Reconciliation at Holy Spirit?
August 14, 2006
Bishop Raymundo Pena
CATHOLIC DIOCESE OF BROWNSVILLE
P. O. Box 2279
Brownsville, Texas 78522-2279
Also by email to: rjpena@cdob.org
Also posted on Kanickers Blogspot
Dear Bishop Pena:
You came to our parish at the beginning of Lent to discuss reconciliation. Homilies were given that season by visiting priests addressing the importance of coming together once again as a parish family.
Reconciliation and forgiveness hasn’t happened at Holy Spirit. Most importantly, Msgr. Brum himself has not forgiven nor taken any steps toward reconciliation with those he considers “defiant.”
An excellent example happened two Sundays ago. After the 8:30 mass, several of us (who Msgr. Brum will not allow in ministry) went to a local restaurant for breakfast. As we were getting ready to order our food, Msgr. Brum walked in with his good friend, Sister Cindy. They stopped upon seeing our table, then turned and left the building.
· The restaurant wasn’t full and there was certainly no waiting for a table—so that couldn’t be the reason they left.
· Msgr. Brum has been to the restaurant several times, so he is well aware of the cost and type of food they serve—so that could not have been the reason they left.
· He did, however, make eye contact with our group and immediately turned and left quickly.
To publicly snub parishioners, even those he would rather not have as an active part of his parish, is just wrong.
Reconciliation will never happen at our parish as long as we have a pastor who is not interested in leading the process. A good leader leads by example—refusing to share a restaurant with parishioners shows that Msgr. Brum has absolutely no interest in ending the current situation in our parish.. He wasn’t expected to join us at our table, although we would have welcomed him and his guest, but to have him publicly turn his back on us was ridiculous.
It is actions like this that keep Holy Spirit parish from coming together as the family we once were.
Very sadly, but sincerely,
Bridget Cook
McAllen, Texas 78504
cc: Msgr. Louis Brum
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2 comments:
When our Bishop can allow Fr. Louie's mismanagement tactics to again loose us another one of our long term professional staff (15-year Youth Minister), what makes you think our Bishop gives a damn about anything that happens at Holy Spirit?
If Jesus were the Bishop of Brownsville, how would he run the Diocese of Brownsville? What if, Jesus was the pastor of Holy Spirit Catholic Church? How would it be different than the mess we have today? What would Jesus try to teach us? Would Jesus be evangelizing the people of God in our parish? How? Doing what? Saying what?
Would Jesus be trying every means possible to call us to holiness? Would He be trying to unite us as one family in the Body of Christ? Would Jesus not only invite us to become his disciples but provide all the means of becoming disciples in every parish throughout the diocese? Would Jesus want every parish to be a school of holiness as Pope John Paul II taught us as a good goal for the new millennium?
Jesus is the Good Shepherd of his Church on earth – its pastor! Given the fact that Jesus arose from the dead and ascended into heaven, He still remains on earth with his Church as its head. Remember, Jesus wants 100% of the sheep to be in his flock and he wants all the sheep to receive 100% of his teachings! But Jesus has chosen to have some men and parents placed over certain sections of his Body, the Church.
The pope is the Vicar of Christ on earth by being a good shepherd of the Church Universal; the bishop as a successor of the apostles should try always to be a good shepherd of all the people of God of his diocese and parish; the priest pastor (co-worker united with his bishop) is delegated to be a good shepherd for his parish which is “a family of families” (Pope John Paul II, San Antonio, TX, Sept. 13, 1987). The pope, bishop, and priests are anointed and sent by Jesus to care for His people.
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