I was disappointed that you used the Parker case to further your campaign against equal civil marriage. The judge’s logic in his ruling applies regardless of the existence of civil marriage (gay couples such as that in King and King, one of the books at issue, exist whether their union is recognized by the state or the church and hence the diversity rationale is independent of such recognition), and parents have been fighting about what state-run schools teach children for the history of public schools in Massachusetts. What a foolish if not downright dishonest claim to cite the Parker’s predicament as an outgrowth of the legalization of gay marriage.

Moreover, as is clear, a book about a same-sex couple like King and King is no more a book about “sexuality” than is a fairy tale where a straight couple gets married. If you see “sex” in either, you are projecting it.

It’s time for you to reach out and model a ministry of active love to gay people, not simply tell straight persons not to gay bash them.

All that said, I appreciate your leadership with respect to the raids in New Bedford and the plight of the families there.

May God grant you the grace of an open mind.

My husband directed me to your site, and have really enjoyed it. Love to see all of your nice pictures, and getting to see what is going on in the East.
Boston sounds like such an exciting place, with all of those wonderful Catholics.
God Bless, and keep up the good work.

John McGonagle St. Clement Parish, Medford

I wish to congratulate you for your blog. I want to ley tou know that Diari de Girona (daily newspaper from Girona City, in Catalunya, Spain) will publish this next Saturday, March the 10th, an article talking about it in a very nice manner. Thanks so much and go ahead.

Àngel

I hope all is well with you. Thank you for your blog posts.

Here is my question: it’s been all over the blogosphere that one of your brother cardinals was online doing a chat this past week and was asked about women’s ordination. He pointed readers to an article which said,

“The Vatican maintains that the church has no authority to grant women the additional leadership roles of deacon, priest, bishop, or pope.

“But as Catholics we might do well to reflect on the sometimes irritating ways of the Holy Spirit, who through people like Moses, Susan B. Anthony, and even Sister Chittister, always seems to have plans far and ahead of what most of us can see.” The implication was that the Holy Spirit is guiding the laity who ask for women’s ordination to pressure the Church to grant it. This would mean that the Church does in fact have the authority, contrary to what it claims.

I was wondering if you could please recommend any books or resources that explain Church teaching on women’s ordination. Maybe you yourself could explain it.

Thank you.

In Christ’s Love,

BCatholic

Norman W. Vail

Thank you so much for your blog and thank you for your work on behalf of marriage. I was happily encouraged to see your stated support for the David Parker situation about allowing parents to opt out “when human sexual education or human sexuality issues” are presented.” Thank you so much for stating, “Obviously, the Church sees the parents as being the primary educators of their children and having a very special role that must be respected.” For the past few years I have been assuming that there has to be no way you know what material is being presented in the Talking About Touching program because there would be no way you would allow for that. Now having read your thoughts on the Lexington situation I am sure there is no way you have seen the extremely graphic and yes even frightening examples and stories that are used in the TAT program.
I understand the desire to protect children but shouldn’t we in the Church take this to a higher level? Shouldn’t we be implementing a program where we are demonstrating our belief about the “special role of the parents that must be respected?” Shouldn’t we be working with parents so they can create protective environments for their children? Wouldn’t that be a great model for the World? Can’t we as the Church come up with something better than an off the shelf secular program that doesn’t model the Church teaching on the parents role and finds the need to use fear to get it’s point across? With amazing gifts like JohnPaul II’s Theology of the Body we can do so much better. Thank you again for all you do and I can’t imagine all the concerns that are on your plate and I now know there is no way the examples in Talking About Touching have ever been shared with you because they directly are examples of human sexuality issues being presented to children as young as five and the parents are not in the room or the parents role as primary educators is not be respected.

Un cardenal blocaire:
Fa quinze dies us anunciàvem el primer blog d’un bisbe del nostre país, Mons Jaume Traserra. Ara ja em trobat el primer cardenal de la història que té el seu propi blog. Es tracta del bisbe de Boston , Mons. Seán O’Malley . Cada divendres el purpurat hi exposa els seus comentaris i reflexions, tot en anglès, acompanyat de fotografies. Hi ha lloc per deixar-hi comentaris. L’adreça és: http://www.cardinalseansblog.org/
El cardenal utilitza aquesta plataforma conscient que pot arribar a molta gent que no trepitja el seu temple, en especial –com el mateix diu en un lateral del web-, els joves.

And, if “the Church sees the parents as being the primary educators of their children and having a very special role that must be respected.”, why is the Archdiocese making an objectionable program mandatory for all children, thus usurping parents rights as primary educators of their children. If we want to protect our children from sexual abuse, and support parents as primary educators why not train the parents. You can even make it mandatory if you like.
There seems to be a contradiction in what you say, and what our Archdiocese is doing.

Joe, thank you for your comments and prayers. I am afraid that you are wrong, though, no errors on the part of Human beings in the Church led me to take this step, although I have seen a few (in myself as well!). I am going to put myself out on a limb upon which it would be easy to take potshots at me, but I truly believe this is where God is leading me, and my life has been filled with grace ever since I took the step. Like many Anglicans, I feel guided by Our Lady, ark of the one covenent for all believers, and focus of unity (look at Walsingham and the wellsprings of grace there). This step was taken and, when my feelings crystallised, guided by a very faithful RC spiritual director. I do find your comments about my immortal soul worrying, as I can no longer find any teaching which says that only Roman Catholics can be saved. I will be accountable to God all the same. I will be found wanting, as we all will, but if I continue bringing other people to the Love of God, then I will be content that I have fulfilled His plan for me.

It is to our shame that we cannot stand equal in our eyes in front of the far more important gaze of God, as fellow Christians, spreading the Good News. I am actively working for the Kingdom, as we all are. We should find a shared mission, as ‘deep night is coming down on this rough spoken world, and the banners of darkness are being boldly unfurled’, which I believe we will find, if we can jointly fall on the patronage of Mary, mother of God and Mother of the Church.

May God bless you, pray for me as I will pray for you, but pray more for an end to abortion and the spread of the Word of God.

Andrew.

My heart is overflowing with love and gratitude for what is happening in the communication field in the Archdiocese of Boston.

I have encouraged my family to check out your “blog”; and to tune in to both Catholic TV, and now your “cardinalcast” over the internet.

To me, it is all a total miracle!!

May God continue to bless you!! In Jesus name I pray.

Sincerely,

With the love of Christ,

Mrs. Kathleen Tobin

I’ve been reading your blog for some time. I only decided to “chime in” when I read comments about the Old Catholics. Actually Old Catholics are only part of a larger group of “independent Catholics.” As a bishop in the American Catholic Church, U.S.A. we are descendents of the National Catholic Church of Brazil.

I was Anglican but left because of the ordination of women. I agree with Andrew that some independent Catholic bishops are interested in the “role” of bishop not the pastoral responsibility that is mandated with episcopal ordination. Andrew failed to mention that many are not adequately trained in theology and pastoral praxis. Regarding Deacon Len Dexter’s question, independent Catholics have no relationship with the Church of Rome.

At the risk of stirring the ire of some of my brother independent bishops, I should end here. I should add that all of us, trying to spread the gospel, have things in our churches, which need improvement. However, I would also like to say I read your blog because you are a bishop of the people. I greatly admire that and feel that leaders in all Christian Communities need to get closer to the people. My bishop’s motto is: “To heal the broken hearted.” ( Luke 19). In my ministry I’ve seen the broken hearted and have even been broken hearted myself.

Thanks much for your blog. It very much touches me and speaks to me how you are very much a role model for bishops of all branches of the Christian Church.

+Joe Beisel, O.S.F., M.Ed., M.Div.

The news from the Catholic Appeal is promising. I’m pleased that people continue to support the Church after all we’ve been through. I pray that it’s a sign that their faith in Christ remains strong in a world groaning under the burden of sin. Your example continues to inspire us.

Mary

Another wonderful article. Thank you so much from the UK.

If I make a comment to Andrew – I will pray for you as I am sure will others – in great charity. I pray that God will give you the wisdom to recognise that straying from the one true faith in the Catholic Church, to the Anglican Ecclesial Communion is a serious mistake and, for your eternal salvation, you must return to the Church.

I may be wrong, but I suspect that errors on the part of human beings within the Church may well have caused you to take this step. Such errors must be put right by those that might have made them. But they should not impede anyone in remaining true to the Faith.

Christ only founded one Church and that Church subsists in the Catholic Church – as I am sure your brother, in the SSPX (from a rather different perspective) will also tell you.

Please, Andrew, come back to the Church.

If I can raise two points, firstly to your Deacon friend, the Old Catholic Church is interesting from an academic perspective, but nothing more. I am currently writing a paper on the resurgence of Wandering Bishops in my home of England, which happened after my church, the Church of England (wrongly in my view), began ordaining women to the priesthood and concurrently as the Roman Church in England became so homophobic (much to the embarrassment of a few faithful, celibate homosexual Roman Priests of my acquaintance) that people either left in shame or left to start even more extreme groups. These two stances have urged a number of men (and women!)to form their own ‘churches’ claiming orders from the Old Catholic Church, campaigning for or against the freedom of Theological enquiry. Mostly, though, they are concerned with the minutae of Rubrics and producing websites where you will see plenty of Bishops in suspiciously high mitres but no faithful. Christ commanded us (myself included, as an ex Roman Catholic now training as an Anglican Priest) to feed His lambs and tend His sheep, this, to me, means leading people to God with open minds and hearts on fire to the liberation from the material and the cancer of sin to live in Him, as He lives in us. This is not, in my experience, best practised by sitting in a back bedroom or converted garage wearing a cassock and pectoral cross writing new codes of Canon Law that suit you. There is a tangible sense of the Divine in any expression of true faith, which I have never found in my researches into these groups. However, the SSPX (of which my brother is a member, what did we say about good Catholic families!), seems to have flourished, and it makes an interesting academic model to measure these new groups against, by looking at issues such as discipline and order, teaching and commitment – and importantly, a well publicised mandate. The success of this group will maybe be seen in the near future, BUT, watch for the classic new group problem (already encountered by them but dealt with well) of re-schism.

My second point, Dear Cardinal Sean, is that I am detecting very little hint of Ecumenism on these pages, It’s a bit of a drum to bang of mine, having been a Roman Catholic ordinand and having followed Gods will for me (which, sometimes I frankly wish had been different) to be a celibate priest, obedient to the word of God as the Church and individuals recieve it. I’m not suggesting you kiss Ms Schori (or Abp. Akinola!), but I have always been of the opinion that things were fairly ‘advanced’ in that direction over the pond.

Ad multos annos!

Andrew.

May God continue to bless you and keep you strong and healthy so you can keep up the great work you do in our archdiocese. Peace and God bless!

The Catholics in Boston are truely blessed to have you as the
spiritual leader. May Gosd bless you in your continuing efforts.

Jim Gardner

Thank you for your comments on marriage. I was one of those who wondered why the Church would oppose the gay marriage as a civil issue. I have come to understand that it affects us all.

I am proud to have you with us in Boston.

I loved your homily and Peter is a great, great man, a fact I think for some it is easy to take for granted or forget, until one looks at his dialogue with the Lord as you have so nicely done. I know that people find comfort in the human weakness he once showed, but this underscores all the more his total greatness as he never stopped preaching in the face of danger and the threatened demise of our church. During Lent, especially in these difficult times for our faith, I think people would be inspired to recall his words when the Apostles were arrested:

“We must obey God rather than men. The God of our fathers raised Jesus, whom you put to death, hanging him on a tree. Him God exalted with his right hand to be Prince and Savior, to grant repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. And we are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to all who obey him.” But they, when they heard this, were cut to the heart and wanted to slay them. Acts 5:29-33

A blessed and fruitful Lent to yours and yours.
Yours in Christ.

Thanks so much for making this available to the general public. It is very interesting to read and see the many places in Rome that you attended. As well as reading your thoughts and teaching of the Catholic faith. You probably don’t remember me but we had a conversation a few years back when you were Bishop of the Falll River Diocese. You were interviewing the Pastor and Deacons of the different parishes and I had a chance to talk to you about my own ministries. Of course we also had a meeting in my pre-ordination formation as did all those aspiring to the diaconate at that time. I was part of the Class of 97 where we had the ordination at St. Anthony of Padua in New Bedford. You ordained me to the diaconate, which has been a blessing in more ways than one would imagine.
I do have a question for you regarding the Church and it’s history. What are you views and feelings on the “Old Catholic Church?” I have just discovered this organization and have been just a little curious about it’s connection to the Roman Catholic Church. I have read some of the history but would like to have someone elses idea on the subject. I you have a moment could you comment?? I will look for it on your blog page or my own email. Thank you so much for your time, for all the you do and my sincerest congratulations on being elevated to Cardinal. It couldn’t have happened to a nicer priest nor a more humble servant of the Father. May God bless you and keep you always in His care. The Will of God Will never take you where the Grace of God will not protect you.

Love & Prayers
Deacon Len Dexter
1-4-3

Thanks especially for your wise and temperate remarks about the definition of marriage (this week and in the past). I hope this challenge will be an occasion for the Church to remain faithful but also to reach out to all people.

I’m also edified by the idea of the young priests meetings. As a newly clerical religious myself, I realize what a critical transition this is in ways that I didn’t anticipate.

Thanks!