Bishop John D'Arcy Dies at 80 - Sounded Alarm on Sex abuse

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A good and faithful servant.

Eternal rest grant unto Bishop D’Arcy and may perpetual light shine upon him!
 
dixieagle said:
nytimes.com/2013/02/05/us/bishop-john-darcy-dies-at-80-sounded-alarm.html?_r=0

As we are (correctly) vocal about bishops who failed to speak up in defense of children, we must also acknowledge those who do. Bishop D’Arcy spoke up in an era and atmosphere when it was most difficult to do so. God grant him eternal rest.
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I belonged to the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Fort Wayne and its choir from 1984 to now, except for 1991-1995 and heard and spoke to Bishop D’Arcy many times in those years. He was a very humble and prayerful man who taught the faith he had been given without excuses. Our local newspaper gave almost the whole first page to coverage of his death. It was not nearly as kind when he said publicly that a sexual relationship between two men was shameful.

He came to us in 1985 and had to get rid of a few priests who wanted to live a faith other than what had been handed down from the apostles. He made up for the shortage of priests by using his international connections to bring us priests from India, Sri Lanka, Ireland, Nigeria, and Kenya plus one from Burma to minister to a boatload of refugees that the diocese sponsored… By the time he retired two years past the mandatory age of 75, we had so many seminarians that we now have a special collection to educate them all. Rome had no problems with him and permitted him to serve as our bishop for the extra two years.

He also oversaw the renewal of our historic cathedral which was first dedicated on December 8, 1860.
 
he sounds like he was a very good man. i agree that we need to acknowledge those who tried to sound the alarm on what was happening. i wonder how many there were and why no one listened.
 
With his background in the Boston seminary and as the Ordinary of Fort Wayne-South Bend, Bishop D’Arcy stood on both sides of a key question in the ordination of priests.

Early in the rite of ordination, the bishop asks the question, “Has he been found worthy?” A person responsible for the formation of the deacon to be ordained to the order of presbyter (priest), usually the rector of the seminary, answers, “After inquiring among the people of God, I testify that he has been found worthy.” Most bishops take this responsibility very seriously, but some failed miserably in one of their key functions.

Those bishops who ordained and reassigned priests who were not worthy will have to answer for their actions. Enormous harm was done to the Body of Christ by priests who were not worthy ministers of the Gospel. Year after year, Bishop D’Arcy told anyone who would listen that he wanted priests who would make good husbands and fathers, but who would freely forgo that good life for something better.
 
Deja Vu!

Forced to speak up against scandals at the famous Catholic University in his diocese ranging from an on campus “Queer Film Festival” that remained on campus under other names; to the live presentations of a sexually explicit anti-Catholic play; to the commencement address of openly pro-abortion President Obama (and his being named an honorary Doctor) while peaceful pro-life protestors were arrested on campus; Bishop Emeritus John Michael D’Arcy of the Diocese of South Bend and Ft. Wayne Indiana has passed away.

the-american-catholic.com/tag/bishop-john-darcy/ <D’Arcy on the ND/Obama scandal



freerepublic.com/focus/f-…/1617831/posts <ND Oks Gay Film festivals.

freerepublic.com/focus/f-…/1566407/posts < Scandal hits 21 Catholic Universities (perverse movies, live plays welcomed on campuses).
In 2004, Bishop John M. D’Arcy issued a statement regarding “The V***** Monologues,” which has sadly been allowed at the University of Notre Dame year after year, despite the protest of faculty and students.
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“Freedom in the academy is always subject to a particular discipline. It is never an absolute… Freedom in the Catholic tradition is not the right to do this rather than that. That would be an entirely superficial idea of freedom… Freedom is the capacity to choose the good,” said Bishop D’Arcy.
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Bishop D’Arcy was forced to speak up on behalf of good Catholic students who paid thousands of dollars, sometimes taking out loans they’d repay for years … only to
be graded by University leaders who made them captive audiences (per):
After being forced to see the play as part of a class, Christopher, a Catholic student from Massachusetts wrote: “…it was a horrible exhibit of vice, lust, and infidelity. Everything about the play was decidedly opposed to just about everything the Church teaches, whether it be about sexuality, abortion, contraception, holy matrimony, modesty, chastity, vulgarity, humility, reverence, you name it…”
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Rest in Peace Bishop D’Arcy
2 Timothy 4:3 For the time will come when ***people will not tolerate sound doctrine but, following their own desires and insatiable curiosity, will accumulate teachers
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4 and will stop listening to the truth and will be diverted to myths.***
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5 But you, be self-possessed in all circumstances; put up with hardship; perform the work of an evangelist; fulfill your ministry.
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6 For I am already being poured out like a libation, and the time of my departure is at hand.
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7 I have competed well; I have finished the race; I have kept the faith.
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8 From now on the crown of righteousness awaits me, which the Lord, the just judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me, but to all who have longed for his appearance.
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9 Try to join me soon …
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Our local Catholic radio station, Redeemer Radio, will stream a tribute to Bishop D’Arcy starting at 10:00 EST on Friday February 8, and will follow with a live broadcast of the funeral mass at noon. redeemerradio.com/news.htm#RRcoverage

If you listen very closely, I will be the tallest tenor in the choir, and thus closest to the microphone. Unless I get a near miraculous cure of my cold, you can hear me cough on live radio.
 
Trader said:
Our local Catholic radio station, Redeemer Radio, will stream a tribute to Bishop D’Arcy starting at 10:00 EST on Friday February 8, and will follow with a live broadcast of the funeral mass at noon. redeemerradio.com/news.htm#RRcoverage

If you listen very closely, I will be the tallest tenor in the choir, and thus closest to the microphone. Unless I get a near miraculous cure of my cold, you can hear me cough on live radio.
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7am my time … but if you are up and singing and coughing … I can at least desnooze my alarm and listen. Sing well Trader, Bishop D’Arcy deserves it.
 
Trader said:
Our local Catholic radio station, Redeemer Radio, will stream a tribute to Bishop D’Arcy starting at 10:00 EST on Friday February 8, and will follow with a live broadcast of the funeral mass at noon. redeemerradio.com/news.htm#RRcoverage

If you listen very closely, I will be the tallest tenor in the choir, and thus closest to the microphone. Unless I get a near miraculous cure of my cold, you can hear me cough on live radio.
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Give that good man a beautiful send-off!
 
dixieagle said:
Give that good man a beautiful send-off!
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Bishop D’Arcy was the son of Irish immigrants. His favorite hymn was the Magnificat set to an Irish tune. It will be included for sure.

A few years ago at a regional confirmation for 10,000 close friends at the Fort Wayne War Memorial Coliseum it was the last of several communion hymns and we stopped singing after three verses because everyone had received communion. Bishop D’Arcy looked at our director and told him there were two more verses and he wanted to hear them. There was no arguing with him on that.
 
Trader said:
Bishop D’Arcy was the son of Irish immigrants. His favorite hymn was the Magnificat set to an Irish tune. It will be included for sure.

A few years ago at a regional confirmation for 10,000 close friends at the Fort Wayne War Memorial Coliseum it was the last of several communion hymns and we stopped singing after three verses because everyone had received communion. Bishop D’Arcy looked at our director and told him there were two more verses and he wanted to hear them. There was no arguing with him on that.
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youtube.com/watch?v=F9QeTmRCpW4 < Could the song have been this one? It’s words are based on the Magnificat and sung to the old Irish tune “Star of the County Down.” :shamrock2::irish2:

In any case it is a fitting tribute to Bishop D’Arcy and full of insight and hope.

Its upbeat and lively tempo demonstrates how the Magnificat sung, could very well be a fight song. Or should I say VICTORY song? 🙂
 
I am sure Bishop D’Arcy would have liked that one too, but this is the one we used:

youtube.com/watch?v=LgwAuycxxes

While Bishop D’Arcy had many talents, singing was not one of them. He was always very generous with his praise for our choir and especially loved to see that we had young people as cantors. Indiana-Purdue University at Fort Wayne (always called IPFW locally), has an excellent music program and we have had numerous students over the years who have sung in our choir and have gone on to professional careers in music. I was feeling a little old when I realized that I was the only member of the cathedral choir who had sung for both Bishop D’Arcy’s installation in 1985 and for his funeral mass yesterday.

One of the people who was at the installation mass in 1985, but not at the funeral was Cardinal Bernard Law. We can only speculate on how much better off we would be if Cardinal Law had heeded the many memos Bishop D’Arcy sent him.

After the funeral mass yesterday, I had a few minutes to speak with Bishop Jenky of Peoria, who used to be our auxilliary bishop. Bishop Jenky has been in the news a lot lately. He pronouced the liturgy “awesome” with almost no prompting from me.😉

I also got to speak with Dr Matthew Bunson for the first time in person. He produced the two hour tribute program on Redeemer Radio and had interviewed Bishop D’Arcy many times.

Bishop D’Arcy was buried in the crypt underneath the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception. Although he was born and raised in the Boston area, and spent the majority of his life there, he considered Fort Wayne his home because the bishop has a kind of spousal relationship with his diocese. Early in his service to our diocese, he shocked Pope John Paul II at his first ad limina visit by telling the Pope that he wanted to spend the rest of his life in Fort Wayne.
 
Bishop D’Arcy’s funeral mass was televised locally in Fort Wayne. Students from our two Fort Wayne Catholic high schools served as parking lot attendants and security, but our grade schools were open and the children watched the mass on television. Our cathedral was considered very large for this part of the country when it was dedicated in 1860, but it only holds about 1100 people with standing room in the back. With 11 bishops, around 100 priests and maybe 200 sisters there was not nearly enough room for all the faithful who wanted to attend. The choir does not have to work very hard when we have so many enthusiastic singers in the assembly.🙂

Here is the link to full coverage of the mass.
indianasnewscenter.com/news/video/Bishop-DArcy-Funeral-Mass-Full-Coverage-Part-2-190438221.html

Part 2 is the homily by Monsignor Heintz, who was the first seminarian accepted by Bishop D’Arcy as Bishop of Fort Wayne-South Bend.
 
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