Video: Fr. Benedict Groeschel's 50th Anniversary

AmP Reader Joseph explains: 

"If you love the poor your life will be filled with sunlight and at the hour of your death, you will not be afraid" Father Benedict Groeschel CFR

Many times the main stream media reports on the minority of priests, who have fallen from grace. Above is a youtube clip documenting the priesthood of Father Benedict Groeschel CFR from New York City.

Father Benedict was responsible for leading a new order of Franciscans in the New York Metropolitan area to care for the poor and destitute. Take a look at it and see what one good priest can do and how his ministry can effect so many over a 50 year period."

Fr. Francis Mary Stone --> Mr. Dave Stone

I should have known that the sharp uptick in visitors today searching for news of "Francis Mary Stone", one-time host of the popular EWTN show Life on the Rock, would somehow be related to the news that he has gone into:

Motivational speaking engagements

Non-medical health and respite services

Products to bolster and revitalize

And yes, that includes promoting "Zrii, the nutritional supplement of those Living Life on the Rock!"

My original post on Fr. Francis Mary's decision to leave the priesthood was the touchstone for Catholic comments, reactions and prayers subsequent to the news breaking. EWTN made no announcement besides reading a short letter he penned at the time, and going back to business as usual with a new host of the show.

What to make of this? As Father Joe says: "it appears that he is having to face the cold reality that husbands and fathers have to provide for their families." I agree with Fr. Joe that we should keep David Stone in our prayers, but I also do not think we should ignore the sadness associated with the turn of events that propitiated his leaving the active ministerial priesthood.

(... and I guess we are to presume that Mr. Stone has received permission to leave off his priestly duties?)

Ph/t: Jeff Miller.

Photo credit: Flickr user "St. Augustine 400"

Soccer star Chase Hilgenbrinck retires to enter priesthood

Professional soccer isn't exactly my cup of tea, but brave young men sacrificing fame and fortune to discern a call from God? I'm all about that. From USA Today:

When Chase Hilgenbrinck bounced from Chile to Colorado to New England this spring, his eyes were already on another path. Not toward another MLS club or Europe. Toward the priesthood.

MLS fans might have been startled to read the New England Revolution's announcement this week that the defender was ending his career in midseason to enter a seminary at Mount St. Mary's in Maryland, but the decision wasn't abrupt.

It was something very personal to me. I didn't discuss it with anybody for a long time," says Hilgenbrinck, adding that it took a couple years to reflect. "I just discerned it through personal prayer for a long time, trying to come to a conclusion if this was really what the Lord was calling me to or not."

He started the application process a year ago, telling his family when he returned from Chile. Yet he also wanted his family to see him play in MLS. He was waived by the Colorado Rapids in preseason but landed in New England, where he appeared in four league games and Open Cup and reserve play.

Hilgenbrinck gave the Revs plenty of notice. But coach Steve Nicol encouraged him to stay as long as possible, and the team made no announcement until he had departed after Sunday's SuperLiga game in which he dressed but did not play.

"There's always something that surprises you," Nicol says. "On this occasion, it's a good surprise. Chase is going to go and do something that he really wants to go and do. There's not many of us that can say we're able to do something we really want to do, so that's great for him."

Mount St. Mary's, eh? That's right up the street from DC.

More from Chase Hilgenbrinck himself:

Chase Hilgenbrinck's decision to leave MLS for the seminary and eventual priesthood was surprising but not sudden. The former Revolution defender tells the story ...
Why?Because I feel called. I’ve actually had my calling. I’ve been discerning this decision for several years now. I had a chance to go play professional soccer in Chile. For a long time, I felt called to something greater, and I didn't know what it was. I thought maybe it was professional soccer. In playing soccer, I realized that wasn’t it. I continued searching.

(In Chile,) for a time, I was trying to get used to the culture and trying to get used to life on my own. I did a lot of soul-searching. I went back to my roots in the Catholic church. I did a lot of praying and strengthened my personal relationship with Jesus Christ. That is what led me and first got me onto the idea that this was a possibility for my future, that this could be what the Lord was calling me to. It was something very personal to me – I didn’t discuss it with anybody for a long time. I just discerned it through personal prayer for a long time, trying to come to a conclusion if this was really what the Lord was calling me to or not.

After all this time, I did realize this is my calling. I decided to discuss that with the priest, who is Father Brian Brownsey, the vocations director of the Peoria diocese where I live. I was accepted by the bishop of the Peoria diocese to be a seminarian. They have accepted me and are sending me to Mount St. Mary’s Seminary in Emmitsburg, Md.

I found an old interview he gave on YouTube:



Watching it, I think one can sense in him the maturity you need to prudentially make a decision like this.

Best of luck, Chase. Our prayers are with you!

Fr. Francis Mary Stone & EWTN

As many of you have heard, Fr. Francis Mary Stone, the host of EWTN's popular Life on the Rock TV program was supposed to host a segment last Thursday on the topic of Campion College in Sydney as well as Australia's upcoming World Youth Day.

Instead, I'm told that this letter was read by a substitute:

Dear Family,

Regretfully, I have a message that does not come without significant pain to both you and me. I have to tell you in all honesty and truth, that I have been personally involved with helping a widow and her struggling family. Over the course of time, the mother and I have grown very close. As a result, I am compelled to take some time off to prayerfully and honestly discern my future.

I am truly sorry of the impact this may have on so many. I am not unaware of the gravity and magnitude of the situation, yet after much wise counsel, it is really something that I must deal with now for the good of all.

With that said, it is best that I deal with it away from EWTN. Therefore, I have asked for and graciously been granted some extended time to prayerfully discern my vocation.

To those who are part of the EWTN family locally, and others throughout the world, especially all those who have supported me so faithfully in my priestly vocation and ministry here on Life on the Rock, I sincerely apologize. I ask for your prayers and understanding during this time that is so very difficult, but yet so very necessary.

Please lift me up in your humble prayers to Jesus through Mary, our Mother, in Grace and Mercy.

Fr Francis Mary, MFVA [I have verified the text personally. - AmP]

I would join others who have been calling for prayers on behalf of Fr. Francis Mary. We should also remember in our prayers the fact that he is in a very grave situation.

Needless to say, Fr. Francis Mary's letter has caused a great deal of grief to his viewers, and I think it's important to allay some of the fears I've seen people express.

I'm not sure how EWTN has gone about addressing this situation, but I would say that in cases of public scandal like this it is important for EWTN to take Fr. Francis Mary's decision as a teaching opportunity. Cases of laicization are not unheard of, and in all of our learning from priests we must distinguish their authentic teaching (which rests upon the Rock of Christ) from the particular teacher (who sadly does not always perfectly participate in the grace of Christ the Teacher).

That said, this turn of affairs is very public, and EWTN should take care that its viewers are not scandalized beyond what is already a sad (but not irredeemable) situation. From all I've seen been able to determine thus far, it seems that EWTN has decided to purge most references to Fr. Francis Mary from their website and recurring video spots. I even had to go to a 3rd-party website to find his picture.

Catholics should feel no embarrassment in this situation, and EWTN should give the full truth of the matter to the viewers that come to it for exactly that. While we are all saddened when a prominent Catholic figure missteps, none of us should be surprised by temptation. Some thoughtful editorializing would be entirely proper and pastoral in an upcoming Life on the Rock episode. (I should note that since I don't regularly watch the show I don't have a sure way of knowing that this response hasn't in fact already been done or is planned.) I realize that it can be difficult to handle situations such as this one, but the primary concern should be the care of souls, not the reputation of the network, etc. I've read through quite a few message boards and comment threads to find that a great number of people have been disappointed by this news, and at the same time there seems to be scant little that EWTN has done to provide context and reconciliation. I trust that EWTN viewers will be given something more than Fr. Francis Mary's statement? Maybe some sort of notice over at the Life on the Rock webpage?

[update: scroll down this post to read my comments on the LOTR segment now that I've heard the audio.]

And I would also hope that discussion of this situation in general does not generate into finger-pointing (at Fr. Francis Mary, the widow, EWTN, his brother friars, etc). Prayers are primary here, and no one knows the full details of the situation. I'm just concerned that the general principles that apply in such matters are expressed forthrightly by those who have previously worked with him.

If anyone has youtubed last week's Life on the Rock segment, I'd be much obliged....

Update: For whatever reason (the Internet gods are fickle), this post is getting a huge influx of visitors from search engines and blog crawlers. Welcome to the new readers. Let's keep the discussions exemplary.

Update 2: The EWTN website allows you to watch the most recent Life on the Rock episode in RealPlayer video format here. As of Sunday night (11/4), I couldn't get that link to work. I hope the problem is merely technical.

The mp3 of the show, however, is still available here (large file). My summary and comments:

The substitute, Fr. Anthony Mary, does make a note before reading the letter that it is "difficult for him, and may not be appropriate for younger viewers." He asks that parents be attentive to what their children are hearing and then proceeds to read the letter. (I wonder what kinds of parent-child conversations ensued?)

After reading the letter, Fr. Anthony Mary addresses the EWTN audience and says that this is a time when all involved are in great need of prayers and support. Always remember, Fr. Anthony Mary says, that no one is beyond the power of God's mercy or redemption. They ask for prayers one again, then go to a break (in which the lengthy advertisement is ironically a priest giving his personal vocation testimony and talking about his desire to be a priest until the day he dies, etc.) and then resume the show.

Interestingly, the substitute anchor begins by adding that "evil and sin do not have the last word - there's always hope" referring to Fr. Francis Mary's plight, which, to my mind, is a much more negative evalation of the circumstances than most commenters are generally giving it. There might be something to consider here.

Update 3 (Nov. 7): Steve Ray dims hopes that we'll see Fr. Francis return to LOTR:

I have had other independent confirmation of the validity of the e-mail. From what I hear it is a bit worse than what the official announcement told us. It seems EWTN is clearing reference to him off their website and I guess I don't blame them. It is sad to hear this kind of news, but I pray he will be treated with mercy and God's will will be done in his life.

I think that's the final word in this unfortunate chapter.

Update 4 (Nov. 11): Once again, this post is getting a huge influx of visitors, which leads me to believe that some television or radio program recently mentioned the story and now folks are searching the internet for more details (you've come to the right place) .... am I right?