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* July 28: "Jesus and the In-Between Times: Finding Jesus During Times of Transition," Sister Joan Sobala, SSJ, pastoral administrator, Our Lady of Lourdes, Brighton/St. Anne, Rochester
The final five summer Theology on Taps will take place at 7 p.m. at Johnny’s Irish Pub, 1382 Culver Road, Rochester. Dates, topics and speakers are:
* Aug. 6: "What Would Jesus Recycle?," Sr. Donna DelSanto, vocations director, Sisters of St. Joseph of Rochester
* Aug. 13: "Imaging Jesus: Images of Jesus for Young Adults," Jamie Fazio, campus minister, Nazareth College, Pittsford
* Aug. 19: "Catholicism 101," Father Joseph Marcoux, sacramental minister, St. Michael, Lyons/St. John the Evangelist, Clyde/St. Patrick, Savannah
* Aug. 27: "Jesus and Human Freedom," Anna Palo, director of women's ministry at Rochester's Artisan Church, and Sue Howard, pastoral associate at Rochester's Blessed Sacrament Parish
* Sept. 3: "Jesus and Sexual Morality," Sister Karen Dietz, SSJ, pastoral administrator, St. Agnes Parish, Avon
...
Friday, June 13, 2008
Your Theology on Tap program isn't so bad
Rochester's summer lineup is a veritable "spot the malcontent" contest:
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Wow - it sure is hard to pick which one to avoid the most!!
I thought ToT was generally on the up-and-up. Does it really hinge on the bishop's orthodoxy (or lack thereof?)
Artisan Church
I'm adding "thank you, God, for putting me in the diocese of Arlington VA when I left Ohio" to my prayers tonight. Flee, young Catholics of Rochester...I especially like how all their parishes seem to be run by women and the priest is just a "sacramental minister."
As a clarifier to ToT, each local board sets the schedule and speaker line-up, with the approval and oversight of the diocesan young adult ministry office.
Some things have changed when ToT was brought under the fold of Renew International, but I'm not too sure of the extent of the changes, yet, at this point.
Here in Cinci, we try hard to get a good mix of witness/personal testimony and the solid catechetical content. While it could always be better, I think we've got a good schedule here. Apparently, it isn't universal!
I looked at the site for "Artisan Church," and I can't figure out what that has to do with the post... that said, there is such a sameness to all these churches. They are founded and attended by well-meaning, earnest people, often suburbanites or the "new urban" folks (prosperous people moving back into cities). They want to go to church a lot, listen to music that moves them, and do random acts of kindness. Yes, that's an oversimplification, and I in no way want to overlook what they do accomplish. But there is a certain bluntness to them, a certain breadth without depth. Their popularity reflects, I think, an emptiness in the lives of these prosperous, bright young people, and that's good. But it's also a refusal to look into the dirty, seamy, messy part of life (and the people who live it). I know a lot of people who attend similar churches and they are what I would call "half way there," but very much in love with that half and not looking beyond it.
My understanding is that many of them, after the romance wears off and there is little real substance (giving people free bottled water as your major act mercy), drift away again. The experience is intense but shallow.
One of my professors at the Athenaeum (Fr. Ted Ross) once said in class that the Catholic Church has not met the challenge of ministering to the affluent. I think these churches are one response to that challenge, one that grows out of the affluent people themselves, with tall their strengths (a drive to DO, a goodhearted desire to work hard at something achievable, a love of music and other popular arts) and weaknesses (relativism, individualism, materialism, etc., and especially the modern ability to switch from one thing to another without much upheaval or regret) and those strengths cannot by themselves overcome those weaknesses.
These churches start in such hope, but read their web sites and their brochures -- they all sound the same. Their pastors are like business gurus or motivational speakers, and each has a personal following.
We've got the opposite problem -- so much depth and so many people skimming on the surface, or making do with a puddle beside the ocean.
If they even see the ocean.
Took me a minute, too, but one of the Aug 27 speakers is the "director of women's ministry at Rochester's Artisan Church."
Plus this comment from the Rochester D and C article (Nov. 15, 2005 - my note) just blows me away.
Jamie Fazio has a different interpretation of what the pope wants.
"I think what the pope wants is good priests," said Fazio, a Catholic who worked with an openly gay priest in Utica — a priest he and his wife thought enough of to choose as their daughter's godfather. Fazio is now a campus minister at Nazareth College and pastoral associate at Blessed Sacrament in Rochester.
"A gay sexual orientation only adds an ability to serve a wider group of people," Fazio said, adding that many people who are gay feel alienated by government, families and church. "I think (the bishop's column) was very much needed."
"A gay sexual orientation only adds an ability to server a wider group of people..." What the blazes does he mean by this? How could this man talk to me. I am not gay. How could he understand me? This is such nonsence but when I speak up about it I am shot down as a bigot. They allow these kind of people into the churches here in Rochester. We in Rochester are also having some problems with the Episcopal church.
http://www.rochesterdandc.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051121/NEWS01/511220304
The above comment is a blog entry at http://www.notredamefans.com/boards/viewtopic.php?t=7975&sid=819d41a928fc67c7d889fdcd45abe253
"We in Rochester are also having some problems with the Episcopal church."
Note to anonymous: Who isn't having some problems with the Episcopal church?
I am a PAST member of Saint Anne's Church, (having just recently left) and I did so because of the blatant audacity of the woman newly in charge, Sr. Joan Sobala.
At the "third informational meeting" held before she was officially acting as the administrator, she made 2 statements, in front of a good size representation of the congregation, when asked if some of the previous traditional liturgical practices would remain the same at Saint Anne's. She replied, "I AM what I AM and it IS what it IS".
When asked about wanting to become a priest, she announced quite boldly, "It is no secret that since 1975, I have wanted to become a priest." When asked by a parishoner if she understood that this was against the acceptance of the Catholic Church, she told the parishoner that he was "out of line". This was very confusing to many of us, as we still cannot figure out exactly what or who, it IS she THINKS she IS.
The running joke now is that "Father Joan" and "Sister Tyman" are running this parish.
(Incidentally, in his welcoming address printed in the church bulletin,) Father Tyman, as he mandates being called, (and does not EVER want to be referred to as Father Gary,) stated that one could call him Gary, or Father Tyman, but never Father Gary; reason being that one would never think to call their OWN doctor by his or her first name, preceded by his or her title. I beg to differ, as some of the most famous doctors and clergy are called by "Dr." followed by their first names, such as "Dr. Phil", "Dr. Laura", and of course, Padre Pio, Mother Teresa, Saint Mary, Saint Joseph, Saint Anne and the list goes on.
The final straw was when Sister ("Wanna-be-Father") Joan mandated that a very strategic handicapped parking space located in the front of the church was altered to now read, "Reserved" instead of holding the universal handicapped symbol, as once was. There are many ample parking spaces at Saint Anne's. We are all wondering why Sr. Joan had the RIGHT to "RESERVE" a very necessary parking space that once allowed a handicapped person, to utilize the convenience of parking closer to the church; to now be able to make it HER space, because she refuses to walk a few more feet to get to the church. Is it all because she is "getting off" on the fact that she is, in fact "the boss" as she has so often referred to herself? I may be wrong, but I think there is a violation hiding in there, somewhere. Maybe the Americans with Disabilities Act people should be contacted, and maybe she should be put in her audacious place, once and for all.
Last but not least, on that fateful June 24th day, when there was the very sad but true, "out with the old, in with the new" situation going on, Father Tyman unloaded his personal affects, even before the other two priests were even out of the building. It was 2 in the afternoon, a moving truck was parked in the parking lot and there were Oriental rugs going in, antique furniture, and more things too numerous to mention, that did not resemble the trappings of a priest in residence. What happened to the vow of poverty?
Of course, Sr. Joan did NOT move in, as she is presently living in the RECTORY at Our Lady of Lourdes Church. As any one who knows that church can tell you, there is a very accommodating convent located right on the grounds of the church proper. It is now the situation that no other priest can live in that rectory because of the fact that a woman is living there. Lights and heat and cool air and water for one person living in a whole big rectory? What a waste of money for the DOR. (But of course, closing 13 schools was inevitable.)
My theory is this: there has to be SOMETHING that is being HIDDEN in the Diocese of Rochester. Someone knows SOMETHING, and has threatened to tell it all, if their needs were NOT met. What ELSE could it be, for God's sake! No man in the role of Bishop could ever justify all the lack of judgement that THIS man has shown in the past few months, without having a noose around his neck, waiting for it to be tightened, if he doesn't play the "acceptance" game.
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