Request for Beatification of Carmen Hernandez

 A request has been made to open the beatification cause of Carmen Hernandez, one of the initiators of the Neocatechumenal Way.  The story can be found here.  This is fantastic news for the Way!  

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Rome Newsroom, Jul 20, 2021 / 04:40 am

A request has been made to open the beatification cause of Carmen Hernández, co-founder of the Neocatechumenal Way, who died five years ago at the age of 85.

On July 19, the anniversary of the Spanish woman’s death, Cardinal Carlos Osoro, the archbishop of Madrid, offered Mass in the Cathedral of Santa María la Real de la Almudena.

At the Mass, Osoro was presented with the “Supplex Libellus,” a collection of documents requesting that the diocesan phase of Hernández’s cause for beatification be officially opened.

“Carmen wanted in her life to be a spokesperson for Jesus Christ,” Osoro said in his homily. “How many times do we hear from her own lips that what man needs most is to love with the love of Christ himself and to experience the love of the Lord?”

Hernández, who died in 2016, founded the Neocatechumenal Way together with Kiko Argüello in Spain in 1964.

The ecclesial movement draws its inspiration from the practices of the early Catholic Church, providing “post-baptismal” Christian formation in some 40,000 small, parish-based communities.

The movement is present all over the world, and says it has an estimated membership of more than a million people.

According to Vida Nueva magazine, the postulator for Hernández’s cause has begun investigations into the co-founder’s life and has already collected more than 16,000 pages. The next step, if the request to open the cause is granted, will be recording statements from witnesses, historians, and theologians.

Speaking to Vatican News ahead of the July 19 Mass at the Madrid cathedral, the postulator said: “There are many who want to come and say even just a ‘thank you’ to Carmen for what, directly or indirectly, she has done for their life.”

Hernández was born in Ólvega, Spain, but mostly grew up in Tudela. She studied chemistry in Madrid, and afterward joined the Institute of Missionaries of Christ Jesus. After graduating with a degree in theology, she started the Neocatechumenal Way with Argüello.

In the interview with Vatican News, postulator Carlos Metola said that Hernández was a prolific writer and notetaker.

“Carmen wrote every day and every night, after having lived a tiring day or even traveling for hours; already at dawn, she woke up and wrote about what had happened to her,” he said.

“She also surprised us by the quantity of her studies and her research: many drafts, annotations on the Fathers of the Church or on the origins of the Sacraments, especially the Eucharist, the roots of the Jewish Passover,” he continued. “She was a true researcher, she tried to prepare well before any speech or catechesis.”

“Kiko talked more, Carmen wrote a lot. In many of the books in her library (about 5,000 volumes) there is often a ‘K’ marked in red. They were the books she wanted to pass on to Kiko for him to read and study.”

The Court's Verdict on Parishes and Catholic Schools

 The verdict is now in.  The parishes and Catholic schools are part of the Archdiocese of Agana and can be sold to pay the alleged child abuse lawsuits.  According to the Guam Daily Post:  

“The court finds that the parishes and schools are part of the debtor and are unincorporated divisions of the Archdiocese of Agaña,” the federal judge stated.

Catholic parishes and schools, through attorney Vincent Camacho, said in a hearing in April that if the court rules in favor of the claimants/creditors, this could lead to the selling of assets that include Catholic schools and parishes and will have "grave implications" for the community.

We have seen the closing down of parishes in the United States as a result of the sex abuse lawsuits against the Church.  The same thing will happen here in Guam, now that the judge has struck down the Church's argument.  The selling of the parishes and Catholics schools in Guam will have a major negative impact in the Catholic community.  When Catholic schools are sold off, thousands of students will be displaced.  When parishes are sold off, parishioners will be forced to look for parishes that are still open.  And of course, many Catholics will become disillusioned and will no longer remain in the Catholic faith.  However, I commend Archbishop Michael for doing his best, trying to protect the parishes and Catholic schools from closing.  He has my respect in this regard, and I am glad that he continues to fight for the parishes and Catholic schools.  On the other hand, it is unfortunate that the judge ruled in favor of the claimants and creditors. Archbishop Michael continues to maintain that the parishes and schools are held in trust.  Hopefully, the judge will rule in favor of the Archdiocese on this issue.  We continue to pray for Archbishop Michael. 

Also, remember that the Neocatechumenal Way did not have anything to do with the proposal and passage of a law that will close down the parishes and Catholic schools.  In fact, Rick Eusebio, who is a member of the NCW, garnered over 4,500 signatures in a petition to veto Bill 326, which would allow alleged victims of sexual abuse to bring a lawsuit against the Catholic Church.  Those who introduced and worked for the passage of the bill gathered 3000 signatures in their petition.  One anonymous poster even made the following comment.  His/Her comment is found here.  

AnonymousSeptember 22, 2016 at 10:04 AM

I wouldn't be so proud of the "4500 signatures" Diana. Patti on the radio read a message that pointed out the petition got 4500 signatures because the petitions were at every church AND the priests encouraged people to sign it.
Silent No More managed to get 3000 signatures WITHOUT the support of the priests and school officials OR having the petitions at every church. So I'd say that Silent No More didn't do as badly as you would like to think.
Imagine what the numbers could have been if the Silent No More petition was supported by the church!

Oh no I forgot that you don't want to go there. 

Here is the thing.  Yes, we got the signatures with the support of the priests, Church officials, and the petitions were signed at every Catholic Church.  This means that since the petitions were signed inside the Church by members who attended the Church, we can be certain that the majority of Catholics disapprove of the bill.  As for the organization "Silent No More," they got signatures OUTSIDE the Church without any support from the Church, which then makes me wonder how many of those signatures were signed by Non-Catholics and Atheists.  So, remember, the Neocatechumenal Way had nothing to do with the introduction or the passage of this law that would bring a lot of pain and suffering to the Catholic parishioners and students of Guam.  

A Sex Abuse Cover-up in Boston

 Father Gordon MacRae published an excellent post in his blog, Beyond These Stone Walls.  It plainly shows how biased the media (and perhaps even our society) can be.  You can find the article below here.

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A Sex Abuse Cover-up in Boston Haunts the White House

When The Boston Globe Spotlight focused only on Catholic priests, sex abuse by a top Boston police union official was covered up all the way to the 2021 White House.

Our Canadian guest writer, Father Stuart MacDonald, posted a thoughtful comment on my recent post, “Cardinal Sins in the Summer of Media Madness.” He pointed out a sobering fact. Former police officer Derek Chauvin, who now stands convicted in the murder of George Floyd, was sentenced to exactly one-third of the sentence I am serving for crimes that never took place. Father Stuart’s insightful comment was followed by one from another frequent guest writer, Ryan A. MacDonald, no relation to Father Stuart.

Their comments are very much worth a return visit to that post. The tragic death of George Floyd at the hands of Derek Chauvin in sight of three other officers launched a movement across America to defunct police. It also led to all of the events described in the post cited above.

You might think that in my current location, a movement like #DefundPolice would find lots of sympathy and even some vocal support. The truth is just the opposite. No one understands the need for police in our society more than a prisoner. As one friend here, an African American, put it: “Knowing the truth about some of the guys around me, the last thing I want to see is them and my family living in the same place without police.”

I reflected that same sentiment, and others like it, in my own response to the #DefundPolice movement that was spawned by the death of George Floyd. It was a post written in the heat of that awful riotous summer of 2020. It was “Don’t Defund Police! Defund Unions that Cover Up Corruption.”

As that post revealed, former Minneapolis officer Derek Chauvin had multiple excessive force complaints in his personnel file. Thanks to the so-called “Blue Wall” and the misguided advocacy of the local public sector police union, none of the prior complaints ever became public. Had they been known, George Floyd may be alive today and Derek Chauvin may not be facing prison.

Others among my friends have advised me not to overlook the fact that Mr. Floyd was alleged to have committed a crime that day — an attempt to pass a counterfeit $20 bill. Even if true, this is not relevant. Americans do not face death over a fake $20 bill. The George Floyd story unmasked racial prejudice in the way policing is sometimes done on the streets of America. We will be a stronger and better people for the hard soul-searching and policy building needed to address this.

I write all of the above to stress that I am not in any way against police. Like my friend mentioned above, knowing some of the men with whom I now live deepens my appreciation for the many dedicated police officers who serve and protect our communities.

The account I am about to present should not be understood as just another “dirty cop” story. It is better seen as a cautionary tale of public corruption that extends beyond police to infiltrate and compromise many of the once-respected institutions on which our culture is built. The corruption you will read about here is as much that of partisan politics and the news media as it is about police. It is a Boston story. It took place in my own home town.

While the Spotlight Was on Catholic Scandal

This account is unrelated to the sordid stories of Catholic scandal in which we have been immersed for two decades, but it must begin there with a July, 2010 post, “The Exile of Fr. Dominic Menna and Transparency at The Boston Globe.”

I highly recommend that post for the back story of what was happening to many Catholic priests as the age of cancel culture was just taking shape. The story might infuriate you. It should. In 2010, Father Dominic Menna was a much beloved 80-year-old Boston priest who was suddenly accused of molesting a minor 51 years earlier when he was 29 years old in 1959. Like every accused priest since The Scandal first gripped Boston and spread from there across the land, the elderly Father Menna was put out into the street.

You could not tell from reading The Boston Globe accounts of the case that none of this story took place in the present. The Globe had a subtle way of presenting every decades-old claim as though it happened in the here and now. Father Menna just disappeared into the night with no recourse to protect himself or his priesthood. There were no groups forming such as “Stand with Father James Parker” or “Stand with Canceled Priests” when the stench of injustice was in any way related to suspicions of sexual abuse.

Even some Catholic entities have thanked The Boston Globe and its pernicious Spotlight Team for doggedly pursuing the files of priests accused and for publishing every lurid detail, true or not. The Globe helped create a mantra that impacted the civil rights of all priests who, since the Bishops’ Dallas Charter of 2002, have been considered “guilty for being accused.” The trajectory lent itself in 2010 to “The Exile of Fr. Dominic Menna” with few questions asked. The details in that post are staggering for any Catholic who still cares about justice. One of the truths exposed in that post is about all that is left in darkness when a spotlight is used on a topic that requires a floodlight. It is about something that was happening off-the-radar in Boston while The Boston Globe and its Spotlight Team celebrated an Academy Award for Best Picture in the category of Public Service.

If not for the Globe’s hammering away at priests, the people of Boston might have been shocked in the summer of 2020 when Patrick Rose, a Boston police officer and former president of the Boston police union, was charged with 33 counts of molesting children. Bostonians might have been further shocked to learn that the behaviors which led to his arrest extended all the way back to 1995 and were known by officials in the Boston police, their public sector union, and others who helped to keep it all secret.

In 1995, just months after I was on trial in nearby New Hampshire, Patrick Rose was arrested and charged with child sexual abuse. He was placed on administrative leave by the Boston Police Department. The Boston Globe today reports that the charges were dropped in 1996 when the accuser recanted her account under pressure from Rose. Later in 1996, however, a Boston Police Internal Affairs investigation reported that the charge “was sustained” and relayed to supervisors.

Despite this, Patrick Rose remained on the police force. In 1997, an attorney for the police union wrote a letter to the police commissioner complaining that Rose had been kept on administrative duty for two years and demanding his full reinstatement. Rose was then reinstated. Prosecutors today allege that he went on to molest five additional child victims, including some after Rose himself became union president from 2014 to 2017.

White House Labor Secretary Marty Walsh

In the May 14, 2021 print edition of The Wall Street Journal, the Editorial Board published “A Police Union Coverup in Boston.” The WSJ reported that The Boston Globe filed requests for the Internal Affairs file on Patrick Rose. The administration of then Boston Mayor Marty Walsh denied the request citing that the record could not be released in a way that would satisfy privacy concerns.

Imagine the outcry if the late Cardinal Bernard Law said this when The Boston Globe demanded a file on any foreknowledge of sexual abuse by Father Dominic Menna. It turned out in that case that there was no such file because the 80-year-old priest had never previously been accused. The Boston Globe repeatedly dragged the Archdiocese of Boston into court in 2002 to demand public release of scores of files on Catholic priests and never rested until every detail — corroborated or not — ended up in newsprint.

It is hard to imagine today that The Globe would simply settle for the excuse Mayor Marty Walsh provided. It is hard to imagine that the “Blue Wall of Silence” was any real obstacle for The Boston Globe which, perhaps to cover for its own inaction, reported that it was “astonishing [the] lengths to which the [Boston Police] Department and the now departed Walsh administration went to keep those files under wraps.”

The file remained “under wraps” until after Senate confirmation hearings that vetted Mayor Walsh and confirmed him (68 to 29) for a Biden Administration cabinet position as Secretary of Labor in 2021. Walsh signed a contract with the Boston Police Union in 2017 while Patrick Rose was still union president. It remains unclear what Marty Walsh knew and when he knew it.

A Massachusetts state supervisor of public records refuted the Mayor’s reasoning for keeping the file secret. He called upon (then) Mayor Walsh to provide a better reason for denying the Internal Affairs file on Patrick Rose. Walsh ignored this for two months until his mayoral successor, Kim Janey, released a redacted version of the file after the Senate confirmation hearing approved Mr. Walsh as Secretary of Labor. The Wall Street Journal reported:

“Mr. Biden picked Mr. Walsh because he is a union man. He was president of a Laborers’ Union local, as well as head of the Boston Building Trades, until he ran for mayor in 2013. As mayor, he showered unions with taxpayer money, including a contract with Mr. Rose’s police union in 2017 that resulted in a pay increase of 16-percent over four years. City employees in unions donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to his campaign. The Rose Coverup is relevant to Mr. Walsh’s duties at the Labor department.”

— The Wall Street Journal, May 13, 2021

An Epilogue

Just as I was preparing to print and mail this post, someone sent me the July 2021 copy of Newsmax magazine containing an article by journalist Merisa Herman on this same story entitled, "Police Union Cover-Up Haunts Top Biden Official." [I chose my title long before seeing this]. Ms. Herman concluded:

“Rose had been given a pass from the media for what could be construed as a cover-up ... Someone in Congress might ask Mr. Walsh why Americans should believe he’ll fight union corruption when his city may have helped protect a union chief with a history of alleged predation against children.”

It is difficult to measure this story against what happened in 2010 to 80-year-old Father Dominic Menna whose life and priesthood were utterly obliterated by The Boston Globe spotlight for a half century-old claim that could never be corroborated.

It is difficult to measure this story against what happened to George Floyd in Minneapolis when a history of previous excessive force complaints in a police file were kept under wraps until someone paid with his life.

Biden and the Bishops: Communion and the Care of a Soul

 I was going to write a post about the Bishops who felt a need to publish forth a document clarifying Holy Communion to politicians who expressed support for abortion.  In short, the document was aimed as to whether President Joe Biden, who is a Catholic, should receive Holy Communion.  When the President attended church in South Carolina, the priest denied him Holy Communion.  However, Cardinal Wilton Gregory, the Archbishop of Washington, has gone on record that he will not deny Biden Holy Communion.  It appears that the American bishops are divided on this issue.  Father Gordon MacRae wrote about this issue, which you can find here.

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Some bishops fear political fallout if they draft a policy on the Eucharist and pro-abortion politicians but they overlook the most fundamental duty of the Church.

Wednesday, July 7, 2021

There is a lot of misdirected anger toward the Church and its leaders in our culture. For some it is the anger of adolescents who think that shedding the moral authority of parents is in their best interest. Some parents forget that it is not. For others, it is the anger of those who have lived in fidelity to the moral authority of the Church only to see it weakened at every turn in this age of moral relativism and cancel culture. For others still, it is the anger born of seeing too many of the Church’s shepherds in the role sheep, diminishing the Church’s prophetic witness to accommodate the self-serving politics of our time.

In 2018, I wrote a controversial post for the fifth anniversary of the pontificate of Pope Francis entitled, “Pope Francis in a Time of Heresy.” Lots of conservative Catholics were drawn to it because of its title. Many assumed that I was accusing Pope Francis of heresy. Within weeks, that post was shared 25,000 times on Facebook. Then someone actually read it only to find nothing really scandalous. Interest in it just quietly evaporated.

I did not accuse the pope of heresy though the heresy implied therein was in fact his. It was political heresy, however, and not theological. In a series of challenges earlier in his pontificate, Pope Francis was confronted with wayward bishops and priests in various parts of the world. In one notorious case when a bishop was accused of sexual misconduct in Chile, Pope Francis spontaneously said, “Show me some evidence.”

I think the true heart of this pope was laid bare in that spontaneous remark, but he had to walk it back a few days later. It was political heresy. One of his immediate critics was Cardinal Sean O’Malley appointed to oversee the Vatican’s response to sexual abuse. The “woke” among us simply cannot abide any questions that might diminish a claim of victimhood.

The most prevalent heresy in my post cited above, however, was committed by conservative and traditional Catholics, the very people with whom I feel most aligned as a Catholic and as a priest. You may recall all the controversy surrounding the 2018 Synod on the Family and the document, “Amoris Laetitiae” by Pope Francis. They both explored, in part, a question about whether otherwise faithful Catholics in a state of divorce and civil remarriage should be allowed to receive the Eucharist.

The mere question, which never became reality, raised in the Church a loud alarm and protest about weakening the sacramental bond of marriage and the sacramental coherence of Communion. I agreed with these concerns, but I asked some challenging questions which to date no one has attempted to answer.

Where was this concern among the faithful over the last twenty years when “zero tolerance” became the operative agenda and the sacramental bond of Holy Orders was summarily discarded by bishops when priests were accused — merely accused — with little or no due process? Just asking this question is political heresy. Since then, an ongoing stream of concern for politics and political fallout has been allowed to creep into the life of the Church in our time.

President Joe Biden and Communion

Now comes the latest counter-cultural Catholic controversy. Our bishops are wrangling over the potential for political fallout if they move forward with the majority’s intent on drafting a pastoral document on the meaning of the Eucharist and the conditions under which a Catholic would be in communion with Jesus and the Church.

Cardinal Wilton Gregory, Archbishop of Washington, has gone on record to state that he would not deny Communion to President Joe Biden. Cardinal Blase Cupich, Archbishop of Chicago, warned that this discussion could have the effect of aligning the Church to one political party over another. Both prelates signed an unsuccessful petition to remove this whole topic from the agenda of the Bishops’ Conference. In the end, 75 percent of the bishops voted to proceed.

Though this discussion is not about one person, everyone knows that its focal point is President Joe Biden and, to a lesser extent, Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Both are Democrats who describe themselves as devout Catholics. Both have also been proponents of unconditional access to abortion, same-sex marriage, limits on religious liberty, and transgender ideology.

In the current controversy over receiving Communion, President Biden has said that he does not believe the bishops will address this because “it is a private matter.” On several levels, he is wrong about that. He is by no means a private person who would not cause scandal by living a duplicitous life of faith.

He is also wrong for the same reason that all the concern for Communion for Catholics living in an illicit marriage became a public controversy. Marriage is a public state in life and not just a private one. Joe Biden’s longstanding and ever-expanding promotion of abortion is a highly public aspect of his agenda. His living a contrary expression of faith is a very public matter.

President Biden is now described by some media commentators as being singled out by conservatives for his support of “a woman’s right to choose.” The reality is far beyond that. He has also lobbied to expand abortion and to remove it from reconsideration by the Supreme Court by promising to encode in federal law an absolute right to abortion. He has vowed to repeal the Hyde Amendment which for decades has protected conscientious objectors among taxpayers from being forced to fund abortions. He has advocated “packing” the U.S. Supreme Court to diminish the influence of pro-life justices.

This is a dilemma for the Church and the U.S. Bishops Conference. A policy statement which truly reflects the Church’s discipline on worthiness to receive Holy Communion could directly preclude such a publicly known abortion advocate from the Sacrament without signs of repentance. Putting forth that policy statement may, and likely would, also be seen on the practical level as a repudiation of at least some of this president’s political agenda and that of some in his political party who also profess to be Catholic.

This is a painful and difficult position for the bishops to be in, and it is not going to go away. The first and foremost concern of the bishops, however, should not be a fear of political fallout, or of losing the Church’s tax exempt status (which is also highly doubtful). The foremost concern should be something that no one else seems to be raising. It is not concern for Joe Biden’s agenda that should impact our bishops, but concern for Joe Biden’s soul.

Politicians Are Not a Privileged Class of Catholics

The Church’s teaching in this matter is based in part on Sacred Scripture. Among several clear examples is this one from Saint Paul’s First Letter to the Corinthians:

“Whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be answerable for the Body and Blood of the Lord. Examine yourselves and only then eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For all who eat and drink without discerning the body, eat and drink judgment against themselves.”

— 1 Corinthians 11: 27-29

The Catechism of the Catholic Church addresses this with a clarity that needs no interpretation:

“Since the first century the Church has affirmed the moral evil of every procured abortion. This teaching has not changed and remains unchangeable. Direct abortion, that is to say, abortion willed as an end or a means, is gravely contrary to the moral law.”

— CCC 2271

“Formal cooperation in an abortion constitutes a grave offense. The Church attaches the canonical penalty of excommunication to this crime against human life. ‘A person who procures a completed abortion incurs excommunication latae sententiae’ (Canon 1398). The Church does not, thereby, intend to restrict the scope of mercy. Rather, she makes clear the gravity of the crime committed, the irreparable harm done to the innocent who is put to death, as well as to the parents and the whole of society.”

— CCC 2272

An argument can be made that a politician who promotes legislation that provides the means for abortion may not incur the same penalty as someone who "procures a completed abortion," but this is also splitting hairs. Both the Catechism of the Catholic Church and the Church's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith define the moral obligation to promote legislation that protects life:

“The inalienable right to life of every innocent human individual is a constitutive element of a civil society and its legislation.”

— CCC 2273

“The inalienable rights of the person must be recognized and respected by civil society and the political authority ... The moment a positive law deprives a category of human beings of the protection which civil authority ought to accord them, the state is denying the equality of all before the law. When the state does not place its power at the service of the rights of each citizen ... the very foundations of a state based on law are undermined. As a consequence of the respect and protection which must be assured for the unborn child ... the law must provide appropriate penal sanctions for every deliberate violation of the child’s rights.”

— CDF, Donum Vitae III

For any Catholic, the reception of Communion is not just a private matter. It is both a private and public witness to being in communion with both Christ and His Church. Some of the most beautiful and clear commentary on this has come from Bishop Thomas Olmstead of the Diocese of Phoenix who developed an apostolic exhortation on the Eucharist and what it means to be “in Communion”:

“Holy Communion is reserved for those who, with God’s grace, make a sincere effort to live this union with Christ and His Church by adhering to all that the Catholic Church believes and proclaims to be revealed by God.

“For this reason, the Church requires Catholic leaders who have publicly supported gravely immoral laws such as abortion and euthanasia to refrain from receiving Holy Communion until they publicly repent and receive the Sacrament of Penance.”

— ‟Veneremur Cernui” by Bishop Thomas Olmstead

Bishop Olmstead described the great harm to the soul of a Catholic who receives the Sacrament after allowing belief in the True Presence of Christ in the Eucharist to diminish. A person who truly believes in this Sacrament for the Life of the World could not possibly also embrace and promote a culture of death. Such an unworthy reception of Holy Communion transforms the Sacrament into a sacrilege that continues the betrayal of Christ by Judas Iscariot at the first Institution of the Eucharist.

You may remember an important Holy Week post of mine entitled “Satan at the Last Supper: Hours of Darkness and Light.” It recalls Saint John's account of the Institution of the Eucharist. Satan had entered into Judas who received the bread from Christ with betrayal in his heart. The final words of Saint John’s Gospel account of the scene speak volumes about the state of the soul of the betrayer:

“After receiving the piece of bread, Satan entered into him ... Judas immediately went out. And it was night.”

— John 13:27,30

Avoiding a clear statement on Eucharistic coherence now can do far more damage to the faith and moral sanctity of Catholics than the appearance of taking a political side. It is cheap and easy for those who live to not take a long, hard look at how we may promote, by commission or omission, a denial of the right to life.

How could our bishops possibly expect otherwise faithful Catholics in unrecognized second marriages to accept in good faith the discipline of refraining from Communion while the most pro-abortion Catholic politician in history is given a pass. The path of rightousness in this will not be easy for our bishops. As Father Michael Orsi wrote in a recently published letter to the Wall Street Journal: “This will take courage, but it will separate the shepherds from the hired hands.”

Systematic Racism or White Privilege

 I was reading the Guam Daily Post in the morning, and an article written by Peter J. Santos caught my eye.  I disagree with his letter to the editor.  He wrote that White privilege or systematic racism exists and gave examples of his own experience.  However, what he experienced was not systematic racism or White privilege but plain prejudice or racial bias, which does exist.  You can find Mr. Santos letter here. 

First of all, it is not the right-wing extremists who is claiming that White privilege  exist.  It is the left-wing extremists who are making that claim.  Systematic racism or White privilege does not exist in the United States.  However, racism and prejudice still exist.  If White privilege exist, Barack Obama would never have been elected President of the United States.  He was voted by the majority of White people who make up about 61% of the U.S. population.  Barack Obama could not become President without their votes.  In addition, Mr. Santos would also never be able to accomplishe anything nor be in a position he is in today if systematic racism exists.  I find it ironic that those who claim the existence of systematic racism are people who have made accomplishments in their life.  For example, Oprah Winfrey is a millionaire and she claimed the existence of systematic racism and White privilege.  Oprah Winfrey, Barak Obama, and many others are examples that systematic racism does not exist.  If one wants to make it in the U.S., all it takes is hard work, determination, and perseverance. Today, the racial group with the highest income are NOT Whites.  Asian Americans make up the highest income bracket.  According to an article, which cited a 2019 Census Bureau survey, Asian Americans were found to have the highest income.  They surpassed both the Blacks and Whites.  This is evidence that systematic racism does not exist.  However, prejudice and racism still exist and it exist in anyone, including people of color.  

The following YouTube video is an interesting one to listen to.  According to Morgan Freeman, race has nothing to wealth distribution and he and Don Lemon are both proof of that. 

                                             

Today, the Left-wing radicals focus so much on the color of a person's skin, which is why they have such movements as BLACK Lives Matter and Critical RACE Theory being placed in some American schools.  These Left-wing radicals are offended when people say, "All Lives Matter" or when parents oppose CRT in the schools.  When one focus simply on race or the color of the person's skin rather than on the character of the person, it only serves to cause division and promote racist attitudes.                                                                                                      

The Mustard Seed

 Mark 4:30-32  Again he said, "What shall we say the kingdom of God is like, or what parable shall we use to describe it?  It is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest of all seeds on earth.  Yet, when planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants, with such big branches that the birds can perch in its shade."

Some of our youth in the Way are currently off-island on a pilgrimage.  When they return to Guam, they will tell their experiences to the brothers in their communities.  It is always good to listen to their experiences.  These pilgrimages have also fostered vocations for some of our young men and women.  It is where they hear God calling them to the priesthood, the convent, or to itinerancy. Some of the young men in the pilgrimage may answer God's calling to the priesthood.  And when these sons of Guam answer the calling, they will be sent by their communities to a seminary in the U.S. mainland or another country where they will continue their studies to the priesthood.  They will serve the universal Church in either the U.S. mainland or the country they were sent.  The NCW started as a small mustard seed whose faith continues to grow among its members.  It continues to promote and foster vocations even when the Guam Redemptoris Mater Seminary was sold.  It continues to be fruitful in promoting vocations and in the new evangelization.    

Kudos to the young men and women who are participating in the pilgrimage off-island.  Imagine how eager these youth were to participate in a pilgrimage rather than attend a rock concert.  They will continue to evangelize in their pilgrimages off-island so that the vocations and the Catholic Church in the U.S. mainland and other countries will increase.   

In Response to Question From Jeff

This post is in response to Jeff who emailed me from Colorado.  His email was not published since it was addressed to me.  Nevertheless, he asked me a question in the email that I believe is worth addressing in my blog.  The NCW members may even find the question and answer beneficial.  Jeff's question was: 

Also was curious to ask you about this article below — The archbishop recognized the good that the movement has brought to many people’s lives, and he noted that it is recognized and approved by the Holy See.  However, it is imperative that it adhere to liturgical norms, he said, and this adherence “will only enrich the fruits of the Neocatechumenal movement.” https://cruxnow.com/global-church/2017/03/guam-bishop-aims-resolve-distress-neocatechumenal-way/Arap  

 First of all, the link is not working.  Nevertheless, you stated "The archbishop recognized the good that the movement has brought to many people's lives, and he noted that it is recognized and approved by the Holy See.  However, it is imperative that it adhere to liturgical norms..."  I assume you meant Archbishop Michael Byrnes. 

The Holy See gave the Neocatechumenal Way the Statutes and General Directory.  The Statues of the Neocatechumenal Way is what we are supposed to follow.  According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, the term "Statutes" is defined as: 

1 : a law enacted by the legislative branch of a government

2: an act of a corporation or of its founder intended as a permanent rule

3: an international instrument setting up an agency and regulating its scope or authority

In short, the word "Statutes" means "LAW" and is even synonymous with "LAW."  Therefore, the Statutes of the Neocatechumenal Way, which was approved and ratified by the Holy See, is what the Way is mandated to follow.  In fact, it is the LAW, that we are to follow.  This LAW was given to us by the Vatican, and it is this LAW that the NCW should strictly follow.  In a speech, Pope Francis listed 7 points.  According to the seventh point, Pope Francis stated:

SEVENTH: The Neocatechumenal Way is the one that knows the most about the Christian Initiation. Consult them and, if necessary, correct the catechists, the communities…(because to correct is to love)…but correct with the Statutes in your hands.

Notice that in the Statutes, the Easter Vigil is mentioned (Article 12, Section 1).  The Holy See has given the NCW permission to celebrate the Easter Vigil on its own.  Unfortunately, our critics believed that the NCW is being disobedient simply because of this rule found in the Liturgical book (the bold is mine):

Of this night’s Vigil, which is the greatest and most noble of all solemnities, there is to be only one celebration in each church. 

Thus, our critics falsely accused the NCW of disobedience despite the fact that we have told them that we were given permission to celebrate the Easter Vigil apart from the parish Easter Vigil, and we were branded as liars.  The only time our critics believed us was when it was reported in a Catholic news article that the Vatican had allowed the NCW to celebrate the Easter Vigil.  This is the very reason why Article 12, Section 1 was placed in the Statutes.  According to that news article (the bold is mine):

The episcopal council of the Rome diocese, in a document distributed March 1, said the unity of the diocese — seen especially through the unity of the bishop and pastors of parishes in the celebration of the Eucharist — is especially important to emphasize during the triduum: the Holy Thursday Mass of the Lord’s Supper, the Good Friday liturgy of the Lord’s Passion and the Easter vigil Saturday night.

“To express visibly the unity of the holy people of God and express the deepest meaning of belonging to an ecclesial community,” the council said, those who frequent non-parish churches, chapels and oratories or who belong to special groups, associations or new movements “are exhorted to take part in the celebrations of the Easter triduum in parish churches.”

An exception exists for “national churches,” like the U.S. Catholic community at St. Patrick Church in Rome, and for members of the Neocatechumenal Way, whose Vatican-approved statutes allow for small-group celebrations of the Easter vigil, Father Midili said.

Exceptions were made for members of the Neocatechumenal Way, whose Vatican-approved statutes (LAW) allowed it.  And what else did the LAW mentioned?  It also mentioned the Eucharist (Article 13, Section 1-4).  Therefore, the NCW is also mandated in their statutes (LAW) to celebrate the Eucharst in small communities.  The Statutes declared that the celebrations of the Eucharist in the Way are part of the Sunday liturgical pastoral work of the parish and open to others who are not in the NCW communities.  The Eucharist in the NCW is celebrated following the approved liturgical books of the Roman Rite and with the exception of the explicit concessions of the Holy See.  Those explicit concessions can be found here.  

The NCW is mandated to follow its approved statutes (law) given to them by the Holy See.  And as long as the NCW follows its Statutes, it will bear more fruit.  As for the Archbishop, his role is to continue to be in communion with the Pope.  And Pope Francis have already given his support and blessings to the NCW. 

Congratulations to Deacon Ashton Wong!

 Ashton Francisco Wong, another son of Guam was ordained a transitional deacon on May 23, 2021 at the Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart in Newark.  You can find the information here.  Ashton will be ordain a priest in 2022.

Ashton Francisco Wong

Home Parish   
Holy Family in Nutley

What inspired you to discern the priesthood?

Before the seminary, I lived my best life: as a teenager on Guam, I was a successful scholar-athlete; this culminated in a basketball scholarship to Dallas University. I enjoyed all the benefits of being a popular high school athlete: attention from girls, going to parties, and living the ‘good’ life. Although I had everything I wanted – success in academics and athletics, an abundance of friends and admirers, and a secure career path – I felt empty and unsatisfied.

Ashton Francisco Wong

Through the Neocatechumenal Way, I encountered the love of God actually and concretely in my life. I was looking for life from people and things that couldn’t give me life. I found authentic fulfillment in my encounter with Jesus Christ, especially through the Eucharist.

On World Youth Day, I witnessed many priests who were happy with their vocation. They were happier than I was, even though I had sports, fame, friends, and girls. I wanted to know why they were happy, and I wasn’t. So, I decided to respond to God’s call. So far, he hasn’t given me a reason to leave the seminary. The best years of my life have been this time in the seminary.

What inspired me to discern the priesthood was God’s persistent interest in me even though I was not interested in him. He won me over with his faithfulness and generosity, undeserving as I am.

What saints have influenced your discernment the most and why?

The saint that has influenced my discernment the most has been St. John Paul the Great. He was a talented man who loved sports and had every reason to hate God (World War II was not nice to him). In his suffering, he didn’t reject God but sought him out.

He was an awesome Pope whom the Lord used to renew the Church. Although he was very talented at many things (academics, theater, sports) and could have made a career in any of these things, he responded to God’s call to the priesthood. What made him attractive was not his talent, good looks, or personal brilliance, but his relationship with the Lord manifested in his priesthood and papacy. I guess he’s great because he allowed the Lord to work greatly in his life.

His life is a huge help for me because the allurements of the world are tempting. Although John Paul II had more reason to pursue worldly success, he didn’t. His life reassures me that God wants to give me the best, that he wants to give me a life that the world can’t possibly give me.

Congratulations to Father Gabriel Camacho!

 Gabriel Camacho was a seminarian in Guam RMS and a son of Guam.  He was recently ordained a priest on May 29th by Cardinal Joseph Tobin in the Cathedral Basiica of the Sacred Heart in Newark.  Congratulations to Father Gabriel Camacho!  According to the article: 

 

Gabriel Celis Camacho

Age: 31
Birthplace: Tamuning, Guam
Home parish: St. Columba’s Church, Newark; Dulce Nombre de Maria Cathedral Basilica, Hagåtña, Guam
Education: Bachelor of Sacred Theology (Lateran University); M.A. in Systematic Theology from Seton Hall University

Growing up in Guam, Father Camacho did all the things that were expected of him. He studied hard, got a good job, a car, and a social life. Yet, something was still missing.

“The Church came to find me and offered me an alternative, which I fought against for many years,” he explained. “Seminary life and becoming a priest was never appealing to me. ‘What a sad and boring life,’ I would say. But as I was entering my sophomore year of college, this part of my Life was the clearest definition of a ‘sad and boring Life.’ It was necessary for me to hit rock bottom to submit to entering into a seminary. My best decision yet.”

Father Camacho entered the seminary in 2009 and was immediately struck by the various backgrounds of his fellow seminarians who came from all different parts of the world. With this diversity came different personalities and cultures.

“Since the very first day, I saw the seminary as a kind of Zoo, with all sorts of animals living together,” he said. “There are five different ways to play soccer, 13 different opinions about which country has the best food, but only one way to eat pasta.”

Father Camacho said the challenges were the fondest memories: “To put a bunch of men, from different backgrounds, under one roof. Only God can do that! To witness disagreements and arguments on one day, and then see them smiling and laughing together the next? Only God can do that!”

When asked why he wanted to become a priest, Father Camacho responded, “Why not be a priest? If this is how God wishes to bring happiness into my life, Amen! So be it!”

These are challenging times, he said, but that is precisely the point.

“Everyone is looking to be secure, to be safe, but more than anything, we are all, including myself, just looking to find happiness, to find a sense of satisfaction. Happiness can only be found in doing what God has planned out in our lives. That is based on personal experience. He is our Father, and He only wants what is best for all of us. Why on earth would I depart from this awesome adventure? I say, ‘Lord, let us move forward.'”