Abp. Listecki: "New Ways Ministry is not a Catholic organization"

Background  My emphasis

Dear Priests, Deacons, Parish Directors and Staff:

In the past few days, there has been some confusion regarding a retreat that is taking place within our Archdiocese. With so many inquiring if this retreat is directly connected to the Archdiocese, which it is not, I felt obligated to clarify.

As the Church teaches, all individuals with same-sex attraction must be treated with understanding, compassion and support. A retreat for “gay priests, brothers and deacons” has been scheduled at the Siena Center in Racine, operated by the Racine Dominican Sisters, sponsored by New Ways Ministries and led by Fr. Bryan Massingale, a priest of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, who now teaches at Fordham University in New York. This event is not in line with Catholic Church teaching and is in no way connected to or endorsed by the archdiocese, and New Ways Ministry is not a Catholic organization.

In addition, no permission was requested for such a retreat to be held in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee (not that my permission is needed, nor would I have given it) and I was not contacted – even out of courtesy or respect – by the Dominican Sisters, the leadership of the Siena Center, or by Fr. Massingale.
That is disappointing, because it can be confusing for some people as to whether someone with same sex attraction can minister as a priest. As priests who have made a promise and commitment to celibacy, each are called to live holy, chaste lives.

Fr. Nathan Reesman, pastor of St. Frances Cabrini Parish and Saint Mary’s Immaculate Conception Parish in West Bend, has written a very good article about this topic, noting that, “The best pastoral experience of the Church, as well as our consistent teachings about who we are as persons, point to the reality that it is never healthy or holy to act out on same-sex desires, even in the realm of the merely emotional. Much healthier and holier is the attitude that our sexual desires are simply one facet of who we are as persons, rather than making them our dominant marker of identity with a term such as “gay.”

Fr. Reesman is the Chaplain for Courage and EnCourage for the Archdiocese of Milwaukee. Courage is an apostolate of the Catholic Church that ministers to men and women who experience same sex attraction. You can access his article here.

A number of people have called and written to me asking me “to stop this retreat.” I cannot prevent the Sisters from running this retreat, nor Fr. Massingale from leading it. What I can do, to the best of my ability, is share the truth about the teachings of the Church with the Faithful People of God.

Most Reverend Jerome E. Listecki
Archbishop of Milwaukee

Retreats for ‘gay priests, brothers’ and ‘lesbian sisters’ to take place in Milwaukee archdiocese

From October 2 to 4, 2018, Fr. Bryan Massingale will lead "a retreat for gay priests, brothers, and deacons" at Siena Retreat Center in Racine, Wisconsin, in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee. The Siena Retreat Center is overseen by the Racine Dominican Sisters. The retreat is sponsored by the dissident pro-gay marriage group New Ways Ministry. Later this year, on November 16-18, 2018, the Siena Retreat Center will also host a conference for "lesbian sisters, congregational leaders, and vocation & formation ministers." The speakers include Cristina L.H. Traina, the chair of religious studies at Northwestern University. Traina is a member of St. Nicholas Roman Catholic Church in Evanston, Illinois, Archdiocese of Chicago, where she is active in the Gay and Lesbian Ministry. In 2013, concerning the legalization of same-sex marriage, she wrote:

Same-sex marriage initiatives do not require Catholic clergy to marry gay and lesbian couples and do not devalue heterosexual marriage or encourage casual sex. If anything, same-sex marriage enshrines stable two-parent households as profoundly valuable, all things being equal, to children's welfare.

continue at LifeSite

News: Eight people attend Marquette LGBT Mass

via Marquette Warrior 

From Marquette Wire:
Campus Ministry hosted one of its monthly Masses for the LGBT community and its allies at the St. Joan of Arc Chapel on Nov. 20.

Theology professor the Rev. Bryan Massingale led Mass with the eight students and community members who attended.

“Many of the LGBTQ community members have heard stories that they are not welcome in the church,” Massingale said. “It is important to have a Mass where they feel welcome and that God does love them and no one is excluded.”

But don't worry, LGBTQRSTUVs, there are other opportunities for pride!

Other Marquette worship opportunities include Islamic prayer, Jewish services, Lutheran worship and Eastern Orthodox Vespers.

You know, because Islam is peace because tolerance.

Come on, if your going to cover a student event for EIGHT people, at least let us know what the music selection was.

I would think if they can't get attendance for these, they will start hijacking existing Mass times to force it down everyone's throats.

Not reported if a Gay Marriage was performed; Massingale is more than willing.

Across ArchMil - weeks of December 14th and 21st 2014

(Don't think of this post as delayed because I was on a brief vacation, think of it as a Special Holiday Double Issue.)

From the Chancery

Video of Bishop Hying's Homily from his Farewell Mass on Sunday, December 21, 2014 at Milwaukee's Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist is at YouTube.

His farewell Herald of Hope column in the Milwaukee Catholic Herald is In Christ's birth, heavenly glory kisses human poverty.

Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee reports 2014 Christmas Giving a Success! "Thanks to the unbelievable generosity of 17 parishes and their parishioners, 10 different businesses and organizations, over 100 individual donors and 50 volunteers, we were able to distribute Christmas gifts to 1,750 of our clients in need."

Archbishop Listecki tells us in a Herald of Hope column in the Herald that ASIC is next phase of Synod (Archdiocesan Synod Implementation Commission). "The most significant action taken by the archdiocese in the last five years was the 2014 Synod, which gathered us together and articulated a vision that will affect us for the next 10 to 15 years." (Shouldn't planning include deciding on the specific time period?)

The latest Catholic ID videos are on Feeding Hunger, "Feeling empty? Fill up on Jesus and you will be satisfied." and Faithful Focus, "Focusing on Christ when life's waves rock our boats, gives us support to stay afloat."

The most recently posted episodes of Living Our Faith Radio, with Archbishop Listecki and Bob Benes, featured "world-renowned author, speaker and defender of the Catholic faith" Matthew Kelly, "the great life-saving programs available through" the Society of St. Vincent dePaul-Waukesha, and a " telephone interview of Father Tim Oudenhoven ..." on Our Lady of Guadalupe.

At the Our Faith blog, Archbishop Listecki posted on the death of Father Ted Schmitt. "I was asked to preach the funeral homily. ... Just two short weeks earlier, Father Ted read the Gospel of the first Sunday in Advent, 'Be watchful! Be alert! You do not know when the time will come.'" He next posted on Making New Memories. "Each Christmas, we create new memories as we sing more carols, make more cookies and share more kisses, thanks to a child whose love embraced the world."

The Prayer & Worship blog posts Pope Francis' prayer intentions for January.

U.S. Bankruptcy Court (E.D. Wis.)

Annysa Johnson reported in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that Insurers agree to pay archdiocese additional $2.3 million. "The settlement brings the amount available to those survivors [of sexual abuse by priests] to $5.15 million, from $4 million in the archdiocese's original plan of reorganization."

On the court docket is the Motion for Order Approving Settlement Agreements and Policy Buy-Back Agreements which says, on page 7, "For years, the Archdiocese vigorously contested the insurers’ coverage positions, spending hundreds of thousands of dollars to do so." (That amount seems less impressive in the context of bankruptcy expenses headed toward $20 million.)

Regarding that motion, Brian T. Olszewski reported in the Herald that the Archdiocese asks court to OK $10.3M insurance settlement. "In summarizing the settlements, the motion noted that of the 'settlement proceeds,' 50 percent would be paid as a 'buy-back payment' and would be paid to the Insurance Litigation Trust for the benefit of abuse survivor claims.
"The remaining 50 percent of the proceeds would be paid as a 'plan payment' and used to defray the administrative expenses of the Chapter 11 case. As of Dec. 22, administrative expenses and professional fees totaled more than $16 million." (The Journal Sentinel reported criticism of this proposed settlement from attorneys for abuse claimants, but there's no mention of criticism in the Herald.)

In the Milwaukee Catholic Herald

Bishop Hying's tenure in Milwaukee is commemorated in a special section, Love never fails: With gratitude to Bishop Donald J. Hying.

Ricardo Torres reported on remarks by Fr. Bryan Massingale, Stop being timid on racial issues, priest tells leaders. "...by timid I mean the default of the archdiocese is to say nothing." (In the following issue, a letter to the editor from Sr. Adele Thibaudeau, his seventh grade teacher, recommends his 2010 book Racial Justice and the Catholic Church.)

Around the Parishes and Schools

Karen Herzog reported in the Journal Sentinel on Teaching assistant leaving Marquette amid McAdams controversy. "Teaching assistant Cheryl Abbate will transfer next month to the philosophy PhD program at the University of Colorado, Boulder, after being accepted through an expedited admissions process"

Across ArchMil - week of November 24th 2014

From the Chancery

Update: Liturgical Calendar Advisory :: Immaculate Conception, December 8, by Scott W. Eakins, Prayer & Worship blog. "... Monday, December 8, 2014, will be a holy day of obligation for the faithful in the United States."

Sowing Seeds, Catholic ID video, YouTube. "Plant your seeds of faith in the strong, fertile soil of Christ, and bear great fruit."

Thanksgiving, by Archbishop Listecki, Our Faith Blog. "I will miss Bishop Hying, who has been a blessing to all of us. But I know that the Archdiocese of Milwaukee will always be his home. I give thanks that we were blessed to have him with us for more than three years as our auxiliary bishop."

Archdiocesan Synod Implementation Commission (ASIC) Names Members. "... ASIC is the oversight commission consisting of clergy, religious and lay faithful who will be advising Archbishop Listecki regarding the Synod implementation process."

Contributions of the consecrated a blessing for church, Herald of Hope column by Bishop Donald J. Hying, Milwaukee Catholic Herald. "By living the vows of poverty, chastity and obedience, the consecrated give radical witness to Jesus Christ who himself was poor, chaste and obedient to the Father."

U.S. Bankruptcy Court (E.D. Wis.)

Scheduling Order Regarding Approval of Proposed Insurance Settlements, November 24, 2014, Susan V. Kelley, United States Bankruptcy Judge

Next Chapter 11 court date Feb. 10, by Brian T. Olszewski, Milwaukee Catholic Herald. "On Feb. 10, attorneys will meet in Kelley’s court for a hearing on the approval of the archdiocese’s settlement with insurance companies." (Don't forget, the fourth anniversary of the bankruptcy filing is January 4, 2015. The traditional fourth anniversary gift is fruit or flowers, modern is appliances.)

At the Seminaries, Monasteries, Convents

Congratulations, Bishop Donald J. Hying! Saint Francis de Sales Seminary. "Bishop Hying served as dean of formation at Saint Francis de Sales Seminary from 2005 - 2007 and as rector from 2007 until his appointment as auxiliary bishop in 2011. He currently serves as chair of the Seminary's Board of Trustees. The bishop's influence can be seen in the increase in priestly vocations and in the deep spirituality of the young priests of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee."

Abbey purchases Sheboygan lakefront mansion for hermitage, by Annysa Johnson, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. "Christ the King Abbey, a once schismatic Alabama monastery that reconciled with the church in 2011, bought the 7,112-square-foot estate at 2528 N. 3rd St. for $700,000 earlier this month." (The article also describes the Abbey as "Chicago-based".)

In the Milwaukee Catholic Herald

"Home-schoolers react to criticism" (is the headline of the promised collection of letters to the editor in response to Fr. John Yockey's criticism of home schooling ... published only in the print edition.)

Real church is more than a building, In Exile column, by Fr. Ronald Rolheiser. "Thus there are two real churches given us by God; one is outside of us, physical and concrete, the other is inside of us, spiritual and amorphous. Ideally, of course, a healthy sense of church would have us all worshipping deeply at both places, outside in our church buildings and inside in our heart and conscience."

Conversation on racism begins, by Ricardo Torres. "Demographics in southeastern Wisconsin play a part in the overall ignorance about race, he [Fr. Bryan Massingale] said.
"'This flourishes because of the influence of social isolation and social indifference,' Fr. Massingale said. 'We are a diverse community that is isolated from each other - isolation fuels ignorance, indifference and fears.'"
(He's equating correlation and causation. Dane County has very different demographics and worse racial disparities, but I wouldn't necessarily conclude that Progressives cause racism.)

How Catholic schools can survive, thrive, by Maryangela Layman Roman. "In looking at the reasons Catholic schools close, the researchers said the single most important variable is leadership. ... 'If (a priest) is not interested in a Catholic school, don’t send him to a parish with a school,' said Brinig [Margaret F. Brinig, co-author of Lost Classroom, Lost Community: Catholic Schools’ Importance in Urban America]." (Already obvious to everyone but bishops?)

Lay Organizations

Racine Community Christmas Coalition needs help, by Tracy Rusch, Milwaukee Catholic Herald. "They call themselves the Community Christmas Coalition (CCC), and this marks the 10th year the not-for-profit,non-denominational organization has been at the heart of the Nativity scene and two Christmas banners displayed in Monument Square, the historical center of the city, for a month around Christmas."

Marquette theology professor Fr. Massingale calls Ryan's proposal "An immoral budget that shuns social justice"

My congressman, Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI), is subjected to some attempted criticism in an op-ed in today's Milwaukee Journal Sentinel by the Rev. Bryan N. Massingale and John Gehring. They say,

"Ryan takes his Catholic faith seriously and has defended his policy approach in strong moral terms. But it seems he needs a refresher course in basic Catholic teaching."

This appears to unjustifiably assume that Catholics receive instruction in basic Catholic teaching to refresh. In my 16 years in Catholic schools, before, during, and after the Second Vatican Council, I do not recall any document in the corpus of Catholic social teaching ever being assigned reading. I, for one, would have thought that a better use of time in Freshman Theology at Marquette U than being repeatedly told that someone on the faculty had "proved the Holy Spirit does not exist". But I digress. [ROFL!]

continue at The Provincial Emails

Fr. Massingale supports gay "marriage" which is of course to him, moral.  Funny that those who don't think there is any actual sin somehow find some wiggle room for social program cuts.

Photo

Marquette professor promotes homosexuality at Los Angeles Religious Ed Conference

Fr. Bryan Massingale, a priest with the archdiocese of Milwaukee and an associate professor of moral theology at Marquette University, spoke last March before the group “Equally Blessed,” which describes itself as “a coalition of faithful Catholics who support full equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people both in the church and in civil society.” The professor, who has said he wants the Church to be “more sensuous and feminine,” publicly opposed Wisconsin’s Marriage Protection Act last year. His recorded talk, “Whatever Happened to the Common Good,” laments “the challenges of living this conviction in a fragmented and divided society.”

LifeSite

HT Terry @ AbbeyRoads

photo

Letter: St. Peter didn't carry his sword for slicing bread at the dinner table

Reading the Milwaukee Catholic Herald is always a bit of a...... trip. You never know what you're going to find -- a full-color interview with a prostitute actress or an article calling on Catholic GOP candidates to stop racial stereotypes, signed by a number of, ahhh, "noted" Catholics, such as Marquette professor Fr. Bryan Massingale.

And then every once in a while...

From the Jan. 5 edition of the Milw CH (not available online):

US Catholic: In defense of Wisconsin public sector unions

The question in Wisconsin was whether public employees should have the same right to collective bargaining as employees at private companies. The 1935 U.S. National Labor Relations Act officially recognized the right to collective bargaining for private-sector workers. Critics argue that public employees inherently have more leverage than employees of private businesses. Public employees can elect their own bosses. What’s more, public-sector workers won’t moderate their demands for fear that their employer—the government—will go bankrupt in the same way that private-sector employees must do.

“One has to make a distinction between unions as they were conceived in social teaching and unions that exist on the basis of taxpayer funding,” says Patrick Carey, professor of theology at Milwaukee’s Marquette University.

.....

The following day, Bishop Robert Morlino of Madison issued a clarifying letter. Listecki and the Wisconsin Catholic Conference, Morlino wrote, had taken a neutral position, neither supporting the governor nor supporting the unions. He quoted Pope John Paul II’s Laborem Exercens: “Just efforts to secure the rights of workers who are united by the same profession should always take into account the limitations imposed by the general economic situation of the country.”

Right-wing bloggers praised Morlino for reining in the Wisconsin Catholic Conference’s support for the unions. The media cited his comments as evidence of divisions within the hierarchy.

“People may say the bishops cherry-picked from the encyclicals,” says John Huebscher, executive director of the Wisconsin Catholic Conference. “The answer is to urge people to go read the encyclicals for themselves.”  [Isn't the bishops' office a teaching office?]

“As Catholics have become more affluent, the church’s teachings sometimes bump up against a Catholic’s economic self-interest,” says Huebscher of the Wisconsin Catholic Conference. “So the church has a greater challenge in teaching.”

Huebscher thinks the church is teaching the social encyclicals, but the evidence is sketchy. “How many laypeople have ever been taught anything about the Catholic encyclicals?” asks Marquette’s Carey.[We know all Marquette grads have Humane Vitae memorized] “It doesn’t surprise me that Catholic laypeople don’t necessarily support unions. The culture can teach more easily by osmosis than the church can.”

“When I talk with priests around the country, they say the church’s social teaching is the subject they feel least comfortable addressing,” says Father Bryan Massingale, associate professor of theology at Marquette.[Less comfortable than gay marriage apparently] “They tell me their two weakest courses in seminary were homiletics and social justice.”

entire article at US Catholic

US Catholic = NC Reporter.  Liberalism is their religion.  It is very telling that they are still trying to spin Listecki as unconditionally supporting unlimited bargaining for public sector unions, despite the fact Listecki clarified his own statement as neutral.  Count how many times Rerum Novarum is referenced without ever quoting it. 

Want to "get" Catholic Social Teaching? Read Regnum Novum, and check out Mr. Gutierrez' section on Catholic Social Teaching at Discerning Hearts.

Not discussed in the article was the public sector union's firm support of abortion, same-sex marriage, contraception without parental consent, and pornographic sex education beginning at early as kindergarten.

You think politics in Washington is bad?  Try politics within the Church!

Marquette Univerity priest promotes same-sex "marriage"

A Catholic priest who works with a group that advocates "full equality" of homosexuals would not say whether he agrees with the Catholic Church’s teaching on homosexuality. 
 

Equally Blessed, which describes itself as “a coalition of faithful Catholics who support full equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people both in the church and in civil society,” held a Mar. 30 briefing on Capitol Hill.

...Rev. Bryan Massingale, a priest with the archdiocese of Milwaukee and an associate professor of moral theology at Marquette University, a Catholic institution, and Sr. Simone Campbell, executive director of NETWORK, a national Catholic social justice lobby, spoke at the briefing.

Dad29 points out that his logic isn't exactly... well, logical

You might have noticed a Marquette law instructor opining on how to get same-sex adoption legalized in Wisconsin as well. 

Catholic Priests/Nuns support pro-abortion WI unions

Interfaith Coalition for Worker Justice of South Central Wisconsin, Inc.
2300 South Park Street, Suite 109, Madison, WI 53713, 608-255-0376

As people of faith, we oppose Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker’s plan to deny collective bargaining rights for public employees. Our religious traditions are very clear that workers, as human beings that have inherent dignity, have the right to form associations to improve their conditions at work. Statements issued by the following Christian denominations-- Roman Catholic, African Methodist Episcopal Zion, American Baptist, Christian Methodist Episcopal, Disciples of Christ, Episcopal, Evangelical Lutheran Church of America, Presbyterian Church U.S.A., United Church of Christ, and United Methodist Church-- along with the Central Conference of American Rabbis, Union of Reform Judaism, Council on American Islamic Relations, Muslim American Freedom Foundation, the Unitarian Universalist Church and others, support the right of workers to organize and bargain with their employers over wages, benefits, and a voice on the job.

Teachers, public health workers, county/municipal employees and all people who provide vital services to our communities are under attack, falsely blamed for budget problems caused by the unemployment crisis and the drop in state revenues as businesses have closed, fewer people pay taxes, and consumers spend less. Wholesale attacks on public servants will only worsen this situation. Therefore we urge our legislators and Governor Walker to stop this bill and stand for genuine efforts to create jobs, improve standards, and respect all people who work and contribute to their families and communities.

NAME & TITLE ORGANIZATION/ AFFILIATION ZIP CODE E-MAIL

17. Sister Barbara Pfarr, SSND, School Sisters of Notre Dame,53235, bpfarr@ssnd-milw.org
18. Sister Mary Catherine Jarema, SSND School Sisters of Notre Dame, 53235
19. Rev. Gregory J. O’Meara, S.J. 53203 gregory.omeara@marquette.edu
21. Sister Janet Gregorcich, SSND Director, Global Partners Program, School Sisters of Notre Dame, 53235, jgregorc@ssnd-milw.org
28. Fr. Mike Berthram, St. Francis of Assisi, 53212, BerthramM@ArchMil.Org
29. Fr. Art Hei, St James, 53051, heinzea@archmil.org
30. Jim Zalinski OFM, Capuchin Justice Peace and Ecology, 53233, Zelito@Juno.Com
38. Rev.Jerry Schroeder, St. Benedict the Moor Parish, 53233, benspastor@sbcglobal.net
39. Rev. Bryan N. Massingale, Associate Professor/ Marquette University, 53201, bryan.massingale@marquette.edu
40. Fr. Mike Michaeliski, Catholic Priest on the East Side of Milwaukee, michalskim@archmil.org.
44. Sister Ruth Poochigian, O.P. Dominican Sister (Sinsinawa),53716, RuthOP@aol.com
51. Rev. Msgr. Thomas F. Baxter, St. James and St. Joseph Catholic Parishes, 53715 and 53713, tbaxter@straphael.org

IC
HT Jeanne

I see some archdiocesan email accounts being used here....

Milwaukee priest: The Catholic Church is racist

Our Lady of Africa

MILWAUKEE — The title of the book – “Racial Justice and the Catholic Church” – might make Catholics cringe, might even make them uncomfortable. The author, Fr. Bryan N. Massingale, knows that, but he also hopes readers and potential readers will move beyond that.

“Yes, there are some difficult things that are said, and some painful truths being articulated, but I hope people can understand that they’re being said out of a deep love for the church, a love for our tradition, and a love for who we can and ought to be,” he said. “I would hope that readers would hear the painful truth, but (know) that it is spoken in love.”

I'm reminded of the story of Fr. Augustine Tolton, whom is being investigated for sainthood(and who served in Chicago for a time).   It's a serious accusation though.  Let's look to the very bottom of the article where something concrete is finally articulated.

What would a racially reconciled or racially just church look like and do for Fr. Massingale? The priest provided a litany of answers about the church he would like to see 20-30 years from now:

• “I would hope that the leadership of the Catholic Church would better reflect its demographics.”

• “I would hope that our worship would reflect a greater comfort and ease with cultural diversity, that we wouldn’t hear complaints of, ‘Why do we need to sing in Spanish?’ and ‘We don’t have any of “them” here.’ We’d realize that we are all brothers and sisters and that we’re a catholic church and that we’d be proud to pray in Catholic ways that are universal.”

• “… a church where a concern for the immigrant would not be seen solely as a political hot potato, but that we would see a concern for immigration as obviously flowing from our faith – faith in that Jesus called us to welcome the stranger.”

 Milwaukee Catholic Herald

Well... it seems this is just another liberal Marquette professor inserting politics into religion.  Accusing the church of racism over .... immigration?  The first point could be valid, but I haven't looked at the numbers.  But immigration?  Something the USCCB has taken such a liberal approach to?  Was the MCH afraid to push back on this one and ask for something more concrete?  I'd love to discuss the issue but ...... not singing in Spanish?????  I honestly wondered if this was a joke at first.  The Church is racist and supports racism because we are not singing in Spanish when there is no one that speaks Spanish in the area??  So the universal language of the Church's liturgy is Spanish?  I must have missed that encyclical. 

Can someone shed some light on this?  Am I missing something here?

Update(HT Kat): Surprise, surprise, it seems Fr. Massingale has gone so far as to publicly oppose his own bishop on gay "marriage."