The Boston Globe reports this morning that Father Bob Bowers has been denied a regular assignment at St. Albert the Great parish in Weymouth, Mass. Why is this newsworthy? St. Albert’s, you will recall, was the parish, formerly under the pastorage of Fr. Ron Coyne, that when told it was closing began a round-the-clock sit-in and eventually forced Archbishop Sean O’Malley to capitulate to their demands. Well, only partially, since they also wanted Coyne assigned as pastor again.
Bowers, meanwhile, is one of a small cadre of hard-core heterodox priests in the Archdiocese of Boston, including Coyne, Fr. Walter Cuenin and Fr. Steve Josoma. Bowers was pastor of a parish in Charlestown that when it was announced it was closing too, stamped his feet and said he was taking his ball and going home. Actually, what he said was that he was taking a leave of absence from the priesthood.
Josoma, Coyne, and Bowers are all good buddies. Last March, Josoma’s parish held a roast for him, except it was apparent that the main object of the roast wasn’t Josoma, but O’Malley. Bowers was the host. Quoting from the Boston Globe article covering the roast (as I asked at the time, since when are roasts of pastors newsworthy?):
Bowers got in his own digs, though, coming out at one point in a giant mock “miter,” or a bishop’s headdress. He stared at Josoma, who had been given a smaller version to wear, and bragged, “Mine’s bigger.”
And my response at the time:
Just what we like to see from our priests at public events: penis envy double entendres regarding the trappings of office of the successors of the apostles. Tasteful.
Acting like a spoiled brat
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