It's Sunday morning (the 18th) and I'm listening to Fr. Gatzak of the Archdiocese's Office of Radio and Television on their official station (88.9 FM, WJMJ). "This Thursday is the feast of the Chair of St. Peter," he says, " where we have narrowed the call to authority."
Huh?
The following Saturday I'm listening to Brad Davis' radio program when a member of a local Baptist church calls in to invite listeners to that Sunday's service. The theme, he says, is listed on a sign on the church's front lawn: "Beware of roaming Catholics."
Huh?
The latter was in reference, I think, to an appearance at that church by former Gov. John Rowland, who's had a jailhouse conversion from nominal Catholic to scripture quoting-evangelical. I have no reason to doubt the sincerity of his conversion or that his present spiritual state is an improvement over his previous one. But no one ever thought of Rowland as any kind of a serious Catholic prior to his "falling into grace" (the title of a biography he is said to be working on). So using his former affiliation to market his appearances at local Protestant churches seems, at best, gratuitous.
As to the former: I'm told that Hartford is one of the very few dioceses to have its own radio station. As our Protestant brethren know, it can be an outstanding tool for evangelization. And as Hartford's ranking in the Crisis survey showed, such a tool is desperately needed.
So why are we not doing more with it? Right now WJMJ runs a lot of sermons and Sunday services from local mainline Protestant churches. Why not fill that airtime with programs from EWTN's radio apostolate? Yes, I know JMJ sees its ministry as ecumenical. I refer you again to Hartford's ranking in the Crisis survey. Shouldn't we use the tools at our disposal to revitalize our own Archdiocese before giving free air time to the mainline churches--many of whom are manning the opposing side on abortion, gay "marriage" and other issues on which the most passionate Catholics are passionately engaged?
In fact, why not allow those Catholics to have their own shows on WJMJ to tell the faithful what they are doing (which won't be covered by mainstream media), to strengthen their brethren, grow their numbers and help bring about victory in these battles? The Franciscan Sisters of the Eucharist in Meriden run the Archdiocese's pro-life ministry and they do outstanding work. They are one of the best things happening in the Archdiocese, but how many people really know about them? Give them their own show on WJMJ--and those groups doing similar work--and the Church in Hartford could only benefit.
Our Lady of Connecticut
Pray for Us
Connecticut
- Moments of Inspiration With Your Favorite Saints
- Connecticut Catholic Corner
- Ecclesia Domestica
- For the Faith of the Archdiocese of Hartford
- Embracing Motherhood
- The Traditional Woman
- Daily Donna-Marie: A Dose of Inspiration
- Bishop William Lori's Blog
- RichardBreton.com
- The Inspired Traditionalist
- chastity reVisited
- Air Maria
- For God, For Country and For Yale
- Blessed Among Men
17 comments:
Just out of curiosity did you catch the two pieces of religious news this morning 2/27/07 on Channel 8? The announcement that the bones of Christ have been found, delivered to us with reverance and awe and the second piece following immediately about the people who see the Virgin Mary on a piece of sheet metal. Delivered with laughter and the suggestion that the image resemble a squash? No Catholic bias there.....
I read the article in Crisis. My Diocese ,Norwich , was right down there with Hartford. Problem is what do our Bishops to improve the situation?
I'm in the Bridgeport diocese, and I do want to say that Bishop Lori is really trying. Father Richard John Neuhaus named him one of the "JPII Bishops" in his small group of really good Bishops. Bishop Lori is no Chaput or Bruskewitz but he is a faithful man...AND he has had a group of Fraternas - consecrated sisters from the Marian Community of Reconciliation, part of a large movment run by Luis Fernando Figari, friend of both JPII and B16 - to run the diocese Pastoral Services. They are doing a great job so far and just put out the 5-year plan which most parishes are already putting into effect. Here's hoping!
M.
Bishop Cote writes an occasional pastoral letter which is inserted into our bulletin. I read them but have no sense of the man.
I visit the Diocese of Norwich Web site on occasion , it does not seem as well done as Brigeport's or Hartford's.
Perhaps I expect too much.
I honestly do not know what the Diocese is doing to improve. Getting the Newspaper the Diocese publishes , the potential source of this information ,is tied into giving to the Bishops Appeal. A resonable expectation . But... this excludes 1)people who cannot give, 2)people who did not give because they are nominal Catholics but are registered in a parish and 3)folks like me who volunteer time but not money.
Bottom line is that the Diocese has left at least two groups, 1 & 2 above, that really need the outreach, out of the information loop. I did request a subscription but got no response, again perhaps I expect too much.
Have you noticed any reaction from the Connecticut Bishops in regard to the article in Crisis ?
I haven't seen any reactions from the CT bishops to the Crisis article. They refused to comment in a New Haven Register piece about the Crisis survey.
I agree about Bishop Lori being a "JP II" bishop...he's great. But what to make of that business in Darien? I was sympathetic to the priest who got in hot water with Bishop Lori for blowing the whistle...until he left the priesthood. It's a curious case in an otherwise impressive episcopal career.
I said this below, but should say it here.
Certain things about this study just seem wrong. Hartford is the worst? Sure, I'll agree that it's not necessarily a jewel in the crown of the Church's New World spiritual splendor, but WORST? There are dioceses that are lining up people and herding them into heresy ... Hartford has been pretty good, in its parishes and in its conference. Hartford at least should get credit for being the site of one of the biggest seminaries in the country, in Cheshire. Or for being the home of the Knights of Columbus, the biggest rock-solid Catholic organization in the country.
The survey is kind of pre-Vatican II in that all it cares about are bishops and priests, and numbers.
Better questions, questions along the lines of what the Holy Father has been asking for, and questions that history teaches will be truly indicative of health might be:
Number of participants in World Youth Day
Availability and use of confession
Eucharistic adoration
Health and activity of the pro-life movement
Health of Catholic families
Openness to lay activity (movements, organizations, etc.)
Number of children per family
Retention rate of Hispanic immigrants
By focusing on the number of priests, the study is onto something ... but it might really be gauging the effectiveness of the vocations director, not the worth of the diocese or the bishop. By focusing on the number of recent converts, it's hard to know what the study is gauging. Denver had a ton of converts in the 1990s... thanks to Columbine and World Youth Day. Those numbers don't necessarily tell the tale of their greatness of the bishops only ...
Anyway, it's good that Crisis did this, I suppose. But it over-simplifies the picture, I think, and removes lay activity from the equation ... which means it removes the future of the Church and its real vibrancy from the equation.
Okay, it has been suggested that the study DOES assess the strength of the laity, because the vocations number is indicative of the strength of the families the vocations come from more than anything else.
Lots of vocations = strong laity.
No vocations, particularly in a place as full of Catholics as Hartford Archdiocese = weak laity.
That would be true IF vocatoins stayed in their home diocese. I don't think they do much, anymore. Young men discover their calling in college, often far away from home. To properly count vocations resulting from Hartford families, you would need to count priests by their archdiocese of origin, not their archdiocese of entry into seminary.
When I wanted to be a priest, I looked at my college town, and didn't even consider my home town.
I'm not sure Hartford would do better by this way of counting, but it would be the true way of counting. Heck, if you want to just count seminarians in Hartford regardless of where they're from, then throw the Legionaries of Christ in there and watch Hartford leapfrog up the list.
Or if you want to count vocations based on the origin of the campaign that brought them in, count the Knights vocations campaigns and leapfrog Hartford again.
I'm just saying the study is weak again, here ...
There's a difference, I think, between saying the study is weak and saying the study has weaknesses, & I'll agree to the latter.
What proportion of vocations do wind up in their home diocese? Most? Some? Half? We would need to know the answer to assess if you're right.
Also, wasn't one of the three criteria priests choosing to come to a diocese from somewhere else? And didn't Hartford score way down on that, too?
If that was one of the three criteria, it isn't one that speaks to the strength of the laity in an area, but the strength of the bishop regardless the laity.
Anyway, the bottom line is that I don't think Hartford is the worst diocese I've lived in, let alone the worst in America, and so this study shoves red flags in my face.
for those who said to throw in the figure of seminarians at the Legionaries of Christ seminary in Cheshire to archdiocese number to improve our ranking in the Crisis survey, I find something very wrong with this plan of action. The Legionaries while doing the international Church a great service, have yet to offer to take a parish over or to provide chaplains for hospitals or rest homes, let's say the Legionaries offered us two Priests and two Brothers, and we split them between one parish and one hospital, that would alow the Archdiocese of Hartford 2-3 Priests to be used in parish work. The time has come for the Legionaries to share their wealth in their host Archdiocese, they should offer or Archbishop Mansell should ask!
Hello !.
You re, I guess , perhaps very interested to know how one can manage to receive high yields .
There is no initial capital needed You may start to get income with as small sum of money as 20-100 dollars.
AimTrust is what you need
The company incorporates an offshore structure with advanced asset management technologies in production and delivery of pipes for oil and gas.
Its head office is in Panama with offices around the world.
Do you want to become an affluent person?
That`s your choice That`s what you really need!
I feel good, I started to take up real money with the help of this company,
and I invite you to do the same. If it gets down to select a correct partner utilizes your money in a right way - that`s AimTrust!.
I earn US$2,000 per day, and my first investment was 500 dollars only!
It`s easy to join , just click this link http://bumywezi.kogaryu.com/witose.html
and lucky you`re! Let`s take this option together to feel the smell of real money
Good day !.
You re, I guess , perhaps curious to know how one can reach 2000 per day of income .
There is no need to invest much at first. You may start to get income with as small sum of money as 20-100 dollars.
AimTrust is what you haven`t ever dreamt of such a chance to become rich
AimTrust incorporates an offshore structure with advanced asset management technologies in production and delivery of pipes for oil and gas.
It is based in Panama with affiliates everywhere: In USA, Canada, Cyprus.
Do you want to become a happy investor?
That`s your choice That`s what you desire!
I`m happy and lucky, I started to get income with the help of this company,
and I invite you to do the same. It`s all about how to choose a correct partner utilizes your money in a right way - that`s it!.
I take now up to 2G every day, and my first deposit was 1 grand only!
It`s easy to join , just click this link http://emohuvybef.freewaywebhost.com/jycaqy.html
and lucky you`re! Let`s take this option together to feel the smell of real money
Best Casino tyuueooru
Web Casino
Most significantly, it's necessary for you to conduct a thorough search regarding the best gambling websites out there.
[url=http://www.nhgaa.org/]Casino Game[/url]
Once you come across the lists, check out each website one after another in order to figure out the one you're actually looking for.
http://www.nhgaa.org/ - Download Casino
For this purpose, you may require checking out the lists of good gambling websites that are offered on various sites in the form of ratings, reviews, etc.
great read. I would love to follow you on twitter. By the way, did you guys know that some chinese hacker had hacked twitter yesterday again.
[url=http://amazon.reviewazone.com/]Jennifer[/url]
Fortunately…
---------------------------------------------------------
Signature:buy levitra professional online nuf
Why?
---------------------------------------------------------
Signature:lipitor 20mg zohos
generic lexapro syvqg
free majong games to play
http://majong.socialgo.com
Those of you in Connecticut, I recommend the Diocese of Austin Texas as a good model to look at. Every year we are blessed with many converts and the ministries here are dynamic. I certainly would encourage Parishes to foster 24 hour Eucharistic Adoration.
www.deepertruthblog.com
Post a Comment