Dannie’s Dirt – and Desperation

In our last article, we noted how SGG’s Daniel Dolan badmouthed a Kentucky woman who stood up for marriage principles that a New York “traddie” woman (whose son happens to be a traditional Catholic bishop) did not defend.  This woman in Kentucky risked both a fine and a prison sentence in refusing to issue a marriage license to two homosexuals who wanted to get “married.”  Dannie’s “words of gratitude” to her for having the courage to do what she did were these: “Kentucky’s poster lady for marriage turns out to be not much of one. She has been ‘married’ four times, and her current husband is not her husband.”  Again, Dannie, how gracious of you to point that out!  And would you also like to volunteer a comment about your bishop buddy’s mother, who has doubtless issued innumerable “marriage” licenses to homosexuals in New York?  What sort of “poster lady” is she?

Well, just one week later, after Dannie’s slandering of that Kentucky woman, “lightening has struck again”: In his Bishop’s Corner in SGG’s Sept. 13 church bulletin, Dannie had some more words of “gratitude” to share.  He was recounting the history of the original “9-11”: the Sept. 11, 1683 Battle of Vienna, in which the advance of the Ottoman Turks against western Catholic Europe was finally (and decisively) halted.  In that battle, the German forces of the Holy Roman Empire were under siege by the Ottoman Turks, when King John III Sobieski of Poland and his troops came to relieve them.  The Polish king and his soldiers delivered the decisive blow (including the largest cavalry charge in history), thus saving Western Christendom from the Moslem yoke. For this heroic feat, King John was hailed by the pope as the "Savior of Vienna and Western European civilization.”  His victory was so celebrated that even his enemies, the Ottomans, paid him due homage as “the Lion of Lechistan.” *

So what were these “words of gratitude” that Dannie had to share?  What sort of homage did “the Reptile of Rialto Road” pay this “Savior of Vienna and Western European civilization”?  What kind of honors did he bestow on him – this man who quite possibly saved all Christendom from Islam?  What sort of recognition or credit did Dannie give this man whose efforts insured the preservation of all future Christian generations (including Dannie)?  What did Dannie have to say about this man to whom we all owed so much? All he could muster up to say was: “The Polish king was also a Free Mason.”  Oh Dannie, how gracious of you!**  

Then, in his most recent (Sept. 20) Bishop’s Corner, Dannie mentioned something that caught our eye as well – and which made us recall something he had said in a previous ’Corner.  In the Sept. 20 ’Corner, Dannie, waxing poetic about the flora and fauna of the cult-center (as he usually does), mentioned that the “Queen Anne’s Lace” (considered by many to be an invasive weed) was in full bloom, and that it is sometimes known as “Bishop’s Lace.”  This gave Dannie an opening to mention the following: “This reminds me that this bishop’s [i.e., Dannie’s] lace is often in tatters. My alb sleeve was ripped last Sunday, much to my chagrin, and the cuffs of the rochet I reached for were as well. Could anyone give a hand, even just take a project or two?”  So, here we have Dannie again, begging for one of his Gerties either to repair his torn alb (or, more likely, to replace it with a new one).

So, what in this little anecdote reminded us of something that Dannie had said in an earlier ’Corner -- and what was that “something”?  Well, it was this: “Fr. Cekada and I returned from our traditional visit to Santa Fe with colds, but nothing can diminish a really restful and prayerful visit to the City of the Holy Faith of St. Francis of Assisi.”   So why would this note about a trip to Santa Fe jog our memory?  What’s the “connection”?  The connection is simply this: here we have Dannie, whose “lace is often in tatters,” making a plea for his Gerties to repair it (or replace it), yet taking a trip (with Tony) to one of the most expensive cities in the country.  (As the reader may recall, we reported in a previous article that Dannie and Tony had gone there for a “rest.”)

Why is it that he and Tony have money for a trip to Santa Fe, yet not to get his alb “fixed”?  And why Santa Fe?  As we just noted, it is very expensive; and if Dannie and Tony stayed where they usually stay (The Bishop’s Lodge), it is frightfully expensive ($400+ per night).  But more importantly, what Dannie calls "the City of the Holy Faith of St. Francis of Assisi” is a probably one of the most morally corrupt cities in the U.S. (and, by the way, has absolutely NOTHING to do with St. Francis of Assisi).  Santa Fe is, in fact, rated by a leading magazine (Travel & Leisure) as “the fourth best city for gay travel.”  (The Bishop’s Lodge, too, is also rated as “gay friendly”.)***  Hence, we cannot understand why Dannie has good things to say about Santa Fe -- much less, for him and Tony to be traveling there for their “rest.”

So, the “bottom line” here is that Dannie, after taking a “rest” (with Tony) in trendy Santa Fe, is handing his Gerties the “poor mouth” (again) about his ecclesiastical duds being “in tatters.”  (Shades of déjà vu, huh?  Remember, if you will, his Lenten “copious quantities of beef” junket to sunny Mexico, while the Gerties were tapped for his “high heating bills.”)  Why doesn’t he keep some money in reserve, so that he doesn’t have to go begging to his Gerties for “repairs”?  (Or, better still, why didn’t he and Tony forego their trip to Santa Fe?  That money could’ve bought them a whole wardrobe!)   The answer to that is simple: he taps his Gerties for funds whenever -- and as many times -- as he wishes, for he knows that they’ll unquestionably “obey.”  Or will they?  Here again (as we’ve pointed out several times in the past), we think that Dannie has “gone to the well” too many times.  And – guess what? -- his sheep are tired of getting shorn.

These latest shenanigans are “vintage Dannie”: ignoring people’s good deeds while bad-mouthing them instead, and playing “the poor bishop” while he and Tony scurry off to sunny resorts for their “rests.”  Lately, in his desperation, Dannie has been slinging dirt at almost everybody – that woman in Kentucky (and that king in Poland) being the latest – that, plus dishing out more of his usual “guilt-tripping” to keep his Gerties in line:  “I am saddened to realize that some families pretty much took the Summer off from Mass. These same also take off every Holiday weekend, whether they are in town or not.”  And this: “I thank the teachers of our Sunday School, who are evidently more concerned for the children than some of the parents.”   (Perhaps those parents are getting tired of both “the show” and/or sending their kids to the weekly brain-washing sessions.)

In the past, Dannie might have gotten away with slandering that woman (or that king), or he might have been able to convince his Gerties that he couldn’t afford to get his clothes mended (after having taken a trip to Santa Fe), or he might have been able to guilt-trip his Gerties into thinking that they “weren’t doing enough.”  Heretofore, they might have unquestionably swallowed such swill – but not any more.  They’re “putting two and two together,” and recognizing it for what it is: the last desperate attempts by a tinhorn tyrant to hang on to his power base.  But the world is changing – and so is SGG.  Dannie is losing his grip, and more and more Gerties are “jumping ship” – and leaving Dannie to rearrange the deck chairs on his West Chester Titanic.

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* Let it be noted, however, that this is not due in any way to “chivalry” on the part of the Ottomans.  Before the battle was over, they slaughtered 30,000 Christian hostages they were holding (including women and children) – which is what they habitually did in situations like that.  The present-day myth -- that Islam is a “peace-loving” religion (perpetuated by both today’s Moslem leaders and by our media) -- is pure HOGWASH.  Their Koran not only sanctions the killing of “infidels”; it prescribes it (click here and here for more on this).

** Not only was Dannie’s remark uncharitable and uncalled for, but so utterly unnecessary as well.  What did the wretch hope to gain, or what useful purpose did he serve, by by pointing out the faults of this man who saved Christendom?  (Whose faults is he going to “expose” next – Mary Magdalene’s?)  We have a suggestion for him: how about pointing out your own faults, Dannie?

*** Thanks to an astute reader who, in commenting on one of our previous articles, sent us some “links” about the Bishop’s Lodge (click here and here to see them), we now can confirm that it is indeed “gay friendly.”  That being the case, why would Dannie and Tony have gone there – and together, at that?  (And they have – several times.)  Even if it were entirely “innocuous” (which it isn’t), why would they go there anyway, with it being so frightfully expensive as it is.

“TRINOs”: Today’s Pharisees

A popular political acronym of today is “RINO” (which stands for Republican In Name Only).  These are Republicans (America’s nominally conservative political party) who really aren’t conservative.  We’d like to borrow from that designation, and coin another term: “TRINO” (TRaditional In Name Only), “TRINO” being a “Traditional” Catholic who – like the cult-masters at SGG -- is only “cosmetically” Catholic.  What brought on this notion was a recent news story about a county clerk in Kentucky -- Kim Davis -- who refused to issue a marriage license for two homosexuals who wanted to get “married.”  Because “same-sex marriages” are now recognized as legal in the U.S., the woman was found “in contempt of court,” and sent to jail, where a federal U.S. Judge said she would remain until she “recanted” her position.

This woman, who is from a small rural county in Kentucky (Rowan County), is most probably not Catholic, let alone, “traditional”; yet, here she is, standing up for Christian beliefs that every Catholic should be ready to do as well.  One would think that a Catholic – especially a traditional Catholic – would, given the same set of circumstances, leap at the chance to emulate this brave woman’s behavior – or at least to show support for her actions.  Yet Dannie Dolan’s only comment about her was the following, in his Sept. 6, 2015 Bishop’s Corner: “Kentucky’s poster lady for marriage turns out to be not much of one. She has been ‘married’ four times, and her current husband is not her husband.”  (Thank you, Dannie for your pharisaic show of non-support!)

Now it just so happens that there is another woman (who lives in New York) who has a job similar to that of the Kentucky lady – and who is not only a “traditional Catholic,” but has a son who is a traditional Catholic bishop.  Did she take a stand against “same-sex marriage”?  Did she risk going to jail for her beliefs?  No, she did not.  In fact, she has been issuing “marriage” licenses to homosexual couples for several years – well before the Supreme Court’s “same-sex marriage” decision was enacted.  Has she had any remorse (or even second thoughts) about it?  Or has her son raised any objections to what she does -- or has he told her to quit doing it?  Or has Dannie made any snide remarks about her?  The answer to all these questions is NO.*

And is this New York woman’s refusal to stand up for her Catholic principles some sort of a “fluke”?  Is her example “atypical”?  Is this the “exception to the rule”?  Again, unfortunately, the answer is NO.  In Traddieland, it seems that – more often than not -- Catholic principles take a back seat to “appearances.”  Their preoccupation with looking good takes precedence over being good.  They make sure that the correct rites and rubrics are observed right down to the “nth” degree; but when it comes to standing up for Catholic principles, they hide behind a shameful shield of silence.

How many “traddie” clerics, for instance came out and condemned Tony Cekada’s monstrous justification of Terri Schiavo’s slow, methodical murder?  Precious few.  Most stayed on the sidelines, not taking any position, for fear of “offending” Dannie and Tony.  (Big Don, the Brooksville puppy-mill’s kennel-master, of course, didn’t say anything against his buddy Tony.  In fact, he actually endorsed his position.  And the CMRI, although they didn’t show active support, said nothing against it.  They were notably silent.)**

Sadly, traddie clerics often remain strangely silent (or non-committal) on everything that really counts.  But on things that serve their own self-interest, they're conspicuously active.  Dannie and Tony, for instance, have denied the sacraments to parishioners who have broken their “rules” (e.g., going to an SSPX chapel while on vacation); and they habitually DENY Extreme Unction (and refuse to say Requiem Masses) for people who are blood relatives of SGG parishioners, but who are not “traditional.”  This is their “policy.”  Yet, in the case of one parishioner, they gave his “Novus Ordo” spouse a “triple-play” Requiem Mass (three priests celebrating three Masses simultaneously).  Why this exception to their “rule”?  The reason was that this parishioner was a BIG DONOR, and the others weren’t.***

In another case involving another well-known traditional group, a wealthy parishioner was granted permission to receive a “donor” heart for their daughter, i.e., “harvest” one from a living donor who is then left to die – a clear violation of both natural and supernatural law – and certainly of Catholic moral principles.  And, although not so blatantly monstrous as Cekada’s position on Schiavo, it was nevertheless an act of spineless indecision and hypocrisy –  because its determining criterion was MONEY.

Too often, these traddie clergy – like the Pharisee in the parable -- are quick to condemn the “publican” on the minutest of “details” – yet they themselves ignore BASIC Catholic moral principles on a wholesale basis.  For them to deny the sacraments to ANYONE who asks for them – traddie or not – is not only a mortal sin, but a violation of Church teaching and Church law as well.  The real irony here is that these men who throw their weight around like that have, in fact, NO AUTHORITY WHATSOEVER to promulgate and/or to enforce their dictums.  Yet they command and condemn at will and whim, cajoling whomever they can to fall for their line of crap, and profiting at whomever’s expense they can. 

Dannie, of course, is the arch-type of this model: the self-serving, pretentious, “do-as-I-say-not-as-I-do” tinhorn.  And his hateful (and totally unwarranted) remark about that woman in Kentucky reinforces the conclusions made in our last article: that he’s getting desperate, and lashing out at everybody.  More and more, his vicious nature is surfacing.  (We wager that, if he had lived back in our Lord’s time, he would have been right there with those Pharisees, ready to stone Mary Magdalene to death – and to condemn our Lord for “consorting with prostitutes.”)  The rest of Traddieland not only needs to stop emulating Dannie’s behavior, but to condemn it – openly and publicly.  We don’t need any more acquiescent, spineless ninnies sitting on the sidelines.  We don’t need any more TRINOs.

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* The Kentucky woman, for all her sins, stood up for marriage – and risked going to jail for it -- something that this New York woman had not the courage (and character) to do – but who, like many other traddies, compromised her principles, hoping (and figuring) that no one would notice.  Dannie, of course, was fully aware of the New York woman’s “situation,” but said nothing about it (because one does not “tell” on a fellow traddie).  Instead, he denounced the Kentucky “sinner,” giving her absolutely no credit whatsoever for having the courage to do what she did – typical Dannie!  Notice also that in his Sept. 13 ‘Corner, he even managed to berate the Polish king who in 1683 helped Vienna save Christendom from Islam by noting that “The Polish King was also a Free Mason.”   Thank you again, Dannie, for adding that little morsel of unnecessary ingratitude!

** Even the much-revered Fr. Martin Stepanich – although he stated that Terri Sciavo’s death was deplorable, did not make any public outcry about it (he only made his comments in a private letter, which only became public later, when it was re-printed on the Christ or Chaos website); even so, he did not come out and actually condemn Anthony Cekada for what he said about Schiavo).  Only Fr. William Jenkins and a few more came out publicly to condemn him for what he said.  Stepanich also roundly defended Dannie and Tony after the 2009 school scandals, and would not countenance any criticism directed against them.

*** The woman for whom the “triple-play” funeral was held was not only “Novus Ordo,” but was one who loathed Dannie and Tony.  For years up to the time she died, she never set foot inside SGG – yet she got this elaborate funeral that NO ONE else at SGG has gotten before or since.  Why?  Again, because her husband was a big donor.  Now you might think that Dannie’s “no funeral for non-traddies” rule might have been waived for other “prominent” parishioners.  No, it wasn’t – not if they didn’t have “big bucks” to donate.  The determining criterion always has been – and always will be -- MONEY. 

Coming Apart at the Seams?

Editor’s Note:  Many of our regular readers will notice that, last week, we published a “special edition” of Lay Pulpit.  Normally, we post only every other week; but lately, Dannie has been sticking his foot in his mouth so often that we figured we had to comment on it while it was still “fresh” -- hence, the “special edition.”  Well, that’s still the case.  We will, in fact, be posting every week for the next few weeks until we get “caught up.”

Dannie Dolan’s August 23, 2015 Bishop’s Corner was the usual mishmash of syrup and sanctimony, with all the usual buzzwords and phrases; but one anecdote in particular betrayed an undercurrent of acrimony and desperation in Dannie’s tone: his account of SGG’s “Fatima Rosary Procession for Peace,” held ten days earlier.  Dannie started off by saying that “We drew a good to average crowd for the procession, and were blessed with fine weather that evening.”  First off, his use of the phrase “good to average crowd” seems a little odd to us.  What is “good” and what is “average”?  Is “average” better than “good,” or vice versa?  Was Dannie just trying to put a “positive spin” on “mediocre” – or even “sparse”?  And if they were “blessed with fine weather that evening,” shouldn’t the attendance have been somewhat better than “good to average”?

At any rate, Dannie went on to mention that some of his Gerties “passed out explanatory leaflets about what we were up with a Rosary procession, to some of the local restaurants.”  According to Dannie, one of them “willingly took quite a few leaflets,” while at another, “The mushroom pizza hostess was too busy seating patrons to focus on prayers, but she did let us leave a few leaflets.”  And yet at another, “Starbucks froze us out, the three women there neither willing to hear about the procession, nor to take any leaflets. Orders from “corporate” probably. They are One World people all the way.”  Apparently, because Starbucks didn’t put out the welcome mat for his culties, “They are One World people all the way,” and their actions were the result of “orders from ‘corporate’ probably.”

After lambasting these establishments for their “insensitivity,” Dannie then directed his vituperation toward the entire community: “West Chester was having one of those municipal boondoggles on that Thursday evening, blaring unbearable music(?) at passersby, in the name of Summer entertainment, doubtless. The noise was truly hellish, but the Devil could not have been pleased at our heavenly music as we prayed the mysteries of the Rosary aloud. Fair enough. We won.”  So, a local community trying to hold its own summer celebration – as countless communities across the country do – is “unbearable” and “hellish.”  Well, Dannie, did it also occur to you that boys watching porno flicks on SGG’s school computer is a lot more “hellish” than loud music?*

After denouncing these folks for having the audacity to hold their previously scheduled event while he was trying to upstage them with his rosary procession, Dannie – like a street urchin who has just bested his opponent in a game of “King of the Mountain” -- triumphantly proclaims, “We won.”  You won what, Dannie?  Did you challenge these people to some sort of “I’m holier than thou” contest?  Or was it an Amish fashion show?  Or was it because you (like the Pharisee in our Lord’s parable) said more prayers than those debauched, shameless “publicans”?

Did it ever occur to Dannie that these people were holding an event that was planned long before he decided to grace them with his presence, that it was on their turf, and that he and his troupe were not invited?  And did it ever occur to him that he and his Gerties, many in neo-Amish garb, looked a bit “out-of-place” in that venue – and that his presence there probably made about the same impression as a hot dog stand in Tel Aviv?**   The fact is, Dannie could have easily (and more appropriately) held his procession at SGG, which has a quite adequate campus, and where he could have been spared the distraction of “hellish” music and other “worldly contamination.”  

Did Dannie not realize how “odd” that he and his entourage looked there in the middle of a community civic celebration?  The answer is that Dannie didn’t care what the West Chester folks thought; he was only interested in what his culties thought.  He knew that, to the latter, he appeared as a “selfless victim bearing public humiliation "for the greater honor and glory of God.”  To their gullible, cult-cleansed psyches, this was “holy.”  This was “the real thing.”

But it’s NOT the real thing.  It’s not even close.  It’s about looking holy, not being holy.  Like everything else Dannie does, it’s “all about the show.”  Dannie can come several miles to bring his “holy spectacle” to West Chester, yet he wouldn’t walk across the street to give a dying Terri Schiavo a glass of water.  If Dannie were really holy, he wouldn’t have written off watching porn and animal torture videos as “boys will be boys.”  Dannie’s a fraud.  He’s a fake.  He is the classic example of that Pharisee in the parable, who says: “God, I thank you that I am not like other people -- robbers, evildoers, adulterers -- or even like this tax collector.  I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.”  He’s a hypocrite.***

Dannie’s lashing out at these people in West Chester just because they decided to have a community get-together is, at best, grossly uncharitable.  And, at worst, it’s downright acrimonious.  Of course, Dannie has always felt the need to “play the victim” -- to blame some outside “oppressor” for SGG’s troubles.  For instance, in the past, he’s blamed the local electrical utility (Duke Energy) for SGG’s high heating bills, and a local HVAC outfit for high air-conditioning repair bills – but now he’s venting his wrath on whole communities – on anybody and everybody – and his attacks are more vicious.  

Frankly, we think that Dannie is a man whose mind is deteriorating.  A little later on in his ‘Corner, he reported: “The Lourdes grotto was beautifully decorated, and its pond (temporarily) repaired, and the fountain spouted blue water for our Blessed Mother!”  Yep, you heard right: Dannie had the grotto pond dyed blue!  (Dannie, are you going to dye it red on St. Valentine’s Day, green on St. Patrick’s Day, and purple during Lent?)  Then, later on – and for no apparent reason -- Dannie remarked that “There were a couple of piglets in the parking lot, but I don’t think there was any liturgical connection.”  Well, Dannie, we don’t think that there’s any “connection” between your neurons, either!  We wonder why Dannie decided to throw in this little “tidbit” for his readers.  Perhaps he’s exhausted his supply of remarks about baby bunnies, and he’s starting on baby pigs now?

At any rate, we think that Dannie is starting to go “bonkers”: first, he lashes out at a community’s celebration as “hellish,” then – with gleeful self-satisfaction -- reports about turning the grotto pond water blue “for our Blessed Mother,” and finishes up with an undecipherable remark about “piglets in the parking lot.”  Wow!  How’s that for “detached neurons”!!  We also wonder about Dannie’s remark that “Bishop Sanborn politely inquired if any animals figured in the ceremony.”  (Perhaps Big Don, too, thinks that Dannie’s “wiring” isn’t all connected – or at least thinks that Dannie has an unhealthy “animal fetish”!)****  Is Dannie “coming apart at the seams”?  We think so.

We think, too, that he’s getting desperate.  Little by little, his Gerties are abandoning him; and he’s “pulling out all the stops” to get them to stay.  But the problem is, the more desperate he gets, the more BIZARRE his attempts at “sheep retention” are becoming.  Pretty soon, he’ll be blaming the whole world for SGG’s troubles; and his anger and wrath will manifest themselves in even more “hellish” ways.  We suggest that, when Dannie and Tony finally retire to their resort in the desert southwest, they’d better find one that is equipped with a psychiatric ward.

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* Perhaps, too, Dannie considered them “hellish” for “inappropriate attire” as well (shorts, “sleeveless” blouses, “body piercings,” etc.).  The irony is that most Gerties wear shorts when they’re away from the cult center anyway; and enough of SGG’s younger set have "inappropriate body piercings" that Dannie has resorted to putting out a ban against them (as a recent Pistrina article noted). 

Also, it is curious that Dannie referred to West Chester’s celebration as a “boondoggle.”  Coming from Dannie, this is a bit like “the pot calling the kettle black,” isn’t it?  Dannie himself is the undisputed MASTER of boondoggling, with his mid-winter junkets to Argentina and Mexico – not to mention, his (and Tony’s) going “away for a rest” just recently (to Santa Fe, as we suspected).  These people in West Chester, regardless of what Dannie had to say about them, were at least paying their own way.  That’s more than one can say for Dannie!  And, as far as their event being “hellish,” it is Dannie’s uncalled-for comments about it that are hellish!

** Now Dannie (or one of his boot-lickers) might contend that we are “ridiculing” religious processions.  We are not.  We remember with fondness the “Holy Name” parades of past years, where every parish in the community came together in a city-wide celebration.  These parades were well-planned, well-organized, and well-coordinated with community authorities so that they did not coincide or clash with other events.  They did not superimpose themselves on somebody else’s celebration, as Dannie did (nor were they dressed in Neo-Amish garb).

SGG, as we said, has a quite adequate campus, where they could have held their procession (and they could even have used the adjoining street for part of it).  But Dannie, being Dannie, had to superimpose himself and his entourage on the main community, in the middle of their celebration, in order to maximize his procession’s “spectacle” value.  We know that Dannie, like the Pharisee in the parable, is doing his rosary procession to glorify himself, not God.

*** Dannie and the Pharisee are surely both hypocrites.  But actually, next to Dannie, this Pharisee is a “cherub.”  At least he “fasts twice a week”; whereas, Dannie pigs out on “copious quantities of beef” when he’s in Sunny Mexico during Lent; and he doesn’t “give a tenth of all I get” but “takes all that he can get.”

**** Big Don’s “polite”(?) inquiry about whether “any animals figured in the ceremony” seems to indicate that he is less than thrilled with Dannie’s morbid preoccupation with animals of late -- and we wonder if he is having second thoughts about Tony too.  Between Dannie’s bizarre ramblings about feral cats shredding baby bunnies and Tony’s inept attempts at “scholarship,” we wonder if Donnie is beginning to see them as more of a liability than an asset – and is “rethinking” his association with them.

Time for Some Accountability?

Editor’s Note:  Usually, this week would be an “off” week, i.e., a week when Lay Pulpit does not publish (we usually post only every other week).  But we’re doing a little “special edition” this week, because we just couldn’t pass up reporting about something that we read in Dannie Dolan’s August 30 Bishop’s Corner.  So, sit back and enjoy this week’s “special edition.”  We think that you’ll be interested in what we have to say.

In his August 30 Bishop’s Corner, Dannie Dolan mentioned one little tidbit that (he probably hopes) might have gone unnoticed: “Fr. Cekada and I have been away for a little rest before the new season starts in earnest on September 8th.”  Yes, folks, Dannie and Tony slipped away again for one of their little “sabbaticals.”  Apparently, Dannie’s “apostolates” to Argentina and Mexico (where he pigged out on “copious quantities of beef” during Lent) were not enough “getting away,” nor were Tony’s frequent visits to his hometown of Milwaukee.  Given that, it was curious that Dannie and Tony even took the trip; but we certainly understand why he mentioned this “after the fact.”

In “the old days,” Dannie would simply proclaim beforehand that he and Tony were going to The Bishop’s Lodge in Santa Fe, New Mexico for a “rest” – and the Gerties would unquestionably rubber-stamp it.  But now, Dannie chose to mention it afterwards.  The reason, no doubt, is that his Gerties are now aware of (and wary of) his free-spending habits; and they might now have questioned why he and Tony went on such a boondoggle – especially at a time when he’s begging them for money week after week – and they might have balked at such a proposition. 

But mentioning it afterwards prevents them from doing so, because the trip is already an accomplished fact.  Another advantage of not disclosing it until afterwards is that it allows Dannie to “cover his tracks” in some way, or “altering” (or even hiding) some of the financial “details” pertaining to the trip.  Of course, as he’s always done in the past, he could simply not give them any details at all – and just tell them to “shut up and obey.”  (After all, that’s always worked in the past!)  But the climate is different now at SGG.  Those Gerties aren’t so gullibly acquiescent as they used to be (plus, they know all about the Bishop’s Lodge, that it’s Dannie’s “favorite spot,” and that it’s frightfully expensive).  If Dannie admits that he and Tony have gone there, that just might be the “straw that breaks the camel’s back” for them; and they might pull up stakes and leave. 

But even if it wasn’t the Bishop’s Lodge – even if they’d stayed “at a Motel 6 in Yonkers” – the Gerties are not likely to take kindly to the expenditure, for it comes at a time when SGG’s finances are “strained” – and comes on the heels of Dannie’s repeated pleas for them to pay for “high heating bills,” AC repair bills, “African mission expenses,” Tony’s new organ, etc., etc., etc., while he, Tony, and the rest of their clergy are traveling the world on “apostolates.”

We think that Dannie has “gone to the well” one too many times here, and that his Gerties are getting tired of funding all these “causes” – and are looking for some ACCOUNTABILITY.  Will they get it?  Certainly not – at least, not right away -- because Dannie and Tony are used to getting what they want, and to being answerable to no one (much less, to their parishioners).  He and Tony are probably going to try to “stonewall” their way at first, and/or try to “gin up” some justification for their trip.  But we believe that “the old magic” is not going to work for them this time: the parishioners are going to start DEMANDING accountability and total transparency.  Will they get it?  What do you think?

Another thing that SGG’s parishioners should be concerned about is this: why are Dannie and Tony traveling together for their “rest”?  In the past, priests may have traveled together “on church business,” but NEVER for personal reasons.  In the past, priests never “went on vacation together” (for reasons that ought to be obvious) – especially to posh resorts in the desert southwest.  This is another “practice” that Dannie and Tony should dispense with.  But will they?  Again, what do you think?  (We know what we think.)