“A time is coming when men will go mad, and when they see someone who is not mad, they will attack him, saying, 'You are mad; you are not like us.” ― St. Antony the Great
A few months ago, we reported on the situation at Our Lady of Grace parish in Aurora, Ontario in the Archdiocese of Toronto. The Pastor, Father Joe Gorman, was asked to take some time off after certain irregularities were discovered. Our sources indicate that repeated requests of pastoral care by the Cardinal Archbishop to this man were rebuffed. He has now made his decision. In a letter to the faithful of the parish, Thomas Cardinal Collins wrote that, “Unfortunately, Fr. Gorman has declined my
requests to participate in the proposed path of reflection and has recently
informed me of his decision to leave the priesthood."
Joe Gorman was on the "fast-track" since being ordained in only 2008 and clearly on the preferred team. The Gorman family is prominent in the Aurora and Newmarket area with significant business holdings and even municipal facilities named after the family. He was considered by Toronto's Catholic Register to be a "popular priest."
At Gorman’s request a letter was distributed
after Mass this weekend wherein he states:
“I first want to thank you for all the good
wishes and support you have shown me over the last number of months,” said Fr.
Gorman in his letter. “I love this parish. It is such a community of faith, I
loved being a part of it. As your Pastor, I was always in awe of how you
ministered to each other. You literally lived our Lord’s message of faith, love
and peace. It was so inspiring to me. This journey we have been on, and I say
‘we’ because it affected all of us, has not been easy, but after a lot of
prayer, thought and family support, I have decided to leave the priesthood. My
heart and my mind are made up and I am happy with my decision. It is my
decision and mine alone. Although I will miss seeing the parishioners of Our
Lady of Grace on a daily basis, I feel truly at peace with myself and with God.
Life is a gift that is meant to be lived with great love and faith, and always
with hope. My hope for you is that you will continue to live your life in faith
and love, and care for one another as you always have.”
This poor parish and the people of Aurora have suffered the presence of a previous Pastor who sodomised boys in the rectory and an Associate Pastor who was one of Canada's most notorious sodomite pederasts protected and covered up by Emmett Cardinal Carter in both London and Toronto.
Gorman spent his homilies on sports, allowed dogs in the sanctuary and did his own thing at Mass. It was the Father Joe Show! He misdirected intended funds from the collection plate to unauthorised charities, he performed an invalid marriage in the Church of two Catholics not able to marry and he even presided at a "marriage" in an Anglican Church of two Catholics and then forged the register to indicate that it was someone else. He broke Canon and Civil Law. We should ask why the Anglican layman in a priest collar could not perform the supposed "nuptials." Was there something in particular about the couple that this Gorman would have done such a thing?
There are many questions that the people of Aurora, and indeed Catholics in general in Toronto need to ask their curia: Why was Joe Gorman ever ordained to the priesthood? What went wrong at St. Augustine's Seminary that the issues that presented themselves only seven years after ordination were not seen? What formation was there for Joseph Gorman on the issues of ecclesiology and obedience? What test was made of his vocation to begin with?
Another question is this:
Will the suffering faithful of Aurora ever get a truly Catholic pastor who cares more for the Lord and their souls than their own narcissism or the evil desire to sodomise children?
My wife, the Fox, hails from your Newmarket and Aurora community. She is as gobsmocked as I am with what you brave Anonymous folks from Aurora write in the combox. She also grew up in a parish where Father Scanlon was Pastor and he had dogs then, golden retrievers, but they were never, ever brought into the sanctuary. Frankly, Cardinal Ambrozic would have gone ballistic on him. She was as poorly cathechised as you, until one day she found out about it and took it upon herself to find out what the priests and teachers failed to tell her. St. Paul wrote "faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes through the word of Christ." Romans 10:17. At the end of the argument, if what you "heard" was wrong or heard incorrectly, it is now your duty as an adult to rectify it. I've tried. I've really tried to inform you, to help you understand -- that is the whole purpose of this blog. Yet, you have not read the posts for the purpose of learning, you only see what you don't like and give an opinion. Well, you know what opinions are like, everyone has one and everyone but yours, stinks! Let me repeat once again. 1. The Holy Mass is the Sacrifice of Jesus on Calvary re-presented forward in time by the priest on the altar. It is not the Last Supper and the Eucharist is not just a meal. In Lauda Sion, the Sequence for Corpus Christi, -- of course, you've never heard of the Sequence because most priests ignore it and option it out of the Novus Ordo Mass, though it is intended, and you should be mad about that too -- there is a phrase written by St. Thomas Aquinas; "vere panis filiorum, non mittendus canibus" which translates as "the true bread of the children, not intended for the dogs." It is to be interpreted literally and as a metaphor. Dogs are beautiful creatures. I have a dog. I love dogs. Dogs do not belong in the sanctuary during Mass, period. The Mass is the Holy of Holies as in the Temple of Jerusalem and the Jews would never have taken an animal inside. It is sacred. It s not for dogs. It distracts the "children" from the Mass. Stop justifying the dog because it is cute. 2. Collections are taken up for various causes ordered by the bishop. We do not take from the collection plate for our own purposes or charities, even if we mean well. There must be accountability. We refer the poor to the St. Vincent de Paul Society or it to them. The Society is very, very active in York Region. Special collections are for what the bishop determines, the north and our native peoples, ShareLife, Shepherd's Trust, the maintenance of holy sites in Israel and Palestine, and so on. It is not for a priest or a parishioner to decide otherwise. If the priest or the individual wishes to take money from their pocket to directly help the poor, that is their business. We refer to our Catholic agencies supported from the collection. We do not give directly from the plate because it is not accountable! What don't you get about that? 3. Pope Francis is not an issue to be compared to in this regard and he would uphold the law as set by the Bishop, so leave the Holy Father out of this and stop misinterpreting him. He wants the homeless in Rome to be clean and have hair cuts, so he ordered a facility built just off St. Peter's Square. He did not sell a fresco and give the money to the poor which could be used as an enabler for alcohol, drugs, gambling, porn, prostitution or other purposes which would be harmful to the individual or his or her family. To suggest that the Pope would support what you think in this case is beyond absurd. You really are impoverished -- and I'm being charitable. If you want to learn and have valid questions, leave them in this combox and I will answer you with facts and references. In the interest of your salvation, my friends who doubt what I am saying, sit down for 16 minutes and listen to this homily: Our time is short. A storm is coming, indeed; it is already here.
Some posts reveal just how far our people have fallen due to the failure of priests and bishops in catechetical, scriptural and ecclesiastical teaching. The Sad State of Affairs in Aurora extends far beyond the ecclesiastical-sacramental and collection plate irregularities. The seriousness of these issues are appropriate for the Church to deal with and not petitions of the people or letters to the editor or online. Failure of years of homiletics, liturgy and catechesis has corrupted and failed to correct the thinking and understanding of many members of this parish and others on what it means to be a Catholic and to think, like a Catholic.
A pastor has two responsibilities in life -- to get his soul to heaven and the souls of his flock. If a pastor has formed one to think and believe in a manner as you will read below, then he may have much to answer for. Deformed thinking comes from malformed faith. It is deadly to the person, their families and the broader culture. Those responsible for teaching heresy, mistruths and erroneous opinion and engaging in liturgical abuses could well end up in Hell. Notwithstanding certain heresies and opinions of some fairly prominent theologians and clerics, we do not have a "reasonable hope" that Hell is empty and that most or all are saved, they are not. There is a Hell and those who don't believe it will find out when they get there. I am being harsh to WAKE YOU UP. Time is short, the world is burning and it is going to get worse. Your time is short, so is mine.
I've written previously and will do so again that it is not me with whom you should be angry. You should be directing it to those who taught you wrongly and failed to teach you how to think and discern truth from lies, good from evil, wrong from right. You write of "love," whatever you mean by love, but do not write of faith or truth. You whine about "feelings" but you cannot articulate fact. Faith is not about feelings. It is about Truth and His name is Jesus Christ! So, let our catechesis begin.
Anonymous said...
Where does your condemnation end? You could go back much further in the history of the Church to find offences much greater than that of which you speak. The Catholic Church has a very dark history that I'm sure you are very aware of. I am worried/sad for you because of the hate that you cause others to feel. Whether it be directed at people who you feel have sinned, or directed at you for your sensationalist views. You can quote the bible all you want, and that is your right. However, I challenge you to find anything in there about Jesus saying that homosexuality is a sin. Here I mean a very clearly stated quote, and not a piece that can be construed in any number of ways. Also, as far as the practice of marriage goes, I assume you are a aware that the Catholic Church (not God, Jesus or otherwise) decided that this should become a sacrament in the medieval times. Who are you, or I or anyone else to say what constitutes a holy, sanctified marriage? If you were truly a Godly person as you claim to be (and for the record I am not saying that you aren't) I cannot understand how love is not the focus of your writing. People make mistakes, people sin, people are not perfect, but who are we if we cannot accept them and help them to the best of our ability? Who are we to condemn? Saturday, 7 February 2015 at 21:38:00 GMT-5
And. Anonymous said...
Hi Brian (it's me again)
you do raise a good point that because Jesus didn't condemn something by name, then anything goes. Clearly that is not reasonable to assume. However, who then makes these decisions to condemn others who are different? I am not homosexual myself, but I have the privilege of knowing a couple of people who are. Homosexuality is NOT a choice, who, in their right minds would make the decision to be gay in a world that is still so ignorant and hateful towards those who are? It is not the work of the Devil. These are loving, intelligent people who have every right to have the love and happiness that we have. As far as my reference to marriage not originally being a part of the Church, it is true that I have not looked into this fact in many years. Once upon a time I studied medieval history in University, this is where I learned this fact (through my own research). This comment was more to the idea of the Church being a changing entity to which Vox was arguing against. Let me be perfectly clear with what is my belief, a belief which has grown through the Catholic Church. Love is where faith should begin. One of the biggest problems that I have seen with religion in general is people hiding behind their faith to make 'holier than thou' statements. These people attend Church regularly and therefore believe that they are superior to those who do not. You want to be 'Holy', or 'Good'? Get involved in your communities and make a positive difference. Don't judge others because they are different, love them for it. Have meaningful discussion about your differences. Condemnation ends any and every conversation and hate takes its place. Every single time.
1.0: My condemnation of evil and those who undermine truth and liturgical prayer will end, God-willing, with my last breath and the words, "Jesus have mercy upon me a sinner," may I have that grace! I hope to be welcomed with "Well done, good and faithful servant you have been faithful with few things" but I expect I will have a millenium or two or more in purgatory. There, I go quoting scripture again and Catholic dogma which seems to be an issue for you. 1.1: You seem to be a member of this parish. Perhaps you should show your anger over what happened 25 years ago, since you mention a "dark history" in the Church proper. Please tell us what other examples of this so-called "dark history" you accuse the Church of committing, real dark history, not the revisionist history of the Muslim Brotherhood lackey Obama's view of the Crusades and the Inquisition. Please, be specific about the greatest force of good in human history, rather than some canard which simply did not exist. 2.0: I hate no person, though admittedly, it comes close with Obama (and don't even think that I am a racist, the better-half of the Vox, the Fox; is South African!) I do hate the Islamo-fascist movement that is wiping out Christians and setting the world aflame - I hate the false religion founded by a murderous peodophile and denier of Christ; I hate the sodomite-fascist movement that is undermining the culture, the family and going after our youth by convincing them that it is "cool to be gay" and the Church is wrong (been to a school lately?) I hate the pervert movement epitomised by the child porn aficionado and former bishop Raymond Lahey masturbating to the images of naked boys on his laptop computer. I hate the pathetic and perverted actions of child pornographer Bernard Levin whose work still influences lesbian Kathleen Wynne and her intent to corrupt children with unacceptably blatant sex education in our schools. I hate abortion which kills babies and hurts women and proclaims choice without ever describing the choice - murder of the innocent. I hate the movement to kill our elderly and infirm (yes, it will go that far) through the Supreme Court of Canada, I hate all of these and you should too. On all of these, it is the fault of Catholics, bishops, priests and laity. We are 40% of Canada's population. If we lived our faith we would change our country overnight. As for me, "Truly, I know my sins, they are always before me."
3.0: Are you judging and "condemning" me for "quoting the Bible?" If so, then you are playing right into the hands of Protestants, now and in history, with their "Catholics don't read the Bible" mantra.
4.o: You challenged me to "to find anything there (in the Bible) by Jesus saying that homosexuality is a sin ... a clearly stated quote ... not construed" 4.1: I imagine the question of sodomy is raised because I mentioned it in the original post. I proffered that the filthy, degrading history of a pastor and associate pastor decades ago has left a darkened spirit in the parish. That abomination released a devil in the parish yet to be exorcised. Demons occupy space and geography, not just people. 4.2: Your comments reflect a nihilistic, relativist, modernist and politically-correct view of marriage, divorce and the condition of homosexuality. The men that did this in your parish were sodomites. Not all men - those homosexuals suffering with same-sex attraction (SSA) - are pederasts [men having sex with post-pubescent boys verses paedophiles which have sex with prepubescent boys or girls] but all pederasts are homosexuals! You've heard of NAMBLA, right? The sex abuse crimes committed by priests, except in rare cases, were crimes committed by sodomite priests upon boys that had reached puberty. Homosexual sex with post-pubescent, virginal teen-age boys has historical fact dating back to ancient Greece and Rome. It is not new. Even one thousand years ago in his monumental work Liber Gomorrhianus" St. Peter Damian, a Doctor of the Church said, “For God’s sake, why do you damnable sodomites
pursue the heights of ecclesiastical dignity with such fiery ambition?” You ask, for authority, I give it to you. Where is yours?
Caution - use of certain terminologies that some may find disturbing
4.3: The homoheresy movement has succeeded in making one think that it's all about love and curtains and nice kitchen appliances and the colours of paint on the walls and "his and his towels" [JB this is from Fox] and that anyone taking an opposing view is a hater. They have made people think that it is about tolerance and acceptance. It is not. It is about destroying marriage and the family and forcing the acceptance of sexual perversion on the rest of us. It is about promoting a pattern of life filled with guilt and self-loathing and normalising it. It is evil and those who are manifestly trapped within it have been given over to Satan. Fisting, rimming, anal and oral copulation, urination, fecal play, slurp-ramping, glory holes, public bath-houses for sex and other deviant behaviours and public nudity is not acceptable. The body is a "temple of the Holy Spirit" - it is a sin against God and a crime against nature. Why should I care? I care for people's souls. Every sin affects the world, mine and yours. It destroys grace and dulls the senses. Sexual sins of fornication, adultery, sodomy, pornography, masturbation and so on create a need to go further and further for satisfaction Pornography of homosexual and heterosexual nature is one of the biggest crises facing children and youth, it is rampant. Men and yes, women -- Catholic men and women watch pornography regularly spending trillions of dollars on it and blind to the damage that it causes to their souls and psyche. Pure evil. Is this hate? No! It is in fact love to speak the truth. Men wear diapers because they have lost control of the anal sphincter! They die younger than men not engaging in sodomy. They have greater degrees of depression. Their suicide rates are higher. The rates of syphilis and gonorrhea and other sexually transmitted diseases are higher and more virulent to say nothing of AIDS. The abuse between same-sex couples is manifestly higher than heterosexual. Monogamy is rare. 4.4: When you say that sodomy is not a choice, you are wrong. We all have a choice whether to sin or not. We do not have to have sexual relations with anyone. The condition and causes of SSA is not fully understood but, nobody is born with a "gay-gene." A loving God who creates us and condemns this behaviour would not create us in this manner. It is a learnt behaviour - psychological, emotional and environmental. People have freed themselves from the behaviour and I know men that have. They may still have some form of SSA they do not act out on it. Some marry and become fathers. Some dedicate a life to God offering up their suffering for the sake of their souls. The Church, as outlined in the Catechism of the Catholic Church does not label people as "Gay" notwithstanding certain imprudent remarks by the current Bishop of Rome. We are not defined by our sexual action. There are only two genders, the rest are straight from the pit of Hell. The desire to have sexual relations with someone of the same sex is "intrinsically disordered" not the person, the desire as the Church teaches magisterially and definitively in the Catechism, is disordered, the act is mortally sinful. It is one of the four sins "crying out to God for justice." The acts of sodomy, fisting, rimming, oral-copulation, sado-masochism, mutilation of the gentiles through surgery along with adultery, fornication, masturbation and bestiality are sins against God and nature and the unrepentant will end up in Hell, period. 4.5: The word homosexual is just over one hundred years old -- 1892. It is an English translation from Richard von Krafft-Ebing's Psychopathia Sexualis. Of course, Jesus did not use the word, the word did not exist! Sodomy is used throughout Holy Scripture and it is the sin to describe unnatural sexual acts, usually between men, but can be broader. Jesus did not need to use the term; everyone knew in first century Judaism that it was a sin and an "abomination to the LORD." The first century apostles and the early church fathers knew it.
4.6 Jesus is God. He was "from the beginning." Jesus is the WORD MADE FLESH. He was active in the Old Testament, He was the WORD of God Who came forth in the Blessed Mother's womb. Do you believe this? If you are a Catholic you must believe this. Jesus said plenty about sodomy.
4.7 These verses are taken from the New Revised Standard Version -- Catholic Edition used in the lectionary in Canada.
Leviticus. 18:22. "You shall not lie with a male as one
lies with a female; it is an abomination."
Leviticus. 20:13 If a man lies with a male as with a woman,
both of them have committed an abomination; they shall be put to death; their
blood is upon them.
1 Corinthians 6:9-10. Do you not know that wrongdoers will
not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived! Fornicators, idolaters,
adulterers, male prostitutes, sodomites, thieves, the greedy, drunkards,
revilers, robbers—none of these will inherit the kingdom of God.
Romans 1:24-27. Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of
their hearts to impurity, to the degrading of their bodies among themselves,
because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served
the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen. For this
reason God gave them up to degrading passions. Their women exchanged natural
intercourse for unnatural, and in the same way also the men, giving up natural
intercourse with women, were consumed with passion for one another. Men
committed shameless acts with men and received in their own persons the due
penalty for their error.
Jude 1:7. Just as Sodom and Gomor'rah and the surrounding cities, which likewise acted immorally and indulged in unnatural lust, (NOTE: NOT INHOSPITALITY - St. Jude would know, he spoke to Jesus and was his cousin) serve as an example by undergoing punishment of eternal fire.
4.8: Jesus did say these things. Jesus is God the Son who is, was and always will be. He is the WORD as stated above. It was the WORD through the HOLY SPIRIT that inspired Holy Moses and Saints Paul and Jude to write that which you read above, or do you not believe this? Are you questioning the clear and unambiguous teaching of Holy Scripture? 5.0: You further wrote that, "as far as the practice of marriage goes, I assume you
are a aware that the Catholic Church (not God, Jesus or otherwise) decided that
this should become a sacrament in the medieval times. Who are you, or I or
anyone else to say what constitutes a holy, sanctified marriage?" You also indicate that "once upon a time you "studied medieval history at university." So, your professors, many biased against the Catholic Church are to be believed but the Church is not? Did university teach you at least to think and research? The bible tells us to "prove all things and hold fast to that which is good" as can be found in 1 Thessalonians 5:21. Why would the St. Paul tell us to "prove" it if he was not certain that the truth could be proven? I'll take St. Paul over your professor.
5.1: With all charity and respect I must ask this question, "Are you really a Catholic?" I must also ask a more important question; "Who put in your mind the doubts of the truth that would cause you to make such statements?" You have proven my point, that you and the people of your parish (I assume that Our Lady of Grace is your parish) have every right to be angry. The problem is, you are angry with me for shining a light and writing the truth when you should be angry with those who were responsible for forming you as a Catholic and who failed. They will be held responsible for this on their judgement day "for to whom much is given, much is expected" and "it is better that a millstone be tied around their necks and they be thrown into the bottom of the sea rather than to scandalise one of my little ones." We were once and in many ways still remain, "little ones." However, you will also be held responsible notwithstanding your false teachers. You are not a child, you are presumably Confirmed by the Holy Spirit. You went to university. There is the Internet for you to do research. You have no excuse - none of us does. Have you ever read the Catechism of the Catholic Church? Do you believe what the Church teaches? If not, why are you here? If your conscience cannot abide the truth, why do you stay? How can you hold false beliefs and receive Holy Communion?
5.2: Do you believe that the Catholic Church -- One, Holy, Universal and Apostolic -- was established on earth by Jesus Christ as His Bride and from which grace will flow to the whole earth to gather mankind within Her to bring all who will come to Heaven? Do you believe that to do this, Our Blessed Lord established it under Peter to whom he gave the "keys of the kingdom" and that what Peter -- the Church "binds on earth shall be bound in heaven and what is loosed on earth shall be loosed in heaven?" Do you believe that the Pope is in the line of Peter and that the bishops are the Apostles of our time to carry out the work of salvation for you and I through Holy Mother Church? Do you believe that "outside the Church there is no salvation?" If you do not believe these truths as revealed by Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition and Magisterial Authority, then you have not been properly formed as a Catholic and it is not surprising that you would hold the views that you do.
5.3: Last Sunday was Marriage Sunday in the Archdiocese of Toronto. The Deacon at the Mass where I chanted Saturday evening referred to the Book of Genesis where God gave Eve to Adam and this was the marriage from which the earth would be filled. Let us look at some verses from Scripture, again from the NRSV-CE.
Matthew 19: 1-11 When Jesus had finished saying these things, he left
Galilee and went to the region of Judea beyond the Jordan. Large crowds followed him, and he cured them
there. Some Pharisees came to him, and to test him they asked, “Is it lawful
for a man to divorce his wife for any cause?” He answered, “Have you not read
that the one who made them at the beginning ‘made them male and female,’ and
said, ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to
his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? So they are no longer two, but
one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.” They
said to him, “Why then did Moses command us to give a certificate of dismissal
and to divorce her?” He said to them, “It was because you were so hard-hearted
that Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not
so. And I say to you, whoever divorces
his wife, except for unchastity, and marries another commits adultery. His
disciples said to him, “If such is the case of a man with his wife, it is
better not to marry.” But he said to them, “Not everyone can accept this
teaching, but only those to whom it is given.”
5.4: Note that twice Jesus says "at the beginning" (some translations use 'in'). What is He referring to? He is referring to the first three words of the Holy Bible in Genesis - "In/at the beginning." In other words, God always intended that marriage was something ordained from Him to be "holy and sanctified" quoting yourself.
5.5: To say that the Church made marriage a "sacrament in medieval times" is simply untrue What are you referring to and where do you get such fallacy? Who told you this? Show me the proof? Protestants were similarly vexed with the believe that "transubstantiation" was also a medieval construct. Wrong. The transformation of the bread and wine to the body and blood of Christ - body, blood, soul and divinity, was always believed from the very beginning. It was defined with a word "transubstantiation" by St. Thomas Aquinas. It was always believed. The Church - East and West - always believed in the Dormition and Assumption of Our Blessed Mother but it was not defined as dogma until 1954! 5.6: Marriage between a man and a woman was ordained by God from "the beginning." The Church ordered it as a Sacrament from the early days -- a Sacrament not imposed by the priest or deacon but exchanged by the man and woman. It has also long been recognised that our protestant brethren generally maintain two of the Seven Sacraments, the first being Baptism the second being Holy Matrimony, between two Protestants, not with a Catholic. Before syphilis rotted his mind, King Henry VIII was given the title by the Pope of "Defender of the Faith," a title still held by Elizabeth II, Regina and granted, ironically, because of his defense of the Seven Sacraments against the heretic, Martin Luther. The Church of Rome, and the other autocephalous Churches have always from the beginning that matrimony was a sacrament. It has been a ritual in every culture, even pagan, from the beginning of time. The abomination of which two men or two women marrying is a pathetic and disgusting attempt to normalise a perversion and undermine our culture. You cannot re-write 6000 years of human history and culture by an Act of Parliament! You cannot undo what is within the natural law by political correctness.
5.6: You and I have every right to say what is a "holy and sanctified" marriage. I have every right because of my faith and grace of Baptism and duty of Confirmation. I have the authority to do so under "referential authority." I'm surprised that they did not teach this to you in university. I refer to the authority of Holy Scripture, the authority of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, the authority of the writings of the Popes such as Familiaris Consortio by a declared Saint - John Paul II and so on. As a rational man given knowledge and natural law, I can refer to 6000 years of recorded human history of every culture. Our native people in Canada the Aztecs and others - they all had marriage between a man and a woman and they did not have the Holy Bible! It is therefore as much culture and history as it is faith and sacrament!Human society has always held marriage as a sacred act, even when it did not know God.
6.0: Pope Benedict XVI wrote an Encyclical called Caritas in Veritate, Charity (Love) in Truth, you may wish to read it. Love is found in speaking and writing the truth. If I told you what you wanted to hear even though I knew it was wrong and would deceive you, would I be showing love? If I saw you attempting to put your finger in a light socket and did nothing, even though I knew that it could harm or even kill you, would I be showing you love?
5.8: Must there not be order in the Church? Must bishops not act appropriately to protect the integrity of the truth, the sacraments and the law of the Church and the Province for which they are responsible? You keep excusing what happened with stories about "feelings." Yes, love, love, love. Absolutely. Saint Paul tells us that "love covers a multitude of sins." But you cannot have love without truth. Jesus did not come to "destroy the law but to fulfil it." When he cautioned the people about the Pharisees he warned the people to follow them in "the law" but not to act "as they do."
Make no mistake, you have been manipulated. You've been manipulated by priests, by teachers, by media and by those who would misconstrue the truth.
You should be angry but not with Vox. If you wish to write me privately to explain any of this further, for reasoned explanation or catechesis or to find a priest that can help you, please write me at voxcantoris@rogers.com.
I really want to be charitable, but I'm finding it difficult. Perhaps you may wish to explain it to our poor friend.
Anonymous said...Guess what? This isn't the 1700's. We are in 2015 and the world changes and so will churches. If the church doesn't change the catholic population will continue to decline. Is it a bad thing that people and children enjoy church? A bunch of crazies on this site that need serious help. To sit there and pass judgement on situation it sounds like you have no personal experience with is a sin. Do you remember when black people were not allowed in churches. Is it ok that they changed those rules?
Our Holy Father Pope Francis has called on priests to stay
close to the marginalised, to go out to the "peripheries" and to be “shepherds living with the smell of the
sheep.” At Our Lady of Grace Church in Aurora, on the periphery of Toronto, I'm afraid that it is
more of stench; it's been going on for over 25 years as you will come to read shortly.
The Pastor, Father Joseph Gorman, has been removed for the time-being for "ecclesiastical irregularities." Last Sunday, Auxiliary Bishop Wayne Kirkpatrick attended the parish to explain the situation to the people. The next day Neil MacCarthy, Director of Communications for the Archdiocese of Toronto explained that there were two serious irregularities. Father Gorman presided over a wedding in the parish where one person had not received a "Decree of Nullity" and he allegedly wed two other Catholics -- a couple, according to the Toronto Star, in an Anglican chapel. It is also alleged that Father Gorman then altered the records to indicate that another minister had officiated. He is also alleged to have not followed accounting procedures for special collections and according to a report, gave parish funds directly to people "in need" in the parish. According to our sources Father Gorman was asked to take a leave of absence and to advise the parish and refused forcing the bishop to order the leave and make the announcement. Father Gorman is still listed as Pastor.
Please note that any comments about Father Gorman other than an expression of prayer for him, will not be published.
Now, let's get to the meat of the matter.
One cannot marry in the Catholic Church if one is married previously. An investigation must be held by the Marriage Tribunal and a Decree of Nullity issued that the first marriage did not take place for whatever grounds or defects are determined within Canon Law. Father Gorman knows this. Not all annulment requests are granted. There are safeguards in place so that this does not happen. If this is true and Father Gorman did this it is extremely serious. It involves a desecration of the Sacrament of Matrimony, and the "second" marriage was invalid and the people are in a state of mortal sin (adultery) sanctioned by the parish priest. Secondly, marrying a Catholic "couple" at an Anglican church is a serious matter. What could be the reason for this? Were they not permitted to marry in a Catholic Church? Were they previously married? Were they a couple of the "same-sex?" Why would a Catholic priest preside over the marriage of a Catholic couple in an Anglican church and then falsify the documents? This is a very, very serious matter, it violates provincial government law as well as Church Law. Further, there were some alleged financial irregularities on special collections which are ordered by the Bishop for specific purposes. However this, if true, pales in comparison to the issues of the marriage ceremonies. From the Catholic Register:
The archdiocese said it ultimately acted in response to an "ongoing pattern" by Gorman to disregard Church procedures. That was particularly the case when Gorman married a Catholic couple from his parish in an Anglican chapel "after being advised on more than one occasion this was not permitted," according to Neil MacCarthy, the archdiocese director of communications. Gorman then falsely indicated on marriage papers that another minister had performed the ceremony.
"This activity was contrary to the laws of the Catholic Church and violated the civil marriage act, putting his own licence to celebrate weddings in jeopardy," said MacCarthy.
"This was not a rash decision," said MacCarthy. "It followed ongoing discussions over several months with Fr. Gorman."
After Bishop Kirkpatrick read a statement, presumably at the homily, His Excellency was interrupted by various people who stood up in the church and shouted out at the Bishop demanding their pastor back. Interviewed by the well-known anti-Catholic Toronto Star (bet they couldn't wait for this one, eh?), Randall Gerrits, said that the people shouted that the "Catholic Church should be more open to change ... there was a standing ovation and then people started walking out ... nothings been explained; everyone is still in the dark"
In the dark? That's an understatement. You should be ashamed of yourselves. You are a disgrace.
Your shouting out at the Bishop in the church during Mass and then giving a standing ovation to the muckrakers and walking out - objectively speaking was a mortal sin - it was a sacrilege. You also missed Mass on Sunday. You did everything but, the keeping of "the Lord's Day holy!" It requires you to go to the Sacrament of Confession before receiving Holy Communion again, lest you commit another sin of sacrilege for receiving "unworthily and bringing condemnation upon yourself." Hey, don't blame me, take it up with Saint Paul (Corinthians 11:27).
How could you possibly think that doing this was the right thing to do at Mass?
Gerrits continues, "I'm not Catholic. My husband's not Catholic but we go to Our Lady of Grace because of Father Joe."
A question for Mrs Gerrits, has Father Joe asked your family to take instruction in the RCIA -- the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults -- you know, to become, Catholic? Has anyone ever told you that you don't to to Mass for any priest but for God and to save your soul?
She continues, "During mass, he's funny. People laugh. He's great with kids and makes them part of mass, so they have fun and want to go."
Oh how sweet. How warm and fuzzy. (JB this was from the Fox)
Mrs. Gerrits - The priest is not be "funny" at Mass, he should be sober. The Mass is not about the priest, it is about Jesus Christ. Mass is not about having fun and your children should go because you take them and teach them, not because it is fun.
We go to Mass for four reasons which you can remember with the acronym, ACTS, just like the book of the Bible:
A = Adoration of God - FATHER, SON and HOLY
SPIRIT.
C = Contrition for our sins.
T = Thanksgiving for all the gifts that God has
given to us.
S = Supplication - asking God for our needs and
the needs of others.
Nowhere there does it say to have fun or to go because the priest is funny.
In all the time that you have attended at Our Lady of Grace were you ever told that the
Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is the Sacrifice of Jesus on Calvary
brought forward in time and re-presented on the Altar of Sacrifice in our
churches? That it is a propitiatory (appeasing) offering to God the FATHER by God the SON through God the HOLY SPIRIT of the once and final blood sacrifice of Christ re-presented in an unbloody manner for the expiation of our sins and those of the whole world? Were you told that the Eucharist is the body, blood, soul and divinity of Jesus, "tis God, the very God" made present under the species of bread and wine?
I have a question for Gerrit, did she and her family, non-Catholics, receive Holy Communion?
Gerrit adds that she is "quite certain that if Father Joe doesn't come back, that church will lose lots of people." Perhaps she should read John 6:67.
A petition is being taken up for the return of Father to the parish. The comments there are pathetic. They are of the same type as Gerrit's and worse. What is clear is that a cult of personality seems to have existed at this parish. A cult of personality that has caused these people to lose all rationality and moral judgement of right and wrong. A cult of personality that endangers their faith and their souls.
The comments in the newspapers and the petition which you can read by clicking on the links below is a judgement and a condemnation of the current state of catechesis in the Archdiocese of Toronto. The actions of Father Gorman, the standards of the liturgy, his dog in the sanctuary as commonly known are all examples of a failure of formation and education -- this is also a condemnation on his superiors and his professors and the people of Our Lady of Grace parish are paying for it.
Something else about Our Lady of Grace Church in Aurora that will make you sick to your stomach.
The cult of personality that seems to have developed with some parishioners for Father Gorman is quite strange considering previous episodes in this parish. Perhaps they're too young to know,perhaps they are new to the community. Perhaps the older ones that do know the history have forgotten or have have chosen to forget.
Last Sunday was not the first time that all hell broke loose in this parish and people stormed out. It happened one Sunday in 1990 when they did it to Cardinal Ambrozic himself when he announced that the pastor, Paul McCarthy was removed from the parish. A sordid and sinful abomination of innocents - there, in the rectory and at summer camps. Not only him but another. Barry Glendinning was stationed there as an Associate. Who was Barry Glendinning? Look him up and the trail of defilement, sodomy and destruction he sowed in dioceses across Canada from Edmonton to London, to Ottawa and Toronto. The Diocese of London is still literally "paying" for the crimes of this man shuffled off from parish to parish and diocese to diocese by Emmett Cardinal Carter. Glendinning plead guilty in 1974 to six counts of gross indecency involving children in Windsor, Ontario and was given a suspended sentence and three years probation. Yet, he was later sent to the people of Aurora by Carter! A liturgist he was that Glendinning, just like his fellow sodomite and child pornography aficionado Raymond Lahey (former Bishop of Antigonish arrested and convicted for possession of child pornography and now defrocked under the orders of Pope Benedict XVI). It's funny eh, how these types always end up in liturgy. They seem to have a hatred for the Mass and what it truly means and all things Holy these sodomites; and a sordid saga of deception, seems to be a regular pattern for the poor people of Aurora.
Perhaps the parishioners of Our Lady of Grace parish in Aurora need to ask some serious questions to the leadership in this Archdiocese about what is wrong with their parish and why they are afflicted with such pastors. Perhaps they need to ask how they an be so ignorant in catechetics that they would develop such patterns of cult worship rather than true worship of Our Blessed Lord. Hard questions to be sure, but someone above Father Gorman owes this parish an explanation for decades long patterns and failure in teaching the Catholic faith. It is a sad situation and a great divide has been created in the parish. It need not have happened, had the Pastor done what was asked and gone quietly for the time-being explaining the reasons to the people himself. Instead, he chose a different path and it will not be an easy task for the parishioners to move forward. From the comment boxes, it is quite apparent to witness first hand the ignorance of many of the parishioners, there lack of respect for norms and the rule of law and their hostility towards anyone that would try to explain it. Pride is a dreadful thing. Pray for Father Joseph Gorman and for the people of Our Lady of Grace parish in Aurora. UPDATED:
The archdiocese said it ultimately acted in response to an "ongoing pattern" by Gorman to disregard Church procedures. That was particularly the case when Gorman married a Catholic couple from his parish in an Anglican chapel "after being advised on more than one occasion this was not permitted," according to Neil MacCarthy, the archdiocese director of communications. Gorman then falsely indicated on marriage papers that another minister had performed the ceremony.
"This activity was contrary to the laws of the Catholic Church and violated the civil marriage act, putting his own licence to celebrate weddings in jeopardy," said MacCarthy.
"This was not a rash decision," said MacCarthy. "It followed ongoing discussions over several months with Fr. Gorman."
