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PDF versionKansas City diaconate candidate leaves program, citing diocesan failings
by Thomas C. Fox on Jun. 07, 2011
A Kansas City candidate for the permanent diaconate, Jim McConnell, informed his local parish this week that because of recent developments within the diocese he has decided step away from the progam. The following is a letter he posted on his parish Web site.
Dear Holy Family Parish:
After a great deal of soul searching, prayer and reflection, I have decided not to accept the call to Holy Orders that I have received.
Because of the recent disclosure of failures within the diocese to protect the people of St. Patrick Parish from harm, I cannot promise respect or obedience that is a part of the diaconate ordination. To me this breakdown in the system that was put in place to protect God's children is inexcusable.
It is with great sadness that I must inform you that I will not be able to serve Holy Family Parish as your deacon. Holy Family has been my spiritual home for over 30 years, and I have received great love and support during many joy filled and sometimes very difficult events in my life. Cindy and I will continue to support Holy Family in what ever way we can and wish to express our appreciation and love to all of you.
Jim and Cindy McConnell
The pledge of obedience in
The pledge of obedience in the ordination ceremony is more aimed at the episcopate and church,rather than the individual bishop. One has to look beyond the individual bishop.
I haven't seen the rite of
I haven't seen the rite of ordination of deacons in recent years, but I know that when I was ordained to the priesthood in 1967, the question posed to us by the bishop (in Latin) was, "Do you promise to me and to my successors...." To me that sounded pretty much aimed at him as an individual and to his successors as individuals. Looking beyond the individual bishop is rather difficult when he has just about total power over you. I applaud Jim's courageous and probably very painful stand.
Understandable, tragic and
Understandable, tragic and laudable. As per Tom Fox's companion piece outlining the pastor's tribute to McConnell and his wife, the pastor deserves plaudits for his words.
While not as specific and direct are we not all in a similar situation? I know that I am. Many, if not most, console ourselves that "our parish" or "our bishop" is pastoral, inclusive and "shares our difficulty". For others it might be that what happens in Rome, with the vatican, hierararchy or clergy is not the "Jesus of my faith" or is so "other" as to be rrelevant; maybe we cling, in rigid faith, to the "one,catholic and apostolic" as somehow "holy". Maybe, like so many who lived in totalitarian dictatorships, we just don't see, or we refuse to acknowledge that the depiction unfolding on the stage is really us.
I would not belong to a golf club which excluded women from full and equal membership; which defines women as being designed to "serve",and which tolerates their abuse and is prepared to "sacrifice" children. I would not belong to an organization, support a government, live under a regime which presumed the authority (let alone acted upon it) to require me to suspend my intelligence, judgement, will; which presumed the right (let alone acted upon it) to be exercise arbitrary, unaccountable judgments, to have the right to enact law without recource to consultation (and then not be subject themselves). I would not belong to an organization where chain of command is defined with absolute rigidity and simultaniously denied, obfuscated and abused. I would not belong, would not submit, to an organization which is regulated, ruled and administered in its intimate details by a coterie of secretive, exclusively male (or female for that matter) "called and chosen" who consider themselves "ontologically" distinct and superior who define me and you as "simple sheep" who need to be protected and led. But I do, and so do you.
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