Dis-Order of Canada
The opposition to Henry Morgentaler being named to the Order of Canada has been coming fast and furious. I would like to present a few of the thoughts and facts that have been noted on this issue. I borrow heavily from news releases and article that have been written in the last few days.
Joanne McGarry, executive director of the Catholic Civil Rights League, that Dr. Morgentaler named to the Order “would be a most unfortunate choice.” “As Canadians we would like to see the Order of Canada given to people whose contributions to such initiatives as charity, education, culture, the environment, things of that kind that are uniformly viewed as positive and tend to unite people,” she said. “With this choice, the one thing that everybody really agrees on about Morgentaler is that he is a very divisive figure.”
The Knights of Columbus of Ontario note that the Order was established as the highest civilian honour within the Canadian System. It is supposed to exemplify the motto “desideranted meliorem patriam” (Hebrews 11:16), meaning “those who desire a better country”. It is a sad day indeed when this honour is bestowed on an individual who has brought destruction to the defenseless unborn.
REAL WOMEN of Canada notes that the Order has been awarded to feminists, homosexuals, environmentalists, left-wing broadcasters, writers and others involved in promoting the political left in recent history. Rarely has the Order of Canada recognized the services of those who take a conservative approach to issues. Since it is politics, rather than achievement, that is the operating principle of the Order of Canada, the Order of Canada should be discarded because it is a partisan organ.
How can Canada celebrate the man who has become a multi-millionaire by promoting such a desperate procedure? As Ian Hunter said in Wednesday’s National Post, “all who are touched by abortion are hurt by it. No winners, only losers.”
Finally, Archbishop Collins of Toronto has publicly asked the faithful of the his diocese and all people of good will, to protest this act of dishonour. Write, phone, or e-mail the Governor General, the Prime Minister, and your member of Parliament. Ask that this action be revoked.
His statement goes on to say ask all his churches to pray this Sunday “That the scourge of abortion be lifted from our land, that those who promote it may be brought to a change of heart, That all who are tempted to abortion may be lovingly helped to protect the precious gift of life, and that all who have experienced an abortion may be comforted with the healing gift of love.”
Amen
Related: Outraged priest returns Order of Canada medal
Catholic Community Return Foundress’ Order of Canada
Former N.B. lt.-gov. quits Order of Canada over abortion controversy A Thousand Attend Ottawa Rally Demanding Order of Canada to Abortionist be RevokedUpdate: July 8th
The Sault Star published a version of this posting in the Letter to the Editor section on July 7th. If you are interested it is at: http://saultstar.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=1103525
I have been asked what evidence there is that the Order is partisan, as REAL WOMEN claim it is. For an answer to that, I will quote from an article by Henry Aubin of The Gazette (Montreal) on July 8th, 2007. The link follows the quotation, if you care to read the whole article.
McGill ethicist refused OC because she was ‘too controversial’
The Order’s receptiveness to new, taboo-breaking social mores was evident well before the Morgentaler appointment. The Order last year approved the candidacy of Brent Hawkes, a Toronto cleric who performed Canada’s first same-sex marriage. Also last year, the Order appointed writer Jane Vance Rule, lauding her specifically for “populating her novels with homosexual as well as heterosexual characters.” And when it honoured Jean Chrétien, the Order put a curious emphasis on his support for same-sex unions.
Few people, even critics of gay rights, made a fuss. I think most Canadians thought the Order was making an effort to reflect a significant current of public opinion. It’s hard to be against broad-mindedness.
Now, however, it suddenly turns out that the Order is not so broad-minded after all. It has refused admission to Margaret Somerville, the McGill University ethicist who is a leading critic of the social views that the Order welcomes.
Youth Defending Youth – The Ottawa March for Life
Twenty-seven Sault Ste. Marie residents returned early this morning from Canada’s largest ever pro-life demonstration in Ottawa on Thursday. Nine of them were youth who have been associated with the local Catholic youth movement.
A charter bus was organized by Our Lady of Good Counsel parish. The Knights of Columbus, Superior Council 932 financed the transportation for the students who participated. Youth from Sault Ste. Marie, and St. Gerard Majella, have attended in other years. This has happened with the cooperation of various groups and individuals from Sault Pro-Life, Superior Council 932, and teachers from the Huron Superior Catholic District School Board.
The event calls for legislators and Canadians to put an end to abortion in Canada.
The participants heard speeches from MPs, women who have had abortions and Dr. Alvada King, niece of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Erin and Bridget Murphy of St. Gerard Magella parish, disembarked from a charter bus at 1:30 a.m. on Friday morning, with their seven friends.
“It was great to be there with my friends and so many other students from across Canada,” said the 15-year-old Murphy. “I have never been part of such a big event.” It was estimated that half of the 8,000 participants in Ottawa were under 25 years of age.
Some of Erin’s photos of the trip are attached to this posting. Comments follow. Maybe you can guess which comments belong to which photo!
Created with Admarket’s flickrSLiDR.
- They were impressed by the beauty of the Basilica. Fortunately they got a seat. Even the standing room was gone!
- An eerie silence descended on the large crowd as the March passed by the Ottawa abortion facility.
- The Sault Ste. Marie. MP and St. Gerard Majella parishioner, Tony Martin, meets participants on the Parliamentary grounds.
- The Sault bus posed for a photo.
- The Sault youth posed for a photo on the grounds too, and a random crowd of students they did not know decided to jump into the shot! The spirit of the rally was fun, friendly and spontaneous.
A link to a report on the rally: http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008/may/08050803.html
The Gulf is Wide and Deep
Solemnly Promulgated by his Holiness, Pope Paul VI – Vatican II
In this decree the Council seeks to describe the nature, character, and diversity of the lay apostolate, to state its basic principles, and to give pastoral directive for its more effective exercise.
“33. The most holy council, then, earnestly entreats all the laity in the Lord to answer gladly, nobly, and promptly the more urgent invitation of Christ in this hour and the impulse of the Holy Spirit. . . . the Lord renews his invitation to all the laity to come closer to Him every day, recognizing that what is His is also their own (Phil. 2:5), to associate themselves with Him in His saving mission. Once again he sends them into every town and place where He will come (cf. Luke 10:1) so that they may show that they are co-workers in the various forms and modes of the one apostolate of the Church, which must be constantly adapted to the new needs of our times. Ever productive as they should be in the work of the Lord, they know that their labour in Him is not in vain (cf. 1 Cor. 15:58)”
UPDATE – Tuesday, April 22
I have had some questions as to what the heck this posting is about. I agree, it is a tad vague regarding where I am going with it. I really wonder why it is that people will ask me this in person and not pose the question on this blog. The blog is here for a reason.
I think some people are just shy about posting in public. I think some people are afraid of getting “in trouble”.
I find that troubling in itself. But perhaps that is a topic for another posting.
This posting is the concluding paragraph of the Decree of Apostolicam Actuositatem, the laity’s role in the church. It is very hopeful about the value of the labour that the laity offers with respect to the mission of the church. The Decree has much to say about our role. It might be a interesting resource for St Gerard Majella, at this juncture.
Our participation in the sacraments and liturgy sustains us in our journey “in the world”. On the other hand, our experience “in the world” has much to offer our church. It is my personal observation that the wisdom the laity has to offer the church in the practical issues of management, finance and planning are, very often, dismissed by clergy.
The gulf between the laity and the clergy is wide and deep, from where I sit. That hurts us both. This may be very presumptuous, but I hazard to say that, in general, the laity expect far too much from the clergy, and the clergy is far too dismissive of the role (and may I say, the expertise) of the laity.
I ask you, St. Gerard Majella parishioner, does this make sense? We have had a second pastor disappear before our eyes will no explanation and deafening silence. What does that say to you? Is it true, as people have said to me, that St. Gerard Majella parish is hard on our pastors?
This blog is intended to be a work in Christ – a modern one, sure, but a valid one. This labour is not in vain, as long as the church (read ‘ you and I’ ) has the fortitude to use it.
The Bishop Visits St. G.M.
It was good to have Bishop Plouffe come and celebrate with us this Sunday. His willingness to come was a message, stronger than his words themselves, that his thoughts are with us. The readings were about Thomas with his friends in the upper room, doubting in the Resurrection. The readings also recounted the powerful evangelization that began shortly afterwards and the unity of the Christian community in Jerusalem.
The Bishop reflected on this in the context of our having no pastor now.
Bishop Plouffe spoke of his faith in this parish. It is strong and has a bright future. The area is growing and our parish ought to grow too. Like the apostles leaving the upper room to preach the gospel, this parish has the job of evangelizing the P-Patch. He says he won’t give up on us, especially since we have the most expensive parking-lot in the diocese. 
He spoke of Fr. George as a great homilist and George asked his superior for the leave. As a member of the Basilian congregation the Bishop must tread carefully and respect the wishes of the order. He warned us of gossip. It remains to be seen if Fr. George would return.
The parish seems rudderless right now. There has been little to no direction given as to how to manage ourselves or deal with questions. The parish office will handle questions, as best it can, it seems. Apart from that, we are on auto-pilot.
But, the Bishop promised we would not be left without a shepherd. This coming Friday Fr. Doherty will come to be with us for 2 months. Beyond that time frame, we will just have to see how things work out.
If this summary has missed anything, please feel free to comment.
Never again
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.
As we celebrate the Easter Tridium, I expect my mind will often slip into the questioning of how a parish in general, and St. Gerard Majella in particular, should manage ourselves. Yet another Pastor of our church has disappeared with no goodbyes and no explanation.
If the past is anything to go by, (think ‘Fr. Randy Thomas’) we will not know the reason for this. Because it is important to us and because we care and we are friends in this together, we will talk, share information and speculate. So the chat will bubble away, like some untended broth in the back kitchen, giving off a faint odour – or perhaps eventually a big stink. In any case, to my mind, there will be little hope of resolution . . . if the past is anything to go by.
Our collective emotions will be all over the place. Some of us, to whom Fr. George pastored and taught so well, are saddened and hurt. Some of us, who had concerns, will wonder what we should have done differently.
Personally, I felt that I had no voice in the administration of the parish. Furthermore, I did not feel anyone really did, including the Parish Leadership Team. I stand to be corrected, if I am off-base.
As long as the reasons are kept quiet, it will be hard to hope for a resolution of any type. As long as the reasons are kept quiet, the chances are good that mistakes will be repeated in other parishes. Whether the administration comes clean or not, I hope we can take a hard look at our responsibilities and ‘admonish one another with all wisdom’.
I do not want to go through this again. I want to do better as a parishioner. I want my children to be proud of being Catholic.
The Word does dwell in us richly. We have much to be grateful for. Let’s take courage in that and go forward.
Sheep have lost their shepherd
This weekend a letter from Bishop Plouffe was read at masses and posted on the parish doors. Fr. George LaPierre is no longer with the parish. Here are the full contents:
March 13, 2008
Dear Parishioners of St. Gerard Majella,
This week, I received a letter from Fr. Gordon Judd, CSB, Vicar General of the Congregation of St. Basil asking me to inform you of the following:
Father George LaPierre has requested and received permission from Fr. Kenneth Decker, CSB, Superior General of the Basilian Fathers of Toronto to take an administrative leave from his duties at St. Gerard Majella Parish in our Diocese. Father LaPierre may be absent from the parish for some time or may not be returning to Sault Ste. Marie and understands that the Diocese may need to replace him in order to meet the pastoral needs of the Parish.
Both Father LaPierre and Father Decker deeply regret the suddenness of this situation and apologize for the difficulties that this may create in attempting to find an interim sacramental minister, especially as Easter draws near.
They have assured me of their prayers and the continued best wishes of the Basilian Fathers. They regret that at this time they are unable to provide another Basilian for priestly ministry to the church in the Sault where they have enjoyed a long and devoted relationship with so many.
I will personally convey to Father LaPierre that he can count on your prayers and mine, especially during the great liturgies of Holy Week.
Beyond this totally unexpected news, may the Risen One rekindle our hope as we celebrate with faith and devotion the Paschal Mystery.
Fraternally yours in Christ
Jean-Louis Ploufe
Bishop of Sault Ste. Marie
