Open Letter To Bishop Peter Jugis

The following is an open letter to Bishop Jugis that I just sent to the Charlotte chancery.  By the way - here's a commentary by American Life League on the abysmal treatment being meted out to Sister.

________________________________________________________________________

I am a lifelong Catholic who embraces ALL the Church’s teachings, including those on life, sexuality and marriage.   While I understand from friends that you have a reputation of being similarly oriented – and because of that understanding – I am disappointed by the statement that you released on April 9^th. 

While it was very nice that you expressed “support” for the staff, faculty, students and parents of the school, you omitted one key person in your support – Sister Jane Dominic Laurel.  That omission was glaringly obvious; a reasonable person could conclude that omission to be capitulation to those students and parents who took umbrage at Sister’s clear proclamation of Catholic truth.

While you are shocked at the reports you heard of the “lack of charity and respect” at the parents’ meeting, did you consider the underlying root of that rancor?  The parents took umbrage with Sister’s clear teaching – no, not Sister’s teaching, but the teaching of the Catholic Church as faithfully and accurately rendered by Sister.  When dissidents are presented with the unabridged truths of the Faith and have no disposition to conform to the truths taught by Jesus Christ, they will hurl bile and venom at the faithful souls who “preach the Gospel in season and out of season”.  Such was the mindset of those who crucified Our Lord and Savior and who have been shedding the blood of Christians ever since.  We all need to get used to it and not chase after some vaporous illusion of “charity and respect”.

Some opined to me that the motive behind your statement may have been to pacify certain noisy individuals and quiet things down.  If that was the case, may I suggest that motive is not at all valid?  If you really want to address the root cause of the snit-fits pitched by the parents and their children, please consider immediate remedial catechism from the pulpits of your parishes (or some other form of instruction in the Faith).  Otherwise these parents will persist in beliefs and perhaps conduct that will only increase their chances of eternal damnation AND they will continue to lead their own children down that same hideous path.  Let’s be clear; such preaching may well occasion additional rancor on the parts of those who will remain obdurate in their disobedience.  So what?  That’s simply part of the price that we must all bear when proclaiming the truth to a hostile world.  That proclamation of truth may well lead others may be led to repentance.  That won’t happen unless all hear unambiguous truth.  Let us harbor no illusion that real peace will be restored by smiles and happy-talk.  Real peace will only happen when people accept Catholic truth and conform their lives to the same. 

I appreciate that David Hains expressed his support of Sister Jane.  But such support should have been reinforced by the one entrusted with the miter, crosier, pectoral cross and ring of the Bishop’s office.  Your unfortunate statement of April 9^th only served to further undermine a faithful teacher of Catholic truth.  In all justice – not only to Sister but to all those associated with the school – please amend that statement immediately, with no delay “because of Holy Week”.  Thank you.