St Louis rebel Bozek says he is ready to go - again [CN-USA]
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ALLGIRLS
Guest
A dissenting priest starting his own church. Wow. How original. 
How the members of St. Stan’s didn’t see this coming is beyond me.
In Christ
Ellen
How the members of St. Stan’s didn’t see this coming is beyond me.
In Christ
Ellen
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Dale_M
Guest
Its a strange story, alright.
St. Stanislaus was incorporated, more than 100 years ago, with an unusual governing structure which allowed it to control its own finances and property. Archbishop Burke wanted that structure to change, bringing it conformity with the other churches in the St. Louis Archdiocese. However,the board of St. Stanislaus refused, and Archbishop Burke pulled its priest and refused to assign any other. A stand off ensued.
Fr. Marek Bozek offered to serve as priest, and requested permission from Burke. When he was refused, Bozek came anyways and began serving as pastor. After a great deal of controversy, the end result was that the board was excommunicated, Bozek was laicized, and St. Stanislaus recognition as belonging to the Catholic Church was formally revoked.
However… a priest who is willing to defy the authority of the local archbishop is likely to be a bit of renegade on other issues too, such as “…celibacy, an all male priesthood, or rejection of divorced people or rejection of gay and lesbian couples.”
kmox.com/Controversial-Polish-priest-in-St–Louis-looks-to-/6897596
His heterodox views alienated the more traditional members of St. Stanislaus, including many of the excommunicated board members. So Bozek arranged to have those board members replaced. They, in turn, reconciled with the Catholic Church and began working with the archdiocese to return St. Stanislaus to the fold.
stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/religion/story/8C7EAED412B483968625771200008E19?OpenDocument
Fr. Bozek has been quoted that he will stay at St. Stanislaus as long as they have no other priest, which may be months in the making.
Another problem is that Bozek’s views have attracted a sizable number of new parishioners who agree with him on homosexuality, the ordination of women, etc. So there will have to be some shaking out of who stays and who leaves.
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ALLGIRLS
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Oh, I know the whole story, I’m in the St.Louis Archdiocese (very interesting the Saturday morning when the front page headline of the Post-Dispatch was “EXCOMMUNICATED!”). But, c’mon, the guy disobeys his own Bishop to come pastor a flock who’s disobeying their Bishop, and then they’re really surprised when he starts expressing even more dissenting opinions? I’m wondering if Bozek just didn’t use the whole St. Stan’s thing as a springboard for his own personal agenda?
In Christ,
Ellen
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qui_est_ce
Guest
You went to Cor Jesu, you must be smart. I guess that’s a rhetorical question?I’m wondering if Bozek just didn’t use the whole St. Stan’s thing as a springboard for his own personal agenda?
In Christ,
Ellen
Bozek drives a BMW and lives in a loft on Washington Ave., because living in the rectory is too “stressful.” His choice of dinner companions are too limited there.
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wisdomseeker
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and he is going to find a Catholic Church? how many have tried that one?
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AlphaOmega
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Did Mr. Marek Bozek follow another dissident bishop? I wonder how this is reconcilable with church authorities when he has gone under a defrocked bishop?
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Dale_M
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Ellen, I apologize for not acknowledging that in my earlier post. I saw where you lived, and figured you were well informed about the history and the current events. However, since the story is a long running one, people not in the area (such as myself) tend to forget. So I intended my post simply to be a re-cap of events for the sake of us outsiders. I should have made that clear.
It does seem likely. He has said his plan, after leaving St. Stanislaus, is to establish a “Catholic church” which has no connection to the Vatican. I suppose it will be easier since St Stanislaus has given him a platform to achieve some degree of local fame and a following.But, c’mon, the guy disobeys his own Bishop to come pastor a flock who’s disobeying their Bishop, and then they’re really surprised when he starts expressing even more dissenting opinions? I’m wondering if Bozek just didn’t use the whole St. Stan’s thing as a springboard for his own personal agenda?
No, he was a diocesan priest in Springfield, Missouri and abandoned his parish, without permission from his bishop, to move to St. Louis. That bishop then suspended him and started proceedings to have him laicized… which eventually happened.
fox2now.com/ktvi-marek-bozek-dismissed-priest-030909,0,7196452.story
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Victorious
Guest
I have to say, the concerns of the (relatively) more traditional members of St. Stanislaus was late in coming, though better late than never. None of the developments with this renegade parish and its rogue priest are a surprise. Here was a priest who, in addition to all the stuff recited earlier in this thread, (a) went around with a silver bishop’s ring; (b) declared himself “willing” to serve as “bishop” of an “underground” church; (c) entered into “talks” with Married Priests Now!, which is headed by the archbishop-turned-Moonie-apostate Emmanuel Milingo; and (d) also entered into “talks” with a “Catholic” priestess-headed outfit called the “Therese of Divine Peace Inclusive Community,” which is based out of a Unitarian church and which has earned my resentment not only for heresy and schism, but also for co-opting St. Therese of Lisieux, who has taken care of me for years.
Bozek is quite simply off his rocker. Unfortunately, he has taken a lot of people with him.
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