2004 LETTERS
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Contents © 2004
by Jim Holman.
All rights reserved.

LETTERS
April 2004

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Regarding the Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Ukranian Catholic Church parish in La Mesa, pastored by Fr. John Hritzko, I just wanted to say: I knew it! I knew it! [See Roamin' Catholic, March 2004.] I knew there was a place which resembled a "Heavenly Jerusalem" here on earth. Now, if I can only find a way to commute from southern Indiana to southern California every week.

Kevin Lents
Loogootee, Indiana


UPDATE FROM DALLAS

Hi, I am a parishioner of Fr. Paul Weinberger's in Dallas, Texas. I have lived the mess concerning the move from Blessed Sacrament to St. Williams which is Fr. Paul's new parish. Someone sent me the link to your site with the story of Fr. Paul's move (see "The Accidental Incendiary," February 2004). Thank you for posting the story on your site. Believe me, this hasn't gone. The devil has tried really hard to break Fr. Paul but God has given Fr. Paul the strength to withstand whatever satan throws his way.

Since Fr. Paul is now in Greenville, Texas so are we and most of the parishioners that had attended Blessed Sacrament. Fr. Paul was in the confessional approximately 17 hours a week, Mass everyday, twice I think, you name it, we had it. Since they sent the other priest, he cut confession down to 45 minutes a week, there is only Mass three days a week and he changed one of the weekend Masses from English to Spanish. Almost all the people have left there and it won't be long till there isn't a parish anymore. It has already become, since Fr. Paul left, a burden on the pocket book of the diocese. But, as we all suspect, this is the agenda, as it is a prime piece of real estate in Dallas and before you know it, our bet is that it will be up for sale. Wait and see! Fr. Paul paid off all the debt and so now selling it would be all profit. What a shame!

On a happier note. Fr. Paul is a believer in Divine Providence as I am. When we found out where he was going -- St. Williams -- I looked St. William up and his Feast Day is Jan. 10th. Well, guess what? Fr. Paul's first Mass there was on the Feast of St. William. The first weekend he was there, many of us from Blessed Sacrament attended Mass both Saturday and Sunday so he would feel comfortable. We picked up a bulletin and noticed that the weekend before he came, the donations were around $1,500 for the whole weekend. The very first weekend he was there, the donations were over $7,000. The next weekend it was almost that and then the next weekend it was over $10,000. Now, that tells me something right there.

Denise Wood
Dallas Texas


VAIN REPETITION REVISITED

Brian Duffy attempted to justify vain repetitions (Letters, February 2004) which Jesus warned against by citing Jesus saying three times at Gethsemane, "My father if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me." The prayer was said at three different times along with words to His apostles. This is no comparison with saying the Hail Mary 150 times, as parishioners at two neighboring churches do every morning before Mass.

Mr. Duffy doesn't know the very word "psalm" means "a song sung to the plucking of a harp." Songs often have short, meaningful choruses or refrains after stanzas as Psalm 136 does. It's full chorus is only said four times. O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his loving kindness continues forever. This last short five word clause, is repeated 22 times in 65 lines. This very brief, meaningful clause is not repeated 50, 100, or 150 times over and over. Nor is any psalm repeated over and over and over.

Moreover, we are told we are supposed to be meditating or thinking of the mysteries while we are praying to Mary. But you can't possibly meditate on a mystery and be thinking of the meaning of the Hail Mary at the same time. You are naturally doing vain repetitions or babbling meaningless words. I have said the rosary daily for 50 years and it is humanly impossible to keep from mechanically rattling off the 150 Hail Marys.

Also, note that Revelations always reports the angels in heaven praising God, never praying to Mary. Paul tells us we should, "Always for everything give thanks to God," and "through Jesus let us continually offer to god a sacrifice of praise." Nowhere in the 150 Hail Marys is God thanked or praised. In fact, the Hail Mary is a prayer not to God the Father, nor to Jesus Christ, but only to Mary.

Why ask Mary 150 times to pray for us? Is she deaf? And why 150 Hail Marys? In the latter Middle Ages when a member of a religious order died, priests offered mass and read the Psalms for the repose of his soul every day for two weeks. The friars who couldn't read said 150 Pater Nosters, or Our Fathers. On a feast day of the day of the Blessed Virgin, they only said, "Hail Mary full of grace, the Lord is with thee," and the first part of Elizabeth's greeting of her kinswoman, "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb." Since saying these two sentences was much shorter than the Our Father, they started saying the "Hail full of grace" 150 times. Hundreds of years later, the "Holy Mary, mother of God..." was added. But, since Jesus always intercedes for us, and Paul tells us to imitate God, undoubtedly the Blessed Virgin also intercedes for us. She doesn't need to be asked 150 times to do so everyday.

Moreover, the rosary was totally unknown to Saint Dominic and the Dominicans for at least 200 years after his death. A Cistercian, Dominic of Prussia, invented the pious fiction that Mary gave St. Dominic the rosary in order to popularize this devotion he was preaching.

Jane P. Collard
Lakeside


FRANKLIN VS. SPRECCO, ROUND 3

The loose cannon is at it again [see Letters, February 2004]. Mr. F.R. Sprecco, do you really know who we are? First you want to be a critic of Mr. Espedal's fine, informative columns about the parishes throughout San Diego, and then you want us to believe that you're actually a "traditionalist." And now, you are upset with me. We're troubled as to what your problem is, Mr. Sprecco.

A sensible man is gratified that Mr. Espedal's excellent Roamin' Catholic column is published every issue. This truthful, well-informed and on-the-spot exposé of what is offered by parishes as "Divine Liturgy" for the faithful helps all of us to evaluate the catholicity of not only each parish but the diocese as well. The light of truth is always healthy, not unhealthy.

I think this is what troubles Mr. Sprecco: he and those like him would rather the readership of San Diego News Notes were not given a behind-the-scene look at the parishes of San Diego so it would be easier to hide and deny the novelties of the dissenting minority that are causing such scandal in our parishes today. We all pray for healing and an end to such scandal.

Vernon Franklin
La Grande, Oregon


PROUD AT ST. PETER'S

Recent letters to the editor were discussing pregnancy care centers, and I noticed that one center was omitted from Rosemary Benefield's list: Fallbrook Women's Resource Center supported by St. Peter's Catholic Church with some of the local Protestant churches. Having completed its second year, it should be noted along with others as providing pro-life resources and support.

St. Peter's Catholic Community also provides other community support such as: daily soup kitchen, food pantry, temporary crisis support, dental clinic, family crisis counseling, medical clinic, organizing ministry, grief support group, thrift shop, and educational programs to day laborers.

Since I am proud to be part of St. Peter's staff, I thought I would toot our own horn since in the past issues of News Notes, we have been maligned by an extremely small but vocal segment of our parish.

Terry Hawthorne
Fallbrook

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