The Archdiocese of Los Angeles appears to be well on its way to preparing for the ordination of women and for simultaneously degrading the uniqueness of the priesthood.
In a laudatory piece in the diocesan newspaper The Tidings, we read of the appointment of a religious sister as “Parish Life Director.” Oh sure, she’s not given the actual title of “pastor”, but that’s what is intended. After all, listen to the auxiliary bishop who installed her.
Following the song, Our Lady of the Angels Region Auxiliary Bishop Edward Clark, told Sister Collier in front of the congregation, “The salvation of the souls of all these people is in your hands.” And then he looked at the people and said, “Her salvation is in your hands.”
According to canon law (#519), it is to the pastor that pastoral care of a parish is entrusted. Yes, there is provision made for the appointment of others in the case of a dearth of priests (#517, art. 2) to participate in the pastoral care of a parish, but a priest is still to be endowed with the powers and faculties of a pastor.
But not in the case of Sr. Collier and St. Agatha parish. In this case, the priest is just the “sacramental minister.”
She will work closely with a collaborative leadership team that includes Father Bill Axe, priest minister; Deacon Ricardo Recinos; Tere Amezcua, director of the Spanish Apostolate; and Sal Trujillo, business administrator. ... But the final authority is Sister Collier. “She is the central leader of the parish, the one that makes the day-to-day decisions and empowers other people to use their gifts in the mission of the church,” says St. Joseph of Carondelet Sister Sister Carol Quinlivan, director of the archdiocesan Office of Parish Life, which administers the Parish Life Director (PLD) program.
Priests don’t wish to be pastors
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