Creative priest resigns over strict missal requirements

Funny. A well-liked pastor is allowed to resign for the way that he prays. A bishop who protects pedophile priest are not.

The man resigned and his resignation was accepted. Sounds like both sides did the right thing. Don't make him out to be a martyr of the new translation. None of us is supposed to improvise in the celebration of Eucharist.

This article is a little vague. It seems to suggest that there is a ban on inserting explanatory glosses into the Mass, which is simply not the case. What the St. Louis Post Dispatch article describes is the priest ad-libbing the presidential prayers. This is as bad idea since the priest offers the Mass in the name of Christ and the universal Church, not in his own.
One of the strong points of Catholic liturgy is that it's power is independent of the qualities of the priest. This fact actually frees the people from being too dependent on the personal whims of the clergy.

Funny. Call me judgmental, but how this individual priest prays isn't the issue. When the Mass is celebrated, it is the whole church praying, regardless of which Missal one would be following. The liturgy is not the canvas upon which one paints with one's own personal "creativity." It is the prayer of the Church which is bigger than one priest or one parish or even one diocese.

I have no doubt he is a fine individual and would probably like him personally. However, as a pastor, I hold that the people of the parish (even if the majority don't seem to care) are entitled to the celebration of the liturgy in union with the whole church, not a loose interpretation based on personal whim or preference. The Order of Mass provides several options within which one can operate "creatively" (various Penitential Acts, two creeds from which to choose, some instances where the people are addressed in "these or similar words," etc.) However, the whole Mass isn't up for revision on the spot by the priest-celebrant.

Just my two cents worth. I wish him well in his retirement.

I know Father Bill Rowe personally; I have known him for years. His issue is not with the revised Mass translations, his issue is with authority, period.

He once told me that he was content to let his parish church, which was in serious need of painting and repairs, literally fall down. When that happens, he said, he could build the church he wanted, in the round, without all the "silly statues and windows".

Trust me when I say, he will not be missed.

Fr. Jim: Who says it's a "loose interpretation"? Jesus Christ became human, signifying that the Great Big Parent expects us to respond as humans - understanding, engaging, participating, not robotic or sanctimonious stentorion. I have always contended that the teacher who answers in "quotes" or rote; doesn't really understand otherwise s/he couled explain, communicate in the words of the questioner.

My greatest problem with the new translation, is not the words. If these are the baseline from which communication and prayer is "translated" to real people I could be more accepting. Sadly it's not so....

Hmmmm. Let's see: A pastor, well past ordinary retirement age, submits his resignation, and it is eventually accepted. He wasn't taking a salary, so now the parish will have to come up with one, assuming that the bishop has another priest to replace the resignee.
What's the average age of our priests again? Somewhere north of 60? What if a lot more "greybeards" decide that the hassle over liturgy is no longer worth it? How soon will we be plunged into a full-blown shortage-of-clergy crisis?
Tell me again, what is the bishops' plan for replacing aging priests? You say they don't have one? Oh. And Rome is making noises about maybe not ordaining any more permanent deacons? (Never mind what Vatican II said.) Oh. And they seem to be against the idea of lay presiders, as a way to "stretch" the available clergy? Oh. And married priest are out, unless they're former Anglicans? Right.
But we're still a sacramental, Eucharist-centered Church, right? Right.

Tell me again: What is our future?

thank you, father bill rowe for your years of care and love for your parishioners....i am sorry some "words" that hang around...."for us men and
our salvation..."(no enclusion of women), i've studied in Jerusalem, my
friend at the Ecole Biblique et Arch...heard of no "chalices" at the
last supper...cups, yes....on and on;....words you shared among the holy
sacrifice of mass had deep meaning for your people, they did NOT change
the Mass, they had meaning also as well among those in
the military...i could relate a priest's mass during the vietnam war..
real meaning.....the power of words that enhance, you are loved and thank
you again...dncrowley

I not only wish him well, but wish he would come to cities where there are intentional eucharistic communities and volunteer his services for their masses. They are located throughout the US. As soon as home sales return upwards, plan to sell my home and move to one of these communities. The one operating in Rochester NY (Spiritus Christi) seems a wonderful community of believers who practice and live the teachings of Christ.

If priests can change the words, then why not the rituals and every thing else.
Why not "just hang loose in freedom"

I take issue with this situation, and this is a situation that will cause me to leave the Catholic Church. I think it this situation we have seen the worship of God over-ruled by the rules of man. We forget that the mass, though inspired by the word of God, was indeed written by man. If I recall, there was another that was persecuted for disobeying the man-made rules of a church, and His name was Jesus Christ. When a man of God is dismissed for bringing others closer to God, that is where I will stand and leave. For those who stand by the Church, you should probably decide whether to follow your Bible or your Catechism.

Bishop Braxton has misappropriated diocesan money and used it for fancy vestments for himself. Likewise, he has taken Propagation of the Faith money and used it for his own purposes and had to be reprimanded by the Finance Council. He demanded $283,000 redo of his already remodeled residence before he would move in. The annual diocesan appeal is down 40% because Catholics do not trust that he will use the money for the purposes for which it was given.

Father Bill Rowe served his parish for 17 years without taking a salary. He visits each classroom in the school each week to teach the love of God. He is the backbone of the Church and loved by all. He prayerfully celebrates the Eucharist each Sunday making it meaningful for all by tying in a hymn or Scripture reading into a non essential part of the Mass.

WHO SHOULD BE FORCED TO RETIRE? How about Bishop Braxton.

“Fr. Bill Rowe, 72, told NCR he has for about 20 years regularly added his personal reflections to the prayers or inserted appropriate comments elsewhere in the liturgy. ‘It's the only way I can pray honestly,’ he said. ‘I can't change that.’ He added he hopes to remain active in some capacity and ‘would gladly serve in a soup kitchen if the opportunity comes’."

Again Roberto thanks for this posting. To me it sounds like this Padre Bill Rowe is a great friend of yours and would fit in very well with us “outsiders”. Please let him know that “if things get really rough” to just buy himself a plane ticket and come down for a long visit with us in Nicaragua, no snow nor ice. I offer him a free of charge “crash course” in our Nicaraguan Spanish, just in case it is necessary. We even have a “soup kitchen” run by the Carmelite friars.

We “latinos” living in our ”Mestizo America” are not all that hung up on “law” neither civil, much less religious “law”.

At the Eucharistic celebrations of our small faith community, some 50 to 200 people, I always take a front seat within about 2 meters of our celebrant. When he says “The Lord be with you” I always answer in my loud voice: “HE IS WITH US” just to remind the Padre that WE ARE THE PEOPLE OF GOD and that in our absence, he would not be “presiding”. And our Dominican friar, Padre Rafael seems to take it all in stride, since he himself doesn’t use a missal during the beautiful celebration with all of us sharing and singing in this our weekly renewal of our personal and communitarian commitment to work for that “other possible society”, that “other possible world”: “Thy Kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven” – the life project of Jesus of Nazareth, and the only reason for the existence of the Church, supposedly founded by Him.
So thanks again Roberto. You can find me at «justliebl.gmail.com» or «caprinicaragua.org»

Justiniano de Managua el 7 de feb. 2012

How sad this is! How terribly sad!!! We still destroy (or try to destroy) the Prophets among us!

I am taking this quote from the petition to keep Fr. Bill. It says what I was unable to put in words.

"We hear about people witnessing to others and that this is something any of Christians are called to do. I think a lot of us think of witnessing as reading from the bible or preaching, and that is certainly one way to do it. Then there is that extraordinary witnessing, when you see someone going through life, day after day, going out of his way to help others; choosing to be positive in situations that would try anyone's patience and tolerance; seeing the good in someone when no one else can; truly celebrating when someone else succeeds; listening ten times more than talking; truly living fully the life God gave him--the exact way that we imagine Jesus did. Now THAT'S a witness. That's Fr. Bill"

I just want to give my deepest affirmation to Fr. Bill for his stand on this issue. I hear that he has done so much good to his parishioners. The way he has been treated by Bishop Braxton is a great scandal in our church. We need to make our Sunday Eucharistic Liturgy alive, and make it relevant to our people. And that, I feel, is what Bill is trying to do. It was with great sadness that I read about what happened. Bill, know that we are with you in prayer and affirmation. God bless your ministry.

Bill, I am all behind you in this. I so much feel for you. You have done a good thing and this is how you are treated. It is a sad day for the Catholic Church when we encounter such terrible leadership as we see in Bishop Braxton. Hang in there Brother and we will overcome. You are in my prayers.

What would Jesus do? I think, as someone who follows Jesus, she would embrace the words of those who want to make things better and turn away from those men who destroyed the Spirit in young boys. She would be just.

I am among the many on Father Bill's side. The question is: what is in the best interest of the people who gather for the Eucharist. The finest lessons I have learned about liturgy have been from the campesinos in the mountain settlements of El Salvador. I have been going there with delegations for over twenty years to be received with generous hospitality by the poor who survived the war that raged in their mountain home. On my first visit in 1992, I did not go with any Mass gear, but knowing that I was a priest, their great desire was that I have the Mass for them. So under a tree, in the simplest arrangement possible, I joined with them in a heartfelt celebration of the Eucharist. Without any vestment nor liturgical text, in poor Spanish, I offered the first Mass that had ever been said in that remote mountain settlement. It would not have received the approval of those who referee correct liturgy, but it was a lesson for me in what is important about prayer. Above all, it's a matter of the heart. Gathered around that small table were the very ones Archbishop Romero called "the crucified ones." They were the ones that mirrored the face of the Christ that we embraced in that simple and quite imperfect celebration of the Mass. I had never before gathered with people longing so much for the Mass. They revealed to me the Church of the Poor where I feel more at home than in the Church of the Clergy.

I know Fr. Bill. As a person, he is very approachable; to me this is a very appropriate and a desirable personality trait for a priest. Father Bill,(like Jesus), is not into all the formality and ¨pomp and circumstance¨ that other clergy and many Catholics embrace. This simply is not Fr. Bill´s style. His style is to have a personal relationship with Jesus/God based on love, much like a brotherly or a parent and a child relationship, where reverence is respect based on love. A formal relationship is more like that of law enforcement officials and citizens. There is authority, but not love. Does one obey a police officer out of loving respect or out of fearful respect? Probably the latter. Is this appropriate in matters of faith? Neither I, nor Fr. Bill think so. In my opinion, this is why there is a clash.