Per Christum

This morning, I learned of the death of Fr. James LeBar. Fr. LeBar was a close friend and mentor to my own dear friend Fr. Ken Yossa. He was, for many years, the chief exorcist for the Archdiocese of New York, and was one of the most prominent figures in this very specialized ministry in the entire world.

My friend Fr. Yossa is a Byzantine Catholic priest (Romanian Rite) who is godfather to my son Philip and who was present at my own reception into the Church. He forwarded to me this prayer which seems most appropriate for the occasion. It is taken from the Byzantine Funeral Office for a Priest:

O Lord, our God, we see your departed priestly servant James and all the works performed by him in your Church. Now that he has departed by your will, we beseech you O solicitous Master, in your loving kindness, forgive him all his transgressions—committed deliberately or through human frailty—and that you admit him to the region of the living, to the place of light where all the saints repose. For you are the resurrection, the life and the repose of your priestly servant James, O Christ our God, and we glorify you, together with your eternal Father and your all holy Spirit, now and ever, and forever. Amen.

This is a very different — and difficult — post for me.

Today, I would like to recognize the life of Ken Jablonski. Ken died 15 years ago, sometime between the hours of 4 and 8 AM on February 22nd, 1993. He was 34 years old. He had suffered from severe kidney disease, leading to total kidney failure (and two failed transplants). He had survived more than 20 years of kidney dialysis. He was also, for the many years that I knew him, totally blind. Early in the morning of February 22nd, 1993, while waiting for the taxi to take him to his thrice-weekly dialysis treatment, he suffered what appeared to be a fatal heart attack. When the taxi company called the authorities to report his non-appearance that fatal morning, the police found his body on the living room floor, reaching for the phone.

At the request of his family, I was in charge of his funeral arrangements, and the disposition of most of his material goods.

Ken was a unique man. In spite of his physical disabilities — and his blindness — he was a musician of extraordinary skill — on the piano, the guitar, and the electric guitar — as well as being a gifted composer. He had one of the most profound — and funny — senses of humor that I have ever encountered in my life. Reading from a Braille manuscript, he proclaimed the Old Testament Lesson at my wedding, and remained very interested in my family life until his untimely death. (He died when my oldest son was 2 1/2 years old, and one month before my oldest daughter was born.)

Ken was an honest man; a generous man; a giving man; and a godly man. To the very end of his life, he was concerned about the needs and hurts of others. Upon his death, one of the tasks which fell to me was to “clean out” his computer — and I found many more examples of his kindness and decency about which I had no knowledge — even as his closest friend.

One final example: about four months prior to his death, Ken had the opportunity to meet the severely retarded and disabled daughter of my wife’s best friends. She was only a small child at the time. After my wife’s friends had returned home, Ken penned a letter to this little girl: a letter gripped with love and emotion. Some years after Ken’s death, this little girl died as well — and at the visitation for family and friends, Ken’s letter was posted prominently by the casket. I don’t believe I’ve ever met a more compassionate person in my entire life.

Ken, while a devout Christian, often joked about giving up “religious ritual” for Lent! And, true to form, he died just two days before Ash Wednesday! Tomorrow, while a day of abstinence, a part of me will be strongly tempted to give up — in Ken’s honor — my Lenten disciplines — just for a day.

Kenneth P. Jablonski — may you rest in peace! May your friends be as lucky as you, to remember you so faithfully! And if, perchance, I should (in your honor) stray on Friday, please intercede to the Almighty on my behalf!

Greetings, all,

I have recently received a very kind message from Bp. Fred Fick, sometime CEC bishop of the Great Lakes.

Bp. Fick informs me that while he participated in some of the preliminary discussions which led to the formation of the Communion of Christ the Redeemer; after much prayer and discernment, he has declined to participate in that endeavor. Instead, he is seeking the fellowship of conservative Anglicans within the Continuing Movement.

I pray that Bp. Fick and his family and friends find the Will of God for their unique situation, as I am sure that they continue to pray for us.

God bless you, Bp. Fick.

SUBJECT: RELIGION!!!

Apparently, the leadership of the CEC has not learned much from the events of the past 12-18 months. I just received — unsolicited — an e-mail from a long-time CEC priest in the Southeast who yesterday announced that he and his congregation were moving from the CEC to the newly formed Communion of Christ the Redeemer (CCR).

Within hours — literally within hours — the CEC leader in his state demanded the return of his ordination certificates, denounced him as a vow-breaker, and has already begun efforts to seize his church’s property. And this against a man who has served as a priest for more than a decade.

For crying out loud, people, WHAT HAVE WE LEARNED???

WHEN WILL THIS NONSENSE STOP???

What is to be gained by this continued persecution?

When will the current leadership in the CEC realize that they bear enormous responsibility for the events of the last 18 months?

You know, I’ve heard a lot of talk about “healing” and “moving forward” and even admission of “communication breakdowns”, etc. But I don’t see the actions suiting the words.

Thanks to David B. for his previous kind remarks. I thought that under the circumstances, I ought to “cross-post”. Blessings!

It’s been awhile since I’ve posted on this blog. Much of my time has been spent moderating several sections of the Ancient-Future Catholic forum, owned by fellow blogger David Bennett. Some months ago, we decided mutually that the time had come to shut down discussions of the CEC on that forum, and overall, I believe that this has been a wise move. Some CEC discussion has continued on the On Our Way Home forum, but at a much slower, and less frenetic pace than before.

Now that the dust has cleared somewhat, we can perhaps have a better picture as to what has actually happened, and what is still going on.

Total Episcopal Departures from the CEC since May 2006:

Bishop Philip Zampino, formerly Bishop of the Mid-Atlantic Diocese and Abbot General; now Prelate of the Communion of Corpus Christi.

Bishop Fred Fick, formerly Bishop of the Great Lakes Diocese; now a bishop in the Communion of Christ the Redeemer.

Bishop Don Miles, formerly assistant Bishop of the Great Lakes Diocese; now a bishop in the Communion of Christ the Redeemer.

Bishop Rich Lipka, formerly Bishop of Delmarva Diocese; now the President of the Communion of Christ the Redeemer.

Bishop Phil Weeks, formerly Missionary Bishop for the CEC; now a bishop in the Communion of Christ the Redeemer.

Bishop Ken Myers, formerly Bishop of the South-Central Diocese; now Vice-President of the Communion of Christ the Redeemer.

Bishop Rick Painter, formerly Bishop in Arizona; now the Secretary-Treasurer of the Communion of Christ the Redeemer.

Archbishop Randy Sly, formerly Archbishop of the Eastern Province; now a layman in the Roman Catholic Church.

In addition, there have been dozens, if not hundreds of priests and deacons who have left for other bodies, dozens of churches who have left for other bodies, and thousands of laity which have left for other bodies.

The “Exodus” continues, but has been slowed to a trickle. I do expect more losses, but not nearly at the rate we’ve seen over the last 9 months or so.

Is, then, my earlier post on the demise of the CEC incorrect? To paraphrase Mark Twain: “Are the rumors of the death of the CEC greatly exaggerated?”

No, I don’t think so. It may still be possible for the CEC to survive as a meaningful entity — but I would not bet the rent on it.

What has happened positively:

There have been some positives.

1) The CEC is finally being honest about its own numbers here in the United States. For many years, those in the CEC (including those in ministry) were treated to enormous exaggerations as to churches and parishoners. In the United States, the CEC is now admitting to about 4,000 souls.

2) The CEC is finally taking a stand on doctrinal issues (like the Canon of Scripture). Lack of clarity on fundamental points of doctrine has always been a shortcoming of the denomination. It appears that this is beginning to change.

3) The CEC is finally taking a stand on a unified liturgy. This has also been a shortcoming, as not only styles of worship would vary around the country, but so also would fundamental and theological aspects of the liturgy. It is difficult to have a unified doctrine if there is no uniform liturgical worship. The CEC is finally coming to grips with this.

4) The CEC seems to be making at least a minimal attempt to regularize its reporting, both with regard to parish records and with regard to financial accountability. This may be “too little, too late” — but, nevertheless a start is being made.

HOWEVER — the NEGATIVES certainly outweigh the positives:

1) Honesty about numbers is a good thing. The numbers themselves look very bad — and when analyzed, look much worse. 4,000 persons — 90 churches. That adds up to about 45 persons per church. Not very viable. But there’s more. 6 of those congregations are cathedral parishes, which tend to be much larger than the typical CEC congregation. If we assume an average membership of 150 for those six congregations (which is conservative indeed) we’re left with about 3,100 persons in 84 parishes/missions. That adds up to about to about 37 members per congregation. But it gets worse than that. Among those 4,000 people, are between 400 and 450 clergy! For 90 churches! Most members of the CEC clergy have families, and many of those families are quite large. Just assuming an average of 4.5 members per clergy family (which again is conservative indeed) and we see between 1,800 and 2,000 members of CEC churches who are either clergy, or families of clergy. That number approaches 50%. This is not viable denominational growth!

2) Taking a stand on doctrine and on liturgy is also a good thing. However, in the case of the CEC, the stand taken is essentially “We have decided that we are a Protestant denomination”. If that is truly what they want to be, that’s fine and dandy. But that is not the song which was being sung EVEN ONE YEAR AGO, much less from the beginning of the denomination. Yet the current leadership is pretending that this is not the case. One immediately thinks of the “doublespeak” talked about in 1984. Those of us who remember how it was at the beginning cannot be fooled.

3) The beginnings of accountability are not enough. The current leadership of the CEC has still not “come clean” about the events of the past year (and honestly, much further back than that!) Clergy and laity who still ask questions are being insulted by bishops. The cries of the literally thousands who have asked for information, and yes, for justice, have been mocked and ridiculed. Attacks have been made against forums and blogs (including this one) yet certain leaders have no hesitancy in printing their own views and opinions. Lies have been told, and continue to be told. Reputations have been tarnished, and continue to be tarnished. Relationships have been broken, and continue to be broken.

In other words, in spite of the loss of 8 bishops, dozens to hundreds of clergy, and (depending on which set of figures you read) up to 75% percent of the laity in the United States, a certain cadre within the remaining leadership is still continuing “business as usual”.

I pray for those left in the CEC. I pray for healing and for reconciliation. But I also pray that “the truth will out”.

The Finger of God

I’m sure that virtually all readers are still reeling at the horrific events which took place yesterday at Virginia Tech. Such mindless evil is dreadfully hard to contemplate. There are no easy answers to difficult questions.

And yet . . .

And yet . . .

Like we have seen so often before, during times of immense tragedy; amid all the suffering and pain; amid all the questions and the anger — there are also miracles. There are those who “were supposed to be somewhere, but weren’t” — and later realize that they have been spared. There are those who, in moments of unspeakable horror, act with incredible courage. There are those who “rise to the occasion”, when the need is greatest.

We see the Finger of God.

I see the Finger of God in the heroic sacrifice of a professor, who literally blockaded a classroom door with his body — so that his students could escape. Greater love hath no man.

I see the Finger of God in the presence of an Eagle Scout in one classroom, who was able to render emergency first-aid to those around him — and was never touched by a bullet.

I see the Finger of God on the life of a young man who decided to have a quick coffee with his girlfriend, rather than rush off. They are both alive today.

I see the Finger of God on the life of a young woman who, although always early, was, for some reason running late.

I see the Finger of God in the very fact that these tragedies are so rare; that this sort of wanton evil remains, for the most part, checked.

It was St. Thomas Aquinas who pointed out that if God wanted to destroy the Universe — He would not have to do anything — He would have to STOP doing something. It is His Finger on the pulse of the Universe which keeps everything going.

I grieve with all those who have lost friends and loved ones. I grieve for the loss of life — and for the loss of innocence. And I am filled with wonder and great gratitude at the little miracles — those actions by the Finger of God — which kept this terrible, terrible tragedy from being infinitely worse.

May the souls of the victims — and the souls of all the faithful departed through the mercy of God, rest in peace.

On this blog and on others, many thoughts concerning the current crises in the CEC have been expressed. Some of these thoughts and concerns have to do with actions of particular persons in the CEC — and those comments are beyond the scope of this posting. What I do want to express are some thoughts about the Reformation and the Council of Trent which may be of value to those in the CEC who earnestly desire reform in that body.

Many historians and theologians will argue (including many Lutherans) that the original causes of the Reformation were not doctrinal in nature, but rather disciplinary. Many of the criticisms made by Luther were valid — and were eventually taken up by the Catholic Reformers at the Council of Trent.

It occurs to me that, following the old dictum that those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it, those persons of good will remaining in the CEC — and there are many — might take note at some of the specific disciplinary questions raised by the Reformers and addressed at the Council of Trent.

1) Seminary Training: It has been a major complaint by many in the CEC that the training, education, and spiritual formation of the clergy has been lacking. (From my own experience over 11 years, I have to say that I agree.) The Catholic Church in the Late Middle Ages experienced the same problem. In BOTH cases — the CEC AND the late medieval Church — this has not always been due to deliberate neglect.

The CEC has received many good and godly men from other religious entities — some already with churches — but with widely varying levels of education, training, and spiritual formation. This has led to confusion as to what the CEC actually does and does not teach and believe — and to wide disparities between dioceses.

The late medieval Church, reeling from the Black Death, in which a significant percentage of the population of Europe died, faced an extreme shortage of clergy (due to the fact that since the clergy and religious were attending the sick and dying, their own mortality rate was exceptionally high). As a result, to fill the gaps, many people were rushed through the ordination process with only a fraction of the necessary formation needed to be good priests and religious.

(I must say that in both the CEC and in the late medieval Church, there have also been cases of gross neglect and corruption — but that is not the topic of this post.)

The Council of Trent recognized that the Reformers had a valid point with regard to issues like the proper training of clergy. Thus, the Council mandated that seminaries be erected in the various dioceses of the Church to correct this fault. If the CEC truly wishes reform in this area, they need to follow suit with strong programs of academic, pastoral, and spiritual formation. All three are necessary.

2) Regular visitations by bishops: This was a major problem in the medieval Catholic Church. Visitations by bishops were, in many places very rare (especially among the smaller, poorer, and more rural churches.) As a result, the faithful were neglected by their spiritual shephards — and corrupt priests were not held to proper account.

The CEC has had — in some dioceses — similar breakdowns. I know of one CEC parish which, in four years, never received a single visitation, while a larger, wealthier parish in the same state was visited several times a year. I know of another CEC church (in a different diocese) who had not received a visitation in at least that long — and whenever there were candidates for confirmation, the candidates had to travel hours to the cathedral. I know of another CEC priest in yet another diocese, who had not received an official communication from his bishop — in a decade. No wonder that many in the CEC feel isolated — and that, in certain cases, corruption has been allowed to continue.

The Council of Trent mandated regular visitations by bishops — and this was in a day and age where travel was not as easy as it is today! This would be a reform that the CEC could easily — and should immediately — implement.

3) Nepotism: Nepotism was a serious problem in the medieval Church. Church offices were routinely given out to close relatives of bishops and other senior Church officials. (Some of these also involved sins against chastity — but that is not the topic of this post.) Favors were granted to, how shall we say, friends who had friends, etc.

WHETHER REAL OR NOT, the PERCEPTION of nepotism has been rife in some parts of the CEC. This has been an issue, frankly, from Day One. It has not been an issue everywhere — but the accusations have been made — and at least some of those accusations give the appearance of having merit.

FULL DISCLOSURE!!! I was a priest in the CEC; my father was a bishop in the CEC. I entered the CEC 9 months prior to my father; I was ordained deacon prior to my father’s consecration as bishop. We never served in the same diocese together. By specific permission, my father was given the authority to ordain me priest, by my own bishop at the time, Bp. Ken Myers — permission for which we were both grateful. But I never served in my father’s diocese and can count on one hand the number of times I was invited to preach or concelebrate in his cathedral.

I make this statement so that no one can say that I am trying to talk out of both sides of my mouth!

The Council of Trent strongly condemned nepotism. While such was never completely eliminated, the extent of the problem was greatly curtailed.

This, too, would be a relatively easy reform for the CEC to make — and one which, I believe, should be made. Reasonable provisions (re: Bp. Myers’ generosity to myself and my father) should be permitted, but regulated by Canon. “Automatic” inheritance of office or authority should be strongly discouraged.

4) Uniformity of Liturgy: One of the biggest problems in the late medieval Church was a lack of uniformity in liturgy. This lack of uniformity existed not just from country to country, but frequently between city to city as well. The upshot was that it became difficult to discern what the Prayer of the Church; the Work of the People; actually was.

This has been a significant problem in the CEC from Day One. The preferred text was the 1979 Episcopal Book of Common Prayer — with several other texts which “could” be authorized by bishops. This was problematic for those (like myself) who honestly believed that the 1979 BCP (and almost ANY Anglican formulary) was insufficient at best (and quite possibly invalid) AND for those who found themselves worshiping in different CEC churches in different parts of the country. In many cases, there is not even a uniformity within the CEC as it concerns the Nicene Creed.

The Council of Trent mandated a unified liturgy for the Church. (Minor exceptions were allowed for certain religious orders — but that is beyond the scope of this post.) This proved to be an incredible unifying factor for the Catholic Church.

Frankly, after more than 14 years of existence, the CEC needs to do the same. If they choose to use the 1979 BCP — they need to realize that they will lose people — not only over doctrinal issues, but also over any apparent connection (real or imagined) with the Episcopal Church. Frankly, the same would be true of any other existing rite. What the CEC needs to do is to draft its own Communion-wide (or at least, North American-wide) liturgy, using the best resources from the best scholarship the CEC can muster, to come up with an authentic liturgy which represents the best of Three-Streams worship — AND the best of the available theological acumen. The model liturgy prepared by the Eastern Province would be a good starting point.

Anyhow, these are just a few suggestions; a few areas in which those in the CEC who wish to learn from history might propose.

Greetings, all — and thanks especially to David Bennett — a long-time Amazon.com friend with whom I have recently connected. I find that we have far more in common now than we ever had before!

Thanks, too, to all those on the “Per Christum” blog who have been supportive of the fumblings of one seeking the truth . . . thank God, I’m home!

I’m more than willing to converse with any and all.

Grace and peace!