Pastoral Associate Fired By Bishop

[CatherineM]

In Wisconsin, the bishop had received complaints about the content of theology that a pastoral associate was teaching. He couldn't really prove anything just from the complaints, so he read her graduate thesis. Apparently he only had to read parts of it to find problems, and called her in for a meeting, where, "She said that during the meeting he asked her to denounce the thesis, make a profession of faith, and take an oath of loyalty in order to remain as a pastoral associate at the parish. She said she could not refute the thesis in good conscience, that to do so would risk her reputation as a scholar and academician."

From reading between the lines, it appears that she had something in it along the lines of female ordination, so I can see where it would only take looking at a couple of spots to find problems. It caught my attention because her description reminded me of our former pastoral associate. They can't figure out how they can find anyone to replace all the ministries she was doing. Her parish only had a part time priest. We are going through the same process of trying to find replacements for all our ministries.

My two thoughts on this are: How did her thesis pass muster at St. Francis Seminary, and how many other parishes are going to go through the transition that hers is, that mine is, when these older liberal nuns and lay women begin to retire?

Here's the source: [url="http://ncronline.org/news/accountability/wisconsin-parish-worker-fired-feminist-views"]NCR[/url]

[Thy Geekdom Come]

There are about 100-200 or so people graduating every year with theology and/or catechetics degrees from Franciscan University of Steubenville. I just wish that these parishes would go straight to them or other orthodox colleges to recruit people, but many of them don't bother looking beyond their immediate area.

[StColette]

[quote name='Raphael' post='1810565' date='Mar 18 2009, 01:06 PM']There are about 100-200 or so people graduating every year with theology and/or catechetics degrees from Franciscan University of Steubenville. I just wish that these parishes would go straight to them or other orthodox colleges to recruit people, but many of them don't bother looking beyond their immediate area.[/quote]

Or they avoid Orthodox colleges like the plague in some diocese!

[VoTeckam]

[quote name='Raphael' post='1810565' date='Mar 18 2009, 02:06 PM']There are about 100-200 or so people graduating every year with theology and/or catechetics degrees from Franciscan University of Steubenville. I just wish that these parishes would go straight to them or other orthodox colleges to recruit people, but many of them don't bother looking beyond their immediate area.[/quote]

Not to mention that getting a job at some parishes is impossible if you are not part of the Good Ol' Gals club. My degree is in theology but I had a terrible time finding a job in my diocese because it is extremely progressive and if there is one thing "progressive" catholics hate more than someone who is orthodox it is someone with a fraction of their life experience explaining where their ocese has strayed.

[CatherineM]

[quote name='VoTeckam' post='1810577' date='Mar 18 2009, 12:23 PM']Not to mention that getting a job at some parishes is impossible if you are not part of the Good Ol' Gals club. My degree is in theology but I had a terrible time finding a job in my diocese because it is extremely progressive and if there is one thing "progressive" catholics hate more than someone who is orthodox it is someone with a fraction of their life experience explaining where their ocese has strayed.[/quote]

With our former pastoral associate, I had more theology background, but she was a nun, so they are deemed to automatically have the same educational background as priests by the uninformed. I fought with her for 2 years over how she was handling the RCIA education component. The final straw was when she signed up a neophyte to teach. A good way to propagate "her" theology. I told her that I wouldn't be participating, so she accused me in front of a room full of women of receiving my bursary under false pretenses since one of the reasons I received it was because of my participation in RCIA. The province pays for 95% of all my expenses including transportation because I am disabled. I received $400 from another order (much more orthodox one), and immediately offered to return it to them if it was based on my continued participation in RCIA.

They didn't want their money back, and told me to make sure I signed up for it next year as well. I don't know what our PA said around church, but I fielded a weird assortment of calls and emails for the next several weeks. Some screaming at me to return the money I stole from the church, some offering to pay it back for me if we were that desperate for money, one told me I needed to go to confession because I was going to Hell. We actually moved to another parish. Then we got calls wondering if I had been arrested because I wasn't in church, offering to pay my bail money. About 6 weeks later, our pastoral associate died suddenly in her sleep. We came back to the parish, and the weird calls stopped. I still feel guilty that our fight might have contributed to her death, and guilty that we were able to come back because she died.

It was the first funeral for a nun that I have ever attended where she wasn't buried in her habit. Normally even the ones who have worn street clothes for years are buried in their habits, but not her.

I'm just hoping that Bishops are beginning to realize that they haven't paid close enough attention to the education being done out in the sticks. They are cleaning up the seminaries, but now they have to clean up the mess those lax years produced.

[Nihil Obstat]

Maybe the calls stopped because the parishoners were worried that they'd unexpectedly die too.

No, I'm sorry. That's mean.

Church politics... probably gets worse than politics in amateur sports, eh? Luckily, being a minor still, I haven't had to experience it yet, but I'm positive I'll pick up my share when I move away and all that.

[StColette]

[quote name='Nihil Obstat' post='1810620' date='Mar 18 2009, 02:45 PM']Church politics... probably gets worse than politics in amateur sports, eh?[/quote]

You have no idea!!

[CatherineM]

I kept very busy in Oklahoma doing PC mediations, and doing workshops on conflict resolution. They should make alternative dispute resolution a required course in seminary.

[Church Punk]

Good for the bishop.

Id rather have my church staff stretch thin than let them keep on poisoning the faithful with their lies.

[Lil Red]

[quote name='VoTeckam' post='1810577' date='Mar 18 2009, 10:23 AM']Not to mention that getting a job at some parishes is impossible if you are not part of the Good Ol' Gals club. My degree is in theology but I had a terrible time finding a job in my diocese because it is extremely progressive and if there is one thing "progressive" catholics hate more than someone who is orthodox it is someone with a fraction of their life experience explaining where their ocese has strayed.[/quote]+J.M.J.+
that's when you speak their 'progressive' language, get hired and do all the orthodox stuff you want

[StColette]

[quote name='Lil Red' post='1810729' date='Mar 18 2009, 04:04 PM']+J.M.J.+
that's when you speak their 'progressive' language, get hired and do all the orthodox stuff you want [/quote]

ROFL!

[VoTeckam]

[quote name='Lil Red' post='1810729' date='Mar 18 2009, 05:04 PM']+J.M.J.+
that's when you speak their 'progressive' language, get hired and do all the orthodox stuff you want [/quote]

I would likely dry heave if I tried to pander to that crowd... at least I hope I would.

[doe-jo]

[quote name='Church Punk' post='1810702' date='Mar 18 2009, 01:46 PM']Good for the bishop.

Id rather have my church staff stretch thin than let them keep on poisoning the faithful with their lies.[/quote]
werd

[Lil Red]

+J.M.J.+
[quote name='StColette' post='1810735' date='Mar 18 2009, 01:08 PM']ROFL![/quote]
let's just say i know from personal experience that it works.

[quote name='VoTeckam' post='1810737' date='Mar 18 2009, 01:10 PM']I would likely dry heave if I tried to pander to that crowd... at least I hope I would.[/quote]
what did Jesus say about being as wise as serpents and innocent as doves? and i'll try not to take what you said personally

[StColette]

[quote name='Lil Red' post='1810755' date='Mar 18 2009, 04:24 PM']+J.M.J.+

let's just say i know from personal experience that it works. [/quote]

lol Believe me, I understand!