and defections and to guarantee them the objective possibility of professing the true faith without error. Thus, the pastoral duty of the Magisterium is aimed at seeing to it that the People of God abides in the truth that liberates. To fulfill this service, Christ endowed the Church’s shepherds with the charism of infallibility in matters of faith and morals. The exercise of this charism takes several forms: (851, 1785)

Help me understand Father, why so many priests and Bishops have stopped correcting Christ’s lambs?  We have “nuns on the bus” demanding birth control and legal abortion and now they've jumped on the immigration reform bus, we have other “nuns” demanding someone make them “priests” and then we have good parish Fathers who rightly deny the Eucharist to openly gay couples only to be reprimanded for it.  They should be supported and encouraged!

What’s happening to Christ’s Church and the priesthood that He commissioned to teach and guide for the salvation of souls?  We are STARVING Father, because there are too few Fathers left to “feed Christ’s sheep”. 

Denying the Eucharist to ANYONE IN mortal sin is an act of GREAT LOVE.  To allow someone in mortal sin (gay sexual relationships are of course grave mortal sin) to have Holy Communion is HELPING in the DAMNATION to a person! [1 Cor.11:29] Priests must NEVER participate in anyway with a person's soul being damned. Priests are to correct and help guide the person away from sin and to repentance.  We need these things... our souls depend on them.

Christ’s lambs are starving for guidance, correction and instruction…why aren't our Father's working harder to FEED us as Christ instructed?

Please tell me Father, what is going on? 

In Christ, 

Julie, one of our Lord's Lambs