Fr. Altman says Bishop Callahan told him he was “divisive” and “ineffective.”
Altman countered that he’d in fact grown his parish by leaps and bounds. He galvanized faithful Catholics around the country with his online preaching. Despite the challenges of the last year, Altman’s parish even thrived financially, becoming an unmistakable asset to the diocese while other parishes languished.
In other words, Altman has united faithful Catholics, not divided them. And he’s been effective by any normal measure, not ineffective.
Which brings us to a final obvious statement. Perhaps the most obvious of all.d
Fr. James Altman is living proof that Catholic leaders have it within their power to gather faithful Catholics, to fill the pews and to build powerhouse Catholic communities united against secular Leftism.
In fact, if bishops acted more like Altman does, Catholic moral causes such as the defense of the unborn might become almost irresistibly powerful political interests overnight. This would transform the moral landscape of American public life, and save countless unborn lives. Not to oversell it, but I believe it would also be a cooperation with the Holy Spirit and go a long way toward “renewing the face of the earth.”
I would ask Catholic leaders why that is not an option. But the answer is already … obvious. And perhaps not fit for print.
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