Thursday, March 30, 2006
FROM THE EMAILBOX - LORD HAVE MERCY !
I recently had an interesting email exchange with a blog reader. He described some of his experiences and I requested permission to blog them. We were discussing Michael Rose's book, Goodbye! Good Men.
You could consider me a Spiritual Son of Saint Francis Xavier as my ancestors were baptized by Saint Francis Xavier or by zealous Missionaries that followed him in the 16th Century.
I am a South Asian Catholic of Portuguese Descent. I lived in the United States for 5 years mostly in the East. Unfortunately, I also had some traumatic experiences in Religious Life specially in a Trappist Monastery as a Postulant and later when I was in formation at a Third Order Franciscan Friary.
So, I am well aware of the problems in the Catholic Church in the United States. An excellent book that comes to mind is "Good Bye Good Men" by Michael Rose which explains the extent to which Homosexuality is rampant in the Priesthood and Religious Life.
The Awesome Homilies of Father Robert J. Altier were totally responsible for bringing me back to the practice of the Catholic Faith as I was on the verge of leaving the Catholic Church completely as a result of these traumatic experiences and I was on the verge of joining a Baptist Church or a Pentecostal Church.
When I was quite depressed as a result of these experiences I happened to be surfing on the Internet looking for Homilies on the Blessed Sacrament by a Solid Priest when I quite accidentally came across the Site "A VOICE IN THE DESERT" and the Homilies of Father Altier.
The Homilies of Father Altier were a "LIFELINE" to me when I needed them most. What if I had not come across them -- I could have become a "BIBLE CHRISTIAN FUNDAMENTALIST" as I had already started to loathe every Catholic Priest I had come across or experienced in these two Religious Orders as well as other Religious Orders where Straight Guys were and possibly are looked upon with great hatred.
It seems that you need to be a "Queen" of some sorts as a qualification to enter a Monastery or Friary. That is what the Director of Postulants of a Franciscan Order said to me.
Words are not enough to explain what the Homilies have done for me. They have miraculously transformed me in a way I just cannot describe, specially with regard to my love for the Sacraments, Our Lady, and Church Teaching.
That is why I am indignant and enraged so to speak with regard to the action by Archbishop Flynn against Father Altier.
Not only does this blog reader belive that Michael Rose's book is accurate, he also recommends Donald Cozzens book, THE CHANGING FACE OF THE PRIESTHOOD, which I haven't read because it comes out of my own diocese, and I still want to be able to attend Mass without having to speculate about the priest before me during it.
With a problem in the priesthood that is as pervasive as Michael Rose and Donald Cozzens describe, and this blog reader with first-hand experience attests to, we should be getting a strong response from Rome, one that includes threats of excommunication and charges of heresy. What are we getting?
Trips. The sequel.
Abandonment of the Latin Patriarchy.
One document that the bishops spin into business as usual.
And priests who preach an orthodox Catholicism silenced.
I'm supposed to be happy about a cleaned up priesthood because, you know, the bishops have addressed it and it's history now.
The priests may no longer be buggering little boys, but no one even talks about consensual adult to adult homosexuality in the seminary and priesthood. Which I believe is a much greater problem than the stuff in the headlines has been.
Celibacy and ordination are not a ticket to a non-stop sexual funhouse.
Our Lady of Fatima, pray for us!
