Of the Glenn Enterprises

Expecting Seeds Among Thorns to Grow into Unity

	Bishop Matthiesen	Bishop Yanta	Bishop Zurek
Opposed	Pantex & death penalty	abortion	old Pastoral Center
Closed	Catholic Secondary School	Planned Parenthood	old Pastoral Center
Opened	a secular college preparatory school	Amarillo’s only Catholic secondary school	new Pastoral Center
Supported	clergy sexual abusers	faithful clergy and survivors of clergy abuse	any ministry that can be turned into a fundraiser to fill the financial hole that an overbuilt Pastoral Center has left us
Serious Mistake	caused	dealt with	hides from in the Pastoral Center

A Summary of What this Blog has Been About this Week

The purpose of engaging in this profound love is quite simple: it is the union of all the Faithful into one Body, the Body of Christ, the Church! It is the coming together in union with each other as ONE entity.
• “When I am lifted-up I will draw all humanity to myself.” (Jn. 12:32)
This is the communio or the coming into unity of all the Faithful with their bishop and the Pope; this is the essence of being Church: one bread and one body! All the Faithful united with their own Diocesan Bishop and united with the Bishop of Rome, the Pope.
From “Bishop’s Conversation“, which wasn’t a conversation between two people, like Bishop Yanta had with The west texas Catholic, but rather a prerecorded homily that aired Sept. 15 during the annual RadioThon on Saint Valentine Catholic Radio

WTC: Looking back at your tenure as Bishop of Amarillo, what are the accomplishments you are most proud of?
Bishop Yanta: “A great joy was to see and witness the deep spirituality of the priests, deacons, religious men and religious woman living the Gospel values—many saintly and holy witnesses. I am grateful that Almighty God gave me to serve Him as shepherd of the Diocese of Amarillo.”

In writing these posts to the Amarillo Diocese am I, keeping “the commandment without stain or reproach“, to love so as to be “united with (my) own Diocesan Bishop” and “Come with joy into the presence of the Lord” yielding “a harvest through perseverance“; or am I “among thorns,
…choked by the anxieties…,
and (I) fail to produce mature fruit” because I’m “obsessed with taking revenge and destroying the other“?

Saturday of the Twenty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time

“Feel the pain
Talk about it
If you’re a worried man, then shout about it
Open hearts, feel about it
Open minds, think about it”

You keep speaking out!
Bishop Yanta’s parting words to me at a meeting just prior to his retirement.

I agree with our bishop, Patrick J. Zurek, in putting forth in his Holy Week homilies this year the Encyclical of Pope Francis, Fratelli Tutti, as the standard for love and unity in our diocese. Today, let’s reflect upon paragraph #242 in that regard:

CHAPTER SEVEN

PATHS OF RENEWED ENCOUNTER

THE VALUE AND MEANING OF FORGIVENSS

Legitimate conflict and forgiveness

242. The important thing is not to fuel anger, which is unhealthy for our own soul and the soul of our people, or to become obsessed with taking revenge and destroying the other. No one achieves inner peace or returns to a normal life in that way. The truth is that “no family, no group of neighbours, no ethnic group, much less a nation, has a future if the force that unites them, brings them together and resolves their differences is vengeance and hatred. We cannot come to terms and unite for the sake of revenge, or treating others with the same violence with which they treated us, or plotting opportunities for retaliation under apparently legal auspices”.[224] Nothing is gained this way and, in the end, everything is lost.

TOP: Twenty years ago this building was named by John Salazar, a already convicted sexual abuser , after Bishop Matthiesen who gave him a “second chance”. Salazar used that chance to land himself in prison for sexual abuse again at the parish of which this Religious Education Center is a mission.

BOTTOM: A building named after Bishop Zurek” by a priest admirer.

Bishop Emeritus John W. Yanta, a descendant of those first settlers, established the Polish Heritage Center Foundation in 2011. There is no one who more “deserves to have” this building named after… but it isn’t.

Matthiesen, a Catholic bishop from 1980-1997, has campaigned against nuclear weapons and for acceptance of clergy sexual abusers. (Photo by Douglas Kirkland/Corbis via Getty Images)

“”These are my friends. There’s no way I would even consider the idea of not helping them.””
From “Bishop Accountability” in which Bishop Matthiesen defended the “serious mistake” by “soliciting funds” for priests, whom Matthiesen had been warned not to assign to parishes by other Church officials, and were later removed over sexual abuse allegations.

This approach demands of us the decision to abandon a modus operandi of disparaging, discrediting, playing the victim or the scold in our relationships, and instead to make room for the gentle breeze that the Gospel alone can offer.
From a January, 2019 letter by Pope francis to TO THE BISHOPS OF THE UNITED STATES CONFERENCE
OF CATHOLIC BISHOPS on retreat. A retreat that Bishop Zurek missed in order to take a personal vacation.

Read a letter from Bishop Patrick J. Zurek to the Faith Community at St. Mary’s Cathedral, Amarillo.

I am reminded of his (St. Augustine’s) concern for the peace and unity of the Church…the Body of Christ on this earth. What has happened in the Cathedral is unconscionable. The focus on Christ must be restored; then peace, healing and tranquility will return.
From a 2019 letter in which Bishop Zurek scolded “a few” with his now familiar theme of Unity.

A Memorial in the Grotto of St. Mary’s Cathedral raised by Monsignor Waldow during Bishop Yanta’s episcopacy. Monsignor Waldow wrote:

“In memory of the death of innocence of the victims of clergy sexual abuse. When innocence dies…a life stops. It is essential that we never forget.”

To be Love, not Liked

”In the Panhandle, it is hard enough to put this on and wear it every day,” he said, tugging at his collar, as he drove from Tulia to the student center in Canyon. ”Now, it’s excruciating. But I’m more convinced than ever that I need to put my collar on every day.”
Zero Tolerance Takes Big Toll in a Texas Diocese

Which of the following bishops does not have a building in the Amarillo Diocese named after him?

A. “But he was well liked by most priests, and the atmosphere in the diocese was congenial. Priests used to meet and talk about their ministries, their parishes, tell jokes. Now the whole atmosphere in the diocese is one of mistrust.”
An Amarillo Diocese pastor speaking about Bishop Matthiesen

B. “He’s the meanest man I’ve ever met in my life. I don’t know of a single priest who’s happy.”
A once prominent Amarillo pastor speaking about Bishop Yanta

C. “I am very happy and thankful to be here in the Diocese of Amarillo with Bishop Patrick J. Zurek to be able to work and collaborate with my fellow priests. My main hobby is cooking. The bishop and I have contests. He is a great chef, improvising dishes; I like to taste his creations.”
Another priest in the Diocese of Amarillo

But what sort of shepherds are they who for fear of giving offence not only fail to prepare the sheep for the temptations that threaten, but even promise them worldly happiness? God himself made no such promise to this world. On the contrary, God foretold hardship upon hardship in this world until the end of time. And you want the Christian to be exempt from these troubles? Precisely because he is a Christian, he is destined to suffer more in this world.
St Augustine’s sermon On Pastors from Today’s Office of Readings

In writing these posts to the Amarillo Diocese am I, as Bishop Zurek believes, demonstrating a “morbid disposition for arguments and verbal disputes“, that will lead me to “the Pit of Corruption” because I falsely “revealed to little ones the mysteries ” of the “serious mistake“; or am I “proclaiming the good news of the Kingdom of God“, by strenuously defending my “own rights and those of (my) family (and survivors of clergy abuse), precisely because (I) must preserve the dignity (we) have received as a loving gift from God“?

Friday of the Twenty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time

“Sometimes (sometimes)
We’d never know what’s wrong without the pain
Sometimes the hardest thing and the right thing are the same”

You keep speaking out!
Bishop Yanta’s parting words to me at a meeting just prior to his retirement.

CHAPTER SEVEN

PATHS OF RENEWED ENCOUNTER

THE VALUE AND MEANING OF FORGIVENSS

Legitimate conflict and forgiveness

241. Nor does this mean calling for forgiveness when it involves renouncing our own rights, confronting corrupt officials, criminals or those who would debase our dignity. We are called to love everyone, without exception; at the same time, loving an oppressor does not mean allowing him to keep oppressing us, or letting him think that what he does is acceptable. On the contrary, true love for an oppressor means seeking ways to make him cease his oppression; it means stripping him of a power that he does not know how to use, and that diminishes his own humanity and that of others. Forgiveness does not entail allowing oppressors to keep trampling on their own dignity and that of others, or letting criminals continue their wrongdoing. Those who suffer injustice have to defend strenuously their own rights and those of their family, precisely because they must preserve the dignity they have received as a loving gift from God. If a criminal has harmed me or a loved one, no one can forbid me from demanding justice and ensuring that this person – or anyone else – will not harm me, or others, again. This is entirely just; forgiveness does not forbid it but actually demands it.

“I was too focused on the needs of the priests rather than thinking about the victims,”
From “Bishop Accountability” in which Bishop Matthiesen defended the “serious mistake” by stating it was not until 2004 that he learned some priests were not the first-time sex offenders that they purported to be when he agreed to hire them even though he was warned not to assign them to parishes by other Church officials.

This approach demands of us the decision to abandon a modus operandi of disparaging, discrediting, playing the victim or the scold in our relationships, and instead to make room for the gentle breeze that the Gospel alone can offer.
From a January, 2019 letter by Pope francis to TO THE BISHOPS OF THE UNITED STATES CONFERENCE
OF CATHOLIC BISHOPS on retreat. A retreat that Bishop Zurek missed in order to take a personal vacation.

Third is the constant mantra, “all the priests hate the bishop.” If anything, this behavior of “the Few” has strengthened the sense of brotherhood among us priests.
From a 2019 letter in which Bishop Zurek uses the same “modus operandi” as Bishop Matthiessen

A Memorial in the Grotto of St. Mary’s Cathedral raised by Monsignor Waldow during Bishop Yanta’s episcopacy. Monsignor Waldow wrote:

“In memory of the death of innocence of the victims of clergy sexual abuse. When innocence dies…a life stops. It is essential that we never forget.”

Knowing How to Behave

**A Tattler’s Tale**

Bishop Matt found some friends who had misbehaved. They had been sent to the corner and were now certified as non-misbehavers. Matt invited them to come to the Amarillo Diocese.

“a few” tattled that Matt’s friends were “misbehavin”. Bishop Yanta came, and even though he didn’t want to, he behaved and ordered Matt’s friends to leave. Matt and some of us who liked his friends stood in the door. Still, Yanta made them go, but one friend rewarded Matt on the way out by putting Matt’s name above the door.

Bishop Zurek came. Yanta left without being rewarded with his name above the door. Soon Matt left as well with “no regrets” for his “misbehavin” friends; so his name was left above the door. Zurek took the credit for making us a certified non-“misbehavin” diocese and rewarded himself by putting his name below Matt’s on the door. Later, “a few” tattled on Zurek’s brother for “misbehavin”. Zurek scolded the tattlers out the door yelling that his brother was a certified non-misbehaver. Shortly thereafter, Zurek’s brother asked to go to the corner for “misbehavin”, but “a few” were never invited back; and Zurek’s name is still below Matt’s above the door!

The majority of us are going through a grieving process, as if we’ve lost a loved one, I know that probably the victims, when they hear us talk, they probably think, “Well, they don’t live in the real world. Don’t they know what’s going on out here?” (But Father Salazar-Jimenez) hadn’t done that with us.
Zero Tolerance Takes Big Toll in a Texas Diocese

It’s interesting what people feel about zero tolerance,” he said before presiding over the midday service in Tulia, convened in the name of healing and reconciliation. ”The victims and the victims’ families are adamant. But these people here are just mourning the loss of a very fine priest.
Bishop Yanta from Zero Tolerance Takes Big Toll in a Texas Diocese

Are we asking “the victims of clergy sexual abuse“ in the Diocese of Amarillo “to behave in the household of God” for us, “the company and assembly“, because we do not want to “mingle tears with you“, or Mary, “beneath the Cross of the Lord” where “the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed“; for He may say, “behold, your” “serious mistake” and “prepare (your) hearts to encounter our brothers and sisters, so that we may overcome our differences“?

Memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows

“No one to talk with
All by myself
No one to walk with
But I’m happy on the shelf
Ain’t misbehavin”

CHAPTER SEVEN

PATHS OF RENEWED ENCOUNTER

MEMORY

Forgiving but not forgetting

254. I ask God “to prepare our hearts to encounter our brothers and sisters, so that we may overcome our differences rooted in political thinking, language, culture and religion. Let us ask him to anoint our whole being with the balm of his mercy, which heals the injuries caused by mistakes, misunderstandings and disputes. And let us ask him for the grace to send us forth, in humility and meekness, along the demanding but enriching path of seeking peace”.[236]

I think I made the right decision,” said Bishop Matthiesen, noting that he never accepted pedophiles but rather ephebophiles, abusers whose victims were ages 14 to 17. ”I do believe in the possibility of conversion, of repentance, of rehabilitation.”
From “Zero Tolerance Takes Big Toll in a Texas Diocese” in which Bishop Matthiesen defended the “serious mistake”

This approach demands of us the decision to abandon a modus operandi of disparaging, discrediting, playing the victim or the scold in our relationships, and instead to make room for the gentle breeze that the Gospel alone can offer.
From a January, 2019 letter by Pope francis to TO THE BISHOPS OF THE UNITED STATES CONFERENCE
OF CATHOLIC BISHOPS on retreat. A retreat that Bishop Zurek missed in order to take a personal vacation.

I am also compelled to share some events in regard to the treatment of
the priests that serve you. First is the persistent rumor that Msgr. Colwell, your Rector is an alcoholic. I have consulted with two physicians caring for Msgr. and both are very clear that he is not an alcoholic. He is suffering from a very high blood pressure that is only made worse by the unnecessary stress he has endured for months.
From a 2019 letter in which Bishop Zurek uses the same “modus operandi” as Bishop Matthiessen

A Memorial in the Grotto of St. Mary’s Cathedral raised by Monsignor Waldow during Bishop Yanta’s episcopacy. Monsignor Waldow wrote:

“In memory of the death of innocence of the victims of clergy sexual abuse. When innocence dies…a life stops. It is essential that we never forget.”

Condemning the Other Side

One of the consequences of the “serious mistake” was that Bishop Matthiesen endorsed the building of Ascension Academy.

In response to Bishop Matthiesen’s building upon the “serious mistake”, Bishop Yanta “courageously began a renewal of Amarillo’s Catholic schools” and created Holy Cross Catholic Academy.

Bishop Zurek’s response thus far has created the need for the slogan, “Holy Cross Catholic Academy is Amarillo’s only Catholic secondary school”.

Some say Yanta’s reaction to a proposed lay-owned high school, Ascension Catholic Academy, was the breaking point, the issue that prompted people to talk openly about problems in the diocese.
Tale of two bishops

Even though both “the victims of clergy sexual abuse“ and the Diocese of Amarillo’s “patience (is) worn out by the journey” , can either “claim that the unjust sufferings of one side alone should be commemorated“, and thus “forget the works of the Lord” and how He “humbled himself, becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross“; furthermore, if the “serious mistake“ has already been “redeemed”, how can one side “condemn the” other?

Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross

“Where were You when sin stole my innocence?
Where were You when I was ashamed?
Hiding in a life I wish I never made
You were on the cross”

CHAPTER SEVEN

PATHS OF RENEWED ENCOUNTER

MEMORY

Forgiving but not forgetting

253. When injustices have occurred on both sides, it is important to take into clear account whether they were equally grave or in any way comparable. Violence perpetrated by the state, using its structures and power, is not on the same level as that perpetrated by particular groups. In any event, one cannot claim that the unjust sufferings of one side alone should be commemorated. The Bishops of Croatia have stated that, “we owe equal respect to every innocent victim. There can be no racial, national, confessional or partisan differences”.[235]

TOP: Twenty years ago this building was named by John Salazar, a already convicted sexual abuser , after Bishop Matthiesen who gave a “second chance”. Salazar used that chance to land himself in prison for sexual abuse again at the parish of which this Religious Education Center is a mission.

BOTTOM: A building named after Bishop Zurek” by a priest admirer.

“Naturally many people speak to me. I think it would be easier all the way around if one just disappeared so there would be a clear field, no feeling of division in the diocese. I understand that perfectly.”
From “Tale of Two Bishops “ in which Bishop Matthiesen defended the “serious mistake”

This approach demands of us the decision to abandon a modus operandi of disparaging, discrediting, playing the victim or the scold in our relationships, and instead to make room for the gentle breeze that the Gospel alone can offer.
From a January, 2019 letter by Pope francis to TO THE BISHOPS OF THE UNITED STATES CONFERENCE
OF CATHOLIC BISHOPS on retreat. A retreat that Bishop Zurek missed in order to take a personal vacation.

This is a clear indication that this one of “the
few” has no intention to stop causing division in the Body of Christ. His line is quite clear; he only wants division and disunity.
From a 2019 letter in which Bishop Zurek uses the same “modus operandi” as Bishop Matthiessen

A Memorial in the Grotto of St. Mary’s Cathedral raised by Monsignor Waldow during Bishop Yanta’s episcopacy. Monsignor Waldow wrote:

“In memory of the death of innocence of the victims of clergy sexual abuse. When innocence dies…a life stops. It is essential that we never forget.”

“Subject to” vs. Subjecting Authority

Is it any wonder that the bishop who led “a quiet and tranquil life in all devotion and dignity,” could also “Hear the sound of my pleading, when I” cried, and sought justice for the “the victims of clergy sexual abuse“ for the “serious mistake“; “solely out of love of justice itself, out of respect for the victims, as a means of preventing new crimes and protecting the common good“; end up being the bishop who faithfully “gave his” opportunity to have a building named after him away saying, “I am not worthy“?

Memorial of Saint John Chrysostom, Bishop and Doctor of the Church

“For I too am a person subject to authority, with soldiers subject to me. And I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come here,’ and he comes; and to my slave, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”

CHAPTER SEVEN

PATHS OF RENEWED ENCOUNTER

MEMORY

Forgiving but not forgetting

252. This does not mean impunity. Justice is properly sought solely out of love of justice itself, out of respect for the victims, as a means of preventing new crimes and protecting the common good, not as an alleged outlet for personal anger. Forgiveness is precisely what enables us to pursue justice without falling into a spiral of revenge or the injustice of forgetting.

You were honest and kind in giving me a copy of the statement you made to Bishop .John Yanta on November 20, 2007. I very much appreciated that even though it increased my sadness over what had happened in the way of clerical sex abuse and the misunderstanding about my position on these tragic events.
From a 2008 letter in which Bishop Matthiesen defended the “serious mistake”

This approach demands of us the decision to abandon a modus operandi of disparaging, discrediting, playing the victim or the scold in our relationships, and instead to make room for the gentle breeze that the Gospel alone can offer.
From a January, 2019 letter by Pope francis to TO THE BISHOPS OF THE UNITED STATES CONFERENCE
OF CATHOLIC BISHOPS on retreat. A retreat that Bishop Zurek missed in order to take a personal vacation.

You no doubt have heard of or perhaps even read the now infamous accusations against myself, your Rector and the associate Rector. These were
obviously made by ‘a few’, emphasis on a few, souls that appear to be quite
restless.
From a 2019 letter in which Bishop Zurek uses the same “modus operandi” as Bishop Matthiessen

A Memorial in the Grotto of St. Mary’s Cathedral raised by Monsignor Waldow during Bishop Yanta’s episcopacy. Monsignor Waldow wrote:

“In memory of the death of innocence of the victims of clergy sexual abuse. When innocence dies…a life stops. It is essential that we never forget.”

Taking Up One’s Cross vs. a Building Taking Up One’s Name

The Amarillo Bishop who refused to think , "as human beings do." — Bishop Emeritus John W. Yanta, a descendant of those first settlers, established the Polish Heritage Center Foundation in 2011; yet he has not allowed the building to “take up his” name.

Why did the bishop who “set (his) face like flint,” and “was brought low” for trying to “break the vicious circle” the Amarillo Diocese’ was caught in with it’s “serious mistake” by refusing to tell “the victims of clergy sexual abuse” to, “Go in peace, keep warm, and eat well“; end up being the bishop who cannot “boast” about a building that will “take up his” name?

Twenty-fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time

“I say everybody wants to hear the truth
But still they all wanna tell a lie
Ohhh everybody wants to go to heaven, but nobody wants to die”

CHAPTER SEVEN

PATHS OF RENEWED ENCOUNTER

MEMORY

Forgiving but not forgetting

251. Those who truly forgive do not forget. Instead, they choose not to yield to the same destructive force that caused them so much suffering. They break the vicious circle; they halt the advance of the forces of destruction. They choose not to spread in society the spirit of revenge that will sooner or later return to take its toll. Revenge never truly satisfies victims. Some crimes are so horrendous and cruel that the punishment of those who perpetrated them does not serve to repair the harm done. Even killing the criminal would not be enough, nor could any form of torture prove commensurate with the sufferings inflicted on the victim. Revenge resolves nothing.

TOP: Twenty years ago this building was named by John Salazar, a now defrocked priest, after a former “benevolent” bishop who gave him a “second chance”. Salazar used that chance to land himself in prison for sexual abuse at the parish of which this Religious Education Center is a mission.

BOTTOM: A building named after his “benevolent” bishop by a priest admirer.

Bishop Yanta removed all of them and left them with no means of livelihood. That is why I (Bishop Matthiesen) created the Priests Emergency Relief to help three of them:
From a 2008 letter in which Bishop Matthiesen defended the “serious mistake”

This approach demands of us the decision to abandon a modus operandi of disparaging, discrediting, playing the victim or the scold in our relationships, and instead to make room for the gentle breeze that the Gospel alone can offer.
From a January, 2019 letter by Pope francis to TO THE BISHOPS OF THE UNITED STATES CONFERENCE
OF CATHOLIC BISHOPS on retreat. A retreat that Bishop Zurek missed in order to take a personal vacation.

Now that I have finished part of my experience with this “the few” I need to address you who are not part of them…Thank you for supporting Msgr. Colwell and Fr Roy. They and all my brother priests have given their lives for the service of the Gospel and the
mission of Christ as manifested through their ministry in the Church. They are not seeking wealth or fame and certainly not power or control.
From a 2019 letter in which Bishop Zurek uses the same “modus operandi” as Bishop Matthiessen

A Memorial in the Grotto of St. Mary’s Cathedral raised by Monsignor Waldow during Bishop Yanta’s episcopacy. Monsignor Waldow wrote:

“In memory of the death of innocence of the victims of clergy sexual abuse. When innocence dies…a life stops. It is essential that we never forget.”

Speaking “From the Fullness of the Heart”

Are bishops who allow buildings to be dedicated to themselves declaring “from the heart“, “‘I am the foremost‘ of ‘sinners‘ whom God has lifted up ‘from the dunghill‘ to ‘bear good fruit‘ by ‘keeping (the Father’s) word’ because I’m leading the Amarillo Diocese in calling Jesus, “Lord, Lord” and for the “victims of clergy sexual abuse” to forgive and forget what happened twenty years ago”; or are they building “a house on the” “serious mistake” “without a foundation”?

Saturday of the Twenty-third Week in Ordinary Time

“And it’s a hard, it’s a hard, it’s a hard, it’s a hard
It’s a hard rain’s a-gonna fall”

CHAPTER SEVEN

PATHS OF RENEWED ENCOUNTER

MEMORY

Forgiving but not forgetting

250. Forgiving does not mean forgetting. Or better, in the face of a reality that can in no way be denied, relativized or concealed, forgiveness is still possible. In the face of an action that can never be tolerated, justified or excused, we can still forgive. In the face of something that cannot be forgotten for any reason, we can still forgive. Free and heartfelt forgiveness is something noble, a reflection of God’s own infinite ability to forgive. If forgiveness is gratuitous, then it can be shown even to someone who resists repentance and is unable to beg pardon.

TOP: Twenty years ago this dedication was raised by John Salazar, a now defrocked priest, to a former “benevolent” bishop who gave him a “second chance”. Salazar used that chance to land himself in prison for sexual abuse at the parish of which this Religious Education Center is a mission.

BOTTOM: Another dedication raised to the current “benevolent” bishop from his priest admirer.

Matthiesen, a Catholic bishop from 1980-1997, has campaigned against nuclear weapons and for acceptance of gay priests. (Photo by Douglas Kirkland/Corbis via Getty Images)

When I (Matthiesen) was ordained (bishop) I was advised by his ((Monsignor Waldow’s) former classmates to be careful, alleging that he is a congenital liar. In the case of John (Salazar), this proved to be tragically true .. Waldow once confessed to me in the presence of priest witness that he had bad-mouthed (me) ever since I was ordained the bishop, and that he is an alcoholic. To this day, I don’t know that the latter is fact or fiction.
From a 2008 letter in which Bishop Matthiesen defended the “serious mistake”

This approach demands of us the decision to abandon a modus operandi of disparaging, discrediting, playing the victim or the scold in our relationships, and instead to make room for the gentle breeze that the Gospel alone can offer.
From a January, 2019 letter by Pope francis to TO THE BISHOPS OF THE UNITED STATES CONFERENCE
OF CATHOLIC BISHOPS on retreat. A retreat that Bishop Zurek missed in order to take a personal vacation.

Just yesterday
afternoon another social media communication was sent out. One line
interested me very much. “I am stepping away from this issue until our parish
and our diocese are stabilized.” This is a clear indication that this one of “the
few” has no intention to stop causing division in the Body of Christ. His line is
quite clear; he only wants division and disunity.
From a 2019 letter in which Bishop Zurek uses the same “modus operandi” as Bishop Matthiessen

A Memorial in the Grotto of St. Mary’s Cathedral raised by Monsignor Waldow. He wrote:

“In memory of the death of innocence of the victims of clergy sexual abuse. When innocence dies…a life stops. It is essential that we never forget.”

Blindly Moving Forward “Into a Pit”

Is the Amarillo Diocese “tempted to turn the page, to say that all these things happened long ago and we should look to the future. ..move forward without remembering the past” “wooden beam” that the “serious mistake” left in our “own eye?”

Friday of the Twenty-third Week in Ordinary Time

“People go just where they will
I never noticed them until I got this feeling
That it’s later than it seems”

CHAPTER SEVEN

PATHS OF RENEWED ENCOUNTER

MEMORY

249. Nowadays, it is easy to be tempted to turn the page, to say that all these things happened long ago and we should look to the future. For God’s sake, no! We can never move forward without remembering the past; we do not progress without an honest and unclouded memory. We need to “keep alive the flame of collective conscience, bearing witness to succeeding generations to the horror of what happened”, because that witness “awakens and preserves the memory of the victims, so that the conscience of humanity may rise up in the face of every desire for dominance and destruction”.[234] The victims themselves – individuals, social groups or nations – need to do so, lest they succumb to the mindset that leads to justifying reprisals and every kind of violence in the name of the great evil endured. For this reason, I think not only of the need to remember the atrocities, but also all those who, amid such great inhumanity and corruption, retained their dignity and, with gestures small or large, chose the part of solidarity, forgiveness and fraternity. To remember goodness is also a healthy thing.

TOP: A sign raised by John Salazar dedicating a building to a benevolent bishop who gave him a “second chance”. Salazar used that chance to land himself in prison for clergy sexual abuse at the parish of which this Religious Education Center is a mission.
BOTTOM: Another dedication to a benevolent bishop from an admiring priest.

Waldow has a long history of confusing fiction as fact. He was expelled from major seminary for lying about the rector in an effort to get him ousted. I have the complete record of how he came to this diocese. He was ordained by one of my predecessors. When I was ordained I was advised by his former classmates to be careful, alleging that he is a congenital liar.
From a 2008 letter in which Bishop Matthiesen defended the “serious mistake”

This approach demands of us the decision to abandon a modus operandi of disparaging, discrediting, playing the victim or the scold in our relationships, and instead to make room for the gentle breeze that the Gospel alone can offer.
From a January, 2019 letter by Pope francis to TO THE BISHOPS OF THE UNITED STATES CONFERENCE
OF CATHOLIC BISHOPS on retreat. A retreat that Bishop Zurek missed in order to take a personal vacation.

A lie is a lie…always! And the constant and insistent claim “I have proof”
means nothing when all is fabricated.
From a 2019 letter in which Bishop Zurek uses the same “modus operandi” as Bishop Matthiessen

A Memorial in the Grotto of St. Mary’s Cathedral

“In memory of the death of innocence of the victims of clergy sexual abuse. When innocence dies…a life stops. It is essential that we never forget.”

Slapping Faces and Taking Cloaks

Is the Amarillo Diocese demanding that ” those who have endured much unjust and cruel suffering” from our “serious mistake” “offer the other” cheek or “not withhold even” the memory of their wounds that two bishops bound by decree after taking the survivors’ “cloak” of forgiveness and using it “to cover injustices in a cloak of oblivion“?

Memorial of Saint Peter Claver, Priest

“Take a load off Fanny
Take a load for free
Take a load off Fanny
And (and) (and) you put the load right on me
(You put the load right on me)”

CHAPTER SEVEN

PATHS OF RENEWED ENCOUNTER

MEMORY

246. Of those who have endured much unjust and cruel suffering, a sort of “social forgiveness” must not be demanded. Reconciliation is a personal act, and no one can impose it upon an entire society, however great the need to foster it. In a strictly personal way, someone, by a free and generous decision, can choose not to demand punishment (cf. Mt 5:44-46), even if it is quite legitimately demanded by society and its justice system. However, it is not possible to proclaim a “blanket reconciliation” in an effort to bind wounds by decree or to cover injustices in a cloak of oblivion. Who can claim the right to forgive in the name of others? It is moving to see forgiveness shown by those who are able to leave behind the harm they suffered, but it is also humanly understandable in the case of those who cannot. In any case, forgetting is never the answer.

The judge gave him (John Salazar) the right to appeal for parole after serving 30 years. John was 50 at the time. He has served two years and is now in the Mac Stringfellow Unit at Rosharon south of Houston. There, he conducts Bible classes, counsels inmates he calls his Brothers in White, directs the RCIA program, assists a permanent deacon who conducts Communion services, and leads the singing. He and the candidates he has prepared are looking forward to a date in April when Cardinal Daniel DiNardo, Archbishop of Galveston-Houston, will come to confirm them.
From a 2008 letter in which Bishop Matthiesen defended the “serious mistake”

This approach demands of us the decision to abandon a modus operandi of disparaging, discrediting, playing the victim or the scold in our relationships, and instead to make room for the gentle breeze that the Gospel alone can offer.
From a January, 2019 letter by Pope francis to TO THE BISHOPS OF THE UNITED STATES CONFERENCE
OF CATHOLIC BISHOPS on retreat. A retreat that Bishop Zurek missed in order to take a personal vacation.

Thank you for supporting Msgr. Colwell and Fr Roy. They and all my
brother priests have given their lives for the service of the Gospel and the
mission of Christ as manifested through their ministry in the Church. They
are not seeking wealth or fame and certainly not power or control. They
became priests to serve you and help you to grow spiritually. They are here to
satiate your hunger and to quench your thirst.
From a 2019 letter in which Bishop Zurek uses the same “modus operandi” as Bishop Matthiessen

A Memorial in the Grotto of St. Mary’s Cathedral

“In memory of the death of innocence of the victims of clergy sexual abuse. When innocence dies…a life stops. It is essential that we never forget.”

Why Do We Not Have Enough?

Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Are we objecting to setting before the survivors of our “serious mistake” any amends because we believe it would not be enough to satisfy them?

Amarillo diocese says hiring convicted child molester ‘a serious mistake’

But his servant objected,
“How can I set this before a hundred people?”
Elisha insisted, “Give it to the people to eat.”
2 Kgs 4:43

Is it not the season to give the survivors of John Anthony Salazar’s “second chance” from Bishop Matthiesen their due?

One troubled priest who got a second chance

R. The hand of the Lord feeds us; he answers all our needs.
The eyes of all look hopefully to you,
and you give them their food in due season;
Ps 145: 15

Can we, “with all humility and gentleness, with patience,” bear with the survivors of our “serious mistake” “through love”?

A dedication raised by John Anthony Salazar for his benevolent bishop just before Salazar was sentenced and sent to prison for indecency with a child by sexual contact at the parish of which this center is a mission.

He is projected to be released on January 21, 2023. What will be the status of his dedication at that time?

…with all humility and gentleness, with patience,
bearing with one another through love,..
Eph 4: 2

“”This ain’t comin’ from no prophet,
Just an ordinary man.”

Are we afraid to do anything for the survivors of our “serious mistake” because the “UCA quota” (which is one of the consequences of our “serious mistake”) leaves us with no leftover mercy to share?

“There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish;
but what good are these for so many?”
jn 6: 9

It would be good to ask ourselves every day: “What do I bring to Jesus today?”. He can do a lot with one of our prayers, with a gesture of charity for others. This is how God loves to act: He does great things, starting from those small things. #GospelOfTheDay (Jn 6:1-15)
— Pope Francis (@Pontifex) July 25, 2021

7/5/21: Why was Bishop Zurek wearing white vestments during Ordinary Time when he presided at the normally posted livestreamed 9:30 Mass from the Cathedral on Independence Day?

7/5/21: Why wasn’t the livestreamed 9:30 Mass from the Cathedral on July 4, posted on You Tube as Masses usually are on Sundays?

7/9/21: Instead of simply answering my question about the posting of the 9:30 Mass for Independence Day; why were all the other normally posted Masses removed?

7/16/21: UPDATE: Is not posting on You Tube the Sunday 9:30 Livestreamed Mass to be the “new normal”?…If so, why?

7/18/21: At today’s 9:30 Mass it was announced that in an effort to avoid providing the service of “Mass on demand”, livestreamed Masses will only be posted until 2:00 PM on the Sunday they are streamed.

This has all been well and good, but when will my original question that started this whole series of questions be answered:

Why was Bishop Zurek wearing white vestments during Ordinary Time when he presided at the normally posted livestreamed 9:30 Mass from the Cathedral on Independence Day?

“He (Bishop Matthiesen) draws attention to what John (Salazar) has to go through, but nobody has any idea the type of anguish I’ve had to deal with. And he just minimizes that to nil. It ticks me off pretty bad,”
A survivor of John Salazar’s clergy sexual abuse explaining how he felt about Bishop Matthiesen standing behind ousted clergy.

He (Msgr. Colwell) is suffering from
a very high blood pressure (not alcoholism) that is only made worse by the unnecessary stress
he has endured for months.
A Reflection on Christian Life, Bishop Patrick J. Zurek, August 28, 2019

For the last several years I have suffered from a terribly cunning, baffling and powerful disease, known as alcoholism.
Msgr. Colwell, September 13, 2020

The Sunday morning 9:30 Mass from a time when such Masses were posted on You Tube.

Affective communion with the feelings of our people, with their disheartenment, urges us to exercise a collegial spiritual fatherhood that does not offer banal responses or act defensively, but instead seeks to learn…This approach demands of us the decision to abandon a modus operandi of disparaging, discrediting, playing the victim or the scold in our relationships, and instead to make room for the gentle breeze that the Gospel alone can offer.
LETTER SENT BY POPE FRANCIS
TO THE BISHOPS OF THE UNITED STATES CONFERENCE
OF CATHOLIC BISHOPS ON RETREAT PRAYERFULLY CONSIDERING WAYS TO REBUILD TRUST OVER THE CLERGY SEX ABUSE CRISIS ; A RETREAT THAT BISHOP ZUREK DID NOT ATTEND BECAUSE HE WAS VACATIONING

Today I pray that those of us in the Diocese of Amarillo, but especially those at St. Mary’s Cathedral and, “the few” , listen to Bishop Zurek’s concern in “A Reflection on Christian Life“, and realize that he, as Bishop Matthiesen was, is willing to protect his priests at all cost; perhaps then we will recognize any further “sign” of, the legacy of clergy abuse in our diocese .