An "open" letter to my pastor...

[teamster633]

I just signed and sealed this letter. Please let me know what you think.

Sunday October 17, 2004

Fr. Cole,

I just attended the 9:00 Mass. For the first time in my life I almost walked out of the service. Fr. Gilbert’s sermon was so blatantly partisan I remained only out of respect for the Church and my fellow parishioners. I did not want to cause a scene. Nonetheless, I feel very strongly that his conduct deserves immediate attention. It is not his place to tell us how to vote. I half expected the sermon to end with “My name is George Bush and I approved this message.” The gentlemen behind me remarked, “I guess I should have worn my Bush/Cheney pin.” His position as a priest demands that he weigh his personal beliefs against the sensibilities of his parishioners and to put those sensibilities first. The Pope, himself, has called upon the faithful to consider all the issues when voting; he has made it clear that this is not a single issue election. For Fr. Gilbert to suggest otherwise is a gross violation of the trust that is placed in him by the members of this Parish.
I have had a difficult time of late, reconciling my desire to be a member of this Church with my strongly held political beliefs. For most of the summer I could not bring myself to attend Mass because these political beliefs seemed so at odds with what passes for religiosity in this country. After much soul searching I returned to the Parish four weeks ago because I felt the spiritual need to do so. The discomfort of the cognitive dissonance which this decision precipitates is something which I will have to overcome on my own. Fr. Gilbert’s statements today make it obvious that this process will be more difficult than I expected and more difficult than it needs be.
I will be speaking to the priests in my family, to my father, who remains active in the Church, and to my in-laws who serve or have served on the Parish Council concerning this matter. Their guidance will inform my ultimate course of action with respect to Fr. Gilbert’s misuse of his position. I trust that you will address this issue at your earliest convenience and ask that you communicate your response to me so that I will know how to proceed

[NMDemDist2]

1. wow good letter. hope they listen n/t

[Out the Parasites]

2. Perfect send it as it is. This should be addressed on the right and left

You're right, you'll feel better once you have the answers and can make informed decisions on the status of your church's position.

[lforbus]

5. The solution

Pull their tax-exempt status.

[cheezus]

3. perhaps also point out iraq war and bush's position on roe

I don't see how Bush is any more "pro-life" than Kerry. He admitted in the debates that he won't overturn roe v wade.

Plus Bush has been killing thousands in Iraq, and the Pope has already made his position on the iraq war clear.

[Kanary]

4. What a painful situation. I wish you well.

What you have detailed in this letter is why I'm coming to the conclusion that churches should be taxed. They obviously aren't capable any longer of remaining non-partisan.

I sincerely hope that many other parishioners write letters much the same as you have done.

You weren't the one who needed the soul-searching -- it was the leaders of your church. I hope your words bring about that introspection on their part.

Good luck.

:hi:

Kanary

[skygazer]

6. Excellent letter

It really makes me sad that things like this go on. Your place of worship should be a sanctuary for you - not a place of partisian bias. So many aspects of this election remind me of the years leading up to the Civil War, when families were torn apart by politics and pastors used their pulpits to defend slavery or denounce politicians. It's a frightening time in our history.

[B Calm]

7. Powerful letter!

[yorgatron]

8. nail it to the front door!

so everyone can read it.

[WMliberal]

9. excellent letter. make copies.

and put them up around the building. just before next week's mass, say, 7:30-8:00, would be good.

pulling their tax exempt status would be better.

[michaelzef]

10. why

...do you want to be a member of a blatantly homophobic and sexist organization anyway?

[DemBones DemBones]

19. Feck off, will ya? No one asked you. eom

:spank:

[acmavm]

11. Great letter. As I've remarked before, this failure to convince Catholics

that abortion is wrong is a failure of the church. Why the hell should the same church condemn me and mine to a horrible horrible life under a facist regime because they've failed in what they see as 'their mission'?

[SheilaT]

12. Did the priest

openly endorse Bush? If so, tell him in no uncertain terms that tax-exempt status is absolutely incumbent upon churches not being involved in partisan politics. And then send a copy of your letter, along with any documentation that you may have (newsletters to the congregation perhaps?) to the IRS.

I think it's about time churches that get involved in politics need to pay the consequences.

One of my huge fears in this election year is that Bush will actually be re-elected (without any real election fraud) because far too many mindless idiots simply listen to what's said to them from the pulpit.

Among the reasons I'm not a member of any faith community myself is that I see ALL religions as requiring a person to stop thinking for him/herself. Some are simply much worse than others, and I may be willing to exempt Unitarians from this blanket judgment.

[demosincebirth]

13. I'm a cradle Catholic and I ...

certainly would have left mass and made sure they knew why.

Good letter. I'd make sure he and other in the parish got a copy!

He is certainly out line with Church policy.

[koopie57]

14. It is good that you are fighting back

I left the Catholic church when I had to choose about baptizing my first kid. I quit going to Luteran church when the pastor asked us to "pray for the continued wisdom of George Bush".

I believe in God, and often wonder how something that started out as good, kind, pure and all accepting could turned into something so ugly and hurtful to others who didn't fit in. There seems to be so little kindness left in religion today. How can falwell preach that God hates homosexuals when God said to love everyone, especially those who it is difficult to love. I guess cuz religions are man-made. I'm content not going to service anymore, but I understand your need to work through this. Good luck!

[Tsiyu]

28. Yes, Good for speaking up

and koopie, you reminded me of my favorite quote on religion:

"So many gods, so many creeds;
So many paths that wind and wind,
While just the art of being kind
Is all the sad world needs."

-Ella Wheeler Wilcox

[Not Me]

15. I had a similar situation in 1994... I got up, walked out, and

haven't looked back. I was told by many afterward that they shared my position, but opted to stay.

[LibDemAlways]

16. I didn't make it to mass

the past couple of weeks. But my parents were livid about a "Catholic Voter Guide" that found its way into the church bulletin last Sunday. I have to see the thing for myself. If it's a single issue pro-repuke piece of crap, which is what I suspect, I'm sending it to the IRS.

[shrike]

26. I didn't find it too offensive

Didn't promote either party -- all it did was point out the issues that Catholics should concern themselves with: the unborn was one of them, but so was social justice, and whether the country had any business waging pre-emptive war (that one is sort of a no-brainer.) Maybe your folks had a more strident voters' guide.

[bbernardini]

17. Please keep us updated!

I'd love to know what response you get.

[DemBones DemBones]

18. It's a magnificient letter and if Fr. Cole is any kind of

Christian, any kind of man, he will have a nice long talk with Fr. Gilbert and you will receive a nice personal apology. (Ask for an Act of Contrition while you're at it!)

But don't stop there, make Fr. Cole address this issue in future comments and homilies at Masses and, of course, in bulletins.

As a matter of fact, Fr. Cole ought to send a letter to all parishioners and clear up this nonsense that voting for our fellow Catholic, John Kerry, is any sort of sin.

DB DB
(A Kerry Catholic Who Has Had It with Bush* Catholics)

[harper]

20. I think your letter is perfect

Fr. Gilbert is no doubt so wrapped up is his own position he thinks everybody shares his views. He needs to understand that his is not the only opinion and he needs to respect others if the church he represents is to keep it's tax exempt status.

Good for you for writing to his superiors. If we don't speak out and challenge these folks they think everyone agrees with them.

[AP]

21. You should have walked out.

[DebinTx]

22. Raised Catholic here.

And I think I would have gotten up and walked out. The Church realizes that it's barely hanging on - most catholic women are pro-choice and pro-birth control and the church is losing its grip; even the Pope has acknowledged this. Both are a part of the world we live in.
Your letter was pointed and very sincere. Maybe the good fathers will rethink their positions.

[porphyrian]

23. They need to pay taxes. - n/t

[Bridget Burke]

24. Excellent letter.

Intelligent & reasoned. Flouncing out during the sermon might be a more dramatic move, but a well-reasoned letter (on real paper) demands a thoughtful answer.

[IdaBriggs]

25. Excellent letter! Don't forget www.votingcatholic.org for insight!

Its an awesome website -- www.votingcatholic.org -- and is non-partisan. :)

[RobertDevereaux]

27. Great letter, and thank you!

Would that it were unneeded.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

29. Congrats to you for writing a letter and not just walking out

You'll actually force them to think, even if the conclusion they come to is not the one you may want.

But forcing people to think is always better than just provoking an emotional reaction.

[wicket]

30. Great letter!!!

And as a fellow person of faith, I couldn't agree more, well said! :)

[DemBones DemBones]

31. You may also want to read this:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=103&topic_id=79658&mesg_id=79658

It's my post re: today's St. Pete Times article "Sorting Through the Catholic Vote"

And I second Ida Briggs' mention of VotingCatholic.org, it's very good.