Gumbleton removed from parish
Print Friendly VersionBy DENNIS CODAY
Bishop Thomas Gumbleton, retired auxiliary bishop of Detroit, announced at Sunday Mass Dec. 17 that he was being asked to leave St. Leo’s Parish in Detroit, where he has been stationed since 1983.
Gumbleton told NCR that he expects a new pastor to be appointed within a month. He also said he expects to continue his weekly column, The Peace Pulpit, on the NCR website.
He said that the move has been in the works for six to eight months as part of the archdiocese’s plan to restructure parishes in Detroit. St. Leo’s will be “clustered” with a nearby parish and the pastor of the other parish, which has not been named yet, will become pastor of St. Leo’s. Gumbleton left administrative positions with the archdiocese to take over as full time pastor of the inner city parish in 1994.
He told NCR in a telephone interview Dec. 19, “Once it became clear that our parish was going to be clustered then it was also quite clear that I would not be pastor of the cluster because I am already past retirement age.” Gumbleton will be 77 next month.
Gumbleton said that he had hoped to continue to live at St. Leo’s but the request had been denied. “I suppose it’s so that the new pastor has a chance to take over and be seen as the pastor,” he said.
“If I’m hanging around too much, it could make it more difficult for him, and I don’t want that. My main concern is that the parish keeps going, so I don’t want to do something that would be divisive,” he said.
He said he was to take up residence “at a couple nearby places.” He said, “I will not be pastor here, but I will still be functioning as a bishop. I will be doing confirmations and I will still be celebrating Mass publicly, but it will be at various places not one place.”
Gumbleton is a native of Detroit and was ordained a priest of the archdiocese in 1956. He was ordained auxiliary bishop in 1968. He has long been critical of the archdiocese’s parish restructuring plans. He has said closing schools and parishes amounts to abandoning the city.
“This whole process where you cluster parishes and so on, I think is hurtful to the development of the church within the city. But it is happening in the suburbs too,” Gumbleton told NCR.
“I don’t think the church becomes most alive when parishes become mega-churches. I think smaller communities are much more vibrant and much more expressive of a community of disciples than big churches. [Big churches] become big service stations.”
He said if there are not enough priests to serve as pastors, “You train other people to take over as pastoral administrators, which is provided for in canon law. Lay people and religious.
“It’s being done in other places. You have to get a sacramental minister, but the pastoral administer is the leader of the community and it can work very effectively. I’ve seen it work,” he said.
He declined to name thee new pastor because the man is a religious order priest and must have permission from his superiors before accepting the appointment.
Gumbleton did say that the parish St. Leo’s would be clustered with was compatible with the current parish community. “It is a parish that has a similar outlook and a similar way of acting that we do. It is one that could be compatible. I feel confident that these two parishes could work together and one pastor could make both go OK,” he said.
He also said that it is not one of three parishes that St. Leo’s pastoral council had recommended earlier this month as possible partners in a cluster.
Gumbleton also said he was anxious that his last days at St. Leo’s not be turned into “a media circus.”
“I would just as soon not have Sunday liturgy become something that is about me. I want to keep the parish going as a parish as we have for 20 some years,” he said.
“I don’t see any point in people coming to demonstrate or anything of the sort. It’s not like it’s my funeral Mass or something like that. I just want everything to continue to be as much for the parish as possible and not be flooded with outsiders.
“Christmas celebrations and Sunday liturgies should continue to be parish liturgies and not liturgies that are all about me. We have a very vibrant parish community and I want it to be that way.”
In January 2005, when Gumbleton turned 75, he did not submit a mandatory letter of resignation to the Vatican. Instead, he began a yearlong correspondence with the Congregation of Bishops seeking permission to continue to serve as long as he was healthy. The congregation denied this request and Gumbleton submitted a letter of resignation in January 2006.
Last year when he told his parish that he had submitted the letter, he had said the resignation “affects the canonical office of bishop only.”
He said his ministry at St. Leo would continue to be a priority, and he pledged to “continue to exercise my ordained ministry as a bishop as long as I am physically capable of doing so. This means that I will continue to teach, preach, celebrate sacraments and carry on my work for justice and peace wherever I am called to do so.”
Dear Andrew, fisherwoman,
Dear Andrew, fisherwoman, and all grievers and agonizers (with me) over our church's and Bishop Gumbleton's situations,
It helps console me to recall a couple of truths about the church on earth that I learned as a child in the dark ages of the 1930s--PRE-Vatican II, mind you:
1) God's church is a mystery that requires a community of at least TWO persons: Jesus and you, or Jesus and me...All right, THREE persons if you count the Holy Spirit! The nuns taught us that the church would survive if there were only ONE faithful Christian alive, and
2) like our own body, the mystical body (in its human parts) can get dirty FAST , and that both bodies require almost constant "washing"...the nuns were sticklers for personal cleanliness AND frequent confession.
History shows that ours always has been a messy church with its humanity, but all of us need to remember that it's the only church we will ever have on earth.
Jedesto
Rules for retired bishops.
Rules for retired bishops. If memory serves me, about two years ago, the Vatican published a hefty book of rules (or a manual) on how bishops should do their job. Reports said it was over two hundred pages long. Reports also said that the rulebook included demands that retired bishops not speak their mind without authorization by the bishop (I believe of the locale where they were talking). I think there was something about financial support to retired bishops, or the denial of such support. Since about 1980, I can recall retired bishops letting off steam: a retiree from Innsbruck, one from San Francisco, several other places. The tone of most comments was something like, "It was a pain to work with those bureaucrats in Rome, who would dictate and not listen." Some also spoke about the need for less centralization, less supervision, less meddling in local affairs. However, I have never seen even a quote from this manual. In a nearby public school district, the Manual of Procedures was kept under wrap perhaps because articles in it were quickly superseded by new regulations or because the bosses did not want their charges to quote the rulebook at them.
------
At any rate, is this manual now a forgotten JP2 object, or is it operative in Detroit?
Thanks.
Joe McMahon
The birds of the air have
The birds of the air have their nests...
He said he was to take up
He said he was to take up residence “at a couple nearby places.� Maybe some of you could send him some money to rent a place of his own.
As an Atheist, I would like
As an Atheist, I would like to offer support for Bishop Gumbleton and his message of peace. All too often, it is those who consider themselves "deeply religious" that advocate going to war (George W. Bush comes to mind). War is easy: peace is not. Peace means compromise, something that too many Christians fail to do in their ever-increasing need to prove that their god is the true god.
As a child, I had the pleasure of having Bishop Gumbleton's brother as a middle school teacher. On occasion, the Bishop would come in to say hello to his brother, and I was always impressed with him. He had the look of a man at peace with himself and the world around him, and we would all be better served to find that peace ourselves.
It's easy to get carried away with the "politics" of religion. Bishop Gumbleton is an inspiration to us all, regardless of political or religious affiliation. He is one of the few good men in the world, and it is a privilege and an honor to have met him face-to-face.
I can only hope that people respect his wishes and allow him to finish his last days the way he's always served: humbly, respectfully and honorably.
Aesik, As a Roman Catholic
Aesik,
As a Roman Catholic trained child of God, I want to thank you for saying what you said about Thomas Gumbleton. I met bishop Gumbleton at the Catholic Life Center in the diocese of Baton Rouge when he was speaking for Witness for Peace.
I don't know if Jesus was God or just someone who was able to communicate with the masses of some members of the Jewish family. I don't know if anyone who reads this column knows enough about Jesus to know what he was saying and why he allowed himself to be captured, tortured, humiliated and terminated with extreme prejudice.
Bishop Gumbleton is a model for the Church. Bishop Gumbleton has given his life to the mission of Christ and shouldn't be forced to resign since he still has much that he can still offer the children of God.
I thank Thomas for all of the work that he has given because he was answering the call to (re)build Jesus' family.
We need more Thomas Gumbletons in the world, the Archdiocese of Detroit should be seeking to have Thomas continue to do what he loves to do.
Peace!
As an atheist, I really
As an atheist, I really don't see why you feel the need to share your opinion about anything Catholic, or anything having to do with God. You've added nothing but platitudes to the "discussion." You can wish for peace all you want but history shows that you are on the naive side of things. Even Jesus said that He did not come to bring peace, but a sword. Very compromising words, I'd say. I'd say you have no clue what real peace means.
Ryandowhower, Perhaps it is
Ryandowhower,
Perhaps it is because of statements like yours that aesik in an atheist, did you ever think of that?
Wow Bob! You're a genius!
Wow Bob! You're a genius! I've never thought of that before. Since I was merely repeating one of Jesus' statements, you are essentially saying that it is Jesus' fault that someone is an atheist. Hmmm. That seems to me a profound theological problem. Actually, I'm sure he's an atheist because of George Bush. We all know that everything that is wrong with the world is the President's fault. Merry Christmas!
Ryan, you did not 'merely
Ryan, you did not 'merely repeat one of Jesus' statements.' Whether you realize it or not, you attacked a very good person who had the courage to comment about Bishop Gumbleton. This idea that one has to be Catholic to comment on Catholic events is unfortunate.
I personally have spoken to Bishop Gumbleton on many occasions when I lived and worked in the Archdiocese of Detroit. He has been a bright and shining star for me and gives me hope to continue striving to fashion my life as closely as possible to the Kingdom as Jesus proclaimed it.
Tom Gumbleton is a beautiful churchman and deserves our prayers and support.
I used to believe our Faith
I used to believe our Faith was based on reason.
How is it then that A bishop over 77 can take charge of a Universal Church, but a 77 year old Bishop is unable to care for a individual church?
With so many Bishops being 'promoted' to larger diocese.e.g Collins to Toronto,(his third move,) it is refreshing that a Bishop should wish to remain in his 'home' diocese. To spend the twilight of his life, among his own!
It is worth noting that Vat 11 stated; "... in order to find mutual help.... it is necessary to foster some type of community life, or social relations with them'.(sic)Life of priests,II. 8
The problem, malcolm, is
The problem, malcolm, is that the bishop should be in communion with Rome. Gumbleton's relationship with Rome is tenuous at best since he supports female ordination as well as his stance on gays, to say the least.
Hermeneutic of Continuity
I grieve for our church. I
I grieve for our church.
I grieve when the church's policies--based on human directives that have changed over the course of history and can change again--deprive us of pastors. I grieve when those policies ignore the call of many to serve as priests, at a time when more and more parishes are priestless.
In the midst of such a situation, it seems atrocious to remove a good pastor who is retired and continuing to serve the church faithfully, only because he has spoken out for what is right and just.
I grieve that this decision gives glee to so many, who work hard behind the scenes to punish, to hurt, to silence discussion. I grieve, that at an institutional level, high church leaders listen to such voices, which howl for the blood of good and faithful servants of the gospel.
William D. Lindsey
William Lindsay, Be at
William Lindsay,
Be at peace, brother. The good Bishop Gumbleton hasn't died. Holy Mother Church in Romes simply believes that it is his time to ride off into the sunset. It does happen to the best and the worst of them. Let us pray for the Bishop that during this profound moment of his life he may have genuine peace and serenity, especially as One greater than him puts a rope around his waist and takes him to a place he perhaps does not want to go. It is his time. Do not stand in the way of the good Bishop at this moment in life; this is a path that he alone must walk with His God and ours. Rest assured, it will happen to all of us. The greatest and supreme act of holiness this good Bishop can witness to is something he has already alluded to: "its not about me." This holy moment for Bishop Gumbleton can now be summed up in what every Apostle of Christ must embrace: "not my will, but thy will be done, O Lord."
Be at peace brother and sisters, especiallly during this time of Heavenly peace.
Ohevin
Thank you, Ohevin. I always
Thank you, Ohevin. I always welcome wishes for peace.
But my posting is pointing to some anomalies in the way Holy Mother Church in Rome treates its good bishops. You say,
"Holy Mother Church in Romes simply believes that it is his time to ride off into the sunset. It does happen to the best and the worst of them."
When I compare how Bishop Gumbleton is being treated with how Bishop Bernard Law is being treated, I'm profoundly troubled. The disparity of treatment suggests some priorities in our church that are less than pastoral, and which can't be glossed over by pious language.
I remain troubled, and will seek peace from within that spot--the kind of peace that arises out of struggling with something that deserves to be struggled with, if we are to save our souls.
William D. Lindsey
William, You make a very
William,
You make a very valid point concerning Cardinal Bernard Law's retirement package versus the Good Bishop Gumbleton's. The unfortunate inconsistencies (intrigue) of Vatican and/or local diocesan decisions often lead us lay people to scratch our heads and cry out "Come Lord Jesus!"
Peace
Ohevin
On B. Law in Italy, I see
On B. Law in Italy,
I see the whole issue different than most of you seem to. Even though Cardinal Law has been given the title as head of some Cathedral, Is the reality of him being in Rome rather than in retirement at home a nicely named version of Exile? I tend to think of his being in Italy, rather than here, that he was exiled. And even when the exile is sugar coated, it is still punishment.
I don't see him really
I don't see him really suffering in exile, Linuse. Besides having a sinecure, a palatial place to live, a cushy salary, he now has far more power than he ever had before to influence things in the church right at the center. That's due to his new position.
William D. Lindsey
Could be, linuse, or it
Could be, linuse, or it could be an attempt to put distance between Cardinal Law and Criminal Law. Can the long arm of the Law reach Law in Rome?
I couldn't agree more,
I couldn't agree more, Ohevin.
William D. Lindsey
Joe Walker from East Grand
Joe Walker from East Grand Rapids, MI
Bishop Gumbleton has preached with a prophetic voice just as Jesus spoke with a prophetic voice. Bishop Gumbleton's message had always been based solidly on Scripture; he is an advocate for the Anawim whom Jesus Christ loves so dearly. His advocacies for non-violence, justice, and peace have ruffled the feathers of the powers that be in the secular world as well as their lap dogs within the hierarchy of our church. Sadly, the Catholic hierarchy refuses to deal with the fact that just as the Sanhedrin worked effectively to give Jesus Christ the death penalty after He was tortured severely, so too are Detroit's Archdiocesan bureaucrats conspiring with the Vatican to discredit Bishop Gumbleton in the eyes of ultra right and neo-conservative Catholics. The prophets of the Old Testament sufferred greatly at the hand of secular authorities, just as truth-tellers such as Gallileo, Fr. Tessa Balasuriya,OMI, Fr. Teilhard de Chardin, S.J., Abp. Oscar Romereo, Fr. Charles Curran, Sr. Joan Chittister,OSB, Leonardo Boff, and countless other Catholic prophets have been perseucted by the Catholic hierarchy! When will the Catholic hierarchy ever learn from the tragedies of history and begin to identify with that radical reformer, Jesus Christ, rather than with the wealthy and/or powerful people who are threatened by prophetic voices?
Joe, Can you subtantiate
Joe,
Can you subtantiate your claim about the Detroit Archdiocese bureaucrats being in concert with Vatican officials to discredit the good Bishop Gumbleton?
Joe Walker from East Grand
Joe Walker from East Grand Rapids, MI
All the official news releases from the Archdiocese of Detroit indicated that Cardinal Maida secured Rome's approval before he removed Bishop Gumbleton as St. Leo's pastor. Later on, the Archdiocese told the bishop that Rome was also removing him from the premises of St. Leo's parish. It's no secret that Bishop Gumbleton was perceived by many right-wing and neo-conservative Catholics in the Vatican, and in Detroit's Archdiocesan bureaucracy as a thron in their sides because of the priority he places on the Great Commandment and the Church's officially mouthed Preferential Option for the Poor, also known as the Anawim, who are defined as such by Lee Ellis:
Anawim is the plural form of an Old Testament Hebrew word which is variously translated as "poor", "afflicted", "humble", or "meek". It is the Anawim, "the lost and the forgotten ones", to whom Jesus refers in his beautiful beatitudes on The Sermon on the Mount. "Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven", and "Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth". ( Mt5:3,5) What a revolutionary thought: God loves everyone!
In a wonderful foreshadowing of these blessings, the prophet Zephaniah (Zeph 2:3, 3:12-19) relays God's message that, even in the worst of times there will remain " a faithful remnant" in our midst. God's Remnant then, are the people who find their security and treasures, not in the trappings of the material world, but in God. This faithful remnant, the Anawim, guarantees the future survival of all God's people, by containing within themselves the very keys to the kingdom itself. For is it not in how we treat and welcome the Stranger at the Gate, "the least of these", which truly bring us into the very meaning and heart of The Cosmic Christ: "Love One Another".
In both The Great Commandment, and throughout Matthew 25, we are commanded by Jesus to aid our neighbors - to constantly strive to redress the grievances of those who are abandoned or alone, alienated and marginalized, to protect the dignity of the poor and to stand with the oppressed as they attempt to become free of that which oppresses them. Christ emptied himself and became poor, so that we might become rich. Jesus constantly ministered to the poor and the sick, to the outcasts of society.
Certainly to God's Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgendered children this promise holds special comfort. "Blessed are you when men shall revile you and persecute you and say all manner of evil against you falsely for my sake. Rejoice and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you".( Mt.5:11-12)
In some deep and profound sense, however, the Anawim actually includes all the people of God. For have we not all at times been considered empty, questioning, oppressed or lonely? Whether we are rich or poor, living in palaces or in the streets, healthy or ill, religious or not, we are all humbled in the living presence of God.
Sister Maria Buchard, of the Marionist sisters says it beautifully: "The poor show me my poverty. They symbolize for me who I am before God. They show me that all of us are the Anawim, that we are all totally dependant on the loving mercy and kindness of God."
This then is the message of The Anawim: Even in our poverty and oppression, we are joyfully in the hands of our loving Father/Mother God. As a child will leap off a precipice into the awaiting arms of it's loving Parent, so do the Anawim trust in the promise of God; " I will be with you always".
The secret of The Anawim is that God lives in all His/Her people. Jesus' blessings in the beatitudes confirms this joyful news, turning the old expectations upside down, like the moneychangers' tables in the HolyTemple. Jesus extends blessings on even the lowliest outcasts of society. He tells us not to be victims. Knowing that we are already blessed allows us to turn the other cheek with grace and dignity. We stop being victims and claim our place at the table as the prophets of the Kingdom. As you do to me, so you do to The Christ. It is a joyful mission indeed to bring such good news to the world. The choice to return good actions for evil is truly the mark of those whose very lives bears witness to that ancient truth: Love One Another, for we are all, indeed, Blessed!
© 2002-2003 Lee Ellis All Rights Reserved
Permission to download and freely distribute this article is granted,
Provided that it is reproduced in its entirety with this copyright notice attached.
I have no doubt Bishop
I have no doubt Bishop Gumbleton represents a challenge to principalities and powers of this world, and those who construe their faith as aligning with the same. No doubt they have been irritated by his prophetic stand for peace and social justice. I have no doubt of the Bishop's graciousness and humility. I have met the good Bishop on several occasions, and each has impressed me deeply. Beyond those meetings, awareness of his activities has led me to believe he has been consistent in his approach. I have friends who know him well, and they have told me stories that have helped deepen my appreciation for his witness.
I will tell my favorite Bishop Gumbleton story, of my first encounter with him. Over twenty years ago, I was a student at a small Catholic college in New York. He came to speak about the US Bishops' peace pastoral, "The Challenge of Peace: God's Promise and Our Response." I was one of several members of a student organization on campus, and of several Peace Studies majors. I was helping to set up a table of refreshments and this middle-aged priest came up to help us. We had a very nice conversation about our studies and about our awareness of the peace pastoral and the Church's teaching on war and peace. It wasn't the conversation I remembered so much as this man's warmth and interest in us young people.
My jaw dropped as this man was introduced as our featured speaker and he took the podium. He was a true teacher from that vantage point.
Later, he reverted to the role of servant, as he helped us clean up the refreshments. We walked him out to the guard booth where we waited for his ride to the airport. As he got into a green Chevy citation with three sisters, I remarked. "We were just talking to a Bishop!" That's some kind of bishop.
I think now as I did then, that the only thing we can do now is to be worthy of his leadership. Where he steps aside to preserve the community, we should step forward. More than one should fill the space he vacates. In doing so, each should seek the lowest place. We should keep on stepping foward until hearts are converted.
Somebody directed our
Somebody directed our attention to the Closed Cafeteria website. This presents the standard right-wing attacks on Gumbleton, all in one convenient place. The guy who runs the blog seems to take a rather jingoistic approach to America's role in the world, and lambasts Gumbleton's peace message.
In one place (Sept 16, 2006), he says: "Bishop Gumbleton, always the fool, on why 9/11 and terrorism happens - it's a) because they're poor and b) America's fault. Note that this is from a homily. If I heard this kind of crap in church, I'd walk out." Yes, note the tone. The "Coulterization of conservatism" has seeped into the discourse of the Catholic right too, I suppose. What struck me about this message was how Pope Benedict said something similar in his World Day of Peace message. He says: "Particularly insidious among these [tensions that threaten peace] are, on the one hand, inequality in access to essential goods like food, water, shelter, health; on the other hand, there are persistent inequalities between men and women in the exercise of basic human rights." Now, would this blogger also dub Pope Benedict a "fool"?
It doesn't take very long on
It doesn't take very long on this website to learn that the ultra right wing conservative traditionalists should not be taken seriously because they have absolutely no interest in dialogue, and like their Republican friends, find personal attacks much more satisfying than well reasoned and insightful responses. They have nothing to learn. They have no questions. They live with their personal lie of absolute certainty. And, they have no shame. Responding to their stuff is useless.
Bishop Gumbleton should have
Bishop Gumbleton should have been removed long ago. Read the wall of shame at http://closedcafeteria.blogspot.com/
and
http://search.blogger.com/?as_q=gumbleton&ie=UTF-8&ui=blg&bl_url=closedcafeteria.blogspot.com
And you are not a gracious
And you are not a gracious person, at least not at this moment in time.
MMBitz It is so sad. It's
MMBitz
It is so sad. It's obvious they don't want him in control of any parish. People of St. Leo's will be clustered with another parish while a priest is taken out of parish commission no doubt because he speaks justice vociferously. Those who speak justice get crucified. We know that from Christ.
dfaff: ISN'T IS PROPHETIC
dfaff: ISN'T IS PROPHETIC THAT THE HIGH RULLERS OF THE CHURCH HAVE NOT CHANGED IN 2000 YEARS. THEY ARE STILL AFRAID OF SIMPLE MEN WHO WALK WITH THE POOR.
Yes they are afraid...
Yes they are afraid... because to them the System/Heirarchy comes first... not the people it is supposed to serve... I am so disgusted... I do not think I can take it being Catholic much longer.......
Fisherwoman: I share your
Fisherwoman: I share your sentiment about not taking it any longer, I have been feeling the same way, trouble is dear, you AND I are CatholicS and always will be, even if you choose to turn your back on the American church. wE ARE CATHOLIC because WE were baptized with water in His body and blood. THERE CAN BE NO TURNING BACK FOR US. . .mERRY cHRISTMAS
Andrew_a_Fisher_of_Men
fisherwoman64~ you wrote: "I
fisherwoman64~ you wrote: "I do not think I can take it being Catholic much longer...."
Yes you can. Think of what is beautiful about the real Church, what is worth preserving what it might be and stay. Do not let them take that away from you, and me, us, because they will. If you must leave, as I said somewhere else, hover nearby but whatever you do continue to speak out.
Do not be afraid, as you say they are.
Oh please. They're probably
Oh please. They're probably getting rid of him because, for all intents and purposes, he left them years ago. It has nothing to do with "walking with the poor." And I speak as one who is in a poor urbanized parish.
Hermeneutic of Continuity
It appears from your post
It appears from your post that you don't have a clue where St. Leo's is within the city of Detroit. As far as 'walking with the poor', I would appreciate it if you gave some time researching the choices of Cardinal Maeda vs Bishop Gumbleton.
I think there's some sort of symbolic irony in the diocese of Detroit. I wonder how much of this decision with regards to Bishop Gumbleton is the direct result of pressure on Maeda from his wealthy donors over the JPII Cultural Center in Washington. The very center for which Maeda gave 30 million of diocesan funds to insure his pet project would be constructed, and now is desparate for funds to keep it operating.
Peace be with you Bishop Gumbleton, except I know from your sermons and writings that you could not have walked the path you have if you did not know Peace.
It appears from your post
It appears from your post that you don't have a clue where St. Leo's is within the city of Detroit. As far as 'walking with the poor', I would appreciate it if you gave some time researching the choices of Cardinal Maeda vs Bishop Gumbleton.
Why? I was speaking as someone who hears gunshots every night in her neighborhood. Who has lived across the street from a crack house and has MS13 "tags" all over the place in her town. So, I find it really difficult that Gumbleton got the boot because walks with the poor.
Oh, and did I tell you how significant this was? In case you didn't know, my area is also surrounded by some of the wealthiest neighborhoods in the country.
Hermeneutic of Continuity
Colkoch, I have the same
Colkoch, I have the same strong feeling of intense pressure from wealthy interest groups behind the scenes, in this decision.
I think that there's a kind of last-gasp thing going on with clericalism. The shakier its foundations get, the more the corruption underlying the system is exposed through the abuse crisis, the more absolute its claims will become and the more ruthless its behavior in trying to assert a symbolic authority it feels it's in danger of losing.
In such situations, good people who speak the truth are likely to be swatted about. Like you, I sense in Bishop Gumbleton a deep spiritual foundation that I trust will enable him not merely to endure, but to prevail. Still, there's always pain in dispossession, in being cast away (and cast out), in having the church you love you break your heart with its savagery.
This is a time for many of us to keep speaking out. The corruption eating away inside the clerical system is too deep to be covered over by band-aids, and silence would be complicity. Also, when money is waved about behind the scenes, those voices on the other end of the spectrum seem alluring beyond their numbers and beyond their pretenses to have the tradition all wrapped up in their own arms.
William D. Lindsey
It is so obvious that the
It is so obvious that the man has been "benched". He is, I think correct that smaller parishes should be preserved. Having lived in a small rural parish with a Christly priest made me more conscious of what it is to be a living Christian, flawed but seeking.
Nowhere is this identification of Christ/Church with community more important that inner city. If one identifies Church with Christ, then one has to watch Christ abandoning his own. And why, well the answer is financial my dear.
I knew about this earlier
I knew about this earlier today, but did not want to say anything until it was officially announced by NCR.
Here is what Whispers in the Loggia has to say about it.
Hermeneutic of Continuity
Bishop Gumbleton sounds like
Bishop Gumbleton sounds like such a very gracious man.
He is indeed.... humility is
He is indeed.... humility is hard to find the higher up you go in the heirarchy...
I'm so fascinated by those
I'm so fascinated by those who gave O scores on my comment about graciousness (glad for the different response!). This entry by John Allen basically gives expression to the very definition of "graciousness" in these words and actions by Bishop Gumbleton. That people on here can't make a connect between definition and example is so weird.
My God!!! I happened upon
My God!!!
I happened upon this article and after reading some of these posts, I find it hard to believe they were written by Christians. One of the most shocking statements, in this blog, is that Bishop Gumbleton was not in lock step with the Vatican and that he should have left years ago. Is that the only measure of a person's faith and their call, by God, to a vocation in the Church? Need I mention that some of our greatest Saints were also not in lock step with the Vatican? The history of the Church has been colorful to say the least and to blindly follow the Vatican may not always be the true path. The Holy Spirit speaks to each individual, in his heart, and a truly devoted person responds to the message. Bishop Gumbleton has been a maverick and, God only knows, we desperately need mavericks in the Church. Bishop Gumbleton has spoken the words we do not want to hear and he has walked the walk we do not want to tread. That sort of reminds me of a guy, born in Bethlehem, whose birthday we celebrate around this time of year and He was severely punished for being a maverick.
Jesus was not the Soldier of God. He was not the Warrior of God. He WAS the LAMB OF GOD. Somehow that signifies sacrifice and peace to me. Bishop Gumbleton's whole life has been a statement for peace and I'm sure that has involved a lot of sacrifice too.
It really amazes me that followers of The Carpenter who would not judge, are so judgmental of others.
Peace and a Blessed and Happy New Year to All.