{"id":5715,"date":"2015-04-10T00:00:39","date_gmt":"2015-04-10T06:00:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.markmallett.com\/blog\/2011\/04\/on-the-archdiocese-of-edmonton\/"},"modified":"2017-04-17T21:58:41","modified_gmt":"2017-04-18T01:58:41","slug":"on-the-archdiocese-of-edmonton","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.markmallett.com\/blog\/on-the-archdiocese-of-edmonton\/","title":{"rendered":"On My Ministry","gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"rendered","format":"text"}]},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"Green\"<\/p>\n

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THIS\u00a0<\/b>past Lent\u00a0was a blessing for me to journey with tens of thousands of priests and laymen alike all over the world through the daily Mass meditations I wrote. It was exhilarating and exhausting at the same time. As such, I need to take some quiet time to reflect upon many things in my ministry and my own personal journey, and the direction God is calling me.<\/p>\n

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Of course, writing is only part of my apostolate. I\u00a0have been welcomed\u00a0by orthodox Catholic priests to speak or bring my concerts to\u00a0their parishes or retreat houses, from San Francisco to Rome, Saskatchewan\u00a0to Austria. However, four years ago, the\u00a0Archdiocese of Edmonton, Alberta, refused to allow my ministry to come there. I wrote three letters asking for clarification and any advice on my ministry that the Archbishop could offer. I finally received this response in 2011:<\/p>\n

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The simple fact of the matter is that we have a policy in the Archdiocese, which stipulates that any speaker invited to address our people on matters of faith or morals must first receive a nihil obstat <\/em>[Latin for “nothing hinders”] from me or my delegate. This is standard policy. In your case it was not granted because of indications on your website that you make reference to what you claim to have received in private revelations. This is an approach that I do not wish to promote within the Archdiocese of Edmonton. <\/span><\/strong>\u2014Archbishop Richard Smith, Letter of April 4th, 2011<\/span>
<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

During this past Passion Week, 2015, two more neighbouring bishops of Edmonton have taken the\u00a0same position resulting, regrettably, in us having to cancel\u00a0a fourteen concert tour. One of the bishops\u00a0cited that he\u00a0was doing\u00a0so\u00a0because it is not ‘good pastoral policy for the two dioceses to be going in different directions.’ One of the bishops elaborated a bit further saying that he was concerned that our ministry utilizes a\u00a0‘promotional strategy’ of contacting\u00a0parishes rather than waiting for an invitation; that\u00a0my concerts use\u00a0sound and lighting equipment in the sanctuary; and that my\u00a0website, he alleged, “promotes” Poem of the Man-God<\/em>, Vassula Ryden, and\u00a0Garabandal. Below, in brief, are my responses to the bishops’ concerns for the sake of transparency and to give a general response to the letters\u00a0I am receiving on this issue:<\/p>\n

1.\u00a0<\/b>Our ministry\u00a0does<\/i>\u00a0operate by invitation. What happens when we get one or several invites, is that my manager (my wife)\u00a0then connects with other parishes in the area to let them know that I am\u00a0coming, and offers our ministry to them. This ‘promotional strategy’ is the way that a host\u00a0of other lay ministries operate in order to make our time and efforts efficient and cost-effective (since we also rely on Divine Providence). Above all, it is the way we try to bring the Gospel to as many souls as possible.

<\/span>2.<\/b>\u00a0I do indeed use lighting and sound equipment for my concerts. I use a sound system for practical reasons that require no explanation. As for lighting, it is there to\u00a0create a prayerful atmosphere conducive to this type of ministry. On our last 20-concert\u00a0tour in Saskatchewan, we had literally dozens of priests and hundreds of concert-goers tell us how absolutely delighted they were with how beautiful the lighting was that emphasized the Crucifix, Tabernacle, and statues\u2014in a word, highlighted the\u00a0sacredness and beauty<\/i>\u00a0of their Catholic parishes. The only complaint I\u2019ve ever had from priests regarding my lighting is that I was not leaving it there for them to keep! Reverence and respect of the sanctuary are of utmost importance. My concerts involve giving my testimony and pointing souls to the Eucharist and Confession, specifically catechizing on the Real Presence of Jesus in the Tabernacle. This is the main reason why it is our preference to hold concerts in the main body of the church (not to mention the significant drawbacks with acoustics in many parish halls).\u00a0

<\/span>3.<\/b>\u00a0There are over a thousand writings on my website, the vast majority teaching Catholic faith and spirituality in the context of our times. There are some writings that integrate \u201cprivate revelation\u201d as\u00a0per<\/i>\u00a0the teachings of the Catechism that states that, while these revelations cannot correct Sacred Tradition, they\u00a0can help the Church to ‘live more fully by it\u00a0in\u00a0a\u00a0certain period of history’ (cf. n. 67).

<\/span>\u2022 I have never read Poem of the Man-God<\/em> nor\u00a0have I ever quoted those works.\u00a0

<\/span>\u2022 Vassula Ryden has been a controversial figure, to be certain. I referred to her specifically to explain the position of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith on Ms. Ryden’s theology in a “Q & A\u201d with my readers (since there is a crossover of themes regarding an “era of peace”). [1]<\/sup><\/a>see Your Questions on the Era<\/a><\/em><\/span><\/span>