Sunday, June 04, 2006
The Unfairness Of It All
I had a surprise this morning. More than one, actually, but in terms of recent content on this web page, I had a parishioner who wanted to know what we music directors thought of Joe Nadeau's dismissal as music director over at St Agnes Church. Would you believe more people talked to me about this than any other topic?
First salvo was the comment that clergy come off as a privileged class in all this mess. Priests aren't asked to make specific promises around particular points of church teaching with their job on the line. What am I going to say? Defend St Agnes and the Archdiocese of KCK? I shrugged and let the commentary continue.
I can see why the recent spate of seminary visitation and curial pronouncements about the fitness of homosexuals in the clergy are not really rattling anybody's cages in the presbyterate, at least the people we need to worry about. Predators will lie and hide behind their status. It's as simple as that. The clerical system reinforces the very injustice bishops claim to be concerned about.
Over breakfast with the choir, one of my members more familiar with the parish spilled the beans on St Agnes. It's an "old money" parish. I can believe it; I got lost in their neighborhood once. None of the streets come out straight. You seem to end up near a golf course or a gated driveway. I'm sure they're nice people. They could probably afford to outbid a non-profit for a good music director. They just choose not to. Signing petitions and whining to the bishop is cheaper.
Maybe this is my last harping on the issue. Or maybe not. At least my friend John is honest enough to admit this sorry episode doesn't sit completely well with him either. Morality by country club fiat: what an alternative for us Catholics, eh?
