SANCTUARY HERE. BABIES NEED NOT APPLY.

The Oakland, California. Catholic Diocese has long been a sanctuary for homosexual priests. Take for instance Father Michael Galvan who has now left the priesthood for the second time to follow his heart’s desire. Take also, Michael Manfield, who was employed for a couple of years by St. Francis of Assisi parish to direct the teen religion program. He was a recognized leader of a large homosexual conference hosted by Holy Names University in Oakland.

The latest priest given protection and promotion is Father Padraig Greene, arrested in a men’s bathroom for lewd and indecent exposure near a children’s playground in the late 90’s while serving as assistant pastor at Christ The King Parish in Pleasant Hill.

He returned to the diocese five years ago when Bishop John Cummins was still in charge, as an assistant pastor at St. Augustine’s in Pleasanton. St. Augustine’s or rather the Catholic Community of St. Augustine’s in Pleasanton has been under the direction of that fine upstanding Catholic, Fr. Dan Danielson.

Danielson has now retired and current Bishop Allan Vigneron has raised Greene to the Pastor’s position. He has even gone to the unusual lengths of having a statement of support for Greene’s appointment published in the Catholic Voice.

The statement declares, in part:

“Repentant and desiring to put his life back in order, Father Greene spent several months dealing with this dark moment through extensive therapy and a program of spiritual renewal at a center in St. Louis.”

Checking with the Pleasanton Police Department indicates that they are aware of Fr. Greene especially following a public demonstration outside the church by SNAP members.
A spokesperson for the police department said that Fr. Greene is not considered to be one who must register as a sex offender.

Well, that’s good.

The Bishop’s statement concludes with this declaration:

“The Diocese of Oakland holds as one of the highest concerns the protection and safety of children and all parishioners, and is confidence in the ministry Father Green will continue to bring to the people of Pleasanton.”

The Diocese has had to pay out the usual millions of dollars for lawsuits brought by victims of sexual abuse instigated by other priests in the Diocese. So much for high regard for the safety of children.

The diocese is also becoming a sanctuary for illegal aliens. Following the belligerent disregard for the law of our country displayed on a PBS presentation by Cardinal Mahoney of the Los Angeles diocese, certain priests and parishes in our diocese are well on their way to becoming sanctuaries for illegal aliens flaunting our Country’s laws on immigration.

This New Sanctuary Movement establishing itself in Contra Costa County has ties to an organization called Contra Costa Interfaith Supporting Committee - CCISCO. This is a pseudo religious group patterned after the infamous Industrial Areas Foundation of Saul Alinsky.

Father Hugo Hernandez, current pastor of St. Francis of Assisi parish in Concord, Ca.. has been quoted in the Contra Costa Times, as opposing the actions of the ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) who have been rounding up illegals at job sites and Richmond, Ca. parishes which are also pastored by Mexican priests.

Father Hernandez was appointed earlier this year as parish administrator for St. Francis. Born in Mexico and highly educated and trained in foreign languages he assisted in parishes in foreign countries before coming to the Oakland Diocese and to St. Francis. The parish boundries, much of which are in Concord contain a large segment of Latino people. However this community has not been merged with the long time parishioners of St. Francis. While they both worship in the same church, the Masses for the Latino community are in Spanish.

Fr. Hernandez is referred to as a member of this new sanctuary movement in the November 19, 2007, Catholic Voice in an article entitled East Bay churches form New Sanctuary Movement to advocate for immigrant families facing deportation.

An interesting sidelight is that this Voice article is actually taken from a generic article with almost the same name and published in the East Bay Daily News last June, 2007. Further, the San Jose Mercury News published a very similar article depicting the sad plight of a family here illegally and threatened with deportation. Apparently some one person is furnishing the generic news into which comments are being placed to make it appear that the story is local.
Fr. Hernandez appears to be echoing the sentiments of the East Bay Sanctuary Movement (mentioned below) when he says:

“We all know that we have to follow the laws, but we do not agree with the way that the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency is applying them.”

Fr. Hernandez is not an American Citizen. Most likely he is in the states with a green card issues by the Diocese. What gives him the right, or the Diocese the right, to condone his statements about what is right or wrong about the laws of the United States?

The same Catholic Voice of November 19, 2007-page 6, contains a page of local charities and their wish lists for Christmas donations. One of those groups is the East Bay Sanctuary Covenant www.eastbaysanctuary.org. One of its services is listed as: Defensive asylum assistance to asylum seekers being held in INS detention facilities. The charity is under the direction of a Sister Maureen Duignan.

The online site lists work with Haitian poor in their own country as well as immigrants residing here. A few months ago a Missionary priest spoke at all the St. Francis Masses asking for donations to help the Haitian poor. He stood at the door after mass collecting the donations. The amount collected did not go through the parish records, but went directly to this priest. I now wonder if it actually went to this Berkeley group instead of to the impoverished residents of Haiti?

In their December, 2004, newsletter called Exodus, Sister Maureen, (a Franciscan) is being honored for her 20 years of working with EBSC. She thanks everyone for honoring her dedication to the cause of refugees and says:

“What a gift it is to be instrumental in changing unjust laws that force the exile underground. Being honored by you as a board and as a community was indeed overwhelming. My response is a prayer of Thanksgiving for all of you who continue to shelter our fragile brother and sister refugees in so many different ways, you who are indeed peacemakers.”

In another article in this edition of their newspaper Sister Maureen quotes ousted Haitian President Jean Betrand Aristide. Further links to the East Bay Sanctuary Asylum traces an extremely aggressive and restive international movement of labor groups. www.haitiaction.net.

All of the above information is provided in order to make the point that this Diocese has done nothing to provide sanctuary and protection to the preborn babies of this diocese who are at the mercy of Planned Parenthood.

The privately funded non profits that give support and assistance to pregnant mothers such as Mary’s House or Birthright or Casa Vincentia receive almost nothing in funds from the diocese and little in the way of publicity. Certainly no priest of which this writer is aware has given any consistent time and attention in homilies to opposing abortion - which can be said to be a law of the land - like they do to supporting illegal aliens.

Only one priest in the Oakland Diocese has ever given most of his time, attention and money to the cause of protecting preborn human life and he has been exiled from the diocese. This is truly the Silence of the little lambs of God.