UPDATE (8/22/2008): Well, we spoke to soon. We looked at the Convocation website again today and it now lists Fr. Gerry Brown, SS, the President of St. Patrick's Seminary, and Fr. Jim McKearney as confirmed speakers. Sr. Eloise Rosenblatt as well. Original post below:
Maybe "A Shepherd's Voice" is having some little effect...
Back on August 3, we reported on the 2008 "Northern California Lay Convocation" which is being held at the (Jesuit) University of San Francisco on September 6, 2008. We said then, and we repeat, this sounds like a "Call to Action" conference in everything but the name.
Today, we visited the Convocation's website again. We are heartened to see that the names of Fr. Gerry Brown, SS, the President of St. Patrick's Seminary, and Fr. Jim McKearney, who back on August 3 were scheduled as speakers, no longer appear. Now, the listing just references "Chancery/Seminary Officials." We wonder who they are. We also note that Sr. Eloise Rosenblatt, who, back on August 3, was listed as one of the featured speakers is now listed as "possible." Since Sister Eloise gave a workshop at the 2005 West Coast Call to Action conference, we'd prefer she go from "possible" to "uninvited."
But we have our doubts. As we reported, at least three members of the steering committee for the 2007 "Northern California Lay Convocation" (Jim Jepson, Ellen Turner, and Lisa Striebing) are Call to Action Northern California "Regional Contacts." And the only organizational person whose name appears on the website of the 2008 Covocation person is L. (for Lisa) Striebing.
Reminder: on November 4, 2006, Cardinal Re had this to say about "Call to Action":
"The Vatican has determined that “the activities of ‘Call to Action’ in the course of these years are in contrast with the Catholic Faith due to views and positions held which are unacceptable from a doctrinal and disciplinary standpoint,” Cardinal Re writes. He concludes: 'Thus to be a member of this Association or to support it, is irreconcilable with a coherent living of the Catholic Faith.'”
It is no surprise that USF is hosting this event. Readers of "A Shepherd's Voice" will remember that when Australian Bishop Geoffrey Robinson was doing a book tour in California, Archbishop George Niederauer specifically requested that Bishop Robinson not speak in the Archdiocese of San Francisco. USF essentially told the Archbishop "drop dead" and hosted Bishop Robinson anyway.
Posted by Gibbons J. Cooney
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As bad as Call to Action may be, this "lay convocation" is harmful in and of itself. Do we really need conferences on increasing women's voice in the liturgy? Why should the liturgy be the platform for any lay voice? Is that appropriate given the purpose of the Mass, which is Sacrifice? The new mass and gross perversions of Sacrosanctum Concilium have led to the priest being the referee of an army of lay people during the Mass. Unconsecrated hands reaching into the tabernacle and distributing communion; folk bands crowded into the sanctuary. Enough with the laity! Why would anyone want to become a priest?
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