May God’s peace and love be with us!
I have been doing a lot of reading on the Independent Sacramental Movement as of late. I came across two writings that I want to comment on. The first is a fascinating article " Empty Hats: The Silent and Ever Pervasive Scourge of the Old Catholic/ISM Movement” Link: https://www.convergentstreams.org/2020/04/02/empty-hats-the-silent-and-ever-pervasive-scourge-of-the-old-catholic-ism-movement/ The author speaks about how so many in the ISM movement do not engage in real meaningful liturgy. The author writes, “It saddens me to see so many of our clergy dress in fancy attire, or liturgically inappropriate clerical garb, or willfully misusing their office or status to harm another or to pretend they are better than others.” Or again,
These empty hats live to do one thing: create more empty hats and then those hats create more and soon we are made of entire churches and orders filled with empty hats and hearts that could care less about real mission or ministry. It is a noted and recognized plague, if we are honest with ourselves, and the lack of seminary training, educational norms, and clinical support or experience at the feet of a mentor with proficiency is deafening and maddening to those of us who did the real deal. Why? Not because we are obnoxious about it, but because we deal with its repercussions and negativity to our actual ministry and mission. The empty hat gets to retreat to the safety of broadcasting an imperfect and non-efficacious mass from the sanctity of their kitchen while we deal with the bad publicity and harm to reaching even more in need.
The author points out that the Roman Catholic Church does certain things right. The Roman Catholic Church knows how to train and discern clergy. Is it perfect? Absolutely not! Is any institution on earth perfect? No! I was trained in the Roman Catholic Church and I know certain shortcomings to the seminary formation, but I also owe so much of my theological education and growth to the Roman Catholic Church. They taught me so much about God, what true ministry is about, and about myself.
The author again comments on the ISM movement:
We group ourselves against the disdain and obstructionist found in many within the Latin Rite who see us merely posing to be Catholic, while embracing the wrong side of so many battles the Church is facing, especially those related to discussions of sex and gender. It’s what one might call, in the euphemism of the day, ‘a welcoming parish’ but these ardent haters see our welcoming dissident celebrities, gay clergy, and women priests while we subvert the assemblance of most normative church life. They see us rather focusing on joining the local annual gay pride parade, than doing any real ministry to make us a church of all persons. We are but freaks to them; something to be abhorred and ridiculed and then eradicated. And, a lack of protocol, training, education, and adhered to canons of normal ecclesiastical polity – as well as our inability to police ourselves from empty hats – lends itself to abuses of other sorts and a failure to do the work we proport to do.
In the end, if we aren’t trained, if we have no valid oversight, if we reject the Ordinary and his admonishments based on experience and education, if our orders not valid and our succession not veritable, and if we call ourselves independent and then actually are to a fault, then we all fail. Every jurisdiction, every parish, every mission; the entire Church…fails. And, the deep sadness is that the world needs us! The world needs the Independent and the Old and the Syndol and the other Catholics! It may not know it, and it may not recognize or validate us, but the world none-the-less needs us and our voice and our inclusion. But we destroy that voice by our own poor choices and prancing around in clerical garb while never doing real ministry, but rather seeking the easy life of fancy attire and social media ministry. The life of a cleric is meant to be hard; it is sacrificial by its very nature based on the One who sacrificed it all so that we might live in persona Christi. Shame on us if we seek the easy path. If it were truly easy, many would be called, and many would be available.
So, let me end by my being perfectly clear: our job isn’t to fill the church with more clergy and more hats, our job is to work in the fields and labor for those seeking new life. If your hands aren’t full, your fingers calloused, and your knees dirty from kneeling in weeping prayer and sacrificial labor, you’re not working hard enough. Anything less is one of the vices of the day that allows for the creation of more evil through perhaps the greatest sin of all: our own pride and malevolence and indifference. Yes, empty hats are the silent and ever pervasive scourge of the movement that once promised a different kind of church.
I must admit that this article is a wakeup call to the ISM community. The question is if the message will be heard and taken to heart. The purpose of this website is to promote ISM communities and foster dialogue. Sadly, many of these churches and communities can be insular and I believe we need to communicate with other another. The ISM community needs to be challenged in order to become what God intends. God does not intend a lot of clergy with no communities coming together to ordain other people with no ministry or community.
As I look at ISM websites, I am disappointed in so many. Why? There is such an emphasis on apostolic succession. When I was studying to be ordained a deacon or priest in the Roman Catholic Church I never worried about apostolic succession and neither did any of my classmates. It is just presumed that the church has valid apostolic succession. The focus on the ISM movement on apostolic succession, I would argue is because of an inward focus and an inferiority complex. Are the clergy of the ISM so unsure of themselves that they have to continually broadcast their apostolic succession lineage?
I truly love the ISM movement and my next blogs will focus on so much of the positive I see in the ISM community. At the same time, I am aware of the shortcomings and limitations of the ISM movement. When I was an active Roman Catholic Priest, I longed for a day when the clergy and laity would again have a say on the election of bishops which is surprising lacking in many ISM communities.
There is a fascinating article “Why Not Elect Our Bishops? by Joseph F. O’Callaghan, Professor Emeritus of Medieval History at Fordham University found here: https://www.churchauthority.org/resources2/ocallaghan.asp Many in the ISM movement sought out ordination as bishops without reflecting on the ecclesiology of simply seeking this office apart from a community. Does ordination even make sense apart from a true and active physical community? I believe the early church can provide an alternative to bishops in the ISM movement simply ordaining others with little regard to what is happening. Having studied certain communities in the ISM and their histories, I am surprised how many focus on the Roman ideal of appointment by the head or heads of the church rather than involving the laity. Again, if the church has almost no lay members, then how can people truly attest to have a person be their bishop, priest or deacon?
At the same time, maybe a person is called to be a bishop, priest or deacon and build the community. Paul did not have a community but was sent and founded many. In short, I do not advocate an either/or approach but a both/and. Each ISM community has a charism and a unique way of living out the Gospel. The ultimate judge of a community is not the number of clergy, the money, the titles, the vestments, the buildings, or any of that. It will be how did the ISM community represent Christ? It is more than putting inclusive and welcoming sings and banners. It is visiting Christ who is hurting and sick. It is ministering to the needs of Christ who is hungry and homeless and has no shelter. Being a servant leader is difficult work.
When I was a Roman Catholic priest, I saw my share of clergy who were lazy, did not pray, and did not minister to those in need. I had my days when the phone rang at 2am in the morning with someone at the interstate gas station who had no money. Guess what, I got dressed, grabbed a gas card, and met the person at the gas station. Most of ministry is not pretty or glorious. I have known some in the ISM movement who truly get what it means to minister just as I met some in the Roman Catholic Church who do the same. We need to become better…I need to become better. Am I opening myself to Jesus who is standing in front of me in the person I really do not want to help? We need to be honest about our motives and ourselves. I discourage people who turn to the ISM community simply to be ordained. You likely do not know what you are asking. Pray and consider the matter well. Truly listen to holy laity who can help you and support you. A ordained bishop, priest, or deacon who does not have the support and prayers of the faithful will not last. Sadly, this is becoming more difficult. Parishioners will find fault and criticize so seek out people who are wise, holy, and loving. The best parishioners I had would be honest with me and point out my true mistakes but also affirm and accept.
If you are considering becoming a member of the clergy, please know of my prayers. We may have different outlooks and theologies, but I would happily share some of my own experiences and thoughts. For the laity, seek out people in your community who would make fine deacons, priests, and bishops. Pray for them and help them to grow into pastors who are led by the Good Shepard.
Comments