Letter to Monsignor Brum.
Letter to Monsignor Brum
Dear Msgr. Brum:
How dare you suggest that ANYONE not come to mass (re: your comments at the announcements today, Sunday October 22, 2006). How dare you!
How can you know what is in the hearts of parishioners and why they come to mass? Regardless of the reason they may come to mass, to show off new clothes or new spouse, socialize, a sense of Catholic duty, sell bar-be-que tickets, or whatever, let them ALL come says Jesus, and He will change their hearts THROUGH the shared celebration of the Eucharist.
I come to mass for several reasons. Even though you are the celebrant, and a very poor one, I STILL get something out of it. I come for the Eucharist, I come for the fellowship with other parishioners, I come to show you that I am STILL here demanding inclusion and that YOU as MY PASTOR serve my needs and the needs of all NOT only those who you happen to like.
I am a Catholic and always will be no matter how bad the clergy is; I just learned that lesson from a missionary priest in Honduras that I visited his month; being World Mission Sunday, it is good to bring that up. The church has survived bad clergy before and will again.
You, of all people, Msgr. Brum, suggesting that some have invalid reasons to come to mass and should not attend. You who have refused to even LOOK at a large group of parishioners during the celebration of the Eucharist. You who threw out the peace and justice commission, one of the pillars of the Church in this world. You who made our staff’s lives miserable until they left. You who once REFUSED me communion and stood by smirking while your misguided sycophants attacked me in public for pointing out a grave error you made. You who got rid of our excellent choir. You who destroyed our renowned education system. You who restricted lectors and Eucharistic ministers to only those who please you. You who scolded Adam Moya AT MASS because of your insane paranoia. Who are YOU, poor excuse for a pastor that you are, to suggest that ANYONE NOT come to mass!
Bishop, I know you are reading this, do you know what your pastor at Holy Spirit Parish is doing? Of course you do; he is doing your bidding. May God have mercy on both of your souls.
In all humility (truly),
Guy Hallman, parishioner of Holy Spirit Parish
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14 comments:
More of the same... If someone disagrees with Fr. Louie, he will somehow find a way to remove them! Now he is flat out telling those parishioners that he doesn't like not to come to mass! So much for allowing ALL of God's children to make the Eucharist the CENTER of their life!
One thing for sure, he is at Holy Spirit doing EXACTLY what his Bishop has instructed!
Thank You Guy Hallman for having the courage to speak out against your priest and Bishop. Every parishioner at Holy Spirit should now realize exactly what kind of priest they have a Holy Spirit! God help us!
Just wait until the parishioners at Holy Spirit find out that Father Genardo has now been REMOVED as well!
All signs of Christ have now been erased from Holy Spirit Parish!
For those of us listening from home (and whose home is not the Rio Grande Valley), would it be possible to see a copy of this announcement that Guy alluded to... or at least get the gist of what it says?
What? Our only hope for any kind of salvation (and meaningful homlies) at Holy Spirit has now been removed? More work of our very concerned and caring Bishop? What a tragedy this all is... When will it end?
Maybe it is time that we all quit going to mass... How are we being spiritually nourished by any of this?
If you are looking for spiritual nourishment, don't go looking at Holy Spirit anymore!
I will not quit going to mass at Holy Spirit. My reasons for going to mass are the same as for any other parishioner. They are certainly not for the Rev. Msgr to decide. I will NEVER stop going to Holy Spirit. I will continue to sit front and center at any mass I choose to attend and to speak out for the truth--maybe I'll start attending ALL the masses instead of just one. See you Sunday!!!
I think that it is time for the TRUTH to be told. Louis is a shameful excuse for a priest. I NEVER thought that I would ever hear a priest tell parishioners NOT to come to mass. The world needs to know about this atrocity. Why are the priests not in a uproar about Fr. Genaro?? When are the rest of the clergy of this diocese going to stand up for what is right???
It is a tragedy that parishioners are asked by their Pastor to "stay away" when he finds them or their actions disagreeable. I believe Fr. Louie has forgotten what it means to be a Catholic priest.
As he himself at least said in his homily, "we are all called to serve one another." Do these words mean anything to you Fr. Louie? Jesus did not tell people to stay away. Rather, in the spirit of love, reconciliation and forgiveness, Jesus was always inviting people forth, even his enemies.
Who cares if you do not officially sanction the event in question? What matters is the event involves Holy Spirit Parishioners coming together in the spirit of love and fellowship to learn about God, their Christian faith and to share their gifts with each other. It is a wonderful example of Christian love and fellowship. "Where two or more are gathered in his name, He is there."
Even if Fr. Louie finds the people involved reprehensible, he may want to keep in mind Jesus' message "if they are not working against us, they are with us." As a regular attendee of Fellowship, I can testify that we are all trying to work for the Glory of God and share his wonderful gifts with each other and the world. My message to Fr. Louie is, stop doing harm to your parishioners and your parish.
Rather than persistently lashing out at those parishioners you dislike or disagree with, consider inviting them to the table and listening to them. I must personally admit based upon what I have witnessed thus far, I don't see this as a likely outcome. However, I also understand that with God all is possible.
I can honestly and confidently say to you that we are not going away, and we will continue to be present to answer God's calling and spread the gospel message of love, peace and justice. I pray that you will once again remember what it means to be a Catholic priest and a servant of his people.
From Fellow Parishioner, Mark Peña
All my hopes of hearing a meaningful sermon again are gone now that that Father Genaro is no longer with Holy Spirit. What a shame. And to you Father Louis, I will still keep attending mass at Holy Spirit. We were there before you were, and will be there after you are gone.
Even a priest that is as mentally challenged as Fr. Louie should be able to understand what Christ was trying to teach in last Sunday's Gospel. You are here to SERVE your parishioners, not to BE SERVED! If you can't understand that, maybe it is YOU that should not attend mass at Holy Spirit! I have never in my life ever heard of a priest telling his parishioners NOT to attend mass! I still can’t believe you had the audacity to even suggest that. I will continue to pray for your recovery!
I feel sorry for you, Father Louis! Being so insecure has got to be miserable for you. All of us parishioners that you keep avoiding, removing from ministries and asking to leave Holy Spirit will continue to pray for you!
I give kudos to Mr. Hallman for his sensible words. It’s a shame no one will believe what is happening at our church...and it’s a bigger shame that people are still trying to avoid the obvious.
How can people sit there and watch this man shun people away? How can they not give a damn?
The bishop is sitting on the hot seat of controversy and isn't doing anything to facilitate the situation. He would rather sit back and write his articles about morals then help the parishioners.... or past parishioners of Holy Spirit.
Father Louis, on the other hand, doesn't know what he's doing and never really knew what he was doing in the first place. He's trying to prove some sort of superiority over the masses to gain some form of respect. That technique has only worked with his "favorites" who claim to be closer to God just because they're close to Louis.
This is personal opinion, of course, but if you agree with this, then that is your decision.
I will continue to pray for everyone. I have hope everyone else will do the same...
Speaking of his "favorites" (poor souls), I happened upon one in a local business the other day. As soon as she saw me and my wife she averted her glance and never looked at us again. I was struck by how animated was her conversation with the employee of the business, all the while with her back toward us. I had only seen that person to be miserable at Holy Spirit and was pleasantly surprised to see her behave differently out of that environment. I kept looking at her hoping to at least exchange a grunt of acknowledgement of each other's existence; I have done that with her husband on other ocasions. But when she finished she quickly walked by us and out without ever looking at us again.
That is sad; we on "both sides" of this struggle (an artificial separation created by the bishop and fomented by Msgr. Brum) need to at least acknowledge each other's existence. Many of us parishioners will still be here long after Msgr. Brum and the bishop are gone (and may they be gone soon!) It is not between us parishioners; the struggle is about faithful laity speaking truth to corrupt clergy and seeking inclusion and justice. The "favorites" are being used.
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