And another Catholic institution gives up its affiliation with the Church. Details:
As of Feb. 1, 2012, Catholic Social Services of Southern Illinois will become Christian Social Services of Illinois (CSS).
CSS has chosen to become independent of the Catholic Diocese of Belleville in order to adhere to the new State of Illinois Religious Freedom Protection and Civil Union Act and to avoid closing the agency.
The focus of the premier social services agency will continue to be high quality services, which include foster care, residential treatment care for children, residential care for the aged, daycare, senior employment, clinical counseling services, pregnancy care and adoption services.
The primary concern of the agency is the children and families served. By becoming an independent, non-denominational agency, CSS can continue to offer much needed services throughout the area. The mission and values of Christian Social Services will remain the same.
“Although we are sad to lose our Catholic identity, we are excited to be able to broaden our base of support to other Christian traditions,” said Gary Huelsmann, executive director. “The needs in southern Illinois for support of vulnerable children and families are great.
“The Catholic Diocese has carried a heavy financial burden to support the work of the agency for decades, and for that we are grateful. The last two months have been extraordinary for the agency. We have a new identity as well as expanded offices and a phenomenal staff. We hope that the agency will keep its Catholic support but also gain substantial support from other churches that currently are not connected to any other social service agencies.
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Question: Was this done for financial reasons or to circumspect the Catholic Church stand on giving children for adoption to “Gay couples”? No sarcasm, a sincere question.
I was about to ask that myself. Nowhere does it specify why the agency felt it had to sever formal ties with the Catholic Church in relation to the new law. That law now allows civil unions between gay partners, but it does not deal with adoption rules. (Maybe that’s being done under separate law or administrative rulings?)
Just another milepost on the rapid acceleration on the dismantling of Catholic institutions in the USA due to gay marriage.
A Catholic institution voluntarily divorces it’s faith to maintain a cash flow.
Founded in 1947, Catholic Social Services (CSS), is an agency of the Diocese of Belleville. Catholic Social Services is currently financed by several income sources. The largest portion of the budget comes from state funds from the Department of Children and Family Services. The Catholic Diocese of Belleville provides the next largest amount of support.
“Roman Catholic bishops in Illinois have shuttered most of the Catholic Charities affiliates in the state rather than comply with a new requirement that says they must consider same-sex couples as potential foster-care and adoptive parents if they want to receive state money.”
“For the nation’s Catholic bishops, the Illinois requirement is a prime example of what they see as an escalating campaign by the government to trample on their religious freedom while expanding the rights of gay people.”
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/29/us/for-bishops-a-battle-over-whose-rights-prevail.html?pagewanted=all
“The Dioceses of Peoria and Belleville are spinning off their state-financed social services, with the caseworkers, top executives and foster children all moving to new nonprofits that will no longer be affiliated with either diocese.
Gary Huelsmann, executive director of Catholic Social Services of Southern Illinois, in the Belleville Diocese, said the decision was excruciating for everyone.
“We have 600 children abused and neglected in an area where there are hardly any providers,” he said. “Us going out of business would have been detrimental to these children, and that’s a sin, too.”
The work will be carried on, but the Catholic Church’s seminal, historic connection with it has been severed, noted Mr. Marlowe, the spokesman for the state’s child welfare agency. “The child welfare system that Catholic Charities helped build,” he said, “is now strong enough to survive their departure.”
Many originally Catholic agencies have, in fact, lost their Catholic identity, or their very reason for being, or both. Whatever one makes of those changes, changing the name of an organization to reflect that change is not bad in itself, and there’s no law that says a diocese has to have a Catholic Charities office in the first place. As long as property issues are clear (i.e., the spun-off group isn’t taking millions of dollars in Church assets with them, as happened wantonly in the 1970s), I’ve no huge problem with these things.
How sad! I think the Dioceses of Illinois should have closed their doors permanently to Catholic Charities , as the government continues to interfere with our values. With all that we do and have done for those in need. We will see how fast the government changes it’s mind. As they are incapable to do what the Church does in her social services.
It seems like everyone came out of the deal in fair shape. The Church didn’t have to violate its doctrine, the agency does its work, the law gets followed and the families in need get served.
What is next? Close Catholic churches because they refuse to perform gay marriages?
The Illinois Bishop was duped by the state house Democrats in this case believing that an exception would be made. Guess what?
“The controversy in Illinois began when the state legislature voted in November 2010 to legalize civil unions for same-sex couples, which the state’s Catholic bishops lobbied against. The legislation was titled “The Illinois Religious Freedom Protection and Civil Unions Act,” and Bishop Paprocki said he was given the impression that it would not affect state contracts for Catholic Charities and other religious social services. “
“What is next? Close Catholic churches because they refuse to perform gay marriages?”
It doesn’t help to paint sad news worse than it is. Anyway, the Church has a divine mandate to offer liturgy, and she will carry out that mandate to the end of time. She does not have a divine mandate to run a social service agency, and if she elects not to do so, its her call, regardless of my preferences or yours.
As for whether persons are, in fact, better served in the end this way, that’s a much harder call to make.
Agreement with kenneth. Except for the lack of imagination with regard to adoption, everything continues as it was. Not only does the cash flow continue, but people don’t have to re-think their tasks and discern wider than the needs of fifty years ago.
All of this brings to mind the fact that the Church used to provide many “social services” (orphanages, hospitals, food pantries, etc.) without any financial assistance from public funds. As the cost of operating these facilities continued to rise over the years, and the “cheap” labor (i.e., religious priests, sisters & brothers) kept going away, public money was the only realistic way to fund these services. Of course, when you take public money, you have to abide by the rules, some of which do not conform to Catholic teaching.
Like many Catholic social agencies, CSSSIL grew more & more dependent on state contracts in order to carry out its foster care & adoption services (which formerly were provided in Catholic orphanages). While it’s unfortunate that the Catholic identity is being diminished here, the services will continue, which is in the best interest of all those involved.
It seems from the article that the leadership weighed the needs of the children and families they serve against their desire to follow Catholic teachings and determined, after much painful deliberation, that the lives of those they serve were more important than the connection to the Catholic church.
It brings to mind several stories from the Bible, including those of the Good Samaritan and Jesus’ teachings regarding children.
One item that is not clear (at least to me): Does changing the name and cutting its affiliation with the Church mean that they will no longer be receiving the financial support from the Diocese? It was noted in one of the comments above that while the Illinois state government is the largest source of funds, the Catholic Diocese of Belleville was the second source of funds. The anwer may seem obvious, but it wasn’t expressed explicitly. I was just curious.
And it should mean that since the Church would not be financing an institution that would violate the ethical stands of Catholic Doctrine.
How much of the Illinois . Catholic Charities budget came from state, county, city grants. Some dioceses recieve up to 80% of their budget from tax payer grants.
Catholics had better wake up. Whether they agree with specific Church teachings or not, the real battle going on is not over individual issues such as driving Catholics from the adoption ministry. Nor is it over Obamacare coercion of Catholic hospitals on a host of medical issues .Nor is it over the Obama Administration’s support of attacks on a church’s right to pick its own clergy.
It is much stronger and wider than even those.
There is a Kulturkampf — a strong cultural and legal attack on the Catholic Church by government power. The word comes from Germany in the years 1872-1887 when Otto von Bismarck led an anti-Catholic movement to crush the social and political rights of Catholic faithful and the Catholic Church.
Sadly, President Barack Obama is looking more and more like Otto von Bismarck in this area.
The budget of the non-profit corporation, not the Catholic Diocese, can be up to 80% tax payer grants. A diocese doesn’t make money helping to maintain a non-profit organization. Most non-profits are having a very successful year if they have $1000 revenue over expenses.
Just a few years ago the State of Illinois was considering closing it’s State run child welfare organization (DCFS) and giving grants to church run nonprofits to do fostercare. The private agencies were able to do the work more cheaply and effectively. A big source of pride for CSS Illinois was that it had one of the highest permancy rates in the State. A permancy goal is finding long-term placement for a foster child.
I’m a mental health therapist and it frequently appeared that the private agency caseworkers (especially from faith-based organizations) had stronger therapeutic realtionships with foster children, foster parents, and the original families of the foster children.
The ethos and mission of an agency can make a difference.
Oh my…you only have to look at the photos accompanying that article to capture its essence of its propaganda; a self-righteous bishop in front of a glowing backdrop appearing as though he has a halo, contrasted with a male couple lounging on the couch with their puppy…crucifix hanging on the wall behind them. Sometimes the NYT is just so obvious in their bias, it’s painful.
Vehement disagreement with both of you. This is a surrender, by which a Catholic institution has abandoned its identity and apostolate, allowing itself to be co-opted by the state. An adoption agency (serving the explicitly Catholic purpose in rendering aid to orphans) which formerly was unwilling (on religious grounds) to place children with same sex couples, now agrees to commit child abuse (placing children in morally hazardous homes) and sacrilege (by recognizing same sex unions as spousal). It has done so as a condition of being allowed to survive. In other words, it has committed evil pretending that good may come of it — precisely the same rationalization employed for abortion and torture. An institution doing good works has ceased to exist. A new institution, staffed by the same people and housed in the same offices, is now cooperating in grave evil. That a few jobs have been saved is unimportant: what’s essential is that a Catholic institution has been driven out of existence — which was the intent all along. There is no way this can be spun as anything but a defeat for religious liberty.
Catholics need not apply.
While it’s unfortunate that the Catholic identity is being diminished here, the services will continue, which is in the best interest of all those involved.
One can imagine Thomas Cranmer purring the same soothing words about Westminster Abbey.
Because the Bible is a manual for social service agencies?
No: it brings to mind the eighth Commandment: you shall not bear false witness.
The Bishops should convene a meeting immediately and every Catholic Cardinal, Archbishop and Bishop in these United States, together as a group, publicly, unequivocally and without exception, tell this Administration and like-minded members of the U.S. Congress, State Legislatures and local governing bodies in one united single voice that when it comes to any attempt at any level of government to direct Catholics to abide by any law, rule, or regulation that is inconsistent with the teachings of the Catholic Church there is only one response acceptable to God: No! Never! We will not comply!
Catholic Charities, Catholic social agency’s, schools and universities must not comply with any government directive that violates the tenets of their faith. The Catholic members of these organizations should not be forming alternate legal entities through which they intend to participate in programs that are contrary to Catholic teaching. The same teachings that compel the Catholic Church to stand up for Truth apply to individual Catholics as well.
I believe it was Cardinal Cooke, who whenever any government entity suggested or directed that Catholic organizations comply with laws, regulations or directives contrary to Church teaching, did, as we should be doing now: announce his intent to close down every Catholic program impacted by such unacceptable rules, if they were not rescinded. Guess who blinked first?
This should not be a game. No doubt, many will be inconvenienced and some may not get services they need. But first and foremost should be the concern for the salvation of souls.
Tell these attempted usurpers of our God-given right to practice our religion without government interference that all Catholic social, charitable and health related programs will cease operation within 30 days if the proposed unconstitutional mandates are not repealed.
Let them accept full responsibility for what will follow from their unconstitutional action and let us defend the truth, save our souls and honor our God!
We have the upper hand in the earthly plain – the Catholic network is too large for the government to replace. More importantly we have the upper hand morally because we are simply doing what our God expects.
For some time, we have been warned that a time would come when it would cost dearly to be a Catholic and to defend the Catholic Faith. That time is here.
Who will we serve: God or man?
Well said, Romulus.
I sincerely hope that the new agency will not send out misleading begging letters to the Catholics on their mailing list who formerly supported their work. There is a world of difference between making a charitable contribution to an agency that places at-risk children in good homes with a loving adoptive mother and father, and an agency that is committing the grave moral evil of placing those children in the care of same-sex pairs, to the violation of the children’s rights and their human dignity. I would say that for a Catholic directly and intentionally to send funds to this new group would at least possibly be a sin (that is, if they are supporting the agency *because* the agency will place children in the homes of gay pairs and/or other immoral situations). For Catholics to be duped into doing so by the agency because of any misleading advertising suggesting that nothing much has changed would be a gross violation of the rights of Catholics to direct their charitable efforts in ways that line up with Church teaching.
It would, I believe, be a good thing if the Diocese of Belleville were to issue a statement reminding all Catholics in the diocese that there are serious reasons to oppose the new agency and to cut off any support to it.
Don’t be too sure it won’t come to that. Don’t underestimate the power of the gay/lesbian lobby, which is framing any opposition as discrimination and hate mongering. Most people nowadays are “thinking” with their emotions, not their heads.
Things are not in fair shape when the law bars Christians from doing charity work without compromising natural law and their teachings.
Amen to the outraged posts above. Wake up is right. No Never We Will Not Comply about sums it up. Woe to the attempted usurpers. Woe, woe and woe.
Here…you dropped a gnat.
One can imagine Thomas Cranmer purring the same soothing words about Westminster Abbey.
If Deacon Greg gives end-of-the-year awards for Best Comment on his blog, I will nominate this line.
I don’t underestimate what can happen. I just don’t describe what has happened in apocalyptic terms. I such terms for when they are needed.
So many comments on posts like this–all from Catholics, I believe–make the assumption that what the Church teaches about sexuality applies only to Catholics, or perhaps only to those of us who choose to go along with it. But that is certainly not what we mean when we claim that some patterns of sexual behavior are violations of the natural law. We mean that those patterns are not good for anybody, even those who freely choose to engage in them, and are especially dangerous to innocent children, many of them already victims of the Sexual Revolution.
Erin Manning made a very important point here about what it is that this new “Christian” agency has agreed to do in return for tax dollars:
An adoption agency (serving the explicitly Catholic purpose in rendering aid to orphans) which formerly was unwilling (on religious grounds) to place children with same sex couples, now agrees to commit child abuse (placing children in morally hazardous homes) and sacrilege (by recognizing same sex unions as spousal).
That is what makes this decision a tragedy rather than simply a clever ploy to continue providing badly needed “services” under a different logo.
The winners in this situation are the families and children that this organization will continue to serve. Very good move on their part. If they had closed then there would be more suffering due to their presence being gone. The group wasn’t able to function as it wished by staying with the Church. Good work will continue.
How is their decision Christian, anyway?
If placement with same-sex couples, cohabiting couples, or single parents were really an issue, Catholic Charities offices would promote adoption as a serious matter for Catholic families to consider.
Because they don’t, I have a hard time taking the stance of bishops seriously on this one. They are concerned less for the “immoral homes” children might be placed in and more for their own stain in placing them. That strikes me as narcissistic to the extreme.
If this were a real moral issue, and not a phantom, bishops and pastors would be going door to door to their Catholic families to get their home studies completed and flood secular and state adoption agencies with good Catholics who are “proper” parents.
May I ask, Erin, if you and your family have adopted any children?
And how about you Todd? How many have you adopted?
This is my way of saying, “No, Todd, you may not ask that question.” Whether one has felt called and able to adopt children. Whether one has been personally generous or not, has absolutely zero bearing on the validity of the principles under discussion.
And in the same way, your argument about what the hierarchy would be doing if the issues you cite were the real issue is stuff and nonsense. That you raise these canards serves only to show that you know no valid reason to oppose the bishops’ (and Erin’s) position.
I second the motion Ron!
It’s amazing the selfishness of these “same sex” unions: arising from their vanity to be “parents” they are very willing to deny the child the right to know a father and a mother, which is as basic as it gets. The typical BS response with anecdotal evidence of well adjusted kids raised in these homes is pathetic. So many lies. I still can’t get over the passage of the NY same sex bill on John the Baptist’s birthday.
Colin — It is Christian because of what pagansister stated in the post above yours, “Good work will continue”.
It seems to not be according to your version of Christian, though — the Catholic version. I reiterate my thoughts as stated on other topics. Perhaps in the zeal to be Catholic there is a forgetfulness to be Christian. Perhaps a greater-good-outcome ought to be more seriously considered.
Joan —
* It seems a stretch to assume “vanity”. It may very well be that the prospective parents are loving, caring people who are quite capable of raising a child. Absent any facts of either vanity or capability, perhaps neither assumption is appropriate.
* The evidence is not all anecdotal. There are scientific studies. And such studies should not be shunted aside for any than other scientific reasons — perhaps a too small sample, poor controls, not a long enough time frame, etc. Religiously you may disagree that such studies should even occur, and you have the right to feel that way, but that will probably lead to discounting a conclusion any such study reaches — a foregone conclusion based on the belief it can’t possibly be other than what you think it should be.
* I doubt the birthday (Feast Day?) of John the Baptist figured in NY’s decision.
Todd, without wishing to be provocative, I must say your comment is — literally — diabolical. It is the enemy’s way to destroy our hope in God by rubbing our noses in our own inadequacy and sinfulness. Why you should have recourse to such a line of argument is a question you should ask yourself.
Moreover, unless you have the gift of reading hearts, you have no business theorizing bad motives on the part of bishops. Knowing complicity in another’s sin, especially by those well-instructed in moral theology, is a sin in itself. The bishops’ first duty, like yours and mine — what you dismiss as “narcissism” — is the salvation of their own souls. Their state in life requires them to speak out, volens nolens.
I’m so with you Michael Seagriff. Next Bishop’s Appeal, before I open my wallet, I’m doing some research. Otherwise my $$ stays with my weekly offering.
I think that we need to remember that the Church proclaims the Gospel, spreads the Kingdom of God, and teaches faith and morals. Psychology, including child and adolescent psychology, is not specifically within its sphere of competence.
We also need to remember that the question of adoption by same-sex couples is a very new one, which that Church has not had time to reflect on in the way that it has, for example, on contraception; so our position to date is far from infallible and is subject to clarification.
Finally, we need to remember that children who are available for adoption by same-sex couples are children who have not been adopted by heterosexual couples or single parents. The alternative for the children in question is not adoption by a mother and a father, but foster homes (likely a succession) or institutionalization — in other words, the alternative is likely to be a far less stable upbringing. When we consider the best interest of the child, we have to realize that we are not always able to provide the ideal in the form of mother and father in a stable marriage.
naturgesetz: Thank you for a well written post—and I happen to agree with all 3 paragraphs. The last paragraph ? Couldn’t have said it better. Children need love and sometimes the combination of the parents is not the important thing…love and security are more important.
I don’t think any amount of reflection on the Church’s part will ever give a nod to same-sex couple adoption.
Then, RomCath, some very needy children might miss out on much needed love. Just because the love doesn’t happen to come from what is considered to be “ideal” it is so much better than shuffling from foster home to foster home, IMO.
This is specifically untrue: ” . . . we need to remember that children who are available for adoption by same-sex couples are children who have not been adopted by heterosexual couples or single parents.”
The point of forcing adoption agencies to treat same-sex couples the same as others is to open up an opportunity for gay couples to adopt babies and other eligible children on the same terms as everybody else, including married heterosexual couples. Part of the campaign behind this has been extensive publicity about hard-to-place kids who have been fostered or adopted by gays and lesbians. However, the new sexuality-neutral policies for adoption agencies may actually DIScourage same-sex couples from considering unconventional adoptions in the future.
I hadn’t been aware of that aspect of it.
That was my assumption all along: that the same sex couple would have equal status as prospective adopters. And I was thinking infants.
Everyone? Minor detail. The immortal souls of ALL involved. CSS sold its soul in this “deal” with the Devil. CSS is directly facilitating the immoral “lifestyle” of homosexuals. Children, with the direct help of CSS are being placed in homes based on an intrinsically immoral relationship. And the Church, which is at the forefront of protecting such children from abortionists in the first place, is no longer able to help those self-same children be placed. No my friend, you have it all wrong. Noone came out in good shape. As Catholics we are called to go into the world AND CHANGE IT. Otherwise we are just a social service agency hiding behind the good that we do as a smokescreen for the Evil that CSS is now DIRECTLY involved in. And now the “health care mandate”. Read Humane Vitae when you get some time- Pope Paul VI predicted it all, including the government mandate.