CHICAGO (IL)
Chicago Sun-Times
February 11, 2006
BY SUE ONTIVEROS SUN-TIMES COLUMNIST
What's going to happen on Sunday? That's what I've been thinking about all week. Last Sunday, when I sat at mass, I waited for an announcement, letter, something that I was sure would have to be coming from Cardinal Francis George about the current allegations of priest sexual abuse in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese. Nothing in my church bulletin. (I checked during the sermon that went on too long and never mentioned the situation, either.)
I couldn't believe that when it was announced there would be a second collection for, of all things, the seminary, no word from the archdiocese came, either. All the archdiocese would have had to say was something along the lines of ''this situation shows why it is so vital to have funding to train and acquire good priests.'' Something like that. But nothing. Maybe that's why I saw so few hands drop anything into the collection baskets.
Finally, at the end of my mass, during announcements, a sentence began, ''Cardinal George . . .'' OK, this must be it.
It wasn't.
Instead, it was a reminder that on the next Sunday, tomorrow, across the archdiocese, parish priests would be explaining to us, the faithful, why we should be giving to the Annual Catholic Appeal. In short, onceagain, we're expected to just ignore the current hailstorm raining down on our church as if nothing has happened. Pay, pray, obey.