Priest-hating church members

[nannygirl]

I am a fairly new convert and this is a problem I rarely ever saw as an evangelical Christian: there is a small group of people in our church who appear to be out to destroy our priest. They are being led by one man who holds himself up to be a model Catholic and “lay leader” of the church. He is very subtle in his rebellion. Now he is trying to get people to believe the priest has mental problems. He has written to those in authority over our priest with the question “how can we help our priest?” accompanied by a list of things he thinks are going wrong. The problem is, he doesn’t really want to help the priest; he just wants things his own way. How does one deal with people like this?

 

[LilyM]

Leadership problems of this kind most certainly aren’t unique to the Catholic church, congregations of other denominations are subject to similar smear campaigns about their leaders.

It’s almost certain that the Bishop knows the priest better than these laypeople do, and knows the truth of whether he’s possibly ill or not. And most of the congregation will know in their hearts the truth of it too.

Assuming that what these laypeople are saying isn’t true, the Bishop won’t listen, neither will most of the congregation. And if the Bishop decides the priest stays, it’s not like the laypeople can drum the priest out or anything, and most likely they will get precisely nowhere, and most likely give up or leave for another parish.

As for what you can do. Start by praying for all of them. And if anyone says something that you know for a fact is untrue, counter with the truth.

 

[Pious]

You and others could write a letter to the Bishop and say what a wonderful Pastor your Priest is and note down what you like about him and how you think he has benefited the parish.

That way the person making the false statement will end up looking a fool.

 

[1ke]

You haven’t noticed it in protestant churches because in many denominations pastors are hired by the congregation. They are also fired by the congregation. That is why in many cases pastors in those denominations are happy-clappy… do you think they want to say anything that will get them fired?

In the Catholic Church the bishop appoints pastors to parishes. So, whereas in evangelical circles they can just fire a pastor they don’t like, in the Catholic Church they are to submit obediently to him.

There are some people for whom obedience does not come naturally.

Ignore the nay-sayers, or even better mount a counter-campaign. Support your priest. Be vocal and shut down the ones who are committing such an unjust act.

 

[BlestOne]

We have something of this sort going on in my parish right now…it is sad and regrettable but here is what a friend and I came up with:

1. Pray for all involved… the priest, the person starting trouble, the bishop, and all parishoners
2. Support our priest for all the things he does right. If this means writing to the bishop… so be it! If it means talking to the person who is disgruntled… God grant me the right words to say…
3. Don’t let it interfere with our relationship with God or our worship. Then it would be our sin.
4. Remember that the gates of hell shall not prevail against the Church that Jesus founded… this too shall pass.

 

[RobHom]

You and others could write a letter to the Bishop and say what a wonderful Pastor your Priest is and note down what you like about him and how you think he has benefited the parish.

That way the person making the false statement will end up looking a fool.

That was a "MOST EXCELLENT RESPONSE!!!

Considering that all it takes for evil people to have their way is for good people to do nothing…the best response is a campaign of positive support for your Priest.

A few years ago, in a Parish that shall unnamed, there was a Priest…a really good Priest, who, before he began Mass, would tell a cute and clean joke…that was genuinely funny…and everyone enjoyed the ditties…except one cranky curmudgeon. That curmudgeon complained…the jokes had to stop…until the rest of the congregation got up in arms and said they disagreed, and buried the Arch-Bishops office in phone calls and letters… well, we got the jokes back…no more complaints…and the identity of the curmudgeon was never known…

Positive action does work…but only if its put to use.

 

[nannygirl]

Thank you all for your excellent reponses and advice. I am putting them into practice right away!

 

[Charybdis]

Oh yeah, this does happen. I could write a book about what happened in my former small parish. We got a new young priest who was very JP II. He brought back adoration and benediction, he wore a cassock at times. He brought out the incense and the altar bells, etc.

Well, to put it mildly, he basically “cleaned out” the church lay leaders who were in power at the time. Some of those left the parish and went elsewhere, but unfortunately, not far enough! They were mad at him and were not going to let him get away with it.

Secretly, they plotted behind his back and initiated a campaign of smear tactics and outright lies against him.

Finally, after two years of this, during Mass one night, this small group of people were outside in their cars a short distance away from the church and most of us who liked our priest thought this was rather strange as to why they would just show up outside of the church suddenly. Well, we found out why. At the end of the Mass, the priest announced that he just could not take the attacks anymore and that he had requested to be transferred. The bishop accepted his request and sure enough, the next week he was gone.

The very next week, almost all of the attackers were right back in the church as if nothing had happened over the previous two years! Then we got a much older and much more liberal priest and those attackers were right at home while the rest of us who liked our former priest had to live with the mediocrity.

So, yes, this kind of thing does happen and sometimes the people like that win and get their way…sad, but true.

 

[peary]

I am a fairly new convert and this is a problem I rarely ever saw as an evangelical Christian: there is a small group of people in our church who appear to be out to destroy our priest. They are being led by one man who holds himself up to be a model Catholic and “lay leader” of the church. He is very subtle in his rebellion. Now he is trying to get people to believe the priest has mental problems. He has written to those in authority over our priest with the question “how can we help our priest?” accompanied by a list of things he thinks are going wrong. The problem is, he doesn’t really want to help the priest; he just wants things his own way. How does one deal with people like this?

The bishop will straighten the guy out, one way or another. And the priest has the option to strip him of all lay leadership in the parish if he so desires. Give the “model Catholic” enough rope and he’ll eventually hang himself. Pray for him…and your priest.