Priest Calls Cops on Black Funeral-Goers, Tells Them to 'Get the Hell Out' of Church

[ariesgem]

Despite having ample evidence that Jesus will work it out, a Catholic priest halted a homegoing service in Maryland to have a black family removed from the church. The servant of God even kicked the dead body out of the funeral, proving once again, there is no sanctuary when it comes to racism.

Aside from the fact that she was no longer alive, Agnes Hicks’ Charlotte Hall, Md., mass was going along perfectly fine on Tuesday until an attendee of the funeral went in for a hug and accidentally knocked over a chalice at St. Mary’s Catholic Church, angering pastor Michael Briese.

“There will be no funeral, no repast, everyone get the hell out of my church,” Briese reportedly told the family. According to Fox 5, Briese then kicked the family out of the place of worship, telling them to remove the body of the woman who wished to be laid to rest in the church where she was baptized.
...

Following the incident, the Archdiocese of Washington issued a statement saying: “What occurred at St. Mary’s Parish this morning does not reflect the Catholic Church’s fundamental calling to respect and uplift the God-given dignity of every person nor does that incident represent the pastoral approach the priests of the Archdiocese of Washington commit to undertake every day in their ministry.”

https://www.theroot.com/mourningwhileblack-priest-calls-cops-on-black-funeral-1827284231

[Orangeutan]

1. Onion story?

[Ilsa]

2. OMG.

His church?

I hope the diocese takes him off the front lines and gives him a job digging ditches or licking envelopes, at best.

[rurallib]

3. wow - nothing apparently damaged, cups can be set upright

seems like the priest dude was looking for any excuse to throw them out

[Hekate]

53. Not a "cup"-- a "chalice," a consecrated ritual object. NO EXCUSES FOR THAT PRIEST, AT ALL.

This is not the freaking Dark Ages. There are ways of recovering from this breach. My gods.

[Croney]

4. What a horrible experience for that grieving family.

[gibraltar72]

5. I rest my case.

[janterry]

6. Maybe I'm unclear

but in a catholic church, at that point, the chalice is -where. On the altar? The tabernacle?

Why would someone go up on the altar (and then knock it over?). Or how would someone get to the tabernacle? That seems really odd.

[Hangingon]

35. I agree. Something is missing in this.

[Retrograde]

71. The chalice is not usually brought out except for mass and communion services

it usually isn't just sitting around somewhere where it can be accidentally knocked over - back when I was a church-goer, it was (when it was out) in the sanctuary, which was off-limits to the congregation or in the hands of the priest. I'd like to know a bit more about the situation before coming down on either side.

[GreatCaesarsGhost]

7. Looks like they're going to need another sacred chalice.

But one get one free. Free shipping.

[GreatCaesarsGhost]

43. If they can make Mother Teresa a saint, they can do anything.

Welcome to DU, btw

[fleabiscuit]

47. +1

[tulipsandroses]

8. Some days - I have no damn words to explain the anger I have for this shit

I am not religious - Thats another story - But I understand that many find solace in religion - This so called priest needs to be removed. not relocated to another church. How disrespectful that this family had to leave with their dead loved one's body. This is so outrageous! I am tired of the damn empty apologies. They mean nothing. He is not sorry. He can take his apology and shove it up his ass.

[BumRushDaShow]

11. "This so called priest needs to be removed."

I agree, but it ain't happening. They have had a hard time removing all those pedophile priests let alone one who seemed to have forgotten why he was a priest.

The little town where this church is located only has a population of about 1200. I wouldn't be surprised if they had a hard time filling the position down there.

[safeinOhio]

24. Could they trade him

to a church in Africa. Lord works in mysterious ways.

[BumRushDaShow]

26. Usually they move them to black neighborhoods in a city

as "punishment", essentially expecting them to resign in protest. However those who try to hang on lay low for a bit before wrecking havoc on those poor neighborhoods.

[demosincebirth]

72. Where did you pull out of? your ear?

[BumRushDaShow]

74. You need to keep up.

https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/Philly-Priest-Sex-Abuse-Brennan-Altar-Boy-Arraignment-225528212.html
http://www.philly.com/philly/news/josh-shapiro-pennsylvania-attorney-general-grand-jury-report-on-clergy-sex-abuse-20180629.html

[demosincebirth]

80. Poster wasn't writing about pedophile priests

[BumRushDaShow]

81. The point is what they do with criminal and otherwise wayard priests instead of firing them.

This guy only became a priest 9 years ago at age 53 and started in parishes in D.C. and has moved around a bunch of times.

[Blue_Tires]

19. +1

[BumRushDaShow]

9. Had to look up where that town is

It's way down in the middle of that strip of southwestern MD that runs parallel to Virginia (which is to the west separated by the Potomac). Looks pretty rural.

[elleng]

12. My daughter and I live near here; it's essentially a DC suburban area,

southern MD. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlotte_Hall,_Maryland

[BumRushDaShow]

13. I have been back and forth down to D.C. metro for 30 years for work

and that is a bit distant for metro area (although I know people who would commute from WV and here in PA, to D.C. daily too).

But I had looked it up and it is a tiny town.

[elleng]

14. As of the census[4] of 2000, there were 1,214 people,

317 households, and 239 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 237.8 people per square mile (91.9/km²). There were 332 housing units at an average density of 65.0/sq mi (25.1/km²).

[BumRushDaShow]

18. Yes

about the population of my high school (alma mater, which was one of the smaller high schools here in Philly - there were 40 high schools back when I was in school). One of the other high schools closest to me had over 4000 at one time.

[elleng]

21. Of course it's adjacent to many other 'small towns,'

or 'https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Census-designated_place.'

[BumRushDaShow]

23. Yup.

One of my sisters lives in a "township" that is made up of 4 teeny tiny towns like that. Hers is one of the bigger towns with a population of 5000. They share police and other municipal "services" like the library (2 of them have a volunteer fire department).

[elleng]

25. Charles County is a county located in the southern central portion of the U.S. state of Maryland.

As of the 2010 census, the population was 146,551.[1] The county seat is La Plata.[2] The county was named for Charles Calvert (1637–1715), third Baron Baltimore.

Charles County is included in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Southern Maryland region.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_County,_Maryland

[BumRushDaShow]

29. Why the continual wikipedia cites?

I already looked it up before I even posted which is how I got the info on that town - where it was, and what the population was.

Philadelphia, where I was born and raised and currently live, is part of the Philadelphia–Camden–Wilmington (PA-NJ-DE-MD) statistical area with a population of 6.1 million. The city of Philadelphia, which is also the county of Philadelphia, has a population of 1,580,863 (as of last year).

The immediate neighborhood of Center City Philadelphia alone has a population of 183,240 (as of 2015) and is the 2nd largest "downtown residential" population in the country behind NYC's Manhattan.

Charlotte Hall, MD is a tiny town in a small county in a small state!

And we can all thank my city for being the host city for the signing of the Declaration of Independence and United States Constitution, as well as being the first capital of the U.S.

[elleng]

36. So EVERYONE who is interested can become familiar with the area.

As I said, my daughter lives nearby, and I live about 30 miles south.

[BumRushDaShow]

42. Okay makes sense!

[elleng]

40. Maryland was #15 in population, in 2015, not 'small,' imo.

https://www.infoplease.com/us/states/state-population-rank-2015

I was born in New York City, and only 'left' New York State, the EMPIRE State, after I graduated college.

[BumRushDaShow]

44. MD is still small and that town looks to be in a rural area

(yes I am teasing you )

[elleng]

45. Doesn't look as 'rural' as my home does to me,

corn, wheat and soybeans growing, fish jumping (no cotton in view, but birds catching fish for their young!)

Population of 'my town' = 1,835, wow, bigger than Charlotte Hall!!! But more rural-looking, imo. ONLY 60 miles from DC!

[BumRushDaShow]

49. That 60 mile commute would probably be a bear if you had to do it!

Especially given the gas prices now.

That's the same distance between here and Atlantic City for me! Go "downashore", as "Fluffians" say.

[elleng]

50. Right, I don't commute, I retire,

but heard that some do. I visit a friend in CLOSE-IN DC suburb when I want/need to go there.

[BumRushDaShow]

52. Yeah me too (retired)

There was a point about 10 years ago when I as going down there almost every month for a year. It was a 300 mile roundtrip. The construction going on around the immediate 'burbs had been (and continues to be) a nightmare.

[dhol82]

28. Wow! My graduating class (in Philly) was 156

Of course that was Girl’s High back in 1964.
We had two classes per year at that time but the total for the year would still have been only a little over 300.

[BumRushDaShow]

30. Girls High class of '79, 411 students.

My mom was in the class of 1948.



What's funny though, the class just after me had 600+ graduate, which I think was the biggest ever (at least at that time).

(edit to add that your class would have had a still-nice new school building to go to... one of my former bosses was there just after they constructed it in 1959 I believe).

Vincit Qui Se Vincit.

[dhol82]

32. I still go to my reunions.

Always interesting to see what happened to everyone. We had a large number of doctors, lawyers and PhDs. Also two ministers.

[BumRushDaShow]

33. I only went to the 5 year one

Next year will be the 40 year and oh HELL no.

[dhol82]

37. You have to go - it will amaze you how many old women will be there!

[BumRushDaShow]

41. LOL I know.

I have seen a few around my neighborhood at the supermarket, etc. When I moved, the alumni association still managed to find me.

[dhol82]

34. I started in February 1960. It was pretty much brand new.

Vincit qui se vincit indeed.
Can you still sing the school song?

[BumRushDaShow]

39. Now the bulding will be 60 years old next year

If I had the words in front of me, I would probably bust out with it. It has been a long long time.

[dhol82]

46. And I will have my 55th next year.

I have many good memories of the school. Many really crappy ones also.
It was not an easy school but I had major home problems and it got me through.

Wish I could remember what I did with that handbook. It was a treasure.
Will never forget that we were instructed to move from class to class with “purposeful direction!”

[BumRushDaShow]

51. I remember freshman year (we were 223)

bad as we wanna be.... but 220, class of '76, was the first (and only) class to insist on wearing a cap and gown. They were some radicals.

[dhol82]

55. Why would you want to wear a cap and gown?

When you could a lovely flowing white dress and carry an armful of red roses?
Damn, that was special!

[BumRushDaShow]

60. At least you had roses

we had red carnations!

But 220 wanted to "be like everyone else" I guess. That was short-lived for the school however.

[dhol82]

56. By the bye, not sure if you know that Girl's High is not the the same anymore.

Still a good school but now a local one.
Central became coed and changed the whole dynamic.
I did a lot of theater while there and all the guys in the plays came from Central. Just different. It was like there was a virtual wall to protect us for the raging ‘other’ hormones from across the street.
Just another tradition lost.

[BumRushDaShow]

63. Yup.

and that happened around the time I graduated from college in '83... I think one of the issues that was brought up was the type of curricula at Central that wasn't available at Girls High, although there were classes that girls could take there if they wanted (I knew a couple girls in my class that took Russian at Central back then).

A lot has changed for sure!

[dhol82]

64. Kind of sad that we could not have a parallel curriculum

Guess it would have been too expensive.
Actually liked having an all girl school.

[BumRushDaShow]

66. Technically the court case was for both to be co-ed

but Girls High is still all girls! And during my tenure there, the school I came from - Masterman, began phasing in a high school (class of '79 would end up being the first graduating class from there), so Girls High and Central suddenly got some competition at that point (I still chose to go to Girls High though).

[dhol82]

69. Interesting.

I knew none of this.
Moved to NYC in 1966.
However, still go to the reunions.

[BumRushDaShow]

70. Vincit qui se vincit

Conquer on!

[elleng]

10. Posted elsewhere:

Bad News: Priest Throws Mourning Family out of Funeral Service.

https://www.democraticunderground.com/1218288803

[0rganism]

15. in Monty Python voice: "they bumped me cup!"

"they bumped your... what?"
"me cup! they bumped me cup right off me altar, fell on me floor it did!"
"ah, so then what did you do?"
"i threw them out of me church, i did, and then i called the police!"
"because they knocked your cup off the altar? accidentally?"
"we can't be having any low-life cup-bumpers in me church, says i. and then i sent 'em packing"
"sent what?"
"them. cup bumpers. packing."
"ooookaaay..."

[BumRushDaShow]

22. OMG PERFECT

[rockfordfile]

16. that priest is a pos.

He looks like a old guy. I bet there's more about that pos.

[healthnut7]

17. Unbelievable!

This video should be sent to the Pope and see what he has to say about it!! This priest should be kicked out of the church!!
I can't even watch this!!

[Blue_Tires]

20. Yet they'll still scratch their heads and wonder why

so many people are leaving the church with each passing generation...

[SamKnause]

27. He certainly showed where his priorities lie.

He values a gold chalice over his congregation.

I am not surprised.

[Civic Justice]

38. Just another example of the "white ethnic based ignorance" that has always created vile in America

Last edited Tue Jul 3, 2018, 07:37 AM - Edit history (1)

Don't act surprised, before things come to a head in this country, more of this ignorance will be displayed.
It's helping not only America, but the World to see the Vile that "some" White People create....

Albert Einstein said it... "Racism is a White Man's Disease " !!!!


More of the same "white people" stupidity

[dem4decades]

54. If the chalice is so damn valuable how about selling it and

Actually helping the poor with the profits?

[dalton99a]

57. The priest also called the police

https://www.kansascity.com/news/nation-world/article214182989.html

The family says the priest called the police on them.

Diane Richardson, spokeswoman for the Charles County Sheriff's Office, told the Independent that police received a call about 10:30 a.m. from the church about a public disturbance and destruction of church property.

Richardson said police, who tried to mediate the situation, couldn't make out what the dispute was about. She said no charges were filed and no one was arrested.

Fox 5 reports there were police cars in the parking lot as Hicks' casket was carried out of the church and placed in the funeral hearse.

[MarcA]

58. Another sociopathic bully places value of inanimate object over people.

Sometimes its a chalice, sometimes its a flag or a pledge. In the end
its selfishness, greed and a lack of empathy.

[lpbk2713]

59. Nice. Real nice.

WWJD

[dalton99a]

61. His apology:

http://www.somdnews.com/enterprise/opinion/letters_to_the_editor/priest-says-anger-was-the-most-inappropriate-response-to-funeral/article_f64144bd-32a6-5acc-a251-b5c1119aeb7e.html

[BumRushDaShow]

65. Thank you for that update!

I wonder if he bothered to send that (or some) letter to the family.

[tulipsandroses]

67. Fuck him and his apology

I don't know how the family feels. I don't know how religious they are. Turn the other cheek. Forgiveness, yada, yada, yada, -whatever-
No apology is sufficient to rectify having to remove the body of your loved one in the middle of their funeral service.

The trauma that was inflicted here will last for who knows how long. We all know it was inappropriate. That did not need to be said.You can't undo what you did .

If you are truly sorry, work on fixing race relations in this fucked up country..

[Civic Justice]

76. Some white people can't be helped... that racist ignorance is inbred in many

.... "they" are so stupid, as if calling someone "N----" and being racially ignorant is suppose to make them be something they can never be... which is the delusion they are better than another human being, because of skin color.

Its the dumbest thing ever....

I'd advise anyone who has this racist stupidity to go to a nursing home and look at some older white people and the deterioration of their skin, and maybe they will find out... what's real about "skin"!!!! "Age has a way of telling many truths"... also, they will find out, who they need to help care for them when they are in that stage of life.

I help white people all the time, younger and older, and its amazing what many don't know, and what many actually need help with. I do it because "people are people", and if I'm able to help a human being who needs help, then I help them.

I write a lot of things, and I address white society without reserve, but they have a history of not wanting to learn about themselves, especially from someone non white... they go into "resentment" the minute they see the words "white people", and their mind shuts down and they develop an instant mindset of denial.... therefore, some never learn the value of self review.

[joshcryer]

68. "The sight of that accident made my frustration boil over"

What "frustration" was he having that would "boil over" by the sight of a seemingly careless accident?

Was it that a "loud black family" was burying their mother at his church due to Catholic funeral rights being canonized, and it frustrated this white small town Catholic priest that all these people were descending upon his church?

He's going to be in deep crap from the church over this: http://canonlawmadeeasy.com/2007/04/27/can-a-non-catholic-be-given-a-catholic-funeral/

Catholic funeral rights are sacrosanct.

[Civic Justice]

75. No one can apologize for that conduct!!!! being vile in part of his character make up

Review his background and let's find out if he has molested any kids and how many if so?

[Mariana]

78. Would he have bothered if the incident hadn't been made public?

We'll never know, will we?

[3catwoman3]

62. Wat to serve your flock, "father."

Jesus H.

[kwassa]

73. Speaking as a Marylander ....

Two things.

The priest has major rage issues.

And ... rural Maryland can be very much like the South.

The black woman I am married to grew up in such an area in Maryland as a Methodist. Back then, there were black Methodist churches and white Methodist churches. The two did not mix.

What actually shocks me about this story is that the deceased woman grew up in this very church, and was so disrespected in her home church, and tossed out of it.

I think this priest should be removed from ministry.

[Drahthaardogs]

79. I suspect he will be replaced

And given a job where he has no congregation.

[get the red out]

77. This Priest

Sounds like a racist with mental health issues.