As many also know the private letter of Cardinal Filoni that was addressed to Archbishop Byrnes was leaked out and published in the jungle. That letter was dated June 28, 2017. The letter stated that Father Jeff San Nicolas OFFICIALLY informed the members of the formation team that the Archdiocese has decided to sell the seminary. The information was given to them before or by June, 2017. This news from Father Jeff is already saying that the seminary is being closed down. That explains why The Vatican Insider dated September 20, 2017 stated:
But today, both the seminary and the theological institute are set to be shut down by Archbishop Michael J. Byrnes, who has been serving as coadjutor archbishop of Guam.
The news that RMS is set to be shut down by the Vatican Insider was correct because news of the shut down came directly from Father Jeff since June as stated in Cardinal Filoni's letter. It was Father Jeff who made the OFFICIAL announcement to the members of the formation team despite that it was not made public.
By August, the John Paul II seminary was shut down and the seminarians were sent off-island; therefore, the seminarians in RMS were already aware that they would be next. After all, they were already given official notice since June. Nevertheless, the seminarians prepared for the shutdown. The books were already packed and ready to be moved. They are simply waiting for the Archbishop to say "when" to move.
At any rate, there is a little ray of hope. In his letter, Cardinal Filoni stated that to sell the property, Archbishop Byrnes must have the consent/permission of 1) the Archdiocesan Finance Council, 2) the College of Consultors and 3) the Holy See.
Archbishop Brynes has obtained the permission of the Archdiocesan Finance Council and the College of Consultors. However, he does NOT have the permission of the Holy See. So, continue to pray the rosary. Continue to also pray for Archbishop Apuron.
Something doesn't jive. Fr. Jeff officially told the formation team that the Archdiocese decided to close the seminary. That decision was made WHEN?? Did the NCW priests who were in the College of Consultors at the time know about this decision? Filoni's letter said that he hasn't received any consent from the AFC or the COC, so how can a decision be made when Fr. Jeff delivered this official notice? And if a decision was made at that time, why were the 4 NCW priests fired? The discussions would have taken place during the time they were discussing the sale of the seminary. They would have already made their objections known to Byrnes at the meeting. So, a couple of questions:
ReplyDelete1. How were the 4 priests branded disobedient when they already made their objections known to Byrnes at the meeting?
2. Did a meeting take place discussing the sale of the seminary? And if so, why didn't Filoni get the consent forms?
Dear Anonymous at 4:10 pm,
DeleteGood questions. Another question is....if the decision to close the seminary was made four months ago, why was it not made public four months ago?
Our Lady of Fatima.
ReplyDeletePray for Us.
Our Lady Fatima re opened the Church in Russia through prayer at the height of the Cold War!
October 13th 1917
ReplyDeleteMiracle of Sun Fatima.
If your bishop really works without the consent of the Holy See, it would be an unheard-of fact! A few days ago, Msgr. Krebs went to the Pope's hearing, who knows what he told him, we'll see.
ReplyDeletekrebs😢
ReplyDeleteDear Anonymous at 6:56 pm,
DeleteWhat happened to Archbishop Krebs. I know he was called by Pope Francis to see him, but that is all I know.
Where is Fr Jeff?
DeleteFr Jeff went to Rome so that it would look like Byrnes made decision himself. Jeff was one who revealed what commission said were shortcomings. Before Byrnes came. BTW why doesn't Byrnes wear White cassock likecArchbishop always did to parish celebrations. He's too cool I guess. Diana you said Archbishop Anthony began day at Chancery office with morning prayer. Do they still do that?
DeleteDear Anonymous at 2:03 am,
DeleteI was told by someone that they have not done the morning prayer since Archbishop Apuron left.
And no one wanted to suggest that the MP continued? Sad to see secular office milieu when prayer needed of every step we take forward.
DeleteMaybe Archbishop Byrnes prays his Morning Prayer before going in to the Chancery.
DeleteMaybe Archbishop Byrnes did not know that the Chancery employees were used to Morning Prayer.
Maybe the people concerned about the lack of Morning Prayer with the Archbishop can take the lead and start Morning Prayer again.
Maybe the only reason some people at the Chancery prayed the Morning Prayer was because their boss Archbishop Apuron wanted to do it and they did not want to oppose him.
A lot of people (like Tim Rorh) can pray Morning Prayer by themselves. But if the Chancery employees want to pray the Morning Prayer with Archbishop Byrnes I'm pretty sure all they have to do is ask.
Dear Anonymous at 6:25 pm,
DeleteThe nuns and priests begin their day with morning prayer. In the Neocatechumenal way, many members begin their day with morning prayer after they are taught how to use the Liturgy of the hours. In Catholic schools, the days always begin with a prayer. A bishop will do well if he also start his employees with morning prayer.
Let me ask: Has the issue of (the lack of) Morning Prayer been brought up to Archbishop Byrnes?
DeleteThe solution to having Morning Prayer with him is simple: ASK the man to reinstate the practice. He seems to be a reasonable person.
If people at the Chancery have been bent out of shape by not having Morning Prayer they can gather in prayer with OR WITHOUT Archbishop Byrnes.
BTW: If his current status is an indication of the effectiveness of the practice, it seems that the Morning Prayer prayed by Archbishop Apuron with the Chancery employees didn’t do much to help him stay on the path to the narrow gate (check out Matthew 7:13-14) did it?
Dear Captain O,
DeleteActually, the morning prayer brought Archbishop Apuron closer to Christ. When Archbishop Byrnes called Archbishop Apuron’s return a disaster, he turned the other cheek and said nothing bad to Archbishop Byrnes.
Unless he is guilty of the charges against him. In which case, it is not at all surprising that he said nothing back to Arch Byrnes. If he is guilty, perhaps his best strategy is to lay low and not provoke anything more - and to hope that he has allies that can get him out of trouble.
DeleteI don't think his silence is necessarily cos he's such a great guy.
Dear Anonymous at 10:41 am,
DeleteBeing silent does not determine one's guilt or innocence. Christ was not guilty, and he remained silent as people heap nasty words at him. I believe that Archbishop Apuron was a great bishop. He spoke out against casino gambling, abortion, and same sex marriage. He was open minded and brought many organizations including the Neocayechumenal Way. And he erected two seminaries for both the local church and the entire universal Church.
And if it is determined that he was also a sexual predator and abuser? Would you continue to proclaim that "Archbishop Apuron was a great bishop"?
DeleteDear Anonymous at 3:27 pm,
DeleteI have always said that a person is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. What does that mean to you?
Diana, you are not alone in the opinion that "a person is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law" BUT in the Pacific Daily News of October 11. 2017, I found an article which reports "Apuron has been asking the court to dismiss the cases, stating the allegations are barred by a previous statute of limitations and they infringe upon rights guaranteed by the Organic Act of Guam."
DeletePlease explain: Why, if the Archbishop is as innocent as he proclaims, does he not JUMP at the chance to establish his innocence in a court of law?!? If he is innocent he wouldn't care one iota about the "statute of limitations." He would DEMAND to be heard in a court of law, like ALL innocent people do.
FOR THE RECORD: This is my 3rd comment submitted (that is pertinent to the OP or comments related to the OP) but I'm guessing you won't approve the publication of this comment either. But I thought I'd try anyway since you claim that you are fair and will publish comments that are in opposition to your POV as long as they are relevant to the OP.
We shall see.
Dear Reality Check,
DeleteYour other comments were not approved because of the insults. This comment is approved because of the lack of mockery and insults.
To answer your question...challenging the law is not Apuron's day in court. That is the accusers' day in court because they are the ones bringing him to court. Apuron's day in court is when HE brings ALL his accusers in court.
Challenging the law is the only way to take out the law and make all the lawsuits null and void.
However, the accusers will still face Archbishop Apuron in court because if he is found innocent, he will file a libel and defamation lawsuit against all his accusers. That will be Apuron's day in court.
Our Lady Fatima going to re open seminary.Miracle of the sun.
ReplyDeleteCOUNTING DOWN TO FRIDAY OCTOBER 13 THE 100th ANNIVERSARY OF THE MIRACLE OF THE SUN WHEN OUR LADY OF FATIMA WILL REOPEN REDEMPTORIS MATER SEMINARY AND GOD WILLING ARCHBISHOP ANTHONY APURON WILL RETURN TO DO THE HONORS!!!!!
DeleteThe Vatican must be combing the Lastampa article line-by-line if it is the reason Krebs has been summoned by Pope Francis. It doesn't take away the "sodomizing" that was inflicted by the press conference on the closure of the RMS.
ReplyDeleteIf this Archbishop is who he says he is ... one who believes that the Church's primary mission is in EVANGELIZATION ... why hasn't he visited the different charisms on this island. I understand he is a busy man ... but the Pope goes out too . He has not visited the flock of the NCW from what I hear and have seen.Whats up with that. Im feeling abandoned and not so loved by someone sent by my Holy Father.
Pray Rosary. Mother of God Our Lady of Fatima will protect RMS Guam.
ReplyDeleteDoes anybody know why there has not been a public message to the neocatechumenal communities by Bishop Byrnes?
ReplyDeleteDear Anonymous at 6:18 am,
DeletePerhaps he is afraid to be persecuted. Do you remember the reaction the jungle gave when Archbishop Hon visited the NCW? I never even wrote about Archbishop Hon’s visit to the NCW in my blog, but it was talked about in the Patti Arroyo talk show. Archbishop Hon was criticized for saying something positive about Carmen Hernandez.
There shouldn’t be a public message. There should be a public visit. Byrnes should face us.
Deletethere has been by the look of it.
DeleteDear Anonymous at 6:18 pm,
DeleteWhat do you mean? Please explain.
when we regard the Church simply as the society of disciples, we are considering its external form only. Its inward life is found in the indwelling of the Holy Ghost, the gifts of faith, hope, and charity, the grace communicated by the sacraments, and the other prerogatives by which the children of God differ from the children of the world.
ReplyDeleteThe Spirit of the Catholic Church on Guam is dying.
ACTS mentions the need to follow God...not men.
J Bautista
ReplyDelete"Need to follow God ... not men" ? Hows about being more specific. Are you speaking about your boss Fr Jeff, or maybe CoAdj Byrnes or even the Pope?It is my opinion Byrnes saw an opportunity to RISE to the occasion of being asked by the highest rank in the Roman Curia PERSONALLY to take the helm of what was deemed a sinking ship. Imagine i would say anything to the Pope to get into his good graces aka "affections" and to get a promotion at that! He promoted himself to be a Missionary. The Pope was conned. He is albeit far away from being a missionary. The RMS was producing a different set of priests that Guam was not familiar with and had not seen since San Vitores who left Spain to bring the Gospel to us. We are repeating history with all the Matapangs wanting to kill what is good. They associate Baptism with death and listened to Choco the chinese pagan. The rest is history.
I would gladly in Spirit answer to a person who I can identify as a person....a child of God...with humility to admit that we don't everything.
DeleteYou have answered as anonymous which tells me that you may dwell in the dark.
AFRAID
Perhaps the next Bishop to be called to Rome is Byrnes himself. Once the verdict is made known to him and Guam (and the whole world) then he could've made his decision to close down RMS. But why go to the media and announce his decision about RMS? Why didn't he go to the media when he decided to close JPII Seminary? Why didn't the Jungle report on that decision prior to the decision of RMS? Brynes apears to be following in the footsteps of Hon. First, the Samoan seminarians suffer an injustice by being removed from RMS last year, with two still in Samoa waiting to go to Rome (waiting for 8 months with no update), and they are told different stories from nothing has been done with their paperwork to the Nuncio (Archbishop Krebs) has their paperwork. They don't know who to believe. Now, these 15 seminarians in Guam and the ones before them continue to experience injustice upon injustice. What a sad situation. I hope Hon, Krebs, Tim, CCOG, LFM and Byrnes realize the gravity of this situation and the harm and injury they have inflicted upon all the seminarians (current and former) of RMS and those who helped maintain and sustain it. I am sure Rome is scrutinizing this situation very closely. We entrust our intentions to Our Lady of the Rosary.
ReplyDeleteBe careful Mr. B calling others AFRAID lest you be judged.
ReplyDeleteWe, myself, including YOU , are sinners dwelling in the dark. Some more willing to admit than others .☺
want to talk man to man......state your name.
Deletewant to talk brother to brother...I don't have anonymous brothers.
John 8:12
Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, "I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life."
as for being judged....God will always know who threw the first stone.
Diana why did you write as the first sentence of this post "As you know, the seminary that was closed in August was the John Paul II Seminary, which was reported by the Vatican Insider"?
ReplyDeleteI went back to your post of Wednesday, September 20, 2017 that you titled "Interesting News from the Vatican Insider" and read the following (which I cut and pasted so that it is VERBATIM from your post):
"The Redemptoris Mater is going to be closed, the Theological Institute affiliated to the Lateran suspended."
"In Rome monsignor Savio Hon went to the Congregation for Catholic Education – according to the Congregation’s officials account – to ask for the suspension of the renewal of the affiliation of the Theological Institute with the Pontifical Lateran University, which had been already renewed for another ten years. Last news report that on August 29, 2017, Byrnes announced the closure of the Seminary and the Institute. Again, in the last few weeks Byrnes has removed four priests from the diocesan Presbyteral Council accusing them of insubordination for having written a letter to cardinal Filoni informing him of the intention to sell the building in Yona, an information requested by the same cardinal. Monsignor Benavente instead was given all previoiusly held assignments with an added appointment as delegate for the Archdiocese Patrimony."
I only added the italics and bold for emphasis but I didn't change a single word. I just don't understand why you say the Vatican Insider was referring to the John Paul II Seminary. The subtitle of the Vatican Insider article mentions that only the Redemptoris Mater is going to be closed and the article mentions a date: August 29. Where in the Vatican Insider article was the John Paul II Seminary mentioned (by name)?
Only one seminary (Redemptoris Mater) is mentioned in the article. But you say that the closing of the John Paul II Seminary was reported by the Vatican Insider. Then you continued to mention the closure of the JPII seminary in your post. Why are you trying to mislead us???
The Vatican Insider said NOTHING about the JPII Seminary. NOTHING!!
Dear Anonymous at 10:55 am,
DeleteMy husband and I live on Guam. We know that the ONLY seminary closed on August, 2017 was the John Paul II Seminary and shortly after that the three seminarians were sent to California.
The Vatican Insider does not reside on Guam, but they were correct when they stated that a seminary was closed on Guam in August, 2017. Although they did not mention the name of the seminary, people residing here already knew that there was a seminary closed on Guam in August, and that was the JPII seminary.
The Vatican Insider also stated that a seminary is going to be closed just as you pointed out. If you live on Guam, you should already know that the one set to close was RMS, and the one closed in August was the JPII seminary.
Ric, stop saying my wife and I. Beginning to wonder about you.
DeleteDear Anonymous at 1:50 pm,
DeleteI am not Ric. The fact that you do not believe is not my problem. I have always said that I have a husband and kids. I never changed my story.
But Diana, didn't you mention that it was known the seminary is closing and all the books have been boxed up? There may be two seminaries but there is only one institute, Blessed Diego. And they have the books. JPII does not have books, or very few.
DeleteSo what did you mean when you said all the books had already been packed?
Many of those books were gifted by local families. They should remain in Guam.
DeleteAccording to Wikipedia, “The secretary to the Congregation of Evangelisation (Hon) assists the cardinal-prefect (Filoni) in the day-to-day running of the congregation and is always an archbishop. They usually go on to hold a position in the Roman Curia that brings them membership to the College of Cardinals.” Well, our dear Hon got really demoted far away from Rome. Rome considers that he did a fiasco in Guam. Poor us. And the tragedy is that Brynes is blindly ollowing Hon. Poor Guam.
ReplyDelete