Agony in Albany - The Roman Catholic Faithful

Roman Catholic Faithful, Inc. / AMDG May 2004 Albany newsletterMarch 7th, 1988: “Creation Spirituality: ABiblically Based Invitation to Your Own Divinity.”This address, and another on March 21st, were deliveredat St. John’s and Union Presbyterian Church,“the first Roman Catholic and Presbyterian churchesto form a covenant relationship in the United States.”March 15th, 1988: “How Do You BefriendGod? You Give Birth to Your Own Divinity,” sponsoredby the Peace and Justice Commission.(That same day, Fr. Charles E. Curran was speakingon “Authority and Dissent in the Roman CatholicChurch,” at the College of St.. Rose.)March 22nd, 1988: “How Do You Find Salvation?You Expand in Compassion,” also sponsoredby the Peace and Justice Commission.When Catholics of the Diocese began toshow concern that the Diocese was spreading “alienand hostile forms of Catholicism” in promoting creationspirituality, Fr. O’Shaughnessy criticized theCoalition of Concerned Catholics, saying that itsviews are similar to those of the establishment Jesushad to face” (The Record, Troy, June 23rd, 1988).The Concerned Catholics were upset for “thesame reason Jesus bothers a lot of people. He botheredthe establishment and all those that imposed unfairburdens on the people,” said O’Shaughnessy.O’Shaughnessy, now married, is no longer anactive priest in the Diocese, though he still is a frequentresource person for the Diocese’s Peace andJustice Commission.Fr. Tunny, who took a sabbatical to Fox’sinstitute with O’Shaughnessy, is now immersed inNative American Indian spirituality.Another priest, Fr. John DeCaprio has publiclylamented the “distorted view” of the Indians thathe grew up with from reading Fr. Francis Talbot’sSaint Among Savages and other Jesuit records of theirencounters with the Indians (The Evangelist, April19th, 1990).Despite the pace set by Fr. O’Shaughnessy indisseminating New Age Creation Spirituality and hissubsequent leave from the priesthood, the Diocesecontinues to present creation spirituality seminarsevery month, and seminars on New Age occult practices;in the summer of 1990, Fr. Fox was in the areafor a two-week seminar on creation spirituality, at theOmega Center in Rhinebeck.In a typical month in the Albany Diocese,there are seminars introducing Catholics to the“spirituality” of Fr. Teilhard de Chardin and Fr. AnthonydeMello, both Jesuits who, say New Age experts,should be classified with the theosophists.There are seminars by Sr. Lynn Levo (andothers) on reuniting sexuality and spirituality,“psychodramas, a Jungian approach, to recreate theconflicts of the many roles life calls us to play, redefinethem and grow to toward health and wholeness,”programs on Indian spirituality, annulment forums,large selection of stress management programs, andprograms on understanding Protestant and Jewishtheology.“Restructuring The Church”In November, 1982, Fr. Joseph Girzone, authorof the immensely popular: “Joshua books,” wasfeatured in an article in The Evangelist as he put thefinishing touches on his book, Deacons: Permanentor Passing.Granted a leave from the priesthood for“health problems,” Fr. Girzone told reporter PatriciaCrewell that he had 15 books planned, including novels“exploring what Christ would be like were He livingjust down the block from you today. Next is a lifeof Christ from the psychological approach with anemphasis on spirituality.“After that,” continued Crewell, “will be abook on what the author calls restructuring theChurch.”In 1983, Fr. Girzone was quoted by TheSchenectady Gazette, asking why Jews and Catholicscan’t belong to each other’s congregations.“Nowhere in the Gospels does it show thatJesus ever intended to start a new religion or breakwith Judaism.”According to the Gazette, “Girzone suggestedthat the current pluralism in the Catholic Churchwhich includes Catholics as communicant memberswho disagree with Catholic teachings, such as birthcontrol, abortion, Papal infallibility, could also beextended to involve non-Catholics who embrace onlysome Catholic teachings. . . .“The priest charged that the upper-level authoritiesof the various denominations and religionsby their ‘superficial’ concern for doctrinal ‘purity’were impeding the promising ecumenical movementof their less doctrinally conscious members.”52