Politics in my Parish

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LighthouseRon

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I’ve just learned there is a person at our parish has went to our archdiocese and complained about our priest because she feels women are being discriminated against because, as extraordinary ministers of the Eucharist, women are more likely to be used to distribute the wine (Blood of Christ) rather than the bread (Body of Christ). She feels the bread is more important and there should be no “favoritism” and that it is a sexist situation. In my view more often than not, the men are given the bread more often but it is simply because there are more men “ministers” than women. That is another beef this lady has, that there should be equal numbers of men and women for this task. What do you think? I strongly feel the Blood is just as important as the Body anyway.

It is just another example of how our little parish has changed from the quiet little country catholic church to a political mess. The previous pastor was quite old and wasn’t able to administrate many of the business aspects of the parish so he appointed several people to take over many of these duties. When he retired after being there for 4 years, the people in charge of these various groups think they run the parish. Now that the new priest is here, these people don’t like him trying to take control. It’s turning into a war in that one group supports the parish priest and the other supports the parish “staff”. HOW SAD! These people (both sides) call themselves catholic! It’s just tearing me apart to see the parish I’ve been a part of since it’s beginning being ripped at the seams. I support our pastor but I don’t take sides (does that make any sense?). If I did I would be just like them. I just fight to try to keep the church going in a holy direction. I’ve heard that church politics are the worst. I am now living it.

Ron
 
She should immediately be relieved of her ability to act as an extraordianary minister. If she is so preoccupied with petty things she has no place near the altar.

Sounds like it’s time for your Pastor to do a little bloodletting. Cleaning house and removing people from their previous roles can be rough at first but it’s better in the long run. He’ll lose a few parishioners but his parish will become far stronger because of it.
 
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Ham1:
She should immediately be relieved of her ability to act as an extraordianary minister. If she is so preoccupied with petty things she has no place near the altar.

Sounds like it’s time for your Pastor to do a little bloodletting. Cleaning house and removing people from their previous roles can be rough at first but it’s better in the long run. He’ll lose a few parishioners but his parish will become far stronger because of it.
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How about he take the time to be a Pastor and call people opposing him into his office individually and talk to them. The conversion of your enemies can make your best friends. His first action should not be something that will cause him to lose parishioners. Do you think this would be the first thing Jesus would do?

Any Catholic who would openly defy her Priest over something as petty as this has serious faith problems. Isn’t this why we need Priests?
 
I agree that there should be equal numbers of extraordinary ministers, although I think the number should be zero.

But, since I am unlikely to get my way, Ham1 is right. At the very least, the woman in question needs some updated catechesis. She seems to have a poor understanding of what the Eucharist is. If she does not relent, then she should be sent back to the pews. As much as I hate to see too many EMHC, she should be replaced with another woman (or two women for that matter, just to make a point). I do not intend to seem so spiteful, but this really gets me upset!

I pray that the situation improves quickly.
 
Wow… with situations like this, it’s hard to imagine why ANY man would think twice about becoming a priest.
 
This aspect of Church life really upsets me. I have no answers. These types of petty goings on really are pathetic and ridiculous and drive a lot of people away from the Church. We have all this stupid nonsense at our church too. I really hate it, it’s so stupid.

I hate to sound sexist, but this is a female phenomena imo. I hate this EDIT. If you read the book of James in the Bible, he was very aware of all this stuff and talks about it. I wish more people read James.
 
I mean, talk about a bunch of petty nonsense. “Wah, Wah, Wah, I can’t give out the body of Christ, I wanna be important because I have no other life or hobbies! Blah, blah, blah, I’m so opressed!” What a load of menopausal horse manure! I’m sick of these bored women whose one joy in life is running some commitee at church! Why don’t they volunteer at a soup kitchen or a school or something! They drive me bananas!
 
Sorry if I sound uncharitable, but this is a big pet peeve of mine. :o It really pushes my buttons. I’ve seen more backstabbing, unspiritual nonsense that has nothing to do with the Gospel and everything to do with people’s egos. I hate it, sorry.
 
You know it would be easy just to go to church and worship. But so many people make it hard to do. And then people wonder why so many people don’t go to church. It is these kinds of situations that drive away parishoners. It is another example of the I only care about myself attitude we find flourishing today.
 
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LighthouseRon:
I’ve just learned there is a person at our parish has went to our archdiocese and complained about our priest because she feels women are being discriminated against because, as extraordinary ministers of the Eucharist, women are more likely to be used to distribute the wine (Blood of Christ) rather than the bread (Body of Christ). She feels the bread is more important and there should be no “favoritism” and that it is a sexist situation. In my view more often than not, the men are given the bread more often but it is simply because there are more men “ministers” than women. That is another beef this lady has, that there should be equal numbers of men and women for this task. What do you think? I strongly feel the Blood is just as important as the Body anyway.
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This lady is absolutely nuts. Of course the Body and Blood are equally important. If anything, it is a MORE weighty ministry to administer the Blood because more skill and care is required to do it correctly. And the ministers are not appointed to give them a “reward” but to give them a chance to SERVE God and His people.
Now that the new priest is here, these people don’t like him trying to take control. It’s turning into a war in that one group supports the parish priest and the other supports the parish “staff”. HOW SAD!
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Those people need to read the Church’s rules (Canon Law). It’s the parish priest’s JOB to “take control” of the parish. Any jobs done by anyone else are DELEGATED by the parish priest, to assist him in running the parish, and he need not do things the same way the previous parish priest did it, if he doesn’t want to. The parish may have an elected parish council to advise and help the parish priest, but a parish is not and was never meant to be a democracy. If you don’t like the way your parish priest is doing things, you complain to the bishop, you don’t try to illegally usurp the parish priest’s authority. If they “don’t like him trying to take control” they should stop calling themselves “Catholic” and join the Congregationalist Church.
 
I just don’t get the favoritism thing. Body AND Blood of Christ. I thought that the general opinion was that if you recieve one, you recieve the other, neither is “better” than the other. They are both of equal importance. Ultimately, doesn’t the decision to even HAVE extraordinary ministers of the holy Communion rely solely on the pastor? He could just as easily abolish the position in his church couldn’t he? (I say “easily” though I know I shouldn’t. I can’t imagine the trouble he would get in if he did).

Simply out of curiosity, does anyone find the political game being played more and more specifically at country churches?
 
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Ham1:
She should immediately be relieved of her ability to act as an extraordianary minister. If she is so preoccupied with petty things she has no place near the altar.

Sounds like it’s time for your Pastor to do a little bloodletting. Cleaning house and removing people from their previous roles can be rough at first but it’s better in the long run. He’ll lose a few parishioners but his parish will become far stronger because of it.
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Ham1:

I might try to say it more charitably, but I agree with you in principle.

The “Ministers of the Eucharist” are Extraordinary Ministers of the Eucharist, and are supposed to distribute our Lord’s Body and Blood only when there are no Sacred (Ordained) Ministers available to do so.

The woman wh is raising the ruckus may be one of those who are agitating for women to be ordained to the Sacred Priesthood. If so, she has no business near the alter.

If I were that parish priest, I would DRAFT all the men in the parish over the age of 50 (who regularly attend Mass) as candidates for the perpetual Deaconate and put a stop to this nonsense!

Then the only times Extraordinary Ministers of the Eucharist would be used would be on Extraordinary occasions!

Then you would no longer need the services of Extraordinary Ministers of the Eucharist who are more worried about “fairness and gender equity” then serving the Lord!

That may just be the most charitable way to handle the situation.

In Christ, Michael
 
Traditional Ang:
The “Ministers of the Eucharist” are Extraordinary Ministers of the Eucharist, and are supposed to distribute our Lord’s Body and Blood only when there are no Sacred (Ordained) Ministers available to do so.
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They are not ministers of the Eucharist at all. They are Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion. There is a difference. A layperson can distribute Communion if need be, but is ontologically incapable of confecting the Eucharist.
 
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Orionthehunter:
How about he take the time to be a Pastor and call people opposing him into his office individually and talk to them. The conversion of your enemies can make your best friends. His first action should not be something that will cause him to lose parishioners. Do you think this would be the first thing Jesus would do?

Any Catholic who would openly defy her Priest over something as petty as this has serious faith problems. Isn’t this why we need Priests?
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Orionthehunter:

I’m assuming that he’s done that already, and that we’re seeing intransigience on her part. If he hasn’t done that, he should do that in order to listen and see why she feels compelled to question his authority and risk mortal sin and open warare with her rector.

Jesus did do things that cost him followers, lots of them. The thing is making sure that it’s clear why people are leaving, and that it has to do with their issues and not your lack of charity.

I agree that this lady probably has serious faith problems. That’s one reason she shouldn’t be ministering the Eucharist.

Please remember Extraordinary Ministers of the Holy Eucharist serve at the pleasure of the Parish Rector. While I agree the Priest should talk to this lady. I see no reason she shouldn’t be informed that keeping her position depends on submission to her Rector.

I also don’t like the position. I believe the Church should ordain as many Godly older men as will accept the Deaconate as perpetual Deacons, and have them distribute the Eucharist and make sick calls.

In Christ, Michael
 
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Pentecost2005:
They are not ministers of the Eucharist at all. They are Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion. There is a difference. A layperson can distribute Communion if need be, but is ontologically incapable of confecting the Eucharist.
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Pentecost2005:

That’s what I was trying to point out, and why I used Quotation marks around “Ministers of the Eucharist” and Boldface when I said Extraordinary Ministers of the Eucharist. I hope you didn’t misconstrue that… Or, as Fr. Corapi likes to say, “NO Priest, NO Eucharist!”

As most people posting on this Forum know, only someone who has been validly ORDAINED as a PRIEST can Confect the Eucharist or Pronounce Absolution in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Only someone (A Priest or a Bishop*) who has experienced the ONTOLOGICAL Change necessary to be able to do these things can confect the Eucharist and put away sins.

That’s one reason the Devil goes after priests with such a vengeance.

In Christ, Michael
 
This is sickening to read – but certainly not unexpected. By and large it seems like those involved in “sanctuary-based ministries” belong to one of two groups. Some people are indeed heeding the call to help and they do their best. Unfortunately they are in the minority.

While this will no doubt upset the PC-crowd, far too many people who serve in such ministries do so because they are in terrible need of attention and because they desperately seek some degree of power and authority in their lives.

An inordinate number of these people (based on a fairly large and representative sample) seem to be sexist-feminists who drag thier problems from the world into the sanctuary.

Yeah I supose this could be explained away with the larger number of laywomen involved in the Church, and yes I am aware of how my directness offends the supposidly more evolved and enlightened members of society.

Thankfully I really don’t care anymore about what such people think about me in this area. These same individuals have taken a terrible toll on the Church, and like the original poster, my parish has also become a political cesspit because of people like the one that was mentioned.

The lady mentioned needs to be removed from being an EMHC, she needs counseling, and then catechesis. She also need to find a NON-sanctuary based ministry in which to devote her time and talents.

It’s time to clean-out the sanctuaries…
 
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msproule:
I agree that there should be equal numbers of extraordinary ministers, although I think the number should be zero.
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I love it! :rotfl:
 
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spiritblows:
This aspect of Church life really upsets me. I have no answers. These types of petty goings on really are pathetic and ridiculous and drive a lot of people away from the Church. We have all this stupid nonsense at our church too. I really hate it, it’s so stupid.

I** hate to sound sexist, but this is a female phenomena imo**. I hate this cr*p. If you read the book of James in the Bible, he was very aware of all this stuff and talks about it. I wish more people read James.
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You are right. In my experience it is the females who push the priests around and do things without their permission. I can think of more than one adult Catholic female bully in my own parish!
 
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paramedicgirl:
You are right. In my experience it is the females who push the priests around and do things without their permission. I can think of more than one adult Catholic female bully in my own parish!
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It’s horribly non-PC to agree with this, but I do. Something is definately fouled-up in this area…
 
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Pentecost2005:
They are not ministers of the Eucharist at all. They are Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion. There is a difference. A layperson can distribute Communion if need be, but is ontologically incapable of confecting the Eucharist.
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Pentecost2005:

The term Extraordinary Ministers of the Holy Eucharist was used by His Holiness Pope Paul VI and is used by the hierarchy of the Catholic Church:

catholicculture.org/docs/doc_view.cfm?recnum=1168
adoremus.org/Arinze-FDLC-Liturgy.html
ic-ec.org/church_today/message.asp?message_id=356&sec_id=1
dailycatholic.org/issue/nov13vat.htm
catholic-doc.org/sjb/minis.html

Extraordinary Ministers of the Holy Comminion is also correct per Ecclessiae de Mysterio:
aquinas-multimedia.com/catherine/Columns/rose/victim.html

I hope this makes everything clear.

Michael
 
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