David Ancell / Monday September 01, 2003
My basic philosophy is that one shouldn’t try to control their parish by witholding contributions. We are obligated to support the parish. Often, not supporting the parish will only endanger ministries that do a lot of good and badly need the support. If the pastor isn’t orthodox, I would think there would be an even greater chance that, as funding dries up, it’s the orthodox ministries that will be the first to be cut.
I am thinking of this because of some ideas that I have heard lately. Mark Shea feels it is imperative to leave a parish with unorthodox teaching because he doesn’t want to raise “a brood of numbskulls whose heads are filled with AmChurch twaddle.” If I were in those shoes, I would probably have a greater concern about building disrespect for the priesthood and a general distrust of priests and the Church because of the time I spent contradicting and criticizing the priest or CCD teachers. Either way, I see his point.
Here is another example of a Catholic Light blogger (RC) who left in the middle of Mass for another Church because a priest decided to waste time trying to invalidate a teaching because it is difficult. In Memphis, I went to a parish where several people walked out during the homily because the priest was decrying priestly celibacy and the problems it caused in South America (no, I won’t name the priest or parish).
In a series by Fr. Stravinskas, he suggested witholding contributions in the face of liturgical abuses. He suggested sending an empty envelope through with a note saying that “This envelope would have contained a check for $XX. I’m holding it in escrow until the liturgical abuses stop.” I would presume that, when the abuses do stop, all of the money witheld would then be turned over to the parish.
For my part, I don’t know what I would do. Fortunately, it isn’t an issue right now at my parish. Witholding contributions or changing parishes could become a means for me to run away from a priest who doesn’t just tell me what I want to hear. Besides, what about the others who may not know better. I am single, and I can afford to stay and fight. However, I am also forever in need of good teaching.
Category: Posts imported from Danger! Falling Brainwaves, Uncategorized
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