ALL ABOUT THE LAY PULPIT

Saturday, December 30, 2017

There’s No Such Thing as a Free Lunch

Every year around All Souls' Day, Dannie Dolan cranks up his “indulgence machine.”  This past All Souls’ Day was no exception.  In his Nov. 4, 2017 ’Corner, Dannie intoned the word “indulgence” no less than three times, in his efforts to remind the Gerties that they could earn some by coming to the cult center at the prescribed times, and doing the prescribed “acts.”  And more often than not, the prescribed “act” includes some sort of “offering” – purgatorian society envelopes, for instance.  When one puts the prescribed “donation” in the envelope (and sends it in to Dannie), whichever poor souls’ names are on the list get some sort of remission of their “temporal punishment.”

Now the thing that makes one wonder is this: how many “names” are allowed on one envelope?  And what happens if the “prescribed amount” is not in the envelope?  Does that soul get “short-changed”?  And if, perhaps, there’s no limit on how many names can be on an envelope, why can’t one just put everybody’s name on the list?  And if one forgets to put a name on the list, is that soul “SOL”  (“S*** Outta Luck”)? Or if that soul was Novus Ordo, is he or she also “outta luck” or somehow “disqualified”  (like the one whom Dannie refused both Extreme Unction and a Requiem Mass that one time)?1  

These are burning questions, especially for those on whose resolution a “plenary” indulgence often hinges.  And if a plenary indulgence was gained for someone last year (or the year before that, or the year before…), then why is another one needed?  Do they not “take” sometimes?  Do they somehow lose their efficacy over time?  And this brings up another question: why is a donation required at all?  Why must there always be an expectation of monetary compensation in return for purely spiritual favors?

Then there are, at various times, other envelopes for this or that “intention.”  Dannie has all sorts of manufactured reasons for “envelope stuffing” throughout the year: “Easter memorials,” Christmas memorials,” “Lenten offerings,” etc. (not to mention, all the a la carte “special intentions” throughout the year (money for SGG’s “excessively high heating bills,” or to fix its ever-leaking roof, for instance).  If a particular deceased loved one was previously “covered” by an offering on one of these occasions, then why does he or she need to be “covered” again?  (And why is another cash offering required?)  And tell us, Dannie: does a person get more “graces” by putting his money in one of these envelopes (vs. adding it to his regular “weekly collection” offering)?  How many times must the gullible Gerties “go to the well” for Dannie, to get their “intentions” fulfilled?

Then, of course, there are SGG’s votive candles.  We fondly recall the time when a woman paid for one of Dannie’s “five day” candles, only to discover that, when she returned the next day, the candle was extinguished.  Why, we may ask, was this candle snuffed out the day after it was lit?  And (notwithstanding the reasons for why it was prematurely extinguished -- and whether that compromised its “efficacy” or not), we also wonder what kind of enhanced “efficacy” a “five day” candle has over a “one day” candle (or, for that matter, a five-hour or five-minute candle.  How much “better” is a five-day candle than any other candle?  How many more “graces” does it provide?

But then there’s the biggest laugher of them all: Dannie’s “privileged altar” (and all the “indulgences” attached to it).2  Remember that one?  Remember all of Dannie’s claims about it?  Are you starting to ask yourself if all of this is sounding a little “fishy” -- a little “too good to be true”?  Are you starting to ask yourself if His Fraudulency could be “selling us a bill of goods” here?  Yes, he could be – and yes, he is.  Dannie’s “indulgences” – like the rest of his wares – are FAKE.  They’re NON-EXISTENT.  In fact, everything that Dannie says or does is fake -- because he has no commission from the Church to grant such things (or have such power).  He has no authority.  He has no jurisdiction.  He is an imposter.3  Add to that the fact that he’s shown himself to be a cheat, charging people for “five-day” candles -- and then having them blown out after one day, just to save a little beeswax.

Dannie’s “indulgences” (and all the rest of it) are just fund-raising schemes – ways for people to empty their wallets for him -- and nothing more.  The sad thing here about what Dannie is doing is that this is what got the Church into trouble to begin with, spawning the Protestant Revolt: selling indulgences.4  Worse, he’s selling “indulgences” that are non-existent – and selling them over and over again.  How many times have the Gerties stuffed “purgatorian society” envelopes year after year – often for the same “indulgences”?  And how many “memorial” envelopes have they stuffed for extra “graces”?  What Dannie is doing here, pure and simple, is Simony: the buying and selling of ecclesiastical privileges – except that they don’t exist.

The Gerties think that, by getting all these “indulgences” and “graces,” they’re “getting something for nothing” – a “free lunch,” as it were.  Actually, the opposite is true: they’re paying a very significant “something” – and getting nothing in return.  All of these “offerings” are just different ways in which Dannie can empty their wallets.   And the absolutely amazing thing is that Dannie gets away with it – at least up until now.  The Gerties have actually fallen for this crap, and some still do – still taking Dannie’s snake oil for “the real thing.”  But that’s human nature: since time immemorial, people have been intrigued with the idea of “getting something for nothing”; and many will unquestioningly believe those who promise it to them – and do anything to get it.

And that’s what cults do.  That’s why they’re in business.  The people of Jonestown were willing to commit mass suicide for their “salvation.”  All that Dannie’s Gerties have to do, on the other hand, is to stuff envelopes with money on a regular basis.  What could be easier and more “straight-forward” than that? – except that it’s not straight-forward.  It’s about as “crooked” as one can get. Week after week, Dannie’s promises his Gerties all sorts of “magic”; but all they get, more and more, is humbug – and a combination of never-ending guilt-tripping and pleas for more money.

But, fortunately, the Gerties are catching on to Dannie’s act – and “voting with their feet” (and their wallets).  Collections are down.  Attendance is dwindling.  Just about every week, in fact, Dannie has something to say about the low attendance.  One Sunday, he lamented that “Sunday church attendance continues low this Fall.  Looks like we peaked in Summer.  Go figure.”5  Well, Dannie, your Gerties are “figuring.”  They are catching on.  They are beginning to realize that your cult is just that – a cult – and that it’s fake, that it’s bogus, and that they’re throwing their money away for NOTHING.

This coming Lent, Dannie will no doubt be (once again) cranking up his “indulgence machine,” and/or will be promising some other “free” ways to get “guaranteed salvation.”  But this time, Gerties, don’t fall for the scam.  First of all, nothing that Dannie ever “gives” is really “free.”  You usually end up paying for your “free lunch.”  Secondly (and more importantly), Dannie’s “indulgences,” like all his other “spiritual goodies,” are, to repeat, counterfeit.  Therefore, you are paying, but getting nothing in return.  So, keep your money in your wallet, where it belongs -- not in Dannie’s pocket, where it disappears without a trace.  Charity begins at home, not at the cult center.  This coming year, do the right thing: make a New Year’s resolution to… 

Starve the beast!

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1 See the LP article (click here) about the time Dannie refused a Requiem Mass (and the last rites) for the Novus Ordo mother of an SGG parishioner (who was poor), yet granted both to another Novus Ordo woman, simply because her husband was a big SGG donor. 


2 Dannie’s bogus claim of a “privileged altar” was exposed by Pistrina Liturgica.  (Click here and here for PL’s articles on this.)

3 This, therefore, makes all of those “burning questions that we brought up before irrelevant.  If an “indulgence” is bogus to begin with, then – no matter how many times it is “gained” -- it’s still bogus.

4 It’s ironic that the building of St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome, the biggest church in Christendom (built to triumphantly celebrate the supremacy of the Church), precipitated the splitting of Christendom – a split due largely to the abuse of selling indulgences to pay for that “triumph.”  And it’s ironic that Dannie is virtually doing the same thing, except that his “indulgences” are bogus – because, to reiterate, he has no commission from the Church to do so.



5 After this past All Souls' Day, Dannie also commented (in his November 4 ’Corner):  “Fr. McKenna says he’s always edified by the numbers who come back, freely, one day after the day of obligation, to pray for the Poor Souls to be freed from their fiery prison.  And it is true, but the Bishop [Bishop?  To whom  are you referring here, Dannie?] remembers many years ago that one could have an evening High Mass for All Souls, and draw a good crowd to pray for poor souls, ‘whom no man could number.’  Those who once attended are dead, and it is for us the living now to remember them too in prayer, at Mass and with indulgences. It is a wonderful thing that we can offer many Masses on November 2 (each priest is privileged to offer three) and that the living still come, albeit in little clusters rather than crowds, to pray for our dear dead.”  (Did you notice, too, in the following week’s ’Corner, the number of “saints” there were in Dannie’s “All Saints” group picture? (Dannie has SGG’s kids dress up for it every year.  In years past, there were dozens.  This year, there were barely a dozen -- probably from two or three families at most.)  (Click here for photo.)

Saturday, December 23, 2017

We’re Back -- Almost

This short post is simply to let our readers know that our first article, after our autumn-early winter hiatus, will appear on December 30 (to ring out the old year, and ring in the new).  But before doing so, there is something that we’d first like to mention. Most of our readers are aware that comments are now moderated – a necessary step that was a direct result of the unbridled spamming that went on several months back.  This, of course, will continue.  In fact, from here on, we will have zero tolerance for any of the childish drivel sent in by people like “Robert Rawhide” or “Sal Monela,” whether they disguise themselves as “Anonymous” or not.  We can pretty much guarantee that, most of the time, they will be summarily put in the “spam” file.

We mention this, simply to save “Robert” and “Sal” the trouble of wasting their time – but especially our time and that of our regular readers -- by writing in.  We wish to spare everyone having to wade through the baseless nonsense that such people send in – written merely to disrupt simply for disruption's sake -- and we wish to spare ourselves the tedious task of having to answer these crackpots.

Our first article, to repeat, will appear December 30.  And, just as in this past year, articles will appear bi-weekly (i.e., every other week), unless specified otherwise. We are glad to get back into the fray, and once again to be giving Dunce-cap Dannie, Tinhorn Tony, and Not-so-big Don the “attention” that they deserve.  Stay tuned!

Saturday, October 7, 2017

Dannie and Tony: The Archdukes of Arrogance

Editor’s Note:  This will be our last post for this year.  As we did last year, we will be “taking a break,” now that Pistrina Liturgica is returning from theirs.  We will be back on or about the first of the year.

A former SGG parishioner who worked in its office reports that, as part of her job, she picked up Dannie Dolan’s and Tony Cekada’s mail for them every day, and that when she brought it in, Tony would hand her a letter opener -- and she would then have to open it for him.  Apparently, this task was  too “menial” for Tony.  This same woman said that, one day, Tony also put his shoes under her desk, apparently expecting her to shine them for him.  Needless to say, she ignored the shoes.  (By this time, she realized that she was being treated like a base lackey -- and decided that “enough was enough.”)  After a month on the job, she quit.  (And, oh, by the way, she never got paid for that month’s work.)  And as for Dannie, in addition to such servitude, he expects even more: Dannie, as is widely known, is so jaded that he doesn’t even drive: His Self-Importancy must be chauffeur-driven everywhere he goes.1

Another incident that gives an insight into Checkie’s “character” happened one Sunday when a phone call for him came in from Europe.  And because Tony was in his “office” (conversing with a couple of parishioners), the person taking the call knocked on the office door to let him know.  Tony, pretending not to hear him knocking, kept on conversing.  Finally, after knocking again, the person stuck his head in the door, and – speaking for no more than five or ten seconds -- informed Tony of “a call from Europe”; whereupon Tony, disdainfully looking up, rebuked him for “interrupting,” saying, “Don’t you see that I’m busy?  Tell them to call back later.” 

Tony’s “conversation,” by the way, was of no great importance, while the call from Europe was – but Tinhorn Tony had to make a point of “not being disturbed,” and therefore used this occasion to make his “importance” felt.  There are, we’re sure, many other examples of Tony’s pretentious arrogance; but we think this one gets the point across.  We’re also sure that Dannie has done much the same thing (but perhaps a little more “subtly” than Tony).  But, typically, the only instances where the terrible twosome ever “have any time for anyone” are those where one can do them some material good, either actually or potentially.  Otherwise, one gets “short shrift” from them (or is completely ignored by them).

Their arrogance plays out in so many other ways too – in the opulence of their life-style, for instance.  In their 2000+ sq. ft., three-climate-zone rectory, Dannie and Tony live in air-conditioned (or heated) comfort, while Gertie mothers must put up with a “zero-climate-zone” vestibule for them and their crying infants (where they sweat in summer and shiver in winter).  Dannie and Tony’s rectory, by the way, includes an over-sized private bedroom for each – with each bedroom having its own huge walk-in closet and private bath. 

In the “church” building, it’s much the same.  Space originally intended for staff offices was “reassigned,” and remade into a “social hall.”  For Dannie and Tony, however, there was no such “cost-cutting.”  For them, each was given his own over-sized office (Dannie’s has a fireplace), with both offices sharing a wet-bar kitchenette and a private full bath (with shower).  Meanwhile, the dozen or so “staff” got shoe-horned into an area about the size of Dannie’s office, and they must share the “social hall” bathroom facilities with the other parishioners. (It is interesting to note, too, that the complex includes a windowless “sleeping” room that can be used for other activities that lend themselves to “windowless rooms.”)

But Dannie’s and Tony’s arrogance perhaps plays out most in their shameless self-promotion. Dannie touts himself as Traddieland’s master of all things “liturgical” -- and Tony, of course, of all things “theological.”  Together, though, they try to pass themselves off as Traddieland’s “authorities on everything.”  In recent years, they have branched out into all sorts of things.  Not content with just performing for the “studio audience” (his in-house Gerties), Dannie has, as we’ve already noted, put his “show” online (along with his bulletins, newsletters, and his never-ending pleas for donations).  And, as we’ve also noted, Tony has -- in addition to his printed publications -- gone “cyber” with his YouTube videos.  But that is not enough for these glory-hungry gourmands.  In their eagerness to promote themselves as a “full-service” cult center, they have, in the past year or two, launched two new initiatives: a liturgical “calendar” and an “Ordo.”

And how have all of these initiatives fared?  Miserably.  Without exception, these new endeavors have been exposed for the shoddily plagiarized mistake-a-thons that they are; and, outside the cult center walls, NO ONE pays attention to them.  But in their arrogance, Dannie and Tony don’t seem to notice that the world-at-large is ignoring them.  Their arrogance insulates them from such harsh realities, because, like other forms of self-delusion, it does not recognize itself.  It knows no shame.  So, week after week, unembarrassed and unabashed, they plod on, impervious to the fact that they are huge failures in the world-at-large.  And, like the carnival hucksters that they are, they continue to sell their snake oil to whomever is gullible enough to buy it.

And so far, they still have found enough suckers who will donate to keep their ecclesiastical medicine show limping along on “bruise control” – but just barely.  That critical mass is shrinking as people inevitably wake up; and as they do, the financial burden of the Lotarski millstone weighs more and more heavily around their necks.  That, coupled with the fact that none of their “extracurricular” ventures has ever panned out, means that it’s becoming harder and harder for them to make ends meet.  (Proceeds from Tony’s opus, WHH, for instance, haven’t been enough to crowd-fund a lemonade stand.)  By and large, it’s their old standby – donations from their gullible Gerties – that keeps them afloat.

How long will these carnival con men hold out?  We don’t know.  But what is certain is that their demise is inevitable, because – although Dannie and Tony will never recognize their own arrogance – their Gerties inevitably will.  (No one stays gullible forever, and even they will eventually wake up one day.)  But Dannie and Tony will not “wake up,” because they’ve been faking it for so long, it has become “real” for them; and they are hopelessly ensconced in their self-delusion.  

Dannie will continue in the delusion that he is TradWorld’s “reigning expert” on rites and rubrics (in spite of the fact that he’s been caught over and over again “making it up as he goes along” in his unrelenting efforts to make his “show” more spectacular); and Tony will continue to fashion himself as a “scholar” and a “theologian” (even though he’s neither – and has made himself the laughing stock of TradWorld).  Dannie and Tony will continue to try to exploit and victimize their followers.  But, as we said, no one stays gullible forever.  They’ll get wise to Dannie and Tony -- and when they do, these archdukes of arrogance who have been exalting themselves all these years will, at long last, be deservedly humbled. 

___________________________


1 We’re not quite sure why Dannie never learned to drive; but we’re sure that, if asked, he will come up with some “explanation” as to why he didn’t (and, of course, his gullible Gerties will probably “buy it.”)  But the fact is, even old ladies learn how to drive these days; and it is inconceivable that, in today’s world, a grown man doesn’t drive.  Actually, it’s our guess that Dannie does know how to drive, but won’t, because he figures that “driving a motorcar” would be beneath the dignity of someone of his “personage.”  But if Dannie thinks that being chauffeur-driven “enhances his image,” he’s sadly mistaken.  In this day and age, an able-bodied man not being able to drive is simply unheard of – except, of course, if he is physically (or mentally) disabled – or (as we suspect) has a prima donna complex.

Saturday, September 30, 2017

Dannie’s Two Millstones

Sometime back we posted an article entitled Playing the “Victim” (aka “The Blame Game”). (Click here.)  And in it, we talked about SGG’s failing HVAC system and its failing school.  Well, here we are again: “déjà vu”!  Just recently, SGG’s HVAC woes came up again, after which Pistrina posted an article about it (click here).  And, as for the “school,” lately that’s been very much in the news as well.  Nary a week goes by when Dannie is not promoting it in his Bishop’s(?) Corner. 

That being said, we think that it’s particularly apropos right now that we revisit both of these items.  Recently, Dannie has been frantically promoting his “school” (to increase its embarrassingly anemic enrollment) in an effort to justify its existence.  So far, it has been both a huge financial drain on SGG’s resources (because of the principal’s “salary”) and a huge flop (because of the school’s sorry “academics”); and, as we noted earlier, Dannie has also been mentioning what has become a recurring nightmare: fixing (or replacing) SGG’s failing air-conditioners.

In our aforementioned article, this is what we had reported about SGG’s HVAC problems:

In his Bishop's Corner of May 2, 2015, Dannie mentioned that the church sanctuary’s HVAC unit had been hit by lightening (and was thus supposedly malfunctioning).  He then added, “Here the story becomes impossibly complicated, all caught up with big brother regulations and smoke detectors which never worked correctly in the first place, and companies gouging churches for great quantities of wasted money, backed up by the government oversight. Much patience and a cool head is required to navigate these waters.”

Apparently, “big brother” is unjustly imposing “regulations” on SGG and “gouging” them for “great quantities of wasted money, backed up by government oversight” [whatever that means!]. Apparently, too, the smoke detectors that never worked correctly in the first placeare the fault of “big brother” as well.  Did it ever occur to Dannie that they didn't work properly because they were not installed properly?  How, we may ask, can “big brother” and his regulations be the cause of smoke detectors not “working correctly”?!  Stripped of Dannie’s confusing rhetoric and false logic, what it all means is that he is probably getting ready to soak the culties again for MONEY to meet these “unjust” expenses.  He has to portray himself as “victim” so that the culties can cough up the money for these “meanies” who are “responsible” for it all.

And this is some of what we had to say about the “school”:

The principal’s salary (and that of his family members who are on the payroll) represents a huge financial millstone around Dannie’s neck, and he wants desperately to be relieved of that burden – but he can’t (see Pistrina article).  And the sad thing (especially for the culties) is that it’s such an unnecessary burden, because the school has a total of twenty-five students in all, K through 12.   We wonder how the parishioners would feel if they knew that the lion’s share of their weekly donations was going to provide twenty-five kids a substandard education.

Firstly (as we had also pointed out in that article), the HVAC problems were as much the result of poor workmanship as they were of any “lightening strike” (or of “big brother”); and secondly, if the system was insured (which it should have been), the “lightening strike” damage should have been covered by said insurance.  (And, actually, with proper “surge protection” up front – which there also should have been -- the lightening damage would have never occurred in the first place.)  And, as for the “school,” Dannie cannot get rid of it – or, rather, get rid of it’s principal (for reasons that are a mystery to everyone but him and Dannie).  And so, the superfluous “principal” remains -- and the Gerties continue to foot the bill for having him around.   

But, so far, Dannie has “gotten away” with this.  And whenever Dannie wants any “extra” money from his Gerties, he simply dreams up some “crisis” (along with appropriate “villains,” such as “big brother”), and then taps his Gerties for the expenses – which usually end up being used not for whatever the “crisis” was, but for funding another one of his boondoggles to some exotic location.  Well, this year it’s no different: in spite of all the HVAC expenses that SGG has staring it in its face, Dannie and Tony managed to go on another “getaway”:  In SGG’s August 27, 2017 ’Corner, written this time by “Lurch” (Charlie McGuire), it was reported that Dannie and Tony both were away on a much needed vacation (I figure it has been at least two years since their last one).”

Well, if one doesn’t count boondoggle “apostolates” to sunny Latin America as vacations, we suppose Lurch is right.  (This one was billed as a bona fide vacation, not as an “apostolate.”)  However, to help justify this vacation, Dannie later mentioned that it was to Chimayo -- “America’s Lourdes,” as he calls it (to make it look like an "apostolate").  But if one looks at the map, Chimayo is a stone’s throw from Santa Fe (Dannie’s favorite vacation spot).  But why, we may ask, did Dannie and Tony go to Santa Fe again – and at a time when SGG is strapped for cash to fix its failing HVAC systems?2 

Shouldn’t they be conserving their cash, in case another one of their AC units bites the dust – or for other “unforeseen expenses”?  (SGG’s physical facility, for instance -- from its parking lot to its leaky roof to its critter infestations -- is in sorry shape.  It’s only a matter of time before “something else” happens.)  And, again, what about the ongoing cost of that other millstone around their necks: the “school” – especially with attendance in a downward death spiral1?  Lately, Dannie’s promotion of the “school” has been nothing short of frantic.  As Pistrina reported in a recent article, Dannie has even concocted a pretentious “teacher’s prayer” (click here for article) to drum up support for this ongoing failure.  But it’s all to no avail: attendance continues to dwindle.

So, it seems that Dannie’s old problems – SGG’s crumbling infrastructure and its “school” -- are still there – and not likely to go away.  The former will continue to (prematurely) decay -- because it was never built right to begin with.  And as for SGG’s so-called “school,” it will continue to be a liability; and, as we’ve already noted, Dannie can (apparently) do nothing about it:  he must incomprehensively tolerate the “principal” -- a financial burden that the Gerties must continue to bear (and which must be a source of continuing frustration for them).  That being so, it is only a matter of time before they will start asking why – and demanding answers.

And when they do, they’ll inevitably stop swallowing this malarkey about Dannie and Tony being “victims” (and blaming everyone else for their troubles), and find out that Dannie and Tony are not victims but victimizers, and that it is they, the parishioners, who are the real victims – that Dannie and Tony are the two millstones around their necks.  And when that happens, Dannie and Tony will, at long last, have no place to hide – and will finally reap what they have sown.

_________________________

1Attendance at the “school” was twenty-five in 2015 (see SGG’s April 26, 2015 bulletin), and nineteen in school year 2016.  (See SGG’s School: Still a Bad Bargain.)  What’s it going to be in 2017?


2 And speaking of HVAC systems, why – in lieu of going to Santa Fe -- couldn’t Dannie and Tony (as they’ve always exhorted their parishioners to do) have “offered it up” and foregone their trip to buy heating and AC equipment for the church’s vestibule, where SGG’s mothers and their small infants are still shivering in winter and sweating in summer? 

Saturday, September 23, 2017

You Don’t Have To Be a Theologian…

One of the recurring complaints we get at Lay Pulpit (from defenders of Dannie Dolan’s SGG cult) is that we are not very knowledgeable when it comes to “ecclesiastics.”  In a recent article, for instance, we reported how one dissenting commenter stated, Clearly, the author(s) of this blog are not very familiar with most traditionalists and the FSSP in particular.”1  Well, we entirely agree with that statement.  We certainly don’t know all there is to know about the FSSP (or the SSPX, or Traddieland in general, or any particular group) – nor do we wish to.

The inference in that aforesaid comment, of course, was that, since we are not “ecclesiastic” (or “theological”) experts, how can anything that we say about the SGG and MHT cult-masters be trusted as “credible” (since they are “clerics” and we are not).  Well, it’s simple: one doesn’t need to be a theologian to be an “expert” on Dannie and Tony, or rather, to point out the evil that they have done.  True, unlike our colleagues at Pistrina Liturgica, we are not Latinists, nor is our knowledge of theology or any other related “ecclesiastical subjects” anywhere close to Pistrina’s.  They are clearly far superior to us in all of those respects – and we gladly acknowledge it (and applaud them for it).

To be sure, Pistrina’s superior knowledge has enabled them to expose Dannie and Tony in so many ways for the charlatans they are – especially for their deplorable lack of knowledge in everything from Latin to liturgy to theology (moral or otherwise).  (And, we might add, they have also been thoroughly successful in dismantling the arguments of those “armchair theologians” who have tried to defend the cult-masters.)  Because of Pistrina’s efforts, Tony’s reputation as a “scholar” (and Dannie’s as a “liturgist”) have been thoroughly demolished, and their abysmal ignorance unmasked.2   

But, again, that is not to say that exposing Dannie’s and Tony’s incompetence is the exclusive province of “theologians.”  One does not have to be a “theologian” (or at least much of one) to prove that the cult-masters are bad men – and that they are imposters.  One doesn’t have to be a “theologian,” for instance, to point out the obvious fallacy (and depravity) of what Cekada said about Schiavo.  Anyone with an ounce of common sense can figure out that dehydrating Terri Schiavo to death was murder, pure and simple.

And one does not have to be a theologian to figure out that the dismissing of the SGG school principal’s sons" watching porn as “boys will be boys” is morally reprehensible.  Nor does it take a theologian to determine that expropriating a chapel’s $123,000+ building fund amounts to theft.3  The list of Dannie’s and Tony’s malfeasance is a long litany indeed; and, when one looks at what they have done, it doesn’t take a theologian to decipher that these two are simply con men looking for material gain at the expense of others.

At both SGG and MHT, there has been a total disconnect between what is good for souls and what is good for the cult-masters.  Get a girl pregnant?  No problem!  As long as you’re a good organist, we’ll overlook that “detail.”  Like to watch porn and animal torture videos?  No problem!  As long as you’re a good server (or can carry a processional cross or a candlestick in one of Dannie’s “pontifical parades”), “you’re good to go!”  It’s not about doing what’s right, but about looking right – and getting the rubrics right.  It’s not about “doing unto others as you would have them do unto you,” but about how often one attends “the show.”  It’s not about how holy one is, but about how holy one looks.  As always, it’s not about substance, but about cosmetics. 

And, again, it doesn’t take  “theological expertise” to figure any of this out.  But, we might add, it does take theological expertise to prove that the cult-masters themselves are not theologians, which – as we mentioned earlier -- Pistrina has done.  And this is important, because there are those who, despite the cult-masters’ deplorable lack of moral fiber, might “respect” them simply for their “theological” or “ecclesiastical” prowess (if they had any), and hence might try to “justify” these imposters on such grounds.  So, it is imperative that the myth of their “expertise” first be dispelled, in order to ensure that they are not legitimized by anyone, using that as a pretext.  And, again, Pistrina has done this. 

So, along with of the “high tech” help of Pistrina, we “non-theologians” have been able to play what we see as a supporting role in exposing the cult-masters, and to make it plain to everyone by now that Dannie, Tony, and Big Don are not “theologians” or “scholars,” but simply opportunistic hucksters – unscrupulous, self-serving predators, who dream up spurious “theological arguments” and invent new “dogmas” to get gullible people to follow them (and to empty their wallets for them).  And because they are unscrupulous, one can always count on them to continue taking the morally wrong path, thus exposing themselves again and again -- and continuing to provide us with new evidence to use against them.

To be sure, enough to date has already been said about these predators to ensure that no new victims ought to fall prey to them.  But again, there are still plenty of unsuspecting victims out there who might fall for their sales pitch.  And because there are, count on Dannie and Tony to continue doing their mischief.  In the end, such behavior will gain them nothing.  They will inevitably destroy themselves; and this will have the beneficial effect of eliminating them as a threat.  But, during that time, whom will they take with them?  How much “collateral damage” will they do?  That is the problem.  And that’s why we’re here: to keep that “collateral damage” to a minimum.

And, just as we have not had to be “theologians” to show the cult-masters for what they are, neither should anyone else have to be.  With what is already known about them, it should be obvious to anyone that they are not in the business of saving souls, but of exploitation – for material gain at the expense of others.  That is why we urge everyone to “get the word out” to others about these predators, so that together we can put themout of business.”  As we continue to do our part, we ask you to do your part, so that you don’t become their unwitting “accomplices,” and thereby enable these lepers to continue their victimization of the unsuspecting innocent.  You can help stop them, then, by spreading the word, and, of course, by withdrawing your financial support.  So, keep your cash in your wallet, and…

Starve the Beast!
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1 Some may feel that our comments to date about the FSSP constitute a blanket endorsement of them.  They do not.  All we’re saying is that the FSSP clergy we’ve met so far have checked out “okay” (and were definitely superior to the trash at the cult centers).  And all we claimed is that no one (other than a pope) has the authority or jurisdiction to rule on anyone’s validity (including theirs); and, since no pope has as yet decided, no one can positively claim that the FSSP are invalid. But that’s as far as we can go.  An FSSP priest, like any other priest, should be first “checked out” for his orthodoxy, etc.  And if one still feels “iffy” about them, then he should go somewhere else.  But if the only “somewhere else” available is SGG or MHT, then we suggest that he stay home.

2 Not only is Pistrina “world class” in its mastery of Latin, but they are thoroughly proficient in ancient Greek as well – both of which have enabled them to expose not only Tony’s woeful ignorance of Latin and Latin grammar and his numerous blunders in translation, but also those of whomever wrote SGG’s laughable “Ordo” and its “liturgical calendar.”  Indeed, Tony’s claim to be a “Latinist” (as well as a “scholar” and a “theologian”) is now a totally debunked myth.

And Pistrina’s efforts in this regard cannot be overestimated.  Indeed, no one but they in TradWorld had both the superior knowledge and the will to take on such a task.  But for their diligence and tireless efforts, TradWorld might still be wallowing in the misconception that Dannie and Tony really know what they’re talking about.  And not only has Pistrina done so, but in a most thorough and decisive way.  One must also realize that it took a yeoman effort on their part, for which, unlike the cult-masters, they received no financial compensation.


3 Dannie and Tony took not only the chapel’s building fund ($123,664), but their operating fund as well ($19,330), and then sold the congregation’s chapel out from under them, pocketing the proceeds ($320,000).  And this, of course, is just one of the known examples of their thievery.

Saturday, September 16, 2017

A Woman For All Seasons

In his Bishop’s(?) Corner for August 20, 2017, Daniel Dolan happened to mention that “Tomorrow is Sr. Jeanne Marie’s feast day, and we wish Sister a blessed one, with many prayers for a speedy and secure recovery. God keep her, and all of our shut in in His loving care.”  Oh, how thoughtful of Dannie – if he had only meant it!  Dannie, Tradistan’s master of affectation, loves to name-drop and to drop “F-bombs”1 (Flattery, that is) whenever he can – token praise for his groveling cult slaves who toil for him, and who credulously swallow his weekly doses of candy-coated insincerity.

But Dannie doesn’t stop there.  His favorite use of flattery and name-dropping is for eulogizing the deceased – especially those whose memory is revered by the Gerties (and hence do him the greatest material good) – Bernie Brueggemann, for instance.  Bernie was SGG’s all-time biggest benefactor, both spiritually and materially; and hence Dannie has used every opportunity he can to resurrect his memory for “public relations” reasons.  He knows that Bernie is still remembered and revered by most of his Gerties, and that he can still get a lot of “mileage” out of using his name.

We too have invoked Bernie’s name – but not for the same reasons.  Rather, we have reported about how he was taken advantage of by Dannie, and then discarded after Dannie had drained him of his last bit of cash.  We have eulogized Bernie several times, dubbing him (in one of our articles) “a man for all seasons.”  (Click here for article.)  Well, we’d like to take this opportunity to do the same for someone else – only this time, a woman for all seasons”: Sister Gerard Vincent.  “Sister Gerard” (as she was commonly called) was an older nun who had taken her vows long before Vatican II, but who had left her order after the “changes,” and who eventually ended up at SGG.

Sister Gerard was the one bright spot in SGG’s otherwise dreary landscape, a real nun “from the old school.”  She was, as they say, “the genuine article,” not one of Dannie’s “new creations” (i.e., a “newly minted nun” from one of the fake “orders” that he invented).  Sister Gerard, too (unlike her younger counterparts) was well versed in the old Faith, and -- “old school” nun that she was --  was suited for any task, especially teaching.  A native New Yorker (from Brooklyn), she was “no-nonsense,” but also a jovial and gentle soul, always with a cheerful smile -- and who always had a kind word (and a joke to tell) for everyone.  Her only “weakness” was that, being an older nun separated from her former order (and therefore bereft of its material benefits), she was entirely dependent on Dannie and Tony for her daily sustenance (and, indeed, for all things “material”) – a vulnerable (and thus bad) situation in which to be.

And being the obedient, conscientious, trusting soul that she was, she soon found herself being exploited by Dannie  – because that’s what Dannie does: he takes advantage of people – especially the good ones; and when he can no longer “profit” by them, he discards them (as he did Bernie).  And it was no different with Sr. Gerard.  While she was “productive,” she not only taught, but helped out with SGG social functions (and everything else).  But, with age, she inevitably “slowed down.”  And as this happened, so too "did her star fall” at SGG: the younger nuns – especially the “game-players,” i.e., those who “sucked up” to Dannie, got preferential treatment, while Sr. Gerard became, by degrees, a “non-entity.”

Once having her pick of the most comfortable quarters, she was gradually relegated to smaller and smaller ones, until she ended up In a “postage-stamp” sized bedroom (that had to “double” as an office).  Her one pleasure – her pet cat – she had to give up because one of the younger nuns – one of Dannie’s “favorites” -- was “allergic” to it.2  (Yes, Dannie, who had three cats of his own, made her get rid of hers!)  The cat was taken away, and placed with a new owner.  But the cat, believe it or not, found its way back to the convent; and, climbing a tree in the convent’s front yard, it re-entered through her bedroom window.  But Dannie, when he found out, ordered it removed again.  Sr. Gerard was heartbroken; but, being the obedient soul that she was, she submitted to the mitered maggot’s will – to this impolitic act of cruelty that was so deplorably, but oh so quintessentially, so predictably “Dannie.”

Sr. Gerard, as we said, was an older nun when she came to SGG – so much older that she was, in fact, due to celebrate there her golden jubilee (fifty years) of being a nun, when she fell and broke a bone in her hip – an injury that required her to go into “rehab” for a while.  Because of that, her jubilee celebration (which was to be held in SGG’s “social hall”) was “postponed.” 3  But the celebration never came to pass.  Claiming that she was needed back at SGG, Dannie cut her recuperation short and “pressed her back into service” prematurely, whereupon she fell again.  This time, she didn’t recover.  Shortly afterward, she died.  Dannie, however, did not waste the funds earmarked for her celebration: he spent them on a party for one of those aforementioned “newly minted nuns.”  (This nun, by the way – after much mistreatment by Dannie -- later left the religious life, and returned to the lay state.)
And not only did His Expediency take advantage of Sr. Gerard’s passing to “recycle” her jubilee money for another purpose, but he also exploited it in other ways.  Because Sr. Gerard, for instance, was (as was Bernie Brueggemann) so well liked by all of SGG’s parishioners, Dannie has – you guessed it -- often invoked her memory to his advantage.  On one occasion (in his Nov. 23, 2014 ’Corner), Dannie quipped, “Only 22 years ago dear Sr. Gerard suggested we should have a parish dinner for St Gertrude’s Day, and did most of the cooking herself!  What wonderful memories, what great examples, what an enduring cause for thanks!”  [Yeah, Dannie – it’s too bad that you didn’t give her a dinner!]  And some months earlier (in his June 8, 2014 ’Corner), Dannie oozed this: “God reward the clergy, religious (Sr. Gerard Vincent especially), and laity who so generously gave of themselves in the hour of need for what needed to be done in those early days of the Catholic restoration.” 

May God indeed reward “Sr. Gerard Vincent especially” – but we can’t predict the same for Dannie!  He, so saccharine and sweet in his praise for her after her decease, yet so cruelly abusive to her during her life – but what else could one expect from His Malevolency?  That’s Dannie’s modus operandi.  That’s what he does: he uses and abuses people while they’re living -- and then, after their death, he invokes their memory for whatever advantage he can derive from it.

Did Sr. Gerard realize that Dannie was a scoundrel?  Yes indeed!  But like many, she was at first “taken in” by Dannie’s unctuous charm.  Gradually, however, she came to see him for the scoundrel that he is – and that his “mousy grin” was more that of a malevolent rat.  Certainly by the time of his cruel mistreatment of her, she knew “what was what.”  But by that time, it was too late: old and infirm, she had nowhere else to go.  Some say that, because of her cruel mistreatment, she “died of a broken heart.”  Well, it certainly saddened her.  But, being the true Catholic that she was, she realized that this world’s “vale of tears” is a transient thing, and that she would find eternal joy in the next.  She therefore resigned herself to God’s will, and died at peace with her Maker.  And we’re sure that when she met her Maker, it wasn’t long afterward that she partook of that joy.  We wish we could say the same for Dannie – but we doubt if that will be the case.

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1 Not to be confused with the kind of “F-bombs” that a certain “door mouse” used to drop (back in his seminary days in Écône).

2 This younger nun, along with another nun (and a lay helper as well), did a lot of “sacristan” work for Dannie.  One of her jobs was to procure “altar flowers” and other items for Dannie’s “show.”  But, since she didn’t have a car of her own, she regularly used a parishioner woman’s car to drive to the florist (as well as to run other errands).  This parishioner says that “sister” usually returned the car with an empty tank (and, of course, with no reimbursement for the gas used) – and all strewn with flower petals.  (This parishioner also bought some of the “items” that sister got – also with no reimbursement.  It was simply “expected” of her.)

This nun, who had some “emotional issues” to begin with, eventually had some sort of “breakdown” (no doubt, too, from being overworked by Dannie), and left SGG.  She also left the religious life.  Oddly enough, however, we hear that she has since returned to SGG, but as a lay person.


3 It is interesting to note that Sr. Gerard’s golden (50-year) jubilee was set to be held in SGG’s “social hall,” i.e., SGG’s school lunchroom (with catered “sandwich” fare), while Dannie’s and Tony’s silver (25-year) jubilees were held at Cincinnati’s most prestigious venue, the Palm Court in downtown Cincinnati’s Netherland Hilton Plaza.  Note also that, though Sr. Gerard’s rehab was cut short, Dannie’s “rehab” from a sinus operation wasn’t.  After this unnecessary (and ultimately unsuccessful) operation, Dannie was given “all the time needed” for an expensive (and also unnecessary) “recuperation” at the Bishop’s Lodge in sunny Santa Fe, New Mexico.  Now you know where the cult center’s “priorities” were!