Withdrawn
By ddepledge
Several Catholics were critical of a Star-Advertiser headline last week that described Marc Alexander, Gov. Neil Abercrombie’s homeless coordinator, as an “ex-priest.”
The story on his appointment said he had left the priesthood after 25 years for a secular job. The message — inelegant as it may have been written — was that Alexander was not going to be a priest, he was going to be a homeless coordinator.
Alexander said it was “time to answer a call in a different direction.”
Bishop Larry Silva, in an interview with the Catholic News Agency, explained how the church now sees Alexander.
As Bishop Silva explained on Jan. 26, Fr. Alexander has not lost either the spiritual gifts, or the sacred obligations, that he received at ordination. However, having abandoned his ministry, he is no longer permitted to celebrate the sacraments, or perform other priestly functions, under all but the most urgent circumstances.
“Marc Alexander is still a priest,” the bishop explained, “but his faculties have been withdrawn. He has not requested dismissal from the clerical state, nor has it been granted.”
“However, in light of his decision to abandon the active priestly ministry, his ‘license’ to minister, granted by the bishop, has been withdrawn. He may not licitly perform any specific priestly functions. He may give absolution to someone only if that person is in danger of death. Otherwise, he is not to function as a priest,” the bishop said.
Political Radar
January 28th, 2011 at 12:01 am
A rose by any other name. . . so is Alexander still entitled to be called “Father”?
It sounds like the answer is yes. So how does the layperson out there distinguish between a “real” Father and one that no longer has his faculties, whatever that means?
January 28th, 2011 at 3:48 am
In rough outline, your story was accurate. More accurate than the nonresponsive statements coming from either Father Marc or Bishop Larry. Alexander appears to have had a serious “parting of ways” with Bishop Larry and the Catholic diocese, but nobody is explaining the reason for the break.
As you try to make sense of what is known, you get one nuance wrong. Big Deal.
And it is not clear to me that you actually got it wrong. As I understand it, a priest cannot just walk away IN THE EYES OF THE CHURCH. The priest has to ASK PERMISSION to leave the clergy. Marc did not file a letter asking for permission to be discharged, so the Bishop still regards him as a priest. And it sounds like the Bishop is unhappy about Marc’s decision and is leaving the door open in hopes he will to return to the “active ministry.”
Whether Marc cares that the “door in still open” for a return is not clear.
January 28th, 2011 at 4:06 am
Hoooaaaah, so many entries at one times, Political Radars, ehy, Grease getting writers’ crampings, you know, respon’ing here’s
.
Most of you fine folks have witnessed [TESTIFY!!!!!!!!] a Grease point to his Catholicism, yes? Well, there was a letter from Bishop Silva [C#ri$t, a Grease hopes he don't get excommunicated for this, eek) included in Parish newsletters from last week's respective Masses (which some of you need to attend, ahhh, be here all week). Bishop Silva outlined what hath occurred, respectfully, an objective Grease [as always] must admit, regarding the announcement of Alexander’s appointment by Abercrombie.
Notable in the January 21, 2011 letter (but, a Grease presenteth not e’ryt’ing here; tol’ yous, getting writings crampings
) are (again, this letter is signed by Bishop Silva), in no particular order:
A priest is always a priest, but when he decides definitively that he no longer wants to serve as a priest, his faculties (canonical “license”) to serve are also removed, as has been done for Marc Alexander.. So, uh, relaxeth you conspiracy theorists, etc. Silva knew about this and KNOWS about this. And he didn’t have to recently reiterate that Alexander’s still a priest. It’s just that a Grease thinks so, heh, nah.
We are accustomed to seeing people make career changes, but leaving the active priestly ministry is more than a career change. A priest becomes a sacramental person in whom people put their trust and confidence.. Well, as a Howard Hewett will croon, “say amen.”. Indeed. A Grease said in last discussion of this issue, no way is Alexander’s new calling higher than his decision to dedicate his life to the priesthood. I hope Alexander never has cause to discuss confessions, even generally speaking, he’s heard is how a Grease reads this and I think is what Bishop Silva is admonishing as well. Alexander may not ever have cause to, but, even as an example, he shouldn’t, well, take certain liberties with what he has heard in earnest confidence. A Grease knows this sounds obvious, but, you know, you never know. You know?
The January 7, 2011 edition of the Hawaii Catholic Herald reported that I had granted Father Alexander the six-month sabbatical he had requested . . . beginning February 1 . . . All this changed, however, when on Sunday, January 16, Father Alexander informed me of . . . decisions he had already made:” Bruddah when drop d’a bomb on one SUNDAY, ehhyyyyy, brah. This passage of Bishop Silva’s also included the “shocked and extremely disappointed” expression heard ’round the islands.
Annnnnd . . . my favorite from the letter, and the last sentence by Bishop Silva here: I also ask you to pray for all of your priests, that they will remain faithful to their calling and continue to serve the Beloved People of God in joy. Amen again.
You like read the entirety of the January 21, 2011 letter, go Church, OK? Bwahahah.
So, nothing being hidden by the local Catholic Diocese with regard to this situation. I think Bishop Silva’s handling this situation solidly and through the Grace of the Holy Spirit. Move along, heh.
January 28th, 2011 at 4:25 am
One more thing: when it comes to the Roman Catholic faith, don’t skim over or discount the notion of sacrament and, therefore, a priest’s ability to administer and celebrate the sacraments. THIS is the thing that might be keeping Alexander up at night.
The Catholic religion has seven sacraments. Most other Christian beliefs have about, what? Two.
Those of you criticizing the Catholic religion based only on what some loud-mouthed academic Lefty’s shouting about, you owe it to yourself to balance that all out. Go seek out and read The Catechism of The Catholic Church, 2nd ed. at least.
January 28th, 2011 at 10:00 am
To lose one’s “faculties” is normally associated with being “bonkers” which is I’m sure how the church regards his decision to withdraw from the wonderful annointments and privelege of the Catholic Church (?). There used to be a time when it was I’m sure a high calling to both serve and be called to serve the church however those days and those callings are indeed becoming more rare. As for what to now call Mr. Alexander ? I’d suspect that these days he’d be happy to be called anything except ” late for dinner” ..
January 28th, 2011 at 10:49 am
And here I thought this blog post was going to be about Neal Palafox!
January 28th, 2011 at 3:54 pm
Once a Father always a Father.
One can take the Father out of the Church
but not the Church out of the Father.
Being a Father is just a title. So he is
now known as Mr. Alexander, still he will be
helping others in another way. Church only helps
spiritually but now Mr. Alexander can help physically.
January 28th, 2011 at 4:15 pm
Marc Alexander is still a priest, albeit a priest without portfolio. So, yes, he is still “Father” and will remain so until, as several of us posted last week, he goes through the arduous process of “laicization.” Depending on his personal and professional choices in the coming months, the church may instead cut that process short and “dismiss him from the clerical state” as a penalty for shirking his duties in Larry’s unholy little culture war.
January 28th, 2011 at 5:45 pm
Grease, I am Jesuit educated and, therefore, know all I need or care to know about the papist faith. Ironically, it is those same Jesuits — the educators of the church — who instilled much of my iconoclasm, including toward the “mother [of a] church.”
January 28th, 2011 at 5:47 pm
If, firstly, a Grease can re- and de-italicize above items near the end of a Grease’s “January 28th, 2011 at 4:06 am” entry (by the way, a Grease was NOT up at 4:06am doing all that up . . . was more like, midnight-ish, heh!), above . . . so how the last part SHOULD have read:
OK. More from a Grease:
— Alexander was the one who left, let’s not forget that. Wasn’t like changing jobs. You just never HEAR a priest renouncing that much. You know? Youse who support him for doing what he did, what? It’s gonna be all OK until, what? Until he decides to join the Republican party? Or the tea party? Look how the guy DID his departure; makes Lebron look like Frodo boarding the Silver (pardon the pun, Bishop; this is just the first of the pardon puns, mind you, so, stay tuned) Ship.
— Bishop Silva is standing ground here. THIS is the guy in this whole matter, whether you Catholic or not, THIS IS the guy you can trust in this whole affair. Didn’t seem Alexander (a LOT of parishoners know the guy or know of him; buggah was 2nd in command, basically) was too concerned about the chaos that would abrupt from his sudden, really, REALLY fast departure; Silva is gathering all and this is what Jesus would do, too. Catholics, ’specially its authority, have a duty — a duty — to follow the steps of Jesus and the silver (pardon the pun, Bishop, bwhahahah) lining here, if there needs to be one is, the Bishop’s showing that he can lovingly and competently be a shepard. A lot of us, Catholics, we ain’t perfect in doing just that; but, when we see our local Bishop take the RIGHT stand about this, we’re in awe. The Catholic religion is steadfast and a lot of you hate it for being just that.
OK, next already. Let’s get back to a certain birth certificate, eh? What? That thing’s more back alive than a zombie in an AMC high-rated series.
January 29th, 2011 at 3:23 am
Wish it were the only one of “Larry’s” unholy culture wars…
January 30th, 2011 at 12:13 pm
There’s no “unholy war” going on. Stop watching so much bad TV and movies.
If, uh, Political Radar would allow a Grease to end with one more significant thing in the whole scheme of d’is t’ing of ours on d’is specific blog. You know, it’s funny that Alexander somehow finds his recent new calling other than his call to God at time where two significant things (there are more; a Grease throw out only two at this time) hath occur in relation to Hawai`i and Catholicism. One of those obviously, involves the recent Canonization of Father Damien into Sainthood; the other is how China, in its most respectable growth as a world leader, also most recently, can also brag about a growing Catholic community in a Communist state. Do I need to go on?
Now, maybe that’s not enough to convince some of youse, this great Sainthood stemming from our state and the connection with our Chinese community. How’s this, then: It’s really funny what Alexander thinks is a higher calling — do YOU think the plight of local homelessness will change exponentially for the good in 4-8, heck, 40-800 years in Hawaii even if they had, oh, I dunno, SUPERMAN on the job 24/7?. Yeah, I don’t think so either, so, let’s not even consider “Father” Marc will make a dent in the problem with his new fancy title, state resources [a Grease snickers and guffaws and eats a Snickers], and inevitable local politics; will he be able to acclimate himself to the meanderings and ways and means there? Different game. And Bishop Silva knows this and THAT’s why he’s shocked and disappointed. Would make more sense if Alexander’s being groomed [by himself or by his new handler(s)] if his aim was higher public office, which, correct a Grease as neededs, I didn’t hear him discount.
He’s still called “Father”? OK. He can administer Sacrament in dire situation? OK. Well. Despite all this that he seemingly still retains? He would find what he’s looking for and be fulfilled in his way. Not the Lord’s perhaps.
The North American facet of the Catholic Church is also undergoing a few changes regarding the Mass. It’s going to be (effective sometime later this year) more aligned with even an even more traditional look, where the Eternal Word in the Catholic Church cannot be denied, more Latin Vulgate-based rubric, and, above all, more Catholically substantive in offering and responses. Jesus goes to hell is mentioned, for instance, and not merely the “underworld,” etc. Laughing at this example? The “Jesus goes to hell” part? Hmph. Then you yourself do not have the faculties to criticize the Church.
He leaves at a especially great time in the local Catholic Church.
Does he think working for the state, who has the ability and legal means to turn certain homeless away, can yield better results than what the Catholic Church, through its Catholic Charities alone, can accomplish? The Church has its own political machinations going on, yes, but when was the last time you heard a homeless person get turned away by the church vs. some poor soul turned away by the state, citing a minor legal loophole?
Marc Alexander seems to have other aspirations and not a higher calling.
And at least one local Catholic church says the following at the end of their Masses:
Prayer for Vocations
Heavenly Father
your divine Son taught us
to Pray to the Lord of the Harvest
to send Laborers into his vineyard
We earnestly beg you to bless our Diocese and our world
with many priests, deacons, and religious
who will love you fervently and gladly
and courageously spend their lives
in service to your Son’s Church,
especially the poor and the needy.
Bless our families and our children
and choose from our homes
those whom you desire for this holy work,
teach them to respond generously
and keep them ever faithful
in following your Son Jesus Christ,
that under the guidance of the Holy Spirit,
through the intercession of Saint Damien
and with the inspiration of the Blessed Mariane
the Good News of redemption may be brought to us all.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
I would imagine Alexander prayed that at least once.
January 31st, 2011 at 1:56 pm
Since I can’t decipher WTH Grease is trying to say, let me return to a more straightforward attempt to figure the significance of Marc’s resignation. Those who want to distract us with criticisms over a distinction between resign from “the priesthood” and from “active ministry” are blowing smoke in the hope we do not look at the bigger mystery.
Marc worked for 25 years, starting as a promising “Wunderkind and rising steadily in the Catholic Church to become the Number 2 man in the State’s operation. He has now quit that career path. The natural questions which arise are why did he not stay on course? Did HE decide he did not want to seek even higher office in the Church or was further advancement foreclosed for some reason?
He had been the pitbull enforcer for conservative Catholic orthodoxy in Hawaii, but does he no longer think that work is important? Those who think Marc left because of a passionate commitment to help the homeless cannot point at any evidence of this earlier “passion,” except through a generalized commitment by the Catholic community as a whole for helping the downttrodden. Marc as an individual has no such record.
My read of the “tea leaves” is that Marc was bailing from the Church for his own reasons. He took a longshot chance and submitted an application to the incoming Abercrombie administration on the chance something would come up, Bbut Marc was leaving, sooner or later, anyway. Abercrombie has long recognized the importance of the Catholic base as a key constituency for a strong Democratic party. He saw this as an opportunity to undermine the stereotyped view that a liberal Democrat like him, pro-choice, pro-civil unions, is an enemy to Catholics.
And with the state facing even more cutbacks in social services with the non-existent budget, we may HAVE TO rely more and more on private, faith-based groups for delivery of social services. Marc could help with those relationships.
Are we ENTITLED to an explanation of the mystery behind Marc’s sudden resignation? Not really. Maybe the Bishop is. But the rest of us, particularly those who have found ourselves opposing him for so many years on civil unions and reproductive rights ar curious and wonder if he has come to reconsider his hardline views as part of his “disenchantment” with the Church.
Rumors and speculation are filling the silence. Human intelligence pokes and prods at the unknown until it either figures it out, or gets distracted by a newer puzzle.
I personally wish him well. And hope he can do a good job at his new job. He MAY have the skill set to bring new thinking to the problem(s) covered by the umbrella term, “himelessness.”