Australian Parish At Risk Of Excommunication

For many years, the Catholic parish of St Mary's, South Brisbane, has been notorious for its continued liturgical abuses and doctrinal errors.

BRISANE (Secular Heretic) - THE stage is set for a showdown between a heretical group and the Catholic Church following a decision by the renegade Brisbane parish of St Mary's to defy a Vatican ultimatum.

For many years, the Catholic parish of St Mary's, South Brisbane, has been notorious for its continued liturgical abuses and doctrinal errors.In 2004 Archbishop John Bathersby of Brisbane took action over an invalid baptismal formula - 'Creator, Redeemer and Sanctifier' instead of 'Father, Son and Holy Spirit'.

Earlier this year matters came to a head when a statue of Buddha was placed in front of the altar at St Mary's, prompting letters of complaint to the Archbishop and to the Vatican.

Renegade parish administrator Father Peter Kennedy allows women to preach and homosexual couples can have their relationships blessed.In one parish bulletin, the Eucharistic Prayer was changed to includes the following:'We bring wine, made by many people's work, from an unjust world where some have leisure and most struggle to survive'.

And the Memorial Acclamation:"I am Inner Stillness Deep within I am I am conscious Presence Deep within I am I am Pure Love Deep within I am."

'In the sacrament of Eucharist members of the congregation recite the words of consecration, which only an ordained priest are allowed to do.Approved Eucharistic prayers are completely overlooked in favour of eucharistic prayers selected at random.

A letter from the Archbishop to the Administrator of St Mary's, Fr Peter Kennedy, dated 22 August 2008, set out a list of reasons why the parish could no longer be considered in communion with the Catholic Church.

The Archbishop wrote: 'The question for me is not so much whether St Mary's should be closed down, but whether St Mary's will close itself down by practices that separate it from communion with the Roman Catholic Church.'

A meeting of St Mary's parishioners yesterday endorsed a letter to Brisbane Catholic Archbishop John Bathersby that rejected a series of church demands.

The St Mary's parish and its priests, Peter Kennedy and Terry Fitzpatrick, may be excommunicated for their stand. Under pressure from the Vatican, Archbishop Bathersby had given the church until today to fall in line with orthodox standards.

In a letter to be hand-delivered to the archbishop today, the cafeteria Catholics at St Mary's reject the Vatican's claim that it is not in communion with the Catholic Church.

How can you be in communion with the Catholic Church yet reject what the church teaches? How do people live with such contradictions in their lives?