Nabi Sayeth: Never, Never, Never Give Up!

Nabi sayeth…Many faithful Catholics are hurt, disillusioned and angered by the recent revelations of the corruption in the Church hierarchy, but the most dangerous consequence would be for the people to lapse into despair. 

Yes, what has happened to you and your beloved Church is horrible...without question. But can you just give up?

On the road to Calvary, would Our Lord have stopped, looked around and simply said “Enough”? Could the great Saints on the road to glorious martyrdom have just stopped and said…”This is just too hard, I give in and give up!”?

Catholics, you can’t give up! You are in this fight not just for today but for Jesus’ Church of tomorrow and beyond, for your children and grandchildren even though many stopped life in the Church some time ago, WHEN they finally return, to what will they return?

But remember...love costs. At some point you need to ask yourself, “What am I willing to give, to do, to sacrifice for the Church which Jesus left me for my salvation?

There are men (and their enablers) who are willing to snatch your soul from you for their petty, pretty, pleasures, and they really don’t care whose hearts are broken or whose faith  is dashed in the process.

Nabi shareth with you now a true and tragic story of how the Lavender Mafia’s reindeer games have caused death and destruction:

In Logan, WV back in the 70’s Father Patrick J. Gillooly was the pastor of the Church named Our Lady of Mount Carmel. Many parishioners had no idea that their beloved priest was a decorated veteran of Omaha Beach on D-Day. He saw many of his comrades ripped to pieces right before his eyes by the fanatical Nazis. He survived and in gratitude gave his life in service to the Priesthood. 

In Logan he served a very dedicated and faith-filled group of Catholics, immigrants and their children...all somehow connected to the coal industry. Living in the midst of a very anti-Catholic majority, the parishioners often faced discrimination, ridicule and even persecution as the KKK burned their crosses from time to time on the hillsides. The parish Church was a source of identity, support, hope and pride. 

Father Gillooly was ordered by bishop Hodges to do some “Vatican II” renovations to the beautiful interior of the Church including removal of the beautiful ruby red marble communion rail, the destruction of the high altar and the creation of a “reconciliation room” that was to replace the traditional confessional. 

Aware of the consequences of such renovations and the expense that would be incurred by the parishioners should such a renovation take place, Father Gillooly respectfully refused to comply with Hodges’ orders and Hodges promptly removed him. Hodges put in his place a much younger priest, a native of Arlington, VA, one who Hodges had met at a seminary and whom Hodges hand-picked to leave his own diocese to come to Hodges’ diocese in WV. Father Alan Eddington fit into the diocese in WV like a cucumber in a Crayola  Crayon box. He had orders to,”Git ‘er done.” 

Eddington began by assembling a group of parishioners whom he “educated”, groomed and convinced to support Hodges scheme. An architect was sent to the parish by Hodges, a plan rendered and put on display for the parishioners to see but not vote on. The renovation was a “Done Deal.” 

And how was the renovation (destruction) to be funded? Through the contribution of parishioners and through the sale of an apartment building owned by the parishioners and which was in age-related disrepair. It was managed by a parishioner, Jim Coppola, who was a retired C and P telephone company lineman and who did so for a small stipend. 

A meeting was held to present the scheme to the parishioners and an explosion ensued. The parish split fairly evenly down the middle separating the close-knit community into an “Anti-renovation/anti-pastor” faction vs. a  “Pro-renovation/pro-pastor” faction.  Rather than take the time to seek reconciliation of the parishioners, Hodges demanded the renovation move forward SPEEDILY. The apartment building was sold and the funds used to begin Hodges’ project.

The leaders of the Anti-renovation faction had as their leader a devoted parishioner named Mel Triola. Triola was the Secretary of the very powerful WV Coal Operators’ Association. 

In the Church was a ruby red marble Holy Communion rail  that had been donated many years earlier by the mother of the dearly loved founding pastor of the Logan Church, Father Joe Norton. Father Norton was the “Fulton J. Sheen” of Logan County. He had been a great evangelizer who had brought many souls to Christ. Most of the Logan parishioners could trace their membership to the work of Father Norton.

Eddington ordered the Holy Communion rail removed. It was demolished into pieces and dumped at the Logan landfill. Upon hearing of its removal from the Church, Mel Triola paid a photographer to locate what was left of the Holy Communion railing. The next day, in a full page section of the only newspaper in town, the Logan Banner, there was a huge picture of Mrs. Norton’s Holy Communion rail, lying in a trash heap, in chunks, and surrounded by old tires, a rusted wringer washing machine, and underneath the picture was a caption which read, “Look what they did to Father Norton’s Mother’s Communion Rail!” That picture was the “Shot that was heard around the world”...around Logan County for sure.

Many other notices were placed in the Banner. As the renovation proceeded, tons of letters to the editor were sent to the Banner, even more letters to the Bishop along with notice of possible litigation against him, and many of the parishioners left the parish and worshipped at a parish a few miles away.

Bishop Hodges at one point ordered Eddington to put a notice in the parish bulletin which threatened excommunication of anyone who dared sue a Catholic Bishop. That notice was akin to throwing high-octane jet fuel on an already extremely hot fire.

Hodges, finally, ordered a parish-wide meeting “to get this thing solved.” A meeting soon took place in a packed parish social hall. At the front of the hall was a table at which sat Eddington and the President of the Parish Council, Jim Barber.

Several parishioners stood up to speak, some in support of the pastor, some expressing their opposition to his renovations. 

As the meeting was winding down, Jim Coppola, who was seated at the back of the room stood up and slowly began to walk to the front of the room. He walked near the head table and went into a very heated tirade against the renovation, the sale of the parish apartment building and Eddington. He repeatedly pointed his right index finger at the pastor as he shouted at him. His closing words to the pastor were, “Father Eddington, I don’t think much of you as a man and I sure as hell don’t think anything of you as a priest.” The people in the room let out a corporate, stunned gasp. 

Coppola slowly walked back to his chair, made a gurgling sound and DROPPED DEAD! With shouts and screams, the people fled the hall immediately. And guess who the ONLY trained paramedic was in Logan at that time??? Father Eddington. He attempted to revive Coppola but it was too late. His skin was colorless and his lips blue. Our Lady of Mount Carmel Catholic Church died that day, without question. It was in time dissolved and renamed St. Francis Catholic Church.

So who was this Father Eddington? An active homosexual priest handpicked by bishop Hodges to come to “his” diocese. He did an interview with the LA Times back in ‘87:

Controversial Issue : Gay Priests: A Dilemma for Catholics February 16, 1987|MILES CORWIN | Times Staff Writer

They spotted each other at a gay bar, two Catholic priests out for a drink on a Sunday night, both anxious about being seen by parishioners.
For Father Alan Eddington, the meeting was the first step toward openly acknowledging his homosexuality. He had been a priest for three years but had never discussed his private life, never told anybody in the church that he was gay.

"I did not feel fear when I saw the other priest, only relief, relief that there was somebody else like me," said Eddington, the pastor of Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Church in Huntington, W. Va. "I'd thought I was alone all this time."

Eddington, who had met the other priest before but had not known he was gay, soon joined a support group in his diocese and later was named executive director of Communications, an organization for homosexual Catholic clergy in the United States. He estimates that about half of the 200 priests in his diocese have a gay orientation; some of them are sexually active.

My Friends, Jim Coppola did not have to die. 

Our Lady of Mount Carmel did not have to die.

The embarrassment and shame visited upon the small and persecuted Catholic community in Logan did not have to happen. 

And for what? Needless and rushed renovations. 

So, why do members of the Lavender Mafia insist on such rushed, expensive renovations (Destructions)?

Most often:

1. The chancery leaders are a part of the Lavender Mafia. They control the power, and therefore, the money.

2. For the Mafia members, carrying out the needless renovations are their way of showing allegiance to their “Don”.

3. The plans for the renovations are put together well in advance of any notification of parishioners. This gives the Mafia plenty of time to strategize, and especially, to groom certain influential, long-term members of the parish in order to win their allegiance. For instance, according to the late Father Peter Giannamore, as a seminarian, He was invited to a priest (Mafia) “support” group (known as a Emmaus group) meeting where he overheard the plans for the destruction of Our Lady of Fatima Catholic Church in Huntington two years BEFORE the scheme was presented to the faithful parishioners for a “vote.”

4. For the Mafia members, the needless renovations are “cool” (such as painting the Church sanctuary wall a pretty pink at St. Michael in Wheeling), a Vatican II “thing”. To get them accomplished is akin to a dog marking off its territory...it becomes their legacy and they win the esteem of their Lavender associates. 

What can you do?

1. Organize. Ask the clergyman: From where did this idea come? Whose idea was it? Why this idea? What benefit to the spreading of the Gospel and the Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and Education of our Children  will the idea produce? In short, How will Jesus be loved, honored and praised through the idea?

2. Communicate with other parishes and parishes in other dioceses where similar destructions are being proposed. Meet, FaceTime.

3. SLOW THE PROCESS DOWN. Ask the clergyman, “Why the Rush, Rush, Rush?” Why not take “the pause that refreshes” at least until the next bishop arrives so that the parish may discuss and DISCERN the idea with him?

4. If you are ignored or shut down, go to the media and take to the streets. YOUR faith, your voice must be heard and addressed.

5. Pray, beg Our Lord for His courage, wisdom and help.

Stay tuned….