Monday, June 26, 2006

Newsletter of 06/25/06


Somos el Cuerpo de Cristo
Thoughts from Some Fellow Parishioners of Holy Spirit—June 25, 2006

The Young and War
If the two soldiers [Kristian Menchaca and Thomas Tucker] had one thing in common, it was their determination to join the Army and fight in Iraq, believing it to be the right thing to do. …‛I'm going to defend my country,’ Private Tucker said in the telephone message. ‘Be proud of me.’ ” from the New York Times, 6/21/06.

“Young men go to war. Sometimes because they have to, sometimes because they want to. Always because they feel they are supposed to. This comes from the sad, layered stories of life, which over the centuries have seen courage confused with picking up arms, and cowardice confused with laying them down.”
from Mitch Albom in Five People You Meet in Heaven.

My friend, you would not tell with such high zest
To children ardent for some desperate glory,
The old Lie: Dulce et decorum est
Pro patria mori. Wilfred Owen, poet, killed in WWI

Asymmetry
In one of the letters to the NCR concerning the events in Kansas City [see previous newsletters], there were comments like “Well, how does it feel when the shoe is pinching your foot? For years we [the conservatives] were persecuted—get over it!” These comments are very reminiscent of what was heard after the infamous “Eucharistic Ministers” meeting in our own Parish: “Father Jerry hassled and punished us, now it’s our turn.”

Aside from the astounding lack of Christian charity, these comments are not even remotely related to facts. It is doubtful that there were massive firings of workers, open ostracizing, demonizing, and banishment of individual parishioners, etc. in Kansas City in the late 1960’s or in Holy Spirit Parish in its first 22 years. Were some folks uncomfortable in Kansas City and at Holy Spirit with the implementation of Vatican II reforms? Sure.

What is important to understand is that there is no symmetry between the current reimposition of pre-Vatican II practices and governance that is so widespread in the Church and the original implementation of the reforms. The reforms of the Council were the result of generations of solid scholarship on liturgy, ecclesiology, etc., and every change was rooted in that scholarship. They were not motivated by nostalgia for a vague “golden age” when everything was comfortable and well-ordered, either. Vatican II was a challenge to engage the modern world, not run from it.

The Church of the late 1950’s was not a “golden age,” and anyone who seriously thinks we should return to that sort of Church either did not experience it as even a teenager (anyone under 60 years old), or has simply accepted as fact the misrepresentations of the current ultraconservative crazies who have latched onto the Church as just another battleground in their culture wars.

Oh, Fabian!
“…[Fabian] Bruskewitz [Bishop of Lincoln, Nebraska] loves to shock, and shock he has in the past. The largest, of course, came with his 1996 wholesale excommunication of Catholics who belonged to a laundry list of organizations, most notably Call to Action. …The most interesting speculation to come of the mass excommunication was whether the three bishops, or hundreds of priests or thousands of laypeople outside of Lincoln who were members of Call to Action at the time were also excommunicated. Or were they only excommunicated if they traveled through Lincoln?

“None of that was ever resolved, nor were the questions about what excommunication meant if people simply didn’t accept it. Many didn’t. They kept living their lives, kept thinking, kept questioning, kept praying and going to Mass and Communion. They found community, even if it was inconvenient, and their lives go on….

“Still, the suffering he can impose on people conditioned to believe a bishop is to be obeyed no matter what can be considerable. That is shameful and unnecessary.

“The consolation, of course, is that the term limits imposed by Rome will work in this case to the benefit of the church. He will be 71 in September and slowly but surely closing in on the mandatory retirement age of 75. Ultimately, he will be a tiny footnote in the history of the U.S. church. And long after, Call to Action and a host of other lay groups and the thinking and debate and ministry they have provoked and nourished will continue to be a major part of the conversation in this resilient community.” from an NCR editorial, 6/16/06.

$$$$$ Update
The Sunday Bulletin of April 9th did not have a report of the collections for the weekend of April 1st and 2nd. Using the average of the collections from 10/16/05 for that weekend and the reported amounts for the other weekends, we can estimate that since 10/16/05 parishioners have donated $49,446.38 less than the $522,000 the parish budget called for during that period. If the spending patterns of the last fiscal year have continued (13.4% over budget), then this gives a total of $119,385.74 of red ink (versus budget) for the period 10/16/05 to 6/18/06. Stretching that pattern for an entire year, the Parish would fall short by $172,446.06.


A Texas Bishop’s Recollections and Observations
“After my predecessor died in September 1979, I was elected administrator [of the Amarillo Diocese]. Upon being notified, Archbishop Jean Jadot, apostolic delegate, instructed me to send him the names and addresses of every priest in the diocese, of a representative number of deacons and religious women, and of 100 laypeople. He said he would consult them and instructed me to do the same. He would compare the results of my consultation with his, check the names of candidates submitted by the consultees and by the bishops of Texas, and make his recommendation to Rome.

“It was a heady experience for me and for the clergy, religious and laity who had been energized by the implementation Vatican II. The church defined and understood as the body of Christ, the people of God, gave us a feeling of family, a sense of belonging.

“In the 18 years I served as administrator and bishop under Pope John Paul II, however, I witnessed the gradual abandonment of the practice of consulting parish priests, religious and laity in the selection of bishops.

“ Is it possible that while our Holy Father of blessed memory was becoming a wonderful, charismatic figure during his pastoral visits outside the Vatican, others at the center were reconstructing church governance along the lines of the pre-Vatican II hierarchical model? That we are now in a restoration mode rather than the renewal mode seems to indicate that.

“Small wonder that many on the parish level feel alienated and that the divide between them and the hierarchy continues to widen.”
(Bishop emeritus) Leroy T. Matthiesen of Amarillo, Texas, in a letter to the NCR, 6/16/06.


Prepared by RGV Parishioners for Progress and edited by Jerry Brazier. Copy this, and pass it on to fellow parishioners, either by e-mail or paper. If you want an opportunity for prayerful discussion of these and other issues about the parish or have any other comments, please contact us at mailto:gbrazier@rgv.rr.com



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Sunday, June 18, 2006

Third Anniversary



WE REMEMBER...


WE CELEBRATE...


WE BELIEVE...



~ More to Come ~
Pictures, News, Video!

Tuesday, June 13, 2006

We Remember...





We Remember...


We Celebrate...


We Believe...





This Sunday marks the third anniversary of the attempted firing of our beloved Parish Staff and of the subsequent takeover of Holy Spirit Parish.

To commemorate this day and to reunite us as a community family, we extend an invitation to all of those parishioners who left Holy Spirit over the last three years because of this controversy, to join us in celebration of Holy Mass during our regularly scheduled 8:30 Mass on June 18, 2006.

This is not a time of protest, but a time to visit with old friends and remember the parish family that we once were and to remind ourselves of the ongoing struggle that our staff and fellow parishioners still face today. It will be a time to pray for the leadership guidance of our bishop and pastor.

We remain faithful Catholics and despite many of us being removed from our ministries or being prohibited from participating in parish activities, Holy Spirit Parish is still our home and we would welcome you and your family back, even if only for one Sunday, to join us during this time of prayer, remembrance and spiritual renewal.

In remembrance of that day three years ago and of all that has subsequently taken place at Holy Spirit Parish, we encourage you to join us in wearing a small red ribbon during this Mass and throughout the following week, in hopes that it will allow us to remember those acts of retaliation that a bishop of the Catholic Church, His Excellency, Bishop Raymundo J. Peña, took against his church workers for exercising their legal right to union representation. We would welcome your participation in this non-mandatory endeavor, as well.

There are other activities planned for the remembrance of June 18, 2003 and we recommend that you contact one of us for further details.

May the peace of the Lord be with you always,
~Kanickers



Got Pictures to Share for our huge 3rd Anniversary Rememberance Picture Post?

E-Mail 'em to me NOW...

...then get ready for the show!




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Monday, June 12, 2006

Newsletter of 06/11/06


Somos el Cuerpo de Cristo
Thoughts from Some Fellow Parishioners of Holy Spirit—June 11, 2006

Anniversary
The sharing of stories by folks at the monthly fellowship this weekend—stories that spoke of the power of the Holy Spirit community in their own lives and the lives of their families—was celebration enough, given the current state of the Parish.

Acceptance
Spiritual guide and Catholic priest Father Anthony de Mello, SJ, integrated Eastern and Western traditions. His wisdom on dealing with change: “Acceptance and resignation are not identical,” Balzac once said. “Those who resort to self-resignation are the unfortunate people who consummate their misfortune.”

“Acceptance is quite different. I accept the reality but try to change what can be changed. If the reality can't be changed, then I use the misfortune in order to grow. Remember the Serenity Prayer: ‘God grant me the serenity to change the things I can, the courage to accept the things I can't, and the wisdom to know the difference.’

“The resigner shrugs his shoulders and says, ‘That's the way the ball bounces.’ This is a form of denial, avoidance. Don't go around it, under it, over it, or avoid it by denial, dulling the pain with alcohol, drugs, or useless activity. What's needed is more like grieving. One must ‘lean into the pain’ while getting on with life.” from Praying Naked, Frances Stroud, SJ, Image Books.

$$$$$ Update
The Sunday Bulletin of April 9th did not have a report of the collections for the weekend of April 1st and 2nd. Using the average of the collections from 10/16/05 for that weekend and the reported amounts for the other weekends, we can estimate that since 10/16/05 parishioners have donated $46,654.20 less than the $493,000 the parish budget called for during that period. If the spending patterns of the last fiscal year have continued (13.4% over budget), then this gives a total of $112,691.04 of red ink (versus budget) for the period 10/16/05 to 6/4/06. Stretching that pattern for an entire year, the Parish would fall short by $172,351.00.

Torture Exists
June 2006 has been designated Torture Awareness Month by Torture Abolition and Survivor Support Coalition International. The month will culminate on June 26th with the 9th Annual United Nations International Day in Support of Torture Victims and Survivors. We are a church that teaches that all life is sacred and to be treated with dignity and love. As believers we cannot turn our backs or hide our heads in the sand when the topic of torture arises. Torture exists, it is happening in more than 150 nations. In our news and media we hear discussions seeking to convince us that certain people deserve to be tortured, that torture is how we can keep ourselves safe. Our faith leaves no room for that kind of rhetoric. Jesus was very clear—love your neighbor as yourself and love your enemies.

Make an effort this month to find out more. These websites are good places to start: http://www.tassc.org/ and http://www.tortureawareness.org/. Every Sunday we celebrate the Eucharist and resurrection, perhaps during our prayers we can remember that our Lord was also a victim of torture and offer a prayer of remembrance for all the other victims of torture. We can participate in vigil activities on June 26th and we can pray these words from Joan Chittister’s Prayer for World Peace: “We ask, O God, for the grace to be our best selves. We ask for the vision to be builders of the human community rather than its destroyers. We ask for the love it takes to bequeath to the children of the
world to come more than the failures of our own making. This we ask through Jesus, the one without vengeance in his heart. This we ask forever and ever. Amen.” from fellow parishioner, Michelle Peña

Having It Both Ways
Once again we hear the drumbeats that the financial difficulties of the Parish are being caused by those “protesters who told everyone not to contribute.”

At the same time we keep hearing that those who are dissatisfied with the Parish under the leadership (sic) of the Monsignor are extremely small in number when compared to those who just love what is going on. How is it possible that such a small, insignificant number of people can have such a huge impact on the financial state of the Parish? It really isn’t possible to have it both ways.

Could it be that the sad financial state of the Parish is due to a very widespread disappointment with the general state of the Parish? After all, a mere handful of people (sometimes described as “six or seven,” and at other times as “nine or ten”) withholding contributions couldn’t be the cause of a potential deficit of over $100,000 this year. Even if the disenchanted include at least the fifty red-clad folks from last Sunday, the poor collections cannot be laid at their doorstep. The sense that the Parish is simply not worth supporting under the current state of affairs must be very prevalent. Maybe folks think that lifeless liturgies with vacuous sermons aren’t inspiring enough to open their wallets. Maybe folks think that the general ineptitude of the management of the Parish is a situation within which contributing would be a case of “throwing good money after bad.”

A Parish isn’t a commercial enterprise, and parishioners aren’t customers, but parishioners aren’t subjects either who can be ordered to support something that they feel is not fulfilling their needs. People are voting with their wallets and with their feet—in big numbers.

Any manager or CEO who created such a mess of an enterprise would have been removed ages ago—the bosses or the board would not stand by and allow the death spiral to continue. But the Parish is not a commercial enterprise—does that mean it doesn’t matter to those in charge whether it fails or not?

Feasts
The first two Sundays after Pentecost are really very odd feasts: they celebrate doctrines rather than events or people. The Trinity and the Real Presence are central to Catholicism, certainly, but you would never really know why that is true or what these doctrines really are all about if all you had to rely on where the observations from Holy Spirit’s pulpit over the last two years. If the Trinity is central to our faith, let’s hear more than the old nostrum “three persons in one God” when we grapple with the doctrine’s significance for our lives. If the Eucharist really is “the center of our lives,” let’s hear something more profound than sterile formulations of transubstantiation. Such formulations reduce the Eucharistic celebration to some sort of magic act in which the whole point is the production of a sacred object.

It's from our reciprocal love and, in particular, from the concern we have for those in need that we will be recognized as true disciples of Christ (Jn 13:35; Mt 25:31-46). This is the criterion on the basis of which the authenticity of our Eucharistic celebrations will be confirmed. (Pope John Paul II). Wouldn’t presenting our youth with those ideas be a better way to pass on Catholic traditions than encouraging them to participate in a procession?


Prepared by RGV Parishioners for Progress and edited by Jerry Brazier. Copy this, and pass it on to fellow parishioners, either by e-mail or paper. If you want an opportunity for prayerful discussion of these and other issues about the parish or have any other comments, please contact us at gbrazier@rgv.rr.com.



Posting a Comment: You may now submit a comment to this site simply by clicking on the "POST A COMMENT" link. NOTE: Unless you identify yourself, we have no visibility of who you are or of your e-mail address. Approval of comments is done only to prevent any objectionable or advertising type posts. You may also e-mail this article to a friend, simply by clicking on the little envelope below.

Friday, June 09, 2006

News from Our Lady of Sorrows


Good News From Our Lady of Sorrows
We were happy to hear that Fr. Guss made it through his operation with flying colors and is doing well. Father Guss was our first pastor at Holy Spirit and is still very much loved and remembered by his many friends and parishioners at Holy Spirit.




Posting a Comment: You may now submit a comment to this site simply by clicking on the "POST A COMMENT" link. NOTE: Unless you identify yourself, I have no visibility of who you are or of your e-mail address and approval of comments is done only to prevent any objectionable or advertising type posts. You may also e-mail this article to a friend, simply by clicking on the little envelope below.

Monday, June 05, 2006

Twenty-Fifth Anniversary Celebration


Twenty-Fifth Anniversary Celebration
This weekend we celebrated the 25th Anniversary of our parish. What should have been a time of joy and celebration instead was a day of sadness.

There was no mention of the accomplishments of our parish or that our dedicated staff has made this parish what it is today. A perfect opportunity for reconciliation was instead a reminder of the division that still plagues our parish.

I attended 8:30 Mass. The Bishop was a no-show (supposedly because of illness?); the Knights were present in full regalia; the Catholic Daughters were there in their virginal white; but the largest single group represented was those of us unhappy with the direction our parish has taken since Msgr. Louis arrived two years ago. However, based on past experience, the fact that there was such a large number of us in Holy Spirit Red will be overlooked, or will be used as fodder for the fire that is the division that marks this once-unified parish.

My family is very blessed to have found such a tight-knit community that we are proud to call family. It was very heart breaking as I sat in the pew on Sunday and saw members of what used to be a larger community. I saw the faces of people who I didn’t always agree with, but were, along with me and my family, a part of something very special: a place where people were encouraged to share their gifts of time and talent; a place where we became, not a parish community, but a parish family.

It is my wish – as Holy Spirit Parish continues its journey to the next anniversary – that we who have been shunned are welcomed to return, or even just to enter into dialogue with those who would have us leave or at the very least be silenced. I don’t have any expectations of our pastor. He has shown that he is not interested in reconciling with any of us he has removed from ministry. I do have hope in the parishioners – conservative and progressive alike - and I challenge them to come together in spite of the atmosphere of distrust and anger that Msgr. Louis allows. I also ask our new Associate Pastor to come forward and meet us. We are Catholics in good standing. We love our faith. We love Holy Spirit Parish, and we are here to stay.

Bridget Cook
Holy Spirit Parishioner


Anniversary Mass
Sad, but the poorly attended 8:30 Mass/25th Anniversary Celebration was a total let down for me. First off, the Bishop didn’t even show (as predicted by many)… also, it seemed a lot of the event’s participants were not even a part of Holy Spirit Parish during it’s infancy… then the video didn’t work, etc., etc., etc…. About the only thing that did go as planned was the speech by our Mayor.

Also, talk about a time when we REALLY MISSED our long time Choir Director! What a contribution his musical talents have made to Holy Spirit over the years! There was no recognition needed there (and none given), as the absence of those talents were clearly evident on 06/04/06!

I also would have liked to have seen a few of our previous pastors… Fr. Guss… Fr. Bob Mahr… Fr. Jerry… those priests that helped mold our parish into what we are (were)… also, there should have been some mention of that sweet old lady that so graciously donated all of our land… and our multi-purpose building contractor (present, but not even so much as mentioned)… and that very special person that was APPOINTED by the Bishop of the Diocese of Brownsville to establish a Vatican-II Catholic Parish in North McAllen, often without the assistance of a resident priest… not even a “Thank You” to her, sitting at the piano… also, no “Thank You” to our SURVIVING STAFF MEMBERS who have dedicated their lives to making Holy Spirit Parish the shining example and envy of what a Catholic Parish should be (once was)…

There was, however, many a “Thank You” to the Johnny-come-lately 25th Anniversary Committee! How sad to see our once so wonderful parish being destroyed before our very eyes,… with battle swords, fancy feathered hats and military processions; March, March, March… Man your Battle Stations… Draw Your Swords…!

Holy Spirit was NEVER about any of that… made me sick at my stomach! How could such a loving, wonderful and giving parish be so systematically destroyed? Are they so blind that they cannot see what they are being led by their pastor to do?

The most encouraging thing to me was seeing all those parishioners that were wearing RED. They OVERPOWERED the service! They were EVERYWHERE! Those are the TRUE parishioners of Holy Spirit… those that care enough about their parish to STAND UP and FIGHT for what they believe a Catholic Parish should be… My CATHOLIC FAITH has been RESTORED! I have been silent long enough! How do I join your group?
~A DEEPLY SADDENED Parishioner, here since Rayburn.


25th Anniversary Mass
If one approaches the mass with a sense of humor it is more tolerable, even entertaining. What a circus today complete with Master of Ceremonies and clowns! So until we get our real Holy Spirit Parish back and have some reason to celebrate an anniversary, let's enjoy the antics of those in charge now and not get too stressed out about the sacrilege that they are causing.
-A formally astonished but now only amused parishioner


Anniversary Decree
In addition to the Decree presented from the Mayor of McAllen, wouldn’t it have been nice if we would have been presented with a Decree from His Excellency, Bishop Raymundo Peña, recognizing the 25-year long dedication of Ann Cass and the Holy Spirit Staff for putting forth the effort, hard work and dedication to organize, manage and maintain one of the most respected, successful and loved Catholic Parishes in the history of the Brownsville Dioceses?
~Kanickers


New Post Method
Wow! OK, maybe I should have made it easier for everyone to post a long time ago. See "Posting a Comment" below. Thank you for your comments.
~Kanickers



Posting a Comment: You may now submit a comment to this site simply by clicking on the "POST A COMMENT" link. NOTE: Unless you identify yourself, I have no visibility of who you are or of your e-mail address and approval of comments is done only to prevent objectionable or advertising type posts. You may also e-mail this article to a friend, simply by clicking on the little envelope below.

Thursday, June 01, 2006

More on Bishop Pena


The Brownsville Herald
May 14, 2006

Peña to modestly observe 49 years in clergy
Roman Catholic Diocese of Brownsville Bishop Raymundo J. Peña will quietly celebrate the 49th anniversary of his ordination to the priesthood today.

Peña was not available for comment, but his spokeswoman Brenda Nettles Riojas said in a prepared statement issued Monday that there would be no diocesan celebrations.
“He will be celebrating with his staff (today) with a Mass and luncheon in Brownsville,” Nettles Riojas said.

Peña was ordained a priest on May 25, 1957 at the Corpus Christi Cathedral in Corpus Christi. He was named auxiliary bishop of San Antonio on Oct. 16, 1976. He was ordained a bishop on Dec. 13, 1976. Peña was appointed Bishop of El Paso on April 29, 1980, where he served 15 years.

Pope John Paul II appointed Peña bishop of Brownsville on May 23, 1995. He was installed on Aug. 6, 1995 at the Shrine of Our Lady of San Juan del Valle in San Juan.

Peña is 72 years old. Although the mandatory retirement age for priests is 70, it is 75 for bishops and archbishops.


A Reminder from Kanickers:

Please remember to join us this Sunday at 8:30 Mass when His Excellency, Bishop Raymundo Peña will be celebrating Mass with us in celebration of Holy Spirit's 25th Anniversary. We ask that you wear RED in celebration of this event.

(ALSO SEE: "The Bishop is Coming" - Below!)

From our Parishioners' Newsletter of May 28, 2005:

True Colors
So don’t be afraid to let them show—Your true colors - Cyndi Lauper.

It is not surprising that the newspaper clipping montage in the gathering space last Sunday that purported to be a history of the parish did not contain the headlines from the summer of 2003. In fact, based on the montage, you would think the significant moments in the history of Holy Spirit were “brick and mortar” moments.

Where is the record of a community that took to heart the challenge to become a “model Vatican II parish”? Where is the record of a community that not only survived but strengthened itself in the years without a resident pastor? Where is the record of the community that developed traditions of liturgical celebration, religious education, and community outreach that remain the envy of many in the diocese? Where is the record of the community that spoke and acted strongly for the Gospel message of peace and justice, not only in our Valley but in our nation and the world?

All of these are recorded in the hearts and minds of those people who created and lived in this community and will not be forgotten, even if not recognized in the upcoming anniversary celebration.

Don’t wear red on June 4th as a protest; wear red as the color of the Spirit, our Holy Spirit—it is our color...
See you there~
Kanickers



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