Children who are raised in a Catholic environment have the singular blessing of being around ordained priests, and often bishops, who shine the light of truth by their actions and their words. That is the way it should be. But all too often that blessing becomes a curse if the wrong lessons are being taught and the wrong deeds are being observed.
The reasons for this are myriad. In fact, thinking about the onerous task of being a Catholic bishop in today’s morally emaciated environment gives me heartburn. Frankly I don’t know how any of these men—successors to the Apostles of Jesus Christ—do it. And, obviously without the power of God, the Holy Eucharist, and the guidance of the Holy Spirit they don’t. Which brings me to Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone, a man who is the personification of goodness in the midst of chaos.
Cordileone has been a stellar example of holy courage during the battle waged against him by members of the lesbian-gay-bisexual-transexual-queer movement in San Francisco. But try as they might to intimidate him, the archbishop is standing his ground.
And one of the fruits of his example of the defense of truth is the action of five Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist who walked out of San Francisco’s Marin Catholic High School on April 17 “once it was confirmed that the homosexual activist group Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network’s (GLSEN) Day of Silence was being pushed past the school’s administration and onto Marin Catholic students.”
On the other hand, in New Jersey, Catholic schoolteacher Patricia Jannuzzi, was suspended with the consent of Bishop Bootkoski over a Facebook comment she wrote explaining the truth about Catholic teaching on homosexuality. While Jannuzzi was subsequently reinstated, Catholic commentator Phil Lawler makes it clear that we should not celebrate. Why? Because “Patricia Jannuzzi has her job back, but her cause is not vindicated. Teachers at other Catholic schools, watching her case, now have reason to worry whether their own jobs might be in jeopardy if they stand in the path of the gay-rights steamroller.” And why must they worry? The answer is that not every Catholic bishop is a carbon copy of Archbishop Cordileone. Many kowtow to prevailing political pressure groups including proponents of contraception, abortion, and homosexuality. This is exactly why there is a scandal brewing at Catholic Relief Services. According to LifeSiteNews, “CRS Vice President of Overseas Finance Rick Estridge entered into a homosexual ‘marriage’ in Maryland the same month in 2013 that he was promoted by CRS to vice president, public records show.” Lepanto Institute reports that Estridge has taken down his Facebook and Linkedin profiles, but is that the extent of what anyone is going to do about this? Are Catholic bishops going to use this matter as a public teaching moment for Catholic youth and others, pointing out the reasons why the Church is right on homosexuality and the political pressure groups embracing LGBTQ are wrong? We cannot know; what we do know now is that they are not making any statement.
Catholic youth—and for that matter Catholics from creation to death—have a right to know, to learn, to understand, and to hopefully embrace Church teaching, especially on contentious matters like homosexuality and contraception. But first someone must teach these truths.
The actions of leaders like Archbishop Cordileone inspire; the inactions of other prelates create vacuums where evil enters. Perhaps it is not fashionable to teach the truth of Catholic doctrine when speaking about such matters, but it is just, it is right, and it is good for the soul.
Take action! Do not sit silently and watch.
Please pray for Catholic bishops, priests, teachers, and parents. Educating our young is an ominous task in today’s culture and we need heroic figures brave enough to teach truth.
Call or send a letter of support to Archbishop Cordileone telling him how grateful you are for his bravery in the face of adversity:
One Peter Yorke Way
San Francisco, California 94109
(415) 614-5500
info@sfarchdiocese.org
American Life League wants to support teachers by giving them the right tools to use when teaching. To that end, we are developing a Culture of Life Studies Program for grades k-12 that not only teaches morality and values, but shows the value of every human being.
Join us in giving food for the mind and the soul to children, setting the example they need to grow in Christ, and emboldening them to do battle with the devil and win!