An Appeal to Catholic Young Adults

Dear Blog Visitors:

I am encouraged by the fact that the Women's Ordination Conference has been very successful in its efforts to recruit young women to carry the message of reform into the next generation and beyond. It is my hope that the effort to support the cause for married priests will be similarly aided by succeeding generations.

As I thought about the future of both the Roman Catholic Church, and the corresponding future of the priesthood in general, I was inspired to make a video in which I urge succeeding generations to keep up the fight for more inclusivity.

Some friends have voiced concern that I may have given up the fight for church reform, due to the fact that I announced my membership in Spiritus Christi Church. Admittedly, I have come to realize that most persons in the reform movement, especially those who work tirelessly on behalf of married priests, are now in their sixties, seventies and eighties. I will be turning 60 in July, so the reality is that I may never live long enough to see the Vatican change its outdated policy of a male-only, celibate priesthood. The consequence of this hierarchical stubborness may indeed be a eucharistic famine.

The Women's Ordination Conference and Roman Catholic Womempriests have taken the initiative to ordain women to the priesthood, obviously minus the blessing of Rome. In a similar fashion, I was ordained a married priest by a married archbishop, minus the blessing of Rome. More women will be ordained as deacons, priests and bishops in the near future, and it is my hope more married men will step forward for ordination as well.

Since an inclusive church is not what we will see under the leadership of Benedict XVI, I decided that Spiritus Christi is the best place for me to be at this point in my life. Spiritus Christi will give me the type of inclusivity I have been working for in the institutional church. While I will continue to work behind the scenes with reform groups who continue the effort to change the Vatican mindset, my secular government job keeps me working at breakneck speed, especially during the months of May, June, July and August (moving from one fiscal year to the next). During those months, I race against the clock to get work done, as I oversee a City's payables, which means I rarely take lunches, and consequently, I have little time for reform activities. However, whenever possible, I will make occasional videos on weekends and evenings that suggest ways to continue the fight for reform.

In the video that follows, I urge Catholic young adults to consider joining the effort to push the idea of married priests, just as the effort to push the ordination of women has gained a great amount of momentum in the past couple years.

Here is the video:

TV Segment: My 2006 Ordination

Dear Blog Visitors:

When I was ordained to the priesthood in 2006, there was significant media coveraqe, both locally and nationally. At the time, a local television station incorrectly reported that I was affiliated with Spiritus Christi Church. However, three years later, I have indeed joined Spiritus Christi. Therefore, I have decided to post the local TV segment.

In addition to footage from my ordination, you will notice there is also footage of Mary Ramerman's ordination, which took place a little over ten years ago in the Eastman Theater in Rochester. (My ordination took place in West New York, New Jersey on December 10, 2006.)

Here is the video:

Blueprint for a Reconstructed Church

Dear Blog Visitors:

I look forward to my new membership at Spiritus Christi Church. I have known Rev. Jim Callan, Rev. Mary Ramerman and Rev. Denise Donato for many years. In fact, Denise and I were classmates at St. Bernard’s School of Theology and Ministry and Jim Ramerman (Mary’s husband) was my instructor in a course entitled ‘Parish Administration.’ In addition, I have come to know many members of the Spiritus Christi staff and community and will meet more persons as I become familiarized with the weekend liturgies and parish-based activities.

A question has been posed to me:

"Now that you are a member of Spiritus Christi, will you be giving up your reform activities on behalf of the Roman Catholic Church?"

A straight answer to this question is NO. In brief, I love the church, despite its lack of the type of inclusivity I have been working toward. I love many of the traditions of the church and I am enriched by its sacramental system. However, there is no question that Pope Benedict XVI has hampered efforts to bring the church into the 21st century. By this, I simply mean that vocations have dried out to the point where Catholics around the world face what amounts to a Eucharistic famine.

It is fair to say that Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger became Pope Benedict XVI for the simple reason that cardinals wished to reward him for his loyalty to his predecessor, John Paul II. Since Benedict is in reasonably good health, he may be around for a few more years. In the meantime, we continue to witness decreased Mass attendance, a severe shortage of men willing to commit to a life of celibacy that is required for the priesthood, and millions of women who feel threatened by the sin of sexism that exists in the church.

If the Roman Catholic Church is to exist as a vibrant faith community, it must open its doors to women and married men who are called to the priesthood. In addition, the church must consider another model of hierarchy. Such a hierarchy would place Jesus Christ at the top of the pyramid, followed by the People of God, followed by clerics. In this model, priests would be servants of the People of God, which is the model we find with Jesus in the Gospels. After all, let us not forget that Jesus instructs us that he came to serve, as opposed to being served.

As we consider the priesthood shortage in the Roman Catholic Church, I would like for you to read the following article from the May 4 edition of ‘America’ magazine. It gives us food for thought as we consider the church’s future.

A Modest Proposal
The editors | MAY 4, 2009
America, the Catholic magazine

Silence and fervent prayer for vocations are no longer adequate responses to the priest shortage in the United States. As the church prepares to observe the Year of the Priest, which begins on June 19, open discussion about how to sustain the church as a eucharistic community of faith and fortify the pastoral life of Catholic congregations has become imperative. For making do within the limits set by present demographic trends presents a double threat to Catholic life: Catholic communities will become only infrequent eucharistic communities, or eucharistic communities will be severed from the pastoral care and public witness of priests.

In 2008 the sociologist Dean Hoge said: “We need at least a doubling of ordinations to maintain the American priesthood as we know it now. But this is impossible.” Of current diocesan priests, only 70 percent are available for parish ministry, with the rest sick, retired or absent for a variety of reasons, according to Mary Gautier of the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate. An increasing number of Catholics are unable to participate in a Sunday or weekday Mass. All this prompts the question, Will the priest shortage impose a eucharistic famine on the Catholic people?

The de facto remedy already applied in many places— making the priest a circuit rider moving from parish to parish to dispense the sacraments—risks narrowing the ministry of the priest and impoverishing the Christian life of the communities he serves. A narrowly sacramental definition of priesthood satisfies the requirements of only one of the three canons that define the pastoral responsibilities of the priest, Canon 530. As a consequence the sacramental office is as a practical matter severed from its integral connection with comprehensive pastoral care. Canons 528 and 529 provide a broader understanding of the priestly ministry. The first sees the priest as one who instructs, catechizes, fosters works of justice, shows special care for the education of children and brings the Gospel to those who have ceased to practice the faith. The second requires that he should come to know the faithful entrusted to his care, visit families, share their concerns, worries and griefs, help the sick and seek out the poor, the afflicted and the lonely. Diminishing numbers make it difficult to carry out this holistic vision of the priest’s pastoral ministry.

We hope that the upcoming Year of the Priest will lead to a broader discussion of the priesthood in the contemporary world and, in particular, will open examination of the various ways the shortage of priests can be addressed honestly and with imagination. New vocations can be promoted through youth rallies, the Internet and, as always, with prayer. In addition, the pastoral needs of parishes may also be met in part by more effective pastoral assignment of permanent deacons and by increased leadership by lay men and women.

What about the recruitment and training of married men as priests? Married priests already minister in the Catholic Church, both East and West. Addressing the married clergy of the Eastern Catholic churches, the Second Vatican Council exhorted “all those who have received the priesthood in the married state to persevere in their holy vocation and continue to devote their lives fully and generously to the flock entrusted to their care” (Decree on the Ministry and Life of Priests,” No. 16). That exhortation now applies to the more than 100 former Anglican priests and Lutheran ministers who have entered the Catholic Church, been ordained and now serve in the Latin rite. As we face the challenges of the priest shortage, some of the more than 16,000 permanent deacons in the United States, many of them married, who experience a call to priestly ministry might be called to ordination with a similarly adapted discipline. In addition, the views and desires of some of the more than 25,000 priests who have been laicized (and are now either single or married) should also be heard.

Our plea is modest. The bishops of the United States should take greater leadership in openly discussing the priest shortage and its possible remedies. These should not be conversations in which we face a problem only to find every new avenue of solution closed. Rather, they should be exchanges fully open to the possibilities offered by the Spirit.

King David - a heart-warming musical celebration of faith for the entire family. Click here for more information.

In March, Cardinal Edward Egan, the newly retired archbishop of New York, said in a candid moment that the topic of married priests “is a perfectly legitimate discussion.” He added, “I think it should be looked at.” The cardinal later nuanced his statement, but the need for a creative re-visioning of priestly life to sustain the eucharistic life of the church in its fullest sense can no longer be delayed.

I Have Joined Spiritus Christi Church

Dear Blog Visitors:

After several years of discernment, I officially joined Spiritus Christi Church in Rochester today. As you know, Spiritus Christi is independent of Vatican rule, which suits me perfectly at this point in my life.

I truly value all the friendships I have experienced in the Diocese of Rochester, and I anticipate that many of these friendships will continue. However, I will now have the freedom to engage in my ministries without the Vatican and ultra-conservative Catholic groups worrying about every move I make that is geared toward church-reform.

I will continue to work toward a church that values the gifts/ministries of all its members. I truly appreciate the friendship and leadership of Bishop Matthew Clark, for he has done as best he could to bring women and married men into diocesan leadership positions, although the powers-that-be would not allow him to ordain these gifted people to the priesthood. As he nears retirement, perhaps conservatives are right in their assessment that the Vatican will appoint an ultra-orthodox bishop in his place, in which case Spiritus Christi Church is certainly a safe place for me to be.

I look forward to continuing my role as national media liaison for CORPUS (www.corpus.org) and I will continue my role as officiant for weddings, baptisms and funerals, via my certification from the Federation of Christian Ministries (www.federationofchristianministries.org).

My prayer is that the Roman Catholic Church will come to realize that if it is to survive another 2,000 years, it needs to be open to structural change, which does not mean it needs to sacrifice any of its long-held doctrines.

Stay tuned to my blog and YouTube site for further developments.

Peace to all,
Ray Grosswirth

Two Women Ordained in Philadelphia

Dear Blog Visitors:

I want to take this opportunity to congratulate two Roman Catholic women who were ordained in Philadelphia on April 26. I also want to thank Rabbi Linda Holtzman for allowing the ordination to take place at her synagogue.

Mary Schoettly was ordained a priest and Chava Redonnet was ordained a deacon. Chava is from Rochester, so I am especially pleased that she joins the ranks of the ordained, and I know she will do a spectacular job in our community. (She is pictured above.)

What follows is a brief article from Philadelphia.

Peace to all,
Ray

Posted on Mon, Apr. 27, 2009

Catholic women ordained in Phila. despite censure

Two Roman Catholic woman were ordained yesterday, one as a deacon, the other as a priest, in the sanctuary of Congregation Mishkan Shalom, a Reconstructionist Jewish synagogue in Roxborough, Senior Rabbi Linda Holtzman said.

The ceremony was the first ordination of women in Philadelphia. On Friday, it elicited a one-page denunciation from Cardinal Justin Rigali, archbishop of Philadelphia.

Mary Schoettly, 66, of Sussex County, N.J., was ordained a priest. Chava Redonnet, 51, of Rochester, N.Y., became a deacon.

About 200 attended, Holtzman said. "It was really beautiful," she said. - Harold Brubaker

Find this article at:
http://www.philly.com/philly/news/pennsylvania/20090427_Catholic_women_ordained_in_Phila__despite_censure.html

Here is a video that was taken during the ordination (provided by the 'Star-Ledger New Jersey'):

NJ woman ordained as a priest in controversial ceremony

Update on Officer Anthony DiPonzio

Dear Blog Visitors:

A number of you have inquired as to the current status of Officer Anthony Diponzio's recovery process. I am happy to report that he is coming along much better than anyone initially expected.

You may recall that Officer DiPonzio was shot in the back of the head during a routine investigation several months ago. While the prognosis was initially grim, a combination of swift action by police officers and surgeons, and prayerful support from all of you, has resulted in a miraculous recovery process. To be sure, Officer DiPonzio has a long road ahead of him, but I am encouraged by what I have seen thus far.

For those of you wishing to contribute toward Officer DiPonzio's health-care expenses, contributions may be made at the following address:

ANTHONY DIPONZIO FUND
ROCHESTER POLICE LOCUST CLUB
1425 LEXINGTON AVENUE
ROCHESTER, NEW YORK 14606

Here is a video I made in which I highlight the recovery process:

Four New Women Bishops

Dear Blog Visitors:

I am very pleased to share with you a press release I distributed on behalf of CORPUS, which is in reference to the ordination of four women-bishops that took place in Santa Barabara on April 19. Those who support church-reform, such as yours truly, are truly excited about this latest development. The women ordained are highly qualified for the episcopate and they will greatly advance the cause for more inclusivity in the Roman Catholic clergy.

PRESS RELEASE
April 20, 2009
CORPUS SUPPORTS AND CONGRATULATES FOUR NEWLY-ORDAINED CATHOLIC WOMEN-BISHOPS

CORPUS (www.corpus.org), the national association for an inclusive priesthood, is deeply proud to articulate its support of four ordinations that took place on April 19 in the state of California. It is with great joy that we congratulate the following four Catholic bishops: Joan Mary Clark Houk, Andrea Michele Johnson, Bridget Mary Meehan and Maria Regina Nicolosi.

Bishops Houk, Johnson, Meehan and Nicolosi join their male counterparts in the Roman Catholic Episcopate as servant-leaders of their respective communities.

For over thirty-five years, CORPUS has been actively engaged in the effort to create a church that is all-inclusive. In its effort to expand its outreach efforts, CORPUS has moved beyond its original mission as a vehicle of support for married priests and their families. We now recognize that the Kingdom of God on earth cannot be realized until all of human creation is treated with dignity and respect. We also realize that a call from God to ordained ministry is not limited to celibate males. We therefore embrace and encourage all who experience the call, minus any discrimination on the basis of gender, marital status or sexual orientation.

Women who prepare for ordination to the diaconate, priesthood and episcopate are highly trained and have the same educational qualifications as males in similar roles. CORPUS hopes and prays that those who are opposed to the ordination of women will search their hearts and come to realize that if the Catholic Church is to remain vital in the years ahead, we must be open to the will of the Holy Spirit.

The fact that many women are coming forward to respond to a call from God is a reason to celebrate, and CORPUS greets these women of faith with open arms and a feeling of joy and gratitude for their spiritual and ministerial gifts.

Bishops Houk, Johnson, Meehan and Nicolosi give hope to a divided church. CORPUS has every confidence that they will be true disciples of Christ, and we therefore rejoice in their ordination to the rank of the episcopate.

Ray Grosswirth
CORPUS Media Liaison

Post-script: The following is a video I made in which I congratulate the four newly-ordained bishops:



As an update, here is a press release just issued by Roman Catholic Womenpriests (RCWP):

Press/Media Release
Roman Catholic Womenpriests Ordain Four U.S. Bishops
April 21, 2009
Media Contacts:
National Media Contact, Bridget Mary Meehan; 703-505-0004, sofiabmm@aol.com
USA-Western Administrator, Suzanne Thiel; 503-784-3330, suzthiel@yahoo.com
USA-Midwest Co-Administrators, Kathy Redig; 507-429-3616, krredig@hbci.com,
Alice Iaquinta; 414-791-9952, aliceiaquinta@hotmail.com
USA-Great Waters Administrator, Rose Marie Hudson; 636-208-5598, reehud@sbcglobal.net
USA-Eastern Administrator, Eileen McCafferty DiFranco; 267-258-6966, emdifranco@aol.com
USA-Central Administrator, Roberta Meehan; 623-388-6627, biology@ctos.com
USA-Southern Administrator, Janice Sevre-Duszynska; 859-684-4247, rhythmsofthedance@msn.com

Roman Catholic Womenpriests USA is pleased to announce the ordinations of Joan Mary Clark Houk, Andrea Michele Johnson, Maria Regina Nicolosi and Bridget Mary Meehan as Roman Catholic bishops. These ordinations took place on April 19, 2009 in California. Officiating at the ceremony were Bishops: Patricia Fresen and Ida Raming from Germany and Christine Mayr-Lumetzberger from Austria.

Joan Mary Clark Houk has been called by the members of the Great Waters Region to minister pastorally to the womenpriests, womendeacons and People of God of her region. To be always mindful of that call, she has "Faithful Servant" inscribed on her bishop's ring. Joan's many years of parish ministry, and her experience as a wife and mother has prepared her well for her pastoral role. Married for forty-eight years, Joan and John have six children, eight grandchildren and a great-grandchild.

Andrea Michele Johnson resides in Annapolis, MD, and has been elected to serve as bishop for the Eastern Region. She has worked in international education exchange with the senior Fulbright Scholar Program, and also as a director of religious education over many years. She was pastoral minister in a priestless Catholic parish in the mid-1980’s and also served as a former director of the Women’s Ordination Conference, Andrea currently works in hospital chaplaincy. She is happily married to Spencer, her husband of thirty-nine years and is the mother of three adult children – two sons and one daughter, and is the grandmother of two.

Maria Regina Nicolosi was elected by the members of the Midwest Region to be their bishop. Regina was born in the Rhineland, Germany, close to the Abbey of St. Hildegard and before she moved to the USA, she was a teacher. After raising her family, Regina worked as a senior housing manager and a nursing home chaplain. Currently, she celebrates Eucharist with small faith communities and has served as the program coordinator for the Midwest region. In this role she has helped prepare several women for priestly ordination. Regina is married and has four children and eight grandchildren. She and her husband Charles live in Red Wing, MN. For more information, contact crnicolosi@yahoo.com

Bridget Mary Meehan, a Sister for Christian Community, was elected to serve as bishop for the Southern Region. She presides at inclusive liturgies and sacramental services for vibrant faith communities in Sarasota, Florida and Falls Church, Virginia. For fifteen years, Bridget Mary served as a pastoral associate at Ft. Myer Chapel in N.VA. She is the author of eighteen books including Praying with Women of the Bible, Praying with Visionary Women, and co-author of Praying with Celtic Holy Women. She is host/producer of TV/Internet media designed to promote justice, equality and mutual respect, and dean of the Doctor of Ministry Program for Global Ministries University. For more information, contact sofiabmm@aol.com (See www.romancatholicwomenpriests.org)

The Vatican & The Washing Machine

Dear Blog Visitors:

Anytime I think I have heard and seen everything possible from the Vatican, there continues to be an opportunity for shock and dismay. In the latest fiasco, the Vatican newspaper, Osservatore Romano, declared that as International Women's Day is celebrated, women should give thanks for the washing machine. To quote: "This humble appliance has done more for the women's liberation movement than the contraceptive pill or working outside the home...."

When will the Vatican learn that women are now running corporations and governments around the world? In addition, we currently have a wonderful Secretary of State - namely, Hillary Clinton. Additionally, women have proven time and time again that they are fully capable of running parishes and have every right to expect Vatican approval for their ordination to the priesthood, if they are so called.

What follows is a video I made that criticizes the ridiculous 'washing machine' comment from the Vatican:

Cardinal Egan Open to Celibacy Discussion

Dear Blog Visitors:

I am obviously delighted that during the course of a radio interview in Albany, Cardinal Edward M. Egan stated that an open discussion on the priestly celibacy issue would be a good idea. I wholeheartedly agree. I am, however, a little frustrated that Cardinal Egan did not make this announcement sooner.

It is indeed a shame that some members of the Roman Catholic hierarchy wait until their final days in office to state changes in policy that need to be considered. This is because they are afraid of being disciplined by the Vatican for having a difference of opinion from the pontiff. Once they near retirement, however, not much can happen to them of a disciplinary nature.

Cardinal Egan has been criticized in the past for not speaking out more forcefully on the sexual abuse crisis. He has also been criticized by many New York priests for not being accessible to them. However, I want to take this opportunity to at least thank him for being candid on the celibacy issue as he approaches retirement.

I continue to maintain that very few priests are called to a life of celibacy. They nevertheless pledge such a lifestyle, because they know it is the only way to gain entry to a clerical life. It is extremely important at this juncture to state that a mandatory celibacy policy in today's world makes little sense. Furthermore, I support a very credible argument that points to the fact that in many respects, the mandatory celibacy policy provides a convenient smokescreen for the sexual abuse crisis that is far from over. (Some convicted priests have later admitted to psychologists that they felt they could get away with their acts, due to the fact that there was a perception that no one would suspect a celibate priest of illegal/illicit sexual acts.)

The time for an honest and open discussion on the celibacy issue is at hand. My thanks to Cardinal Egan for his courageous statement on an Albany radio station.

What follows is a video I made in which I thank Cardinal Egan. You'll notice at the end of the video what can best be described as a newspaper headline of the future that announces the Vatican has abolished the policy of mandatory celibacy. (Let us hope this actually happens.)

Thank You to Aisha Taylor

Dear Blog Visitors:

I want to take this opportunity to thank Aisha Taylor, executive director of the Women's Ordination Conference, for her many months of dedicated leadership and hard work. I have long supported the ordination of women to the Roman Catholic priesthood, and Aisha has pushed this cause toward widespread support.

Aisha has recently announced that she will be stepping down as executive director of the WOC to pursue doctoral studies. As much as I will miss her presence in the forefront of the struggle for more inclusivity in the Roman Catholic Church, I also want to wish her well with her educational pursuits.

The Women's Ordination Conference has a full range of activities lined up, so I hope you will visit their website from time-to-time to stay udpated. Their web address is www.womensordination.org.

I will be continuing my role as national media liaison for CORPUS (www.corpus.org). I am very pleased that CORPUS will continue to send representatives to ordinations of women throughout the United States and the world, and I look forward to a continued struggle for a more inclusive church.

When we speak of the ordination of women, we must also give thanks to Phyllis Zagano of Hofstra University. She has done some magnificent work on the role women played in the early church, utilizing Romans 16:1-2 as a reference point (Phoebe as deacon).

What follows is a video tribute to both Aisha Taylor and Phyllis Zagano:



Thanks again to Aisha Taylor for all that she has done and continues to do for the Women's Ordination Conference.

Welcoming Archbishop Timothy Dolan

Dear Blog Visitors:

I want to take this opportunity to welcome Archbishop Timothy Dolan to the New York Archdiocese as retiring Cardinal Egan’s replacement. In light of this appointment, it is reasonable to assume that Archbishop Dolan will be elevated to the position of cardinal very soon.

When Archbishop Dolan replaced Archbishop Rembert Weakland several years ago as leader of the Milwaukee Archdiocese, I recall there was a lot of nervous apprehension, because Dolan had a reputation for strict adherence to orthodoxy. I, for one, was sorry to see Weakland leave, despite the controversy that consumed him (involved in a relationship). In brief, Weakland was one of the few members of the Roman Catholic hierarchy I was able to communicate openly with, and he and I exchanged a few e-mails on the issue of priestly celibacy and what it would take for the pontiff to change this outdated policy. In addition, Weakland and I shared a love of classical music, and I often praised his abilities as a composer and history buff. Generally, priests of the Milwaukee Archdiocese like him, so there were some anxious moments when Timothy Dolan took over as reigning archbishop.

Despite Timothy Dolans’ reputation as an adherent to strict orthodoxy, he nevertheless proved himself to be a pastoral leader during his tenure in Milwaukee. While he was not afraid to use disciplinary tactics when necessary, he also believed that negotiation should be employed prior to any consideration of canonical punishments. So, when 25% of Milwaukee’s priests signed a petition in favor of optional celibacy, Dolan did not punish them, but rather simply urged them to follow the dictates of the Vatican’s long-standing policy of mandatory celibacy. More recently, when a Milwaukee woman became ordained a priest, Dolan did not immediately threaten excommunication or issue sanctions. He rather invited her to have a dialogue with him.

It is reported that Archbishop Dolan has a sense of humor and an aura of warmth. I am sure this will be a refreshing change of pace for priests in the New York Archdiocese, many of whom signed a recent letter, urging Cardinal Egan to resign, due to his being unresponsive to the needs of the clergy. Furthermore, it is my hope Dolan will be more attentive to the concerns of women in the archdiocese.

When it was announced Timothy Dolan was coming to New York, a friend asked if I was going to make an attempt to see him to discuss my status as a married priest. My response was that it is extremely unlikely that Dolan would meet with me, because of the controversy it would cause. My sense is that at least during his first year as the leader of New York Catholics, he will want to steer clear of issues that would generate headlines, such as married priests and the ordination of women. I nevertheless want to wish him well, and will pray that he proves to be a pastoral leader of the New York Archdiocese, as opposed to his creating a bully pulpit.

To be sure, Archbishop Dolan will have his hands full. Simply getting to know the priests of the New York Archdiocese, in addition to the multitudes of deacons, women religious, and laity who serve in leadership positions, will take many months, considering that New York is the second largest archdiocese in the country. At age 59, Dolan is relatively young to have such a high-profile position and it is therefore reasonable to assume that his duration as the leader of New York Catholics will at least be as long as the tenure of Cardinal O’Connor.

This has been an attempt on my part to extend an olive branch to Archbishop Timothy Dolan, and let us all pray that he serves New Yorkers well.

Congratulations to Liz Lehmann

Dear Blog Visitors:

I am delighted that local filmmaker, Liz Lehmann, has found success with her latest movie, 'Fury.' Liz is an extremely talented person who has worked hard over many years to bring her gifts to the public via the large screen.

I first met Liz Lehmann around 17 years ago, whereby we embarked upon two projects together. In the first collaboration, she coached me on the intricacies involved with making a documentary on the single life in Rochester. Shortly thereafter, Liz asked me to be an actor in a film she was both writing and directing - namely, 'The Apple Orchard.' (I played a traveling preacher in the movie, which was perhaps an inkling toward my later real-life role as a married priest.) This was a great experience for me and it gave me greater insights into this talented woman.

I look forward to being in attendance at the local screening of 'Fury' at the Little Theater on February 19. Let us hope Hollywood is paying serious attention the Liz Lehmann's potential.

What follows is a feature article that was written in our local newspaper about Liz and her latest film:

February 16, 2009

Fairport filmmaker talks about locally produced/award-winning 'Fury'

Local filmmaker, cast and crew win at 2009 San Diego Black Film Festival

Sheila Rayam
Female audience editor
Democrat and Chronicle
Rochester, New York

Some local actors and their producer lost their voices in San Diego recently, but it wasn't laryngitis that left them speechless.

The announcement that supernatural chiller Fury took Best Cutting Edge Film honors in the 2009 San Diego Black Film Festival choked their vocal cords.

"We couldn't believe our ears," recalls Liz Lehmann of Fairport, who directed and produced the film that was shot in Rochester. "We didn't know that they had that category."

Fury — the story of a teenage band that plans its first concert in a haunted, abandoned building but are visited by two unexpected guests — was filmed on the upper floors of the Nick Tahou's building on West Main Street. The original script was written by Oz Wilson, whom Lehmann met in Los Angeles while she was there to pitch scripts to producers.

All of the actors in the film are from the Rochester area, says Lehmann, a graduate of West Irondequoit High School, Syracuse University and Rochester Institute of Technology.

We talked with Lehmann about her journey to filmmaking and the production of Fury.

Q How did you become interested in filmmaking?

A When I was little I always enjoyed making up stories whenever I drew pictures. Then in college, I watched every movie that came on campus. But it wasn't until I finished my master's degree that I realized that I wanted to something more creative in my life. When I pieced together all my interests, I thought I'd give filmmaking a try and signed up for classes at Writers & Books (for screenwriting) and The Visual Studies Workshop (for filmmaking). Basically, I found that I really enjoyed it and was good at it. From there I took classes at several colleges, read books, and volunteered on a lot of movie shoots.

Q What was it about the script for Fury that made you think this would be a good film to bring to the screen?

A The script had an interesting story structure (so it would hold up well), the story itself had an historical angle that hadn't been done before. Fury started out as a horror movie but it morphed into a supernatural chiller because it doesn't have enough blood and body parts for a typical horror. We're at the suspense end of the horror spectrum. There's also a lot of humor. (The film is rated R for language.)

Q When did you begin shooting Fury and when was shooting complete?

A We started shooting a couple of years ago on the last weekend in June and finished the first weekend in January — basically, we shot weekends for six months.

Q How did you find the actors for Fury?

A I turned around. Literally. I was at Geva Theatre talking to an actress I knew after the evening performance and turned around. At the NextStage, there were a group of African-American actors, so I went over to find out what was going on. It turned out that they were having the graduating show for a special program for actors, directors and playwrights of color called The Enterprise Zone. Fortunately, there was a second performance the following night and I started taking down names. Subsequently, I started asking other directors as well as the actors if they knew anyone.

Q Have you written, produced and directed other horror films?

A The short I made before Fury, called She Wrote, He Wrote, had some zombies in it, but it was basically a comedy. It won the Bronze Remi at the Houston Worldfest and was a finalist at Telluride Indiefest.

I shot a feature drama called The Apple Orchard many years ago but distributors weren't interested because we didn't have any stars. When I asked them what would they take without stars, they said horror. That's when I started looking around for horror scripts since I write mostly science fiction and comedies.

Q When many people think of making a motion picture, they think Hollywood or New York City. What is it about Rochester that makes this a good place to shoot a film?

A Rochester is very movie friendly. It has many different types of locations and we have an excellent actor base. There is a lot of theater here and we get quite a few escapees from NYC. The filmmakers help each other as well.

Q What's next for Fury?

A We will try to get a distributor and getting this award will help a lot. We are also looking into self distribution.

Q What is one fun/interesting fact about fury?

The ceiling actually did fall — fortunately an hour after we wrapped on Sunday. We had been walking under it all weekend. It was written into the script and shot the following weekend. We joked on the set that there was a real ghost in the building.

'Fury' will be shown at The Little Theatre, 240 East Ave. at 6:30 pm. Thursday as part of it's Spotlight on Black History Series. The showing will be followed by "Talkback with Rochester Filmmaker by Liz Lehmann" as well as members of the cast.

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My Days as 'The Wizard of Pun'

Dear Blog Visitors:

Today's post is somewhat of a departure from my usual commentaries dealing with reform in the Roman Catholic Church.

For a change of pace, I thought you might like to hear a few segments from my days on the radio. In brief, I was known as 'The Wizard of Pun' on Rochester radio station WAXC. In this role, I was part of the daily morning show hosted by Ferdinand Jay Smith. (I served as 'The Wizard of Pun' from 1975-1978.)

What follows is the web address that will take you to page that contains a 15-minute compilation of tapes that I have referred to as 'The Best of the Wizard of Pun.' When you get to the web page, simply choose the 'streaming' option from the list of formats.

http://www.archive.org/details/TheBestOfTheWizardOfPunWaxcRochester

Father Ray's Inquisition: A Staged Trial

Dear Blog Visitors:

Considering the Vatican's ridiculous treatment of married priests, I couldn't resist putting a video together in which I am being interrogated by three inquisitors. The purpose of doing this video is to simply highlight that in many respects, Benedict XVI has shoved the church back into the medieval period. While he and I share a love of classical music, we certaintly disagree on solutions to the priesthood shortage. While I see an advantage to bringing married priests and women priests into the mix, Benedict prefers the status quo of mandatory celibacy.

For your viewing pleasure, here is my spoof on Vatican interrogations:

Grosswirth & Benedict: A Musical Duo

Dear Blog Visitors:

While Pope Benedict XVI and I have experienced differences in terms of a few church policies, we at least share a profound love of classical music.

As an undergraduate student at the Eastman School of Music in the 1960s, it was my career ambition to become the conductor of a major symphony orchestra. While I did very well with my conducting studies, I was not as proficient with the piano.

Anyone who has aspirations toward the conducting podium must be equally proficient with the piano; unfortunately, my piano skills were not good enough to cast me into the highly competitive conducting pool. However, I did manage to win a conducting competition in the 60s that resulted in my guest-conducting the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra in Rochester's Eastman Theatre. I also did a minimal amount of conducting thereafter.

Pope Benedict would be pleased to know that for many years, my wife (Brenda) and I were able to utilize our musical skills in the church. (Brenda has her masters in performance in organ from the Eastman School of Music.) Brenda and I often played together, with Brenda on organ and myself on trumpet (my primary instrument). I was also a cantor and Brenda & I played with handbell choirs as well. However, in recent years, financial realities have caused Brenda and I to focus on our secular jobs, whereby our musical instruments have been gathering dust.

Just as I had moderate sucess in the conducting field, Joseph Ratzinger, before ascending through the ranks of the Catholic hierarchy to his present papacy, was a very accomplished classical pianist.

If you watch the video that follows, I mention the fact that despite the differences between the pontiff and myself, there is nothing I would like better than to conduct a concerto with Benedict XVI as soloist. However, the reality is that this is not going to happen, due to our age and distance from our musical pasts.

In any event, here is the video:

Clint Eastwood Receives Special Award

Dear Blog Visitors:

From time-to-time, I will offer a posting in the entertainment category, especially since I am a life-long film buff.

I am deeply pleased that my favorite actor/director, Clint Eastwood, was honored at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival. I am equally pleased that Sean Penn presented the award to him. (Clint directed Sean in 'Mystic River,' for which he received an academy award for best actor.)

I am obviously disappointed that Clint didn't receive a best actor nomination by the Motion Picture academy for his terrific job in 'Gran Torino.' However, I want you to see the video I made prior to the Academy Award nominations, in which I both pitched 'Gran Torino' and highlighted a few other notable films Clint has given us over the years.

Following the video, you will find an article that details the award Clint Eastwood received in Santa Barbara. I am especially delighted that Clint is in good health and will be providing us with more film-work in the future.

Here is the video, followed by the article:



Clint Eastwood honored at Santa Barbara International Film Festival
KSBY-TV
updated 11:59 a.m. ET, Fri., Jan. 30, 2009

Thursday, January 29, 2009
Reported by: Melissa Mecija


A living Hollywood legend walks the red carpet at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival to receive its highest honor.

Thursday night, Clint Eastwood took home the Modern Master Award for all of his movie accomplishments throughout the years.

Eastwood made a grand entrance at the festival by hopping over the barrier amidst his screaming fans.
"Yeah, I was in with the group," Eastwood joked. "I stay with the crowd."


Eastwood has been to the festival before as a presenter. This time, he received the biggest honor for his decades of work. However, you can bet his time in film is far from over.

"There's a ton of people I haven't worked with. That's a fun thing about making movies. There's a lot of people, there's a lot of new parts that come along you need faces for," Eastwood said.

Renowned film critic Leonard Maltin sat down for a conversation with Eastwood. The 78 year old remembered back to when he first started, getting paid about $75 a week. "I wanted to learn as much as I could and work in pictures. I took any job that come along," Eastwood admitted.

Sean Penn, who worked with Eastwood in the 2003 movie "Mystic River" presented the Modern Master Award to his former director. "He's just been somebody I'm very grateful to have had a chance to work with and nobody can be called master like Clint, so it's an appropropriate honor," Penn said.

Eastwood has said Gran Torino is probably his last acting role, but he also said Thursday night, "You're never too old to learn."

Santa Barbara International Film Festival ends February 1.

URL: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28925229/

Some Humor Amidst the Seriousness

Dear Blog Visitors:

If you have been a frequent visitor to this blog, you have found that most of my postings deal with the serious business of church-reform and related theology/history/reflection. However, I feel it is good for the soul to lighten-up on occasion, such as I did when I was part of a radio program in the 1970s. (I hope to provide some of my radio tapes to an audio site in the near future.)

I hope you will find at least a little bit of humor in the three videos that follow. The first two are somewhat of a spoof on exercise videos, my focus being simple exercises priests can do in the comfort of their rectories. (Sadly, priests have little time for exercise these days, so I used a little humor to prod them into getting into a routine.) The third video utilizes music by Leroy Anderson - namely, "The Typewriter." In this particular video, I am typing letters to bishops with the musical background.

Without further delay, here are the three videos:

Remembering Bishop Bernard McQuaid

Dear Blog Visitors:

Our local newspaper ran a feature article by Bob Marcotte a few days ago on the late Rochester Bishop, Bernard McQuaid. The article was well-written in that it focused on many of McQuaid's accomplishments during his historic tenure, inclusive of his creating the very first organized Catholic School system in the United States.

An interesting bit of information that was not provided in Bob Marcotte's article is the fact that while Bishop McQuaid was fiercely loyal to Rome, he nevertheless displayed notable independence when his conscience dictated that he do so. A classic example was his decision to abstain from voting on the infallibility of the pope during Vatican I deliberations. (He was only one of two American bishops to abstain.) In retrospect, his decision was correct, for the doctrine of infallibility has only been used once since its inception - namely, the infallible decree that Mary was assumed into heaven.

Many have incorrectly stated that Pope John Paul II declared infallibly that women cannot be ordained. At most, it was a definitive statement, but not infallible. Bishop McQuaid had the insight to realize that popes being human, are subject to possible error. Therefore, papal infallibility continues to be a topic that causes much controversy and debate.

In a video I made last Spring, you are able to see a grand structure erected during the tenure of Bishop Bernard McQuaid. It is the old St. Bernard's Seminary. (The buildings are now used as a senior housing complex.)

My thanks to Bishop McQuaid for being a trailblazer in the history of American Catholicism. Here is the video I made that displays the structure that once housed St. Bernard's seminary. In addition, I have also included a video I made at Holy Sepulchre Cemetery, which is adjacent to the grounds of St. Bernard's.

Prayers for President Obama

Dear Blog Visitors:

I have produced a participatory video in which you can respond to prayers for President Obama. After each prayer intention, the response is "Lord Hear Our Prayer."

Here is the text of the prayer intentions:

For peace in our world, that President Barack Obama is able to bridge differences that have brought despair to God's people. We pray to the Lord.

LORD HEAR OUR PRAYER.

For Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, that she serves President Obama well and that nations of the world come to see the United States as a beacon of democracy. We pray to the Lord.

LORD HEAR OUR PRAYER.

For those who have suffered the ravages of an economic downturn, that President Obama is able to bring about relief through new job initiatives and banking regulations. We pray to the Lord.

LORD HEAR OUR PRAYER.

For an end to the plague of racism that has dominated our nation's landscape for too many years. We pray to the Lord.

LORD HEAR OUR PRAYER.

For President Obama's family, that they be a source of joy and inspiration to all the world's families. We pray to the Lord.

LORD HEAR OUR PRAYER.

For all who feel marginalized, that President Barack Obama will give courage to each American, so that a person's value will not be based upon economic status, gender or sexual orientation. We pray to the Lord.

LORD HEAR OUR PRAYER.

For all religions of the world, that President Obama will invite Christians, Jews, Muslims, Hindus, Budhists, and other multi-faceted faith groups to the White House on a regular basis for dialogue. We pray to the Lord.

LORD HEAR OUR PRAYER.

For Native American Indians, that President Obama will promise to safeguard their ancient burial grounds and personal dignity. We pray to the Lord.

LORD HEAR OUR PRAYER.

For our environment, that President Obama will support all measures that lean toward cleaner air and safe products. We pray to the Lord.

LORD HEAR OUR PRAYER.

For success in Barack Obama's attempts to bring political parties together for the betterment of our country and world. We pray to the Lord.

LORD HEAR OUR PRAYER.

Excellent Article by Douglas W. Kmiec

Dear Blog Visitors:

For the most part, I like to write my own articles for this blog. However, on occasion, I like to present an article that is well-written by another author.

What follows is an outstanding article by Douglas W. Kmiec, who is the Caruso Family Chair and Professor of Constitutional Law at Pepperdine University School of Law. When you read this wonderful piece, you will know immediately why I have posted it.

Like myself, Professor Kmiec has been targeted by right-wing Catholic bloggers. In my case, I have been attacked for the simple reason that I wish to bring reform to the Roman Catholic Church, i.e., the ordination of women and married men. In the case of Professor Kmiec, he has been attacked for the simple reason that he is a Catholic Republican who supports Barack Obama.

A rough estimate indicates that right-wing Catholic bloggers only stand for the beliefs of approximately 3-5% of our nation's Catholic population. For the most part, they post on blogs anonymously, so they can't be sued for slander or hauled into courts for issuing threats. I suspect that the same cowardly bloggers who have called Professor Kmiec names are the same individuals who have called me names. The reason for my suspicion? Kmiec and I have been called the exact, same names by the anonymous bloggers.

Without further delay, here is the magnificent article by Douglas W. Kmiec, who by the way, is on a short list of individuals being considered for the post of ambassador to the Vatican:

January 16, 2009 / Volume CXXXVI, Number 1 ARTICLE
COMMONWEAL

A Tangled Web
The Election & the Blogosphere

Douglas W. Kmiec

Now the great and historic election is behind us, and America watches, amid an economy in free fall, as the president-elect assembles his team. By the strength of its appointments and the steadiness of its demeanor, the administration-in-waiting has demonstrated its readiness to govern. Such strength and steadiness helped boost Barack Obama’s remarkable victory in November, a victory that included capturing 54 percent of the Catholic vote.

Yet not everyone in America is cheered by this triumph. Indeed, within certain embittered precincts, the penalty for having supported Obama can be stiff. As the author of a book whose title asked Can a Catholic Support Him?-and whose contents answered with an enthusiastic “Yes, we can!”-I have felt the animosity of those with an insatiable desire for political payback.

A longtime Republican who served in the Reagan administration, I nonetheless endorsed Obama last spring. Ever since, I’ve been subjected to unrelenting personal attacks launched from right-wing Catholic keyboards-blogs (and bloggers) so coarse and uncivil they make the insults of talk radio sound like actual journalism. Further, the lack of civility that rules the right-wing Catholic blogosphere has infected mainstream Catholic journalism as well. In a syndicated assessment of the 2008 election, one usually thoughtful conservative columnist employed the following descriptions of Catholic Obama supporters: “decadent,” “tribal,” “immoral,” “certainly stupid,” “mindless,” and in need of basic “adult education.” And those were all in a single paragraph! Such highly concentrated rhetorical venom is not calculated to invite discussion.

Of course, bloggers deny there is anything “personal” in such attacks. My online tormentors like to claim that their beef with me is my alleged abandonment of the prolife cause or willful misstatement of church teaching. Neither charge is true. I remain unabashedly prolife and I have never consciously misstated the doctrine of the church; indeed, I’ve publicly said that were the Holy Father to tell me I had contradicted the magisterium on any given page of my Obama book, I would tear out that page.

No, the real problem with the blogospheric reaction to Obama lay in the responses themselves, which all too often mixed the smallest dollop of substance into a big steaming stew of personal contempt. As the vilification of Catholic Obama supporters progressed over the months, it became something of a bloggers’ sport to conjure up ridiculous explanations for what was wrongly described as my “apostasy.” Bloggers asserted I was angling for a judicial spot (strange, when I had already declined appointment to the appellate bench twice); another imagined me distressed over some apparent snub by George W. Bush or John McCain (not true, unless it be distress that one governed badly and the other promised to “stay the course”). One online source even speculated that I had suffered a stroke.

Noting my continued good health, the editors of Commonweal invited this essay which I submit even as I acknowledge the wisdom of Sr. Pius’s eighth-grade counsel: “Douglas, just offer it up!” That was good advice; and indeed I have at times considered the blog calumnies hurled at me as penance for occasions when I have put on a bit of a false front. We all want to be perceived as intelligent, kindly, and well considered, and we all occasionally speak too glibly for our own good-as I did, for example, representing Obama on the campaign trail while chastising him for his criticism of Justice Clarence Thomas; or suggesting, out loud and even on camera, that his one-time pledge of support for the Freedom of Choice Act (FOCA) during the primary was “boneheaded.” These are not politic statements, but unlike most blog entries, they represent honest, substantive dissent illustrating how it is possible for a person to be capable of admiring both Barack Obama and Clarence Thomas, and of supporting Obama while rejecting legislation that would in any way limit religious freedom or insult the church. (My message to President Obama on FOCA, by the way, will remain what it was to candidate Obama: FOCA runs contrary to the pursuit of the common good.)

This essay is not about abortion, but at least this much must be said: blog lies to the contrary, there is no real legislative interest in FOCA. The attempt to use FOCA to drive a wedge between the church and the incoming administration is unjustified. The bishops, having stated clearly their opposition to FOCA-and rightly so-should not allow the right wing to obscure what Obama shares with the church: concern for the poor; support for the average family; a commitment to ending an unjust war; and respect for our environment. Unless the sore losers of November 4 manage to poison the well, the Holy See and the Obama administration should be working more closely together in service to others than any administration in modern memory.

Having drawn the blogs’ Machiavellian FOCA gambit into the open, I am certain now to be called, yet again, a “useful idiot” (or worse) in service to the new president. Such a prospect returns me to the subject of blog caricature and its consequences. While I may have felt personally wounded in the free-for-all that followed my endorsement of Obama, I never thought it was mainly about me. The scurrilous remarks of conservative bloggers missed the point, which was that I and millions of others who voted for Obama did so not despite our Catholic faith but because of it. When, in a meeting of faith leaders in Chicago, Obama told me that his community work years before, helping the displaced and the unemployed, left him empty until he knelt before the Cross, I believed him. As a Catholic, I understood that it is our faith that explains us to ourselves. No politics or philosophy or relationship is launched well when faith is missing; and I did not (and do not) doubt the genuineness of Obama’s Christian faith commitment.

The president-elect’s alluring gift of inspiration has been noted by many, and while conservative bloggers demean it as “mere rhetoric” or “drinking the Kool-Aid,” others of us prize it as a talent that has been sorely absent for eight years or more. From Berlin to Denver’s Mile High Stadium to Grant Park, Obama does big campaign rallies exceptionally well. At these vast assemblies, his message of working together on common ground draws deeply on the nobility of other, past leaders who called us to reach beyond ourselves. Lingering beneath his cadences are the charitable and prophetic words of Lincoln. One also hears FDR’s instruction to stand forthright against fear, and John F. Kennedy’s call to service, reminding us that “here on earth, God’s work must truly be our own.” Finally, there is the tearful remorse of RFK following Dr. King’s assassination (and not long before his own), reminding us of the senselessness of violence and hate.

A hate-filled blogosphere, on the other hand, feeds a politics of odium, misleading people of faith and good will, diminishing and at times obliterating our ability to know one another. Our faith urges us to presume the stranger is kind, and to seek out opportunities to manifest love of neighbor. Sadly, neighbor-love is not what has overwhelmed my in-box since my Obama endorsement. Instead, right-wing blogs and their readers have launched missiles of hate, delivering ad hominem invective of an astonishing vehemence and crassness. I am “an embarrassing shill,” “hysterical,” and “pathetic”; also “a fool,” “an Obama shill of such mystifying obtuseness that one suspects a head injury,” “a slimeball,” “an unfaithful, cowardly betrayer”; just “another so-called Christian who flashes a Bible and looks righteous to the pagans,” and so on. “I hear,” wrote one Catholic blogger, cutely summoning the gospel, “that Sen. Obama will be FedExing thirty pieces of silver to Doug Kmiec.”

Beyond mere personal affronts, the politics of odium has more tangible consequences. Last fall I had the privilege of speaking at a beautiful Catholic college, Seton Hill, in Greensburg, Pennsylvania. Acting on blog misinformation, the well-meaning local bishop sought to bar my appearance, placing a letter to that effect on his Web site. As it turned out, I didn’t know this until after the event-a wonderful afternoon of community and classroom discussion with well- prepared students eager to discuss how to live their faith in the light of Catholic social teaching. Only hours afterward, seated on an airplane about to take off, did I learn (through a telephone call) of the bishop’s Web post. Immediately I dialed the chancery. The bishop, surprised by the call, listened, and I believe he heard both the sincerity of my faith and the depth of my respect for the magisterium. He gracefully removed his Web posting within the hour.

Of course, by then the letter was already beginning to circulate virally, spread by the venomous right-wing blogs. To be remade by a hateful blogosphere has its price, I’ve learned. I worry that such invitations to speak at Catholic colleges, and the fruitful exchanges these invitations make possible, will be fewer. When I do speak, contingents of demonstrators often appear, carrying preprinted signs, part of an orchestrated pressure to disinvite me. In response, it is my practice to invite the protesters to join us, and they usually do. Yet civil discourse can be difficult with those misinformed by blog propaganda that you are a proponent of evil-or worse, its very embodiment. Such attitudes are not limited to placard- carrying demonstrators. One member of the U.S. hierarchy whom I greatly admire has renounced our past association, writing, “We are not friends, professor,” and answering my invocation of Christian brotherhood with a curt retort: “I do see you as a brother in Christ-a brother who is serving an evil end.” The greatest personal price I have paid is the loss of old-and the preemption of new-friendships.

The vituperation propagated in the Catholic blogging world is remarkable for its reach and speed. When a writer for America recently speculated that the Obama administration might name me as ambassador to the Holy See, I was flattered. And while I would never want my presidential endorsement months earlier to be understood as anything other than what it always was-freely given without expectation of quid pro quo-the writer’s suggestion did prompt me to seek God’s will through prayer. Might this be an invitation to be of greater service to the church? Neither God nor the president-elect had an opportunity to answer before the blogs were recycling their various calumnies, and adding now an anonymous voice allegedly saying “it would never happen.” And why not? Well, according to “anonymous,” now sounding suspiciously partisan, the Vatican would view me as a “traitor,” with my appointment being the equivalent of naming a homosexual-presumably meaning that as an insult, notwithstanding its own insensitivity and disregard of church efforts at inclusion. Facing down such ugliness can be daunting. A writer for the National Catholic Reporter threw up his hands, editorializing that “it might be less complicated to name” a non-Catholic. With all due respect, that would be the ultimate “heckler’s veto,” and it is far from the stand many Catholics took in speaking the truth of the gospel to the power of an American president over the unjustified and tragically costly occupation of Iraq.

All of the world’s overheated overstatement cannot be blamed on the blogs, of course, but the blogosphere’s megaphone quality magnifies unfortunate remarks best left in more limited, and usually more nuanced, contexts. During the election campaign, Archbishop Raymond Burke called the Democratic Party “the party of death,” an expression deeply hurtful to my octogenarian father and millions of other lifelong Democrats who still see the Democratic Party as Leo XIII saw it-the “working man’s” party. The situation worsened when bloggers exported from the student newspaper a classroom remark of Cardinal Francis Stafford at The Catholic University of America describing some of the policies of the president-elect as “aggressive, disruptive, and apocalyptic.” With admirable restraint, the Obama administration has kept its puzzlement and disappointment with these blog-spread commentaries to itself.

Of course, faith calls upon us all to “turn the other cheek” to ridicule and hatred, and like the president-elect, I am resolved to do so as well. In 1920, Benedict XV put the instruction this way in Pacem, Dei munus pulcherrimum: “We are to...forgive all our enemies who knowingly or unknowingly have heaped and are still heaping on our person and our work every sort of vituperation, and we embrace all in our charity and benevolence, and neglect no opportunity to do them all the good in our power.” That, said Benedict XV, “is what makes Christians worthy of the name.” It is also the central precept of international relations, and whoever takes up the diplomatic post, whether me or someone else, is well advised to be guided by it if the world is ever to be at peace.

In a September campaign appearance on Meet the Press, Joe Biden explained that while he believed life begins at conception, he couldn’t impose that belief on others. Biden likely thought himself right with the church (though having been present for Mario Cuomo’s similar pronouncement at Notre Dame in 1984, I could have told him otherwise). Probably thinking he would at least get a holy card for his faith-based answer, he instead got his hand slapped, and was subsequently told by the archbishop of Denver not to bother showing up for Communion when in town for the Democratic convention. I know from experience the pain of being refused the Eucharist, having been denied Communion at a Mass preceding an invited lecture before a group of Catholic business people. The priest had apparently bought the blogosphere’s cynical distortion of my pro-Obama position. Cardinal Roger Mahony would later find the priest’s action to be “shameful and indefensible.”

Cardinals Mahony, Theodore McCarrick, and others have warned against using Communion as a weapon, for good reason. Indeed, even the mere threat of Eucharist denial aimed at Biden unleashed a wave of giddy right-wing blog invective, precisely when-and where-it should have invited discussion. The invective supplies no answer to those of other faiths who do not see themselves as bound by the magisterium, or who are unwilling to accept the move from a biological fact (that the human zygote formed at conception is a unique life) to a broader ethical conclusion (that we should use the force of law to protect it). These points of difference are regularly missed by bloggers who freely hurl the label “baby killer” at anyone who does not readily concede the equivalence of zygote destruction and infanticide.

Putting the ill consequence of blog name-calling aside, in a post-Holocaust world, you have to admire the Catholic faith for insisting on that equivalence, and thereby recognizing the need for absolute truth to exist. Politically, though, there remains one big difficulty: the American Constitution is not linked to a concession of absolute truth. It is the Declaration of Independence that is anchored upon self-evident truth, and the relation between the two documents is virtually unexplored in the Supreme Court. Indeed, only Justice Thomas has really thought about it seriously, hence my admiration.

Does Barack Obama believe in the truth of the human person? Not surprisingly, he values the self-evident truths of the Declaration of Independence-even as he argues that the deliberative democracy established by our Constitution casts suspicion upon a claim of absolute truth. The founders, Obama observes, uniformly rejected all forms of absolute authority, whether that of the monarch, the high priest, or the majority. And yet, as John Paul II told us, democracy detached from absolute truth can be little more than another form of totalitarianism. Obama has similarly observed that absolutists can be correct-as the blunt wrong of slavery illustrates. “Sometimes,” Obama notes, “absolute truths may well be absolute.”

To reconcile the pragmatism of democracy with claims of truth requires that our minds be nourished by wide perspectives discussed freely and respectfully; it requires a heart full of grace, not anger. Within our own Catholic community, we need to bear in mind one further caution from our new president: that claiming public territory outside the church requires persuasion, not intimidation or force. Translating particularistic faith beliefs into rational argument is the stuff of democracy. “I may be opposed to abortion for religious reasons,” Obama said during the campaign, “but if I seek to pass a law banning the practice, I cannot simply point to the teachings of my church or [invoke] God’s will. I have to explain why abortion violates some principle that is accessible to people of all faiths, including those with no faith at all.”

Of course, that is the very reason Cardinal Justin Rigali and Bishop William Lori were so quick to remind candidate Biden of the scientific basis for the church’s life perspective. Indeed one might ask, with the church having brought forth its scientific claim in so forthright and objective a manner as it has in modern encyclicals, is it not proper for the burden of evidence now to shift to those who, for religious or nonreligious reasons, believe unfettered abortion ought to be permitted? It is a valid question; and were the right-wing Catholic blogs not so preoccupied with demonizing me and other brothers and sisters in Christ who backed our president-elect, perhaps the question would receive some competent discussion. As it is, however, right-wing Catholic bloggers, acting as a thinly disguised political front for the GOP, remain fixated on the goal of precipitating an unnecessary war between the Holy See and America’s next administration. It is dismaying to see a few American prelates and their “anonymous” Vatican commentators acting as witting or unwitting coconspirators in this divisive action.

It’s hard to know what understanding of the United States filters upward through the Vatican to reach the pope. What’s certain is that the statement of the Holy Father that came across the ocean just after the U.S. bishops met in Baltimore in November was warmly welcomed by those assembling the new Obama administration. Speaking movingly to a conference organized by the Pontifical Council for Assistance to Health Care Workers on the theme of “Pastoral Care of Sick Children,” Benedict XVI noted that every year some 4 million newborns around the world die within four weeks after birth, often because of poverty, poor health-care systems, and armed conflict. He called this a matter of “urgent” concern. “The church does not forget these smallest of her children,” the pope said. And neither does our president-elect, which is also why he believes that aiding expectant mothers in poverty, and not condemning them, will reduce the number of abortions.

The president-elect does not share our faith, and like many modern men, he can be skeptical about aspects of the divine that we, because of the sacraments and the magisterium, are blessed to accept. But the blogs have not closed the mind of the new president and, like Lincoln, he bears “malice toward none” and manifests “charity for all.”

Obama himself has written that the golden rule tells us that we “need to battle cruelty in all its forms, [with] the value of love and charity, humanity and grace.” Even spinning a pervasive web of falsehood, the right-wing Catholic blogosphere is no match for the self-evident truth of that golden rule-nor would its bloggers want to be, were they to indulge a microsecond of charitable thought before hitting the send button.


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ABOUT THE WRITER
Douglas W. Kmiec
Douglas W. Kmiec is Caruso Family Chair & Professor of Constitutional Law at Pepperdine University School of Law.


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An Anniversary Celebration & New Ventures

Dear Blog Visitors:

I would like to share one of my recent articles with you. This particular one was published in the January/February 2009 issue of 'CORPUS Reports.' If you have not visited the CORPUS website, be sure to do so. The address is www.corpus.org. Amongst the menu items at the site, you will find my monthly audio address.

In the article that follows, I address the tenth anniversary of Spiritus Christi Church, my new ventures in YouTube and a my reflection on the next twenty years.

Here is the article:

AN ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION AND SOME NEW VENTURES
By Ray Grosswirth, CORPUS Media Liaison
January/February edition of 'CORPUS Reports'

It has been a few months since I wrote an article for CORPUS Reports. So, I thought it was about time for me to pull up a chair in front of the keyboard, so I can give you an update on my latest activities.

This article will be divided into three sections: 1.) The Tenth Anniversary of Spiritus Christi Church; 2.) My Adventures with YouTube; 3.) A Reflection on the Next Twenty Years.

THE TENTH ANNIVERSARY OF SPIRITUS CHRISTI CHURCH

I was greatly honored to receive a phone call from Rev. Jim Callan of Spiritus Christi Church in September. He indicated to me that the church was going to celebrate its tenth anniversary with an all-inclusive liturgy, whereby Jim invited me to concelebrate. Of course, I accepted the invitation with great enthusiasm.

The 10th anniversary liturgy was a wonderful experience for all who attended and participated. Members of the clergy were inclusive of Jim Callan, Mary Ramerman and Denise Donato from Spiritus Christi. Additionally, there were male and female pastors from a variety of Protestant churches present, in addition to multiple married priests and women priests, including yours truly.

Following the opening procession, each member of the clergy had an opportunity to extend a greeting to the Spiritus Christi community. I extended my greeting on behalf of CORPUS and the Federation of Christian Ministries. I also had an opportunity to extend a final blessing on behalf of CORPUS.

It was a very special moment for me when Mary Ramerman stepped up the microphone to acknowledge the fact that Rochester’s Bishop Matthew Clark is a very nice man and indicated that just as Spiritus Christi continues to pray for him every week, she knows that he continues to pray for the Spiritus Christi community as well. I was heartened by Mary’s good will, because I continue to hold Bishop Clark in very high esteem, for he is one of the few pastoral bishops left in the ranks of the hierarchy.

I recall that when Spiritus Christi began ten years ago, skeptics gave the community one or two years at most. Well, ten years later, the community continues to grow. In addition, to its primary location in Rochester, Spiritus Christi has started communities in Elmira, New York and Buffalo, New York.

I truly see Spiritus Christi as the wave of the future (parishes where there is no discrimination on the basis of gender, marital status or sexual orientation).

If you would like to extend a 10th anniversary greeting to Spiritus Christi, by all means visit their website at www.spirituschristi.org.

MY ADVENTURES WITH YOUTUBE

One of the reasons I haven’t been doing much writing lately is my new-found hobby of making videos for YouTube. It has been a process of trial and error. Depending upon the message I am delivering, I occasionally dress in clerical clothing; other times I dress in either casual attire or a suit and tie. Of course, since I can’t resist being a ham in front of a camera, I occasionally venture into the world of comedy, so I can offer some variety to viewers who want to see more than serious theological/pastoral messages.

I have had both positive and negative experiences on YouTube. (By the way, my channel can be accessed at www.youtube.com/priestray. You need to have a high-speed connection in order to watch videos.) On the positive side, I have been able to connect with Catholics of all age groups. On the negative side, I occasionally get criticized by what I like to refer to as the EWTN crowd (mostly conservative young people in their twenties or thirties who would rather watch devotional videos than the reform-minded messages I deliver on a regular basis).

There does seem to be an audience for videos dealing with church reform. Correspondingly, I would love to hear from CORPUS members who may have some creative ideas for me to try, in an attempt to draw attention to the efforts underway to change the face of the Roman Catholic Church.

A REFLECTION ON THE NEXT TWENTY YEARS

I now have a homework assignment for CORPUS members. Your assignment is to imagine what the Roman Catholic church might look like in twenty years. For that matter, what will CORPUS look like in twenty years?

I think it would be fascinating if members of CORPUS would write creative articles that envision the future. Who knows? Perhaps we can influence Vatican officials who seem to be in a state of gridlock.

As I ponder the future, I realize that as I approach the age of 60, I am one of the younger members of our organization. So, if we want CORPUS to continue its vitality for another twenty years, we need to come up with ways to attract some younger persons who will be able to carry the ball for us when we are no longer able to do so.

During our joint conference last July in Boston, I was struck by the number of young women who have recently joined the Women’s Ordination Conference. I was also struck by the energy and enthusiasm they have for reform initiatives. It is therefore my hope CORPUS can also draw some young folks to the table. This would certainly make the Vatican nervous, because our cardinals actually believe that reformers are going to fade away.

CONCLUSION

I often think of CORPUS as an extended family. I therefore want to wish all of you in this extended family a very blessed Christmas and New Year.

Richard McBrien Featured in Boston Globe

Dear Blog Visitors:

I want to extend my best wishes for 2009. Considering everything occuring in the Roman Catholic Church, I hope this will be the year Pope Benedict XVI sees fit to convene Vatican III.

As we look back at the late 1950s, the church was in the midst of heated debates, which encouraged John XXIII to convene Vatican II in 1962. We are in a similar heated period now, whereby written and verbal warfare exists between conservative and liberal forces within Roman Catholicism. Perhaps what is needed is a centrist church, whereby both sides of the aisle can reach constructive compromise.

Whenever I am asked who my contemporary Catholic role models are, I always mention Rev. Richard McBrien. I am therefore pleased that the Boston Globe ran the article that follows my comments.

May God bless all of you in 2009.

Sincerely,
Ray Grosswirth

BOSTON GLOBE
Q&A
A talk with The Rev. Richard P. McBrien
Life as a theologian, commentator - and lightning rod

By Michael Paulson | December 28, 2008

CATHOLICISM IN AMERICA is riven by internal debates - often about gender, sexuality, and authority - and seemingly unending controversies, about politics and parish closings and the handling of sexual abuse. Whenever one of these battles catches the attention of the evening news, one of the likely commentators is the Rev. Richard P. McBrien, a theologian at the University of Notre Dame who is one of the most visible interpreters of Catholicism to the American public.

McBrien has helped translate the arcana of Catholic history and teaching to an increasingly religiously uneducated America, editing the single-volume Encyclopedia of Catholicism, and penning two popular reference texts, "Lives of the Popes" and "Lives of the Saints."

But McBrien has also become a lightning rod for criticism because of his outspoken support for women's ordination and married priests and his willingness to sharply criticize bishops and popes. And he has become persona non grata in some quarters - his theology column, which he has written since 1966, is barred from many diocesan papers, and his commentary has won him the ire of many conservatives. The Rev. John T. Zuhlsdorf, a popular conservative blogger, recently referred to McBrien as a "heresiarch," meaning a leader of heretics.

A priest of the Hartford archdiocese, McBrien taught for a decade at Boston College before moving to Notre Dame in 1980. He has just come out with his 25th book, a history of Catholic ecclesiology called, simply, "The Church," and spoke with Ideas during a visit to Boston.

IDEAS: How would you describe your standing in the church now?

McBRIEN: Well, I'm a theologian and a priest in good standing. What more could I say? I've been around a long time, and I'm not easily disposed of, put it that way, even though some people would like to have had that done.

IDEAS: Your column is not running in some places that it used to run.

McBRIEN: If I had all the papers that once carried the column, I'd have nearly 50 papers, which is a lot in the Catholic market. Don't ask me how many I do have, because I never really know, but I have a relative handful of that number.

IDEAS: What happened?

McBRIEN: As the Catholic hierarchy became more conservative under Pope John Paul II, bishops who were open to a diversity of viewpoints in the church either died or retired, and were replaced, in almost every case, by bishops who were more, let's say, attuned to the desires and intentions of the Holy See. I used to kid, I'd say bishops get points if they drop my column. They get noticed, and then they get promoted eventually, and so forth. I can give you so many examples. I mean, let's take Boston. Cushing was a patron of mine. He liked me, and I liked him. He had his foibles, but we all do. I liked Cardinal Cushing very much. But Medeiros was in, and Medeiros once said to me, 'Richard, what would my mother think if she read your column?' and I said, 'Your eminence, I don't write my column for your mother.' So then it got dropped.

IDEAS: Have you become more liberal or more outspoken over the years?

McBRIEN: No, I don't think so. I don't think of myself in those terms, although it's a relative term. I mean obviously I'm liberal if you define liberal stands as being open to the ordination of women, feeling that abortion shouldn't be a litmus test defining whether one is a good Catholic or not. I'm very much against the policy of a certain handful of bishops to threaten to deny Communion to Catholic Democrats - and they're always Democrats. I think that's counterproductive, and I think it's a mistake, and I also think it's contrary to the policy of the bishops conference.

IDEAS: Why are you such a lightning rod? Whenever I quote you, I get e-mails, and I see bloggers taking after you.

McBRIEN: That's a good question. It might be because I have such a public image. I regard myself as a broad centrist. But to an extreme right-wing person, especially in religion, and within the Catholic Church, a centrist or a center/left person is automatically perceived as an extreme left-wing person, bordering on, if not actually in, heresy. But for every e-mail or blog that you would see that would condemn me . . . I can tell you I got a lot of e-mails and letters from Catholics who said that I had given them hope and that their teenage kids who had been alienated from the church said that, "If there were more priests like the guy we were watching on television, I'd still be a Catholic."

IDEAS: And why don't you leave?

McBRIEN: Because it's my church. It's my home. And I was born in it. I've been a Catholic all my life. And I have affirmation from so many good people. I feel that I have a responsibility to them to continue working at it and doing the best I can.

IDEAS: You're so critical of the bishops, but you don't seem angry.

McBRIEN: I'm critical of the bishops not because I have any gripe against any one of them personally. John Paul II, in the 26 ?? years he was pope, did some good things. [But] the most serious deficiency the late pope had . . . was the poor quality of men he put in the hierarchy. And nowhere was this more obvious than at the height of the sexual abuse scandal in the priesthood. The truth be told, a significant number of bishops . . . including some high-ranking bishops at the time, were gay. I have no problem with people being gay, but the Catholic Church officially does, and it's constantly making statements that are hostile to gays, and they were compromised. They could not exercise leadership because they could not speak comfortably about issues relating to sexuality, because they were conflicted themselves.

IDEAS: Why don't you wear a collar?

McBRIEN: I only wear a collar when I go to my home parish in West Hartford to say Mass on a Sunday when I'm home. My Roman collar is my television uniform. You don't see the apostles with Roman collars on. It's a custom. And the custom in the academic world is that most priests who teach in Catholic colleges and universities wear a tie or just have an open sport shirt.

Michael Paulson covers religion for the Globe
© Copyright 2008 The New York Times Company

Hoping for a Middle-ground Church

Dear Blog Visitors:

First of all, I want to wish all of you a very blessed holiday season.

Secondly, I want to articulate my hope for a middle-ground church - a church where conservatives and liberals can have dialogue in a respectful way.

Unfortunately, I allowed myself to get trapped into a name-calling contest at a website facilitated by Rich Leonardi of Cincinnati (former Rochester resident). To be fair, I respect Rich as a conservative thinker, theologian and writer. It is therefore extremely sad that some of the dialogues at his blog have resulted in personal attacks on me, Bishop Matthew Clark and the Rochester Diocese. In an uncustomary manner for me, I responded to a name-caller in a similar fashion, which only added fuel to the fire.

Jesus gave us much wisdom concerning debates that have often become heated at Catholic blogs. We all know that turning the other cheek can be challenging when we are attacked. However, I am finding it is sometimes easier to sit back and let conservatives attack me, without my saying a word in response. The result is letting the attackers look foolish, as opposed to my being drawn into the same type of diatribes or insults. Jesus also warned his followers that they may be mocked/ridiculed for their beliefs. So, while I may not be following all the dictates of the 'institutional' church, I do believe I am following the example of Jesus in my ministries. So, I feel I must apologize to those at Rich Leonardi's site who I allowed to draw me into the type of discourse I hate. In the future, I will simply ignore them.

We need some good theological, ecclesial and historical discourse in the Catholic Church. As stated, I respect Rich Leonardi as a person who possesses a brilliant mind. If people at his blog continue to attack me, I will ignore them in the future and I hope that Rich, in turn, will steer his posters away from name-calling, and instead encourage them toward dialogue that can perhaps help us to move constructively toward a middle-ground.

Peace to all,
Ray Grosswirth

Some Recommended Christmas Movies

One of my favorite hobbies is collecting holiday films, especially those that bring out the true spirit of Christmas. For those of you with a high speed internet connection, you may wish to visit my YouTube site at www.youtube.com/priestray for a video I made that promotes some of these Christmas films. You may aldo go right to the Christmas video by clicking onto the following link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PAeVT8Ww2Sw

Some of the vintage classic holiday films I highy recommend are as follows:

My personal Christmas favorite is IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE with James Stewart and Donna Reed.

There are several versions of A CHRISTMAS CAROL by Charles Dickens. My favorite is the 1951 version with Alastair Sim as Scrooge.

One of my all-time favorite actors is Cary Grant. Be sure to check out his holiday classic, entitled THE BISHOP'S WIFE. (David Niven is the Anglican Bishop, Loretta Young is his wife and Cary Grant is a visiting angel.)

As with the case of A CHRISTMAS CAROL, there have also been several versions of MIRACLE ON 34TH STREET. My favorite is the 1947 version with Edmund Gwenn in his academy award role as Santa Claus. Natalie Wood plays the little girl.

Christmas would not be complete without Irving Berlin's WHITE CHRISTMAS, featuring Bing Crosby singing the title song and the cast includes some popular actors and actresses.

For a couple films that guarantee some good chuckles and true Christmas cheer, be sure to see CHRISTMAS IN CONNECTICUT with Barbara Stanwyck and THE SHOP AROUND THE CORNER with James Stewart and Margaret Sullavan.

An Oscar-winning film that will steal your hearts is THE BELLS OF ST. MARY'S. Ingrid Bergman is magnficent as the mother superior and Bing Crosby recreates his Academy Award role from GOING MY WAY in this film as well.

If you are a fan of British television comedies, as I am, be sure to rent or purchase the Christmas episodes of both THE VICAR OF DIBLEY and ARE YOU BEING SERVED?

There are some contemporary holiday films I recommend as well, although some of them contain a few crude words. The titles are: 1.) LOVE ACTUALLY, 2.) EDWARD SCISSORHANDS, 3.) A CHRISTMAS STORY (has become a holiday classic over the past 25 years), 4.) THE FAMILY STONE, 5.) CHRISTMAS WITH THE KRANKS

For children and adults alike, you will will love THE POLAR EXPRESS.

As a post-script, I just obtained a few classic Christmas films that have been re-released: They are: 1.) BLOSSOM IN THE DUST; 2.) IT HAPPENED ON 5TH AVENUE; 3.) HOLIDAY AFFAIR; 4.) ALL MINE TO GIVE.

I want to wish all of you the best of the holiday season, and please enjoy some good Christmas-themed movies.