October 2009 Archives

Bishop Kevin C. Rhoades of the Catholic Diocese of Harrisburg has been nominated to chair one of the 16 standing committees of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops when the bishops meet in Baltimore starting Nov. 16.

Rhoades is in the running for the Committee on Laity, Marriage, Family Life and Youth.

Also up for the seat is Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann of Kansas City in Kansas, who recently made headlines when he told former Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius (a Catholic and supporter of abortion rights -- now U.S. secretary of Health and Human Services) not to present herself for Communion.

The regional presbytery that includes York County has hired a new executive presbyter, the Rev. Dr. Erin S. Cox-Holmes. She starts Jan. 1.

The Rev. Charlie Gross, associate presbyter, has been acting as head of staff for the three-county Presbytery of Donegal since the departure of the Rev. Roger Uittenbogaard.

Cox-Holmes has served as associate general presbyter in the Presbytery of Kiskiminetas (based in Yatesboro, Armstrong County) for 15 years. She attended Earlham School of Religion, a Quaker seminary, and got her PhD in religion/psychology at Graduate Theological Union and her doctor of ministry from Dubuque Theological Seminary.

Religion scholar Martin Marty's latest Sightings column focuses on the big Anglican-Catholic news of last week. An excerpt:

"Some of the only half-gruntled Anglicans have uttered some "not-so-fast!" or "count-me-out!" cautions. As one leader among them reminded, "there was a Reformation, you remember," as he spoke for those who knew that being received by Rome, even with gestures that would allow Anglican converts some liturgical and traditional free range, still demands a great doctrinal gulp. Converts would have to accept papal infallibility and, with it, the infallible doctrine (1950) of the bodily Assumption of the Blessed Virgin and other teachings which long offended non-Roman Catholics."

If you missed the news yesterday, the Vatican is going to allow flocks of Anglo-Catholics to enter the Church of Rome, while retaining elements of their own rites, music and tradition. Some follow-ups and reaction today:

-- The invitation extends to married clergy, so some church-watchers are wondering whether more people in the Roman Catholic Church will begin entertaining the possibility of married Catholic priests.

-- Because of a qualifier in the celibacy clause, some potential converts might be turned off by the idea.

What do you think? Anglican-Catholic conversions aren't new, but could this move hurt relations between the churches?

Ten years ago, Lutherans and Catholics signed a document resolving a dispute that was at the heart of the Reformation. The issue was the nature of justification -- generally, the importance of faith and good works to one's salvation.

On Monday, the regional Catholic diocese is hosting a dialogue in Harrisburg about these issues. You can hear presenters including Monsignor John A. Radano, who recently served as staff member to the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, and the Rev. Dr. Cheryl M. Peterson, assistant professor of systematic theology at Trinity Lutheran Seminary in Columbus, Ohio.

"This is the 10th anniversary of the signing of the document on August 30, 1999, on Reformation Sunday," said Deacon Charles Clark of the Diocese of Harrisburg. "It marked a very significant turn for the better in Catholic-Lutheran relations."

Registration is $20 and includes lunch. For details, call Clark at 657-4804.

What will the future of atheism look like? Some folks (Christopher Hitchens, Richard Dawkins, et al) promote a more aggressive, belittling approach toward the faith-minded. I recommend an interesting story from NPR on the growing divide among non-believers. An excerpt:

"It's really a national debate among people with a secular orientation about how far do we want to go in promoting a secular society through emphasizing the 'new atheism,' " says Stuart Jordan, an atheist who advises the evidence-based group Center for Inquiry on policy issues.

"And some are very much for it, and some are opposed to it on the grounds that they feel this is largely a religious country, and if it's pushed the wrong way, this is going to insult many of the religious people who should be shown respect even if we don't agree with them on all issues."

The town of Brookville, Jefferson County, tried to shut down a church-run homeless shelter citing zoning code violations. Now it's paying the church and its lawyers $100,000 to settle a lawsuit.

"I'm just thankful," the Rev. Jack Wisor, pastor of First Apostles' Doctrine Church in Brookville, Pa., told the NYT. "I knew in my heart that once the truth was exposed, God would show we were doing the right thing."

The church sued the town in November, saying it was infringing on the church's religious liberty by forcing it to stop housing homeless people, according to the report.

The bishops of the Catholic Church in Pennsylvania spoke out today against the health-care reform bills under consideration by Congress. In part, the bishops said:

"We cannot and will not support or urge the Catholic faithful to support reform that violates the Church's long held principles on life and dignity. ..." Read the news release at the jump.

Several clergy from York County are among 1,400 who signed a letter for President Obama earlier this month urging him to seek sustainable peace in Darfur.

The Revs. Robert Hoover, Judy McKee, Elizabeth Polanzke, Edgar Reed, Kevin Shively, Patricia Snyder, Timothy Seitz-Brown, Allan Wysocki, Paula Stecker and others emphasized the decades of war, famine and marginalization in
Sudan and urged Obama to continue efforts to enforce the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement between the North and South.

The letter was delivered Oct. 2 to Josh DuBois, director of the White House Office of Faith Based and Neighborhood Partnerships. It was coordinated by the faith-based Save Darfur Coalition - an alliance of more than 180 advocacy and human rights organizations.

The movie "Out in the Silence," which screens at the Strand-Capitol Performing Arts Center in York at 7 tonight, tells the story of what happened when filmmaker Joe Wilson announced his same-sex marriage in two Venango County, Pa., newspapers.

Wilson (at left) is expected at the screening tonight. He has said his mission is to expand public awareness about the difficulties that gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people face in rural and small-town America.

Read more about the film and what went into making it.