Less than orthodox pastors

[karisue]

Any suggestions for how to handle a pastor who is less than orthodox?

Where is the line between obedience and I-really-need-to-say-something? (Esp when saying something will unlikely change anything…)

I’d love your thoughts … I’m sure that there are several people on these boards to bear this particular cross daily.

 

[Br.Rich_SFO]

I have been fighting this for many years in several different parishes. There was a post on one of these boards that asked. What was you pet peeves with the liturgy abuse. or something like that. The abuses don’t bother me as much as Pastors, Priests, and Religious who dissent from Church teaching and do it willfully and publicly as well as those who disobey in matters of discipline. Who again do it intentionally and do it with as much attention as possible.
I was told by a priest I spoke with last week that is you can do is form a group of people who are concerned. Then speak to him or her wtih kindness, write them and include a cc to the Bishop, and then write the Bishop and ask specifically for a reply. Again do this all as a group not as individuals. His final suggestion was to move to another parish.

 

[Detroit_Sue]

I think the only thing that will help (you) is to vote with your feet. We ran that gamut in our old parish, right up to contacting the cardinal. There is very little that a diocese will do to a priest as long as he isn’t causing public scandal.

 

[misericordie]

I say, remeber that you have the right to withdraw your registration in that parish (if you are registered) ask the parish secretary to REMOVE your name from the parish list, and that you don’t want any mailings from them either. Make sure she or he removes the card with your name from the parish file, IN FRONT OF YOU. Secondly, then leave, go to a Faithful parish, first visit a few, get to know the Pastors, see how THEY celebrate Mass, listen to their homilies, etc. Then stay in the more CATHOLIC one.

Know as someone said earlier, that most dioceses (some bishops don’t care at all anyway, they are more interested in their appeal for money or playing golf) won’t do anything with a liberal priest. HOWEVER, sad to say the Bishop will usually act if its the other way around, a faithful (I don’t like saying Conservative) priest, following ALL the rubrics, church teachings etc., all the bishop needs is ONE letter from some liberal bishop then he will REPRIMAND the priest, or the good priest gets the famous “call” from the Bishop, or if he is lazy, he puts his Vicar general, or Chancellor to call(politics).
Go to a faithful Church, Pastors are not pastors forever. Wait, till another different pastor is named, though it may be years. Usually, a Diocesan Pastor is named for six years at a parish(Pastor), and the Six years can be renewed ONLY once (total= 12 years) in MOST cases. Or move to the Real catholic Diocese of Denver, who’s Great Bishop is His Excellencey Archbishop Charles Chaput, O.F.M, Cap, or Lincoln< Nebraska, that diocese too has a real catholic Bishop.

 

[Cognovimus]

misericordie:

I say, remeber that you have the right to withdraw your registration in that parish (if you are registered) ask the parish secretary to REMOVE your name from the parish list, and that you don’t want any mailings from them either. Make sure she or he removes the card with your name from the parish file, IN FRONT OF YOU. Secondly, then leave, go to a Faithful parish, first visit a few, get to know the Pastors, see how THEY celebrate Mass, listen to their homilies, etc. Then stay in the more CATHOLIC one.

Know as someone said earlier, that most dioceses (some bishops don’t care at all anyway, they are more interested in their appeal for money or playing golf) won’t do anything with a liberal priest. HOWEVER, sad to say the Bishop will usually act if its the other way around, a faithful (I don’t like saying Conservative) priest, following ALL the rubrics, church teachings etc., all the bishop needs is ONE letter from some liberal bishop then he will REPRIMAND the priest, or the good priest gets the famous “call” from the Bishop, or if he is lazy, he puts his Vicar general, or Chancellor to call(politics).
Go to a faithful Church, Pastors are not pastors forever. Wait, till another different pastor is named, though it may be years. Usually, a Diocesan Pastor is named for six years at a parish(Pastor), and the Six years can be renewed ONLY once (total= 12 years) in MOST cases. Or move to the Real catholic Diocese of Denver, who’s Great Bishop is His Excellencey Archbishop Charles Chaput, O.F.M, Cap, or Lincoln< Nebraska, that diocese too has a real catholic Bishop.

I agree with most of the (sad) description of how bishops respond to orthodoxy versus heterodoxy and I’ve seen this in my parish. But in terms of removing yourself from the unfaithful parish (and possibly not being allowed to register at the more faithful one if you’re outside their parish boundaries), what happens if you get hospitalized or your child needs to be confirmed or something?

 

[NancyA]

I’d say that you wouldn’t leave your parish until you are able to register with another.

I write letters, courteous letters that spell out the “problem”. I feel like it’s my duty not to remain silent. I don’t necessarily think it will improve anything, but for me to remain silent gives consent.

Have one going out this week, matterafact. I try to be very respectful, but there’s no getting around the fact that it’s a negative comment.