Pastor Defies Bishop Peña

Pastor defies Bishop Peña

The Monitor
August 31, 2006
(scanned)

To the editor:
Monsignor Louis Brum, pastor of Holy Spirit Parish in McAllen, continues to ignore Bishop Peña’s direction and advice by leaving in place a ban on participation in parish ministries by parishioners who are members of Call to Action (CTA) or its local chapter, Call to Action-Rio Grande Valley (CTA-RGV).

In August 2005, Monsignor Brum instituted a formal policy of banning CTA and CTA-RGV members from full participation in the parish, calling the organization and its members “anti-Catholic” and “not in good standing with the Church.”

Troubled by this ban and alarmed by these characterizations, I wrote to Bishop Peña asking whether he was in agreement with Monsignor’s statements about CTA. On April 17, 2006, the Bishop replied, “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 later correspondence the Bishop has said, “I suggested for him (Monsignor Brum) to re-evaluate his policies and redefine the requirements regarding lay participation in various ministries of the parish" (June 6) 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).

The exclusion from ministries not only deprives the parish the talents of these people but it shatters the unity of the Body of Christ. The policy must be changed and the damage that has been done must be repaired. Bishop Peña indicates as much when he says that the policy has no basis.

It is odd that Monsignor Brum, a priest who is constantly preaching about obedience to Church authority, persists in defying the Bishop.

Gerald Brazier
Edinburg


Peace and Justice Reminder:
Please join the parish Peace and Justice Committee and the Valley's People for Peace and Justice in a demonstration for peace in the Middle East this afternoon (August 31st) between 4:30 and 6:00pm at the offices of Representative Ruben Hinojosa, on the corner of McColl and Trenton. At 6pm, we will join the Coalition Against the Dealth Penalty, at that same location, for a prayer vigil for Derrick Frazier, who will be executed by the State of Texas at that time. See you there!


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The Lorax

The Lorax
By: Benjamin Salinas

“I am the Lorax. I speak for the trees.
I speak for the trees, for the trees have no tongues.
And I’m asking you, sir, at the top of my lungs”--
he was very upset as he shouted and puffed--
“What’s that THING you’ve made out of my Truffula tuft?”

Many times in the past 3 years, I have felt like the Lorax, having to ask the strange Once-ler what he has made out of “MY” Truffula tuft.

And I started to think about it, and reread the story, and I realized how well the story of this strange little man fits into many of our lives. I present the following coincidences for your consideration.

A strange man, the Once-ler, comes into a peaceful community and begins chopping down trees.

A small man, the Lorax, decides to speak for the trees and stand up against this man.

The Once-ler argues that he is doing everyone a favor by creating a Thneed, which many people seem to want (though personally, I couldn’t see anyone actually using it).

The Once-ler, in spite of the Lorax, calls in all his friends and family to make a quick buck.

“And in no time at all, in the factory I built,
the whole Once-ler Family was working full tilt”

However, the Once-ler decides that ending one program at a time (err..chopping down one tree at a time) is too slow, and so he invents the “Super-Axe-Hacker, which whacked off four Truffula Trees at one smacker.”

Soon, the Brown Bar-ba-loots, who survived off the shade provided by the Truffula trees (and even were nourished by the FRUITS of these trees) are forced to go elsewhere to find nourishment. To this, the Lorax says:

“They loved living here. But I can’t let them stay.
They’ll have to find food. And I hope that they may".
"Good luck, boys,” he cried. And he sent them away.

But, while the Once-ler was off biggering, the Lorax came back AGAIN. This time to announce that the poor Swomee-Swans could no longer sing a note.

“No one can sing who has smog in his throat.”

And so, the singers leave. The Lorax points out that they are going to have to fly.

“They may have to fly for a month… or a year…
to escape from the smog you’ve smogged-up around here.
There has definitely been smog, smogged up around here."

However, this is not it. The Lorax then points out the “Gluppity Glup” and “Schloppity-Schlopp” and all the other left over goo that gets fed to the fish. (Consider, if you will, that Christ called us to be fishers of men. What does that make the fish?)

Now, consider who we are, most recently, feeding “Gluppity Glup” and “Schloppity-Schlopp” to, forcing them to leave to surrounding communities to live.

Then, we are then met with a wake-up call— "the very last Trufulla tree of them all has finally been chopped down". There is no more damage to be done, and so everyone leaves.

“The Lorax said nothing. Just gave me a glance…

just gave me a very sad, sad backward glance…
as he lifted himself by the seat of his pants.
And I’ll never forget the grim look on his face
when he heisted himself and took leave of this place,
through a hole in the smog, without leaving a trace.”

As the story ends, we learn how the Once-ler has undergone a huge change in ideals. He now speaks of the word “UNLESS.”

Dr. Seuess is describing a seemingly made up world in this book, but it is one very close to home for many of us.

We have seen our trees chopped down and as for our Brown Bar-ba-loots, ones that we have sworn to protect and lived with for years, we’ve seen them sent away. We’ve seen the smoggiest of smog and the gluppiest of glupps send others away. We’ve seen the entire story of the Lorax, unfold before our very eyes.

It is safe to say that one day the Once-ler and his family will realize what they have done and regret it. The question is when? And, more importantly, how much damage will have been done? Will it be possible, as the Once-ler suggests, to plant these seeds of our faith?

Will they regrow what we have lost?

I don’t know...

In the mean time, however, I will leave you with some words by another very wise man, Eric Clapton.

“Let’s make the best of the situation
Before I finally go insane.
Please don't say we'll never find a way
And tell me all my love's in vain.”

Oh, it should also be noted that in the entire book, we never once see the Once-ler’s face.

Tune in next week for an analysis of "How the Grinch Stole Christmas"”.


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Proof Positive!

Proof Positive

Sunday, August 27, 2006
(Click on image to enlarge)

Bulletin Insert
The above letter was included in this Sunday’s Bulletin.

This letter totally exemplifies the exclusionary intentions of our pastor. While the pastor of our sister parish (Our Lady of Sorrows) inserted a "full disclosure" of the financial status of their parish in their bulletin, our pastor is still playing games about who can or cannot be a Eucharistic Minister. Does anyone truly believe that this man has Christ in his heart? Your comments are welcomed.
~Kanickers

Parish Council Meeting
Was at church late one day last week. Parked in front of the church were a Jaguar and two Mercedes-Benz automobiles. Thinking to myself about how the financial caliber of our parishioners seemed to be improving, I wondered if the owners of these fancy cars were here for the same meeting that I was? Not the case,... seems they were here for another one of those “secret” parish council meetings! Too sad for words!
~A parishioner


And this from The Monitor:

The Monitor
August 27, 2006

Bishop: Practice what you preach

To the editor:

In regards to Bishop Reymundo Pena’s commentary “God leads us by many roads; what’s necessary is trust” (The Monitor 8/11/06), it is so true that all of us are in the process of deepening and purifying our relationship to God. Likewise, God is with us, nurturing this process.

I wish though that the bishop would exemplify God’s miraculous process by practicing what he writes. Father Louie Brum, pastor at Holy Spirit Parish, is denying parishioners the opportunity to serve by citing Canon laws to support his actions.

Where is the love of God inside of him that the bishop writes about? Denying some of his parishioners at Holy Spirit Parish the opportunity to participate in its ministries is denying them a part of this process. Letting the pastor be selective as to who can and who can not serve is most surely a detriment to the calling and the answering of God’s will that he writes about.

I urge Bishop Pena not to just write the “good words” but to practice what he writes. He writes about “simply becoming open to God’s overflowing love.” The parishioners at Holy Spirit Parish felt that love by the many ministries the parish once had and served.

The shackles he has put on Holy Spirit Parish does not come from a bishop full of God’s love. A good bishop, like our late beloved Bishop Fitzpatrick, would not be bent on destroying it like he is doing. We are patiently waiting for Bishop Peña’s vessel to be filled with God’s love so we can all do God’s good work.

Ricardo Vasquez,
McAllen



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Eucharistic Minister’s Meeting

Eucharistic Minister’s Meeting
There was an important meeting held at Holy Spirit on Monday night. It was for parishioners who were interested in becoming a Eucharistic Minister. The general parish population knew nothing about this meeting. There was no announcement in the bulletin and no mention of it at any of the Sunday Masses. It seems that it was strictly “by invitation only”.

There must be hundreds of parishioners at Holy Spirit who would welcome the opportunity to give of their time and talent to serve our Lord as a Eucharistic Minister. Unfortunately, our pastor has chosen to allow only those of his choosing to participate in this and other ministries within our parish. How totally unCatholic is that? Christ died for all of us and His teachings were that of the inclusion of all. Am I reading a different Bible? Is this the teachings of the Catholic Church? Excuse me while I throw up!

In the spirit of Reconciliation, I hereby submit the only thing that I felt was Catholic about last Monday’s meeting. Too bad such a wonderful prayer was totally lost to the exclusionary intentions of our pastor.
~Kanickers

Renewal Prayer
Gracious God and Father,
We are your people embraced by your love.
We thank you for your presence with us throughout all time.
Create us anew through Jesus Christ your Son.
Liberate us from all that keeps us from you.
Send your Holy Spirit, enabling us to share in
your work of recreating our world.
Heal us from every form of sin and violence.
Transform us to live your Word more profoundly.
Awaken us to the sacred.
Nurture our relationships.
Enliven our parish. Reunite our families.
Fill us with joy to celebrate the fullness of life.
Empower us to be a community of love, growing in your
likeness by the grace of Christ our Lord.
Amen.


Peace & Justice Update
Join the parish Peace and Justice Committee and the Valley Coalition Against the Death Penalty for a demonstration on Thursday, Aug. 24, at 5:30pm, on the southeast corner of the Edinburg Courthouse. At 6pm, there will be a short prayer vigil for Justin Fuller who will be executed by the State of Texas at that time.

Also, please join the parish Peace and Justice Committee and the Valley's People for Peace and Justice in a demonstration for peace in the Middle East on Thursday, August 31st (4:30 to 6:00pm) at the offices of Representative Ruben Hinojosa, on the corner of McColl and Trenton. At 6pm, we will join the Coalition Against the Dealth Penalty, at that same location, for a prayer vigil for Derrick Frazier who will be executed by the State of Texas at that time.

What you can do:
Educate people in your parish and community about Catholic social teaching and the criminal justice system. Visit the following Web site for the Vatican and U.S. bishops’ statements on the death penalty: http://www.usccb.org/sdwp/national/deathpenalty/dpstatements.shtml



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Why Change our Religious Education Program?

Why Change our Religious Education Program?
Via E-Mail, Aug. 21, 2006

Dear Fellow Parishioners,
It is just unacceptable that the "pastor" of our dysfunctional parish has chosen to change the religious education program that has been so successful for so many years. He has chosen book knowledge over real life living of the Gospel. It is apparent that he has no willingness to serve the "people of God", but rather to study our God.

Our children have had the wonderful experience of learning what it means to be a Catholic Christian through the program that has existed for years. Now he is asking them to be as inexperienced as he apparently is at actually living that life.

Is he afraid of those who might be more educated than he? Is he afraid to take off his collar and actually live the life of Christ? Is he so happy to choose those who are simply open to his directions to lead the parish, rather than those who have successfully done so for years, within the guidelines of the Church and diocese?

It is time to question! It is time to challenge! The lives of our children are on the line. Their commitment to Christianity and the Church lies in their understanding of what Jesus relates in the Gospel.

Christ said, "Do this in remembrance of Me". He did not say study the fruits of the Spirit or the gifts of the Holy Ghost. He gave his apostles the directive to go out and spread the message I have given you. He did not say to hide in a chapel and adore Me. He knew He had accomplished His mission. It was now up to His followers to carry the mission out. You cannot do that behind the walls of a chapel.

He did not say to go and make sure everyone respects you because you wear a collar. He said, "Do unto others as I have done unto you." How can we respect, listen to, and follow someone who has no respect for those who have the knowledge that he apparently lacks.

Our children are going to suffer for lack of leadership in the development of their faith and spiritual guidance. Parents, speak up! Let your needs and the needs of your children be known. Let the pastor know that you want your children brought up according to the mission of the Gospel and not just in the memorization of church teachings.

Our youth group has benefited greatly from the program that has been inspiring and has had an impact in their everyday lives. I see it in my daughter and in all the acquaintances she has among her peers. Through the previous program, they learned to pray together, accept differences among each other and live in harmony as Christians with faith in their Church and each other. Our pastor is attempting to do away with that because he apparently does not understand what that is all about. Just to let him know, "IT IS ABOUT BEING A CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN IN THE TRUE SENSE OF THE GOSPEL." It is LIVING the Gospel and not just memorizing words. It is living the words of the Gospel.

His fundamentalism is contrary to Vatican II, which he apparently has difficulty with. It meant change and learning. I have doubts about his ability to learn, especially if he does not read and is more concerned about his status as boss rather than his ordained ministry to serve others and live the gospel.

It is hard to live without the collar and "wash the feet of others" if you do not believe that is your ministry. It is easy to be an institutional ordained minister because the Church does everything for you. You just have to look important. I just cannot get that message from what I read in the Gospel. But it apparently makes him comfortable while the rest of humanity searches for the truth and reaches out to the needs of those who may be different and less fortunate than he is.

I pray for him. I feel sorry for him. I hope that he will see the light and realize that his mission is to help and serve rather than to hate and create devious plots to eliminate those he disagrees with. I thank God my daughter completed her Confirmation class before this abomination occurred. She will be a much better Christian because of her past experiences and will not have to spend her classes memorizing her faith rather than learning how to live it.

Harold Mosher~ A Catholic Christian who believes in living the faith rather than memorizing and doing nothing about it. Service is not vengeance nor is it exclusionary. It is about being there for all who seek the Word of God, not just those you choose to serve.


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