My World of Religion, Politics, Entertainment and Social Issues

THE ABOVE RECORDING WAS MY FINAL APPEARANCE ON WAXC AS 'THE WIZARD OF PUN' (AIRED IN 1978). THE ABOVE RECORDING FROM 1976 WAS ONE OF MY APPEARANCES AS 'THE WIZARD OF PUN' ON RADIO STATION WAXC. IN THIS EPISODE, WE COMMEMORATED THE 100TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE TELEPHONE. Dear Blog Visitors: I thought I would take a break from my routine blog posts to give you a glimpse into my past life as a radio personality. In brief, I was known as 'The Wizard of Pun' on Rochester radio station WAXC from 1975-1978. It was with great joy that I recently reflected on my three years in radio for the purpose of adding to an on-line radio archive. If you click onto the audio player above, you will hear two of my appearances on WAXC as 'The Wizard of Pun.' The first selection is the final episode, which aired in 1978 (includes a recent reflection on my three years with WAXC); the second episode, from 1976, was in commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the telephone. It ...

Dear Blog Visitors: I want to take this opportunity to wish Scott Caton well as he prepares for his ordination to the priesthood in 2011. In preparation for his ordination, he will be serving in the transitional diaconate at Blessed Sacrament Church in Rochester. What makes this particular ordination unusual is that Scott is a former Protestant minister who converted to Catholicism, and he is married with six children. I want to be sincere with my welcome to him, because after all, he may help to prove a point I have been trying to make for over twenty years - namely, that Holy Orders and Marriage are entirely complementary. On the negative side, Scott's admission to the Roman Catholic priesthood highlights a double-standard that is operative in the church. In brief, if a married Protestant minister converts to Catholicism, he is allowed to become a Catholic priest if Vatican approval is granted. If, on the other hand, a married Catholic seeks Holy Orders, he faces condemnation...

Dear Blog Visitors: I continue to pray for the day when men and women members of the clergy will serve side-by-side in all religious denominations. This, of course, includes the Roman Catholic Church, which continues to insist that its priests be male and celibate. Rochester, New York is indeed blessed to be the host city for many religious events at which male and female members of the clergy celebrate together for common causes. In the two photos above, taken by David Lewis, an inclusive clergy is gathered (including yours truly) for the ordination of five Catholic women to the priesthood. While a Vatican spokesperson will often issue a negative comment concerning such an event as the ordination of women, there was notable silence on this particular occasion. My sense is that even the Vatican has come to realize that women are answering their calls to ordination with increased frequency and nothing will stop the will of the Holy Spirit. At a time when parish closures are commonpl...

Dear Blog Visitors: As I move closer to retirement from my secular job (Accounts Payable Supervisor for the City of Rochester), the number one question I am constantly asked is: "What are you going to do in retirement?" A corresponding question I am often asked is: "Are you going to start your own church?" Starting a church is a daunting task for anyone who is called to active ministry, so I don't realistically see myself doing that. If, on the other hand, a faith community calls me forth, I will certainly enter into a dialogue to see if there is a potential meeting of the minds and spirit. At present, I am not leading a faith community. In fact, there are some Sundays I am so exhausted from my secular job, that I simply find the need for solitude. (After racing against the clock the rest of the week, I occasionally need a Sunday to recharge my batteries.) When I do attend liturgies, it can either be at a diocesan parish, Spiritus Christi Church, or any num...

Dear Blog Visitors: I am filled with joy today because I took part in the ordination of five women in Rochester. The two newly ordained priests are Chava Redonnet and Theresa Novak Chabot, and the three newly ordained deacons are Caryl Johnson, Patti LaRosa and Ann Penick. Chava Redonnet will be serving the Rochester community and the others will serve in their respective cities/communities. I want to thank Spiritus Christi Church for allowing RCWP (Roman Catholic Women Priests) to use their worship space for today's ordinations. It was also very generous of Rev. Jim Callan to host several out-of-town guests in his home for a couple days. I also want to thank the many musicians from Spiritus Christi who enriched the ordination liturgy. The presiding bishop for today's ordinations was Andrea Johnson. (I have known Andrea for several years as a result of conferences we have attended that dealt with inclusive ministry.) Andrea did a spectacular job as presider of a three-hou...

Dear Blog Visitors: We continue to be saturated with stories in the media concerning the escalating sexual abuse crisis in the Roman Catholic Church. As you know, I have made several videos on this topic, and I have tried to identify causes and solutions to the crisis. A couple days ago, I received a letter from a Pittsburgh diocesan priest. His request to me was very simple and reasonable. In brief, he asked that I consider making a video that recognizes the many good priests throughout the world, who continue to serve faithfully, despite the hardships caused by the abuse crisis. In the video I am providing above, I indeed paid tribute to all priests who serve those in need, whether the priests be celibate, married or women. The Pittsburgh priest who wrote the letter to me helped me to realize the stigma many good priests experience in public places. In this particular case, the priest experienced people staring at him at an airport, since he was wearing a collar, whereas this was...

Dear Blog Visitors: I haven't posted anything since Easter, due to the fact that I am gearing up for my annual hectic pace connected with my secular job at City Hall in Rochester. This is not to say that my job doesn't keep me busy other times of the year, which is evidenced by the fact that I haven't taken a vacation day since December 24 (Christmas Eve). However, as the City prepares to transition from one fiscal year to the next (May through July), I can't say I look forward to the annual ritual of dashing through the halls at breakneck speed, and shuffling paperwork at 100 miles per hour My workload will actually increase if Mayor Duffy's plan to take over the Rochester City School District succeeds (I would be responsible for the School District's payables in addition to my present duties of supervising payables for all City departments.) However, I nevertheless support the Mayor's plan, because I know he is 100% committed to top-quality education. A...

Dear Blog Visitors: In the video above, I put politics aside and wished all a very blessed Easter. It is my prayer that despite all the tensions in the world, and the terrilbe news concerning worldwide sexual abuse in the Catholic Church, that somehow the good news of the Resurrection will lift us up out of the ashes. In the spirit of ecumenism, I attended a beautiful and meaninful Good Friday celebration at Incarnate Word Lutheran Church in Rochester. The music was a wonderful complement to the reading of John's Passion. Incarnate Word is known for its top-notch liturgical music and I was not disappointed. I find I still cringe at the reading of John's account of the Passion, due to the blame John placed on first century Jews for the Crucifixion. This has led to many centuries of anti-semitism. Fortunately, Vatican II and contemporary scholarship have remedied the injustice caused by John's Passion narrative. While most of John's Gospel contains a wonderful theol...

Dear Blog Visitors: The topic of sexual abuse in the Catholic Church has been headline news for the past couple weeks, considering that the full scope of the crisis is only now coming under unprecedented scrutity. Thus far, I have addressed this looming crisis from two perspectives: 1.) the role mandatory celibacy may have played; 2.) the role the pope may have played. In the video above, I address a third dimension of the sexual abuse crisis - namely, the role the Seal of Confession may have played. My recommendation in the video is that the Vatican examine its long-standing policy of secrecy in the confessional booth (whatever is revealed is never disclosed). In cases when priests admit to abusing a child, the priest hearing such a confession should be allowed to report such revelations to bishops or civil authorities. Pastoral counselors, for example, are required by law to report cases of revealed abuse. Therefore, priests should place the protection and rights of victims over ...

Dear Blog Visitors: I have often envisioned what it would be like to have a conversation with Pope Benedict XVI on a variety of church-related issues. You may recall that I made a video a couple years ago that amounted to be a spoof of an imagined phone call between the pontiff and myself on the issue of clerical celibacy. Utilizing a combination of humor and serious-minded data, the video remains the most-watched of my YouTube entries. In the video above, you won't find any humor, due to the very serious topic that is being addressed - namely, sexual abuse in the Roman Catholic Church. The more we learn, it has become apparent that our pontiff had first-hand knowledge of many abuse cases when, as Cardinal Josef Ratzinger, he was head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. In this dramatized video, I imagine having a cell-phone conversation with Benedict XVI, during which I make two recommendations to him. Let us pray that Benedict does the right thing in the face o...

Dear Blog Visitors: Several years ago, prior to my ordination as a married priest, I wrote my '95 Theses.' After much contemplation, I have decided that it is time for another group of theses. This time, I have chosen one topic, as did Martin Luther. While the topic of Luther was indulgences, I feel it is important to make 40 points on the issue of mandated clerical celibacy. (The number ‘40’ is significant in a biblical sense.) Before listing my 40 theses for your consideration, it is important to state that I fully realize that at least some priests are called to a life of celibacy. St. Paul realized as far back as the first century that some persons are called to a celibate life, whereas others are called to marriage. In our contemporary society, relationships have come to encompass many definitions, and I want to celebrate the coming together of all committed partnerships, just as I recognize and respect those who have been called to a life of celibacy. However, w...

Dear Blog Visitors: It appears that the lid of the Vatican box of secrets has been opened. When the Boston Globe was the first major publication to reveal the full scope of the sexual abuse crisis in the United States (2002), there was a mistaken impression that this was a problem unique to America. We now know this is not the case, because of international revelations that have come full circle in the past week. It is safe to say that we have only begun to experience the tip of the iceberg. In addition to the United States, the Vatican has reluctantly admitted to far-reaching abuse cases that encompass all expanses of Europe and third world countries. I was very pleased to learn yesterday that members of the Roman Catholic hierarchy in Austria are beginning to raise a question I raised in a video I made yesterday. Namely, Austrian bishops are now wondering if the policy of mandatory priestly celibacy has contributed to the sexual abuse crisis. All Roman Catholic cardinals need to ...

Dear Blog Visitors: I am sure that many of you are aware of major news that was released yesterday, concerning a letter written by Cardinal Ratzinger (currently Pope Benedict XVI) in 2001. In this letter, Cardinal Ratzinger ordered church leaders to keep all cases of reported sexual abuse secret. Further news has been released that indicates the fact that when our pontiff was archbishop in Munich, he moved an abusive priest from one parish to another, whereby more abuse occurred. For many years, I have maintained there is a strong connection between the policy of mandatory priestly celibacy and sexual abuse. Although I am not a psychologist, I have read with great interest the findings of reputable experts who have studied the sexual abuse crisis in the Roman Catholic Church. Many psychologists are in full agreement that when an institution requires celibacy of a person who may not be called to this lifestyle, the result can be sexual dysfunction, or even worse, acts of sexual abuse...

Dear Blog Visitors: If you are a regular visitor to my blog, you are certainly aware of my ministerial activities. For the most part, any ministries I partake in are voluntary. The one exception is my role as a wedding officiant, for which I charge a standard fee of $100.00 (to cover preparation, meetings with couples, rehearsals and ceremony). My primary source of income comes from my secular job, which I have held for the past twenty-one years. In the context of this government job, I thought I would share with you a brief essay I wrote, in advance of a feature article that will appear soon in Rochester's Democrat and Chronicle. In this article, the newspaper will be focusing on charges from the public that are often articulated, whereby some tax-payers feel government employees have better benefits and salaries than those in the private sector, and there is occasionally an assumption that workers in the private sector work harder than government employees represented by unio...

Dear Blog Visitors: If you read various Catholic blogs, it might appear that there is no constructive dialogue between traditionalists and reformers. This is indeed often the case. However, it is wonderful when a middle-of-the-road approach is taken and produces results. One of my better experiences in recent years occurred on January 8, 2003. On that day, the executive board of CORPUS (national association for an inclusive priesthood) and the president of the NFPC (National Federation of Priest Councils) spent a day together in New York City. Highlights of our day included constructive talks on the role married priests could play in various dioceses around the country. This was inclusive of a very nice lunch in an Italian restaurant in Manhattan. I have included a photo taken at the lunch mentioned in the preceding paragraph. From the left are Bob Silva (former president of the NFPC) and the former CORPUS executive board, including Bill Wisniewski, Russ Ditzel and Ray Grosswirth...

Dear Blog Visitors: If you have been followers of my blog, you are aware that I often speak of my Judeo-Christian background. Part of this background was inclusive of distant relatives in the former Austro-Hungarian Empire, which was later to become absorbed as territories of present-day Hungary, Poland, Austria and Slovakia. For Jews around the world, 2010 represents the 65th anniversary of the liberation of concentration camps that dotted the landscape of the Holocaust in Eastern Europe. Having done extensive family research, I discovered that 69 persons with the Grosswirth name perished during that terrible period (original spelling was Groszwirth). Most family victims were from Hungary, with some from Poland and Austria. (As indicated in the previous paragraph, these countries were once part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.) With a Roman Catholic history on my mother’s side of the family, I have generally been supportive of the canonization process when sainthood is bestowed upo...

Dear Blog Visitors: This is a departure from my routine postings. I want to take this opportunity to recall one of the more outstanding musicians to come out of the Rochester area. His name was Bob Guglielmino. He lived from 1945-1978. Yes, he was only 33 when he died, and I sadly remember how many people were numbed by the news of his passing. Bob Guglielmino was an extremely talented drummer, and many will remember his appearances with The Brass Buttons and The Gap Mangione Band. One of his more memorable appearances was on the Ed Sullivan Show, when he backed up Liza Minelli. I accidentally came across the footage in the video above when I was going through some old boxes. I then recalled that I filmed Bob in 1974 when he and the Gap Mangione Band were playing for a show at the War Memorial in Rochester. The footage is a little grainy, but I touched it up as best I could. I added some narration and I provided a musical backdrop (The Brass Buttons). My thanks to Bob Guglielmi...

Dear Blog Visitors: I have not been doing a lot of blogging in recent weeks due to my hectic schedule (racing around the clock and averaging three hours sleep per night). On Sunday mornings, when I would normally be attending liturgies, I have been spending some quiet time lately in solitude to catch my breath after going 100-miles-an-hour the rest of the week. Needless to say, retirement looks good on the horizon. Many people have asked me how long I can continue to go at my present pace at my secular job. (I never take a lunch hour and I have sacrificed countless weeks of vacation.) On a positive note, I often tell people that I am at least fortunate to have a job in today's tight economy. However, at age 60, I constantly have to remind myself that I am going at a pace that would probably run down the average thirty-year-old. Despite my hectic secular job, I still find some time for ministry and I look forwad to officiating at a few weddings this year. I do want to take a mom...

Dear Blog Visitors: Whenever we focus on a new calendar year, we tend to think about the theme of endings and beginnings. For example, we remember those who died in 2009 and we move ahead in the hope that 2010 will somehow be a better year. In Christianity, we think of life and death in a variety of ways. For example, we celebrate the miracle of birth, which is further enhanced via baptism, as depicted in the photo above (a baby I recently baptized). When Jesus instructed his disciples to baptize in the name of the Father, and the Son and the Holy Spirit, it served as a reminder for future generations that He died for our sins, and through our baptisms, we have the enhanced opportunity to live good lives in the service of others. As sad as death is to those who experience the loss of a loved one, there is also comfort when one thinks of the departed as entering into a new phase of eternal life. So, as we remember those who were close to us in their earthly lives, they remain with...

Dear Blog Visitors: A few friends have inquired as to whether or not I have intentions of moving to an Eastern Rite church. In retrospect, I can certainly understand why an assumption might be made, considering that many of my Facebook friends are indeed Eastern Rite bishops and priests. In addition, married priests are plentiful in the eastern church, whereas celibacy remains normative in the western church – namely, within Roman Catholicism. At present, I remain a member of Spiritus Christi Church in Rochester, New York. Spiritus Christi, which is independent of the Diocese of Rochester, is known for its inclusiveness and multi-faceted outreach ministries. However, considering that I have very little time to myself, due to my high-pressure secular job and weekend activities that occupy my time, I have been utilizing many Sunday mornings to spend some time alone in spiritual reflection. During this time alone, I often focus on liturgical matters. Whenever I think about what makes...