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KARL KEATING'S E-LETTER
TOPICS:
READER'S ROUNDTABLE
Dear Friend of Catholic Answers:
Saturday night, at my wife's instigation, we attended the Simon and
Garfunkel concert in San Diego. (Somewhere, across the hall, were "This
Rock" editor Tim Ryland and his wife.) For most in the audience, it was
an exercise in nostalgia, though there were some younger attendees who
could not have had any recollection of a duo that broke up three decades
ago.
When the singers' images were projected on the large screens, I thought
to myself, "Good Lord, they're old!" Simon and Garfunkel are both 62.
Even older are the Everly Brothers, who gave S&G a break by coming on
stage to sing several of their songs, which were recorded in the late
fifties.
And then I remembered that I, now in my second half-century, am not so
many years behind these guys. When I was a teenager, they seemed
"mature" if not quite "old." Today they seem like contemporaries. Such
is life.
ON THE SAN DIEGO FIRES
Fr. Mario Elias, a priest in National City (which is just to the south
of San Diego) said that the October 28 E-Letter "gives a realistic and
deeper perspective of the acts of nature and acts of God and their
effects on the human person. I like most the two last paragraphs, giving
hope to those in painful situations."
Bernadette Powers said, "How beautifully you described the desecration
by fire of your beautiful area. I had no idea of what it was like up
close and personal. That was one of your best E-Letters."
Susan Pfaff was equally kind: "Your E-Letter was so beautifully put, it
brought tears to my eyes. Thanks for putting things in perspective."
Michele Tamurian wrote from Syracuse, New York: "I teach in a Catholic
school and we, along with 311 children, are praying each and every day
during our morning prayers for all of you there." Thanks, I'm sure the
prayers helped.
Michael Brunker was in the path of the fire. "We live near the Mission
Trails area and were evacuated on Sunday night. Never knew Karl lived in
the area. I would like to meet him some day." Well, come by the office
some time, Mr. Brunker!
Lastly, from my friend Leon Suprenant, president of Catholics United for
the Faith: "Thanks for this message, Karl. Our thoughts and prayers are
with you, the Catholic Answers staff, and all those affected by the
blaze."
SYNOD CYNICISM
In the November 4 E-Letter I recounted the uselessness of the synod put
on by the Diocese of San Diego in 1975 and noted that the Diocese of
Rockville Center has a synod in the works now. I wondered whether the
folks there would end up satisfied with the process or, as I was,
frustrated. That E-Letter got a lot of response.
Chris Dobrowolski said, "Great e-letter. I expect you to take some heat
for this, but so be it."
Not much heat but some. Here is a comment by a priest from Rockville
Center. He was replying to a parishioner who shared with him my
E-Letter:
"I sincerely don't think that Karl has the slightest idea of the synod
process. [Our parish] held three listening sessions; about 100 people
attended the sessions. All topics are allowed to be surfaced, even those
that don't have any hope of moving ahead at the present time. ... The
Spirit moves in very strange ways; perhaps Karl has forgotten that truth
of our faith."
Inasmuch as I participated in a synod and have visited the web site that
explains the Rockville Center synod, I think I have a good idea of the
procedures. In the E-Letter I questioned the prudence of letting people
"vent" about "all topics." This leads to frustration for some of them,
since what they want (women priests, for example) never will come to
pass.
The priest made no attempt to address any of my points. The best he
could do was to throw out a few ad hominem remarks. (But wait a second!
Maybe I really have forgotten that the Spirit moves in strange ways. Let
me check my current list of beliefs ...)
The priest's comments exemplify the clericalist attitude that, in part,
is behind the continuing scandals in the Church in America. It used to
be said that clericalism was rampant before Vatican II and that the
Council fixed the problem. Hardly. As most people on the outside of the
rectory door realize, clericalism is worse today than it was forty or
fifty years ago.
Now let's return to comments from folks in the pews:
Erik Dunleavy said, "I was disturbed about the idea of the synod because
I feel the bishops and the priests are the leaders, not the laity. Then
I thought, well, if they want my ideas, I will give them. Following
their suggestion I went to the web site and promptly found that the
result was preordained. Perhaps I should have done what you did and gone
anyway, but I didn't read your E-Letter until after the event. Serves me
right, I should read my e-mail more promptly."
Stephen Moosbrugger is not a happy camper either: "I have experienced
diocesan bureaucrats first hand, and they all seem to me to be
professionally trained, based on their ability to stifle any divergences
to their agenda. Keep up the terrific work, Karl, we love you here in
Minnesota!"
Writing about the Diocese of St. Petersburg's program that trains
"pastoral ministers," one person (whose name I am withholding) said, "At
the theology instruction, the instructor--a priest--repeated three times
in a row that, unlike Thomas Aquinas, we cannot prove God's existence by
referring to the order in nature because, he said, science has shown
that there is no order in the universe! Since I have lived and breathed
science all my life, I objected. He smugly replied: 'Then what about
Einstein's Theory of Relativism?'"
What a hoot! It's the Theory of Relativity, Father, not the Theory of
Relativism, and it has nothing to do with whether we can infer the
existence of God from observing order in the universe.
>From a reader in San Jose, commenting on a synod report: "What a waste
of time for a document that produces nothing. In the end more money is
extracted from the parishes, and the diocese is still run by feminists."
Bonnie Byrne of Newport, Washington, wrote, "I can't help but think that
the Church would be better served by dumping all of these endless
committees and spending that time and energy in prayer and fasting.
Pretty old-fashioned, I know. But many of the Church's great reformers
only began their reform after much prayer and personal mortification.
They began by reforming themselves and then started on their own
communities."
Two years ago Allen T. Ward went to Rockville Center to attend a
friend's ordination as deacon. "It was more of a circus than an
ordination. I should have known better as my wife's cousin has been a
deacon there for about ten years. I would discuss this further but I
just went to confession. The year I left the diocese of about 1.2
million Catholics there were zero ordinations. That is zero as in none,
zip, zilch, and nada! I would much rather talk about backpacking."
So would I, Mr. Ward--which reminds me, I should start planning for
another group backpacking trip. So far, my thoughts turn to the Grand
Canyon in March (cool at the top but warm at the river) and the Sierra
Nevada in August. I'm open to comments from readers, but please don't
suggest places with black flies, humidity, or no real elevation change
(sorry, Floridians!).
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