Christian Brothers former provincial: Fondling, not a crime but a moral failing.

Yes.

That is how things used to be - just about everywhere.  That is why sexual abuse was swept under the rug - in the Church and out of the Church.  We find it incomprehensible by today's standards - but that is how it was.  What am I talking about?

Christian Brothers saw sexual abuse as moral failing, not crime.

Brother Anthony Shanahan, a former province leader of the Christian Brothers in WA, yesterday gave evidence at the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse in Perth. 

The inquiry is examining alleged sexual and physical abuse in four homes run by the Brothers in Perth, Tardun and Bindoon between 1947 and 1968. 

Brother Anthony told the hearing that the mindset at the time meant abuse was not thought of as a crime, but as a moral fault or failing. 'I think they saw it as something that was abhorrent, harmful - although I don't think they understood it as harmful in the way we would now, in terms of consequences for the victim, but something that was abhorrent and harmful and that was the way they dealt with it,' he said. 

The chair of the Commission, Justice Peter McClellan, described the comments as extraordinary. 

Brother Anthony said brothers who had been accused of abusing students at boarding houses were often sent to day schools. Brother Anthony also told the hearing one of the rules laid out in the Brothers' Constitution from 1962 stated that they were prevented from developing particular friendships with their students or fondling them. 

He said a brother accused of fondling a boy might receive a warning and be transferred from a boarding house to a day school where it was thought there might be 'less opportunity for misconduct.' - Source

It explains so much about the culture within institutions and generally, within Western society at the time - but more shockingly so, within the culture of religious life.  I really believe these things demonstrate that something was already wrong within religious life and seminaries far before the Council and reforms of Vatican II.

Likewise, there was a strange sense of sin or moral failing as if removed from civil law, as well as an exaggerated fear of scandal.  Not so much for those scandalized but for being the source of scandal - of losing ones good name.  Often enough, the victim became the scapegoat - sharing some of the blame - a notion entirely unacceptable by today's standard, while the perpetrator could be absolved in confession and sent away elsewhere to amend his ways - until 'temptation' got the better of him once again, and then maybe he would be punished with a retreat and reassignment to another house.  Repeatedly exonerated:  "You see, the devil hates religious life and will do anything to destroy an otherwise good vocation."   See how that worked?  Religious life almost enabled the bad behavior.  Once in religious, life one had a vocation to be protected, and numbers were important to maintain as well.

It makes me wonder about the good old days.  Did all the priests and religious who abused minors really have vocations in the first place?  Did all those who left religious life after the Council really have genuine vocations?  Maybe religious life really needed to be renewed after years of decay from within?  What if religious leadership had already lost faith and simply bore the semblance and form of religion while living in denial of its power?  Believing instead in its 'success' and 'prestige', while the only power left to them was to control those in their charge?

I don't know.  I'm always trying to make some sort of sense of these stories.

Photo: St. Patrick's College, Strathfield was established in 1928 by the Christian Brothers.

Ordinary Saints.

This is the one whom I approve: the lowly and afflicted man who trembles at my word. - Isaiah 66: 2

I often think of some of the old, solitary men I often noticed at daily Mass at a downtown church I used to go to.  They were quiet, sat off to the side, praying quietly - sometimes for very long stretches. If someone greeted them, they would nod, otherwise they kept to themselves.  They didn't exhibit any outward piety save for what is expected, genuflections and so on.  No touching statues, no pious poses, nothing 'put on'.  They minded their own business.  I never tried to inquire about them, never tried to meet them or engage them - I even tried to avoid glancing at them - so strong the impression they were engaged in prayer.  They slipped in and out of church, be it for Mass or adoration.

Many daily Mass goers are like that.  I think many older folks, male and female, live quiet, contemplative lives - unobtrusive.  They don't meddle - they don't watch who or what kind of person goes to communion.  I doubt they looked around to see who was devout and who was not, or how people were dressed.  They were not at church for that.

I noticed them.  Not a few seemed poor, not particularly well dressed - perhaps lifelong bachelors or widowers - and probably retired manual laborers.  They taught me by their fidelity, their quiet devotion, without calling attention to themselves - I admired what I now recognize as their humble dignity, integrity, guilelessness I suppose.  

It seems to me a big problem with online evangelists and their incessant self disclosures on 'their' conversion and advice on how to befriend people like themselves how to be Catholic and effective and successful and - whatever their shtick happens to be - it just seems to me their whole thing ends up being about them - 'all about me'.  I may be wrong of course.  In fact - it is really none of my business.

However, having painted and prayed with Matt Talbot these past couple of weeks I was reminded of the hidden souls I used to admire.  Matt Talbot was like those men.  He lived quietly and humbly - an ordinary, hidden life - no self promotion or self canonization ever came between him and the Lord. 

That is the secret of sanctity, I think - I hope.

“Some of those who follow Jesus do so in search of power. Perhaps they do not do so with full consciousness. A clear example of this is to be found in John and James, the sons of Zebedee who asked Jesus to seat them in places of honour, one on His right and one on His left in his Kingdom. And in the Church there are climbers, people driven by ambition! There are many of them! But if you like climbing go to the mountains and climb them: it is healthier! Do not come to Church to climb! And Jesus scolds people with this kind of ambitious attitude in the Church”. - Pope Francis

Photo: Grandpa Dobri 

It's getting serious.

“Those who follow Jesus for money, trying to take economic advantage of the parish, of the diocese, of their Christian community, of the hospital, or the college… Let us think of the first Christian community that was swayed by this intention: Simon, Ananias and Sapphira… this has been a temptation right from the beginning. And since, we have heard of so many good Catholics, good Christians, friends and benefactors of the Church that – it has been revealed - acted for personal profit. They presented themselves as benefactors of the Church and made money on the side…” - Pope Francis

[W]e must continue to ask ourselves the question: “in what way do I follow Christ? Only for Him, even to the Cross, or do I do it for power? Do I use the Church, the Christian community, the parish, the diocese to gain some power?”

I see the Pope as a reformer of the clergy and the Church.  I think that is why there is a conspiracy of dissent against just about everything he says and does.  It comes from within and without the Church.

Pray for the Holy Father.

Worthy of note ...

From the writings of Blessed Elena Aiello:


My daughter, look upon my Heart pierced by the thorns of so many sins; my face, disfigured by sorrow; my eyes, filled with tears. The cause of such great sadness is the sight of so many souls going to Hell, and because the Church is wounded – inwardly and outwardly’.


‘The rulers of nations make so much ado and speak of peace. But instead, the whole world will soon be at war, and all mankind will he plunged into sorrow, be cause the justice of God will not be delayed in fulfilling its course, and these events are near. Tremendous will be the upheaval of the whole world, because men — as at the time of the Deluge — have lost God’s way, and are ruled by the spirit of Satan’.


‘Priests must unite by prayers and penance. They must hasten to spread the devotion to the Two Hearts. The hour of my triumph is close at hand. The victory will be accomplished through the love and mercy of the Heart of My Son, and of My Immaculate Heart the Mediatrix between men and God, By accepting this invitation, and by uniting their tears to those of My Sorrowful Heart, priests and religious will obtain great graces for the salvation of poor sinners’.


‘LAUNCH FORTH INTO THE WORLD A MESSAGE TO MAKE KNOWN TO ALL THAT THE
SCOURGE IS NEAR AT HAND, The justice of God is weighing upon the world. Mankind, defiled in the mire, soon will be washed in its own blood, by disease; by famine; by earthquakes; by cloudbursts, tornadoes, floods, and terrible storms; and by war. But men ignore all these warnings, and are unwilling to be convinced that my tears, are plain signs to serve notice that tragic events are hanging over the world, and that the hours of great trials are at hand’. - See more at Blessed Elena*

*According to something I read at the site, these messages were given to Bl. Elena for our times - Our Lady specified it for subsequent generations.  That was in the 1960's.  Just saying.  

Cardinal Gerhard Müller on Conscious Evolution

... they make a pretense of religion but deny its power.

... always trying to learn but never able to reach a knowledge of the truth.

Do not be afraid.

The Church is in good hands.  Cardinal Müller addresses the concerns of the LCWR - clearly.  Fr. Z has the opening remarks made at the Meeting of the Superiors of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith with the Presidency of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious, made a week ago.  It is an incredible document.  What caught my attention is the remarks on Barbara Marx Hubbard and the Conscious Evolution movement which has corrupted various institutes of Catholic religious and Catholic parishes.

"I am worried that the uncritical acceptance of things such as Conscious Evolution seemingly without any awareness that it offers a vision of God, the cosmos, and the human person divergent from or opposed to Revelation evidences that a de facto movement beyond the Church and sound Christian faith has already occurred." - Cardinal Müller

Let me address a second objection, namely that the findings of the Doctrinal Assessment are unsubstantiated. The phrase in the Doctrinal Assessment most often cited as overreaching or unsubstantiated is when it talks about religious moving beyond the Church or even beyond Jesus. Yes, this is hard language and I can imagine it sounded harsh in the ears of thousands of faithful religious. I regret that, because the last thing in the world the Congregation would want to do is call into question the eloquent, even prophetic witness of so many faithful religious women. And yet, the issues raised in the Assessment are so central and so foundational, there is no other way of discussing them except as constituting a movement away from the ecclesial center of faith in Christ Jesus the Lord. 

For the last several years, the Congregation has been following with increasing concern a focalizing of attention within the LCWR around the concept of Conscious Evolution. Since Barbara Marx Hubbard addressed the Assembly on this topic two years ago, every issue of your newsletter has discussed Conscious Evolution in some way. Issues of Occasional Papers have been devoted to it. We have even seen some religious Institutes modify their directional statements to incorporate concepts and undeveloped terms from Conscious Evolution. 

Again, I apologize if this seems blunt, but what I must say is too important to dress up in flowery language. The fundamental theses of Conscious Evolution are opposed to Christian Revelation and, when taken unreflectively, lead almost necessarily to fundamental errors regarding the omnipotence of God, the Incarnation of Christ, the reality of Original Sin, the necessity of salvation and the definitive nature of the salvific action of Christ in the Paschal Mystery. 

My concern is whether such an intense focus on new ideas such as Conscious Evolution has robbed religious of the ability truly to sentire cum Ecclesia. To phrase it as a question, do the many religious listening to addresses on this topic or reading expositions of it even hear the divergences from the Christian faith present? 

This concern is even deeper than the Doctrinal Assessment’s criticism of the LCWR for not providing a counter-point during presentations and Assemblies when speakers diverge from Church teaching. The Assessment is concerned with positive errors of doctrine seen in the light of the LCWR’s responsibility to support a vision of religious life in harmony with that of the Church and to promote a solid doctrinal basis for religious life. I am worried that the uncritical acceptance of things such as Conscious Evolution seemingly without any awareness that it offers a vision of God, the cosmos, and the human person divergent from or opposed to Revelation evidences that a de facto movement beyond the Church and sound Christian faith has already occurred. - WDTPRS

Already occurred ...

He nailed it.  This 'movement' is not the only one in the Church which has gone beyond Catholic teaching in the quest for a development of doctrine on the path of conscious evolution.

History repeating ... Odessa Jews preparing for the worst.

This is incomprehensible.

Odessa’s Jews are prepared to evacuate should the violence in the western Ukrainian city get significantly worse, several community leaders told The Jerusalem Post on Sunday. 

Odessa’s Jewish community numbers some 30,000, down from nearly 40 percent of the city’s population before the Holocaust. 

While Jewish community leaders are unanimous in asserting that the violence is unconnected to the Jewish community and that they do not feel specially targeted, they agreed that, should the situation deteriorate, it would be easy for the spillover to affect their constituents. - Jerusalem Post

Pray the rosary every day for peace - for the conversion of sinners and for peace. 

First Sunday in May

Pray the rosary every day.

It seems to me we may be on the verge of something.

Very soon.

Here's a thought - instead of describing homosexual behavior as 'disordered'...

Stop calling here.

Call it 'impaired'.

Sexually impaired.  It works on so many levels.  Think about it.

Impaired - the sex is im-paired, the natural is impaired.  The parts don't fit, and so on.

Yes, and contraceptive heterosexual relations are too.  So gays aren't that different after all?  Or is it that couples who contracept are gay too?  Both are impaired.

I know!

I'm always here to help!

Back by popular demand.

What?

Is Toonces a boy's name or a girl's name?

Urban gardener.

I think it could go either way.

Sr. Mary Toonces.  Toonces-Bob Thornton.

It's quite a versatile name.

Did you know Toonces is actually a derivative of Anthony?  Tony.  Toony.  Toongabbie in Australia has a church dedicated to St. Anthony.  It's amazing what I know.

What?

I made that up.

So?

PSA:  Anyway - this is the second week of Easter, so there is no Easter Monday through Saturday this week - those titles are reserved for the Octave week.


Art:  Not mine - found it here.

Today is Matt Talbot's Birthday

May 2, 1856

"Somewhere along the path of life of every human being there comes a dread moment when he suddenly sees himself for what he is." - Fr. Ralph Pfau

I had hoped to finish my new painting of Matt Talbot by today - but I have more to do.

I started it last year - then set it aside until last month.  I was working on some other images.

Conversion.

This is the way of the Prodigal Son, who dropped on his knees in the swine pen and cried: "Father, I have sinned" or with it's echo "I am powerless... my life is unmanageable"- and perhaps for the first time in his life that man REALLY prays and begins to MEDITATE, THIS IS THE HUMBLE MAN. And day by day he prays and he MEDITATES on TRUTH lest again he fall back into his former life-long HABIT OF EXCUSES. For the LIFE OF ALL IS LOADED WITH EXCUSES-AND SYSTEMATIC, PERSISTENT AND CONSISTENT MEDITATION ALONE WILL DISSIPATE THEM. "With desolation is the land made desolate because there are none who thinketh in their hearts." - Fr. Pfau

Matt Talbot gave up drink for the rest of his life when he was 28 years old.  He did without it.  Human beings can change, they can give up legitimate goods when their affection for them gets to be disordered and turns out to be an obstacle to union with God.

Sacred Heart of Jesus,

I place all my trust in you!

NFP Classes in my backyard all week.

The rabbits.

Seriously - they just don't quit.

As long as they are open to life,

It's all good.

Minnesota Wild

I'm so excited.

I don't want to jinx it though - so I won't post anything about - you know.

I'm still busy with my project anyway.

The Protection of St. Joseph

Do not be afraid.

Today is a special feast for me.  I owe much to St. Joseph.

I liked the morning meditation from Cardinal Begoglio in Magnificat, on how Joseph was afraid, yet found courage ...

St. Joseph has always saved me, as he saved Our Lady and the Child Jesus.  He also saved me from an isolated life.  He reordered my life, rearranged things.

Prayer.  Never give up prayer.  If you seek chastity - go to Joseph.  He will be your director and protector.  He will teach you to pray, he will be your good Samaritan, he will find you lodging, support, and healing.  He will guide you and bring you to Jesus and Mary, in the Church.  Be not afraid.

What seems impossible for man is possible with God.

O St. Joseph whose protection is so great, so strong,so prompt before the Throne of God,I place in you all my interests and desires.O St. Joseph do assist me by your powerful intercessionand obtain for me from your Divine Sonall spiritual blessings through Jesus Christ, Our Lord;so that having engaged here below your Heavenly powerI may offer my Thanksgiving and Homageto the most Loving of Fathers.O St. Joseph, I never weary contemplating youand Jesus asleep in your arms.I dare not approach while He reposes near your heart.Press him in my name and kiss His fine Head for me,and ask Him to return the Kiss when I draw my dying breath.St. Joseph, Patron of departing souls,pray for us.Amen

Homos Online

When I finish my project I'll have to get back to blogging about queer Catholics.

What?

Seriously - there is a really good film on the subject - gay and Catholic.  Whatever that means.  In the film, people are talking about their conversion, their return, their coming into Catholicism.  The film is called, The Third Way - it is excellent.

The third way is love and acceptance.  The Church calls men and women with same sex attraction to sanctity and a chaste life - in love - charity.  It makes so much sense.  It's not about making gay people straight - it's about becoming saints.

I didn't like the title at first because it seemed to suggest a third sex, so I watched the video.  It strikes me the third way means the Catholic Church offers a third way to those who experience same sex attraction.  The third way is chastity withing the context, the reality of their cultural experience, so to speak.  The world offers an active homosexuality, other churches/programs offer various forms of 'conversion therapy', the Catholic Church offers acceptance, love, and chaste holiness - happiness.

I may not have expressed it very well - just watch the video - here.


Art:  Contemporary depiction of "The Call of Matthew" - source.

Here's a thought. The next Pope.

The Council of Cardinals 

If something should happen to Pope Francis (God forbid), chances are - or I should say, more than likely - one of these men will become the next Pope.

I'm busy painting so all I have time for on the blog is to push buttons and check emails.

That's all.

Signs Above the Cathedral of St. Paul

Cathedral of St. Paul struck by lightning yesterday, Divine Mercy Sunday - at the exact same time the canonizations took place in Rome.

That's what I read.

What?

Song for this post here.

H/T to a blog I'm banned from and forbidden to have contact with.  Photo credit: Kare 11 1398645780000-Allison-Claire---Lightning-in-St-Paul

"Acquiring the Spirit of God is the true aim of our Christian life, while prayer, fasting, almsgiving and other good works done for Christ's sake are merely means for acquiring the Spirit of God." - St. Seraphim

That's it!

Prayer parts the clouds.  Prayer calls fire down from heaven.  Prayer incorporates us into the life of the Holy Trinity dwelling within us.  O then soul, you who seek God in 'things' - don't you know he is within you?  That you are his temple?  "Acquisition of love, proceeding from the Father and the Son, alert me to be ever aware of thy indwelling!"

Great is the power of prayer, and it brings most of all the Spirit of God, and is most easily practiced by everyone. We shall be happy indeed if the Lord God finds us watchful and filled with the gifts of His Holy Spirit. Then we may boldly hope "to be caught up . . . in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air" (1 Thess. 4:17) Who is coming "with great power and glory" (Mk. 13:26) "to judge the living and the dead" (1 Peter 4:5) and "to reward every man according to his works" (Matt. 16:27). - St. Seraphim of Sarov

Never give up prayer. 

Divine Mercy and Storms

In the diary of St. Faustina, Our Lord revealed to her that he sometimes speaks to souls through storms...
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"Write that I am speaking to them through their remorse of conscience, through their failures and sufferings, through thunderstorms, through the voice of the Church." 1728 (90) Diary, Divine Mercy In My Soul
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The night before Our Lord gave St. Faustina the chaplet, she saw in a vision a great storm threatening the earth, and she had no other recourse but to pray  the words of the chaplet she heard interiorly.  "As I was praying in this manner, I saw the Angel's helplessness: he could not carry out the just punishment which was rightly due for sins."  - 474-475 Diary
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I gathered from this that the chaplet of Divine Mercy may be efficacious against storms as well.  
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Eternal Father, I offer you the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity, of Your Dearly Beloved Son, Our Lord, Jesus Christ, in atonement for our sins and those of the whole world.  For the sake of His sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
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Link:
How to pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet

Jesus, I trust in you.

A Cloud Over the Canonizations

Sorry.

That is my sense.



Photo:  Benedict escorted by Ganswein.  They both have aged considerably.  Source.

Second Sunday of Easter - Divine Mercy Sunday

Mass chat ...

The homily at the Mass I attended was all about Earth Day and saving the planet.  That was it.

So anyway...