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Published: April 12, 2007
Gone to the dogs
Pacific Grove priest trains pet to attend Mass
My husband and I own a second home in Pacific Grove next door to Monterey in the Monterey diocese. The Catholic church in Pacific Grove is called St. Angela Merici’s. Father Jerry McCormick has been the pastor there for all of the eight years we have been in Pacific Grove. We arrived in Pacific Grove in 1999, just as a church remodeling was being completed. It was right after Easter. The person who gave the homily was a youngish man, newly baptized, whose talk focused on what should be corrected in the Catholic Church of which he was now a part.
Our next venture into the church was on a Sunday during football season. At the end of Mass, the pastor’s dog accompanied him down the aisle with a doggie blanket on his back that said “Go ’Niners.” Parishioners petted him as he padded down the aisle. We vowed seldom to return.
 This Easter Sunday we made the mistake of returning to St. Angela’s to find the situation even more bizarre, if that’s possible. In the intervening years, the old dog died (we were treated to a sermon on the pet’s death one Sunday by a visiting priest). There is now a new dog -- a fully-grown Rhodesian Ridgeback. It is well trained, and sits in the aisle attached to a leash for Mass.
During Father McCormick’s monologue -- I hesitate to call it a homily or sermon -- the Resurrection was likened to bunnies hopping, butterflies leaving their cocoon and baby chicks breaking out of their eggshells. The best chuckle from the audience came when father pulled something out of his vestment pocket, simulating a baby chick, which then peeped. This presentation was received with a loud round of applause.
During the kiss of peace, Father Jerry went up to his dog and scratched him on the head before circulating all around the church shaking hands with parishioners. My husband tried to watch to see if father washed his hands before consecrating the host and distributing communion, but wasn’t able to tell. There was so much talking and walking around that it seemed that no one was paying attention to the consecration anyway.
Also, during the consecration the choir was singing a lovely church song. At one point father stopped what he was doing, pulled his vestments away from his chest and whistled into his mike, imitating a baby chick peeping.
Before dismissing the faithful, father called all the newly baptized people up to the altar. There was, surprisingly, a goodly number who encircled the altar, leaving little room for father to end the Mass. While he was trying to be heard above the commotion, people were bringing potted tulip plants up to the altar and giving them to the newly baptized.
As Father Jerry and his entourage left the altar, he took the dog’s leash in hand and they walked side by side down the aisle and out the door, with people greeting and petting the dog.
(Submitted by CalCatholic reader Camille Giglio.)
Posted Thursday, April 12, 2007 12:27 AM By Janet
Is Father McCormick a Franciscan by any chance? St. Angela Merici was so it would seem to follow that it's a Franciscan parish.
Here's a story about St. Francis preaching to the Birds:
Father Francis and his companions were making a trip through the Spoleto Valley near the town of Bevagna. Suddenly, Francis spotted a great number of birds of all varieties. There were doves, crows and all sorts of birds. Swept up in the moment, Francis left his friends in the road and ran after the birds, who patiently waited for him. He greeted them in his usual way, expecting them to scurry off into the air as he spoke. But they moved not.
Filled with awe, he asked them if they would stay awhile and listen to the Word of God. He said to them: “My brother and sister birds, you should praise your Creator and always love him: He gave you feathers for clothes, wings to fly and all other things that you need. It is God who made you noble among all creatures, making your home in thin, pure air. Without sowing or reaping, you receive God’s guidance and protection.”
At this the birds began to spread their wings, stretch their necks and gaze at Francis, rejoicing and praising God in a wonderful way according to their nature. Francis then walked right through the middle of them, turned around and came back, touching their heads and bodies with his tunic.
Then he gave them his blessing, making the sign of the cross over them. At that they flew off and Francis, rejoicing and giving thanks to God, went on his way.
Later, Francis wondered aloud to his companions why he had never preached to birds before. And from that day on, Francis made it his habit to solicitously invoke all birds, all animals and reptiles to praise and love their Creator. And many times during Francis’ life there were remarkable events of Francis speaking to the animals. There was even a time when St. Francis quieted a flock of noisy birds that were interrupting a religious ceremony! Much to the wonder of all present, the birds remained quiet until Francis’ sermon was complete.
http://www.americancatholic.org/Features/Francis/stories.asp
btw: The Priest ALWAYS washes his hands at the end of t
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Posted Thursday, April 12, 2007 3:49 AM By Kara
This is abuse in the worst form. Does his Bishop know this is going on? No wonder young people don't take Mass seriously!!! It's shameful.
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Posted Thursday, April 12, 2007 7:08 AM By Dotter
I have seen this type of immature behavior before from priests. One hundred percent of them eventually left the priesthood, as will this child. The problem in California is the type of candidate they allow into the seminaries.
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Posted Thursday, April 12, 2007 7:35 AM By semperficatholic
What blasphemy! I will remember this wolf in shepherd's clothing, uh I mean priest, when I pray the chaplet of the Holy Face, which is prayed in reparation for the blasphemies against His Most Holy Face of Our Crucified Lord.
My Jesus, Mercy!
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Posted Thursday, April 12, 2007 8:28 AM By Dolores
I wonder wwhat they do during the blessing of the animals? I feel wonderful about the dog being there. I am unable to attend mass, because of a physical probllem, but my dog sits with me during Mass daily or Sunday, as we watch on EWTN. She is geting used to and listens for the bells. He also waits to eat until I say Grace before meals. Dogs can be taught, thank God. My dog is an alert dog and a good job even traffic when we are in the street and cars approach.
The Lord is good to us who are ablee to have animals, Thank You God.
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Posted Thursday, April 12, 2007 9:27 AM By Robert L. Lookwood
I recently read where tesimony was given that in the mid 80's, 1,850 homosexual men were recruted by a Russian agency to enter the Catholic seminary to try to destroy the Church. This partially explains why this problem with priests is so prevelant today and why practicing homosexual priests should be removed entirely. Unfortunately also in the 80's the Pope disolved his authority over the Bishops so now the Bishops can do their own thing without answering to anyone. The result is the Bishops do what they want, the Pastors do what they want, and the Priests do what they want - with the result being full scale chaos in the Church.
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Posted Thursday, April 12, 2007 10:20 AM By Gregorian
Janet,
In that first St. Francis story, notice he doesn't invite all the birds into church. In the second, he quiets the birds so as not to interrupt or distract from the Mass. I think Dotter hit the nail on the head. Fr. McCormick is another of the thousands of arrested development cases who have become priests (and Bishops) in the modern Church. The man is playing with toys and pets during Easter Mass! May God have mercy on him and the men who should have booted him from the seminary years ago.
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Posted Thursday, April 12, 2007 10:44 AM By Nora
I understand people loving their animals very much, but this is inappropriate for Mass. What is next, a pet iguana or python? Perhaps they'll install gerbil wheels in the pews.
Further, if people with allergies or asthma were in the sanctuary, they would have a very difficult time. I know that if it were me, I would have to leave. I cannot even be in the same room as an animal with hair, fur or feathers or even near one outside. If this was my parish, I would hate to have to change parishes simply because my priest wants to include animals.
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Posted Thursday, April 12, 2007 10:45 AM By Daniel
Dolores, my dear woman you are exactly the kind of parishoner Father Jerry is catering to. Pray the chaplet of Divine Mercy for the wayward man masquerading as a Catholic Priest along with whatever flock is attending his sick exhibitions. Does the Bishop know of his bizarre actions, oh, oh, who is the Bishop???
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Posted Thursday, April 12, 2007 1:49 PM By Janet
another story of St. Francis:
St. Francis of Assisi lived in the 1200s, which was a time of terrible immorality in central Italy. Priests were setting horrible example. Lay immorality was even worse.
Once one of the brothers in the Order of Friars Minor asked him "Brother Francis," he said, "What would you do if you knew that the priest celebrating Mass had three concubines on the side?" Francis, without missing a beat, said slowly, "When it came time for Holy Communion, I would go to receive the Sacred Body of my Lord from the priest's anointed hands."
(http://www.bishop-accountability.org/resources/resource-files/timeline/2002-02-03-Landry-Holiness.htm)
Another story is of a group of villagers who took St. Francis to a Priest who was known to have a mistress, in the hopes that St. Francis would admonish this Priest. Instead, when St. Francis met this priest he knelt down and kissed the hands of this Priest for those were the hands that held the Word of Life made flesh. This act of faith converted the Priest to holiness.
St. Francis said: “If I were to meet at the same time a saint from heaven and a poor priest, I would first show my respect to the priest and quickly kiss his hand, and then I would say: ‘O wait, St. Lawrence, for the hands of this man touch the Word of Life and possess a good far surpasses everything that is human.’”
I highly recommend reading the article by Father Laundry for those who are struggling with the abuse scandal
(http://www.bishop-accountability.org/resources/resource-files/timeline/2002-02-03-Landry-Holiness.htm)
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Posted Thursday, April 12, 2007 4:05 PM By Richard
You know, we've been hearing about the liturgical parade of horribles for thirty-five years now. Isn't it clear what the deal is? The questions is not, "Why would these priests engage in such liturgical abuses?" We know the answer to that. The real question is, "Why would anyone repeatedly go to such a circus?" Surely there is a Traditional Mass within a couple of hours drive. If not, then these ought to have enough sense to stay out of Pacific Grove!
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Posted Thursday, April 12, 2007 6:57 PM By Laurette Elsberry
CONTINUED FROM PRIOR EMAIL WHICH FLEW OFF MY FINGERS AHEAD OF THE ENDING:
"responder who said that no one else had complained about the event. Things have not changed Fr. Madigan still has his animals, still gets publicity about it, is still a media hound.
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Posted Friday, April 13, 2007 1:25 PM By Gregorian
Janet, what's your point? Nobody said Fr. Pets-and-toys wasn't an ordained priest. Nobody contends that his office doesn't deserve respect.
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Posted Friday, April 13, 2007 6:59 PM By janet
Greg,
The point is that St. Francis had so much love & reverence for the Eucharist that when asked about a priest celebrating Mass who had three concubines on the side, his response was that he would kneel and kiss the very hands that held the Body of Our Lord.
Several folks here, when reading a story about a priest celebrating Mass who brought a “pet”, not a concubine or two, a PET, are passing “rash judgment”. They are slandering and mocking him by saying things like “arrested development”; “blasphermer”; “wolf in shepherd’s clothing”; “should have been booted from the seminary years ago.”; “wayward man masquerading as a Catholic Priest”; “Fr. Pets and toys” and some even go so far as to call the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass itself a circus!
I chose to show the example of a humble, holy man, St. Francis, who had such love, devotion & reverence for the Eucharist that the very fact that a priest’s hands were the hands that consecrated ordinary bread & wine into the Body of Our Lord brought him to his knees before an otherwise sinful man. St. Francis’ act of faith and devotion for those hands converted the Priest.
I doubt that slandering Father McCormick the way that’s been done here will do much to bring about conversion, especially when those doing the slandering are in much more need of conversion themselves.
Slander is a sin, by the way. It’s a sin against the 8th commandment: * 2477 Respect for the reputation of persons forbids every attitude and word likely to cause them unjust injury.
Look it up in the Catechism.
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Posted Saturday, April 14, 2007 8:11 PM By Sue
What a sad celebration of the Holy Mass. Perhaps this priest needs some counseling from a fine orthadox bishop!
Is there one in California! He and the Barney priest should go together and perhaps have the "priesthood" re-explained to them. Our youth and faithful deserve one hour of concentration on Jesus...no Barney, Pluto antics or any other Mickey mouse garbage necessary for the Body of Christ...we just need HIM!
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Posted Monday, April 16, 2007 11:37 PM By old parish worker
Father McCormick isn't a Franciscan; he's a diocesan priest for the diocese of Monterey.
Pray for him, and pray for the diocese. Resist complaining.
Since my husband and I started praying for our priests, we have witnessed profound holiness growing in our parish.
Try it. And be willing to trust God.
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Posted Monday, April 16, 2007 11:37 PM By old parish worker
Father McCormick isn't a Franciscan; he's a diocesan priest for the diocese of Monterey.
Pray for him, and pray for the diocese. Resist complaining.
Since my husband and I started praying for our priests, we have witnessed profound holiness growing in our parish.
Try it. And be willing to trust God.
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Posted Tuesday, April 17, 2007 9:53 PM By Ed Kasprzycki
Geesh what's the big deal -- dog going to mass... in the early days animals were all over the place.. If Jesus can be born in a manger then a dog can come into church.
Also is it possible that this dog is there for another reason? Dogs can be trained to alert their masters to a seizure coming on. Is Father in perfect health? I know of a priest who is blind from Macular dengeneration and says mass every Sunday with his dog at his side.
A little better use of web space -- I miss the old newspapers if these are type of stories we are going to read on the website..
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