Dear readers:
You heard it here first: Sources tell me the Catholic Archdiocese of Miami is soon to receive a coadjutor bishop, i.e., an assistant bishop who will succeed Archbishop Favalora when he retires next year.
Favalora’s reign, as documented on this blog and elsewhere, has not been a fruitful one for the Catholic Church in South Florida. Liturgical abuse and banality is rampant throughout the Archdiocese, the traditional liturgy is derided by most of the pastors, theological dissent is rampant, millions have been paid in sexual abuse settlements, and clerical immorality is commonplace.
The Archbishop is increasingly unpopular with his flock, as he recently announced that some 10 percent of the Archdiocese’s parishes are being shut down, due to dwindling Mass attendance and an inability to meet parish expenses. It is an indicator of the lack of evangelical fervour in the South Florida church. (Many notable exceptions exist, of course.)
In short: The incoming Archbishop of Miami will have his hands full.
Three names are being touted for the position: Bishop Thomas Wenski of Orlando, Bishop Frank Joseph Dewane of Venice in Florida, and Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio of the United States Military Services.
What significance what the appointment of any of these men mean for the Miami Archdiocese? Here’s what I know of their records:
1) Bishop Wenski has long distinguished himself by his advocacy for social justice, particularly among the immigrant community of South Florida. Since his coadjutorship of the Orlando Diocese, he has also distinguished himself by his outspoken defense of unborn human life. Before Bishop Dewane’s appointment in 2007, Wenski was the only one of the Florida bishops to courageously uphold his Church’s teaching that pro-abortion Catholic politicians be barred from receiving Communion. He also promised to enforce it in his Diocese. He made his stance (or rather, the Catholic Church’s) crystal clear in both the 2004 and 2008 general elections.
Wenski’s predecessor, Bishop Dorsey was hostile to the Catholic liturgical tradition, and deaf to the pleas of faithful Catholics who wanted to hear Mass according to the Church’s traditional rubrics.
By contrast, the traditional Catholic Mass has flourished under Wenski. Not a single parish offered it before he arrived; now, at least four do. This is rather impressive for such a small Diocese (small in terms of percentages of Catholics), and represents a new Latin Mass offered each year since Wenski assumed the episcopal throne in Orlando.
More recently, the Orlando diocese announced plans to renovate the cathedral, to make it look more Catholic.
I share then-Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger’s assessment “that the crisis in the Church that we are experiencing today largely derives from the disintegration of the liturgy.” One thing is clear: Bishop Wenski shares Ratzinger’s liturgical sensibilities in a way most of the Florida bishops do not, and this can only bode well for the continued fortunes of his present Diocese, or for the Miami Archdiocese, should he be transferred there.
[Update: How could I forget: Bishop Wenski was one of the bishops who issued the strongest condemnations of Notre Dame's Obama invite, going so far as offering a very public Mass of Reparation for the offense against Catholic orthodoxy, and preaching a spell-binsing sermon at said Mass. Check thou it out!]
2) Bishop Dewane of Venice would also arrive in Miami with orthodox credentials well-established, despite his short episcopacy. The secular media snarkly labeled him a “conservative,” and so he has shown himself.
Under Bishop Nevins, Dewane’s predecessor, Venice was known as Florida’s “priestly dumping ground,” where clerical degenerates of all stripes were sent, far from the scenes of their vile crimes. Bishop Dewane’s had his hand full cleaning up the mess.
One of his first acts as Bishop was putting a halt to yoga classes occurring at one of his parishes during the celebration of Mass. The classes were held in an adjoining room, with see-through doors and walls. Catholics had to choose between new age mysticism or the Divine Liturgy, and worshippers at the latter had the former before their eyes while they worshipped! Bishop Dewane ordered the classes discontinued and was derided for it.
Liturgically speaking, Dewane courageously performed a most daring gesture: he invited the Priestly Fraternity of St Peter to set up a full-time apostolate in Sarasota (the only one of its kind in the entire state), and at least four other locations offer the traditional liturgy is regularly.
One of these is the new Ave Maria University. It was an open secret that Nevins and other bishops were none-to-pleased at the establishment of such a dynamically orthodox collegial institution so close to home. Not only did Dewane endorse and bless the university, solemnly consecrating its quasi-parish, but he did so after demanding that Ave Maria’s Oratory offer the Traditional Liturgy every week, which it now does. I for one never thought I’d see the day when a bishop in this state would demand that a robustly orthodox institution celebrate the usus antiquior!
Finally, Bishop Dewane reportedly was one of only two Florida bishops (with Wenski) to faithfully and accurately convey the Catholic Church’s teaching on how Catholics must vote, which issues they must give first priority to.
By the looks of it, sending Dewane to Miami would do wonders for South Florida.
3) As for Archbishop Broglio, there’s not much in his record to go by, though I assume he’s theologically orthodox. On the other hand, since taking up his latest post he’s distinguished himself by his less-than-generosity in implementing Pope Benedict’s liturgical reform of the reform. This contrasts rather sharply with the aforementioned prelates.
As I’ve noted elsewhere, it’s far too early to judge the merits and effectiveness of the present Pontificate. The appointment to Miami is crucial to the state of Florida. Not only does the Metropolitan Archbishop set the tone for his Province, he also has the greatest say and authority over the affairs of the state’s two seminaries, both of which are in dire need of reform. (Without going into all the sordid detail, let’s just say it’s a miracle the two never made it into Michael Rose’s expose Goodbye, Good Men.)
Readers of this blog will be notified on any further developments. Meanwhile, let us continue to pray and sacrifice for the Church in Florida.
That’s great news for Miami but what about us over here in St Pete? Pray for Bishop Lynch as he is ill but the Diocese is sick as well. Praise God we haven’t had the sex abuse payouts (at least not that much) but the whole Terri Schiavo murder fiasco which was NEVER condemned by the Church. The half dressed people coming into the Church is the first place for any new Bishop to start. How about re instituting Eucharistic Adoration and I’m not talking about just for a few hours a day once a week. Bishop Lynch did away with 24 hour Eucharistic adoration when he took over. And the Liturgical abuse? It exists over here too, I can’t remember all the times the Sacred Mass has been interrupted for this or that or a survey or what have you. It’s all illegal. Also, no Latin Mass anywhere except at the St Jude chapel of our Lady on Sunday at noon. Speaking of our Lady’s Chapel, that’s where I once had a priest who was VERY bothered by giving Holy Communion on the tongue. He would flick his fingers loudly on his chasabule after doing so in an attempt to embarrass the receiver. That’s a true story! Also, if you kneel when approaching the altar for Communion, you often get dirty looks from the clergy.. doesn’t bother me in the least, I do it anyway.
The bottom line about what’s missing in this Diocese: it’s the RESPECT for the HOLY COMMUNION which almost does not exist. If IT’S the source, center, and summit of the Church, AS IT IS, where is the respect?
I would be sad to see Bishop Wenski go from the Orlando Diocese. He’s been such a blessing for our local church. We’ve seen significant renewal in the Church in Central Florida since Wenski ascended to the episcopal throne. I’d be sad to see him go. I am a parishioner at Church #3 that began offering the Traditional Latin Mass under Wenski, Queen of Peace in Ocala. I know you mentioned that Dewane allowed the FSSP Fathers to establish a residence and apostolate in the Venice Diocese, but we must not forget that our beloved Bishop Wenski also has permitted the FSSP to establish an apostolate in the Orlando Diocese, although we currently do not have FSSP Fathers living in our diocese (hopefully WHEN demand for the Traditonal Liturgy warrants it Bishop Wenski will allow the FSSP to establish a house in the diocese). I’m very impressed by the caliber of two of the newest bishops in our State. I hope that the Holy Father will send us even better bishops as time goes on and other vacancies arrive on the episcopal thrones of Florida.
Is there a traditional Latin mass in Orlando? If so, at what church is it being held in? And who are the priests who are saying mass?
A full listing can be found here:
http://www.orlandodiocese.org/parishes/latinmass.php
There might be more.
[...] By the standards of the Miami Archdiocese, this good Father is an ultra-conservative rad-trad! Maybe he will tapped to be Archbishop Favalora’s new coadjutor! [...]
I hate to see Archbishop Favalora resign.
He has been great for the Diocese and its people.
You write: “Before Bishop Dewane’s appointment in 2007, Wenski was the only one of the Florida bishops to courageously uphold his Church’s teaching that pro-abortion Catholic politicians be barred from receiving Communion.”
To the extent you are suggesting Bishop Dewane has barred pro-abortion Catholic politicians from receiving Communion, I believe you are incorrect.
Bishop Dewane’s only comments on the matter, that I am aware of, are ambiguous at best.
Soon after Bishop Dewane’s appointment to the Diocese of Venice in 2006, my local paper, the Sarasota Herald Tribune, reported:
“Last month, the U.S. Conference of Bishops said the decision on whether to offer communion should be decided by bishops, giving the local leaders freedom to deny the sacrament over the abortion issue. Dewane said he wouldn’t. ‘I THINK IT’S UNCOMFORTABLE FOR US ALL IF SACRAMENTS BECOME SOMETHING USED IN THE PUBLIC ARENA,’ he said.”
http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20060721/NEWS/607210511
(That sounds like a page from Cardinal McCarrick’s play book.)
The very next day, however, in another Herald Tribune article, Bishop Dewane disputed the previous Herald Tribune article:
“A spokeswoman for the Diocese of Venice said his comments during an interview were misinterpreted. But the spokeswoman wouldn’t say what Dewane’s stance was on the controversial issue. Asked if Dewane hadn’t made up his mind, diocese spokeswoman Mary Campo said that wouldn’t be correct. Asked if he supported withholding Communion, she said that wouldn’t be correct, either. ‘He would prefer not to comment,’ Campo said.”
http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20060722/NEWS/607220463
I don’t know what Bishop Dewane’s actual stance is. If it is what you suggest it is, however, then he must have expressed it after these Herald Tribune articles.
[...] Writing under the pen name “Lex,” Giunta crowed about Wenski’s credentials in an August 22, 2009 blog post titled “Confessions of a Liberal Traditionalist,” (See Giunta’s definition of liberalism, here). Bishop Wenski has long distinguished himself by his advocacy for social justice, particularly among the immigrant community of South Florida. Since his coadjutorship of the Orlando Diocese, he has also distinguished himself by his outspoken defense of unborn human life. Before Bishop Dewane’s appointment in 2007, Wenski was the only one of the Florida bishops to courageously uphold his Church’s teaching that pro-abortion Catholic politicians be barred from receiving Communion. He also promised to enforce it in his Diocese. He made his stance (or rather, the Catholic Church’s) crystal clear in both the 2004 and 2008 general elections. [...]