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Published: March 16, 2010
"Why is Cardinal Mahony promoting such speakers?"
Group calls for picketing at LA archdiocese’s 2010 Religious Education Congress, calls it ‘dissent-fest’
ANAHEIM, March 15 /Christian Newswire/ -- "Our committee is calling all Catholics to come join us and oppose Los Angeles Cardinal Roger Mahony's latest dissent-fest," says Kenneth M. Fisher, chairman of Concerned Roman Catholics of America, Inc. (CRCOA). "He's going to make tens of thousands of Catholics hear Faith-subverters, the kind who get people to defy the Church on abortion, homosexuality, contraception, New Age practices and ordination of women."
 Fisher announced that on Saturday, March 20, 2010, from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., his group will picket Cardinal Mahony's annual Religious Education Congress, the world's largest training event for Catholic schoolteachers. (The Congress will be at the Anaheim Convention Center, March 18-21. The Saturday protest will be outside the Center's main exhibit hall. CRCOA will supply picket signs to picketers.)
"Many of the presenters aren't objectionable, and Cardinal Mahony does have a few well-known 'token' orthodox Catholic speakers,” Fisher said. “But he's also bringing in speakers with long track records of dissent from Catholic doctrine.
"Cardinal Mahony's pro-gays, women-priest advocates, New Agers and anti-Pope rebels will tell Catholic educators what to teach," Fisher warned. "Then the teachers will go home and infect countless innocent Catholic children with those errors."
Fisher said CRCOA members will hand out flyers that expose speakers who dissent from the Church's doctrines. Here are examples of some of Cardinal Mahony's 188 speakers:
A non-Catholic, far left, pro-contraception speaker who's said we don't need to ban aborting babies and who's advised U.S. senators and representatives on how to get believers to vote for pro-gay, pro-abortion Democrats
A laicized priest who dissents from "a wide range of Church teachings" and wants women priests and women bishops
A nun who called Catholic doctrine against non-marital sex "a fixation."
A Catholic priest who told the 2005 REC that "we" need "public models" of "healthy gay priests for Catholics to reflect on."
"Why is Cardinal Mahony promoting such speakers?" Fisher asked. "Shouldn't a cardinal make sure his speakers are loyal to the Church?"
Fisher invites faithful Catholics to join CRCOA's peaceful, prayerful protest by calling him at: 714-491-2284 or e-mailing him at crcoa@dslextreme.com.
Posted Tuesday, March 16, 2010 3:52 AM By BJ
How does the Cardinal get authority for giving a public and influential platform to rabid dissenters? Doesn't he have a 'manager'?
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Posted Tuesday, March 16, 2010 5:37 AM By WOODY GUIDRY
SCORECARDS would be an interesting learning tool. They might be be set up to show what percent, at least, of dogma, anti dogma, non dogma principals are displayed by those who will come to teach. SCORERS should identify the standard they personally use to certify which of the
CARDS fell into dogma, anti-dogma, or non-dogma. The CARDS should then define for us whether we are Catholic or one of any number of groups which THIINK they are Catholic. No doubt, there are more (even better!) ways for us commoners to learn what is good or not in God's eyes. The common goal of all should be to seek the truth. We have to KNOW it IS because it IS, not because we believe that the speaker's warm sincerity is unquestioned. I would rather take directions from a truthful person who is harsh or cold than follow those from a lovable idiot. I hope California Catholic Daily will become the SCOREBOARD at the end of the game.
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Posted Tuesday, March 16, 2010 5:54 AM By ted
It's about time a group like CRCOA started pointing out what a debacle that "Education" event has turned into. This is a situation - and has been for many years - where a change of leadership could benefit the diocese by first stopping the bleeding, then demanding orthodoxy to promote healing.
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Posted Tuesday, March 16, 2010 6:54 AM By David
To take Fischer's claims seriously, I would need to know Fisher's competency to judge the content of speakers, and I would also need to the context in which things were said. Without that, this article is simply scandal mongering, and shameful scandal mongering at that.
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Posted Tuesday, March 16, 2010 7:11 AM By Sharan Harrison
Better yet how do we email Cardinal Mahoney directly with our comments of opposition to this "dissent-fest"? I'd also let Pope Benedict know what this church leader is doing.
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Posted Tuesday, March 16, 2010 7:17 AM By 1abqdad
I am just glad the my sainted mother and master catechist is no longer alive to see this. She was involved in the conference for many years and at the end was greatly disturbed by some of the speakers! She felt that this was a Catholic conference and should promote ONLY Catholic values! (ALL of the others are already OVER represented in the media!) I invite everyone who can to protest this most unholy situation!
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Posted Tuesday, March 16, 2010 8:03 AM By gravey
Sounds like David needs to do some homework.
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Posted Tuesday, March 16, 2010 9:35 AM By Life Lady
I have already heard about this conference, from someone who went, firsthand last year. He was a young person, 20 yr old, and was able to discern for himself the error rampant in this event. Something must be done, so, if it's just a few people out there handing out flyers, at least that is something. There ought to be more done. This conference has been hijacked so, if you are in Los Angeles, or within driving distance, it might be worth the drive. Doing nothing is worse than anything else. Letting this continue is not the best thing to do.
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Posted Tuesday, March 16, 2010 9:40 AM By Michael II
David,
From what I know about Ken, he's been going to this REC for 20+ yrs. The Congress actually started out good, but under the tenature of Cdnl. Mahoney, things went south. Sure there's been occasional great speakers; Fr. Groshell, who by the way told me he, would not be intived back, to Peter Kreeft, etc. But the vast majority are either for or from speakers from other groups, like Call to Action, Dignity, to New Age Wiccans, to erotica Masses, men in tights running around during the mass, just ot name a few. I think it is kind of telling when they don't record and sell the tape to a controversial speaker. Do as gravey said.
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Posted Tuesday, March 16, 2010 9:57 AM By Philip
The time is short for these heretics. Their antiquated 1960s hippie catholicism is losing a lot of ground, thanks to the Holy Father, and they will one day (before I die, I hope) be a distant memory.
God save the Church.
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Posted Tuesday, March 16, 2010 9:57 AM By Thomas Edward Miles
THE SKY IS FALLING, AGAIN!
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Posted Tuesday, March 16, 2010 10:22 AM By Georgia
Ted and David: Where have you been? Take your heads out of the sand and look around. CROCA has been right there for many years informing people of the dissent speakers at Cardinal Mahony's conferences for several years. If you have any doubt about Fischer's truthfulness you need not check out, but check out the heretics he speaks about. Go to the internet. These heretics are not bashful. They proclaim their beliefs at every opportunity. I am amazed that you do not already know about them.Maybe I need to say an extra prayer for you.
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Posted Tuesday, March 16, 2010 10:32 AM By Lawrence
David,
It is quite well known that the speakers range from the outright public dissents and subtle promoters of dissent to some orthodox speakers. I admire the courage of Ken as he goes each year and hands out fliers pointing out the problems. We are all called to speak up for truth and it is a shame on us Catholics that this promotion of confusion keeps going on year after year.
Just go to the website for the LA Congress and you will find speakers who promote homosexual practices, women priests, dissent from Catholic teaching and all sorts of confusion. It just takes a bit of homework.
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Posted Tuesday, March 16, 2010 11:06 AM By Mike
Have Mr. Fisher check out Cardinal Mahoney's track record as it relates to supporting Catholic education. They are voluminous and the sound bites (or is that back bites) from the folks at CRCOA are way off base.
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Posted Tuesday, March 16, 2010 11:11 AM By Happy St. Patrick's
Please come out and join the leafleting. Do your part for souls and the Faith. After all, as Ken's ad in the February 18, 2010, issue of The Wanderer points out, "Nowhere among the 315 workshop topics for 2010 will you find 'Magisterium,' 'Catechism of the Catholic Church,' ''Tridentine Mass,' 'Humanae Vitae,' 'Adoration,' 'abortion' or 'contraception.'"
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Posted Tuesday, March 16, 2010 11:19 AM By Abeca Christian
This is great! I truly agree with Mr. Fisher, I don't live near by that area but I will pray that everyone that shows up will give a powerful witness to this Cardinal. we should do what Sharan Harrison has suggested, e-mail, write to all church leaders. I would contact Fisher as well and let him know of our support through other forms and ask further questions.
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Posted Tuesday, March 16, 2010 12:39 PM By Mary,Mary
David, I attended the conference in the 80's and it was already promoting heresy. Get a list of the presenters, the organizations they represent, and their bios. About 1/4 are not acceptable and are "sprinkled" among the other wonderful presenters. Ken has been waging this battle for years, but it is difficult to combat the left coast liberal bishops.
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Posted Tuesday, March 16, 2010 1:51 PM By Kenneth M. Fisher
To those of you who are supporting what CRCOA will be doing this Saturday, and probably Sunday as well, I say thank you and God bless and keep you. To those who are opposed, I say learn your Faith better, or if you know the true Faith and reject it (many take that position), REPENT the time is near!
By the way, it was the late Monsignor Charles Fortier, then an Official in the Los Angeles Chancery, who asked me to start checking out the speakers at the Congress, God bless him. I miss him greatly.
God bless, yours in Their Hearts,
Kenneth M. Fisher
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Posted Tuesday, March 16, 2010 1:56 PM By Geoffrey
I am curious who the "orthodox" speakers are...
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Posted Tuesday, March 16, 2010 2:07 PM By Bella
I am shocked by much of what goes on. My son goes to a Jesuit High School in Washington. We spend a LOT of money to send him there and help other students to attend. I have been dismayed by many of the liberal teachers, the "Day of Silence" for homosexuals, and the screening of the movie MLK without notice to parents. What has come of this, though is quite interesting. My son has found that the liberal teachers are his least favorite. He cannot stand their soap box tactics and unfairness. He is turning into a very orthodox Roman Catholic. Truth still screams louder than any liberal speaker!
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Posted Tuesday, March 16, 2010 2:27 PM By Dave N.
I think this event will die of natural causes after Cdl. Mahoney retires. But some protesting could help speed it along.
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Posted Tuesday, March 16, 2010 2:30 PM By john
Seems that the company is not unlike the company our Lord kept, including the Pharisees and the Scribes.
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Posted Tuesday, March 16, 2010 5:03 PM By WOODY GUIDRY
I AM NOT at all surprised nor disappointed in the comments which came in today. It is very rewarding to see California Catholic Weekly's account of the "spread" of various opinions. Although diverse, these reactions show that people are really concerned with discovering the truth.
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Posted Tuesday, March 16, 2010 5:16 PM By David
And all of this in the largest Archdiocese in the United States. Can all of this really go without notice in Rome? Yes, I know he's on the way out, but Cardinal Mahoney is still the shepherd of his flock. Gosh, what a treat that meeting in Anaheim will be for the wolves. Really, this pales in comparison with the Notre Dame Scandal of a year ago.
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Posted Tuesday, March 16, 2010 6:33 PM By Joan
I agree with many commentaries. I, too, intensely dislike liturgy dancers, see no place for entertainment during the most sacred sacrifice. When a mistake in selection occasions, my feet do the walking. Hopefully, the new archbishop will insist on orthodoxy and clean house.
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Posted Tuesday, March 16, 2010 7:30 PM By simone_dubois
I wanted to look at the speakers list, does anyone know how? The site "recongress" requires a name and password to access the site and the process is unsecure. My anti-virus software doesn't like their system. Does anyone know of a different site to find the list?
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Posted Tuesday, March 16, 2010 7:44 PM By JLS
Bella, I attended a public high school and a public university and oddly, as cheap as they were, I turned out to be an orthodox Catholic after 34 years of not knowing much about the Church. So, I'd say that public schools do as well as Catholic schools in turning out faithful Catholics. OK, maybe I'm a bit tongue in cheek on this, but there are likely reasons other than religious that make Catholic colleges and prep schools important. Quality of education might be part of it. I saw a lesson plan for ap literature in a public school which revealed the protestant relativism, while a teaching certificate from a Catholic university hung on the wall. Take note that it is wise to do the religious education yourself instead of offshoring it.
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Posted Tuesday, March 16, 2010 10:56 PM By 1abqdad
If you try to put a frog in boiling water, it will jump right out. If you put a frog in a pot of cold water and slowly increase the temperature to boiling, the frog will NOT make any attempt to get out!!! My mother, a master Catechist, told me that this is exactly what they did with this conference! It began with the justification of a couple of "Controversial" speakers to demonstrate the fanatic/heretic perspective and was labeled as such. However, it has progressed until there is NO attempt to hide the deception of the use of speakers in apostasy is NOT even attempted! The sad reality is that so many Catholic School teachers have an extremely weak understanding of their faith! The LAST thing that they need is questionable doctrine/teachings!
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Posted Wednesday, March 17, 2010 12:06 AM By CJ
Great comments 1abqdad. It is very true what you say about the diminished intellectual commitment of Catholic School educators to the faith. In our school of St. Matthews, San Mateo, we have spent a week and a half having the younger children build "leprechaun traps" (whatever those are) but have spent scant time on Saint Patrick himself, so topical for these times. And Saint Joseph, and his solemnity this Friday, does not rank even a mention on our school website (but April Fools day does)!
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Posted Wednesday, March 17, 2010 10:48 AM By RR
CJ: You're absolutely correct. I live in Illinois and I used to send my kids to a Catholic school and I took them out for the exact reasons you mentioned. It's funny because my kids had to make a leprechaun trap too. It must be a Catholic school thing. Also, no saints were talked about on Haloween, but the Catholic schools had a costume parade and they had trunk or treat where you got candy from all the car's trunks in the school parking lot. CJ, think about homeschooling. You can give them a good, solid, and Catholic education at home and not worry about useless, time consuming projects and watered down faith that is found in Catholic schools.
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Posted Wednesday, March 17, 2010 11:00 AM By Gregorian
This article would have benefitted from the inclusion of the names of these dissenters. Then we readers could have googled them and judged for ourselves. As it is, we have to take the word of Ken Fisher.
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Posted Wednesday, March 17, 2010 2:32 PM By CJ
RR - Thank you for the words of encouragement. Indeed my wife and I have homeschooling on our radar. Before we entered parochial school we prayed about it and got the impression that God wanted us there to combat evil. Probably no news to you but now we ask, "at what cost to the children?" We too at St. Matthews have an elaborate Halloween parade (we've even seen boys dressed up as girls) and nothing at all for All Saints and All Souls. Then there is the "let's be green for lent" neo-paganism and of course no rosary and no adoration... they are even starting sex-ed in kindergarten... I could all on and on in familiar strains to you and others.
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Posted Wednesday, March 17, 2010 3:30 PM By Kenneth M. Fisher
Gregorian,
It is not just "the word of Ken Fisher". I rely on many researchers, one of whom, once worked in the Reagan White House and his brother as well.
simone, just use your search engine to find "Archdiocese of Los Angeles Relgious Education Congress"!
God bless, yours in Their Hearts,
Kenneth M. Fisher
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Posted Wednesday, March 17, 2010 4:16 PM By simone_dubois
Thank you Mr. Fisher, it was redirecting me yesterday, I went to the same (saved) site today and it let me through. Who knew. :) Thanks.
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Posted Wednesday, March 17, 2010 6:49 PM By RR
CJ: Don't have a doubt whether you can homeschool or not. I know you can. It's the best decision we ever made to homeschool. You will love it. It has it's challenges at times, but I can't say enough positives about it. Everything you posted again is what we saw. One 7th grader dressed up as a nun and had a big butt made from a pillow. It was truly unbelievable. Also, I took my children out of the sex-ed, including my kindergarten daughter. I wrote a note stating that my 3 children were not to be present in this sex-ed class and I had my oldest daughter give it to the principal. An hour after I dropped my kids off at school the principal called me and asked me why I do not want my children to be present in this beautiful sex-education class. He told me it was just wonderul. I told him that it was not their place to teach my children sex-ed and that it was my husband and my responsiblilities to teach it to them when we felt they were ready for that and what we felt was age appropriate. He said we were depriving our children of a beautiful class, but that he would allow them to be taken out of the class. Needless to say, we were singled out as weird because we were the only ones who took our children out of the class. And of course, they made a spectacle of my kids by the teacher sending them to the office to sit while the rest of the class was fed a bunch of garbage about sex. They make it seem like your doing stuff to your kids and that is why you are not letting them in this class. It was infuriating to say the least. I could go on and on also, but I just know Catholics schools are not the answer. You will LOVE homeschooling. It's fun and you get to spend quality time with your kids and not on leprechaun and useless projects.
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Posted Wednesday, March 17, 2010 7:47 PM By JLS
Kenneth Fisher has blogged countless times on this site, and runs the organization which protests Cdl Mahony's annual convention. No one to date has pointed out a single error in Fisher's posts. If you can find one, Gregorian, point it out; until then why don't you get off your sofa and do some of this work?
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Posted Wednesday, March 17, 2010 9:21 PM By Shawna
I'm going to the wonderful Anaheim Congress this weekend! I go every year with my co-ministers from my parish. We absolutely love the dramatic, spirited celebrations of Our Lord's eucharist from the perspective of many different cultures. Such a place of spirit and faith! Oh, that every parish could be as vibrant as the Anaheim Congress weekend! I always find speakers to be knowledgeable and informative, and they don't shy from saying the tough things that Catholics need to hear in the 21st century. It is such a source of inspiration, encouragement, community, bonding, worship, learning! I think I'm a better sacramental prep minister because of the Anaheim Congress, and the 40,000 Catholics who attend every year can't be wrong!
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Posted Wednesday, March 17, 2010 10:04 PM By Abeca Christian
JLS I agree with you, Fisher is a faithful servant of the Lord, I am thankful for all his devotion to Christ and His church. He is an obedient soul. I am grateful for all those who walk the walk, and for that, if one is a faithful Catholic Christian, then we should all stand up and support the efforts that help our church and save souls.
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Posted Thursday, March 18, 2010 8:42 AM By RR
Shawns: Numbers can be wrong, just like a majority is not always right. The majority wanted Christ crucified. Was the majority right? The majority of Cathloics voted for the pro-abort Obamination. Were they right? No wonder the Church is in such a state when "ministers" such as yourself are preparing Catholics for receiving the sacraments. Heaven help us!
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Posted Thursday, March 18, 2010 9:03 AM By JLS
Shawna, your post exemplifies the grave problem with new age catholicism. Let me highlight your most atrocious statement: "40,000 Catholics who attend every year can't be wrong!" Hopefully you will graduate from second grade at the end of this school year.
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Posted Thursday, March 18, 2010 9:09 AM By Canisius
To Shawna, of course 40,000 misguided Catholics can be wrong and usually those of the progressive srtipe are always wrong. Tell me what tough things do we faithful Catholics need to hear? The gay is good nonsense that we are steeped and all the other progressive BS that has come down the pike. I would cause such problems for your Congress of Dissenters if I lived near Anaheim.
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Posted Thursday, March 18, 2010 12:08 PM By CJ
Shawna - there are far more than 40,000 in support of this effort. Millions! They are called protestants.
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Posted Thursday, March 18, 2010 1:45 PM By JLS
So, is a new age "Catholic" a protestant, or something else? Lots of people believe, on the basis of a total lack of evidence and total heap of speculation, that not only the earth but people are evolving into something other than people. God? Well, it's a hoax; because the only way to soul meld with God is through the Sacraments, especially the Holy Eucharist which unites us with God. This was Jesus' idea; there are of course numerous other ideas from people whom God created, though. Which one do you prefer, the one given us by Jesus or the countless cooked up by countless others? Interesting that this irreligious congress is being put on right adjacent to the capital of fantasy and fairyland, like two young children holding hands.
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Posted Friday, March 19, 2010 6:18 PM By Kenneth M. Fisher
Shawna, where you present when Fr. Richard Sparks blasphemed the Holy Family. If you were and you approved of it, and this is only one blaring example of many, may God have Mercy on your soul and may God protect the children that you teach.
To those of you who have stated that you wish you could join us, you can through your support prayers which those of us on the Front Lines surely need.
By the way, many of those thousands you mentioned are non-canonically forced to be there, they have told us so!
God bless, yours in Their Hearts,
Kenneth M. Fisher
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Posted Saturday, March 20, 2010 5:27 AM By Hopeternal
I from the midwest so I won't be with you today but please know that your efforts will be in my prayers. We must witness to the truth. Thank God for the internet so that we can join the people of faith together allowing a nation to work together to end these heresies. These children and their parents deserve better. Keep up the faithful work.
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Posted Saturday, March 20, 2010 7:35 AM By Fr. Savanarola
Shawna is a perfect illustration of the damage the RE Congress has done.
David--Context would not make one iota of difference regarding the heretical nature of these comments.
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Posted Saturday, March 20, 2010 10:40 AM By Abeca Christian
JLS in my ever so humble opinion I think that a new age Catholic is actually a pagan who believes that there is a god, but it's god is based on positive or negative energy etc. The more they are into their New Age crap, the more deeper they fall into heresy and the more they mix our Catholic faith with their energies. They bring great curses upon their family tree without knowing it, the evil spirits gain more power in their life and they actually become more trapped in a spiritual war that slaves them. It is truly a scary thing, they may look good and happy in the outside and may even seem more spiritual but be very careful. We Catholics need to warn them and to help them get rid of all that new age stuff, some are actually ignorant of it so it would be charitable to kindly let them know of the great evils of new age.
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Posted Sunday, March 21, 2010 4:19 AM By Mark from PA
Shawna, it is good to hear from the experience of someone who has actually attended this congress.
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Posted Sunday, March 21, 2010 4:40 PM By Anne T.
In the 1970's when I went to classes for catechism teachers, which were held at the cathedral in San Francisco, they had dissident speakers such as those mentioned above. I was shocked went I took the class on Human Sexuality to find out the teacher taught "just about anything goes". He did not inlude beastiality or incest, but fornication of any kind seemed to be proper to him. Right after that -- I had put down my address for the class -- I kept receiving mail from Dignity, a homosexual group that I found out later does not have the approval of the Vatican. I just threw all the mail away. I had just come back into the Church, so I had not a clue as to what was going on. I hope things have been "cleaned" up in the classes in the S.F. cathedral since then. Evidently, they have not been in other areas.
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Posted Sunday, March 21, 2010 8:55 PM By Anne T.
I would like to add to my last post that it was the orthodox, faithful Catholic priests and nuns who were the reason I stayed in the Church. Thank you to all of them and those like them.
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Posted Monday, March 22, 2010 2:07 PM By Kenneth M. Fisher
Mark from PA,
We had some persons inside attending, and here is what we have so far gathered:
Fr. Brennan's talk highly promoted "Women Priests" in direct contradiction to the Supreme Pontiff's directive.
During a panel discussion on "Gay and Lesbian Catholics: Church Teaching and Pastoral Approaches", Sexologist Sr. Ferder who at one time was the screener for all candidates for
the priesthood in her Archdiocese, among other dissenting statements, openly stated that the Church will someday have homosexual marriage, and when a courageous future priest challenged him on her statements, Bishop Raul Vera Lopez openly approved of her heretical statements!
Mark, we will have further comments after we have had a chance to review the comments and statements we will be recieving.
We have many copies of the literature we passed out left over, and would be willing to send them to anyone who wants to distribute them.
God bless, yours in Their Hearts,
Kenneth M. Fisher
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Posted Tuesday, April 06, 2010 8:50 PM By Kathy
I have attended LA Congress in the past 1996-2003. It was a wonderful life changing experience. I cannot attend now due to the distance and family obligations. Mr. Fisher, you are making it sound like there are mostly liberal presenters. I won't fight you that there are some who I strongly do not agree with and they have turned me off. But, the good ones are the majority and are wonderful and have turned my faith on like a fire! If you are looking for bad you will always find the bad, but if you look for the good, it's there shining at you. The 8 years that I had the privilege of attending LA Congress have made me a stronger Catholic and a better catholic wife and mother. It is so uplifting when you are there to see so many young nuns and priests! The sacred dance is an expression that can be very moving. The Masses are some of the most memorable Masses that I have attended....although I have to say that attending Mass at Yankee Stadium with Pope Benedict was an especially moving experience too. Mr. Fisher, in God's house there is room for all. God Bless You.
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Posted Tuesday, April 06, 2010 9:11 PM By JLS
Kathy, that "sacred dance" was a pagan ritual. The incense was falsely explained. It was an abomination. The reason abominations continue is because they are seductive. If they were obvious to everyone, then they would not exist.
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