Bishop scolds Westborough priests for announcement supporting gay rights

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Scotty_PGH

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Now here’s the type of Bishop we need!!!

metrowestdailynews.com/localRegional/view.bg?articleid=110166

**Bishop scolds Westborough priests for announcement supporting gay rights
******By Sarah Menesale / Daily News Staff
Thursday, September 29, 2005

WESTBOROUGH – Some parishioners at St. Luke the Evangelist are angry their pastor was yanked from Mass and publicly scolded by the bishop of the Worcester diocese for opposing church efforts to ban [gay marriage](http://www.metrowestdailynews.com/search/index.bg?searchSite=recent&keyword=gay marriage) in Massachusetts.

“Bishop (Robert) McManus told us that Father George (Lange) ‘made a mistake’ and ‘should not have done that,’” said parishioner Cindy Hodgdon. “Our church leaders’ hands were slapped very publicly.”
 
Hodgdon said the bishop’s appearance at St. Luke was a surprise to many church-goers. She called it a “sneak attack.”

“I feel like he was trying to leverage our faith to further his political agenda,” said Hodgdon. “I think individual parishes and communities have their own cultural norms.”

Hodgdon was angered by the hard line the bishop was taking and said a number of people walked out of Saturday’s Mass before it concluded.

“The bishop really put his foot down…They had very stern faces. There was no smiling, no joking. He was scolding, basically, the parish priest and probably Father George for letting the statement get in the bulletin,” said Wilson.

The dispute between the church hierarchy and local parishes is not isolated to Westborough.

Our Lady Help of Christians in Newton recently lost its longtime pastor, the Rev. Walter H. Cuenin. The archdiocese stated that an audit turned up unauthorized stipends and car expenses totaling more than $75,000 paid to Cuenin by the parish, according to news reports.

Many church critics contend Cuenin’s questioning of the church hierarchy and outspoken support for gay rights led to his ouster.
 
Scotty PGH:
Rob Wilson, a longtime St. Luke’s parishioner, was shocked by the bishop’s homily.

“Everybody was stunned. It was a rather stunning homily,” he said.
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Stunned? Too bad folks are not accustomed to hearing truth.
 
Scotty PGH:
“I feel like he was trying to leverage our faith to further his political agenda,” said Hodgdon. “I think individual parishes and communities have their own cultural norms.”

Hodgdon was angered by the hard line the bishop was taking and said a number of people walked out of Saturday’s Mass before it concluded.
Click to expand...
**60On hearing it, many of his disciples said, "This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it? **
66From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him.
 
Unfortunately, this priest’s actions are way to common in MA and the bishop’s action is way to rare in MA. I am running the petition drive in my parish - however, I get no support. There were small blurbs in the bulletin the last 2 weeks, but nothing in this week’s bulletin (the week we begin gathering signatures). Additionally, not one word has been said from the pulpit either way. Since a large number of my fellow parishoners run in and run out and don’t often stop to take a bulletin - most probably don’t know about the petition drive.

I am a little nervous about the signature gathering, since I’m not sure how much grief I may get from people who do not understand the purpose of this petition - allowing the people of MA to have a voice on lawmaking rather than allowing the courts to dictate law.

I truly wish my own pastor, truly a wonderful man whom I really like, would be willing to defend this petition. But at least he is not speaking out against it!
 
I mailed a short letter to Bishop McManus this morning thanking him for his courage.

I had a letter from Bishop Clark yesterday asking for $100.
Until the diocese is willing to severe all ties to the National Association of Gay and Lesbian Catholics, I will be sending my money to organizations that uphold the teachings of the Church.
 
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kmmd:
I mailed a short letter to Bishop McManus this morning thanking him for his courage.

I had a letter from Bishop Clark yesterday asking for $100.
Until the diocese is willing to severe all ties to the National Association of Gay and Lesbian Catholics, I will be sending my money to organizations that uphold the teachings of the Church.
Click to expand...
This is what some of us have been doing for a long time. It seems that many people just write the check and ignore where some of their money goes. It is harder to look into the way money is spent and to whom given then to just write the check.
 
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EDB:
Unfortunately, this priest’s actions are way to common in MA and the bishop’s action is way to rare in MA. I am running the petition drive in my parish - however, I get no support. There were small blurbs in the bulletin the last 2 weeks, but nothing in this week’s bulletin (the week we begin gathering signatures). Additionally, not one word has been said from the pulpit either way. Since a large number of my fellow parishoners run in and run out and don’t often stop to take a bulletin - most probably don’t know about the petition drive.

I am a little nervous about the signature gathering, since I’m not sure how much grief I may get from people who do not understand the purpose of this petition - allowing the people of MA to have a voice on lawmaking rather than allowing the courts to dictate law.

I truly wish my own pastor, truly a wonderful man whom I really like, would be willing to defend this petition. But at least he is not speaking out against it!
Click to expand...
Hi EDB! How did the petition drive at your church go?! We did ours that weekend too. I was very pleased with the result, although there were a few people, mostly under 40, who didn’t get it and were a little snippy.

I was nervous too but am volunteering down in Brighton (a section of Boston) this weekend. I’m going to work on this every weekend till it’s over as this is very important.

Democracy Demands a Vote!
 
First of all, three cheers for the Bishop!!! His is the teaching responsibility for his Diocese, and good for him for seeing to it.

A few things in the article, beyond the issue of the nature and sanctity of marriage, were also troubling.

There was a comment to the effect that each parish had its own culture. Really, I ask? And So what!, I reply. Anyone with Episcopalian (Anglican) friends should ask them about the consequences of culturally-driven local options with respect to doctrine. Catholics, let’s not go there. Pop psychology is no substitute for the faith one revealed to the saints.

As for the comments in the article about the Bishop somehow staging a sneak attack on the parish, say what!? The priests in the parish function under the authority of the Bishop, and the exercise of their priesthood has meaning only in that it proceeds from the Bishop himself. Putting priest, even parish priest, before Bishop is having the tail wag the dog.

As for the people who walked out, we should pray that they come back, but we should also pray that faithful teaching is not soft peddled in order to get them back.

It is very much a source of hope that things like this happen in the Church in western civilization. If I may be forgiven a commonplace turn of phrase, it proves there’s life in the Old Girl (our Holy Mother) yet!

Blessings,

Gerry
 
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CatQuilt:
Hi EDB! How did the petition drive at your church go?! We did ours that weekend too. I was very pleased with the result, although there were a few people, mostly under 40, who didn’t get it and were a little snippy.

I was nervous too but am volunteering down in Brighton (a section of Boston) this weekend. I’m going to work on this every weekend till it’s over as this is very important.

Democracy Demands a Vote!
Click to expand...
Hi CatQuilt,
We did pretty well - 101 signatures! For MA that’s not bad. I didn’t have anyone give me a hard time and I was very pleased. Some of our parishoners even thanked me for doing the drive. All in all I was quite pleased.
 
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EDB:
Hi CatQuilt,
We did pretty well - 101 signatures! For MA that’s not bad. I didn’t have anyone give me a hard time and I was very pleased. Some of our parishoners even thanked me for doing the drive. All in all I was quite pleased.
Click to expand...
Congratulations!!!

Once again, we did well in the church in Brighton. Now it’s time to hit the post offices, etc!

Be not afraid!
 
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