There is something to be said for staying in and continuing to support an openly progressive parish. We're actually one of the few in the diocese that are breaking even and self-sustaining - we're not making enough to take on any special projects or make new hires without fundraising, but in this economy even self-sustaining is a big deal.

I'm sure the national and international hierarchy think we're heretical dirt, but the local hierarchy looks at us and sees a parish that's surviving and a parish where people get sent who are furious at the Church, on their way out the door forever, but end up staying (a lot of parishes have dwindling memberships, people who leave and don't move to another parish but to none at all, and run deficits so chronic that their diocese have to dig into their own pockets and underwrite the parish budgets -- my old parish routinely ran 5-figure deficits).

It's worth noting that the Oakland parish purposefully assigned a very conservative priest to JZ's previous, very progressive parish. It was no accident and that priest has alienated and driven away a large number of people.

I think her current parish may survive in a bubble but the plans of the Vatican and the Bishops is very clear. They want to destroy progressive Catholicism. Period.

So when the American Catholics break off, who will become the equivalent of the Archbishop of Canterbury?

I cannot imagine my family's collective angst at the thought of the US Catholic Church breaking from the Vatican. It's unthinkable.

They want to destroy progressive Catholicism. Period.

How's that working out for them? Not being snarky, just wondering if they're picking up more conservative catholics or something. People who were like, "You know, my religion is not currently oppressing me enough. I'll take a look at that fresh new catholic Church! I hear they're really getting their oppression on!"

I sent FB message to my BF and her husband today about something really trivial. Then my BF & I chatted back on the same thread and gave her a long account of how miserable and stressed I was at work. Only then did I figure that her DH is copied on all those messages. It's not a big deal, we are really good friends and I know she tells him everything anyway. It's does feel a little awkward...she's one of the few people who I really feel free to talk about my innermost thoughts with and it feels a bit like I gave myself away.

Another lesson about reply all.

This latest news from Rome gives me the visual of a beringed hand squeezing a fistful of sand harder and harder as all the grains slip out between the fingers.

Poor noodle mac, msbelle.

Conservative Catholicism seems to be popular in much of the African and Asian continents at the moment. I wonder if the Church is taking the view that they are willing to lose some parts of the world to gain others that are larger in population - with the gain in power allowing long term recovery here as well. Of course Africa and Asia have long progressive traditions even reactionaries are in power through large parts (not all) of both continents at the moment. So if that is the plan (and I'm not saying it is) it sort of depends on a very specific political path.

Just when you thought penguins couldn't be more cool...

Penguins employ supercavitation: [link]