Marquette Diocese Laity

  In Bishop Doerer’s most recent two messages to his diocese, he addressed his congregations in what we found to be a disturbing manner, choosing to reach his sheep through song lyrics rather than by quoting the Bible. Think back, folks: When is the last time you recall a bishop choosing to lead his sheep through song lyrics rather than through the infallible Word of God?

   The first lyric goes like this: “I’ve built walls, A fortress deep and might, that none may penetrate, I have no need of friendship, friendship causes pain. It’s laughter and it’s loving I disdain; I am a rock. I am an Island.” Bishop Doerfler explains that the song is about the pain someone has experienced in a broken relationship. In the second song, the lyrics speak about a woman deeply wounded by failed relationships. Both songs express pain and anger over broken relationships.

  Now, please don’t misunderstand this contrast. We don’t contend that human pain and anger is not experienced in these break-ups. Of course, these emotions are strong. Yes, there is anger. Yes, there is pain. But … 

  We question the choice of our bishop, our diocese’s spiritual leader! Might we not be on more solid ground by looking to Jesus and the Bible as our example, as opposed to lyrics from songs? Wouldn’t our children and youth be best led by the lawless inspiration in the words and actions of our Savior, the very Son of God? 

 “Let’s use Jesus as our example. There were times when Jesus saw injustice and evil, and he was angered. There were people who refused to say it was good to reach out to help the helpless, and it very clearly says in Scripture: ‘Jesus looked at them with anger.’” Anger can move us to do good; anger can move us to say, ‘This is wrong, and we need to do something about this.’  said Fr. Mike Schmitz. The word anger is used over two hundred times in the bible.

  All of us recently experienced the assassination of Charlie Kirk, who spoke to many young people with words from the Bible, not from lyrics of songs. We are angry about the loss of life of someone who truly was doing the work of a disciple. Charlie brought many young people to Christ by speaking the truth to his followers. Charlie was clear on his openness to Catholic truth, his courage to speak of the Church with reverence, and his ability to point his audience toward something older, deeper, and more trustworthy than political slogans.

  “In mourning Kirk’s passing, we might also reflect on the bridge he was building between evangelicals and Catholics. He was not a theologian or a churchman, but he was willing to say out loud what many evangelicals quietly feel: that the Catholic Church, with her witness of beauty and continuity, has something indispensable to offer in this age of cultural disintegration,” said Mark Haas of Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, PA.

  Bishop Barron described Kirk as "a man of great intelligence, charm, and goodness of heart." Charlie, he said, embodied a tradition of open debate stretching back to the roots of Western civilization.

  The Diocese of Marquette should take notice of what Charlie Kirk was able to accomplish in just thirteen years. The young people of our church are our leaders … some already currently leading or those who will become our church leaders in the future. We need to be educating today’s and tomorrow’s young leaders to carry on and build upon the strength, beauty, and truth of our Holy Catholic Church. How do we do this if we don’t nurture them e>ectively in faith and leadership? What are we, here in our own diocese, doing to build up our young leaders of today and tomorrow? We should be educating them with programs that have young Catholic role models speaking to them. Instead, since Bishop Doerfer arrived, we’ve lost not only our diocesan retreat and learning center but also experienced the shutdown of both the P2K and the Sea to Sea conferences that were specifically designed for the spiritual and leadership development of our young people. We’ve lost good priests, and we fear the lack of both lay leaders and new priests in our diocese if focus is lost on our tomorrows, if blossoming young leaders are not developed and prepared to carry our Holy Catholic Faith into the future. 

  Bishop Doerfer, we ask you, please invest time and money in our young people for todays and tomorrow’s leadership. Assure that this preparedness will endure through the generations ahead. Jesus will see what we have done, and many souls will have been prepared to save many other souls.