Jay Stewart ([info]bbwoof) wrote,
@ 2006-01-06 18:18:00
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St. Stanislaus: the final straw? Probably not...
King George has declared us to be in rebellion, why can't we?

So, St Stanislaus is no longer a Roman Catholic church. It's over. Right? Don't bet on it. The no-longer-exactly-right Archdiocese of St Louis may instigate a lawsuit against St Stanislaus' board of directors, citing that they were originally chartered "to unite a church congregation of Polish Roman Catholics to maintain a Polish Roman Catholic Church".

Of course, if this happens, it will be all too obvious to even the most religiously blind person that this whole brouhaha was all about the Archdiocese getting control of the land and buildings. Since the RC Church has now abrogated any connection with St Stanislaus, it would have no reason to initiate any further action of any sort regarding the newly-independent church.

Burke wrote in his letter that he issued the decree "with great sadness given the parish's long history" and prays daily for reconciliation.

Ah, but what room for reconciliation has he allowed? None dare call it hypocrisy.

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[info]beckyzoole
2006-01-07 12:48 am UTC (link)
prays daily for reconciliation

I'll bet he does. He prays to get control of the parish's $9 million in assets.

Why do people do stupid things like this?

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[info]fleabear
2006-01-07 12:20 pm UTC (link)
because they are greedy assholes.

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[info]semperfiona
2006-01-07 04:20 pm UTC (link)
This is the thing that makes no sense to me. First he excommunicates the board and the priest, accusing them of acts of schism. Then he turns around and throws the whole parish out of the church. Who's schismatic now?

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[info]ithildae
2006-01-08 01:01 am UTC (link)
An analogy can be made to tax cuts. Do we cut taxes to encourage more investment in the broader economy, with eventual expansion, or do we increase taxes now and trust the economy to remain unchanged? The fit is not exact, but the tradeoff between present and future is the same. Ultimately, the exercise is about control, not money.

Archbishop Burke wants the money NOW, there is no later. If he were intelligent, he would use the parish revenues to support clergy for adjacent parishes, by simply asking nicely if there were room in the apartments. He could squeeze out other long term benefits for the church by simply asking the parish to support an ongoing program. That way he could derive substantial benefit without alienating anyone.

Unfortunately, the last 25 years in the Catholic Church has been all about consolidating power in Rome. The independent Bishops of the America's were causing problems throughout the hemisphere. The current crop of Bishops ask Rome before sneezing. That command and control mindset being instilled in the clergy makes St. Stan. an Irritant with a capital 'I'.

Direction from the church headquarters is an important point if you have a theocratic organization. Direction comes from G-d, and the church should follow it. (there is a tradition of ignoring prophets, but we can ignore that.) Expecting obedience on this basis should be an acceptable demand. Demanding the money so you can shut down the parish does not seem to be a way of servicing the needs of the members (In my opinion, the primary function of a Church, reflecting the primary purpose of G-d.)

In short, Burke is using the wrong arguments to support the wrong reasons for his actions. That means that everyone suffers.

I do not see where hypocrisy comes into play. (I am an interested outsider and do not see all the moves, that means that I am probably wrong.) Burke seems to have clearly signaled his intention, to absorb the assets of the parish and shut it down, from the very beginning. He is not doing anything other than attempting to achieve that objective.

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[info]beckyzoole
2006-01-10 02:27 am UTC (link)
I do not see where hypocrisy comes into play.

To me, it seems hypocritical for someone to call himself a pastor and a man of G-d, and yet drive people away from his church through money-grubbing. But maybe I am too idealistic.

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[info]ithildae
2006-01-10 04:06 am UTC (link)
Burke is a Bishop. That means that he is responsible for the spiritual elements of his see as well as the financial running of the organization. The money grubbing is part of his spiritual calling.

As for the "driving people away" part, ... OK, I can't think of a reason in the world to justify that behavior. I understand it, he feels his rights and responsibilities are infringed, or something like that. What I am getting the sense of is personal pique. That is unseemly from anyone in a position of responsibility over others, and worse from a representative of Christ. (That is how he should see himself, even if other faiths do not acknowledge it.)

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The similarities between our opinions are amazing!
[info]bbwoof
2006-01-10 04:50 am UTC (link)
Letter to the Editor (not printed), St Louis Post-Dispatch, 27 December 2005:

==================================================================

The Most Reverend Archbishop Raymond Burke may be a Godly man, but he is a poor businessman.

In his zeal to bring St. Stanislaus Kostka Parish "back into the fold," Burke has forgotten what the Catholic Church -- or any church -- is supposed to be all about: ministering to the spiritual needs of the people.

In the past couple of years, the parishoners of St. Stanislaus have seen precious little of that from the Diocese. If Burke wants St Stan to buy what he's selling, he should find a way to show them that he has something to sell.

Instead, he has driven them to find a different vendor. Is it any wonder that they have done so?

Jay C. Stewart
Priest, Four Winds Fellowship
St Louis

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