Reading Rat - November 2014

Articles, Essays, Reviews

Bill Cosby’s doctoral thesis was about using ‘Fat Albert’ as a teaching tool, by Valerie Strauss, The Washington Post

Demographic Portrait: Archdiocese of Milwaukee, Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate

Ratzinger on a smaller Church

Time for some Resourcement.

Milwaukee Archbishop Jerome Listecki predicts the Future of the Catholic Church to be smaller quantity but higher quality in the blog post adapted from his July 22, 2014 "Love One Another" email.

In turn, a post on it at The Badger Catholic drew an Anonymous comment with a link to a quote from Joseph Ratzinger to the same effect at Fr. Z's Blog.

He links to his source, a quote at the Catholic Education Resource Center from Faith and the Future (San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2009) by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger. Note its original publication was in 1969 when he was Father Joseph Ratzinger.

He did speak to the same effect as a Cardinal in a September 5, 2003 interview by Raymond Arroyo on EWTN's The World Over.

"Raymond: Talk for a moment about the New Springtime. The Pope has talked a great deal about the New Springtime and you, yourself have laid out your own ideas. Your vision is a little different from some. Some see the numbers growing and everybody believing and dancing hand-in-hand (the Cardinal chuckles) into the millennium. You see a different picture. Tell us what that picture involves. How do you see this Springtime evolving?

"Cardinal: As I do not exclude even this dancing hand-in-hand, but this is only one moment. And my idea is that really the springtime of the Church will not say that we will have in a near time buses of conversions, that all peoples of the world will be converted to Catholicism. This is not the way of God. The essential things in history begin always with the small, more convinced communities. So, the Church begins with the 12 Apostles. And even the Church of St. Paul diffused in the Mediterranean are little communities, but this community in itself is the future of the world, because we have the truth and the force of conviction. So, I think also today it should be an error to think now or in 10 years with the new springtime, all people will be Catholic. This is not our future, nor our expectation. But we will have really convinced communities with élan of the faith, no? This is springtime — a new life in very convinced persons with joy of the faith.

"Raymond: But, smaller numbers? In the macro?

"Cardinal: Smaller numbers, I think. But from these small numbers we will have a radiation of joy in the world. And so, it’s an attraction, as it was in the old Church. Even when Constantine made Christianity the public religion, there were a small number of percentage at this time; but it was clear, this is the future. So we can live in the future, just give us a way in a different future. ..."

So there are your links for future reference.

Rembert Weakland’s Blandly Secular Apartment

'Rejected in his attempts to live among fellow monks, Weakland resides anonymously in a south side seniors complex.'

Michael Horne at Urban Milaukee.

'Hey there, ho there, ya hey hey, stay in Milwaukee and die!'

Those closing lines to the Hey Der Milwaukee Polka came to mind with the news that Archbishop Weakland not moving after all, reported by Maryangela Layman Roman at the Milwaukee Catholic Herald.

"For the second time, Archbishop Rembert G. Weakland’s plans to return East to live in a monastery have fallen through."

Or maybe it's the third time (see this earlier post).

While we have two monasteries here in Franklin, I've never heard that he or they have expressed an interest in having him move here.

UPDATE: Providing another bit of evidence that our clergy don't pay attention to the Catholic Herald, Fr. James Connell on July 1st posted at SNAP Wisconsin An Open Communication to Archbishop Rembert Weakland, O.S.B. protesting some local priests' planned July 17th farewell luncheon.

Judge rules she can't OK archdiocese reorganization plan

Annysa Johnson reports in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel on the latest development in our Archdiocese's bankruptcy.

If stewardship is a two-way street, as opposed to the second leg of one-way trip down Pray, Pay and Obey Streets, then one might have been wondering and continue to wonder about the stewardship involved in our Archdiocese's supervision of litigation.

Archbishop Listecki to appear at Press Club luncheon

Annysa Johnson posted at Newswatch in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel on this September 3rd event.

"Milwaukee Archbishop Jerome Listecki will field questions from local journalists at a Milwaukee Press Club luncheon in September, one month before the scheduled confirmation hearing on the archdiocese's bankruptcy reorganization plan."

In other news, the luncheon also is a week and a half before the scheduled Synodal Declaration.

The Archbishop, the insulting, and the ridiculous

In response to the recent petition against opposing use of the Common Core education standards in our Archdiocese of Milwaukee, Archbishop Listecki sent this June 9, 2014 letter to Steve Becker and Abby Figi of Catholic Milwaukee Parents Against Common Core.

Mr. Becker and Ms. Figi replied in this June 16, 2014 letter.

Our Archbishop states that "Catholic schools operate in the Archdioces under my direction. Period." I have to wonder if that categorical statement was vetted my our Archdiocese's bankruptcy lawyers. But I digress. Becker and Figi in their reply (page 2) cite the USCCB Secretariat of Catholic Education to distinguish a bishop's role of oversight of schools from Archbishop Listecki's claim of sole direction.

Archbishop Listecki goes on, "To think I would allow anything to jeopardize the Catholic identity or academic excellence of our schools is insulting, at best." In the previous paragraph he had said "I take your concerns very seriously," but that turns out to have been just a formality. Anyway, no one said he would intentionally "allow anything to jeopardize the Catholic identity or academic excellence of our schools". They're merely suggesting he made a mistake in judgment which they expect will have that effect.

Next he says "The standards of our Catholic schools far exceed the Common Core standards." If that's the case, then he's wasting everyone's time with the Common Core standards. If our schools already have higher standards, then it's also hard to make sense of his next statement that "Common Core standards are just one of many ways we measure the success of our students." And if they are being used as a measure, then that contradicts the next sentence in which he says "These standards are neither 'adopted' or 'adapted'." They're adopted or adapted as a measure of success. The next contradiction is in the next sentence, "In addition, the standards do not have any impact on curriculum or content whatsoever." So they are insignificant, yet he's defending them as if they are indispensable.

Becker and Figi, in their reply, also pointed out further contradictions between statements on our Archdiocese's website and what Archbishop Listecki says, which I won't repeat here.

He goes on, "Parents already are welcome to review any and all aspects of our schools curriculum". What the point of that would be is unclear because this sentence continues "but to think that parents are more qualified than our academic experts to select said curriculum is ridiculous." That's an odd statement, particulary from someone with a law degree. Surveying my household, 50% have been a lawyer as long as Archbishop Listecki, another 50% got a degree from the same law school he did, and 100% say that in the law the trier of fact is not bound by any expert's opinion. In the present context, parents might struggle to create a curriculum, but might well select among schools for their kids by comparing curricula.

As an aside, I note that in the context of the clergy sexual abuse scandal, our local bishops still take the position that in every case their reliance on experts was reasonable. They say criticism is based in hindsight; I say it's based on this misunderstanding of the role of experts.

As Becker and Figi point out, other bishops have decided differently on Common Core. If bishops must rely on experts in choosing curricula, is Archbishop Listecki effectively saying it is ridiculous for other bishops to reach a different conclusion regarding Common Core? And if bishops can consider expert opinion yet reach different conclusions, then how is it ridiculous for parents to do the same?

Archbishop Listecki asserts "I, and others, have clearly and repeatedly stated that in our Catholic schools, all curriculum in every content area is grounded in Catholic Church teachings." Well, I believe they stated that. But at the beginning of my last stretch as a catechist, I found the textbook used at our parish (St. Alphonsus, Greendale) was not on the approved list at the USCCB website. So I'm not inclined to assume that curriculum will conform to stated good intentions.

No issue involving our Chancery would seem complete without something like the following from the Becker and Figi letter.

"Your office would not meet with us and the Superintendent has put us off and now canceled our planned meeting."

(via CUF Milwaukee and The Wheeler Report)

P.S. Social Media: The Archdiocese of Milwaukee is on Facebook, and so is Catholic Parents Against Common Core-In the Milwaukee Archdiocese.

Say yes, men, to the Synod

Last week our Archdiocesan weekly looked forward to the Synod held over the weekend just past. This included looking back on its origin.

Here's the opening paragraph to the front page article ‘New Pentecost’ catalyst for archdiocesan renewal, by Brian T. Olszewski.

"It began in 2012. Archbishop Jerome E. Listecki called together a group of people from throughout the archdiocese to serve as an Archdiocesan Synod Preparatory Commission. Their mission was to determine whether the time was right for an archdiocesan synod. Their advice to the archbishop: It was."

I can see why, given what our Archbishop says in his page 3 Herald of Hope column, At last, Archdiocesan Synod to begin.

"When I first mentioned the possibility of a synod, it was met with a sense of skepticism. Was this the right time? After all, we are in bankruptcy. How do we plan for the future? My response: Is there ever a right time?"

Judge's Catholic faith under scrutiny in Milwaukee archdiocese case

Marie Rohde reported at the National Catholic Reporter on Monday's oral argument in John Doe v. Archdiocese of Milwaukee (7th Cir., 13-3783).

There's also this report locally: Judges challenge Archdiocesan positions in bankruptcy case, by Annysa Johnson, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

Rembert Nation exceptionalism

From time to time a post here draws anonymous comment bewailing that Archbishop Weakland's faction is still effectively running things in our Archdiocese of Milwaukee.

Something like that assumption pops up, from across the divide, in this post by 'A Faithful Catholic' in which we find this aside.

"Even in the Milwaukee area, we have had a priest that was recently censured for concelebrating mass with a woman priest."

See the "Sviluppo" to this post at Whispers in the Loggia. (P.S. The Rafters has since closed.)

CUF continues Common Core critique

The CUF Milwaukee Newsletter for May 2014, just arrived by email, concentrates on the Common Core controversy.

The lead story 'Attend Pilgrimage to Our Lady of Good Help Shrine on Saturday, May 31'. The motive for the pilgrimage is the Archdiocese of Milwaukee adopting the Common Core education standards.

Next story is "Critical Review of popular catechetical text is available on Chapter Web site". The text is The Catholic Faith Handbook for Youth (Third Edition), by Brian Singer-Towns, reviewed by Margo Szews. The review is posted here.

(The CUF Milwaukee website looks a little like a blog. I'm surprised they don't convert it to one using something like WordPress.)

Newsletter page 2 includes "Mark your calendar for our Msgr. Popek Award Dinner with Bishop Morlino on Oct. 19", though one has to go to the website home page to see that he declined to adopt Common Core in the Diocese of Madison.

Also on page 2, the newsletter takes up the question "Does 'obedience' to one’s bishop require acceptance of Common Core in diocese?" Does that get you to 'wonder' what their answer is?

Page 2 is a chart, "Comparison of Two Types of Education: Type #1 (Traditional) vs. Type #2 (CSCOPE & Common Core)", by Henry W Burke. (Hint: Type #2 is said to involve 'group-think'.)

UPDATE: Catholic parents group calls for archdiocese to drop Common Core, by Erin Richards and Robert Gebelhoff, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Spring 2014 priest appointments announced

Our Milwaukee Catholic Herald reports

"Archbishop Jerome E. Listecki, in consultation with the Priest Placement Board of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, has appointed the following priests for ministry in the Archdiocese, effective June 17, unless otherwise noted."

As I understand an explanation Dave Pawlak once provided in a comment, the listed appointments of priests as "administrators" are until our Archbishop formally makes them pastors.

For our parish,

"Fr. Aaron Esch, from associate pastor, St. Alphonsus Parish, Greendale, to administrator, St. Alphonsus Parish, Greendale."

and

"Fr. Kevin Barnekow, from shared associate pastor, St. William Parish, Waukesha, and St. John Neumann, Waukesha, to associate pastor, St. Alphonsus Parish, Greendale."

Fr. Esch succeeds Fr. Alan Jurkus, who is completing an extension of his term as pastor and delay of his retirement.

Often the brief flurry of excitement at the appointment of a new pastor turns out to be like that which occurs between the alarm clock going off and hitting the snooze button, but we can always hope and pray that this is not such a time.

Elsewhere in our cluster of parishes, Fr. Chuck Schramm completes his time as pastor.

"Fr. Brian Mason, from associate pastor, St. Mary Parish, Hales Corners, to administrator, St. Mary Parish, Hales Corners."

and

"Fr. Gideon Buya, newly ordained, appointed associate pastor, St. Mary Parish, Hales Corners."

No news for St. John the Evangelist, Greenfield, or St. Martin of Tours, Franklin.

ArchMil on abuse claimants: all must be called so that none can be chosen

Our archdiocesan weekly's report from the Bankruptcy Court hearing is titled Judge, attorneys discuss disclosure statement. Even more interesting is that Archbishop Listecki was interviewed for the article.

It struck the judge as odd, as it has struck me, that our Archdiocese went to great lengths to encourage any possible sexual abuse claimant to file a claim, only to take the position that every claim was subject to dismissal under one or another legal defense. In the reorganization plan it proposes paying something on a minority of claims. As I wondered in a post last week, the judge is described as wondering

"why all of the abuse survivor claims aren’t put into one class and then a committee of abuse survivors allowed to decide how the funds for that class should be divvied up, as is happening in other dioceses’ cases."

Archbishop Listecki is a lawyer and presumably discussed taking this position with our Archdiocese's bankruptcy counsel, but does not directly answer this specific question.

"Asked about that during the interview with the Catholic Herald, Archbishop Listecki said, 'Not all of the claims are similar. The classifications help us understand which claims, basically, are ours and should have merit over others.'"

Maybe it's different in the world of big firms and big cases, but down in mine-run property and casualty litigation management the correlation of 1) difficulty clearly articulating the reason for a position and 2) an unusually protracted and expensive lawsuit, was usually taken to indicate that former was a cause of the latter.

The parties will circulate proposed changes to the Disclosure Statement by May 1st. Our Archdiocese is to submit a copy with any remaining disputed language indicated, by May 9th. The court will rule on any such disputes by May 15th. [In re Archdiocese of Milwaukee, Case No. 11-20059]

Creditors to challenge archdiocese plan

The outcome of the continued hearing on the Disclosure Statement filed in our Archdiocese's bankruptcy made Regional News Briefs in this morning's Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

"U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Susan V. Kelley on Tuesday scheduled a four-day hearing on the reorganization plan for Oct. 14 to Oct. 17, with the understanding that the lawyers for the creditors committee would file their motion."

That's the hearing on whether or not to approve the plan of reorganization our Archdiocese filed February 12th. The motion is the Creditors Committee objection to proceeding on that plan.

"They contend that Kelley has no authority to approve the plan — which includes the settlement of a lawsuit over $60 million in a cemetery trust created by the archdiocese — while that lawsuit is pending before the U.S. 7th Circuit Court of Appeals."

The Summary of Hearing filed yesterday in the Bankruptcy indicates the parties will file briefs next month on the issue and the court will then decide. [In re Archdiocese of Milwaukee, Case No. 11-20059]

Archdiocesan bankruptcy case moves one more step forward

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel provides more detail on yesterday's Bankruptcy Court hearing on our Archdiocese's disclosure statement for its plan of reorganization.

The creditors committee objected to including settlement of the pending litigation over whether the cemetery perpetual care funds should be considered an Archdiocesan asset subject to claims of creditors.

"[U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Susan V.] Kelley denied those requests, saying she was determined to move the case forward.

"'I am very sensitive to finishing this case,' the judge told a packed courtroom and more than 15 attorneys.

"'If the plan can't be confirmed, it should be dismissed,' said Kelley."

Dismissal would mean the time and money spent on the bankruptcy was for nothing, so it's hard to understand our Archdiocese's strategy if after three years and well over $10 million in litigation expense dismissal is still even being mentioned as a possibility.

"On Thursday, Kelley walked the attorneys — including those for the archdiocese's insurance companies — through a highly technical edit of the disclosure statement, striking phrases she considered inflammatory or misleading, and calling for more detail in some areas. She struck, for example, references by the creditors committee that the plan was 'morally repugnant,' and the archdiocese's assertion that the creditors committee caused it to incur millions in legal fees."

Which raises the question why such things are in the filings in the first place. The goal, after all, is not to say things so one's partisans can cheer, rather it's to persuade the court.

"She asked the archdiocese to elaborate on why Listecki invited victims to file claims, vowing to treat them fairly, then tried to get those claims thrown out."

If there's ever call to formulate The Five Litigious Mysteries, I'd consider nominating that question.

"And she asked it to explain why it is singling out one group of survivors — the 128 — for compensation."

Since if there is not enough money to go around, why not let the creditors fight it out or work it out among themselves.

"There is little common ground between the lawyers for the archdiocese and the creditors committee, who disagree on many of the facts surrounding the bankruptcy and the way each has articulated them in the statement.

"Tempers flared at one point, and Kelley cut them off, saying, 'This case is hard enough without the mudslinging by the lawyers.'"

One might wonder if this kind of acrimony doesn't involve a risk of the unintended consequence of running up billable hours of the lawyers involved. Which points up another mystery: who, if anyone, manages this litigation for our Archdiocese?

"Kelley attempted Thursday to set a hearing schedule for the reorganization plan but postponed that until Tuesday when lawyers could not come to an agreement on how to move forward."

If there are 15 lawyers at that next hearing to discuss a hearing schedule, I'll guesstimate total fees along the lines of the price of a new car.

Church bankruptcy plan to be put to vote

The Associated Press reported at the Wisconsin Law Journal on today's hearing on the disclosure statement for the plan of reorganization in our Archdiocese of Milwaukee's bankruptcy.

"Bankruptcy Judge Susan Kelley told the archdiocese’s lawyers during a Thursday hearing to explain why the plan would give money to one group of victims and not others instead of letting the victims decide among themselves how the money would be divided.

"That information will be included in documents sent to creditors who will vote on the plan. Kelley will consider the votes in deciding whether to approve the plan."

Court file document 2638 is a PDF with attached Audio File of the hearing, run time 04:54:17.

Self-servant leadership

"I know it sounds self-serving," is how Archbishop Jerome E. Listecki began a paragraph in this column from last summer in the Milwaukee Catholic Herald. The column was on our Archdiocese's release of files on child-molesting priests. What he said would sound self-serving was his going on to say

"but the Archdiocese of Milwaukee has historically established programs ahead of the national trend. It consulted experts. It initiated Project Benjamin, a commission that attempted to address the problem and offer advice on what the church could do to address the problem."

"Self-serving" is is defined as "serving one's own interests often in disregard of the truth or the interests of others". I'll assume that Archbishop Listecki is right and what he said does sound self-serving.

If so, then the Disclosure Statement our Archdiocese filed in its Chapter 11 bankruptcy sounds self-serving in the section The Clergy Sex Abuse Crisis and the Archdiocese’s Response (pp. 23-27).

And I'm not seeing a distinction between what Archbishop Listecki and our Archdiocese's court filings say and Pope Francis's saying

"The Catholic church is perhaps the lone public institution to have moved with transparency and responsibility. No one has done more... ."

A common way to avoid making a self-serving statement is to instead have someone else vouch for you, someone who could plausibly appear to be knowledgeable and objective. For a long time, our U.S. bishops attempted to use Paul McHugh in this role but instead turned his opinion into a talking point. (see my earlier post Without really trying) Regarding the Disclosure Statement, our Archdiocesan weekly was reduced to quoting an anonymous "legal observer".

Here on the secular side, reaching the point that "anything more I could say would sound self-serving" means one ought not say anything more. Why it has the opposite meaning for our bishops remains unclear.

No Canossa, maybe cannoli

An email from our local chapter of Catholics United for the Faith I interpret to mean the quasi-interdict for criticism of the adoption of Common Core education standards by our Archdiocese of Milwaukee is personal, not group. That is, it keeps Dr. Duke Pesta from giving presentations at any parish in our Archdiocese. Instead, he will appear April 6th 1:00 pm at the Southwest Library in Kenosha, and April 30th 5:00 pm returns to Mama's Italian Cuisine in Milwaukee. (see my earlier post Pasta with Pesta?)

On the other hand, the CUF Milwaukee group's upcoming meeting is May 4th 1:45 pm in the parish hall at St. John the Evangelist Church in Greenfield.

Hark the Heralds' circulation

Comments to this Cream City Catholic post were claiming Madison's Catholic Herald diocesan weekly newspaper superior to Milwaukee's, as well as having a larger circulation.

On the latter point, the Madison diocesan paper tells potential advertisers

"The print circulation is approximately 26,000 -- higher than most paid local daily and weekly newspapers in Wisconsin."

Our Archdiocese of Milwaukee's Clergy Sexual Abuse Mediation System Print Advertisement and Publicity Plan listed newspapers within its territory, including

"Catholic Herald (26,000 circulation)"

So the raw numbers are equal, and Madison's looks to be substantially higher relative to population.

Pasta with Pesta?

Dr. Duke Pesta cannot speak his criticisms of the Common Core education standards on the grounds of any parish of our Archdiocese of Milwaukee, but I hear he will be speaking instead at Mama's Italian Cuisine, 7718 West Burleigh Street, in Milwaukee on Thursday, February 27th at 6:00 pm.

I'm still having trouble seeing why his critique got a faster, more decisive response from our Archdiocese than a priest's so-called "boundary issues", inappropriate contact with child regarded as short of "sexual abuse", did last year (see my April 20, 2013 post It depends on what the meaning of the word 'safe' is.) It's as if our Archdiocese regards figuratively stepping on the toes of its bureaucrats as worse than literally fondling our schoolchildren.