I was at the Catechetical Liturgical Conference. The format was different this year. We did not have any break out sessions nor topics to choose from. Everyone stayed at the Bishop Baumgartner gym. The conference opened up with a Mass presided by the Archbishop. This year, there was a time for reflection, discussion, and feedback. This was the new format. The reflections, discussions, and question and answers took place after each keynote speaker. Last catechetical conference, a Filipino Dominican priest was brought in from Indonesia. This year, we have a Bishop from the Philippines. Bishop Pablo Virgilio Siongco David of San Fernando, Philippines was the keynote speaker, and he did an outstanding job. He spoke about our responsibility in taking care of the environment, the children (especially the unborn), the elderly, the poor and disadvantaged, and the family. He spoke about the attacks of the devil through abortion and the family. He emphasized a very important lesson. It is the caring of the poor, the children, the disadvantaged, and those with disabilities who will have a great impact on our lives. The way he concluded his speech by telling a true story was excellent. Who would forget the true story of the little baby who was born in prison raised by inmates? That baby changed an entire prison of inmates. The Bishop was correct when he said that it was like baby Jesus was in their midst.
The second keynote speaker was the Archbishop. He spoke about the Jubilee year. We also said a jubilee prayer together, which the Archbishop announced will be recited in every parish.
Brother Edwin was also another keynote speaker at the conference. I find his personal testimony so moving and emotional that I remained attentive throughout his entire speech. He mainly spoke about family and same sex marriage.
Diane, Timmy thinks the unborn are not children. This is what he said in his blog:
ReplyDeleteApparently our archdiocese and our archbishop do not consider the unborn a "human person."
The explanation was that the unborn are "implied" under "children."
That's like saying we need to be concerned about world health while Hitler turns six million jews into ash.
So while you are all out saving your planet and enjoying your Sunday brunch, just remember, in the Archdiocese of Agana, this happens every 1.7 days:
Dear Anonymous at 10:25 am,
DeleteTim Rohr is starting to write sloppy. The unborn ARE "children". Does he think that they are a bunch of cells? There was nothing in that catechetical conference implying that the unborn are not human persons or children. Nothing in that conference even said that the environment is more important than humans.
In the first place, it was not the Archbishop who spoke about the human responsibilities toward the environment and to other people. It was our guest, the Bishop from the Philippines. There was nothing in the Bishop's speech saying that the earth was more important than a human life. Just because the earth and our home was placed first does not mean that the earth is more important than human life. That is simply another "jungle misconception". After all, God created man on the 6th day, which is the last working day, but this does not mean that God viewed man as the least of all His creations. According to Bishop Pablo, man was the most important of God's creation despite that man was created last. According to Bishop Pablo, of all of God's creation, mankind was the only one created in God's image and likeness.
Diana, Tim thinks the conference was wrong in emphasizing the environment FIRST.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, when I questioned why there was this "Earth First" bent at the conference which was supposed to address "the dignity of every human person" I was told "no planet no people." It's cute. And I've heard the cliche many times. But in God's view - since the earth was created for man and not the other way around, it should be: "no people, no reason for the planet." But the quip did remind me of something the late senator and pro-life champion Elizabeth Arriola was quoted as saying and I will copy it here:
Let me tell you, at the rate Guam Memorial Hospital is aborting children, between 400-600 a year, and most of them are not even reported. Where are the lives that we are going to protect and preserve? Here we go talking about indigenous rights and self-determination. What good is all that if we don't have our followers to follow and enjoy the fruits of our labor, of this generation's labor, of your labor and my labor to fix this island and have autonomous rights to govern our people?"
- quoted in: Asian/Pacific Islander American Women: A Historical Anthology, pg. 372, edited by Shirley Hume, Gail M. Nomura
Obviously this great woman and island leader knew that there was no sense in saving anything if we were going to permit the wanton killing of unborn children.
http://www.junglewatch.info/2015/09/senator-elizabeth-arriola-let-me-tell.html
ReplyDeleteBut Diana if this is all true what you say why are there ate more priests openly calling for the resignation of our Archbbishop. I'm not saying you are wrong, you may well be right, but the situation of the church here is now very confusing. There is an archdiocese, but a NCW church. No one wants this division it is not healthy. Doubts over archbishop were just doubts gossip really. Parishioners not interested. But now you have priests writing against the archbishop. I'm not saying bad about archbishop or priests. But this is now causing huge problem in community. Unheard of in Guam to have a priest doing what he is doing. Every day certain priest is posting. Not right. Priests should meet privately to iron out their personal issues with other clergy. It should not be aired in public forum.
Dear Anonymous at 2:23 pm,
DeleteI only see one priest openly calling for the resignation of Archbishop Apuron and that priest is not even from Guam. There is only one Archdiocese on Guam....one Catholic Church on Guam. The NCW, Legion of Mary, Cursillios, Knights of Columbus, Franciscans, etc. are all part of that one Catholic Church on Guam.
A. One priest comments on Junglewatch.
ReplyDeleteB. He does not belong or ever belonged to Archdiocese of Agana.
C. He is a disobedient Priest who was disobedient to his bishop.
D. He was recalled from New York to his diocese he did not return when bishop asked him.
E. He was on two parishes in New York marrying couples with no formal permission from local ordinary.
F. He was a frequent dinner guest in the Hampton homes of New York's wealthy.
G. He would be sailing around Martha's vineyard when his bishop needed him for a parish.
H. He spent more time watching Broadway productions than ministry.
I. He is known to sleep all day drink all night.
J. Yes he does blog comments which are troubling to our community. My advise is to look at his
History. A priest, a member of the armed forces, a member of an organization who is openly disobedient to a higher authority , is not someone we listen to when he calls for the resignation of our loved respected Archbishop of Guam.
ReplyDeleteThank you Diana . The priest in question is not from Guam, is not even a pacific islander. How come those making most trouble not born into this community?
ReplyDeleteThere needs to be respect between Archbishop and the priests . It really is demoralizing to see insults being thrown at priests nuns archbishop. It needs to stop . Archbishop should also apologize to priests he has obviously hurt. In turn the priest concerned should stop posting comments regarding Archbishop Apuron, Nuns of Guam.
ReplyDeleteFr. Matt Blockley should be encouraged to kindly stop posting Anti Apuron comments.
3:34 PM YOU GOT THAT RIGHT!!!!!!!! '' WHY''
ReplyDeleteWhy does Fr.Matthew Blockley hate the Bishop so much
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeleteThanks Diana For the good work. I am walking.
At. Same time I know Fr.Matthew Blockley I met him through friends. I'm surprised because he is a very reserved guy. To read his comments on JW becomes alarming. I'm going to see if I can contact him and see exactly what the problem is . I will make every effort to see if I can bring his comments to an end. Not helping our church .