More from Brisbane on the renegade priest. Fr. Peter Kennedy and St. Mary’s the renegade parish he has distorted. Check for backgroud here and here and here.
For this last bit of dross, check out Coo-ees from the Cloister.
There is now an audio podcast of the renegade.
Here is some of the analysis from Coo-ees. You should go to read the rest there and spike the stats. Tell ’em Fr. Z sent you.
The long podcast is at the site of ABC Brisbane.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
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But it makes very sad listening. Tragically, Kennedy comes across as the very epitome of all that is wrong with quite a few priests ordained around his time (mid 1960’s), for he sounds in the interview to be theologically incompetent, emotionally damaged, spiritually zonky. He has, as they say, more hang-ups than the cloak-room at an opera theatre. He has hang-ups about clerical dress, clerical titles, clerical identity. He has hang-ups about authority- not just Church authority – and structures. He has hang-ups about Irish piety. And he doesn’t actually seem to believe in very much. Tragically, we’ve all met priests like that.
He says himself in the course of the interview that he doesn’t believe in hell, nor in heaven, nor, in any usual sense, in an "afterlife" at all. He uses the "pre-Vatican II" cliche to describe things he doesn’t like about the Church. He abuses that most abused expression "models of church" by suggesting that the "better" model of Church is the "people of God" model (clearly he has forgotten, if he ever read it, the provisos and subtleties of Avery Dulles’ book) and ascribes to the 2nd Vatican Council a desire to see the Church "run by the people". He quotes "full, conscious and active participation in the liturgy" in support of abandoning approved rites. And all the woolly thinking, unfulfilled searching, illogical thoughts and psychological dysfunctions are couched in terms of "spirituality".
I notice that he avoided going into any detail about the baptismal formula / validity question. That might be TOO easy for the audience to side with "them".
The conversation is peppered with references to this or that person who used to be a priest or used to be a nun. And he is assured by several "scripture scholars" and "priests who are married" in his congregation that his Masses are valid.
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Surely, someone has tried to correct him before now? Why is it that he was allowed to go on and have such a large following to be able to do this? There is reference to the article you linked to about a bruised reed, but I don’t see it as that. Good correction is going to hurt but not crush. What would have happened is he probably would have left long ago but without this many people following.
So sad.
You know, the more publicity you give to a demagogue or self-aggrandizing individual, the more they will do things that are guaranteed to put them back in the spotlight.
No different here.
Yawn. The biological solution will soon rid us of these aging long-hairs.
The word “feel” features prominently in their banner, of course. I should “feel” welcome no matter what lifestyle I am living, etc.
The Bishop did issue this wally with an ultimatum. Then he went on holidays. Then he resigned. So the problem is now passed to his replacement….
That is a gorgeous church in the background of the photo (at least on the exterior). Too bad such nonsense is going on inside it.
Actually please don’t spike their stats, they don’t deserve it. Coo-ees from the Cloiser often runs excellent material, such as chronicling the twists and turns in the disgraceful St Mary’s Brisbane saga, often interwoven with a nice dose of humour.
But of late they have been running a disgraceful campaign of traddie bashing, focusing on mocking the Institute of Christ the King, including a ‘doppelganger’ photos comparing Mgr Wach to Goering. You can read about it here:
http://australiaincognita.blogspot.com/2009/01/on-traddie-bashing-and-playing-nicely.html. I thought they’d moved on, ..but then one to bugs bunny appeared this week.
Pretty weird given that the Institute doesn’t even operate in Australia…
terra: What’s wrong…. scared of them?
You should have been in The Priory when it aired! Such ruckus!
Certainly not Fr Z – I’m happy to have a robust debate on issues. And on the vast majority of issues I agree with the Cooees crowd and enjoy the occasional laugh at some of their piccies.
But you yourself have been highlighting the evils of nasty name calling, of which, in my view, their attacks on the Institute are the visual equivalent.
Mocking people when they engage in liturgical abuses, propagate error etc is perhaps one thing.
Attacking priests in good standing because they use nice vestments, a bit of lace, distinctive vesture for canons, and proper ritual is quite another, and I’m dissapointed you want to support a site that engages in that kind of behaviour.
I think if you look back through the posts on their site concerned you would agree with me, and might consider editing your post accordingly.
Terra, get back to advocating ’55 and Pius I.
Dear Fr Z,
we are enjoying the crumbs from your table. Thank you very much for sending them our way. The South Brisbane experience is certainly not isolated to the Church in Australia as many of our pilgrims have noted.
Don’t mind the lovely terra. She thought she had us worked out as traddies until Hardman Window started to tease out some of the extremes of behaviour found at the lace fringes.
Seems a number were dissappointed when it was discovered that all along we were only Catholics…
Pax Fr Z and keep up the fine commentary.
Warden: Do be good and faithful.
BTW.. “The Warden”… are you from Barchester?
I thought the straw hat/Bugs Bunny comparison just showed how natty the straw hat was. “Natty” is not a quality much seen in today’s human stars. :)
Ahh, Warden, if only you were attached to tradition!
Never fear, your ‘n..c..’ (in the Australian sense of the word, as defined I think by IS in another thread, as meaning conservative politically and vaguely sympathetic to reform of the reform, but not of the TLM) credentials were always quite clear.
And while it would be nice if we could all be ‘just catholics’ (yes even the acatholicas could yet convert!), I imagine there will always be different schools of spirituality.
A quick look at my blog will, I think, show that I’m not an extremist in any sense I think (IS – I suggest you take another look at my post on the Society of Pius I – it’s called satire).
But I do think the dignity of the priesthood should mean something. But ’tis true that’s an old-fashioned concept.
In any case I do have grave concerns about ‘Fr’ Hardman Window – does he have a phobia about blue – and if so, what caused it (did his mother die his hair blue as well as insisting on blue blankets and walls as a child? Did some schoolyard bully force him to paint his skin with woad?)? Was he almost smothered by lace as a baby? Did his mother threaten to drop him off a balcony of a baroque church? Inquiring minds want to know what the real problem is.
In any case, to get back to the substantive issue,we should surely be praying that this issue gets resolved asap – the Archbishop did promise end of January didn’t he?
touche!
It’s all very sad. A priest friend of mine says that Abp Bathersby is doing his best to avoid both scandal and schism, and working with a “light touch”. I dunno. His liturgy office employs the execrable Elizabeth Harrington, who wrote a sneeringly condescending piece about how the faithful ought not to expect to understand papal documents on the liturgy, let alone demand their implementation – if liturgists want puppets, then puppets you shall have. Archbishop Hart of Melbourne, sternly rebuked her, saying that priests have to “Say the Black, Do the Red”. His Grace has been reading Father Z!
So, I think, Archbishop Bathersby feels himself between a rock and a hard place.
Unlike Terra (with whom I rarely disagree), I saw the whole “Hermann Goering” thing as a bit of “p-ss taking” in true Australian laconic style. I know, for example the rivalry that exists between the Fraternity and the Institute…that sometimes sees childish epithets hurled back and forth. I have heard ICK seminarians call FSSP guys “worker priests”, and FSSP guys impugn the masculinity of the ICK. That’s just men. We do that sort of juvenile nonsense; thats the only way you can get through test cricket, or, in the states, baseball, without ruining the liver or falling asleep.
But revenons a nos moutons, Archbishop Bathersby, I humbly suggest is one of our weaker bishops.
Archbishop Phillip Wilson (Head Pointy-Hat of the Aust. College of Catholic Bishops), despite his public persona as a tough-guy loyal son of Rome, has also allowed heresy to fester under his nose (see my blog for details – involves dancing lesbian nuns). He wants to solve the vocations crisis with permanent deacons. Sheesh! We could solve the “lack of Solemn TLMs Crisis” that way – but priests make the Catholic world go ’round. If we don’t have strong, orthodox, priests, not afraid to wear the collar, or the soutane, then the “gates of hell” will look like prevailling.
So pray, not only for St Mary’s, but also for the benighted (though with some specks of sunlight) Church in Australia.
We’re always about 10 years behind the Holy Father….
Actually, Bishop Williamson would make a great PP in South Brisbane. Imagine it… His Grace does the \”asperges me Domine\” and half the congregation goes up in smoke in a (\”nosferatu-like\”) manner as they are sprinkled with holy water…another 25% screams \”It burns! It burns!\” whilst the ignorant remainder shuts up and litens to the introit.
If only he\’d shut up avout the Sound of Music.
No Fr Z not necessarily Barchester but as we say in The Cloister…
“…let us call it Barchester. Were we to name Wells or Salisbury, Exeter, Hereford, or Gloucester, it might be presumed that something personal was intended; and as this tale will refer mainly to the cathedral dignitaries of the town in question, we are anxious that no personality may be suspected.” Rather, it is intended to be… a hoot!
Perhaps terra could make note…
As for my brother Hardman’s aversion to blue perhaps it’s a modernist advent thing… but you will have to ask him.
Ah dear Warden,
Hiding behind anonymity to make constructive comment or criticism or have a good laugh is one thing; when things goes way beyond that and are coupled with what look on the surface like rather defamatory and unsavoury remarks, it does indeed seem that something personal was intended.