Newsletter of 07/23/06

Somos el Cuerpo de Cristo
Thoughts from Some Fellow Parishioners of Holy Spirit—July 23, 2006

┼John Joseph Fitzpatrick….
I will never forget the first time I met him at a diocesan hearing session for planning in Edinburg. It was November 1st, 1981. We spent the entire morning sharing our responses to three simple questions: What do we like, what don’t we like, and what would we like to see happen. After lunch he had an open forum with the people. People were complaining about not having funds and not having priests. And then it happened, and I knew my life in the Church of Brownsville would be OK. Bishop answered, “I am tired of asking the Bishops north of here for money and priests. We are a poor diocese and we need to learn how to live like we are poor. And, I am tired of asking for priests. The Church is the people, and it is in the people that we need to invest.”

From those hearing sessions came the Diocesan Mission Statement, goals, planning office (chaired by Sr. Marian), diocesan pastoral council, a workable diocesan grievance board (composed of priests, women religious, and laity), and the development of three major divisions. He already had begun the lay ministry/deaconate training program, computerized the fiscal office, and established a pension fund for the employees.

He later would add Pastoral Administrator Training (He wanted a Pastoral Administrator in every parish whether they had a resident priest or not. He wanted to free the priest up to do his priestly duties.), Project Rachel, the Loyola Institute for Ministry, support of Comfort House, Holy Family Birthing Center, Casa Oscar Romero, Military Highway Water Project, Clinica del Valle, and Valley Interfaith.

He attended almost every convention for the United Farm Workers, joined Cesar Chavez for the last leg of the march for wages to Brownsville in 1982, risking being arrested by his own deacons on the steps of the federal court house. Fitz was the first Bishop in the United States to endorse the grape boycott. He stood with us in front of the Detention Center in Los Fresnos protesting immigration policies. He was in court each day with Stacey Merkt and Jack Elder each time they were on trial. We used to joke that he didn’t wear a pectoral cross because he carried a big cross on his back.

He would not allow a priest into the seminary program unless they admitted they could work with women and valued the laity. And 'with' was the key word. He didn’t want people to work for him, but with him. He was an active member of the Texas Conference of Churches, which continues to give out the Fitzpatrick Award for work in justice each year. He certainly did not have the support of all the clergy, or the politically and religiously right wing element of the Church. But he never waned from supporting laity and women, being one of the first Bishops to have a woman chancellor. And three out of the first four pastoral administrators he appointed were women, including one laywoman.

Fitzpatrick told me many times how much he loved the people at Holy Spirit Parish and was so proud of all that we had accomplished. He would brag about us all the time. He was here for our 10th and 20th anniversary. We loved him as well and he was the recipient of our first Peace and Justice Affirmation Award in 1989. And, he stood by his clergy even when they were arrested for transporting submachine guns to Mexico, he stood by them when he confronted them lovingly to get treatment for pedophilia, alcoholism, anorexia, or sex addictions. He stood by them when they were dying of AIDS. He stood by them when they came to him admitting they had fallen in love and were leaving the priesthood. He always called them brothers not sons. He stood by us all.

It was apparent by the numbers who came from far and near to pay their last respects to him that whitewashing over his picture at Casa Romero could not erase the legacy of this man. His final gift of his priestly stole to his friend Sr. Adrian Claire said it all. Praise God he gave us a taste of a Post Vatican II Church, something we may never again experience in our lifetime.

As they wheeled his coffin down the aisle for the last time it occurred to me that this was the first time he left the altar area and did not come down to a chorus of applause. We were all using our hands to wipe away the tears. To quote John Shea, “Fitzpatrick’s crozier was as lean as a prophet's staff and his ring fit the finger of everyone.”

¡Viva Fitzpatrick! From a fellow parishioner.

Actions Speak Louder Than Words
“He was a quiet, simple man who served the Church with fidelity and steadfastness.” Bishop Peña on Bishop John J. Fitzpatrick [who died on July 15th]

“He [Fitzpatrick] believed in helping people. Sometimes it was not the popular thing to do, but he believed it was the right thing to do.” Brenda Nettles Riojas, Diocese of Brownsville spokesperson

After Fitzpatrick stepped down (in 1992), the Diocese phased out Casa Oscar Romero, a center he had established that took in Central Americans fleeing from civil strife in their own countries. based on a McAllen Monitor report, July 16, 2006.

Pearls
Sister Joan Chittister uses the analogy of an oyster for the church and our faith life as well. During spawning season, sand invades oysters and the oysters emit a gel to try to keep out the sand. The end of this process is the creation of the pearl. Without the opening up and the success of the irritation of the sand, the oyster remains only an oyster. The oyster only becomes more valuable, only discovers the treasure it can hold and produce when the sand can claim its place in the oyster.

And so it goes for our church and our hearts. Our church will remain shut up tight and unable to discover the treasure it holds unless it can open up to God’s will—even the parts that are challenging and discomforting. Jesus was constantly a grain of sand, rocking the boat and upsetting the status quo. As the “stone the builders rejected,” Jesus continually refocuses our attention to God’ will and God’s love. We are continually challenged as a Church and in our hearts to find the treasure that results from embracing the uncomfortable.
Submitted by fellow parishioner, Michelle Peña

$$$$$ Update
According to the Sunday bulletins, since 10/16/05 parishioners have donated $61,852.32 less than the $580,000 the parish budget has called for (this includes an estimate for the weekend of April 2, since no data was ever reported for that date). If the spending patterns of the last fiscal year have continued (13.4% over budget), then this gives a total of $139,542.72 of red ink (versus budget) for the period 10/16/05 to 7/16/06. Stretching that pattern for an entire year, the Parish would fall short by $181,405.53.

The Eucharistic Community
We bring our entire lives to the Eucharistic table each Sunday. In a special way, we bring to that table the work we do with and for our parish community. When we minister and when we witness the Gospel, whether to each other within the Parish or within the larger community with our fellow parishioners, we are acting as a Eucharistic Community, which is affirmed and strengthened by our sacramental meal, which unites us to the saving work of Christ, His death and resurrection.

To say to a parishioner that they can come to Mass but are not allowed to participate in any other parish ministry is a direct contradiction of the very meaning of the Eucharistic celebration. Aside from being personally hurtful to people and harmful to the effectiveness of parish ministries, such an edict creates a disconnect and a disunity that can best be described as sacrilegious.

Exclusionary practices based on prejudice, personal animus, misinformation, etc. are more than unjust, they are a violation of the most fundamental foundation of the Church—the Eucharistic Community.

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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Monsignor Brum vs. Call To Action

Friday, July 14, 2006, 1:00 p.m.
Holy Spirit Catholic Parish
McAllen, TX

Monsignor Louis Brum Again Refuses to Meet with Call To Action members.

Monsignor Louis Brum again refused to meet with members of the Call To Action organization to address the removal of Holy Spirit parishioners from ministries because they belong to the Call To Action organization.

After Monsignor Brum ignored several letters, faxes and a recommendation from his Bishop, a local group of Call To Action members, including Lena Woltering, a representative from the National Call To Action organization, attempted to pay Monsignor Brum a visit.

Our coming to Holy Spirit Parish today is not a demonstration or a protest, it is simply a request to have Monsignor Brum set up a meeting with us to begin the process that his Bishop has called for him to do: "to resolve this matter [the exclusion of CTA members] amicably, as soon as possible."

We know that Monsignor Brum is never at the parish, that he does not respond to his mail or faxes, and that it is almost impossible to set up a meeting with him, however, we also knew that he had to be here for a 3:00 p.m. wedding today. We caught him on his way in the back door and notified him that we wanted to set up a meeting with him to get this matter resolved. He told us he was too busy and didn’t have time, said a Call To Action spokesperson.

Since Monsignor Brum’s assignment as pastor to Holy Spirit Parish, he has systematically removed and prohibited parishioners that were not in full agreement with him, from participating in parish ministries, from being on parish boards and even from singing in the parish choir.

Most of those removals have been based on the pretense that belonging to the Call To Action organization has placed them, “not in good standing with the Catholic Church”. A history of Monsignor Brum’s actions is well documented in the “Archives” section of this Blog.

Monsignor Brum even published an Instructional Handout that he presented at an Extraordinary Ministers Meeting on August 29, 2005, in which he stated: "Extraordinary Ministers cannot be part of any organization that is contrary to the teachings of the Catholic Church such as Pro-Choice, Call to Action…”

Call To Action is not an organization that is contrary to the teachings of the Catholic Church. Call To Action is an outgrowth of the 1976 United States Conference of Catholic Bishop’s Call to Action Conference, where more than 100 bishops were among 1,340 voting delegates and 1,500 observers, including our very own previous bishop, Bishop John J. Fitzpatrick.

Today, the National Call To Action Organization includes over 25,000 members throughout the United States, including bishops, priests, deacons and lay people. There are over 40 local chapters. Call to Action encourages a more progressive and engaged Church and believes that the Spirit of God is at work in the whole Church, not just in its clergy. (Call To Action-USA)

Call To Action also suggests that the Church should be the model of openness and accountability and specifically calls for a full disclosure of those priests that have been removed or transferred to other assignments for findings of sexual abuse of children and adults, which has been the main focus of the local Rio Grande Valley Chapter.

Being a member of Call To Action in no way places its members in a position of being “not in good standing with the Catholic Church”. Cannon Law specifically grants all Catholics the right to form voluntary associations to pursue their Catholic faith and beliefs, including the right to publicly express their dissent to any decisions made by Church authorities, much to the dislike of some Church leaders. (C.212:3, C.215, C.218, C.299, C.300, C.305, C.309, C.753)

I consider these tactics by Monsignor Brum to be absolutely ludicrous and extremely unbecoming of a Monsignor of the Catholic Church. I also feel that it is high time that Bishop Peña gets more involved in this matter and requires Monsignor Brum to publicly apologize to those parishioners that he has so unjustly victimized and that he be required to immediately reinstate them to their ministries and previous positions at Holy Spirit Parish!

This is very serious stuff, folks. I welcome your comments.
~Kanickers


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Call To Action Letter to Parishioners

Call to Action-Rio Grande Valley
P.O. Box 3443, McAllen, Texas 78502


July 21, 2006

Dear Parishioners of Holy Spirit,

There is a situation in Holy Spirit Parish that has reached a critical point, and I believe that everyone connected to the parish community needs to be informed about it.

You may not be aware, but since Monsignor Brum has been in the parish, he has either informed some parishioners that they would not be welcome in parish ministries, has asked some parishioners to withdraw from parish ministries, or has actually removed some parishioners from parish ministries. In many of these cases, Monsignor Brum has used these parishioners’ membership in Call to Action (CTA) as the reason for their exclusion. The Monsignor has publicly described such parishioners as “anti-Catholic,” and “not in good standing with the Church,” and therefore, unworthy to serve the parish. These statements have been made repeatedly, most dramatically in a Eucharistic Ministers’ meeting in August of 2005, where a written policy to that effect was distributed.

From the mouth of a pastor, such characterizations have been extremely harmful—they are not only personally offensive but have damaged these parishioners and their reputations, not only within the Parish, but in the larger community. They amount to slander since the phrase, “not in good standing with the Church” has a very precise meaning within the Church, and when spoken or written publicly by a pastor, it takes on serious import and has serious repercussions. The negative impact of the Monsignor’s exclusionary policies is not limited to hurt feelings and damaged reputations, however. Because of these policies, parishioners are being denied the opportunity to fully practice their Catholic faith within their own Eucharistic Community, Holy Spirit Parish, and the parish itself is being denied their talents. These are not insignificant consequences.

Because of the seriousness of this matter, I wrote to Bishop Peña in March of this year, outlining the situation and asking his opinion as to whether membership in CTA or its local chapter, Call to Action-Rio Grande Valley (CTA-RGV), meant that a person was not in good standing with the Church. On April 17, Bishop Peña responded saying:

"Membership in Call to Action-Rio Grande Valley, in my opinion, does not per se cause a person to be ‘not in good standing’ with the Church."

In a follow-up letter to the Bishop on May 13, I requested that he direct Monsignor Brum to stop these sort of public statements and change his exclusionary policies. In two e-mails to me (May 16 and May 17), the Bishop indicated that he would discuss the issue and my requests with Monsignor Brum.

On May 26, I wrote a letter to Monsignor Brum asking him to publicly retract his statements about his parishioners who are members of CTA and to rescind his exclusionary policies. There was no response to this letter, not even an acknowledgment of receipt.

Subsequently, in two different e-mails to me, the Bishop said:

"I suggested for him [Monsignor Brum] to re-evaluate his policies and re-define the requirements regarding lay participation in various ministries of the parish." (June 6)

"I did receive copy of your correspondence to Msgr. Brum and I have discussed the matter with him and encouraged him to resolve the matter amicably, as soon as possible. It is now up to him to respond to your needs." (June 20)

On June 28, I wrote a second letter to Monsignor Brum informing him that I was aware of the Bishop’s opinions and desires. Namely, that the characterization of CTA members as “not in good standing with the Church” was not something that the Bishop agreed with and that the Bishop wanted him to re-define his policies, resolve the matter amicably, as soon as possible, and respond to our needs. I also asked that these two things be done:

"1. Include in the Sunday bulletin, beginning on the weekend of July 16, 2006, and continuing for a period of a least a month (since not everyone comes to the parish each Sunday), the following:

CLARIFICATION
Membership in the organization Call to Action (CTA) does not prevent a person from serving in the ministries of Holy Spirit Parish.

2. Restore to ministry, by August 1, 2006, at least some of those who have been excluded and put in place a process for integrating the rest."

At the conclusion of this letter of June 28, I said:

"Please contact me by July 10, 2006, to discuss implementation of the bulletin announcement and ministry restoration. If I do not hear from you by that date, I will presume you do not intend to resolve this issue and Call to Action-Rio Grande Valley will pursue other remedies."

This letter was hand-delivered to the parish offices on June 28, the day Monsignor Brum returned from a two-week absence. To my knowledge, he has not been out of town since that day. The letter contained the CTA-RGV mailing address, my own home address, my home phone number, and my cell phone number. There was no response to this letter, not even an acknowledgment of receipt.

From all indications, Monsignor Brum is not going to follow the wishes of Bishop Peña and resolve this issue “amicably, as soon as possible.” This is a serious matter that must be taken seriously and must be resolved—people are being hurt and Holy Spirit Parish is being hurt. I ask you to use whatever influence you may have in the parish community to facilitate such a resolution.

Sincerely,


Gerald D. Brazier
President, Call to Action-Rio Grande Valley



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Bishop John J. Fitzpatrick

Bishop John J. Fitzpatrick dies in Brownsville, Texas.

We were saddened to hear that Bishop John J. Fitzpatrick died on Saturday, July 15, 2006, at his residence in Brownsville, Texas. Bishop Fitzpatrick served as bishop of the Brownsville Diocese from April of 1971 to November of 1991.

In January of 1998, Bishop John Fitzpatrick joined other Catholic Bishop Members of Pax Christi-USA to express his grave concerns to our then President Bill Clinton concerning the possible attack and US-led sanctions against the people of Iraq.

In May of 2001, Bishop Fitzpatrick also signed a resolution requesting that the United States Government close the School of the Americas, which was proven to have trained hundreds of graduates in methods of torture, execution, blackmail and false imprisonment and which trained nineteen of the twenty-six El Salvador military that murdered six Jesuit priests, a co-worker and her fifteen year old daughter, was responsible for two of the three that were cited in the assassination of Archbishop Oscar Romero, and for three of the five that raped and murdered four U.S. churchwomen.

Bishop Fitzpatrick was also very active in protecting the rights and dignity of immigrants entering into the United States from Mexico and South America and was also highly supportive of the United Farm Workers Union.

Fitzpatrick's body will be received at Immaculate Conception Cathedral in Brownsville at 10 a.m. on Monday, July 17, 2006.

A Mass for the repose of the soul will be celebrated, followed by a viewing until 7 p.m., followed by a vigil service.

The body will be transferred to St. Mary's Catholic Church on Tuesday and viewing will be from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., followed by another vigil service.

On Wednesday, viewing at St. Mary's will be from 8 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. A funeral Mass will follow at 10 a.m. Burial will be at Buena Vista Cemetery in Brownsville.

Bishop John J. Fitzpatrick will long be remembered for his life work of serving Our Lord!


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Newsletter of 07/09/06

Somos el Cuerpo de Cristo
Thoughts from Some Fellow Parishioners of Holy Spirit—July 9, 2006

Thoughts About Galas and Other Things
We had a partial report of the Parish’s 25th Anniversary Gala in the bulletin on July 2nd which indicated that the proceeds were approximately $47,700. Whether this is a gross or net figure wasn’t made clear, but who’s counting? What was striking was the editorial comment that the Gala was a great sign of the Parish’s unity. It is difficult to see how such a conclusion could be arrived at, since the event was attended by only 125 people (approximately) and could hardly be characterized as drawing from a representative cross-section of the Parish.

The generosity of those attending (contributions of ≈$760 per couple) is commendable, but we need to ask ourselves is this the sort of Parish that we really want—one supported on special occasions with large donations from a small group of people? The model of a tithing parish supported week in and week out by a large cross-section of the parishioners is one that was very successful in the past and seems closer to the notion of a community where everyone has a stake rather than one in which only a few can realistically contribute. Even though Holy Spirit sits in upper class, well-to-do North McAllen, it is only recently that events in which a family spends almost $800 in an evening would be thought of as an appropriate way to raise money or have a parish celebration.

Idolatry
“But our contemplative and mystical traditions won’t let us forget that God is ultimately mystery and we know far less about God than we sometimes think. Do we really believe that we know the truth about God, the truth about the Spirit of God, the truth about grace and redemption? Do we believe, on a completely different and subservient level, that we know precisely what structures best serve the vitality and mission of the Church in any given period of history? Some of us apparently do. And we cannot tolerate any doubt about our convictions whatsoever. When this happens, we make idols of our ideologies masking them as theological givens.

“Perhaps it is the nature of religious conviction and belief that we assume a defensive, superior posture not only against other religious traditions but also against fellow believers who embrace our common faith from different perspectives. It is precisely against this faulty religious fidelity that the prophets of all ages speak out so strongly. The prophets of old understood more clearly than we do today that the most blinding fault of the true believer is always idolatry – making a historically conditioned understanding of God’s mysterious ways into immutable truths that stand in no need whatsoever of further plumbing and reflection.

“…What is so striking about the present cultural wars engaging many of the developed Euro-American countries is that they are only minimally doctrinal in nature if doctrinal at all—understanding doctrine here as revealed teaching. More often than not, the matters so fiercely contested are about church structures, ecclesiastical disciplines, the role of the laity, and the hot button issues of accountability, transparency, and governance. What is at stake, it should be clear, is not revealed truth but long-standing lines of control and power.”
From Faith That Dares to Speak, Rev. Donald Cozzens. Submitted by fellow parishioner, Michelle Peña

$$$$$ 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 $54,790.95 less than the $551,000 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 $128,596.83 of red ink (versus budget) for the period 10/16/05 to 7/2/06. Stretching that pattern for an entire year, the Parish would fall short by $175,974.60

Downfall of a Priest
DARIEN, Conn., July 8 — The Rev. Michael Jude Fay repeatedly spent thousands of dollars on luggage, jewelry and designer clothes, even though his salary was a modest $28,000 a year.

To many of his parishioners at St. John Roman Catholic Church in Darien, Father Fay's lavish ways came as a shock nearly two months ago when the Diocese of Bridgeport demanded his resignation because of questions about his suitability for the priesthood, his lifestyle and his financial stewardship of the church.

Parishioners say there were warning signs about his spending, such as a black-tie bash he threw for himself at one of the premier hotels in Manhattan in May 2003 to commemorate his 25th anniversary in the priesthood. But the Bridgeport Diocese did not pressure him to step aside until this year, after private investigators hired by the parish's bookkeeper and associate pastor documented at least $200,000 in questionable spending by Father Fay.

For all his outward success, it was evident that Father Fay had an appetite for little luxuries, such as the blond highlights his Darien hairdresser said he put in his hair. A small bridal shower he threw for a Sunday school teacher had a three-piece combo and jaw-dropping flower arrangements, a person who attended said.

Parishioners said he spent thousands of dollars sprucing up the church and expanding the house where the priests lived. When one parent questioned the cost of a tapestry, Father Fay cut her off by saying, “What makes you think it wasn't a gift?”

Parishioners would call the office, wanting to discuss their problems with the priest, she said, and “every time Jude would get on the phone, he'd roll his eyes.” Over time, she and others said, they noticed that he left more of the pastoral work to his parochial vicar, the Rev. Michael J. Madden.

Father Fay did not relinquish his tight control over the church's finances, however, according to the church's bookkeeper, and the investigators she and Father Madden hired in May to look into possible improprieties at the church.

Father Fay typically kept donations to the church in his desk drawer instead of promptly depositing them in the church's bank account, making it difficult to track how the funds were used, said one of the investigators hired by Father Madden.

In recent years, Father Fay also picked the members of the church's lay boards rather than let parishioners cast ballots, as they once did.

In April, the bookkeeper and Father Madden took their concerns to the diocese. Father Fay appeared before the bishop on May 9 to respond to the allegations but left without being relieved of his duties.

Frustrated, the bookkeeper and Father Madden asked investigators to review records the bookkeeper had copied. On May 17, these investigators took their findings to the Darien police. The bishop asked Father Fay to resign and to leave the premises that same day. NY Times, 7/9/06.

Mi Casa Es Su Casa
Rumors are constant in any community, and they are even contradictory ones floating around at the same time. We keep hearing that the Monsignor is soon moving on to another parish—“it’s just another month or so.” We also hear that the current rectory is going to be sold, and those proceeds, together with 25th Anniversary profits, will be put to building a new rectory on the Parish grounds. Those two rumors are certainly at odds, right? No pastor would so irresponsible as to put another financial burden on a parish just as he was leaving it, would he? Certainly no pastor would put personal comfort above needed maintenance of the parish plant.

Maybe the rumors aren’t true. We’ll have to see.

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


Posting a Comment: You may now submit a comment simply by clicking "POST A COMMENT" under the "COMMENTS" link below. Approval of comments are done only to prevent any objectionable or advertising type posts. You may also e-mail this article to a friend, by clicking on the envelope icon below.