This woman (read the following facts for yourself) introduced her “lover” to the priest just prior to the funeral Mass he was to offer for her mother. Granted the priest should have said something then and there, but he didn’t. Maybe he was hoping that she would not come to Communion, even though he knew she was going to give a eulogy. That, too, should have never been allowed; after all, no one is supposed to give the eulogy (pace sermon) but a priest or deacon, even for funerals. No doubt the priest ought to have warned the bold lady beforehand not to Communicate; still the three criteria for denying Communion (New Commentary on Canon Law) to an obstinate public sinner seem to be all present here (#915): 1) grave matter; 2)obstinacy and 3) publicly manifest. I mean the woman introduced her “lover” to the priest just before Mass! (1?_/ 2?_/ 3?_/ It was up to her to explain herself then and there if she wanted to receive Communion worthily. Why is she being consoled and the priest reprimanded? Even good Msgr. Pope, of the same diocese, says that the priest was imprudent. I don’t see it. In fact, I think this whole “let’s talk about it” thing is pathetic. The woman knew darn well she was living in opposition to the teaching of the Church, and she should have known she was violating the natural law. “Dialoguing” with such is part of the problem of the emasculation of the clergy. Fr. Marcel Guarnizo of St. John Neumann Catholic Church in Gaithersburg, Maryland has just learned a lesson in the milquetoast art of modern pastoral diplomacy. ‘Poor Priest! Your zeal not to subject Our Lord to a public sacrilege and scandal was so imprudent. You should have known better. You have hurt this woman’s feelings, a woman who had no shame in insulting the Faith of her mother at her own funeral. Now she’s out to put you down and is apparently succeeding to some extent. Don’t be discouraged! You’ve done what’s right before God. Nothing else matters.’
LifeSite News: A parish priest in Maryland, who denied communion to a woman who identified herself as a lesbian, has been publicly rebuked by the Archdiocese of Washington.
Barbara Johnson attended her mother’s funeral last Saturday and introduced her lesbian partner to the priest before Mass. Full account is here.
UPDATED
After posting this almost two hours ago I have since been informed that Deacon Kandra has an update to this news posted on his blog. Someone from the parish sent him more information that puts Father Guarnizo in an even better light and negates my own commentary concerning the priest’s hesitancy in confronting the woman before the Mass. The fact is that he did not hesitate. The woman introduced her “lover” to him in his own sacristy and then and there he told her not to present herself for Communion. Here is the update.
After posting this story and an update on March 1, more information has come to light. It appears the sacrilegious communicant, Barbara Johnson has been a long time activist for the LGBT agenda and she is a student of Buddhist philosophy. That’s not all. She, and her Artworks school, are rabidly pro-abortion. See Joshua Bowman’s piece at Prolix Patriot (scroll down to fourth paragraph).
