The following note came in an early July email from Thomas Aquinas College.
This summer five alumni of Thomas Aquinas College were ordained to the sacred priesthood, bringing to 58 the total number of alumni priests.
Following the two ordinations in May, there were three more in June. On the 15th, His Eminence Christoph Cardinal Schönborn, Archbishop of Vienna, laid hands on Rev. Joseph Bolin (’01), in Vienna’s Cathedral of St. Stephan.
Eight days later, on June 23, His Excellency Paul J. Bradley, Bishop of Kalamazoo (Mich.), ordained Rev. Francis Marotti (’07) at St. Augustine Cathedral.
That same day, the Most Rev. Cirilo B. Flores, Coadjutor Bishop of the Diocese of San Diego, conferred the Sacrament of Holy Orders upon Rev. Maximilian Okapal, O.Praem. (’02) at Mission Basilica in San Juan Capistrano, Calif.
The following email came the second week of July from a faculty member at Wyoming Catholic College.
Some years ago, a group of theologians at Wyoming Catholic College came together to establish The Aquinas Institute for the Study of Sacred Doctrine.
By now you may already know about the ambitious project that our Institute has launched — nothing less than publishing, over time, the works of Thomas Aquinas, in Latin certainly, and whenever possible, in bilingual Latin/English editions, in a uniform hardcover format, beautifully printed, and (finally) at affordable prices.
Our initial offerings are the complete Commentaries on Paul’s Letters, the Summa theologiae, the Commentary on John, and the Commentary on Matthew.
We need pre-orders at this time to help offset the initial costs of printing. I come to you as a fellow Thomist, with the request that you would consider whether you might be able to pre-order, at the discount rate valid through July 16, one or more of the volumes being offered by our Institute, as a concrete way of promoting the great good of the present and future study of St. Thomas.
In any event, see what you can do by visiting here.
Meanwhile, back in California, ordinations continue apace:
* In San Jose, Bishop Patrick J. McGrath ordained two men to the priesthood June 2.
* In Oakland, Bishop Cordileone ordained Fr. Kea Oliveira on June 29.
* And, in San Francisco, 10 deacons were ordained on June 24.
While ordinations to the Catholic diaconate and priesthood are cause for joy no matter where they take place, in-state ordinations seem more relevant to “California” Catholics. Perhaps other readers in California but outside the Bay Area can contribute local notes of ordianations.
It is too easy to lose sight of how many very capable men continue to dedicate themselves to the church right here in California, too easy to lose hope.
also in san francisco, the parishioners of MOST HOLY REDEEMER PARISH in the castro have donated $60,000.00 to help children from the parish afford tuition at local catholic schools…just read about this in our catholic newspaper.
the archbishop years ago asked parishes without schools do do this, but no one ever did so except one pastor in pacifica (long since retired), and now MHR.
no wonder so many people in here love that place!
oh, and the fact that they allegedly have the TRAIDTIONAL LATIN MASS celebrated at MHR each day at 9:30 a.m., of course…
That’s not a donation, Max, it is an Archdiocesan tax, on parish rental property. As the story says “The money is derived from taxes assessed on Most Holy Redeemer’s rental property and the income that it produces for the parish.”
Max, be careful of the motives, some are good and some most probably are bad. Penn State should open your eyes to that one. Some said it was all for the children — yaah! right.
Praise be to God!
I really don’t like your new online format.
I agree Larry. I hope this doesn’t discourage the faithful from posting.
It might be helpful if you say what it is you like or don’t like about the format.
I find the more “standard” wordpress comment form easier to use. It’s especially helpful that comments can contain paragraphs. And (ahem) I wish some of the more long-winded comment writers would take advantage of the opportunity to write in normal English paragraphs. It makes reading easier and probably more persuasive.
The banner at the top of the page, with the solar theme, looks more distinctively Southern Californian than Catholic. If you have a look at https://vox-nova.com, they made a banner with icons of their heros in montage; I think that is very effective in setting the tone for the site. Images of Bl. Junipero Serra and the missions might be appropriate in a similar layout.
I do believe that the young, as Pope Benedict says, is the salvation of the Church. Just watching their zeal and search for the truth inspires me to have a much better attitude.
and don’t forget the 31 applicants in the divine mercy seminary in arlington, which i read about yesterday , the full seminaries in australia and new zealand . we are surely moving out the darkness of recent times .
USA Catholic population is almost 6% of the world Catholic population, and yet USA priests account for over 10% of world number of priests. So where is the issue in numbers? The real issue is in the increase or decrease of Catholics. The percentage of Catholics in the world runs a steady 17%. Yet, oddly (?) the interest in Catholicism has dropped 50% over the past 8 years, but the interest in other religions has risen 25% in the same time period. It is not a numbers game as the lite headed seem to believe; rather the light headed would see it as a matter of increasing faith. A case can be made from these stats that those entrusted by God to teach the Catholic faith are failing dismally. There are a few grains of salt in the mix, such as illustrated by this article, but to put on a happy hour over a few ordinations for the corrupt region of San Francisco borders on the certifiable.
JLS – is “happy hour” really part of ordinations in san francisco? i never knew this! now you’ve got me picturing the mothers of the newly ordianed priests drinking martinis and telling stories about how naughty thier boys were as children, dipping girls’ pigtails in inkwells and all that…
St. John Vianney, pray for them. The story goes that the devil told him that if there were 3 priests like him the devils kingdom would be destroyed. St. John Vianney also says that the devil only attacks those in a state of grace or those who are about to abandon sin. He has no need to attack others. The faith has been taught dismally. I just read a blog from someone who was educated in Catholic schools in the ’80s. He said that most of his classmates believe that Catholic teaching is BS because that is what they were taught.
BS? what a sad edcuation they got! i thank the goodf LORD for the many people, in person, through books, and even via the media, who have helped me grow in my catholic faith, which i would never call BS – unless that acronym for me stood for “beautifully sacred.”
is FATHER JOSEPH BOLIN who got ordained in vienna an austrian, or american? if american, he’s in for quite a culture schock, as those priests in austria are going wild, advocating forr the ordination of women, commuinion to ;protestants, and all kinds of wild stuff. and it used to be such a conservative, confo9rmist little alpine country…you wonder what happened…
“you wonder what happened…”
Most Americans do not understand the trauma 20th century history inflicted on Europe and on European Christianity. Probably fewer than half the US knows the facts. Far fewer have any concept how far-reaching the consequences of the “Anschluss,” Dachau and Buchenwald, Allied occupation, post-war reconstruction and 40 years under threat of imminent Soviet invasion are. Conformity just didn’t work out very well for Austria.
Try to imagine how American society would be altered if we suffered 100 Pearl Harbor attacks, and 9/11-grade catastrophes in all major cities over a period of four years. We probably wouldn’t respond the same way Europe has, but it’s a safe bet that we would be dramatically altered, and outsiders who didn’t share our experience might think we’re the ones “going wild.”
What does any of that have to do with the heresies coming out of Austria? I wasn’t aware that their sad historical past made it okay to abandon the true teachings of the Magesterium. Sounds like an excuse.
Larry:
First of all, I at least partly answered max’s question: “you wonder what happened…”
Second, what heresies exactly? Sharing communion with non-Catholics or investigating grounds for womens’ ordination aren’t properly issues of heresy, but issues of church discipline.
Third, calling Austria’s history “sad” exemplifies my earlier point, that most Americans do not comprehend the psychic effect of that history on Europe, nor the nature of resurgent (but hardly orthodox) European spirituality today. “Tragic” yes, but it is no more “sad” than US history of the same era.
Fourth, they haven’t abandoned magisterial teachings so much as resisted discipline.
Francis, sharing communion with non-Catholics is forbidden not because of Church discipline but because of the revealed Word of God in 1 Corinthians 11:20 “For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgement upon himself.” Also, no one should be investigating grounds for women’s ordination. In 1994, Pope John Paul II spoke with the highest authority to infallibly declare that the Church did not have the authority to ordain women and that this opinion is to be definitively held by all the faithful. It is not a matter of discipline but again of revelation.
Let us pray that all of these new ordinands are orthodox in their theology.
God bless, yours in Their Hearts,
Kenneth M. Fisher
“orthodox” means different things to different people. I imagine a wry smile on God’s face whenever someone prays for “orthodoxy.”
when i hear the word “orthodiox” i often think of a divine liturgy filled with incenswe, chanting, and men in great beards and wearing a skouphos…the language being perhaps CHURCH SLAVONIC…Їwaннъ брaтъ їaкwва, и4же и3 є3ђлjстъ гDа бhвый, є3г0же и3
люблsше гDь…
i agree with KENNETH. it’s sad when a newly ordained priest turns out to be zany in his theology, which of course infects his preaching, and his celebration of the sacrame4nts. thjere is a lonnnnnnnnnnnnnnng road of evaluation leading up to the sacrament of holy orders, but some guys slip through and only show their true colors after ordination, and the peop,.e of GOD are then stuck with kooks as the altar.
strange: its takes years and years to prepare to become a priest, but people can become parents by just having sex. then the poor children suffer, especially if the parents are zany and immoral.
max, aren’t you omitting something in your thoughts about how a seminarian processes through seminary? Your post suggests you believe that the seminary leaders are what the Church wants them to be. Read “Goodbye, Good Men”. And reflect on why the Pope has commanded the bishops to become holy.
JLS, you often make reference to the pope ‘commanding’ the bishops to ‘become’ holy.
hate to break it to you, but GOD commands EACH of us (pope, president, parents, priests, professed, CCD posters) to become holy. this is nothing new.
the bishops, inclduing the bishop of rome (the pope), know they are not perfect, which is why they say in the eucharistic prayer “me, your unworthy servant.”
those working in seminary formation must work toward holiness too. as must housewives, bakers, and anyone who claims the name CHRISTIAN.
p.s. i have read the book GOOD-BYE GOOD MEN.
it reflects the experience and opinions of some people who went through some things in some seminaries.
it is not the gospel.
Good job JLS. Yes, max is always omitting the huge elephant in the room. You know, that same huge elephant (the filth) that Pope Benedict said that he wanted to remove from within the Church. Now max writes these words, ” it, (Michael Rose’s book Goodbye Good Men) reflects the experience and opinions of some people who went through *some things* in some seminaries. max wants to play dodge ball and fortunately for us JLS, your good hunting aim hit him square in the center with the ball of truth that you threw right back at him. Dodge ball score: Truthful JLS scores a hit for 1 point vs. denial max, floundering with 0. Yes, max is still in denial of the reality (the filth) that Our Holy Father speaks of removing. This is what is so threatening to max so he chooses to distance himself from this denial by calling the evil behavior and the evil doers that the Holy Father wants to remove. *some things.*
Catherine, max should not have made the remark he made about your mental condition. Sometimes his sense of humor runs away with him. I hope that you can forgive him. And again, we talked about how the “filth” that Pope Benedict talked about was not explained by the Vatican but the press interpreted it to mean either the head of the Legionaires of Christ or other child molesters. I was told by a very conservative, traditional Catholic not to read “Goodbye, Good Men” because it alters how you view the Church. I do know the contents of it and while one of the sources in the book was found to not be credible, I think we all know, even max, that homosexuality in the priesthood has caused many problems, for every Catholic, aware or unaware.
k, You are accusing Michael Rose’s book of potentially altering people’s view of the Church. What do you think that the homosexual abuse scandals did to alter the world’s view of the Church? Hidden underneath all of the multi-messages contained in your last post are the trappings of someone that is desperately trying to deflect attention away from the serious issue of the problems still caused by homosexual clergy. Homosexual clergy not only voted for Obama, they influenced many Catholics to vote for Obama. Many still control what is taught in Catholic Universities, Catholic schools and CCD programs. Some clergy even support homosexual domestic partnerships. k, Do you think that alters the faith of God’s people? No, you are more concerned with undermining MD and Michael Rose’s book. Since you have a posting history of deflecting responsibility away from this serious problem, here are some more examples. Not all clergy is disappointed with Obama or Obamacare and his other efforts that have helped to destroy family values and morality in this country. The homosexual priests who even remain chaste are not always aware that their disorder still affects their priesthood. They think that they sound very orthodox and they may actually verbalize that they agree with Church teaching but their poor judgements in conversations, in preaching and in the confessional often stick out like a sore thumbs. There is often an imbalance of silence in their adversarial attitudes, especially when it come to overreacting if someone brings up homosexual issues. This is why Pope Benedict said that homosexuality is incompatible with the priesthood. That is a very difficult thing to hear but it is the truth. One of the biggest fears of many clergy was that Pope Benedict was going to require that homosexuals leave the priesthood. No, it is a much harder decision than being asked to leave. That decision will come from each individual if he is honest. Meanwhile k, Both you and the poster named max, stick out like sore thumbs. This has nothing to do with max’s remark to me about mental conditions. max’s over abundance of silly jokes is also a trademark masking. Both you and the person who posts as max go way overboard to distract, deflect and protect something. k, I know many traditional priests who were very glad that Michael Rose wrote the book Goodbye Good Men. They wanted the faithful to read this book so that people could put two and two together in deciphering all of the information to process. These faithful priests were grateful that this problem was being exposed. This book also explained why the sex abuse scandals were so widespread. Are you asking me if someone should give this book as a good read to someone who is very fragile or just entering or re-enetring the Church? I guess that depends on the individual k. Many adults who have to hear devastating truths or factual personal medical reports are still grateful to hear the information so they can be better prepared to face a battle. The same goes for explaining why the scandals were so widespread. Once again It does depend on how the book is explained to someone. I have had many very good priests tell me that they are hesitant to send people to certain parishes for fear of what these people might be taught. k, It is the truth that guards people not hiding the truth. There is a two fold problem of not only battling outside forces for our religious freedom but also battling forces within the church. And yes k, we know that in the end Mary’s Immaculate Heart Will Triumph because of the Supreme reality that Almighty God wins every war, but meanwhile when you attempt to downplay and destroy the finest charitable evangelization of MD, you also expose your true self. You are wrong to somewhat deflect this issue as mainly an issue that pertains to the damage done by Legionaires of Christ or molesters. And yes, those damages have been a severe blow to the hearts of the victims and to the heart of the Church. What I am referring to is a similar chokehold that still controls many areas within the Church. k, Now would you please give me the name of the specific source in Michael Rose’s book that you said was not credible? If you cannot give me the specific name you will have once again proved the point I am talking about by your own words that deflect from the truth. Please just know that your jaw dropping effort to undermine and silence MD did not go and will not go unnoticed. The fact that you are personally answering for max’s intentions is also odd.
Catherine you are awesome, I agree with you!
Thomas Aquinas Collegeis a wonderful contributor to the Church. 58 priests, and one of them is Father Berg who was recently re-elected leader of FSSP. They have a fabulous Chapel that is most certainly worth visiting. It must be wonderful to study at this beautiful and Holy campus.
Meanwhile, here in Nigeria where I have the priviege of teaching courses in Theology and Canon Law at Good Shepherd Provincial Major Seminary, I attended priestly ordination of 11 men on 28 June for the Archdiocese of Kaduna, then I attended the priestly ordination of 3 men on 14 July for the Diocese of Zaria. There are 4 more very good men scheduled to be ordained as priests on 28 July for the Diocese of Minna, and 3 more men will be ordained on 1 September for the Diocese of Kano. All of these Dioceses are in the Northern part of Nigeria. There are still more ordinations scheduled during the next few months in the Dioceses of Sokoto, Kafanchan, and the Vicariate of Kontagora. All of these men have been my students and it is a blessing and joy to witness then being ordained as priests and then to attend their Masses of Thanksgiving. I just attended one Mass of Thanksgiving today in Zaria for two of the three men who were ordained yesteday – and I had privilege of reading the first reading at the Mass. I am 68 years young, and retired after working for the Catholic Diocese of San Diego for nearly 22 years. God bless America. God bless Nigeria. Ad multos annos!!!
P.S. In some Dioceses in the Eastern part of Nigeria they have no fewer than 20 men to be ordained a priests every year!!!
Mary Jo Gretsinger, I understand from Internet stories that there is much martyrdom in Nigeria. We pray for you and all the Christians there.
Thank you for sharing this wonderful news, Mary Jo. Our brothers and sisters in Africa are in my prayers everyday (especially Sudan) and it is so uplifting to hear of the new vocations there! Praise God, and may He hold you in the palm of His hand and protect you from evil. I’ll continue praying with renewed vigor.
max, God tells us to “be” holy; the Pope has told the bishops to “become” holy. If the bishops were already “becoming” holy, then there would be no need for the Pope to tell them to start. It is the abject unruliness of so many bishops and laity that is the problem and you do not express any awareness of it; not only this, but you rebuke any awareness of it.
ay, caramba, JLS, like your esteemed self, i am quite aware that bishops have ALWAYS been a rather unruly bunch. remember the early ecumenical councils when they were ligterally fighting, pulling each other’s beards, and battling over filioque and such like.
the argument between “be” and “become” is empty, because when JESUS tells his disciples to “be perfect” it is the same as “become perfect.” we all know [one hopes!] that we have not reached the goals of perfection, holiness, charity, etc., and that this is a life-long task.
if you perceive me as ‘rebuking’ those who ‘rebuke’ our bishops, i guess i’ve always tended to have respect for authoritiy and a dislike for anarchy. therefore, those who attack the bible, the church, the bishops, the teaching of the church (as in the catechism), the magiswterium, sometimes cause a responlse from little old me.
max writes, “I’ve always tended to have respect for authority”..that is until that authority (Pope Benedict) validates Michael Rose’s opinion that filth needs to be removed. Then that respect quickly fades into the greatest denial of *some things*.
CATHERINE, i always belief in the removal of filth and am very tidy. maybe if you’d be specific about the precise nature of the filth you mean, i could undestand you more.
if you are talking about homosexual pursual of young men in the seminary, then i agree with you – such harrassment is horrible, and some men in the book write about this. i have also heard about such terrible behavior from priest friends, and from friends who attended seminary but left to get married.
but are you referrring to another kind of filth as well? such as heterodoxy? bad liturgy? (for once, i’m not trying to be persnickety, but just trying to undestand what you are refering to…)
by the way, just because i don’t denounce every possible sin on the planet doens’t mean i endorse that sin. if i typed about everything i find bad, my posts would go on forever.
max, you should indeed respect authority as exercised by individuals; but that is not obviously what I’m blogging all the time, is it? I’m not rebuking those in authority, max; I’m rebuking those who refuse to exercise it. Tell me it is not satanically influenced that 2/3 of the bishops pushed the Obama regime of abortion … remember, a vote is a simple mark, not a litany of rationalizations.
JLS, i’m really not that knowlegeable about politics and have no idea which bishops supported obama and who opposed him.
i just know that one reason i chose to become a caqtholic is because the romanc catholkic church is hierarchical, ever since JESUS told peter he was a rock, and i dislike anarchy. so…when people diss our bishops and pope and magisterium, i ge4t a bit dfensive.
(yes, i hide it well, i know…) :)
On the dissing of bishops: Why don’t they stop abortion?
max, I understand that you’re going through the stage of bishopolatry. Just hang in there, because Jesus did and still does.
Btw, I hope that little blue tweety bird is not a dove … because dove season opens up at 5:42 a.m. in Blythe and 5:13 a.m. in Crescent City. Hopefully it is a western blue jay; otherwise it won’t be looking too good by midmorning.
Ok, max, I think I see the problema, one of them at least. You converted as did I. One of the doctrines I would hear prior to my conversion to Catholicism was that every sin is as bad as any other sin. Stealing a bottle of milk for a hungry baby is no less evil than robbing fort knox and giving to the poor … wait … no … robbing a bank and killing four people at random. In reality some sins are (relatively) trivial and some are heinous.