Saturday, March 5, 2011

The substance of things hoped for...

A victory for parishioners in PA.

28 comments:

  1. Finally, some real hope coming from Rome, when we get none from our own Diocese. Thank you Jesus.

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  2. Has anyone from the SOP considered presenting a petition to Rome? I think there would be good support- even financial, if legal council was attained.

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  3. So, everybody, mark your calendars to attend the Parish Lenton Series- featuring the video's of Rob Bell, who is pastor of Mars Hill, the fastest growing Protestant church in the country.

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  4. What?! I do not get that last comment, why would I want to go to that? I was planning on going to the ASP retreat for Lent, now I'm not sure. Are you joking? Please explain.

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  5. 3:35...2:26 mentioned the Lenten Series, not the retreat. According to the Lent + 2011 purple bulletin insert, the Lenten Series features videos by Rob Bell, with themed discussion led by ASP staff. Not sure who Rob Bell is but 2:26 could be right...and I am sure we would have appreciated info on Mr. Bell in the bulletin (just like there is for the Retreat Speakers)...so we could decide if that is something we'd like to go to...So thanks for clarifying 2:26.

    Why not choose some Bishop Sheen videos (from his television program of years ago)? Now that would have been something to reflect on.

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  6. oh, ok thanks for clearing that up Mary. I looked him up and 2:26 is correct. I don't have anything against Protestants, I'm married to one!
    I would just rather look deeper into my own Catholic Church's teachings during Lent.

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  7. Yes- Rob Bell is a reknowned Protestant pastor. How telling. Why not a Lenton video series from Father Corapi? Or Scott Hahn? Parish led discussions in the Catholic Church should be inspired by someone who shares our Catholic faith. Do you think Rob Bell is going to discuss the sacrament of Reconciliation during this liturgical season of repentance?

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  8. According to a recent press release, Pastor Rob Bell has recently denounced Hell and is causing a fire-storm, especially within the Protestant community:(Quote)"Rob Bell is the most vibrant, central religious leader of the millennial generation. Now, in "Love Wins: Heaven, Hell, and the Fate of Every Person Who Ever Lived", Bell addresses one of the most controversial issues of faith—the afterlife—arguing that a loving God would never sentence human souls to eternal suffering. With searing insight, Bell puts hell on trial."

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  9. Yeah, 6:32, I read that one too. What in the world are they thinking?

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  10. "They" are Deacon Dean Condon, the "not-so-Catholic" leader of the Corning Catholic community. Go figure.

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  11. Why has it taken so many such a long time to figure this deacon out? The handwriting has been on the wall but some chose not to read it. Afraid it's too late to stop this runaway train..or is it?

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  12. 7:28 Afraid that the damage that has been done runs so deep, it may never turn around, even when he finally moves on. I remember when he first arrived and his agenda first emerged, I still wanted to give him a fair chance. I even defended him on occasion. But not any more. He needs to go join the church where his heart is and leave we Catholics to practice our faith.

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  13. Look, I'm no fan of the deacon, but realize this is a diocesan thing. This kind of heretical stuff is what our bishop traffics in on a daily basis. People just don't want any more scandal. They would rather put up with it. And so the Catholic faith is destroyed bit by bit.

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  14. 7:28 always have hope! Nothing runs too deep. Change is inevitable. Remember people support him for various reasons. Maybe some are just trying to keep their jobs or volunteer posts that they need or enjoy. Others may not be able to handle the stress of disagreeing. Some personalities desperately need to be in the good graces of whomever is in charge. We all know people like this in our work places, families etc...Whose to say you or I would not be the same way if in that situation. He can not weaken or change the Catholic faith of this community!!

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  15. Before you folks get too bent out of shape, the Rob Bell Nooma video's are pretty harmless. I've seen two of them. They are brief, with a theme that is intended to tug at your heart. Frankly, I found them to be spiritually immature.

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  16. Well, I was skeptical at first, but just watched Rob Bell - Breathe, and it was very captivating. And I'm still Catholic. Whew..... No seriously, it was really good, no worries.

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  17. I agree with 6:12. Why not use a Catholic speaker's videos, like Father Corapi's? And can you imagine a congregation of another faith using a Catholic priest's videos? Nope, it would never happen.
    But on a hopeful note, congratulations to the Allentown churches!

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  18. I'm a former protestant. I loved my protestant faith and still have high regard for many protestants. However, there is a plethora of good, quality Catholic media now. There is no reason to show protestant videos. Differences in doctrine are sometimes extremely subtle, but they're there. Even if nothing is anti-Catholic, a viewer can't watch in comfort. You constantly have to be questioning, "is that right? Is that Catholic?" If you watch a Catholic speaker (at least a good one), you can relax a bit more and hear the message w/out such worry.

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  19. I think sometimes Catholics have been conditioned to bend over backwards to be accommodating of other traditions. It's the tolerance mantra. However, as others have said, the depth and quality of Catholic media is out there. Doesn't it just make more sense to attract Catholics (and others) with such programs?

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  20. Rob Ben is controversial in his own circle and yet we welcome him to ours. I agree with those who have already stated that we, as Catholics, have at our disposal many, many excellent resources to enlighten the Lenton journey, why are we subjected to the Protestant version? Well, actually, I know why...Personally, I think the Parish needs some good, solid instruction on the sacrament of Reconciliation. Many believe that all of their sins are forgiven through our ever-popular communal penance services, which offer general absolution and, by the way, should only to be offered in extreme situations, like the ship is sinking. I'm pretty sure that Deacon Dean does not believe in this sacrament, so I don't expect much change in this area. Also, they promote Rob Ben up at Victory- what does that tell you?????

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  21. This is all about money, folks. The leaders are going to say and do whatever they think will bring in the most $$$. They could care less about true Catholic teaching, Scripture, the sacraments or the faithful.

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  22. 8:20a- It's Rob BELL, not Rob Ben, anyway, he started his own church based on his own vision, enough said about him.

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  23. This is beyond the pale. I have never heard of anything like it. I recall tht after Vat.II we in the Catholic Church started identifying ourselves as Christian as a way of fostering ecumenism. Then over the years seeing distinctions in the different Christian denominations we identified ourselves as Catholic Christians. So, why not develop that identity.Lent, an optimal time to help laity to draw closer to God, to practice sacrifice and to put it all in the context of our Catholic Tradition and tenets. This is an opportunity that is being totally blown away by ignoring once again our heritage. This is the last straw for me and I am letting the officials know about this and how we feel. As someone mentioned, the retreat sounds good. It does bring in two very thoughtful and solid Catholic theologians who will help us grow in knowledge wisdon and grace if we open ourselves to them. My question is this, is all that multiple staff so oppressed that they cannot even say this is a bad idea or are they just puppets in Dean's hands.

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  24. 11:20- To answer your question: They are drinking the kool-aid. Jobs in the Church are tough to come by these days; with Deacon Condon, you go along or get along.

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  25. Let's get back to the topic for a minute. I asked above: Has anyone begun the process to petition Rome in regards to closing our Churches? Do we know anybody who can provide direction in this regard? Should we contact the parish in Pa.? We should strike while the iron is hot.

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  26. 12:19. Agree! There is a chant that is heard at the local basketball games; it goes like this:

    "Were not gonna take it,
    No, we ain't gonna take it,
    We're not gonna take it ANYMORE!"

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  27. Re: contacting Rome, I believe that Irondequoit has a canon lawyer. We're trying to get in touch with them. I'm encouraged by the recent rulings in MA and Allentown. Also, St. Mary's in Jamesville had their hearing in Rome postponed earlier this month; they're waiting to be rescheduled.

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  28. well, the more who contact Rome the better. Maybe they will see that something has to be done here with the run away trains in so many dioceses. Money is never the issue. Unfortunately the church is like so many other organizations, you are willing to keep it alive and going if you see that it has somethin to offer you and it is not wasteful of its resources and any of that stuff. Money or in our case the lack of speaks. Get good leadership here and watch....

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