Another ADW Pastor Has Dissented From Church Teaching On Homosexuality

This past Tuesday I alerted my readers to the public disregard of Church teaching on homosexuality by the pastor of St John Vianney Church in Prince Frederick MD.  That post elicited quite a few comments, some of them with additional information regarding other problems.   I particularly want to thank the anonymous commenter of 7/5, 9:52PM.  He/she put forth a number of websites, including this one: http://pamshouseblend.firedoglake.com/2009/10/30/proequality-clergy-greatly-outnumber-the-antigay-variety-in-washington-dc/

Granted it is a liberal site, but I've no reason to doubt its accuracy as to its main subject matter: the so-called "Declaration of Religious Support for Marriage Equality".  The names of the signers are arranged alphabetically.  Signing this document is Msgr Jameson, rector of the Cathedral of St Matthew the Apostle.  Consider that this cathedral is the seat of the Archbishop of Washington: that is, Cardinal Wuerl.

How much more of this pestilence will make its stench known?  To be honest, if it exists we need to know about it so let it come to light.  When it does, though, will the Cardinal move to eradicate the mess?  Both of these priests exercise pastoral ministries at present.  Let us pray that corrective action is undertaken immediately to mitigate any future spiritual damage.

Violation Of Holy Thursday Rubrics At St Matthews Cathedral

Last year the Holy See made plain that the ritual of the washing of feet during the Holy Thursday Mass was restricted to men.  That is, the one washing the feet has to be a priest and those getting their feet washed have to be men.  The reason is that the washing of feet originally done by Our Lord to His disciples is seen as part and parcel of the institution of the Sacrament of Holy Orders.  A good write-up is found here.  Here's another.

Michael Voris of the Vortex predicted that this would provoke some, uh, "liturgical creativity", shall we say?  Click here if you cannot see embedded video.



Here's the link to the book on the Mandatum.

This past Holy Thursday, this abuse happened at the Cathedral of St Matthew.  I'm sure it happened elsewhere in the Archdiocese of Washington.  So what makes this one so noteworthy?  Well, see for yourselves (from the Washington Times).  That's right!  Cardinal Wuerl himself is washing the feet of women.  More "pastoral style", I suppose?

In my last post, I mentioned three priests unjustly treated for their fidelity to the Magisterium - one of them by the Archdiocese of Washington.  I cannot imagine any one of these priests disobeying the Vatican on this manner.  Perhaps that is why they (at least Fr Guarnizo) are being thrown under the bus.

Arrest at St Matthew's - Mainstream Media Blackout?

As you review the video that I posted a few days ago, you might notice the media and press stands around which I had to walk in the first part of that clip. There was indeed a lot of press, with fancy equipment, and they were also recording the incident.

However, when I google "arrest at St Matthews's" and other related terms, I come up with only this post, the Christian Newswire post, and other blog entries from colleagues with the Catholic Media Coalition. There is nothing whatsoever from the so-called "mainstream media". Nada-zippo! Oh, I think in one article, there was a one-liner about "anti-abortion demonstrators", but nothing about what happened to Ms. McKee. No wonder Obama and his ilk (including VP Biden, one of the attendees at the Red Mass) so desperately want to shut us up with that "Fairness Doctrine" crap. We need to watch this like hawks.

Now here's the QUESTION OF THE HOUR! We can be certain that the Catholic Standard was there. Will they mention the travesty that occurred at the Red Mass? Don't hold your breath! We'll keep you posted.

Open Letter to Cathedral of St Matthew and the Archdiocese of Washington

Rev Msgr W. Ronald Jameson
Cathedral of St Matthew the Apostle
1725 Rhode Island Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20036

Dear Msgr Jameson,

The prophet Jeremiah states, in chapter 34:1-10, “Woe to the shepherds of Israel who only take care of themselves! Should not the shepherds take care of the flock?” Msgr, this is the kind of “shepherding” that was on display at the Red Mass on Sunday, October 4th. You and all the ordained clergy have a solemn responsibility, as those who stand as “alter Christi”, to preach the Gospel of repentance and to bestow the Sacraments upon the people in your care, in accordance with the will of God as manifest in the teaching Magisterium of the Roman Catholic Church. That did not happen at the Red Mass.

By now you are aware of the shameful treatment meted out to a regular Mass attendee, Ms. Joan McKee, simply because she was wearing a pro-life shirt, as is her custom when she attends Mass at the Cathedral. We’ve gone into detail about that episode in the blog http://restore-dc-catholicism.blogspot.com/2009/10/double-shame-on-washington-archdiocese.html. Please read it, and please pay close attention to the video of the unconscionable treatment that Ms. McKee suffered simply because she wanted to attend Mass. It’s obvious that she did not receive the shepherding that she deserved as a member of your flock.

What may not be so obvious is the neglect that other sheep of the fold suffered at the hands of the clergy at the Red Mass. we speak of all the dignitaries who espouse the pro-abortion position. At that Mass, they received all sorts of adulation, compliments, etc. However, what their immortal souls really needed was to hear the unabashed truth and even rebukes, so that they would be moved to repentance and salvation. Anyone who supports baby-killing is in grave danger of hell. Were they told that? Only those outside, on the other side of the police tape, seemed to have the courage to tell them that. Monsignor, the pro-abortion dignitaries needed to hear from you the medicinal rebukes and exhortations to conversion and the Sacrament of Confession. Instead, what they received was the putrid poison of flattery.

Not only were they lulled into deadly complacence, but they even committed yet another mortal sin, that of receiving Holy Communion in a sacrilegious manner. You know full well that’s what happens when one receives Holy Communion unworthily. That is why we were crying out on the bullhorns. We were not hollering condemnation. Quite the contrary – we were trying to prevent yet another cause for condemnation.

Because the bishops and clergy at that Mass were complicit with such sacrilege, you all share the guilt of those mortal sins. We shudder to think that some of you might actually have handed the Eucharist to one of them. It takes no moral theologian to realize that this constitutes material and formal cooperation with mortal sin.

It also takes no great amount of genius to realize why false accolades are heaped upon these individuals who promote baby-killing. They do wield much political and cultural influence and many of them are wealthy (in the worldly sense). Churchmen have often succumbed to the temptation to curry the favor of the wealthy and powerful for mere temporal gain – to the spiritual detriment of all concerned. However, when you do so (as was done at the Red Mass), you betray your own sacerdotal commission. At the Red Mass, every Catholic, be it Ms. McKee or any of the pro-abortion attendees, was thrown to the wolves to obtain some (perceived) worldly advantage for the clergy. Shame!

At the very least, simple decency demands that Ms. McKee be held harmless for her attempt to attend Mass. Any charges filed against her should be immediately dropped. She in fact deserves profuse apologies from St. Matthew’s and the entire archdiocese.

Canon 915 binds upon all clergy. Adherence to that canon by the clergy is not an option; it is a most solemn obligation. Archbishop Raymond Burke made that quite clear several months ago. When all the clergy starts taking that seriously, perhaps more Catholics will take their faith and morals seriously. Only then can the prayers uttered at the Red Mass have any hope of being answered.

By way of copy to the Archbishop of Washington, we address these words to him and to the entire archdiocese as well. Please be advised that this letter is posted on the blog cited in the footer of this letter. Any reply, or lack thereof, will likewise be posted.

You are in our prayers and we ask the same of you. Thank you.

Double-Shame on the Washington Archdiocese and St. Matthew's Cathedral!

Today the annual Red Mass was held at 10am at the Cathedral of St. Matthew. It is held to commemorate the start of a new session of the US Supreme Court. Many priests and bishops concelebrate this Mass. As one might imagine, all sorts of dignitaries, mostly of a political bent, attend this Mass. Unfortunately many of these politicians, while Catholic, are also rabidly pro-abortion.

At 9am, approximately 20 pro-life activists gathered outside with posters showing the truth of abortion for three purposes. They were:

1. To educate the attendees of the reality of abortion
2. To urge pro-abortion attendees to repent of their sin of promoting abortion
3. To remind the clergy of their obligation under Canon Law 915 not to admit to Holy Communion those pro-abortion supporters who refused to repent of their sin

Most of the activists were constrained to remain across the street from the Cathedral. I was able to unobtrusively remain on the north side of the street to distribute flyers. All the Mass attendees were constrained to pass through metal detectors. While on one hand that was a strange infringement upon them, it did serve to make them wait outside. Even if they chose not to look at the posters across the street, they had no choice but to hear the pro-life exhortations of those of us who had bullhorns.
One of us, though, attempted to go in. She did so simply because she had to fulfill her own Sunday obligation. She simply wanted to attend Mass. Now as we know, all Catholics have the right to attend Mass provided they are properly disposed. Canon law 843 states this quite plainly.
She was wearing a pro-life tee shirt. At the metal detector booth, she was told - by Cathedral personnel! - that she couldn't wear it at that Mass. She regularly attends that Mass, and has regularly worn that shirt on other days. Can you just imagine being told that you cannot go into Mass while wearing a pro-life shirt? Moreover, at that same Mass are myriads of pro-abortion honchos. Were the Cathedral personnel afraid that the pro-abortion attendees might be offended by one pro-life shirt?
She asked to speak with a priest about the matter and waited for a half-hour for a priest that never arrived. She then left the line, went to a hotel to remove the shirt and got back in line. Everyone in front of her was admitted into the Cathedral. Just by coincidence (ahem!) they shut off admission right in front of her. Needless to say, she was rightfully indignant about being denied entrance to Mass. This video depicts the absolutely disgraceful way this woman was treated. As the video begins, you will notice the pro-lifers on their bullhorns calling out to the clergy who are lined up outside, waiting to process into the Cathedral.



The video ends just before she was taken to a police station. A few hours later, she was released (and yes, she was able to attend Mass!). This faithful Catholic was treated like dirt while inside the Cathedral, Our Lord was likewise treated as His Body and Blood were distributed to those engaged in mortal sin.

Shame upon the Cathedral of St. Matthew! Shame upon the Archdiocese of Washington! In fact, double shame upon them both! They allowed the sin of sacreligious Holy Communion to be committed, and they attempted to keep a good Catholic woman from going to Mass.

Please contact both these entities. Ask that any charges against this lady be dropped, as they are ridiculous farces. In fact, ask that they apologize to her for violating her canonical rights as a Catholic in good standing.

Cathedral of St Matthew
Msgr W Ronald Jameson
1725 Rhode Island Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20036
Phone 202-347-3215
(by the way - they seem to have an "Always Our Children" group!)

Archdiocese of Washington
Archbishop Donald Wuerl
PO Box 29260
Washington, DC 20017-0260
Phone 301-853-4500

If you write, please send letters via "certified mail, return receipt requested". Else, the letters will be lost! I'll post updates