St. Joan of Arc - Fr. Wertin Resigns!

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The pastor of St. Joan of Arc parish in Minneapolis, MN appears to be resigning, as of July 1st.

I just got this e-mail forwarded to me - there is no word on this on the SJA website, but it looks authentic. (If anyone can confirm this, please do!).

Now the true test comes… who will be assigned to SJA?

Fall on your knees and PRAY for a pastor to be assigned who is faithful and true to the Church and has the courage to proclaim the fullness of the Gospel message, and not just the parts they want to hear.

+veritas+
From the Pastor: George Wertin
Click to expand...
It is hard to believe that I have been pastor of St.
Joan of Arc for almost thirteen years. The children I
baptized back in 1992 are now in their high school
years! It is also a reality that I will be sixty-six
years old next month! I have been a priest and doing
pastoral ministry for over forty years. It is time for
me to retire and move on to other ventures. I have
offered my plans to Archbishop Flynn to retire from
active ministry effective July 1st.
Click to expand...
This is a very difficult decision for me. I enjoy my
ministry at St. Joan of Arc. Despite the challenges
and controversies-and in part because of them-I have
found my ministry among you wonderful parishioners to
be fulfilling. I have been challenged to grow
spiritually both as a person and as leader of this
parish community. I am in awe of the resources and the
dedication of so many parishioners. I have been
honored to work with a talented and dedicated parish
staff. I believe that we have been good for each
other. And I am grateful for the growth in the
parish-not just in terms of numbers or the development
of our parish campus. I think of what it means to be
involved in collaborative ministry. I think of being a
people of hope and healing. And I think of the
struggle to be a prophetic community in a time of war
and discrimination.
Click to expand...
As I hear my friends and colleagues talk about the
experiences of retirement, I have gone through an
extended discernment about my future. I am convinced
that the time is right for me to go on to another
chapter in my life. Again, I must emphasize that this
is for personal reasons, not the recent events that
have caused all of us much stress. Typically, a priest
is expected to move to a new assignment after twelve
years in one assignment. The Archbishop agreed to let
me stay on longer than twelve years at St. Joan of Arc
because I was on the verge of retirement.
Click to expand...
I know that many of you are thinking about who will be
my successor and what will be the future of St. Joan
of Arc. I cannot answer those questions because there
will have to be a transition period and a selection
process that has yet to unfold. The Parish Council has
been aware of my impending retirement for sometime.
They have put together a Pastor Search Committee that
will now have to move into full gear. They will have
to work collaboratively with the Priests’ Personnel
Board in making recommendations to the Archbishop. I
am confident that they will work conscientiously to
provide for a good transition at St. Joan of Arc. It
is they who make recommendations for appointments to
the Archbishop and it is ultimately his decision to
appointment new pastors.
Click to expand...
Change is good. A new pastor with new talents and
interests can help St. Joan of Arc continue to grow in
being a compassionate, inclusive community promoting
nonviolence and justice in our community and world. I
urge you to recognize the wonderful strengths and
resources we have as a parish. I ask you to work with
the Pastor Search Committee and the Priests’ Personnel
Committee and the Archbishop to provide for the good
of St. Joan of Arc and the larger church.
Click to expand...
Thirteen years ago I reminded you of the words of
Karen Kaiser Clark: “Life is change. Growth is
optional.” I still believe it and I ask you to
continue changing-and growing-too.
Click to expand...
-GW
Click to expand...
 
+veritas+:
The pastor of St. Joan of Arc parish in Minneapolis, MN appears to be resigning, as of July 1st.

I just got this e-mail forwarded to me - there is no word on this on the SJA website, but it looks authentic. (If anyone can confirm this, please do!).

Now the true test comes… who will be assigned to SJA?

Fall on your knees and PRAY for a pastor to be assigned who is faithful and true to the Church and has the courage to proclaim the fullness of the Gospel message, and not just the parts they want to hear.

+veritas+
Click to expand...
we will CONTINUE to pray for the parish. Thanks for the update.
 
Outstanding news! I did scratch my head at one thing Fr. Wertin had to say in his letter, however.
The Parish Council has
been aware of my impending retirement for sometime.
They have put together a Pastor Search Committee that
will now have to move into full gear. They will have
to work collaboratively with the Priests’ Personnel
Board in making recommendations to the Archbishop.
Click to expand...
Since when does a Parish Council have any say in who is selected as their new pastor? Why is a Pastor Search Committee needed?
 
Veritas-I can confirm that Father George Wertin is retiring effective July 1, 2005. I live in Wisconsin but I have a family

member that attends St. Joan’s and she confirmed it. The note from him that you posted is reprinted in the parish’s Sunday

bulletin on their website www.stjoan.com.

The Church of St. Joan or Arc in Minneapolis is a scandal. Why they have been allowed to go on the way they have for so long

is beyond me.

Same family member, invited me to attend St.Joan or Arc for a Sunday service (I’m not even going to call it a Mass since it’s

not even close to conforming with the GIRM). I was horrified. Anyone and everyone can take Communion. Many of the

parishioners have never called themselves Catholic or ever been members of the Catholic church. No holy water at the doors.

No regularly scheduled Confession times (since the parish seems to deny all existence of individual sin-not surprising).

Holding hands during the “Our Father”. No sign of a Tabernacle or a Cross. Communion was chaos with multiple lines of

people going all over the place and tripping over each other. I overhead the Priest say “CUP of Christ” when he offerred it

to the Communion Servers. Gee, I’ve been a Catholic for 37 years and never knew we were supposed to be honoring the vessel

and not the contents (!).

They recently had to be TOLD by the Archdiocese not to have guest Homilists (meaning non-Priests) and TOLD to have the Priest

vest during the entire service. St. Joan’s “got around” both by have the guest speak before the “official” start of the

service and the Priest wears an alb (only) during the entire service (previously, he only put an alb on before Communion and

took it off right after. He was in street clothes before he put the alb on)

St. Joan of Arc is a Protestant church disguised as a Catholic one, living happily off the Catholic dole and on Catholic

property.

Sorry for the tirade! I could go on and on but their website says it all. Check it out for yourselves: www.stjoan.com

I encourage as many people as possible to pray that this scandal can be stopped and to write to Archbishop Harry Flynn c/o

Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis 226 Summit Ave. St. Paul MN 55102. The Archbishop has been given the opportunity to

change this parish and educate the misinformed parishioners. I pray that he takes it!

Peace
littleflower25
 
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amasimp:
Outstanding news! I did scratch my head at one thing Fr. Wertin had to say in his letter, however.

Since when does a Parish Council have any say in who is selected as their new pastor? Why is a Pastor Search Committee needed?
Click to expand...
This is my question, too. Is this something that the diocese sets up (doubt it) or an attempt by the SJA community to ram their version of collaboration down the throats of the Priest’s Personnel Board? That way, if their recommendations are ignored, they can claim that the Archbishop is the real bad guy. Archbishop Flynn needs our continuing prayers but this is defininately good news and an opportunity for some real progress to be made.
 
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amasimp:
Outstanding news! I did scratch my head at one thing Fr. Wertin had to say in his letter, however.

Since when does a Parish Council have any say in who is selected as their new pastor? Why is a Pastor Search Committee needed?
Click to expand...
They’re not but they always try and have a say. Usually it’s a case of the people who make the most noise get what they want so hopefully a bunch of the obedient Catholics are giving their vocal cords a workout!
 
66 seems pretty young for a priest to retire in view of the world wide shortage.

Please pray for Father Wertin that he may find a new mission in which to serve God after he leaves St. Joan’s.
 
RE: Post #1

WOW! It just boggles my Catholic mind that these “parishioners”
would not just exit enmass and end any financial support, for heavens’ sake.
Aren’t they, as a whole, responsible for the progress of this apostasy? Where is their Athanasius. Every parish is suppose to have one!

Maybe it’s the short summers and long winters, cabin fever.

I will not pray FOR that “priest” but I will pray THAT he is put in a place where he is prevented from killing more souls.
I have many who are occupying my prayer time that deserve it, sorry. :nope:
 
If in fact true, this is such **awesome **news!

I agree that 66 does seem quite young for a priest to retire. And I would not be surprised that there is alot more to the story than what Father reveals in this email.

But the big question remains. Who will replace him? The ball is in Archbishop Flynn’s court as to whether the next pastor of SJA will be a priest who continues the status quo of recognizing homosexuality as a legitimate lifestyle and sexual preference in the Church, or a fixer priest who takes the parish by the horns and brings it back into doctrinal and moral unity with the Church.

I earnestly hope and pray for the latter, but I honestly doubt the majority of SJA’s parishioners or its parish council would agree.

Things could get very ugly…
 
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TNT:
I will not pray FOR that “priest” but I will pray THAT he is put in a place where he is prevented from killing more souls.
I have many who are occupying my prayer time that deserve it, sorry. :nope:
Click to expand...
Before you get too judgemental please recall the Fatima prayer
O my Jesus, forgive us our sins. Save us from the fires of hell. Lead all souls to heaven, especially those in most need of Thy mercy.
Click to expand...
Emphasis mine
 
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littleflower25:
Same family member, invited me to attend St.Joan or Arc for a Sunday service (I’m not even going to call it a Mass since it’s

not even close to conforming with the GIRM). I was horrified. Anyone and everyone can take Communion. Many of the

parishioners have never called themselves Catholic or ever been members of the Catholic church. No holy water at the doors.

No regularly scheduled Confession times (since the parish seems to deny all existence of individual sin-not surprising).

Holding hands during the “Our Father”. No sign of a Tabernacle or a Cross. Communion was chaos with multiple lines of

people going all over the place and tripping over each other. I overhead the Priest say “CUP of Christ” when he offerred it

to the Communion Servers. Gee, I’ve been a Catholic for 37 years and never knew we were supposed to be honoring the vessel

and not the contents (!).

They recently had to be TOLD by the Archdiocese not to have guest Homilists (meaning non-Priests) and TOLD to have the Priest

vest during the entire service. St. Joan’s “got around” both by have the guest speak before the “official” start of the

service and the Priest wears an alb (only) during the entire service (previously, he only put an alb on before Communion and

took it off right after. He was in street clothes before he put the alb on)

St. Joan of Arc is a Protestant church disguised as a Catholic one, living happily off the Catholic dole and on Catholic

property.

Sorry for the tirade! I could go on and on but their website says it all. Check it out for yourselves: www.stjoan.com

I encourage as many people as possible to pray that this scandal can be stopped and to write to Archbishop Harry Flynn c/o

Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis 226 Summit Ave. St. Paul MN 55102. The Archbishop has been given the opportunity to

change this parish and educate the misinformed parishioners. I pray that he takes it!

Peace
littleflower25
Click to expand...
littleflower,

I see this was your first post. You should do a search for “St.Joan’s, or SJA” or something similar…you will see we have been howling about that “church” for a loooong time. You’ll be fascinated by what you read.

I also attended a “service” there once and saw the same things you did…but at the time I was a fallen away Catholic so I didn’t see as clearly…but I left, shaken to my core.

Even my liberal non-Catholic friend who attended with me commented that it was too much for her and she felt that she was more conservative than she had ever guessed. Thank God for thoses small favors!
 
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davidv:
Before you get too judgemental please recall the Fatima prayer
Emphasis mine
Click to expand...
O my Jesus, forgive us our sins. Save us from the fires of hell. Lead all souls to heaven, especially those in most need of Thy mercy.
Click to expand...
I would believe that those “in most need of His mercy” are the little ones he has led into apostasy.
Matthew 18: 6 But he that shall scandalize one of these little ones that believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone should be hanged about his neck, and that he should be drowned in the depth of the sea.
Click to expand...
Mark 9:41 And whosoever shall scandalize one of these little ones that believe in me; it were better for him that a millstone were hanged around his neck, and he were cast into the sea.
Click to expand...
Luke 17:2 It were better for him, that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he cast into the sea, than that he should scandalize one of these little ones.
Click to expand...
Mercy to those who got dragged away from their FAITH. Who will teach others apostate beliefs. All from the foul priest.
May he receive God’s Justice, recognize it, and FROM there repent and not meet the Millstone.
I may even pray for that. After all, the Apocolypse reveals those saints who pray for Justice against their persecuters.
God have Mercy on the suffering members of that parish.
Amen.
ps emphasis mine.
 
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TNT:
I would believe that those “in most need of His mercy” are the little ones he has led into apostasy.

Mercy to those who got dragged away from their FAITH. Who will teach others apostate beliefs. All from the foul priest.
May he receive God’s Justice, recognize it, and FROM there repent and not meet the Millstone.
I may even pray for that. After all, the Apocolypse reveals those saints who pray for Justice against their persecuters.
God have Mercy on the suffering members of that parish.
Amen.
ps emphasis mine.
Click to expand...
Would also have condemned Saul before he converted?
 
40.png
TNT:
I would believe that those “in most need of His mercy” are the little ones he has led into apostasy.

Mercy to those who got dragged away from their FAITH. Who will teach others apostate beliefs. All from the foul priest.
May he receive God’s Justice, recognize it, and FROM there repent and not meet the Millstone.
I may even pray for that. After all, the Apocolypse reveals those saints who pray for Justice against their persecuters.
God have Mercy on the suffering members of that parish.
Amen.
ps emphasis mine.
Click to expand...
Would you also to have condemned Saul before he converted?
 
stjoan.com/highlightsfr.htm check it out… tell me, what is a slide projectionist at the sunday gym “mass?” what’s a host, especially when eucharistic ministers are listed as well? One last thing, does it say Catholic anywhere on the website?
 
I wish the Archbishop would call that parish together, say,“I’m afraid you’ve misunderstood…I will be appointing the pastor. And, BTW, this is a CATHOLIC parish.” If they don’t like it, then they have the dreadful freedom to leave the Church.
 
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