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Contents © 2002
by Jim Holman.
All rights reserved.

LETTERS
JANUARY 2002

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BRUNSMAN'S WORLD

On Sunday, November 25, my family and I attended either the Mass or a one-man stage show at St. Joseph's in Mission San Jose. Frankly, we're not sure what it was. The Mass/Show was conducted by Father Barry Brunsman, who runs Oakland diocese's San Damiano retreat house. Brunsman opened the performance by getting people to bless themselves with the sign of the something (words unrecognizable). He then ad-libbed the entire preface of the Mass without once consulting the rubrics. At one point he stated, "When God the Father created the Son...." I glanced at my husband -- "Say what?" He then ad-libbed the gospel without glancing at the scriptural text.

In the homily Brunsman praised Theilard de Chardin whom (he said) the Church had silenced out of ignorance of how brilliant Chardin was. He asked the congregation, "If there had been no original sin, would God still have become man?" Brunsman said that, according to Franciscan theology, God would have become man "just for the fun of it." At this point I took my children out of the church to get some fresh air and to warn them not to believe a word the priest was saying.

There followed some sort of gibberish statement in lieu of the Creed and an ad-libbed Eucharistic prayer in which the words "the great one" were repeated five times. The consecration was peppered with a few descriptive phrases but remained somewhat intact. Instead of the command, "Do this in memory of me", we got "When you do these things, have a nice memory of me" or some such drivel. Instead of, "This is the Lamb of God," we got, "This is the one and we are all thrilled to see him." At the kiss of peace, two leather-jacketed women in front of us exchanged a prolonged lip kiss. It somehow seemed fitting.

Brunsman is formerly of Monterey diocese, formerly of Sacramento diocese and now in Oakland diocese, which has always been a welcome refuge for rebellious priests.

Mary Arnold
Pleasanton


ARE YOU A NON-PROFIT?

I have been receiving San Francisco Faith without charge. How does the paper support itself financially? Do you qualify with the IRS as a charity?

R. Fischer

Editor: Unfortunately, we cannot claim charitable status at this time.


VENERATE, NOT ADORE

It is always a pleasure to receive the San Francisco Faith. I wish you and it continued success for many years to come. On page three in the December issue there is an article by Art Brew, "Follow Me" that does Monsignor John Sweeny justice. But I'm speaking up for Our Lady, the Mother of God. She wants me to point out to you that no one, especially Catholics should "kneel in adoration" before her or her statue. I sure hope none of our separated brethren reads this article!!

John Bushing
Sierra Vista, AZ


YOUR ADVERTISER IS VINDICTIVE

For the past few months, you have run a grossly misleading ad on your back page. Phillip Kronzer, a self-proclaimed defender of our Catholic faith, warns us of religious fraud when his organization is a vehicle for his own vindictive agenda. Have you checked out the website he advertises? Have you seen the propagandist video he produced as a personal attack against everyone and everything associated with Medjugorje? Let us remember Medjugorje, over the past twenty years, has become a place of pilgrimage for millions of Catholics and people of other faiths. It has brought about miraculous conversions, rediscovery of the faith, return to the sacraments, and innumerable healings and blessings. No official announcement has been made, as yet, by the Church as to the authenticity of the Marian apparitions in Medjugorje. Our pope, however, has said, let the people go there, and let the clergy accompany them on their pilgrimages.

Phillip Kronzer, on the other hand, is on a mission to hurt Megjugorje any way he can to compensate for his own personal pain. I am sorry his marriage broke up (allegedly over Medgjugorje) -- truly a tragedy for him, his former wife and family. Vengeance, however, is never the proper Christian response to loss....

I believe Our Blessed Mother, The Queen of Peace, Our Lady of Medjugorje is greater than the Kronzer foundation. In the end, she will not allow anyone to knock down what she has been building up all these years. In my opinion, San Francisco Faith would do well to drop this deceiving ad. It is no more worthy of being in your Catholic publication than a plug for Planned Parenthood.

Sincerely,

Doris M. Nicita
Carmel

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