From the mail bag

by Dennis Coday on Jun. 30, 2011

This was in the mail bag today, from Rita Dwyer, Saginaw, Mich.

Dear Editor:

I was fortunate enough to attend the American Catholic Council in Detroit [June 10-12]. It was great!

In case you are doing an article on it [Editor’s note: See below.] you are welcome to use my enclosed cartoon. I believe you are the only paper who would print it!”

It is a little bit of an inside joke, explained by Jerry Filteau’s report from Detroit:

The June 10-12 American Catholic Council meeting closed with a Sunday Mass that provoked controversy before and after, with Detroit Archbishop Allen Vigneron prohibiting his priests and deacons from participating on penalty of laicization.

Despite Vigneron’s threat, council co-chair Janet Hauter said in an e-mail to NCR after the meeting, “The estimate we had was 100 [Detroit archdiocesan] priests as they were recognized by others. Interestingly -- and somewhat humorous -- some registered under pseudonyms, so we had [the late German Jesuit theologian] Karl Rahner and [the late French Dominican theologian] Yves Congar and others.”

“Fear is an ugly thing, isn’t it?” Hauter added. “We did hear, however, extreme gratitude [from the Detroit priests who attended] for stepping out, giving the priests hope.”

the Church is best when

Submitted by charles j. scanlon (not verified) on Jun. 30, 2011.

the Church is best when underground

Those of us resident in the

Submitted by Jim McCrea (not verified) on Jun. 30, 2011.

Those of us resident in the Diocese of Oakland (CA) were far from sad when Vigneron returned to Detroit.

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