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Contents © 2002
by Jim Holman.
All rights reserved.

LETTERS
MARCH 2002

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CORRECTION: In the February 2002 issue, we mistakenly identified Father Jose de Vera as the Superior General of the Jesuit order. Father Peter-Hans Kolvenbach has held this position since 1983.


BRUNSMAN ADMIRED

Recently I came across your San Francisco Faith publication for February. It is an interesting newspaper. I read Laurette Elsberry's remarks [Letters, February] about Fr. Brunsman's ministry at St. Francis Church in Sacramento, my parish for years. Ms. Elsberry has never been a member of that parish. She was "subjected to these masses of Fr. Brunsman" because she went there regularly just to report on him. She never went to communion because she considered what Fr. Brunsman did and said heretical. What would prompt a person to continue to go to Masses for some years when they thought the Masses were invalid, a scandal? She has written her criticisms of him, which now appears in your letters to the editor, many times before for other secular and Catholic publication. It saddens me that such criticism was printed about a priest whose popularity as a devout celebrant prompted the parish to add an additional Eucharistic service every Sunday to accommodate the large number of people attending services there. Within a year all three services were filled. He was known, admired and loved by many as an apostle for the marginated.

Marjorie Keleher
Sacramento


THAT'S A DEFENSE?

I didn't know whether to smile or weep when I read the letter in the January Faith, "In defense of Brunsman." Pointing out that it is improper and confusing to the faithful for Brunsman to make the sign of the cross by saying, "In the name of the Lover, and of the Beloved and of Love" is not the same as denying that God is love. It boggles the imagination to think how even St. Thomas could reconcile such a weird re-naming of the Holy Trinity. Is it too much to ask that priests just stick to the faith as it was handed down to them? It's high irony that the letter-writer thinks that those who object to this are the ones who need to be more humble. But, hey, what's 2,000 years of tradition versus the way the spirit moves us now?

He also says he is thankful that God is giving priests the inspiration for this kind of creative exhibitionism. Looks to me that there are more people than I previously imagined who rode the short bus to school.

Emily Kippler,
San Francisco


SHEPHERD YOUR FLOCKS

William McGurn's article, "Preach to the Choir" [February Faith] hits the nail right on the head. While our Catholic bishops criticized president Bush's decision to allow federal funding of embryonic stem cell research, they should clean house first. Has any living U.S. Catholic bishop exposed any of the so-called Catholic politicians who not only are pro-abortion, but vote for funding for abortions and other ungodly agendas? The so-called Catholic politicians, such as Ted Kennedy, Tom Daschle, Tom Harkin, Pat Leahy, Chris Dodd and many others should have been excommunicated long ago if our timid, wishy-washy, gutless bishops would exercise the fortitude given them by the Holy Spirit.

Once upon a time, even those who did not agree with the Catholic Church respected it because the Church spoke with fortitude and conviction. May the Holy Spirit infuse our bishops and all of us to stand for God and not seek human approval. Bishops, shepherd your flocks!

Constantine N. Santos
Atascadero


CALENDAR WATCH

The Guadalupe Society of Mission Dolores Basilica, San Francisco wishes to thank you for continuing to announce our early, early morning Mananitas every December 12 in honor of the Virgin of Guadalupe. Your calendar announcement helped pack the basilica with over a thousand people. To one and all of you a belated happy 2002 and God bless.

Bob G. Huerta, member
Mission Dolores, San Francisco

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