Name Dropping’s “Poster Child”

Editor’s Note:  This is just a reminder to any new reader’s that Lay Pulpit is a bi-weekly publication, i.e., we publish only every other week.  What we may do in the“in-between” weeks is to give the readers a “preview” as to what is coming the following week (provided that we know the topic by then!).

Some weeks back, Daniel Dolan mentioned in his Bishop’s Corner that a former SGG parishioner had been guilty of a very serious transgression, and that SGG’s parishioners should keep this individual “in their prayers.”  This comment, undoubtedly, was designed to make Dannie appear as “magnanimous” – as a “good shepherd” looking out even for the “lost sheep” of his flock.  But, his real reason for mentioning it was, “See what happens to those who leave SGG?”  Dannie was intimating that, if one leaves SGG’s protective cocoon, he “falls from grace” – and that, if he had stayed there, he wouldn’t have “fallen.”  The truth is, SGG never provided a “protective” haven for anyone, much less, provide a morally healthy one, but instead, one of fear and trembling -- and with a totally false sense of “morality.”  Rather, it would’ve exacerbated whatever “issues” the parishioner had to begin with, and only made things worse.*

One thing for sure: Dannie’s mentioning the parishioner’s name certainly “made things worse.”  It was a cheap shot: Dannie could have discreetly told his parishioners (from the pulpit) to pray for this individual; but, instead, he published it on SGG’s website -- on the internet -- for all the world to see, thus exposing this individual (and family) to public humiliation and embarrassment.  But does he care?  NO.  If Dannie thinks he can use someone’s name to his advantage, he does so without hesitation. He doesn’t care if he advertises one’s misfortune, ruins one’s good name, or exposes one to ridicule or embarrassment, as long as he profits by it.    The fact that it came at someone else’s expense really is of no concern to him.  He got his “plug” in for himself.  He “scored his points.”  He profited by it.  That’s all that matters.

But Dannie has a long history of name-dropping, as does Tony, whose practice of derogatory name-dropping dates back at least as far as Schiavo: When a neurologist wrote a medical opinion on Schiavo that contradicted Tony’s pathetically inaccurate account, Tony not only mentioned him by name, but lambasted him as a “pompous doctor who presumed to pronounce on matters of moral theology.”  The doctor, of course, made no such “pronouncements” (nor did he direct any at Tony), but confined his remarks to the case’s medical aspects only.  Tony, however, did “pronounce” – both on its medical aspects and on “moral theology” – and got them both totally wrong.  Then, being his usual vindictive self, he published his condemnation of the doctor on the internet, and distributed it to SGG’s parishioners (as an “insert” in their Sunday bulletin). 

Now it turns out that this doctor is the son of a man who was an SGG church usher at the time.  One can imagine his dismay at seeing his son’s name in the bulletin – a bulletin that he, as an usher, handed out to parishioners after Mass. Understandably upset, he quit SGG after that – but relenting some months later, returned.  However, in the aftermath of the 2009 debacle, he quit SGG again – this time, “for good.”  We mention this second departure, because Tony, in his Quidlibet, falsely blamed the usher’s second departure on the events that precipitated his first departure: “I had inadvertently gored his ox in 2005, when I wrote an article criticizing a pompous doctor who presumed to pronounce on matters of moral theology. It turned out to be the usher’s son. Ouch! Though I personally apologized to the man for giving offense, it seems he never got over it.”  

Actually, the usher did “get over it,” not only (as mentioned before) returning in the interim, but -- subsequent to that -- even donating sizable sums of money to both SGG and MHT Seminary.  It was only after the 2009 SGG school scandals that he left for good.  (And Tony’s claim that he apologized “for giving offense” is FALSE too; he apologized, but only for not knowing that the doctor was the usher’s son, NOT for “giving offense.”)  When that usher did leave for the second (and final) time, Dannie and Tony both “misrepresented” his reasons for leaving (that is, they LIED).  Dannie said that the usher left “due to doctrinal differences,” when in fact he hadn’t; he merely told Dannie (in an e-mail) that he’d give his reasons (which were NOT "doctrinal") later.

Of course, Dannie couldn’t resist the temptation then to do some name-dropping:  “The bells were silent, though, as the rope got caught during their final ringing by a long time and loyal usher, Jim Gebel. Jim had decided to leave us that day, due to doctrinal differences [our emphasis]. We will miss him and his lovely enthusiastic wife, Olga.  Goodbye, dear friends!”   Oh, how sweet!  Dannie, of course, made sure to use “sugary” words, to make himself look good for his “audience.”  He knew too that they had no way of knowing that the usher’s reasons for leaving were not “doctrinal”; so, by saying what he did, he came off looking “magnanimous” – while at the same time making the usher look like a heretic.  But that’s what Dannie does: he thanks people for their “long and faithful service,” wishes them well, and then, “off-camera,” stabs them in the back.

Tony lied for different reasons: he claimed that the usher left because he didn’t want to ring the church bell during a procession.  As Tony put it, “When on Palm Sunday 2009 our school principal (also the head usher) tried to get the usher to ring the bell at the proper time during the procession, said usher took offense.”  This was a preposterous claim for Tony to make, for two reasons: first, why would someone suddenly “take offense” at ringing a bell – something that he routinely did dozens of times before?  Secondly, Dannie himself stated that the reason he didn’t ring it was that “the rope got caught” -- thus contradicting Tony’s version.  So, they both lied, but for different reasons.

In yet another bit of name-dropping, Dannie told a story about a visiting priest assisting him at a solemn High Mass – and made it sound as if it had happened just recently.  In fact, it happened twenty-five years ago.  Dannie did this because he wanted to give the impression that this priest was his “buddy”; thus, he had to make their getting together look “recent.” (For a full account of this, click here.) The priest, in fact, has had no contact with Dannie for years.  But Dannie needed a “supportive” anecdote to bolster his waning image, so he conjured up this story.  In a subsequent communication to Pistrina, someone confirmed that Dannie’s account was indeed fictitious (click here to see it).

Dannie’s most deplorable use of name-dropping, though – and the one that he has used most often -- is his invoking the name of the late Bernie Brueggemann for his own gain.  Bernie, of course, was known not just at SGG, but throughout the traditional world as a good and holy man.  He, as many know, was SGG’s main benefactor, single-handedly responsible for the building its present facility.**  Naturally, Dannie could not pass up the opportunity to exploit Bernie’s name to bolster his own image, since he knew that, although Bernie left SGG in disgust after the 2009 school scandals, SGG’s parishioners still revered his memory. 

What makes his attempts to exploit Bernie’s good name so despicable is the fact that – when Bernie left SGG back in 2009 – Dannie tried to “guilt-trip” him into coming back, even to the point of invoking the memory of his recently deceased wife to “shame” him into returning.  And when Bernie himself died, Dannie didn’t bother coming to pay his respects to the man: neither his visitation, nor his funeral, nor to the grave-site – NOTHING – even though Bernie was the biggest benefactor that SGG ever had.   Yet, in spite of having maligned him so, he saw fit to use Bernie’s name over and over again in order to profit by it.

Two examples will suffice to illustrate this: first, in his March 15, 2015 Bishop’s Corner, Dannie – after engaging in a bit of “Bergoglio bashing” – added, “What would Bernie Brueggemann have to say about this?”  There was absolutely no reason whatsoever to bring up the man’s name here, especially when one considers how he treated Bernie in the past; but Dannie figured that he’d get some “mileage” out of it – so he stuck it in.  And on yet another occasion, another “name-dropping” comment that Dannie made about Mr. Brueggemann drew a swift and angry reply from Bernie’s son: in his Feb. 27, 2011 Bishop’s Corner, Dannie stated: “In the last year of his life [our emphasis], Bernie more than once expressed his wish to be buried from St. Gertrude the Great. He was buried instead from Immaculate Conception, although he once so opposed this group’s scandalous inception in 1989, as to forbid discussion of the very subject in his home.”  Firstly, Bernie spent “the last year of his life” (and then some) NOT at SGG but at another church (St. Albert the Great); so, during that time, he couldn’t possibly have “expressed his wish to be buried from St. Gertrude the Great.”

Secondly, Bernie actually attended Immaculate Conception Church every First Friday for a good number of years before he died; and he did NOT, as Dannie put it, “forbid discussion of the very subject in his home.”  This was, to put it plainly, a bald-faced lie.***  When Bernie’s son heard what Dannie said, he was IRATE, and responded (in an e-mail) that it was “bulls**t” (click here for more details).  For Dirt-bag Dan to say what he did was not only despicable, but downright STUPID, for Bernie’s entire family could bear witness to it’s being utterly false.  However, that did not deter Dannie from making his false claim, because he probably figured that his gullible Gerties would believe it anyway.

So, whether it’s broadcasting a former parishioner’s humiliation, subtly slandering another, or taking advantage of another’s good name -- or falsely claiming a priest to be his “buddy,” Dannie has always seen fit to use name-dropping as a means of unjustly profiting at others’ expense.  One might think that Dannie would by now cease his name-dropping ways, since he’s been “caught at it” so many times.  But Dannie, being Dannie – will keep trying, no matter what.  He can’t help himself.  It’s in his DNA.  And up to now, it has worked for him.  As long as he thinks he can get away with it -- and find people gullible enough to believe it -- he’ll keep at it.  But the bad news for Dannie is that more and more of those “gullible people” are becoming “un-gullible”; and the other “bad news” is that we will always be there to “catch him” – to make sure that they do.

_________________________

* SGG is anything BUT a moral refuge.  The scandalous events at SGG’s school – the principal’s sadistic behavior and his boys’ immoral behavior -- are a matter of record, as is Dannie’s disgusting “like it or lump it” and “boys will be boys” attitudes about them.  If anything, this kind of “atmosphere” would have undermined one’s spiritual well-being. Add to that Tony’s and Dannie’s stand on Schiavo, and what you have is a recipe for moral shipwreck.  SGG is not so much a safe refuge as it is a pirate’s den.  The truth is, leaving SGG was the best thing that anyone could have ever done.

** Actually, Bernie was responsible for the very existence of SGG.  Besides donating the lion’s share of the money to build SGG’s facility (well over a million dollars), he also donated men and machinery from his own business to help with the construction.  And it didn’t stop there: afterwards, he underwrote the running of the school, donating several thousand dollars a month – and this was in addition to what he gave every week in the collection basket.  To repeat again, without Mr. Brueggemann, SGG simply would not exist.  This can’t be over-emphasized enough: he EPITOMIZED, in every way imaginable, St. Gertrude the Great.  He WAS, so to speak, SGG.

*** To compound the lie, one of Dannie’s culties stated that Bernie had told her about Bernie’s wish to be buried at SGG.  Perhaps she was unaware of Dannie’s lie – or perhaps she was aware, but just wanted to add some affirmation to what Dannie said.  Either way, she exposed herself as a liar also – and an inveterate licker of Dannie’s boots.  (For more on this, lick here).

Still a Moot Point

A recent Pistrina Liturgica article posed the question of whether a priest (instead of a bishop) could validly ordain priests, and invited discussion on the topic.  In response to that article, several of Tradistan’s illiterati accused the author of putting forth opinion as fact (which he certainly did not; he simply posed a question, then solicited opinions on it).*  But, although their comments were totally misdirected and (as usual) reeking of willful misinterpretation, they provided an opening for Pistrina to revisit another area involving “opinion”: Dannie’s one-handed orders.  As Pistrina so adroitly pointed out in a follow-up article, “just as no right-thinking traditional Catholic can safely accept as a valid priest a man ordained by a simple priestt, so too, no traditional Catholic, in light of Pius XII's  1947 Sacramentum Ordinis, can safely accept as a valid priest a man ordained with only one hand.” 

This follow-up article, in turn, generated even further misdirected comments by these same annelids, some morphing into arguments that had absolutely nothing to do with the article’s subject matter, but instead veered off in all sorts of directions (a favorite ploy of those who haven’t any truth to offer), inventing new arguments, and rehashing old ones.  For instance, one commenter again brought up the old canard that Pistrina had not proved that Dannie’s one-handed orders were invalid, to which Pistrina replied (for the umpteenth time) that it NEVER was out to prove invalidity, but only to say that there was DOUBT about that validity.  Another commenter pointed out that the letter from the nine priests to Dannie (urging him to get conditionally re-ordained) also did not constitute proof of invalid orders, because none of them were eye-witnesses to the event, to which Pistrina reiterated (again, for the umpteenth time) that it didn’t say the letter proved invalidity, but that there was DOUBT about that validity.

And then another commenter, referring to yet another Pistrina article (which mentioned that there was an eye-witness -- an SSPX priest -- to Dannie’s one-handed ordination), asked Pistrina to produce his name.  Otherwise, they claimed, this witness was either a liar -- or didn’t exist.  Here again, Pistrina answered that it was not necessary to produce that witness’s name to prove DOUBT about Dannie’s orders – because the letter from the nine priests already does that.  What this witness does provide, however, is further reassurance for us, since we now know that “if it ever went to court,” we have a witness to call on to testify -- and the truth would come out.  These nay-saying commenters know that too.

The fact is, that, except for these hard-core naysayers, virtually EVERYONE in Traddieland knows about Dannie’s defective ordination.  As Pistrina so rightly put it, “Everybody -- and we mean e-v-e-r-y-B-O-D-Y -- who counts in this matter knows what happened.”  These naysayers can wallow in their denial all they want, but the truth is, they know it too – and, again, they know that the vast majority of traddieland now believes Dannie’s orders to be defective, and that if it actually did “go to court,” they wouldn’t have a case. 

And we use that word “case” advisedly, for one of those commenters, one “Introibo ad Altare Dei,” is a lawyer.  And, as a lawyer, he knows full well that, until such a case actually does go to court, no priest is going to be a whistle-blower and “tell” on another priest.  It’s just not done.  And if that priest has not authorized Pistrina to divulge his name -- and he hasn’t – then he’s not about to reveal it himself.  So, “Introibo” can safely play his hypothetical “produce your witness” game, because he knows that Pistrina’s hands are tied – that they are not at liberty to divulge it.**

However, for the rest of the world, the fact that NINE PRIESTS wrote to Dannie urging him to get re-ordained – and that Tony Cekada subsequently wrote a long (and erroneous) treatise expounding on the “validity” of one-handed ordination – makes it more than clear enough that the one-handed ordination took place.  (Why, one may ask, would Tony have gone to all that trouble of writing his treatise, if the one-handed ordination hadn’t taken place?)  Dannie’s defective orders were the talk of Traddieland, and it would’ve been so easy for him to put those reports to rest by simply taking the Church’s prescribed prudent course: conditional re-ordination – but he didn’t.  His steadfast refusal to do so is a sure sign that Dannie is in denial, and is “stone-walling” in a vain attempt to disavow the obvious -- and painting himself into a corner from which he cannot retreat.

It is also an accurate barometer of his intransigence, arrogance, and lack of good will.  If he were truly humble and wise, he would have taken that simple, EASY step; he would have seized such a providential opportunity to show that he was good and humble, and to show -- for once in his life -- some real good will.  But he didn’t.   Instead, he took the denial path, getting his sidekick, Tinhorn Tony, to cobble up his pathetically bungled monograph, with the hope that no one would check its accuracy.  But someone did; and the result is that most of Traddieland considers not only Dannie’s orders doubtful, but those of all whom he has “ordained” as well.

Actually, whether Dannie is “valid” or not, he’s in big trouble with his Maker, for the scandalous events of 2009 alone are enough to brand him as a moral leper*** (just as are Tony Cekada’s remarks about Schiavo).****  And these are just two “tips” of a much bigger “iceberg” of documented evidence on him and Tony – evidence that can be corroborated by scores of witnesses (and even by words from Dannie's and Tony's own lips).  And Dannie and Tony know, again, that “if it ever went to court,” all of this would come to light – this and more – and, consequently, whatever “leverage” they still have left would quickly vanish.  They know this only too well -- and that they can’t afford to let any of it surface.

So, the question of whether Dannie is “valid” or not – which we concluded some time ago is a moot point -- is still a moot point.  The doubts about his validity are not "a necessary ingredient” -- but they are, of course, more “icing on the cake” to reinforce what we already know: that he is illegitimate, that he is a humbug and a fraud.  So, “Introibo’s” attempts to salvage his “validity” are irrelevant.  Most of the trad world is now “on” to Dannie.  Most now know that his orders are doubtful.  But, more importantly, they know that he is scum.   And the more that his supporters try to “beat their drums” for him, the worse they (and he) will look.

In our last article, we mentioned that Dannie was “losing control” at SGG.  Actually, he’s losing control everywhere.  Except for his dwindling band of diehards inside the SGG cult sphere, Dannie is no longer taken seriously anywhere, anymore.  The mass exodus that began in 2009 continues to this day, as more and more people discover what he and Tony are really about.  “Introibo” and others need to learn this lesson too; and if they would concentrate less on winning arguments and more on seeking the truth, they might have a chance to do so. But that takes humility and intellectual honesty, both of which they have shown a distinct lack so far.  One would hope, though, that they’d make the effort.  One would also hope that Dannie and Tony would show some humility and intellectual honesty too – but that also is a moot point, because it presupposes that they have a conscience. 

_________________________

* Some who commented on Pistrins’s article pointed out that writing about the validity of priests ordaining priests was merely opinion.  As Pistrina reminded these illiterati, they’re even wrong on that: canon 951 (of the 1917 Code of Canon Law) specifically states that priests can be extraordinary ministers of ordination.  The exact translation, which Pistrina provided in a its article, Calling All Theologians, states: “The ordinary minister of sacred ordination is a consecrated Bishop; the extraordinary [minister is one] who, although he lack episcopal character, has received from the law or from the Apostolic See through a special indult the power of conferring some orders." 

This is just one more of the many instances where Dannie’s minions have shown their woeful ignorance – and have embarrassed their cult hero Dannie in the process.  If they had read the previous article’s comments, they might have found that translation – but they didn’t.  Or perhaps they did get their “intelligence” directly from the dysfunctional duo themselves, who missed it too; and, as Pistrina noted, “Perhaps their ignorant clergy-instigators are unaware of its contents.”  This is entirely probable, for Dannie and Tony have continually demonstrated a woeful ignorance of canon law in everything they say or write.

** It is interesting to note that Pistrina’s original articles about Dannie’s one-handed orders dealt only with doubts about their validity.  These articles brought people like “Introibo” (and even Checkie himself, although he camouflaged himself as “anonymous”) out of their subterranean woodwork to go to bat for Dannie – all to no avail.   Pistrina successfully shot down each and every one of their arguments and objections.  Then, later on, when a Pistrina article mentioned a witness to Dannie’s defective ordination, “Introibo” – having “struck out” with his “validity” argument -- crawled out of the woodwork again to attack Pistrina from a new angle: that the witness does not exist.  But that doesn’t matter, because – again – it’s not necessary to the “doubt” argument.

*** In Pistrina’s article, we commented (as “the Watcher”) words to that effect.  In answer to our comment, someone (obviously one of Dannie’s supporters) retorted that someone called “Introibo ad Altare Dei” (who happens to be a lawyer) supposedly refuted what we said, then added, “boy did he [“introibo”] kick you’re A**!”  Needless to say, we did not look up whatever “Introibo” had to say; but if it was anything like this comment, it wasn’t worth reading – and it wouldn’t have “refuted” anything anyway, for what we said can be verified as true.  But his comment did demonstrate one thing: that lawyers all too often aren’t so much interested in finding the truth as they are in winning the argument.  And when they don’t have the truth on their side, they must resort to using whatever “debating team” tricks they can find to “cloud the issue” and carry their point.

In this case, they accuse Pistrina of trying to prove that Dannie’s one-handed ordination is invalid, when in fact Pistrina has made no such claim.  (“Introibo” and others have repeatedly made this false accusation, which Pistrina has repeatedly had to rebuff.)  What Pistrina actually said was that there was doubt – which there is.  But “Introibo” – being the typical lawyer that he is – figures that repeating the same charge over and over again somehow gives it credibility.  This is a favorite lawyer’s trick -- and politician’s trick, for that matter.  (That is why political ads are repeated so often: “repetition is the mother of belief.”)

**** “Introibo” and the Dynamic Duo’s other apologists MUST be aware of Cekada’s remarks on Schiavo; and they must also be aware of what happened at SGG in 2009.  Both of these events were not only highly publicized (both within SGG and without), but verified by scores of eye-witnesses as well.  For them to be aware of these things, and still defend worms like Dolan and Cekada, is beyond human comprehension.  Also, the fact that they’ve commented on Pistrina’s blog is proof that they do read it -- every article -- although they comment only on those that they (mistakenly) think that they can refute.  On the articles that contain documented evidence that leaves absolutely no room for doubt, they’re (of course) strangely silent.  In other words, they’re more interested in carrying their point than in seeking the truth.

What If Somebody Threw a Party, and Nobody Came?

In SGG’s May 2015 Newsletter, there is a picture of Dannie Dolan (and his entourage) in front of the church’s Lenten Altar of Repose (click here and scroll down to see picture).  And if one clicks here, he can see another of Dannie’s extravaganzas: a YouTube video of the Gloria being sung on Holy Saturday.  These are just two examples of Dannie’s “show” for all the cyber-world to gaze and gape at.  Impressive, huh?  Of course, these are only two of the many “visual treats” to “wow” the reader as he wades his way through SGG’s website.  The website even has a “photo gallery” containing 50+ pictures of SGG’s school children “enjoying” all the good things that SGG has to offer.  According to the pictures, SGG is a “Shangri-La,” where “a good, wholesome time is being had by all”: children at play; happy, smiling faces; impressive “church scenes,” where the kids are experiencing “real Catholicism”; etc., etc.  Again, how “impressive”! 

The photo of Dannie & Co. in front of the Altar of Repose is annually one of his favorite “publicity shots.”  Note that there are about fifty or so candles on the altar.  (In past years, there have been close to a hundred at times.)*  Starting on Holy Thursday evening, men in server’s uniforms – Dannie’s “guard of honor” volunteers – kneel there (each man taking an hour turn).  Several of these men, in the past, have fainted from the near 100*F heat and/or from oxygen deprivation.  Note also that Dannie expects them to do their hour, yet he himself spends only a few minutes there (probably just long enough for the “photo op”).  But what does Dannie care?  The photo looks good on the website page – and, after all, that’s what it’sall about: “the show.”

But in recent months, people haven’t been coming to “the show,” and Dannie has been chiding them about it (see Guilt-tripping Won’t Work Anymore, Dannie).  In fact, his guilt-tripping harangues have become almost a regular thing.  Of course, how could one blame a parishioner for not wanting to sit through (or kneel through) one of Dannie’s multi-hour bore-a-thons, day after day, on a regular basis?  Dannie’s hard-core brain-dead might put up with such marathon tedium, but it’s a tall order to expect anyone else to do it.  Besides, those who do come are often hit up for a donation -- as they are on Friday evenings during Lent.  (Yes, for making that extra effort to come on those Fridays for Stations, they get fleeced for their trouble!)

But Dannie has always been able to count on his Gerties to at least show up for his “social gatherings” -- especially his main summer bash, Saint John’s Evening, which, in Dannie’s words, is “the main church event here between June’s Octaves and July’s summer camps.”  Well, guess what?  It seems that this “cherished tradition” too has fallen by the wayside.  In his June 28, 2015 Bishop’s Corner, Dannie started out by waxing poetic on what a wonderful shindig it was: “It was sheer poetry, although none was declaimed in the midst of the prose and song. First we had Solemn High Mass and sermon in church, as befits Christians met to honor the birth of ‘the greatest of those born of women.’ Then we retired to the cloister for a fine summer’s supper of Brots [yeah, that’s how he spelled brats] and sauerkraut and salads, remarking the while on such a dry and mild evening in the midst of our very wet and warm weather. Then we retired to Helfta Hall for another of Fr. Cekada’s inimitable stories, full of imitations and clever topical allusions.”

After that, “a magnificent bonfire was kindled and blessed in St. John’s name,” and then some songs were sung by SGG’s school choir (who were, no doubt, required to attend), and then “Sticks and marshmallows were marshaled next for the obligatory roast, all calm and happy, the fiery marshmallows glowing in the nigh [night?] air, seconded by the lightning bugs.”  Then, after exhausting every opportunity to “applaud the ordinary” (and trying to make an evening of mediocrity sound “magical”), Dannie chided his Gerties, commenting  “Most of you were not there, perhaps because we neglected to put out the Internet “compelle intrare” (‘compel to come in,’ remember?).”

Well, shucky darns!  Most of his Gerties didn’t show up!  (Oh, sure, the usual “hard core” of brainless bootlickers were there, but most folks stayed away.)  Well, Dannie, perhaps they’re wearying of spending their Sunday afternoon sitting through a one-to-two-hour Solemn High Mass and sermon, and then spending the rest of the evening eating brats, sauerkraut, and roasted marshmallows [burp!], and then listening to one of Tony’s “stories” “full of imitations and clever topical allusions” [ y-a-w-n! ] (Tony’s “stories” must be SGG’s answer to American Idol and America’s Got Talent – except that they should call it Tony’s Got Tedium.)  We’re sure that most Gerties would prefer to be in their own homes vs. sitting in front of a bonfire on a warmish evening while being eaten alive by mosquitoes, and listening to Tony’s nasal droning.  (The only possible “plus” about one of Tony’s “stories” is that it’s probably a good cure for insomnia.)

Yes, perhaps they’re getting sick of such “second-rate offerings” -- of settling for brats and sauerkraut, while Dannie “settles” for copious quantities of beef (while “doing Lent” in Mexico). Perhaps they’re tired of paying his “excessive heating bills” while their mothers (with small children) shiver in an unheated vestibule “cry room.”  Perhaps they’re tired of paying for a “white elephant” school that produces no results (or a new organ that’s no better than the old**).  Perhaps, too, they’re getting sick of Dannie’s pretentious flattery and affected sanctimony, and recognizing them as the lip service they are.  Perhaps they’re getting tired of a man who, although he himself has a long history of disobeying his superiors (including breaking solemn oaths of allegiance), demands unquestioning obedience from them, then exacts that obedience by using the sacraments as weapons against transgressors – denying them to anyone he deems as “non-compliant.”***  And perhaps they’re (at long last) getting tired of “the show”: the pontifical extravaganzas, the garish processions, and the over-the-top decorations and displays that take small armies of cult-slaves to erect and dismantle -- and who then get “guilt-tripped” for not coming to them often enough.

The truth is, they ARE getting sick of it all -- and they’re “voting with their feet.”  The bottom line is that Dannie’s “old bag of tricks” -- the sanctimony, the flattery, the manipulative guilt-tripping, the intimidation and coercion, the “sacramental blackmail,” and (of course) the “show”: none of them are working their magic anymore -- and people are no longer intimidated by him.  The truth is, they’re catching on to Dannie’s act (and it IS just that: an act).  The truth is, Dannie is losing control -- and it’s about time.  And it’s time, too, that the pontificating parasite and his sidekick, Tinhorn Tony, fold up their tent and move on.  Dannie, it’s time to stop throwing your parties -- because nobody’s coming to them any more.

_________________________

* The truth is, it’s probably NOT a “freebie.”  First off, in addition to the “Solemn High Mass and sermon in church” that preceded the “bash” (required attendance to get into it), the collection basket was probably passed around.  Secondly, this bash – just like everything else at SGG – is funded by parishioner donations anyway.  So, just as it is the case with the proverbial “free lunch,” it really isn’t a “freebie.”

** Several people who have actually heard the new organ say that it’s no better than the old one (and perhaps inferior).  In fact, one person described it as sounding “a bit tinny & unimpressive.”  Another who heard the organ corroborated that observation: “I also heard the sound of the ‘new’ organ and I would agree with the tinny sound.”  Like Dannie with his “apostolates,” Tony wanted a new organ – and he got it.  His and Dannie’s “wants” somehow become “needs.”  But what else could one expect from men who consider their three-climate-zone rectory a “need” – yet expect their parishioners’ mothers and small tots to put up an unheated vestibule “cry room.”  If they could justify that, they can justify ANYTHING.

*** In some cases, Dannie has even banned people from the property – in writing, and by police order -- just for disagreeing with him.  Several of those who dared to question the scandalous events of 2009 were banned in that way (click here and here to a sampling of the documented cases).

The Sore That Keeps On Festering

We have often referred to Daniel Dolan as “the gift that keeps on giving,” because, just about every time he opens his mouth, he unwittingly betrays himself – and, in the process, unwittingly hastens his own self-destruction.  Well, we are here to say that, once again, Dannie has not disappointed us, as SGG’s June 21, 21015 Sunday bulletin reveals.  In his Bishop’s Corner, he did so in all the usual ways, hitting all his usual themes: syrupy sanctimony, a few not-so-subtle hints about begging for money, more “guilt-tripping” for those Gerties who didn’t come to “the show” often enough, lavish flattery for a shut-in parishioner (whose money he’s after), and even a little “Bergoglio bashing” for good measure.  And – oh yes – he asked for “prayers” for a former parishioner who is now in prison.  (This always makes him look “magnanimous” and “forgiving.”)

In his Bishop’s Corner, Dannie started off by flinging some arrows at the local HVAC vendor (a company called Apollo Heating and Air Conditioning), who were called in to repair the AC at SGG’s “convento”: “The local HVAC god Apollo eventually descended from Olympus to repair it, but had to be propitiated with large amounts of money in advance.”*  This, of course, is one of Dannie’s favorite ploys: to insinuate that someone is unfairly charging SGG for its services.  (He referred to Apollo as the “god" Apollo, just as he referred to Duke Energy, the local electrical utility, as “the ‘Duke’ – and the bills paid to them as “the Duke’s ransom.”)  And also, of course, he is (not-so-subtly) hinting to the Gerties that – because Apollo “had to be propitiated with large amounts of money in advance” – he expects the Gerties to “chip in” to pay this bill (just as he did when he asked them to chip in on the “excessive heating bills” the last two winters).**

After that bit of sarcasm and poor-mouthing, then came these tidbits of guilt-tripping: “It would be nice to see all of you who have asked something of the saint [Anthony] at least once at his Summer Novena,”  then adding, “Besides, now that we have asked St. Anthony, we seem to have lost him from view, don’t we? His first day of devotions was practically abandoned.”  Wow, Dannie, that was really “tactful” of you to chide the Gerties again (as if they haven’t done enough).  Dannie, did it ever occur to you that the Gerties are getting sick of your "guilt-tripping" – and that they are ”voting with their feet”??

Dannie next mentioned that he “set up a little secondary St. Anthony shrine in the side chapel, with votive candles you can light in the saint’s honor.”  Nice touch, Dannie!  Are you going to make them FIVE-DAY votive candles, so that you can get more for them -- and then extinguish them right away (so that they can be “recycled”), as one woman found out?***  Oh Dannie, you “fund-raiser” you!!

Dannie’s next ‘Corner piece was about one of SGG’s “shut-ins” celebrating her 96^th birthday: “Bee (sic) had a wonderful 96th birthday, surrounded by Our Lord, His priest (Fr. McGuire brought Holy Communion in the morning) and many of her church friends, and cards, prayers and greetings from us all.”  Note that it wasn't Dannie or Tony who brought her Holy Communion; errands like that are reserved for lackeys.  The Dynastic Duo themselves are too important to attend to such “grunt” details.  However, they did send their lackey, because they know that “Bee” (Bea) has money – and they hope to get the lion’s share of it when she passes away.

Next, Dannie "spiced" his ‘Corner with some “public relations” electioneering, exhorting the Gerties, “Pray as well, if you would, for a very poor soul now in prison. [Name omitted] attended several churches here in succession a few years ago, but has now been sent to prison for a very grave crime indeed. I do not have any further information, but do ask for prayers for him, his wife and family, who must all be suffering very much. God reward your charity.”  Another “nice touch,” Dannie!  Although your school principal’s treatment of the family’s school-age child resulted in them removing that child from the school  (and quitting SGG altogether), you “remembered” him, because it makes you appear, as noted earlier, as “forgiving” and “magnanimous.”  (We also recall your “magnanimous” concern for Bp. Clarence Kelly when you reported that he had a debilitating disease that rendered him incapable of speech. (Of course, you referred to him as “Father” Kelly – which betrayed your true sentiments toward him.) 

Because this particular Sunday was Father’s Day, Dannie finished his Bishop’s Corner with this hackneyed bit of syrupy sanctimony: “Whatever you do, dear Fathers on your day, have a blessed one. You have first place in our prayers today, as we remember just what a blessing a good father is!”  Luckily for Disingenuous Dan, most of the fathers (and families) who left back in 2009 were not there to witness this over-the-top affectation.  Otherwise, they might have responded with some “over-the-top” words of their own, because they realize that Dannie’s words ring about as true as those he habitually expounds on Guardian Angel Sunday, “waxing poetic” about “protecting the innocence of our children,” while simultaneously sanctioning the brutal mistreatment of SGG's school kids kids by the school principal (after which, Dannie told their irate parents that, if they didn’t like it, they could leave SGG).

But what else could one expect from someone who states that watching porn amounts to “boys will be boys,” or who doesn’t raise an eyebrow when a boy impregnates a fellow student -- yet who has another boy thrashed with a wooden paddle for missing his homework?  And what could one expect from an operation whose “priests” tell the school kids that wearing a “sports” headband or riding a roller coaster is a mortal sin?  And what could one expect from someone who exhorts his parishioners to pay his “excessive heating bills,” while he himself is vacationing in Mexico (during Lent) at their expense?  And what could one expect from someone who denies the sacraments to a long-time parishioner just because he attended a “rival chapel” (SSPX) while on vacation, yet holds a “triple-play” funeral (three priests celebrating three Masses simultaneously) for a woman who wasn’t even a “traddie”?****  And what could one expect from someone who justified the putting to death of Terri Schiavo, and who dismissed gross sexual immorality as “boys will be boys”?

SGG’s parishioners, oddly enough, are aware of most of these things – perhaps all of them.  But, up to now, Dannie’s “show” has been such a big magnet, that they are drawn to it in spite of themselves (and against their better judgment).  Down deep, they know that Dirt-bag Dan’s “Catholicism” is counterfeit, and that his words are nothing more than lip service -- that he tells his parishioners what they want to hear, then proceeds to do exactly what he wants to do.  But “the show” has kept them coming back.  However, because “the gift that keeps on giving” keeps “reaffirming” himself, perhaps it’s finally starting to sink in (and becoming irrefutably evident) that “the gift that keeps on giving” is more like the sore that keeps on festering – and that, one day, it will culminate in Dannie’s self-destruction coming to fruition.  That day cannot come any too soon.

_________________________

* Ironically, what Dannie calls the “convento” is NOT a convent, but a rectory for housing priests.  When the “convento” was built, Dannie suckered the Gerties into paying for it by telling them that it was for SGG’s nuns, who were, at the time, “temporarily” housed offsite (necessitating a lengthy commute back and forth between their quarters and SGG – an inconvenience that added a good hour or more to their already long workday).  But, as it turned out, it was used instead to house SGG’s assistant priests (and visiting seminarians), NOT nuns.  (The nuns, overworked to the nubs, eventually left SGG in disgust.)  Why Dannie still refers to it as the “convento,” we do not know.

** What Dannie could have done (to avoid that big repair bill) was to not fix the “convento’s” air-conditioning at all.  That would put it on a par with SGG’s church vestibule, where moms with small kids are expected to sweat it out during the summer, and freeze in winter. Like those moms, the “convento” priests could just “offer it up.” After all, “what’s good for the goose is good for the gander.”

*** A former SGG parishioner stopped in at SGG one day for some holy water, and then lit a “five day” candle, only to discover -- when she stopped back the next day -- that it had been extinguished.  (see It’s the Little Things, Dannie).  It seems that this is a favorite tactic of Dannie’s: get them to pay for more, but give them less (and hope that they don’t find out).

**** The woman was not only “Novus Ordo,” but actually loathed Dannie, Tony, and the whole SGG cult regime.  So why did Dannie put on such an impressive “show” for her?  Simple: her husband was a prominent SGG cultie – and, more importantly, a big contributor to SGG’s coffers -- hence, the “big show.”  If he had not been “a source of revenue” for Dannie, she – of course – would have been denied the Mass (just as other “non-traddies” are).  So, in the end, it's not one’s religion that counts, but one’s bank account.