Chicago priest no fan of pope
From Matt Abbott:
Father Pat Brennan, pastor of Holy Family Parish in Inverness, Ill., one of the largest parishes in the Archdiocese of Chicago, is well known in both liberal and conservative circles. He's been around for some time, and he's no stranger to controversy.
In a 1997 homily, Brennan reportedly expressed admiration for former French bishop Jacques Gaillot, who was deposed in 1995 for, among other reasons, publicly endorsing use of the abortion pill.
More recently, in a May 2005 parish bulletin, Brennan wrote the following:
The Catholic publishing world, as well as Catholic universities, are [sic] reeling this week after the ouster of Rev. Thomas Reese, the editor of 'America' magazine for the last seven years. Reese was criticized by the then Cardinal Ratzinger for years for entertaining controversial topics in the magazine, as well as directly disagreeing with the cardinal.
Reese had difficulty with Ratzinger's comments some years ago about non-Christians being in seriously deficient religions. Reese did not find these comments ecumenically sensitive. Many knowledgeable people say that Reese was forced to resign because of the pressure coming from the new pope and the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.
Thomas Groome, a friend of mine at Boston College and a theology professor said, 'Fr. Reese's removal must be interpreted as an ominous sign against open discourse in the Catholic Church.' Another theologian, Stephen Pope, said, 'This certainly is a repressive move.'
What we are up against is more restorationism rather than refounding the Church for a new age and time. [emphasis mine]
Arlene Sawicki, a former parishioner of Holy Family, says "... the use of the word 'refounding' means questioning every known doctrine and tradition of the Church, and setting forth a new paradigm for the Church according to the community's consensus.
"That may include doctrinal and liturgical dissent, and open disrespect for the pope and Magisterium. Father Brennan often refers to the Magisterium as 'those elderly men in long robes' — apparently they are too old-fashioned for his new theology."
This is from an interview with Fr. Brennan.
Herron: How can we help people to allow the Lord to control their lives, rather than the church to control their lives?
Brennan: It is a paradoxical sort of situation. When the imagination jumps from the need to control to surrender, that is a genuine conversion experience, at least it always has been in my life. The paradox that I am alluding to, though, is I really think you need a church, or at least a community of faith, to help you make that jump.
When I have been in grief, when I have been in mourning, when I have bouts of a depression or fear, usually it has been the influence of other people around me who perhaps at that moment have a deeper prayer life than I, that help my imagination soar to the directive images of Jesus. But I think we are then into another problem.
Herron: What is that?
Brennan: Churches that, rather than serving, than mentoring, companioning, enabling ministry, really do try to control people's lives. I fear that some churches are in an addictive pattern or a paradigm paralysis. They are stuck in that control, authoritarian model.
George Gallup's research tells us that people are not looking for that any more. The days of guilt, obligation, those motivations for church attendance and church membership, are over. People are going where they are spiritually fed and where they feel that there is community, where they can belong.
Herron: Father Brennan, do you think the church is changing today to accommodate those needs?
Brennan: I do. I think the Holy Spirit is moving us back to a truly Pentecostal Acts II church, but I think there is massive resistance, massive resistance at the top for some people who want to maintain control and massive resistance on the bottom where people like to be an audience but don't really want to be responsible for their faith.
I kind of enjoy progressive gobbledygook and phrases like "paradigm paralysis" or "directive images of Jesus" much better then hearing "listening church" and "open dialogue" for the millionth time.
When I was a kid, we used to close every mass with prayers for the conversion of Russia. I guess what I am suggesting today is maybe Russia is doing okay and moving along pretty well. We ought to pray more and more for the conversion of us, for the transformation of the directive dominant images, inter-psychically, in our churches and the society in which we live.
Oh well there is always Fr. Barron Chicago with his excellent site containing mp3s of his homilies.
Known as 
"...for the transformation of the directive dominant images, inter-psychically, in our churches and the society in which we live."
THAT is a beautiful sentence. I have NO IDEA what it means, but, daggonit, it makes me feel empowered!
"Paradigm analysis"? He has been reading too many "MODERY" poems.
The "Shrine of Holy Whapping" recently had instructions on writing "modern" hymns, too - maybe he is trying to get on the Liturgical Top Forty.
The above quote, with tech terms like "massive resistance" (ah, maybe 10, 15, 20 megohms?) and "transformation" (ooo! what kind? Laplace? Inductive? 60 hertz?) sounds like the kernel of a great recessional hymn for use during the Empowerment of a Church rite:
Bishop (removes hard hat, puts down crozier) Peace be with you. Hey Joe, check that circuit!
It is reminiscent of that electric-company-slanted ICEL translation of "Deus Sabaoth" - you know, "God of power and light" (hee hee)
Bishop (puts on hard hat, takes crozier) Go in peace. And be sure to call your local utility before digging!
I can't tell you how much this distresses me. I live too close to it. But even if I lived far away, it still hurts the body of Christ. He wants to remake the church in his own image and likeness, forget about God!
But what I can't understand is, we have this sermon in writing, apparently, why isn't someone sending it to the bishop, and if not him, the Cardinal? And why is this priest left to continue on confusing his parish more and more? What good is this doing for the Church?
And Dr. Thursday, you're right. He's hijacking words that mean something, and making them mean nothing. Crowe's right, what do his words mean? They may sound good, or intellectual or "progressive" but what is he really saying? "I want a new church that's like me and will make all the changes I want and will give me the power to be pope in my own place, and will let all people continue to sin if they want, so they don't feel guilty."
when i was a baptist we used to say, and i think it applies here, "it's a sign of the end times, come on Lord Jesus!"
Wow, this is straight out of Oz! No telling what may happen in all these trendy areas like Inverness. I had heard of Father Brennan before, but had no idea that he is so much of the loopy left. Let's hope that when our current string of comfort and success as a society is finally cut by the Lord that Father Brennan is not in charge of the gnashing of teeth and renting of garments.
On the other hand....
I had no idea I was a bottom dweller. Well at least I am according to Brennan. And Hey, when did the guilt, obligation, and mortification end. According to Brennan it's over. Where the heck was I? You mean to tell me I can have my kids take the ropes off their waists, stop the floggings, the fasting, and going to confession? Wow, according to him the guilt is gone? Free at last, free at last, good googly-moogly what a what a pile of crap. Brennan is an Episcopalian minister and he doesn't even know it.
Nancy, since you're in that diocese, you should send in that article to your bishop with a note of complaint. Also send a complaint to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith in Rome. These things take time, but they can and do get done.
Regarding the bishop that Rev. Brennan so admires, CWNews recently said this: 'in 1995, after he had wandered off the reservation, the French Bishop Jacques Gaillot was "transferred" from the diocese of Evreux to the titular diocese of Parthenia, a diocese that disappeared under the sand of the Sahara desert in the 5th century. It's difficult for a bishop to do much damage in Parthenia, since there are no people in the diocese.’ Clearly, Rev. Brennan should be transferred to the diocese of Parthenia to be with a like-minded bishop.
Nancy,
I think part of the problem here is that such folks are very adept at walking a fine line between outright dissent and just being a knucklehead.
The very meaninglessness of such blather is part of what makes it difficult to identify wha wrong he has done and discipline it. Most of us can see through such nonsense, but now I ask (and please don't misunderstand my intent),....what exactly has he done or said that's worthy of discipline?
Read his words carefully. There's very little 'there' there to even grasp at. It's all just gobledy-gook. Unfortunate yes, but worthy of discipline? I wonder. What exactly would you even write in and complain about since it's all so fuzzy? See the problem?
You know what would be fun? If, during a homily from one of these "more democracy/more openess" in the Church-type Fathers, I raise my hand "Horshack" style... "ooh, ooh... I've gotta suggestion!!" I wonder if Fr. Barron would REALLY love openess then?
Steve,
You are right. It isn't that there's something there, it's really that there'es something missing: orthodoxy, a desire to learn from the church, a desire to learn from our pope, etc. It would be hard to pin this down, and that is part of the frustration.
Just to give you an idea of where I'm coming from, we have an unorthodox priest who 'visits' our parish each weekend. He has an archdiocesan job and is well known in Chicago. He inherited a home on a lake in our area, and because he has no home parish, he says mass for us each weekend. That would be ok and sounds nice, except that he's an openly homosexual person who does not accept the heirarchical nature of the church, and believes that Jesus, Budda, Abraham and Mohammed are all on par with each other, all prophets.
When I write to the Cardinal, he passes it off to an area bishop. We had Kicanas, and he didn't do anything, and then he left. Then we had Leistecki, and although he did respond to my e-mail and said he'd look into it, he was transferred to LaCrosse, WI before anything was done. Now, we have a priest as an interum bishop and he has no authority. No one seems to have authority over this renegade priest, and so although I know I should have patience, he's been preaching more an more liberal and has been here for nine looooong years. After having to re-instruct my kids after his mass a couple times, we now have to check the bulliten each week and make sure we don't get "his" mass.
Its all very frustrating. I'm sure Fr. Brennan isn't the only priest at his parish in Inverness, so people have an option, but it's all very frustrating. Sometimes I wish Cardinal George were a little more authoritarian, but maybe he has his reasons.
What an ultra-conservative! We're trying to implement Vatican II and here he is trying to rollback the church to Acts II
Jeff, is there a problem with making MP3s out of homilies? I was planning on doing it for my pastor because he has such fabulous, orthodox homilies. But if there's something wrong with it, I guess I'll have to re-think it.
I forgot to add: anyone who proudly touts out the name of Thomas Groome, an ex-priest who has an agenda with the church and is invited to every "Call to Action" type of conference, is putting himself in a certain category.
I like that L! Funny! An arch-conservative--ha!
BTW, what does Acts II mean? I don't have that book in my bible.
Some people have mistakenly confused in my post a reference at the end to Fr. Barron with the other priest Fr. Brennan.
Fr. Barron is also from Chicago, the difference is that is he both faithful to the Church and a gifted homilist. The site I linked to contains his weekly homilies in a couple different formats.
I've grown up with Fr. Barron's homilies and they are even better in person. Unfortunately, my old parish (where Barron preaches) is tending toward the Brennan-style Catholicism at certain masses. As for Cardinal George, I know he personally reprimanded the pastor of this church for not following the (relatively) new rules regarding the eucharistic reverence.
Acts II, as in Acts 2, as in Pentecost.
"...for the transformation of the directive dominant images, inter-psychically, in our churches and the society in which we live."
This reminds me of the technobabble Jordi used to spout out in episodes of ST:TNG. What would this be, sociobabble?
About 14 or 15 years ago, Fr. Brennan preached a mission at our parish. I found him to be confusing and head-ache inducing.
Two years ago Fr. Barron preached the mission. Talk about a 1000% improvement. (Fr. Barron has written several books that are quite worthwhile, so those who can't hear him in person can experience his orthodox and engaging teaching.)
You know Fr. Brennan's parish is one town over from mine. It is a bee-hive of activity--- so much going on---everyone is busy, busy, busy--- and like St. Joan's in Minneapolis they have this attitude of being evolved beyond the rest of the Church. At first I thought he was just trying to compete with Bill Hybels and Willow Creek--- But that's not it--- all the innovative programs stretch the limits of Catholic teachings--- Fr. Pat is much more careful then Fr. George (Wertin--St Joan's)to make sure everything "sounds" right to the casual ear but there is subtle and at times not so subtle hostility towards the magisterium and hierarchy--- all in the guise of patient tolerance of those who are sadly less enlightened then Holy Family parishoners. I am on the Faith Formation Committee at my parish and we constantly have people suggesting we go check out this program or that program that Fr.Pat started. Because of that Fr. Pat has become a kind of thorn in my side--- and the Holy Spirit apparently having a tremendous sense of humor took full advantage of the situation when I signed up for the diocese sponsored program that matches every seminarian and priest to a lay person who promises to pray everyday for that specific priest--- you guessed it--- I am Fr. Pat Brennan's personal pray-er! Maybe I need to start fasting too! ;)
I used to be a member of Holy Family, though not when Fr. Pat was in charge. I got married and moved away but I have attended infrequently while back visiting my parents, who have been parishioners since it was founded back in the 80s. I can not attend anymore because it makes me sick. I know a lot of the people who go to mass there. They are good people but they are being led down wht wrong path. Last year on the feast of the Ascension, I listed to Fr. Pat's radio program over the internet. In it, he quoted lots of books by lay people (he likes to do that) and concluded that, if I understood him correctly and I think I did, Jesus did not ascend to Heaven in a literal sense ("we who fly in airplanes know that people just can't go 'poof' and rise up into the air..."). I could not believe my ears. I wrote to him but never heard anything. I also wrote to the Cardinal but never heard anything. There is a lot of anti-Magisterium in the preaching and there have been many introductions of new ideas into the liturgy. Sadly, his attitudes and beliefs have been adopted by many people, including my parents.