US Bishop Change: Crookston, Minnesota

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Happy retirement Bishop Balke! He has been going through many health issues recently. I hope he can have a long and healthy retirement.

I have mixed feelings about former Vicar Hoeppner after hearing him do a homily when he was filling in a parish gap one weekend.
 
Pope accepts Crookston bishop’s retirement; appoints replacement
Code: 
      CROOKSTON, Minn.
    Pope Benedict XVI has accepted the resignation of longtime Crookston Bishop Victor Balke and on Friday announced that Balke will be replaced by the Rev. Michael Hoeppner, Vicar General of the Diocese of Winona
…

Balke has been seen as one of the more progressive bishops in the U.S. Roman Catholic church, particularly in his promotion of women to leadership roles. For example, he has appointed nuns as pastoral administrators and associates of parishes.

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NewUlm1976_2000 said:
Happy retirement Bishop Balke! He has been going through many health issues recently. I hope he can have a long and healthy retirement.

I have mixed feelings about former Vicar Hoeppner after hearing him do a homily when he was filling in a parish gap one weekend.
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What was the homily on? What did he say?
 
Bruised_Reed said:
What was the homily on? What did he say?
Click to expand...
It was during the early of fall 2004. It was way too political for my tastes and he seemed to be doing everything to say vote Republican period based on a narrow view on what it is acceptable to vote on (e.g. only abortion and gay marriage) without actually being point blank about it. He was a subsistute priest that week and I thought he was out of place in doing that given that the usual priest never treads into those areas.

He has also been more “by the book and legalistic” than Bishop Harrington when writing his opinion pieces in the diocese newspaper, one that stands out is his response to those who disagreed and wrote the diocese about the major push for the anti-gay marriage amendment on the state level here in Minnesota (pre-printed post cards to send in to legislature which I thought should not have been done) (which thankfully failed to go anywhere in St Paul).

I hope that as he is now a Bishop, he will become more pastoral and less legalistic when leading his flock in Northwest Minnesota.
 
Since when is it “legalistic” to proclaim the teachings of the Church? Advocating gay marriage or abortion is a deal breaker. There’s no equivalent to “carbon offsets” to offset the murder of the unborn.

The more Bishops we have in North America who will not compromise with the Culture of Death, or attacks on the family, the better.

Blessings,

Gerry
 
Rev. Fr. Hoeppner sounds like a good priest if he gave a homily about the sin of abortion and practicing homosexuality. Maybe he has given a homily about the necessity of getting to the sacrament of Confession also. So hurray for him if he isn’t
speaking to please but to carry Our Lord’s teachings. God Bless!
 
Msgr. Hoeppner is indeed a good priest and I’m sure he will make a good bishop.
 
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