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D. of Madision: liberals attacking faithful priests are harming the future of school children

Posted on 5 November 2010 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Here is a sad story from the Diocese of Madison, which includes one of most liberal, in the negative sense, area in the US.

I have met Bishop Morlino and the priests in question.  They are outstanding.

From the Madision State Journal.  My emphases and comments.

Donations plummet following appointment of orthodox Catholic priests in Platteville

By DOUG ERICKSON

St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Platteville, stung by a plunge in donations following the arrival of three controversial priests, has issued an urgent plea for money to keep itsparochial school open.

The 75-year-old St. Mary’s Catholic School is subsidized by the church, which has seen weekly donations fall more than 50 percent in four months, said Myron Tranel, chairman of the church’s finance council.

The school, with 106 K-8 students, has enough money to operate until at least January but needs an additional $200,000 to keep the facility open through the end of the school year, he said.

The financial crisis coincides with Madison Bishop Robert Morlino’s decision in June to bring in three priests from the Society of Jesus Christ the Priest to lead the parish. The group is based in Spain and known for traditionalist liturgy and devotion to orthodox Catholic teaching.

Changes the priests have made, including barring girls from being altar servers, led to a petition last month signed by 469 of the church’s approximately 1,200 members asking Morlino to immediately remove the priests. In a response letter to the parish last week, Morlino said the priests have his full support and will stay.He chastised parishioners for conduct he called “gravely sinful.” [I must agree, though I would say it is the ringleaders who will bear the most responsibility.]

“It grieves me to acknowledge that the reputation of three happy, holy and hardworking priests has been seriously tarnished by rumor, gossip and calumny — lying with the intent to damage another’s good name — by some within the parish community,” Morlino wrote in the letter, a copy of which the diocese provided the State Journal.

To read the rest of the article click here:  What Does the Prayer Really Say