There's a priest at my church that celebrates the 9:30 mass on Sundays. That's the one we attend, since it's most convenient for us. This priest has never impressed me much, such that I have trouble recalling his name--Father John Foster. He's not the official parish priest, but one who assists the aging Monsignor O'Callaghan. He speaks in a tedious monotone, and in the past has espoused such thinly-veiled arch-conservative beliefs that I've become physically uncomfortable.
This weekend he hit a new low. Decrying the "evils" and "depravity" of the Gulf Coast, he condemned the casinos, Mardi Gras, and pretty much everything else before finishing with "It's just sad that the innocent had to suffer as well." The clear implication, of course, was that New Orleans is the modern version of Soddom and Gomorrah, and that God specifically directed the hurricane at it to punish the wicked. In other words, they deserved everything they got, and the hurricane was a good thing.
Father Foster didn't say it in so many words. Oh, no, he's too clever for that. But he excells in the ability to paint a picture with only a few dots left for the listener to connect. His meaning is clear and unmistakable. And I used to wonder why there were fallen-away Catholics...
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Fascinating. How do you deal with such a thing, when the priest's opinions are so contrary to your own?
ReplyDeleteWell, I've stewed over it for a few days. It may seem ineffectual, but I've decided to write a letter to the monsignor pointing out the inappropriateness of the comments. I've only met O'Callaghan a few times, but he struck me as a friendly, open sort. Not liberal, per se, but certainly not judgemental. I don't know if it'll do any good, but I'm fed up with Foster making these kinds of broad, disguised condemnations. Somebody's got to call him on it.
ReplyDeleteThere are two other Catholic churches in town, but they're heavily Hispanic. Which isn't a problem in and of itself, but sometimes the masses are in Spanish, which can be off-putting if you don't have a solid grasp of the language. And it's not like there's a firm schedule. We've attended mass where it starts off in English, then abruptly shifted to Spanish halfway through with no explanation or warning. I've never encountered that before.
Correct me if I'm wrong about this, but are you actually allowed to attend a different church? My understand was that Catholic parishes were like voting precincts, and that where you live determines which church you're required to attend. (In Judaism, people routinely pick and choose which synagogue they will join. There's an old joke about a Jewish man who is rescued from a desert island after ten years. He's managed to build two synagogues for himself, because the first one is the one he attends, and the second one is the one he refuses to set foot in.)
ReplyDeleteNo, it doesn't quite work like that. Bear in mind that I'm not great expert on the legalistic aspects of dioscean affairs.
ReplyDeleteWe're registered members of Sts. Peter and Paul, but can attend any Catholic church we'd want to. Were there an Eastern Rite nearby, we could go to that. San Fernando Cathedral down in San Antonio has a weekly mariachi mass we've wanted to attend, but haven't been able to make the logistics work.
Now, in most cases, priests go where they are assigned by the bishop--unlike most Protestant denominations, the congregation gets no say in the matter. Growing up, for a number of years we had a priest who was a severe alcoholic. He was abusive and behaved inappropriately to the nuns and laypeople. When the laity went to the bishop to discuss the situation, they were chastized for being "disrespectful" and trying to undermine the priest. Fun.
There are certain things, sacraments, etc., that have to be pursued through your member parish, but that's neither here nor there. The assigned church angle may have existed pre-Vatican II, but I nor my wife have ever heard of it.
I'm a little older than you Jayme - when I was a kid growing up in Massachusetts, the rule was you told the diocese where you lived, and they told you what church you attended: Period. But that's probably pre-Vatican II stuff.
ReplyDeleteFrom what I can tell, for like the last 30 or 40 years Catholic membership is done like with the congregational denominations - you can go where you choose.
(I actually remember the Mass being mumbled in Latin when I was real little - didn't understand a word of it, but it SOUNDED so impressive.
Of course, for most of my adult life, I belonged to the largest Catholic denomination (Lapsed), but when I got married I took the plunge (literally) and became a Baptist (married a 5th generation Texas Southern Baptist).
Both Catholics and Baptists are conservative theologically - not as big a difference as you would think. But like you, I have to bite my tongue when somebody makes a horses' ass of himself from the pulpit.
My most recent foray into the depths of Catholicism was reading "Sanctuary" by, well, jeepers, Michael Burstein! It was very well researched and the story I enjoyed the most in that issue of Analog.
I CANNOT BELIEVE Mike told the very same joke I heard in a Baptist Sunday School Class! Except the punch line was, "That's the church I attend, and that's the church I used to go to."
I guess congregational religious denominations all have the same problem - Jewish or Baptist! Hilarious!
Hey, Lou, I'm glad you liked "Sanctuary." I did a lot of research to make sure I got it right, including running the story by a Jesuit astronomer I know who lives and works in the Vatican.
ReplyDelete"a Jesuit astronomer I know who lives and works in the Vatican."
ReplyDeleteWow, you got friends all over the place!
Seriously, it was obvious you did a lot of research for the story. Good job!
That sounds like it was a cool story to research, Michael. I read a feature story just last month on the Vatican's extensive astronomy programs. They still have the historic observatory built over the ruins of Nero's palace, but the real goes on over in Tucson.
ReplyDeleteAnd Lou, yeah, you're older than me (you old fart). I figured it might be a pre-Vatican II issue. Of course, it might not be pre-Vatican II for much longer, as Benedict seems to want to turn the clock back in more ways than one!