Fr. Roy Bourgeois Openly Defies the Church: Are Laicization and Expulsion Next?

By Deacon Keith Fournier
4/1/2011
Catholic Online (www.catholic.org)

Fr. Roy Bourgeois is an excommunicated Maryknoll Priest

We ask our readers around the world to pray for Fr. Roy Bourgeois. Ask the Lord who loves him to give him the grace to walk the same path of humility and honest fidelity to the truth as Mrs. Norma Jean Coons. This is a very serious moment for this priest and for the Church. He needs our prayer. Lent is a time for repentance, healing and reconciliation. Pray for the return of this prodigal son.

Fr. Roy Bourgeois. A picture is worth a thousand words.

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CHESAPEAKE, VA. (Catholic Online) - Fr. Roy Bourgeois is a Catholic Priest who was ordained to the priesthood in 1972. He is also a member of the Maryknoll Order. From the beginning of his priestly ministry he worked with the poor and the oppressed. He took public and sometimes controversial stands against Latin American leaders who did not respect human dignity and seemed to have little concern for the oppressed or the poor. He founded the "School of the America's Watch" in 1990 to call attention to what he long maintained was American complicity in some of the very unjust activities he had dedicated his life and ministry to exposing, opposing and changing.

Up to that point, Catholics of various political persuasions could - and often did - disagree with him and his leftist political leanings. However, he was within his rights to engage in that work. He had not veered from Catholic teaching in so doing. However, all that changed on August 9, 2008 when Fr. Bourgeois chose to become a "concelebrant" and homilist at the attempted ordination to the "priesthood" of Janice Sevre-Duszynska. The attempted "ordination" occurred at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Lexington, KY.

Fr. Bourgeois then engaged in a new crusade which involved public and direct defiance of the Holy See and a repudiation of the unbroken teaching of the Magisterium of the Catholic Church concerning sacred ordination. He received a letter from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith which explained his errors with a genuine concern for his salvation. It gave him a time period within which to recant his "belief and public statements that support the ordination of women in our Church, or (he) will be excommunicated." This action followed his overt, repeated, defiant and public rejection of efforts from the leadership within his own religious community to return him to full fidelity with the teaching of the Catholic Church.

His letter of response to the Holy See was defiant and dismissive. It was also poorly written and failed to answer the clear teaching of the Church, choosing instead to engage in polemical advocacy. So, by his own choice and action he incurred what is called under Canon Law a latae sententiae, or automatic, excommunication from the Church, by his own action. Of course, the purpose of any excommunication is remedial. It is hoped that the one who incurs it will seriously consider their action, turn back to the Lord and seek full communion with His Church.

A recent example of how that happens is Mrs. Norma Jean Coon of San Diego, California. She has been married for 47 years, raised five children, and is a Nurse with a PhD. She also participated in an attempted "ordination" to the Order of Deacon, the first of the Holy Orders of the Church, on July 22, 2007. She was associated with an organization calling itself "Roman Catholic Women priests" when it is not in any way associated with the Catholic Church. The good news is that, as a result of protracted prayer, on February 8, 2011, Mrs. Coon publicly renounced her membership in that group and disclaimed, in her words, "the alleged ordination publicly with apologies to those whose lives I have offended or scandalized by my actions."

She offered a public confession and request for reconciliation with these words, "I wish to renounce the alleged ordination and publicly state that I did not act as a deacon as a part of this group except on two occasions, when I read the gospel once at mass and distributed communion once at this same mass. I withdrew from the program within two weeks of the ceremony because I realized that I had made a mistake in studying for the priesthood. I confess to the truth of Pope John Paul II's Apostolic Letter Ordinatio Sacerdotalis . I confess the authority of the Holy Father on these issues of ordination and recognize that Christ founded the ordination only for men. Formally, I relinquish all connection to the program of Roman Catholic Women Priests and I disclaim the alleged ordination publicly with apologies to those whose lives I have offended or scandalized by my actions. I ask God's blessings upon each of these folks and their families." (Norma Jean Coon, RN, MFCC, PhD , San Diego, California)

Mrs. Coon was recently welcomed home to the full communion of the Church. She joyfully announced, "The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith has lifted any canonical sanctions that I incurred by attempting ordination as a deacon. A letter from Bishop Robert Brom states that I may now return to the full practice of our Catholic faith. I have been very touched at the remarkable support of my actions and the prayers offered in my behalf during this trying time. I wish to thank all those who have prayed for me and for my family. The prayers and masses have been deeply appreciated. May Lent and Easter hold many blessings for you and your family."

On May 22, 1994, the ...

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1 - 10 of 50 Comments

Mario Sujanto
1 year ago
I still can't understand why there are some that called themselves 'Catholic' have not understand that the Catholic Church is NOT a democracy institution, the Holy Church is a Divine Institution lead by the supreme leader as Christ on Earth. If you don't like what the Church teaches, then get the hell out of the Church, form your own congregration like Luther or Calvin or Swingli or Henry VIII did...... Problem will arise when the people have the arrogance to think that they are more catholic than the Catholic Church, that is more Catholic than the Pope in Rome....
Matthew Hahn
1 year ago
"Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?" -Matthew 7:1-3
John
1 year ago
Sabina,
Can't help but question you and all who say the church needs to update its teachings.... There are a million different churches nowadays that cater to certain beliefs. Religion isn't supposed to be easy, because it is about convictions that can or in the case of the Holy Trinity, not fully make sense. Society has rapidly developed in the last 100 years. In some ways, these transformations have been positive, in others dangerously evil. Keep in mind, what has existed longer than most modern day countries: THE CATHOLIC CHURCH. It has weakened at times, but it has never falllen, and it has always risen up again. Contrary to your opinions, the Church is slowly experiencing a Renaissance, the first of many positives coming from Pope John Paul II's legacy. Seminaries are filling up again with men convinced in their faith (trust me, though not in Seminary, I have the honor to know many seminarians in my diocese, and having the ability to be on a first name basis with most of them.
John Knebels
1 year ago
I will continue to pray for the Catholic Church that it accepts the humility that it is wrong and has been wrong for many years in regards to women's ordination. Deep down, people like Keith Fournier realize they are extremely frightened by the mere thought of giving up their monarchical status in our beloved Church. Thank goodness for true people of integrity like Fr. Roy Bourgeois!!!
Mary
2 years ago
Fr Roy has made a very grave decision in conscience, How could he please the LORD if he were to profess something he does not believe and publicly disavow his sincerely held conviction?
vance
2 years ago
Who knows what the outcome will be with aka Fr Roy Bourgeois? We all want to see people have a change of heart and mind when they go down a wrong path in life. Bourgeois is a man on a mission. He believes adamantly in what he is doing. I would like to see him and the many others like him get kicked out of the priesthood.
Alexius Kiob
2 years ago
In today's reading, Jesus said, "..for the Father judges no one; he has entrusted all judgement to the Son.." Jesus confers His authority to Peter, the Vatican, the Pope. All judgments are entrusted to the Pope just as God has entrusted all judgments to Christ.
In this season of Lent, I pray for humility for Fr Roy that he will come to realise that working for the poor, the oppressed and the sick are opportunities given by God to him to glorify the greatness of God.
Alexius Kiob
2 years ago
I am from Sabah (North Borneo) Malaysia. I pray for Father Roy Bourgeois that he may repent and turn back to the Lord. I pray that he will continuously help the poor, the oppressed, the orphans etc and dedicate his life in setting free the weak. And at the same time, I pray that he submits to the Vatican without reservation. There may be pedophile and timorous priests but there is only one authority and the authority is one that was handed over to Peter, the apostle. Shalom!
JeanCatherine
2 years ago
Flo Murphy

We have been appealing to Father with love and prayer. Your right our Lord's will be done.

Father also does go against the Catholic Church and these convictions are contrary to the Magisterium. Lord asked us to obey His commands. The question is Father doing this?

Peace.
vance
2 years ago
Flo, "How many of us have the courage and conviction of Bourgeois" I hope NO BODY. Obviously, you're not a Catholic because there is NO VIRTUE in a person whose sole agenda is to tear down the Catholic Church, its teachings, and its traditions. Since when is there Virtue in doing Evil? I call him an enemy- A Wolf in Sheep's clothing. How about a Charlatan?

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