The near-west-siders at Our Lady Queen of Peace Parish are to be thanked and praised by all Madisonians, particularly those who are followers of the Roman Catholic religion. When the leader of their flock, a vain and fatuous man, abruptly pulled the plug on the Catholic Multicultural Center on the south side, the 27-hundred families of Queen of Peace Parish stepped up and said “not so fast”. As the less fortunate of our community prayed for an intervention, Bobby-boy was in Rome, dining on the finest meats and cheeses the Vatican could offer.
I suspect there was more than a little pushback when Bobby Morlino suddenly cut the Multicultural Center off at the ankles a few days ago. This so-called shepherd, who would have built a multi-million-dollar cathedral in his honor had not common sense prevailed, got a big lesson in what Madison is all about.
My wife, a lapsed Italian Catholic who endured 12 years of parochial education in south suburban Chicago (Holy Ghost and Mother Seton Academy), was incensed when she heard the news. “How can he do that to those people!!” she yelled at the TV when the news broke. “One of the fundamental missions of the Catholic Church is to help the poor!!!” she instructed me.
My former broadcasting colleague Luis Montoto, who runs La Movida, the Spanish station of the local Mid-West Family Broadcast Group, rushed to the south side on hearing the news and said “what can I do to help?”.
Now, there’s a Catholic. What can I do to help.
Luis’s wife, Lupita, who works with him at La Movida radio, learned to speak English at the Catholic Multicultural Center.
Those of us who enjoy the good life in Madison probably don’t spend much time thinking about how tough life is here for so many of our neighbors. We dine on a forty-dollar steak at a fancy restaurant, and pay a one-night tab that would feed a hungry family for a week.
Apparently, the good people at Queen of Peace understand the mission of the Catholic church a bit better than their local leader, and they’ve got the ball rolling to re-open the Multicultural Center and help the hundreds of families who count on it for the basic necessities of life. They’re putting their money where their faith is, and reminding Bishop Morlino what the church is supposed to be about.
Spreading the gospel, administering the sacraments, and helping the poor. That’s what my late father, an Irish Roman Catholic, told me the Catholic church was all about. Apparently the good Catholics at Queen of Peace have a similar understanding. Thank you.
Well, speaking of what it means to be "Catholic," Mr. Morrissey may wish to consult the Catechism of the Catholic Church paragraph 2477 which states, "Respect for the reputation of persons forbids every attitude and word likely to cause them unjust injury. He becomes guilty ...of rash judgment who, even tacitly, assumes as true, without sufficient foundation, the moral fault of a neighbor." The gravity of such an offense is increased if the victim of such rash judgment has a greater dignity, such as a bishop.
ReplyDeleteFor a well-rounded understanding of these events, Mr. Morressey and others may wish to consult the Diocese of Madison's published information on this incident which is posted on their home web page for the world to see. It is linked below.
Furthermore, caring for the poor is NOT the PRIMARY mission of the INSTITUTIONAL Church. The PRIMARY mission of the INSTITUTIONAL Church is the providing the sacraments and teaching the faith. Caring for the poor is the task of ALL Christians and falls primarily to the laity. While the sacraments and preaching the gospel are the PRIMARY duties of the INSTITUTIONAL Church, caring for the poor is certainly a proper means of doing this "without words," but not an essential means for the INSTITUTIONAL Church, especially when the absence of practical resources make it impossible for the INSTITUTIONAL Church.
When times are difficult, the INSTITUTIONAL Church must properly prioritize and call upon the laity to fulfill their mission of caring for the poor with all the POSSIBLE help and assistance of the INSTITUTIONAL Church.
So yes, praise God for the people of Our Lady Queen of Peace parish who heard the call of the Holy Spirit in this regard and have responded generously. In the words of Bishop Morlino, we should all be "deeply appreciative." And may we ALL, especially us laity, help them in this laudable effort.
The Diocese' FAQ: http://www.madisondiocese.org/Portals/0/Communications/Press%20Releases/CMC-Diocesan%20Cuts%20for%20Web%201.0.pdf
Mr. Huff and Puff Anonymous seems to think bishops cannot be called out for being vain and fatuous and intimating that the poor can eat their missals. If he were to believe that, he would be wrong.
ReplyDeleteI think the bish's mitre is too tight.
Thank you for the comment, anonymous. Mr. Morrissey, who is a heathen, stands by every word he wrote, and concurs with Hieronymous.
ReplyDelete/tjm
A great many people are mistaken in believing that Bishop Morlino WANTS the center to be closed. It is also a mistake to think that the good Catholic faithful are defying their Bishop in striving to keep the center open.
ReplyDeleteThe simple facts are:
1) It is the people's job to run a charity in the first place. The diocese should be administrating churches and training priests.
2) The diocese does not have enough money to continue the center with a paid staff.
3) The diocese is still contributing some funds to assist the center, which is now being run by independent volunteers.
Mr. Morrissey is correct in praising the good Catholics of Queen of Peace, and we all should help. We should never have let the Diocesan offices to do our charity for us in the first place.