An Open Letter to the BAFB Catholic Parish

Dear St. Michael's,

For fear of being struck by lighting causing me to plunge into the depths of hell I have avoided this "confrontation" for eight days. I am now equipped with a lightning rod and rubber soled Nike's, so Kiss My Ass.

Currently you employ a priest whom I find angry, harsh, mean, arrogant, rude, and void of empathy, forgiveness, happiness, and over all peace. Putting in lightly, he isn't nice. I would like to offer proof from past sermons to support my feelings. Here are a few memorable phrases he has used in his sermons, and one in which he said to me personally.

• "If you say, oh I love you, I WILL NOT SAY IT BACK" He proceeded to tell us that unless we show him we love him he will not reciprocate this emotion. Just using I love you as a praise for a good deed or kindness is silly, and disrespectful. My response to this in my head "Well, then fuck you." This was the first or second sermon he gave when he arrived at our parish
• "If you do not confess to me, you are protestant" This has been a line given mostly during Lent of this year. It is just rude. He speaks with the fire and brimstone and yells at us that we are just going through the motions and should not be receiving communion unless we are pure. Well, excuse me Mr. Theology, but God tells me, yes me, and anyone else willing to read his word that in order to go to heaven you must be not of this world and eat the flesh of Christ and drink the blood. So, who are you to tell me the truth is something different? Well anyone attending with any regularity knows you have a lot to say about it.
• "Who am I to tell you what to do? I am the priest, I am chosen to lead, I know the truth!"
• "oh you, J****, you never come to church?" WTF asshole - I hadn't missed a Mass at St. Michael's since Christmas when I was on VK and went at home. It was April. Also - we don't skip church. We go to church. I shake your had every week. I wave to you when I see you around base, I talked with you personally and introduced my son when you were meeting with the children for a special mass. I stood by my husband while you two talked for 15+ minutes about KofC last week and he introduced me then too. - So, I was a little miffed. It doesn't help my cause.

So then last week:

His sermon revolved around listening to the truth. He told us how in his country you have to listen and if not he will have to daze you. He explained this as slapping someone really hard. He told about when he taught the word he would explain the rules to his students and if they did not listen he would have them call their parents in and he would daze them. He said that even now when he calls home to talk with his younger brother, if he does not listen to the truth then he will tell him, I will daze you. And then he says "and I will, I will write it down and the next time I see him, I will daze him, I will not forget". Really - is this what is suppose to guide me in my path? I left feeling like crap, not like I just received the light of Christ.

I missed the message, but I did catch the arrogance and complete lack of empathy for his parishioners. When he explained that if he made people angry he was doing his job, making them think about the truth. No, that isn't it buddy - you just make them miss out on the awesomeness that is Christ. Thanks.

I will not be returning. As you can tell by my letter, last weeks sermon and past experience has not brought out my most Christian attitude. My apologies,

Sincerely,

Missing out.