August 14, 2019
A group of very progressive Roman Catholics in Portland, left to their own devices for too long and allowed to make up their own rules, is now bristling under a new pastor who is reminding them to which Church they belong.
St. Francis is one of the oldest churches in Portland. It has long been known as a bastion of progressive Catholic faith.
Parishioners have marched in the Portland Pride parade, fed and given shelter to people experiencing homelessness and worked to make the traditionally patriarchal institution more inclusive of women. For several years, a banner hung above the church steps that read "Immigrants & refugees welcome.
Now, the banner is missing. Vestments and one of several treasured photographs of the homeless community that had lined the walls of their parish had been piled in a trailer headed for the dump.
Many felt the new priest aimed to better align St. Francis with the archdiocese, who some feel is out of step with Catholics in Portland.
There is a lot of wrong to unpack in those paragraphs, beginning with the implication that helping the homeless is something that only "progressive" Catholics (which really isn't a thing) would do.
I should also point out that this lengthy, unquestioning article was not written by a religion reporter, which many newspapers still employ. Its author is a news intern according to his Twitter bio.
It matters not that "some" feel the archdiocese is "out of step with the Catholics in Portland." An archdiocese doesn't exist to adapt to the whims and social mores of a particular region. The Church would cease to exist in a matter of years were that the case.
There is a lot of confusion among the parishioners of St. Francis:
The Roman Catholic Church is rooted in tradition and hierarchy. Jerry Harp, chair of St. Francis’ pastoral council, is struggling to understand how he relates to this structure of authority. It was this hierarchy that was roiling his parish.
Harp considers himself a devout Catholic. He starts every morning with mediation and prayer and prays the Hail Mary at least once a day. He tries to attend Mass every Sunday. When he was in his 20s, he said he wanted to follow every rule he could. Now he questions how those rules bring him closer to God.
The hierarchy that Harp struggles with traces itself all the way to St. Peter in the Roman Catholic Church. That's actually one of the big selling points for those of us who don't find ourselves roiled by it.
And talking to a Roman Catholic who is complaining about rules is like meeting a boxer who says he wants to keep fighting but doesn't want to get hit anymore.
This is a wonderful article -- especially if you are "on the side of" the Church. The video is, I think you'll say, typical. Go here https://pjmedia.com/faith/progressive-portland-catholics-protest-being-made-to-act-catholic/ for the whole thing.
A WORD FROM TIM, A PRACTICING CATHOLIC:
"Jerry Harp, chair of St. Francis’ pastoral council, is struggling to understand how he relates to this structure of authority. It was this hierarchy that was roiling his parish."
Catholicism is a top down religion, not a democracy. If you don't want to listen to Apostolic authority you should find another Church. You could always become an Old Catholic, for instance.
I love that line:
"Harp considers himself a devout Catholic. He starts every morning with mediation and prayer and prays the Hail Mary at least once a day. He tries to attend Mass every Sunday."
He says ONE HAIL MARY? ONE? Not a full Rosary, not a Decade, just one single prayer? And this guy thinks he's devout. Oh, and he "tries" to attend Mass every Sunday. Sunday attendance is mandatory, and is the absolute minimum required of every Catholic. This guy is as devout as Nancy Pelosi.
Social justice is not at the core of Catholicism. Catholicism (indeed, all of Christianity) is about first and foremost the salvation of souls. There really is no other purpose. It is better to suffer a horrendous life here for eternal life forever. That is not to say we do not do the corporal works of mercy, but we don't do them to actually fix some societal wrong but to practice for the afterlife. God has the power to fix societal ills. They serve His purposes, though. Poverty was created by God when He cast Adam and Eve out of the Garden of Eden and cursed the ground. So, while God does not like us being poor and we are supposed to help the poor, in the end that is not the principle mission of the Church - salvation is. The primary role of Catholicism is to keep people out of Hell.
Too bad these modern Progressive Catholics can't see that. They are going to let many go to Hell in their holier-than-thou pursuit of tolerance and social justice.
Posted by: Timothy Birdnow at
01:14 PM
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Posted by: Bill H at August 14, 2019 11:03 PM (vMiSr)
Posted by: pogo games at August 15, 2019 03:51 AM (02Occ)
But it isn't supposed to be that way. Christ said "if a town does not receive you shake the dust of the town off your feet and move on". But the churches all want donations more than souls, so they pander to everyone. In the end they become as vain and corrupt as the society around them.
Posted by: Timothy Birdnow at August 15, 2019 08:38 AM (bQiGF)
Posted by: raze 3 at August 16, 2019 02:05 AM (z1oD4)
He gave his reason for retiring as not wanting to have to deal with the next big heresy he sees coming along at some point in the future, which is the "B" part of the LGBTQ salad. He says that when they reach "critical mass," where they believe they can gain enough support, they will lobby to satisfy "both sides of themselves" and will be agitating to have polygamy legalized. And he greatly fears that churches in general will cave in.
Posted by: Dana Mathewson at August 16, 2019 09:40 AM (RjlmW)
Posted by: Timothy Birdnow at August 16, 2019 04:33 PM (1UZYx)
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