Nabi Sayeth: Absurdity of Absurdities, All is Absurdity!

Absurdity of absurdities: Does wreckovating churches and reducing  the number of pews increase the flock filling them?

Nabi loveth the Book of Ecclesiastes, especially the oft repeated line: “Vanities of Vanities…” The Hebrew word behind the English “Vanities” is “Hebel” or “vapor…. a puff of wind.” If King Solomon was alive today and observing the behavior of the hierarchy of the Catholic Church, he would probably utter the phrase “Absurdity of Absurdities”, so much of what is observed is Absurdity!

How can Nabi write such a statement? Please think about the following examples of mind-boggling Absurdities….

The pricing of Catholic school tuition is well beyond the reach of the average person in the pews. Now, some bishops have dared to make the statement: “No one will be deprived of a Catholic education because of their inability to pay!” 

Nabi Sayeth...Go and try to get money from the Church for tuition assistance… Good Luck. The Absurdity of it all, are not our Catholic children the future of the Catholic Church? Should the future of our children not be the reason for one of the Church’s biggest investments? Are the bishops not cutting off those who would one day sat in the pews as adults? 

This past year the former good pastor of Our Lady of Peace Catholic Church and Parish School was ordered by FORMER bishop Bransfield to raise tuition, in the good pastor’s opinion, beyond the reach of the parish families. He refused to do so and was banished to parishes far away in Cabell County. So much for the principle of “Subsidiarity”! So much for cultivating the faith of those who would have been the future of the Catholic Church. 

The needless and Absurd chop, chop, chopping away of churches through Absurd renovations. In the early 90’s a major and much needed clean-up and restoration of the Cathedral in Wheeling was undertaken. But as a part of the project, numerous pews were removed. And guess what...the number of pews removed in a short time became equal to the number of people who stopped attending Holy Mass at the Cathedral! 

Uglification of Our Lady of Fatima in Huntington took place under the direction of the bishops's delegate,  Fr. Fred Annie. [Hmm...where have you heard his name before?] The sanctuary was repositioned to the center of church which was the rage of the day. Read the history of OLF and note that the parish has about the same number of families as it had in 1975! Stagnation?

An Absurd chop, chop, chopping up of the pews at Our Lady of Fatima Catholic Church in Huntington was part of a needless renovation/destruction which resulted in the departure of 300 members...the exact number of people who would have sat in the pews had they not been destroyed. 

Thanks to the protests of the good people of St. Michael Catholic Church in Wheeling the Absurd, planned chopping up of pews was halted. One can be sure that if the scheduled removal of numerous pews had not been stopped it would have resulted in even more people exiting the Church. 

When will the hierarchy learn that the ABSURD REMOVAL OF PEWS LEADS TO THE EXODUS OF THE PEOPLE WHO WOULD HAVE WORSHIPPED IN THOSE VERY PEWS?

The recent scandal in the Catholic Church was one that almost exclusively involved sinful homosexual activity by bishops and priests. Why has the diocese in WV not begun screening candidates for the seminary for homosexual orientation/activity, especially since such screening was ordered explicitly by Popes Benedict and Francis? An Absurdity for sure.

The Diocesan leadership had to actually mandate that priests do a Mass on Christmas Day and take no more than 30 days vacation per calendar year! Is this not akin to a hospital administrator needing to tell her/his doctors that they must see their patients??? Is it not pathetic that a priest must be ORDERED to say Mass on Our Savior’s Birthday? Yet very little is done to inspire holiness in our priests, especially at the annual priests convocation. 

There is something quite rotten lying deeply below the surface. The Absurdity? With the Most Holy Eucharist as the foundation of the Catholic Church’s life, and the priesthood as absolutely necessary for the consecration which brings forth the Most Holy Eucharist, should it not be absolutely essential that no expense/effort be spared to inspire and cultivate holiness among the priests?

Nabi Sayeth: Absurdity of Absurdities...so much that exists in the management of the Catholic Church is Absurdity. How will this situation change? ONLY, when the holy people in the pews step forward, speak out, demand change and hold the clergy accountable.