Add Your Prayers to a Spiritual Bouquet for Most Rev. Robert J. McManus

A Spiritual Bouquet for a Courageous Shepherd

Dear Friend,

I would like to share some encouraging news with you.

The Bishop of the Diocese of Worcester, Massachusetts, the Most Rev. Robert J. McManus recently disciplined a renegade Catholic school in his diocese for not being integrally Catholic. This act of episcopal Integrity has not been getting much attention.

His Excellency engaged in a long “dialogue” with the Jesuit boys’ school (Nativity School in Worcester) that was unashamedly displaying the rainbow pride flag of the homosexual movement as well as the Black Lives Matter flag. The Jesuits – predictably – refused the bishop’s demand to remove the flags. 

In the canonical decree he issued last week (6/16/22), the bishop’s no-nonsense position was unassailable. He wrote:

“These symbols (flags) embody specific agendas or ideologies (that) contradict Catholic social and moral teaching”  

Regarding the two movements, he added: 

• It is my contention that the “Gay Pride” flag represents support of gay marriage and actively living a LGBTQ+ lifestyle.
• The “Black Lives Matter” movement … promotes a platform that directly contradicts Catholic social teaching on the importance and role of the nuclear family and seeks to disrupt the family structure in clear opposition to the teachings of the Catholic Church.

When the Jesuits rejected the bishop’s authority to oversee matters of faith in his own diocese, Bishop McManus was forced to take action, and he did so in the most courageous way: 

Despite my insistence that the school administration remove these flags because of the confusion and the properly theological scandal that they do and can promote, they refuse to do so. This leaves me no other option but to take canonical action. 

He went on to cite the relevant portion of Church law and lowered the canonical boom: 

In view of canon 381, §1, hereby declare and decree the following: The Nativity School of Worcester is prohibited from this time forward from identifying itself as a “Catholic” school and may no longer use the title “Catholic” to describe itself.

Numerous other consequences follow from this, which he laid out in his decree (read the whole decree), but the message was clear: the Church has no obligation to promote anti-Christian movements and the bishop has no obligation to tolerate disobedient clerics. 

OUR response? We MUST support a bishop like that! 

In today’s polarized social environment, Bishop McManus has a target on his back now, and it is unlikely that he will receive a great deal of support even from other bishops for his courageous act. 

Just so you know, when I heard of his decree, I immediately sent His Excellency a letter on behalf of all our Catholic Action family and friends [Read here.] thanking him for his amazing expression of episcopal courage.

We need to encourage more heroism like this that goes contrary to the ways of the world today.

Add Your Prayerful Gift to Bishop McManus’ Spiritual Bouquet!

He is truly a good shepherd for his own diocese, and we need more bishops like him! And as always, our spiritual response is the most potent gift and affirmation that we can offer to one of our best shepherds. 

Now, please join Catholic Action in offering Bishop McManus a Spiritual Bouquet of Thanksgiving for being a bold Defensor Fidei, a protector of the Catholic Faith in times of great confusion. 

I will follow up soon with a direct mailing to Bishop McManus containing our Spiritual Bouquet which will include all the petitions and expressions of gratitude.

Please join us in the effort to spiritually support Bishop McManus.

Sincerely in Jesus and Mary,

Thomas McKenna

Founder and President

Catholic Action For Faith And Family
http://www.catholicaction.org/

P.S Please forward this important Spiritual Bouquet to all of your friends and family.