Priest fired in Los Angeles over homily

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I think there is more going on behind the scenes here than meets the eye.

This priest seems to have a pretty strong Internet presence, and it is unclear why he is based out of Chicago diocese but apparently serving in Los Angeles diocese. We are also not so chockablock with priests that they get ordered to leave their assignments regularly over a homily.

I have read enough Rod Dreher to conclude that he is not an unbiased source, and I cannot find any other alternative info such as a statement from the parish on this priest’s departure.
 
Tis_Bearself said:
I think there is more going on behind the scenes here than meets the eye.

This priest seems to have a pretty strong Internet presence, and it is unclear why he is based out of Chicago diocese but apparently serving in Los Angeles diocese. We are also not so chockablock with priests that they get ordered to leave their assignments regularly over a homily.

I have read enough Rod Dreher to conclude that he is not an unbiased source, and I cannot find any other alternative info such as a statement from the parish on this priest’s departure.
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Yeah, the piece now includes this: “UPDATE: I’m hearing that the homily is not why he was kicked out of the parish; I’m trying to find out more. — RD”

And this: “UPDATE: I’ve heard from a couple of people that this homily wasn’t what got this priest booted from the parish. I’m going to change the headline of this blog entry, and rewrite the top, pending verification. It is nevertheless an excellent homily.”

Honestly, what he said mirrors a lot of what other priests have said recently. I’m doubtful this is the cause of his being fired.
 
Yeah, I listened to that whole homily and I’m pretty sure I heard some of the same stuff in other homilies over the past couple weeks, either in person or online. There wasn’t anything controversial in it.
 
Dribble…its the American Conservative…Real Catholics know the priesthood is a lifetime vocation and sacrament…a priest cannot be “fired”.
 
From what I’m seeing elsewhere, the priest in question did leave the parish and is now residing in a hotel… but why exactly is unclear.
 
Don’t know where you get this idea. A priest can only exercise his priestly functions if a bishop gives him permission. If a bishop removes that permission, he has been effectively fired. You are apparently saying a priest is always a priest, which is true. But that does not mean he can always function as a priest. Two different things.

ETA: I am not taking any stand on the situation of this priest, just pointing out one can certainly be fired.
 
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According to the addendum to the article, the homily was on a list of complaints the Pastor of that parish had made about this Priest. He does not say what the other complaints were.
 
What we are facing is a checker board of different mindsets about those struggling with same sex attraction. It sounds like Padre Gavancho was in the wrong spot on the checkerboard. I pray he finds a better situation.
 
Listen to this homely and the other one posted a few days ago where the Priest mentioned needing a heart transplant. Juan Carlos Gavancho is the right one to listen too.
If you are Catholic, and you love the Catholic Church, you cannot just say, “Well, let’s pray, let’s offer a couple of rosaries, and we’ll see what happens.” You cannot do that. You have to pray, but pray for truth. You need to pray so God can act.
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This has been my point for the past 37 years.
 
This was posted on the website of the parish in Santa Barbara where Fr. Gavancho was serving:

(Please Note: This uploaded content is no longer available.)

“Father Juan Carlos Gavancho, a priest originally from the Archdiocese of Chicago who had been serving at Our Lady of Sorrows parish in Santa Barbara since early July, was asked to leave that assignment August 29 and will no longer be serving in our parish or in the Archdiocese. Contrary to rumors and reports, Father Gavancho was asked to leave not due to the content of his homily on Sunday, August 26, but rather because of issues with his interpersonal relationships with parish staff and parishioners. The Archdiocese is providing financial assistance during his transition back to the Archdiocese of Chicago, his home diocese.”

I wonder how soon before the websites that ran with this supposed story so quickly will now print a retraction, or at least give the parish and the L.A. Archdiocese’s explanation?
 
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christofirst said:
I wonder how soon before the websites that ran with this supposed story so quickly will now print a retraction, or at least give the parish and the L.A. Archdiocese’s explanation?
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Let’s just say, I wouldn’t recommend holding your breath.
 
I sincerely hope that the interpersonal relationship issues were personality clashes or yelling/ bad temperament, and not any sort of harassment or sexual contact.
 
christofirst said:
I wonder how soon before the websites that ran with this supposed story so quickly will now print a retraction, or at least give the parish and the L.A. Archdiocese’s explanation?
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To be fair to Dreher, he has printed 8 updates to this story, including several from orthodox parishioners and priests, who confirmed that Fr. Gavancho had trouble at his last parish in Santa Rosa, not because of his views or homilies, but because he had problems getting along with people both Anglo and Latino, drove away many longtime conservative parishioners, and was a poor administrator with money and drove the church deep into the red. Apparently before he went to Santa Rosa and Santa Barbara he had “friction” back in Chicago as well.

Sounds like this priest just has trouble working and interacting with others, even those who share his views on morals and sin and the issues with the Church.
 
It’s disappointing we have to think of that, but i guess maybe we do.
 
Tis_Bearself said:
To be fair to Dreher, he has printed 8 updates to this story,
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I’m glad for that. When I searched the net to find out more about this priest, I saw that all sorts of websites had picked up the story, and had all reached the same initial conclusion. Most of these websites I’ve never heard of, and would not otherwise visit, but I see that even Father Zuhlsdorf has also now printed an update with a reluctant clarification (he seems to still want it to be about the homily). But it is apparently more complicated than that, and sometimes peoples’ personalities just do not mesh, even priests and parishioners.

I live about 100 miles south of this parish, but the story piqued my interest since my parents were married there :smiling_face_with_three_hearts: (66 years ago)
 
Sounds like he needs a good mentor and a church administrrator.
 
It’s been a problem around here. Really good priests from a foriegn country and they are just thrown into parish work with little help. They say something to a parishioner or two, include something in a homily, all of which just didn’t translate quite right, and next thing you know, they are labeled as trouble. It’s a shame, I know of a priest who is still in our diocese, but it took him years to be accepted after a few initial missteps. He is the lucky one. I know of another who was sent packing after two years, yet he never did anything wrong except word things in English a little harshly.
 
I can vouch for the fact that the Santa Rosa diocese, which is the previous diocese he was “kicked out” of, has probably the most conservative Bishop in California, and people have left the Church because of that Bishop’s policies. Therefore, it is very difficult to believe that Fr. Gavancho was forced out because of a single homily.

In fact, for the most part his homily is not controversial. The only line that I found problematic (very problematic!) is this:
This is a holy church that has fallen into the hands of abusive, evil men, who are trying to destroy the Church from within, since they couldn’t do it from the outside throughout the centuries.
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The implication that either Pope Francis is “evil” or that any Bishop or member of the hierarchy is “evil” and wants to destroy the Church is simply false, and has no support whatsoever. It is a judgment, and the Gospel explicitly tells us not to judge one another.

Indeed, we reap what we sow. Fr. Gavancho sowed condemnation, and he reaped banishment.
 
I had slowly become more disillusioned with that blog… recent posts where reader comments outright question the validity of the current papacy show just how out there that community can be.
 
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