“Let it crawl, Rev! Let it crawl!” shouted the congregants.
“And then,” the Reverend continued, “a Church needs to walk!”
“Let it walk, Rev!” yelled the people in the pews. “Let it walk!!!”
“And my brothers and sisters,” the minister said, his voice growing,” after this Church walks, it needs to run!!!”
“Let it run, Rev! Let it run!” shouted the congregants, matching the pastor’s volume.
Now the Reverend was leaning forward, the veins in his face bulging, “And for this Church to run, it’s gotta have MONEY!!!”
“Let it crawl, Rev! Let it crawl!”

These uneasy and uncertain time in which we live has wreaked absolute havoc on our personal lives and our economy. A large number of businesses have closed, people are out of work, and more than ten million people have applied for unemployment.

Our churches are not exempted from this financial uncertainty. We all have been benefitting from on-line worship either through EWTN or our own parishes streaming worship, but those collection baskets cannot come through the television or computer screens. And while when it comes to church, we are fond of saying, “It is not about money,” it really is about money. Past D.C. President George Rogers reports that some collections in his archdiocese are down seventy percent. Those collections keep the lights on and the water running, pay the salaries of those workers who assist the clergy in their ministry, and—perhaps most importantly—assist those who are less fortunate and rely on parishes for significant support.

Brother Rogers is right to call upon the great generosity of the members of our Ancient Order to step up and encourage one another and the people who would be in the pews to continue being generous and donating to their parishes as usual. A check in an envelope into the post office may seem archaic, but we actually still consider that an effective method. For those who want to be more in the 21st Century, then Brother Rogers has suggested www.faithdirect.net/church-staff/ as a method of contributing to your parishes.

Some of our fellow Hibernian Brothers are not in position to contribute at this time. Some of our brothers, though, can certainly pick up the slack if needed. Brother Rogers has rightfully pointed out that this Ancient Order was founded to protect our churches and clergy. This is but one manner in which we Hibernians can make sure the churches and our clergy can continue serving and come out of this ready to serve in person, and I am both pleased and proud to forward these helpful suggestions and appropriate exhortations to all the Brotherhood to “let it run!”.

The Ancient Order of Hibernians is an organization with clearly defined principles. We stand for a free and united Ireland and the comprehensive principle of life, and we stand with all children and vulnerable adults who have suffered abuse and failed to receive justice. Christian Charity “comes from God Himself, from our Blessed Savior’s Most Sacred Heart that throbs forever with love for mankind.” It is a “divine love filling the universe with inspiration and with hope.” “Charity of thought, act, and word is the essence of fraternal love.”

The small number of priests and religious who have yielded to the demons into their souls and those who have enabled them have not only violated their Sacred Vows and Orders but have denied those who are vulnerable the gift of Christian Charity. At our annual meeting held in conjunction with the National President’s Testimonial Dinner, the National Board resoundingly approved a motion to hold another Day of Prayer and Fasting in solidarity with the victims of the sexual abuse crisis in the Catholic Church and to continue to do so until the scourge of sexual abuse is eradicated from the Church.

Therefore, the Ancient Order of Hibernians in America, Inc., and its National Board and Officers call upon its membership to engage in a Day of Prayer and Fasting for the victims of the sexual abuse crisis in the Catholic Church on Sunday, December 8, 2019, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. All Hibernians who are able are asked to observe the rules for fasting on Catholic holy days. The Feast of the Immaculate Conception is an appropriate day for this observance because first, it is on a Sunday, to which we expect all Hibernians will adhere by attending Mass. Secondly, as our nation is dedicated to the Immaculate Conception, we ask our Blessed Mother to intercede on behalf of those who are victims.

St. Patrick understood in the end that God“guarded me before I knew him, and before I came to wisdom and could distinguish between good and evil. He protected me and consoled me as a father does for his son.” In the Christian Charity practiced by our Ancient Order, let us share the burden of protection for the victims of abuse and the priests and religious who surrender to the call of the Holy Spirit. Let us share their grief and suffering and resolve to bring them justice.

The National Board requests that all State, County, and Division Presidents disseminate this information to their Brother Hibernians; and we call upon St. Patrick, St. Brigid, and Our Lady of Knock to intercede for us to remain strong in the face of this crisis and lead our fellow Catholics in standing with and speaking for all those without a voice.

Numerous theories surround Fr. Conroy’s dismissal. Many point to the Jesuit priest’s prayer back in November that called upon all members of the House to remember the basic principles and tenets of fairness and justice in passing the major tax overhaul. Others have cited the remarks of Rep. Mark Walker (R-NC), a Southern Baptist minister, who opined that someone who is married and has children of his own would be better suited to serve as chaplain (which would thus eliminate any Catholic Priest or Nun and even Jesus himself from consideration). A third story circulating was that Fr. Conroy was apparently not meeting the “spiritual needs of the lawmakers.”

The problem is that whatever scenario regarding the dismissal of Fr. Conroy proves true, it presents troubling issues for Roman Catholics and people of faith in general. Speaker Ryan has either jettisoned a chaplain for adhering to the recognized tenets of all major religions or caved in to thinly veiled anti-Catholicism.

From the founding of the nation through the campaigns of Al Smith and John F. Kennedy, some members of our society have openly questioned the ability of Roman Catholics to function as “full and true Americans.” Roman Catholics of all stripes have proven their patriotism and devotion time and again either through military or public service. Those of us who know the history of the days when the Know-Nothings sparked fear throughout Catholic America shall remind Americans that there was nothing great about that time. If Fr. Conroy’s forced resignation came about because his prayers made some “uncomfortable”, then they should revisit our Nation’s history. In 1774 when there was discussion as to appoint a Chaplain to Congress, some representatives raised the issue that some may be “uncomfortable” if the minister was not of their denomination. This controversy was ended when Samuel Adams observed “He was no bigot and could hear a Prayer from a Gentleman of Piety and Virtue, who was at the same Time a Friend to his Country”. We would be wise to follow Sam Adams’ wisdom in an effort to make America great again.

We, the Ancient Order of Hibernians, call upon Paul Ryan, Speaker of the House of Representatives, to give sufficient answer to the questions surrounding the dismissal of Reverend Patrick Conroy, S.J.

John Fitzmorris III, National Catholic Action Chairman

The Ancient Order of Hibernians was established in 1836 to protect and defend Our Holy Mother, the Roman Catholic Church, from the violence and bigotry of anti-Catholic nativist mobs. While violent physical attacks on our churches have become largely a thing of the past, bigotry and disdain for the Catholic Church has not vanished; it hides in the shadows where it nurses on the darkness until its next opportunity to spread the poison of prejudice.

On Friday evening, October 21, President Trump through twitter promoted the work of Dr. Robert Jeffress, a megachurch pastor of First Baptist Church in Dallas, Texas. In his tweet, the President lauded Dr. Jeffress book, A Place Called Heaven: 10 Surprising Truths About Your Eternal Home, calling the book “great” and effusively praising Dr. Jeffress himself as “a wonderful man.” Many Catholic Americans would not concur in the President’s veneration; there is nothing “wonderful” in Dr. Jeffress’ well documented hatred of anyone who is not an evangelical Christian.

In 2010, Jeffress declared that the Catholic Church was a “counterfeit” religion that had its origins in a Babylonian “pagan religion,” making Catholicism the “Whore of Babylon” foretold in the Book of Revelation. On his radio show, Path to Victory, Jeffress opined: “Isn’t that the genius of Satan? If you want to counterfeit a dollar bill, you don’t do it with purple paper and red ink, you’re not going to fool anybody with that. But if you want to counterfeit money, what you do is make it look closely related to the real thing as possible.”

It is in truth Jeffress who has proven the most counterfeit in his abandonment of Christian tolerance; wallowing in the muck of bigotry and resurrecting the old hatreds that threatened the very fabric of this nation. His pronouncements are in the tradition of the screeds penned by American “Know Nothings” against “Papist influence” each time a fresh surge of Catholic Irish immigrants arrived in this country or throughout the 1928 presidential campaign of Al Smith as the first Catholic nominee of any major party and resurrected again during the campaign of John F. Kennedy.

It is profoundly troubling that Jeffress’ comments and public stances do not appear to have caused the President any qualms. Jeffress’ effusive praise and encouragement to evangelicals to be open-minded about Candidate Trump in 2016, while simultaneously promoting his narrow-minded intolerance of Catholicism, have apparently earned him a prominent place near the head of the table. The Ancient Order of Hibernians does take notice of the despicable comments made by Dr. Robert Jeffress toward our Holy Mother Church and the fact that he has never apologized or attempted to distance himself from them. People holding such bigoted and unsanctified views towards others of different faiths are in contradiction not only with the basic tenets of Christianity, but also the founding principles which make our nation great.

John Fitzmorris III, Catholic Action