St. Paul's Letter to Bishop Boland of Savannah - Do Your Actions Show Love?

There's a wonderful quote from St. Paul. "Shall I come to you with a rod, or with love in a spirit of gentleness?" Paul addressed that question to his flock in Corinth. (1 Corinthians 4:21) Earlier in the letter he spoke about the necessary requirements for ministers. They should be servants who teach the mysteries of God. Paul especially expects them to be trustworthy. And what does that mean in the context of being a servant imitating Christ? Paul provides the answer in 1 Corinthians 13 when he describes love.

Which brings me to Bishop Boland's continued unloving treatment of the Kumpel family which is a scandal to the Church, his own diocese, and the people of Valdosta. Read Robert's description of his youngest child's baptism and his second oldest child's First Communion. They traveled across the country for the sacraments because Robert was banned from his own parish. (If you are unfamiliar with the Kumpels' story you can read the two previous posts here and here.)

Look at the photos of these darling little lambs of Christ and ask how a good shepherd would treat them and their parents. The sacraments should have taken place in the Kumpels "home" parish of St. John's. But they could not. The church doors in Valdosta are legally barred against the children's own father BY THE BISHOP. He hides behind his lawyers, but the continued persecution comes directly from his hands. He can lift the ban. He chooses not to.

And so I ask Bishop Boland, "Do your actions show the love of Christ?" Do they pass muster according to St. Paul's words?

Love is patient. Has the bishop shown patience?
No, Robert and his family are the ones who have waited patiently for two years to see this unjust ban lifted.

Love is kind. Has the bishop shown any kindness toward the Kumpel family?
No, it could hardly be more unkind than to divide a family and withhold from them the "daily bread" of receiving the Eucharisth every day at Mass.

Love is not jealous, it does not put on airs, it is not snobbish.
Bishop Boland has never met the Kumpels yet he sent word that they may NEVER contact him except through his lawyer. His actions smack of the most rank snobbish clericalism.

Love is never rude, it is not self seeking, it is not prone to anger.
One of the hallmarks of anger is its capacity to hold a grudge. The bishop's actions not only indicate a grudge, but they imitate the Jehovah's Witnesses practice of shunning which is cruel and uncharitable.

Love does not rejoice in what is wrong but rejoices with the truth.
Like many bishops who shuffled around predatory priests, Bishop Boland did not like hearing the truth about Fr. John O'Brien's imprudent behavior with the Office Director. Instead of dealing with it, he joined in shooting the messenger.

There is no limit to love's forbearance, to its trust, its hope, its power to endure.
There is little evidence of forbearance on the part of the bishop; but a great deal on the part of the Kumpel family. They have lived with insults, rudeness, shunning, hostility...and yet they continue to desire to make a home at St. John's. People who were less committed Catholics would likely have been driven out of the Church over this. Sad to say, Bishop Boland's behavior is not like the Good Shepherd in today's Gospel, but like the hireling who abandons the sheep.

The Good Shepherd uses his rod to strike the wolf. Unhappily, Bishop Boland has used his shepherd's staff to strike the Kumpels, his own sheep. When you attack the father, you attack the family. There is no evidence of love in Bishop Boland's actions. Please pray for him.

Knee Slapping Message from Bishop Kevin Boland: He's Beating the bushes for Fallen Away Catholics

I had to laugh and shake my head when I saw the video below, a message from the Bishop of Savannah, Kevin Boland, to Catholics who left the faith. He urges them to "come home. "Please take the occasion to attend a Mass in your neighborhood," he says with a straight face.

When I heard that I had to shake my computer. Did he say what I thought he said? Isn't this the same bishop who has legally enjoined an ardent practicing Catholic, homeschooling dad, Robert Kumpel, from attending his neighborhood parish...FOR YEARS?

Sure is!

If you want to read about Bishop Boland's vindictive crusade against Robert go here and here. And for an unrelated article about Bishop Boland which may help explain why he would persecute an orthodox Catholic, go here. 

Mark Russell, a political satirist, once said that the essence of satire is poking fun at inconsistencies. He jokes that when he was young he dodged the draft by joining the Marine Corps. Well, you get the idea. I think Bishop Boland should audition for comedy central. He's got the inconsistency part down pat. 

Unfortunately, Robert and his family aren't laughing. He and his wife and children rarely go to Mass together because she plays the flute in the choir and he often takes the kids and drives nearly an hour to the next closest parish. Daily Mass, once a common practice, is a thing of the past.

As for Bishop Boland, he's out beating the bushes for fallen away Catholics while beating the heck out of a faithful Catholic dad who never left. If that isn't fodder for satire, I don't know what is. I wonder....if Robert  responded to the Bishop's abuse by leaving the Church, would the shepherd welcome him back with open arms? Somehow I can only picture him using that shepherd's crook to beat off a lamb he finds annoying.

The Soap Opera Continues in the Diocese of Savannah

Every time I read about Bishop Kevin Boland's draconian treatment of the Kumpel family I think of Star Wars with the evil Empire going after the rebels. The image puts me off balance because, normally, one would think the Church represents the rebels who are facing the evil Roman, or English, or Islamic, or Communist empire. Certainly that was the case in first century Rome and 16th and 17th century England. But today the tyrants are just as likely to be in bishops' offices and chanceries working out their persecution on ordinary faithful folks in the pew.

It's instructive to see how some bishops come down with both feet on orthodox priests while coddling and enabling dissenters and the members of the lavendar mafia. I thought the laity were immune from their strong-arm tactics. But after seeing this travesty with the Diocese of Savannah go on for two years, and after writing respectful letters to the bishop that go unanswered, I've come to see that the Diocese is filled with playground bullies. And the only response to a bully is to push back.

What's happened to the Kumpels is so bizarre it belongs in a novel -- a really unbelievable novel - something on the order of a vampire series where the chancery is filled with blood-sucking lawyers and zombie bureaucrats who use their positions to persecute the faithful. Sometimes persecution is relatively benign: blacklisting people from the diocesan paper, keeping them off diocesan and parish committees, or making them ineligible to volunteer. But when the persecution means denying a man the right to attend his own local parish for Mass with his family, it's time for others to rise up and stand in unity with a brother.

Click on the hotlink below for the latest chapter of this Catholic soap opera which certainly does not reflect well on Bishop Boland. We laity call our bishop our spiritual "father;" we have a right to expect him to behave like one. It is no surprise that people turn their backs on the Catholic Church when they see people treated the way the Kumpels have been.

Bishop Boland, what you are doing to the Kumpel family (and your own diocese) is shameful. Isn't it time to cut your losses and restore some sanity before your Diocese has the reputation of being the Death Star?

Problem with "dangerous" Catholics? Call in the Lawyers!

Please pray for the Kumpel family and for Bishop Boland. You can send the bishop a respectful message and a promise of your prayers here.

What's Wrong with this Picture?

Bishop Kevin Boland of Savannah recently participated in the installation of Scott Benhase as bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Georgia. This appalling decision illustrates once more that Bishop Boland is a wolf in sheep's clothing. Like the Catholic bishops of 16th century England, he betrays the faith in favor of "ecumenical dialogue" with material heretics who choose secular relativism over biblical truth. For more about Bishop Boland's scandal affirming the election and insallation of a bishop who blesses same-sex relationships and approves the ordination of active gays like Gene Robinson, go here. Don't miss the outlandish photo of the presiding female bishop who looks like she stepped off the movie set of Alice in Wonderland. And note the rainbow stole on the priestess below. The liberal Episcopalians are so delightfully tolerant and diverse. Take your pick: fornication, adultery, sodomy, homosexuality, lesbianism, etc. ad nauseum. Bishop Boland's participation in this event makes Jesus' teachings a mockery.

Pray for Bishop Boland

I just got word that Bishop Boland was hospitalized on December 27th. Please pray for his upcoming surgery and recovery. Here's the message from the Diocese of Savannah:

Bishop J. Kevin Boland was admitted to St. Joseph’s Hospital in Savannah Monday evening, December 27, after suffering a severe headache and nausea. After testing he was diagnosed with a benign tumor in his pituitary gland. Today he underwent a successful procedure to prevent a blood clot in his right leg from causing damage. Doctors expect him to undergo surgery next week for removal of his pituitary gland. He has requested prayers for the successful outcome of pituitary gland surgery. He is expected to be out of the office for several weeks recuperating from surgery.

Please keep him in your prayers.
Barbara D. King
Director of Communications
Catholic Diocese of Savannah
601 East Liberty Street
Savannah, Georgia 31401-5196

Shouldn't a Bishop be a Loving Father?

My internet friend, Robert Kumpel, is a freelance investigative reporter and a home-schooling dad who used to live in California and did some great articles for the L.A. Mission and San Diego News Notes. He moved to Georgia and got into big trouble in his parish in Valdosta (St. John's) for protesting the inappropriate behavior of his pastor with the office manager, a woman (Isn't that a change?). To make a long story short, Robert ended up in court with a restraining order and was banned from setting foot in his parish. Valdosta, Georgia isn't exactly a thriving metropolis and the next closest parish is an hour away. So now Robert, who has four young children, can't go to daily Mass, can't take his children for visits to Our Lord in the tabernacle, can't be a member of the parish Knights of Columbus (or anything else) and is seriously inconvenienced even to go to Mass on Sunday. It has been a real hardship on this Catholic family.

Ironically, the pastor is dead now; he was killed in a traffic accident. And the woman involved moved away, but Bishop Boland still won't let Robert and his family go back to church together. Is that uncharitable or what?

During the trial everyone who testified said Robert never did anything violent or threatening. And yet the bishop several years later continues to refuse to allow him to attend Mass at his local parish. Oh, his wife may go alone with the children, but not with their dad. What's with that? Shouldn't the bishop encourage intact families? They're a rarity these days.

What a tragedy for a bishop to be so unforgiving that two years after something occurred (which has since been overtaken by events) he continues to treat his spiritual son like a dangerous outlaw. I wonder how often the bishop preaches about mercy.

Robert's canon lawyer said he would win the case if he fought, but it would be years before resolution and cost beaucoup bucks which the Kumpels don't have. So what's a fella to do? The bishops always have a royal flush to your pair of deuces. Maybe that's why they call them princes.

Please pray for my friend. You can visit his blog and leave him an encouraging message. If you'd like to read more about what got him into trouble go here.

And if you really want to do his family a good turn, could you send a polite note to the bishop asking him to let the family return home. Remember the song Tie a Yellow Ribbon? Why not tuck one into the note.

Bishop Kevin Boland
Catholic Pastoral center
601 E. Liberty Street
Savannah, GA 31401

If you'd rather send an e-mail go here.

Bigoted Asst. Principal, Jeremy Boland, in Hot Water Thanks to Project Veritas!

After watching this, you might want to send a donation to Project Veritas. 

School systems around the country are up to their necks in satanic evil. This assistant principal's agenda is just the tip of the iceberg.

Bishop Finn and the Double Standard of Planned Parenthood

The witch hunt against Bishop Finn continues and my friend, Jane, has written another great article about it (below). One of the things I find most interesting in the stormy waters swirling around this case is the hypocritical double standard by the national media. Let's take a look at this accusation against Bishop Finn and one that involves the media's darling, Planned Parenthood (PP).

The bishop is accused of not reporting for several months the child pornography on a priest's computer. The fact that he delegated the investigation to another is no excuse according to the wolves baying for his blood. He must resign and then they'll look for the next victim, perhaps the pope.