Archbishop O'Brien leaving Baltimore for post in Rome
He will continue work in Baltimore until successor is installed
Archbishop Edwin F. O'Brien flies to Rome next month for a new job leading a global order of Catholic knights, a post that likely will lead to his elevation to cardinal, but which also begins his departure from the Archdiocese of Baltimore.
Pope Benedict XVI named O'Brien, 72, grand master of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem, the Vatican announced Monday. The predominantly lay order, which traces its history to the 11th-century Crusades, now ministers to Christians and people of other faiths in historical Palestine.
The archbishop is being "promoted" to a post in Rome. But it seems to me he is being "demoted" from his diocese. Was it because he dared to bring down the Vatican's Darling Legion of Christ? "Father, forgive the Church hierarchy for the way it treats its 'faithful servants'?"
This is an old article; after it find a recent article from the diocese of Baltimore on Cardinal O'B's new appointment Archbishop O'Brien raises concerns about Legion of Christ | ||
Concerned that the Legion of Christ stifles the free will of its members and lacks transparency, Archbishop Edwin F. O’Brien told the religious order’s director general that he cannot in good conscience recommend that anyone join the Legion or Regnum Christi, its affiliated lay movement. In the Archdiocese of Baltimore, the Legion of Christ is affiliated with Woodmont Academy in Cooksville. Regnum Christi is also active in several parishes. The archbishop’s action came in the wake of revelations that Father Marcial Maciel Degollado, founder of the Legion of Christ, fathered a daughter while serving as leader of the international religious order. Pope Benedict XVI had previously removed the Mexican priest from public ministry in 2006, asking him to lead a life of prayer and penance after Father Maciel faced allegations of sexual abuse of seminarians and financial irregularities. “It seems to me and many others that this was a man with an entrepreneurial genius who, by systematic deception and duplicity, used our faith to manipulate others for his own selfish ends,” Archbishop O’Brien told The Catholic Review in a telephone interview following his Feb. 20 Rome meeting with Father Alvaro Corcuera, director general of the Legion. “Father Maciel deserves our prayers, as every Christian who dies does, that he’ll be forgiven and we leave the final judgment to God as to what his life and death amounted to,” Archbishop O’Brien said. Saying that the Legion’s founder “leaves many victims in his wake,” the archbishop called for the “full disclosure of his activities and those who are complicit in them or knew of them and of those who are still refusing to offer disclosure.” He added that the finances of the order should be opened to “objective scrutiny.” Archbishop O’Brien said he has grave concerns that the Legion fosters a “cult of personality” focused on Father Maciel. “While it’s difficult to get a hold of official documents,” Archbishop O’Brien said, “it’s clear that from the first moment a person joins the Legion, efforts seem to be made to program each one and to gain full control of his behavior, of all information he receives, of his thinking and emotions.” The archbishop said many members who leave the order suffer “deep psychological distress for dependency and need prolonged counseling akin to deprogramming.” Saying that “I know that there are good priests in the movement” and acknowledging that Legion members are in full accord with the theological teachings of the church, the archbishop also said some of the practices of the movement are unhealthy. “This is not about orthodoxy,” he said. “It is about respect for human dignity for each of its members.” The archbishop noted that he has heard reports that the movement claims that the first duty of a Legionary is to love the Legion. Such policies subject a person’s use of reason not to one’s own judgment, Archbishop O’Brien said, but to a spiritual director. “It’s been said that the founder is alone called ‘nuestro padre’ (‘our father’) and that no one else can have that title,” Archbishop O’Brien said. “All are bound to identify with him in his spirit, his mind, his mission and in his life. This would suggest that the very basis of the Legion movement should be reviewed from start to finish.” Scott Brown, executive director of the Woodmont Academy, declined to comment and referred questions to Jim Fair, a U.S. spokesman for the Legion who said that revelations about Father Maciel have been a “great shock” and “great disappointment” to members, but that the order has achieved “very positive things” for the church. “We’re processing that mystery, that the Holy Spirit could use what was very clearly a flawed instrument to do good,” Mr. Fair said. “The Holy Spirit does that with all of us. We think it did it with Father Maciel. So while this is certainly disappointing, we have a charism that is approved by the church and we’ll continue to work on behalf of the church on our various apostolic works.” The spokesman said the Legion is interested in working with the Vatican to address concerns about the movement. “We’ll be double-checking our policies and procedures to ensure that we’re in a good position to ensure the integrity of the group,” he said. Mr. Fair said he hoped the Legion will be able to prove to Archbishop O’Brien that “we have some value that would help his ministries and the archdiocese.” Last summer, Archbishop O’Brien was on the verge of asking the Legion and Regnum Christi to leave the archdiocese. He wrote a June letter to the order’s leader asking that a liaison be appointed who would inform the archbishop of all of the Legion’s activities within the archdiocese. He also asked for more transparency of Regnum Christi programs and for the order to stop giving spiritual direction to minors. “As far as we can judge, they are responding well to our requests,” Archbishop O’Brien told The Catholic Review, “but these larger questions are looming ever more threateningly.” Father Maciel founded the Legion of Christ in 1941. He died Jan. 30, 2008, at the age of 87. Paul McMullen contributed to this story ------------------------------------------------------------- Pope Appoints Archbishop O'Brien Grand Master of Equestrian Order of Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem
August 29, 2011
Archbishop to Serve as Apostolic Administrator of the Archdiocese of Baltimore Until a Successor is Named
Archbishop Edwin F. O’Brien announced today that Pope Benedict XVI has appointed him Grand Master of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem. With the announcement of the appointment, the Archbishop immediately ceases serving as Archbishop of Baltimore, a post he’s held since October 1, 2007; however, he will serve as Apostolic Administrator of the Archdiocese until a successor is named.
In accepting the new position, Archbishop O’Brien assumes responsibility for the ancient lay Catholic Order whose goal is to promote and defend Christianity in the Holy Land and to support the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem.
“It has been a singular privilege to serve as Archbishop of Baltimore,” the Archbishop said. “It is with a heavy heart that I will be departing…I pray that I will carry out the will of God and that of [the Pope] in preserving the faith in the Holy Land.”
The Archbishop made the announcement earlier today at the Catholic Center in downtown Baltimore in front of more than 200 employees of the Archdiocese’s central services offices, Catholic Charities, the Cathedral Foundation and the Basilica.
Archbishop O’Brien succeeds Cardinal John Patrick Foley who resigned in February due to reasons of health. Cardinal Foley held the position since 2007.
"I would like to thank Cardinal Foley for his excellent service as Grand Master,” Archbishop O’Brien added. “He brought great joy and enthusiasm to the position and accomplished much in his effective leadership of the Order. I would also like to gratefully acknowledge the Cardinal's personal words of congratulations and support. Since learning of my appointment I have spent some time with Cardinal Foley and I am sure I will be turning to him from time to time for his continued good counsel."
Archbishop O’Brien said he was unsure how long it will be before his successor is named, but assured those present that the Holy See is aware of the importance of naming a new Archbishop as soon as possible, citing many critical programs underway in the Archdiocese.
During his pontificate, Pope Benedict XVI has stressed the urgency of preserving a strong Christian presence in the Holy Land.
As Grand Master, Archbishop O’Brien will reside in Vatican City and will make visits to the Holy Land and to the Order’s lieutenancies, which are located throughout the world. The Archbishop has served as Grand Prior of the Mid-Atlantic Lieutenancy of the United States, based in Washington, D.C., since 2010.
According to the Vatican, the Order’s principal mission is to “reinforce the practice of Christian life by its members…and to sustain and assist the religious, spiritual, charitable and social works of the Catholic Church in the Holy Land; and to conserve and propagate the faith in the Holy Land and the rights of the Catholic Church there.”
Members of the Order must be practicing Catholics of good character and be recommended by their local Ordinary, or bishop, with the support of several members of the Order. Today, there are close to 18,000 members of the order who give generously to the Holy See and its institutions, particularly in the Holy Land, where it gives substantial aid to the humanitarian and religious projects of the Patriarch.
In 2009, members contributed over $10 million to the Holy Land, providing support for the patriarchal schools there and humanitarian relief.
In a statement issued today, Cardinal Foley cited Archbishop O’Brien’s “experience and splendid dedication as priest and archbishop” and said the Archbishop will be “an outstanding leader” of the Order. “I could not be happier that he is my successor,” the Cardinal added.
During his tenure as the 15th Archbishop of the nation’s oldest Catholic diocese, Archbishop O’Brien has focused the Church’s ministry in several key areas, including the promotion of vocations, fostering a culture of respect for the dignity of every person, improving the quality of life in Baltimore City, and to help Catholics in the Archdiocese—young, old, and those who may have left the Church—renew and strengthen the bonds of their faith.
Since arriving to serve as Archbishop of Baltimore in October 2007:
While many areas of Church life have experienced growth in recent years, Catholic school enrollment continued to decline, a trend that was accelerated by the economic downturn that began in the fall of 2008.
To reverse this disturbing trend—one that led to the closing of several Catholic schools in the years prior to his installation as Archbishop of Baltimore--and to head-off the dire consequences that the financial crisis posed for Catholic schools, Archbishop O’Brien initiated an unprecedented review and strategic planning process for the entire school system. These efforts led to the painful but necessary consolidation of a dozen Catholic elementary schools and one high school, as well as the creation of a long-term strategy for strengthening Catholic schools. As well a number of new educational initiatives to help Catholic schools remain competitive were developed, including dual language, Montessori and STEM, with the promise of additional programs to follow.
Guided by a blue ribbon committee of educational, community, business and philanthropic leaders, the Archbishop called for the creation of a new Archdiocesan School Board and a new model for school governance that puts the Superintendent of Schools in charge of school leaders and puts priests in charge of the spiritual identity of the school. The critical issue of bridging the affordability gap many families are facing was also a key area of focus for the Archbishop, as he called on every Catholic parish in the Archdiocese to financially support Catholic school education. This resulted in the implementation of an annual special assessment and a special collection for Catholic education, both designed to help fund tuition assistance and other forms of assistance to families and schools.
“While the thought of leaving Baltimore—which I have come to think of as a permanent and welcoming home—saddens me, the news underscores the fact that the Church is built and ordered on Christ, alone,” said Archbishop O’Brien
|
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
The Archbishop who Saw Through the Legion
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
[Video] Paul Lennon interviewed by Cult Expert, Steve Hassan
It was longer than we planned; hope you can gather some pearls of wisdom and a vision of how the Legion is seen outside the narrow confines of Conservative Catholicism;
Mind Control is Hassan's Specialty and many parents of Legion and Regnum members have sought information on the Freedom of Mind webpage and through consultation.
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Song for Legion Leaders Losing Power
[Following in the footsteps of their "Our Father" they are getting moved, removed...away from Rome, away from the seat of power; they have been asked to leave quickly, just like they dished it out to others for decades; they know who I mean; you do too, reader]
You must leave now, take what you need, you think will last
But whatever you wish to keep, you better grab it fast
Yonder stands your orphan with his gun
Crying like a fire in the sun
Look out the saints are comin' through
And it's all over now, Baby Blue.
The highway is for gamblers, better use your sense
Take what you have gathered from coincidence
The empty handed painter from your streets
Is drawing crazy patterns on your sheets
This sky, too, is folding under you
And it's all over now, Baby Blue.
All your seasick sailors, they are rowing home
Your empty handed armies, are all going home
Your lover who just walked out the door
Has taken all his blankets from the floor
The carpet, too, is moving under you
And it's all over now, Baby Blue.
Leave your stepping stones behind, something calls for you
Forget the dead you've left, they will not follow you
The vagabond who's rapping at your door
Is standing in the clothes that you once wore
Strike another match, go start a new
And it's all over now, Baby Blue.
Listen to it
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
Legion/Regnum Not Hunky Dory in Mexico
+ Friends, last night there was an exchange on the "Life
After RC" blog that was interesting.
The mother of a Consecrated Female (3gf) expressed her frustration that her daughter was still deeply entrenched, and might be moved to Mexico where (she believed) everyone was still very absorbed in the Movement.
The mother of a Consecrated Female (3gf) expressed her frustration that her daughter was still deeply entrenched, and might be moved to Mexico where (she believed) everyone was still very absorbed in the Movement.
Someone responded:
Excuse me, but in Mexico not all people believe MM is innocent... Schools
are losing students by hundreds. Just one in Monterrey lost 80 families. Not all
RC members are going anymore to their activities... nor are they raising money
for LC/RC. It's a different scenario than the US. Territorial Directors are mute
since all this has happened, no accountability. Everybody is very disappointed
with their constant silence. They continue working as if nothing have happened
and live in denial. Trying to accomplish their objectives 'efficiently' with
less men and women committed to the cause. However, our media is louder than the
US's. Take for example Nelly Ramirez's, Alejandro Espinosa's and Fernando
Gonzalez's, Carmen Aristegui's books.... And the continuous battle Alberto Athie
and José Barba are giving. Or the constant articles in almost all of our
newspapers... Your worst fears if your daughter was sent to Mexico should be,
besides the constant insecurity that we live in because the war against drug
dealers, is the director to whom she may be assigned. Some are true examples of
how to break people. Careful with Paula Errazuri, Marisa RodrÃguez, Marian
Moreno... among others. Or in Venezuela with Juani Lozano, and even Chile with
Aracely Delgado. I will also pray for your daughter.
========
Full exchange:
========
Full exchange:
Just Saying... I haven't been praying for your daughter but I will now. Your message really moved me. She will be prayed for in my daily Divine Mercy Chaplet.
Just Saying...
Excuse me, but in Mexico not all people believe MM is innocent... Schools are losing students by hundreds. Just one in Monterrey lost 80 families.
Not all RC members are going anymore to their activities... nor are they raising money for LC/RC.
Excuse me, but in Mexico not all people believe MM is innocent... Schools are losing students by hundreds. Just one in Monterrey lost 80 families.
Not all RC members are going anymore to their activities... nor are they raising money for LC/RC.
It's a different scenario than the US. Territorial Directors are in mute since all this has happened, no accountability.
Everybody is very disappointed with their constant silence.
They continue working as if nothing have happened and live in denial. Trying to accomplish their objectives 'efficiently' with less men and women committed to the cause.
Everybody is very disappointed with their constant silence.
They continue working as if nothing have happened and live in denial. Trying to accomplish their objectives 'efficiently' with less men and women committed to the cause.
However, our media is louder than the US's. Take for example Nelly Ramirez's, Alejandro Espinosa's and Fernando Gonzalez's, Carmen Aristegui's books....
And the continuous battle Alberto Athie and José Barba are giving.
Or the constant articles in almost all of our newspapers...
And the continuous battle Alberto Athie and José Barba are giving.
Or the constant articles in almost all of our newspapers...
Your worst fears if your daughter was sent to Mexico should be, besides the constant insecurity that we live in because the war against drug dealers, is the director to whom she may be assigned. Some are true examples of how to break people. Careful with Paula Errazuri, Marisa RodrÃguez, Marian Moreno... among others. Or in Venezuela with Juani Lozano, and even Chile with Aracely Delgado.
I will also pray for your daughter.
Thursday, July 21, 2011
A Cult Conference Presentation Regarding the Legionaries of Christ Religious Order
http://www.regainnetwork.org/article.php?a=47246177
Saturday, July 16, 2011
Garza, Legion Vicar General, Shafted by Vatican
It is encouraging to learn that De Paolis has the necessary testicular fortitude to do this.
It also seems that De Paolis has one velvet glove and another of steel. He had just complained about the dissidents who were hindering his reform and then out of the blue puts Garza -a person who had seemed to be so on board with the Reforms - to the sword
=======
“America and Canada are countries that I have always admired and I am humbled to serve as territorial director of the united territory,” said Fr. Garza in a statement issued to media July 15.
Only last month Fr. Garza told CNA that he had no intention of stepping down from his post as vicar general – essentially second-in-command of the Legion. Instead, he hinted that there may be a general turnover of the organization’s leadership after their next General Chapter meeting.
Today’s news comes as the Vatican is reviewing both the purpose and constitution of the Legion. That process is being headed up by Italian cleric, Cardinal Velasio De Paolis.
The cardinal was appointed as ‘Papal Delegate’ last year after a Vatican investigation condemned the late founder of the congregation, Fr. Marcial Maciel, as a being guilty of “serious and objectively immoral behavior” as well as “real crimes.”
Fr. Maciel had sexually abused seminarians over many years and fathered several children with different women. He died in 2008, aged 87. The Vatican report summed up his life as “devoid of scruples and of genuine religious feeling.”
“We are working together to face the challenges for our communities and our apostolates around the world, and with particular intensity in the United States and Canada,” said Fr. Alvaro Corcuera, the general director of the Legion.
“We must lay more solid foundations on which to build and re-launch our service to the Church in those countries.”
And so the Legion’s activities in North America that were previously split into two territories – New York and Atlanta – will now merge into one with Fr. Garza at the helm.
“In the consultation, various candidates were considered for the new position. Although both of the current territorial directors have done an extraordinary job, there was broad consensus in favor of Fr. Luis Garza,” said Fr. Corcuera.
Fr. Garza is originally from Monterrey in Mexico. He joined the Legion of Christ in 1978 and was ordained a priest in 1985. He’s been vicar general of the Legion since 1992. His critics have suggested he must have been aware of Fr. Maciel’s misdeeds, a charge Fr. Garza has always denied.
He will take up his new post on August 1.>
---------------
The blogger has boldened typical Legion blarney, misinformation, and downright lies from Corcuera. He tells the barefaced lies with such a sweet and innocent look on his face. But for people who love appearances of holiness, that should do the trick.
When was any decision been taken democratically or consensually in the Legion of Christ or when has any thoughtful screening of candidates ever take place! The newly elected is imposed enceremoniously on the present territorial directors in the usual dictatorial way.
Could it be that De Paolis is bowing to pressures from some Legionaries inside to get rid of Garza who has been so disliked for so long?
Friday, July 8, 2011
Leger and Lennon deliver papers at Cultic Studies Conference in Barcelona, Spain, July 8, 2011
Today, as part of series of studies around the Issue, "Do Cultic Groups Exist Inside the Catholic Church", Paul Lennon presented an update on the Vatican Intervention of the Legion of Christ, and Xavier Leger, a Parisian former Legionary, presented When Guilt and Ideology prevail in a Catholic Group.
Both presentations were well received by an audience of priests, religious, sociologists, psychologists, concerned parents and friends of people in High Demand Groups.
Articles will either by published by the International Cultic Studies Association or by REGAIN
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Somebody feed me a bone here and tell me that VdP will not co-mingle the cultures; at least not any more than they already are. Really, there is so much at stake here and I have absolutely no confidence in the process.
BTW, she has two new e-mail addresses. One for now and another one for October. I think that is a solid clue that the directives for 3gf will come down in October.
Please continue the prayers. I am so greatful for them. That is the one thing that helps me hold on to faith in these awful times; knowing there are good people praying for her helps me a great deal. PAX