Archbp. Nienstedt building unity among clergy in favor of the defense of marriage Amendment in Minnesota..

Archbishop John Nienstedt of St. Paul and Minneapolis and the Minnesota Catholic Conference have nailed their colors to the mast.  WDTPRS will go to the wall to help his efforts.

They are spearheading promotion of an amendment to the Constitution of the State of Minnesota in defense of true, natural, real marriage.

There will be all manner of bullying and intimidation applied to Minnesota dioceses, bishops, priests.  They need your prayers and support.  People who hate the Church and her message about the dignity of human life in all aspects will try to silence bishops and priests.  They are bullies and their threats and attacks must be resisted.

Unfortunately there are some priests who think they know better than God our Creator.

This comes from LifeSite News:

Minnesota Archbishop Tells Priests Not to Oppose Church Teachings on Marriage

by Ben Johnson
Fri Jan 06, 2012

ST. PAUL, MINNNESOTA, January 6, 2012 (LifeSiteNews.com) –

Archbishop John C. Nienstedt of St. Paul and Minneapolis has told his clergy they are not to publicly contradict the Church’s teachings on the defense of marriage, nor oppose the archdiocese’s attempts to place a constitutional amendment on the state ballot defining marriage as the union of one man and one woman. [What a state we have come to if a bishop has to tell priests not to contradict publicly the teachings of the Church.]

The Progressive Catholic Voice, which supports same-sex “marriage,” received a copy of an e-mail the archbishop sent all priests and deacons containing the text of a speech he delivered last October 19.

“The gravity of this struggle, and the radical consequences of inaction propels me to place a solemn charge upon you all,” he told attendees of the Clergy Study Day. “On your ordination day, you made a promise to promote and defend all that the Church teaches. I call upon that promise in this effort to defend marriage. There ought not be open dissension on this issue.”

He believes efforts to redefine marriage now threaten to overwhelm the culture and confuse a generation of children. “Today we can say with clarity what the natural reality of marriage is,” he said.“That may not be possible in years to come if we fail to be successful now.”

Although the Church’s ultimate goal is promoting the spiritual life, Abp. Nienstedt views the defense of marriage as part of the New Evangelization. [OORAH!] He has appointed teams consisting of one priest and a married couple to explain the Church’s full beliefs on the sacrament of marriage in Catholic schools.

“I want the focus here to be a positive one – let’s celebrate the reality of what God designed from the beginning as affirmed in the first chapter of Genesis and that Jesus reaffirmed in the 19th chapter of St. Matthew’s Gospel,” Archbishop Nienstedt said.

The archbishop added, “If any have personal reservations, I do not wish that they be shared publicly. If anyone believes in conscience that he cannot cooperate, I want him to contact me directly and I will plan to respond personally.” He asked churches of the archdiocese to assist the funding of the marriage defense.

Catholics seeking to change the Faith’s constant teaching on sexual morality were outraged by his actions. “When I first read this letter I couldn’t believe that the Archbishop was telling priests and deacons to be silent if they were opposed to the marriage amendment,” said Paula Ruddy , an editor at The Progressive Catholic.

Dennis McGrath. Director of Communications, said the diocese has encountered fierce opposition because of its stance. “We’ve got some hard folks to deal with right now,” he said, adding the media, who do not understand traditional Christian teachings, are “serving as a megaphone for these LGBT groups.” [WDTPRS has got your back!]

McGrath, who would neither confirm nor deny the accuracy of the speech text, said the archbishop has suffered “outlandish” assaults. “He’s got every right to send a letter to his priests on that.” He said priests publicly defending – or at least not contradicting – Church teaching on moral issues should be “de rigueur.” [Quite.]

Archbishop Nienstedt has served as archbishop in St. Paul since 2008.

Contact Information:
Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis
226 Summit Avenue
Saint Paul, MN 55102
(651) 291-4400

A political/social war is building in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Some of the priests will be quislings.  Let’s hope they keep their betrayal private.

WDTPRS kudos to Archbishop Nienstedt.

About Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Fr. Z is the guy who runs this blog. o{]:¬)
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24 Comments

  1. JohnE says:

    I imagine the torment in Hell must be, well, more than you can imagine. But even more so for a priest who publicly dissents from Catholic teaching.

  2. irishgirl says:

    Bravo to the good Archbishop! Gathering his ‘troops’ together, I see!
    St. Thomas Becket, St. John Fisher, pray for Archbishop Nienstedt! Help him to be as steadfast as both of you were!

  3. rdschreiner says:

    I was sad to see that Archbishop Nienstadt needed a police escort in the Cathedral of St. Paul at Christmas Midnight Mass and that he didn’t clearly feel safe to be able to greet the members of the congregation after the Mass. I have no idea if there was a specific threat or not, but I wouldn’t put it past local GLBT activists(including “progressive” Catholics) to confront him even during liturgical actions. We Catholics in Minnesota who are loyal to the Church will need to pray for courage to withstand the coming attacks that the Archbishop is experiencing already.

  4. Here’s a bishop who understands what the Pope was saying the other day:

    He follows Christ and doesn’t care what other people think. He loves his flock and leads them from the front. He teaches God’s truth.

  5. RMT says:

    “On your ordination day, you made a promise to promote and defend all that the Church teaches. I call upon that promise in this effort to defend marriage. There ought not be open dissension on this issue.”

    Sounds like what Aragorn said to the oathbreakers in the Lord of the Rings

  6. Supertradmum says:

    This is a good leader and shepherd of his people and clergy. I lived in Minneapolis-St. Paul in the 1970s, and the gay agenda was gaining steam then. Do these priests who might openly disobey realize that their souls are in danger? God bless this diocese and this bishop.

  7. trespinos says:

    There is a true leader. That is an excellent instruction to his clergy and the stance he and his fellow bishops in the Conference is taking is a stellar example to the rest of the US episcopate. I’m hoping Abp. Sartain will be encouraged to respond in a similar manner to the scandalous initiative of the catholyc governor of his state to legalize SSM.

  8. NoTambourines says:

    Supertradmum– it’s that slippery slope. Things along these lines tend to go hand in hand with a disbelief in hell. Alleged “intolerance” is the only evil in the Dictatorship of Relativism, and as Mark Shea frequently points out, what is meant by “tolerance” is the demand for approval.

    “Tolerance” is approval, disapproval is “hate,” and the alleged “hate” of disapproval is spun up as necessarily leading to persecution. By the transitive property (a implies c, if you believe a implies b and b implies c), disapproval is portrayed as “persecution” tantamount to violence.

    It’s all designed to intimidate people into silence.

  9. digdigby says:

    Père Jerome in George Washington Cable’s “Old Creole Days” says about such ‘shepherds’:
    “Many sinners remain in darkness, but woe to him who turned out the lights!”
    (this is verbatim from memory)

  10. Marlon says:

    At the archdiocesan website, they have a link to the following page, which is an explanation of what marriage is–very nice.

    http://www.marriageuniqueforareason.org/

  11. RichR says:

    This world is a saint-making machine. All you have to do is state clearly what the Church teaches and you stick out like a sore thumb. This bishop knows he has a soul to save, and it sounds like he has returned to the traditional motto of the American episcopate:

    “To Hell [literally] with the opposition. Full steam ahead.”

  12. Roguejim says:

    My, this is truly frightening, and inspiring at the same time. And “The Progressive Catholic Voice” has what authority to use the name “Catholic”. The AOD/Voris debacle quickly comes to mind.

  13. mrose says:

    I am glad to see this courageous prelate standing up for True Marriage and for publicly expecting his priests to do the same, or to at least be quiet.

    Too bad Card. George apologized to the homosexual lobby so “hurt” by the KKK thing.

  14. jilly4ski says:

    As a member of Archbp. Nienstedt’s archdiocese, I am very grateful for his leadership of the priests, laity, and even the other bishops in the state. We are blessed to have him. It is wonderful to see a bishop stand up for the Church’s teachings. We hold him in our prayers everyday.

  15. Fr. CK says:

    Sadly there are some notorious priests in this Archdiocese that have been allowed to go unchecked in their criticism of the Church and her teachings. One need look any further than the editorial/opinion/metro pages of the “Red” Star and Tribune to see which priests they favor and actually seek out. Also, many of the priests who are not adhering to orthodoxy have even publicly divulged so in their pastors columns which in many cases are viewable on the internet. Very sad that with all the responsibilities H.E. the Archbishop has that he has to spend so much time reigning in renegade clergy.

  16. gracie says:

    Awesome. I think a lot of clergy have been brain-washed by the media and activist groups into thinking that they’ll be yanked from their parishes, tarred and feathered, and run out of town on a rail if they publicly uphold Church teachings. Nothing could be further from the truth. There was a priest in a neighboring parish who gave a homily in which he declared that marriage is between one man and woman, that adultery is a mortal sin, that re-marrying while your spouse is still alive( if you don’t have an annulment) is a mortal sin, that co-habitating couples who aren’t married are living in a state of sin. You could have heard a pin drop in the Church. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing – finally!, finally!, a priest with the guts to tell the truth!! I glanced around to see how others were taking it – everyone was simply mesmerized; there were tears in some people’s eyes (there were tears in mine), people were nodding their heads, etc. After Mass the priest was besieged by parishioners shaking his hands and thanking him for standing up and telling the truth. I think the priest was in a state of shock – I happen to know he wasn’t sure how what he said would be received, in fact was prepared for some heckling. Instead he was showered with gratitude from a stunned congregation that found they had a priest willing to stand up and proclaim the Gospel.

    Ditto for my own parish priest who gave a homily on opposing the Obama health care plan which requires Catholic hospitals, schools, etc. to provide health care coverage that pays for abortions, contraceptive devices, etc. Again, the poor guy was really nervous because he thought people would be getting up and walking out. Instead, just as with the other priest, he was deluged with people after Mass thanking giving him their support and thanking him for speaking out.

    Please, please, please – if you’re a Catholic priest – don’t assume that the Catholics in the pews are going to throw you through one of your stained glass windows if you get up and proclaim the Church’s teachings on various matters. We, the laity, are STARVED for priests and bishops who will lead us in fighting the good fight against the decadence of the secular world. Please be brave – we’re with you.

  17. Tony Layne says:

    “On your ordination day, you made a promise to promote and defend all that the Church teaches.”

    Wasn’t it Lenin who said promises were like pie crusts — made to be broken? It’s not just sad that a bishop has to tell priests not to contradict the Church; it’s also sad that so many people no longer recognize the binding nature of a vow.

  18. Kathleen10 says:

    Pertaining to this entire issue, with the election of a President this year, is a recommendation to check out Mitt Romney’s record on same-sex matters, because it is a liberal record, not at all conservative. The facts are hard to find, but a group named “MassResistance” has quite a bit of factual information on Mitt’s liberal record in Massachusetts. There is an e-book available for $4.95 about Mitt’s liberal record. Good information to have before this incredibly important election.

  19. Gail F says:

    Dennis McGrath is my hero! THAT’S the way for a diocesan Director of Communications to act. “He’s got every right to send a letter to his priests on that.” YEAH.

  20. Glen M says:

    The good bishop should exercise Canon 216 on the Progressive cAtholic Voice, Bishop Finn too.

  21. Sonitus says:

    God bless Archbishop Nienstedt! It seems to me that more of the bishops are starting to follow the lead of the Holy Father. More clarity and spine without making the mistake of losing all pastoral sensitivity and understanding. This is very encouraging!

  22. joanofarcfan says:

    Card. George pretty much groveled. I wish he would be stronger……like Archbishop Nienstedt

  23. Nan says:

    @rdschreiner, security is always present at the Cathedral and with Abp. Nienstedt, whether or not there’s an immediate threat. Keep in mind that it was late, returns for 10am Mass on Christmas Day but in the meantime, the building needs to be cleaned and reopened at 7 for 8am Mass.

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