The Rogue Priest (On Catholic Identity: Part 2)
Back in my home parish in the rural mid-west, in a town of about 1000 people, there is a gorgeous Gothic style Church, the cost and labor paid faithfully by the German Immigrants who tilled the land a century ago. The inside is classic Catholicism, filled with gorgeous, Stain Glass windows, an incredible altar, and a dozen statues of Saints. The pastors were as excellent as the building, as many solid, orthodox priests cast their shadows over the altar.
In the 1990’s that changed. A new Priest walked in, a short, big Irish man with a circular face and small mustache, openly telling people how he was going to completely revolutionize our little rural town. He ranted against hunting. He refused to support the Knights of Columbus because he hated Columbus. He refused to say prayers for Veteran’s day, saying it glorified war. His sermons were filled with the usual modernist garbage. He preached acceptance of Gays. His sledgehammer approach lead to people started going to Church in neighboring towns. The donations listed in the weekly bulletin went down, and down. The usual smiley face next to the donation amount became a perpetual frown.
One might think that even if he was in the right, he would go about his ministry another way. This man, though, was not one to back down. the Priest made an ambitious plan to completely renovate the Church to “be more in line with Vatican II”. Apparently removing all the statues, removing the main Altar, and putting the Altar in the middle of the congregation was how Vatican II envisioned things. Vatican II apparently also envisioned a bath tub sized baptismal font. All this cost a measly 250 thousand dollars. Most couldn’t believe he was serious and thought it would just go away. It didn’t. He kept pressing the issue, even as it became clear he would not even come close to getting the funds he needed.
Heretical Pre-Vatican II Architecture
For many of the congregants who stood before now only angry and just waiting for the Priest to transition, the gloves came off. He found himself stuck with a flurry of angry letters and wild accusations. People were openly saying “We don’t want you here, get out of town” to accusing him of stealing from the Treasury. They rattled him, and he became more stern, more defensive, and his sermons more harsh.
Finally, he went to the Bishop to complain that we would not go along with his plans, making his case that we were going against Vatican II by refusing these changes. Thanks be to God, The Bishop took the congregant’s side. A few months later he began his sermon the way he usually does. In a defeated, angry tone he stated how we were stubborn for resisting what he deemed necessary changes, then stated he formally requested a transition to the Bishop.
As he awaited his reappointment, his sermons became short and the Masses brief. When the day came for his final sermon, he lashed out at the congregation, berating us for refusing to get in the times with the Church, denying any fraud regarding Church finances, and essentially calling us stubborn backwards hicks. There were many wry grins in the congregation, and I’m sure many wanted to laugh. The man had no respect from us left, and left us with the image of an angry, petulant, pathetic little man.
He passed away five years ago, only God himself knows the state of his soul. He is only remembered as a annoying blot of the past on my little home town now. Maybe he misunderstood Vatican II, misunderstood the Faith, misunderstood us as a people. Maybe he was just your typical hippie 60’s debris, trying to change the Church to his vision. His portrait is in the Kinghts of Columbus hall, added, I believe, after he left now that he could not stop them.
Understand I do not agree with what some of the parishioners wrote, especially accusing of fraud without evidence. I will say, however, that the Priest’s actions were much more in the wrong. The congregants were only uncharitable to a Priest, while the Priest was attempting sweeping changes to a people he never bothered to understand, that would destroy the Catholic Identity and traditions tilled so lovingly from the soil on their ancestors.
Currently the Parish is considered one of the breadbaskets of the diocese, being the source of several priests over the last decade. There is no doubt in my mind if the Church renovation went as planned, those vocations would not have happened.
We can’t back down.