Becoming CEOs of the institution and ceding the Church to lawyers rather than to the Gospel was mistake number one. Severing the sacramental connection between priest and bishop was mistake number two. However, the most egregious mistake the bishops have made throughout the entire clergy sexual abuse crisis is the third. The bishops committed the capital sin of sloth. We think of sloth as laziness, but it is not. It is self-pity, a sorrow for oneself that embraces a… Read more
July 19, 2019
BISHOPS EMBRACING SLOTH–MISTAKES OF THE BISHOPS PART THREE
July 19, 2019 By Monsignor Eric Barr, STL
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July 1, 2019
ST. JOHN HENRY CARDINAL NEWMAN–TO BE CANONIZED ON OCTOBER 13
July 1, 2019 By Monsignor Eric Barr, STL
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If you don’t know this man you should. He is one of the most famous theologians in the past three hundred years. He’s the reason I’ve stayed Catholic. Many others would agree that he has kept them Catholic too. So glad he will be declared a saint. He was a brilliant theologian. And a writer of poems and hymns. Here is his most famous poem. It was my favorite in high school. The Pillar of the Cloud John Henry Newman… Read more
June 27, 2019
VENERABLE ARCHBISHOP FULTON SHEEN–HOMEWARD BOUND
June 27, 2019 By Monsignor Eric Barr, STL
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HOMEWARD BOUND If you find it’s me you’re missing If you’re hoping I’ll return To your thoughts I’ll soon be list’ning And in the road I’ll stop and turn Then the wind will set me racing As my journey nears its end And the path I’ll be retracing When I’m homeward bound again Bind me not to the pasture Chain me not to the plow Set me free to find my calling And I’ll return to you somehow. –Marta Keen,… Read more
June 24, 2019
SHEPHERDS THROWING PRIESTS TO THE WOLVES–MISTAKES OF THE BISHOPS PART TWO
June 24, 2019 By Monsignor Eric Barr, STL
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So they lawyered up. That was the first mistake the bishops made in the sex abuse crisis. Deciding to be CEOs rather than shepherds. Thinking that money would solve what pastoral care would not attempt. Then the leaders of the Church made a second mistake: the bishops broke the foundational sacramental link between a bishop and his priests. What was supposed to be a firm partnership of brothers in ministering to the People of God became a standoff between a… Read more
June 19, 2019
BROADWAY SONG BECOMES HONG KONG ANTHEM
June 19, 2019 By Monsignor Eric Barr, STL
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A Broadway song has unexpectedly taken a prominent place in the real life fight for freedom in Hong Kong. Probably the most famous musical of all time, LES MISERABLES, has provided the struggling city of Hong Kong with a freedom anthem. This past weekend, two million people took to the streets of the metropolis to march for freedom from an increasingly oppressive mainland China. Many of the marchers were heard singing “Do You Hear The People Sing”, the freedom song… Read more
June 17, 2019
NEW AGE AMAZON SYNOD DOCUMENT PORTENDS DISASTER
June 17, 2019 By Monsignor Eric Barr, STL
2 Comments
Anybody remember the BILLY JACK movies from the early 1970’s? As a teen-ager, I just loved them. Billy Jack, a Vietnam vet, a Native American, returns home and fights people who are persecuting Native Americans. He was Chuck Norris before Chuck Norris and his martial arts feats captivated us kids. Then we grew up and realized that the movies were a mish mash of naive social justice concepts and stereotypical portrays of tribal customs and life on a reservation. I… Read more
June 15, 2019
MISTAKES OF THE BISHOPS–PART ONE
June 15, 2019 By Monsignor Eric Barr, STL
4 Comments
The U.S. Bishops had an unimpressive week at their biannual meeting. That means this first paragraph will be boring. But take heart! It shall get better. They approved three measures to help alleviate last year’s iteration of the sex abuse crisis, namely, the ex-cardinal Theodore McCarrick controversy. First, they approved a way for a bishop to discipline another bishop within his diocese. Next, they approved norms to codify Pope Francis’ February Conference on Sex Abuse results. And finally, they approved… Read more
June 15, 2019
NO HARD HAT BIRETTAS–THE CHURCH HAS FAILED AGAIN!
June 15, 2019 By Monsignor Eric Barr, STL
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NO HARD HAT BIRETTAS? THE CHURCH HAS LET US DOWN AGAIN. Picture from the Daily Mail, showing the first Mass in Notre Dame Cathedral since the fire. Priest celebrants had to wear hard hats in case of falling debris. Even the Archbishop has to wear one in place of his miter. Seems like a good opportunity for all Church Supply companies to take advantage of. Read more
June 10, 2019
WHAT IN THE WORLD IS CARDINAL BURKE DOING?
June 10, 2019 By Monsignor Eric Barr, STL
45 Comments
What in the world is Cardinal Burke doing? What can he and his compatriots be thinking? The cardinal and several other clerics have published a Declaration of Truths which purports to be a clarification of Catholic beliefs that the signatories hold to be under attack by theologians and clerics within the Church, including the Pope himself. Please check out the story and the actual document here: http://www.ncregister.com/daily-news/new-declaration-of-truths-affirms-key-church-teachings. I’ve had the honor and privilege of meeting Cardinal Burke several times. He is… Read more
June 9, 2019
SUMMER OF SCANDAL II–IN HELL WE’LL BE IN GOOD COMPANY
June 9, 2019 By Monsignor Eric Barr, STL
7 Comments
Great bluegrass song out called “In Hell I’ll Be In Good Company.” By the time summer ends, we Catholics will be humming it as we grapple with the crisis in the Church once again. Looks like last year’s Cardinal scandal will have a sequel this year after the Washington Post’s expose of Bishop Bransfield of West Virginia. But before we get on the bandwagon of bashing priests, bishops, etc. again, perhaps we Catholics could all agree to share… Read more
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