The Cult – and Its Consequences

One of the commenters on a recent Pistrina article sent in the following, excerpted from Big Don’s MHT bulletin: “It is not permitted on Sundays and holy days to do a change of clothes on the premises of the seminary. It is not permitted for men to remove their ties in the parking lot. One should arrive in his or her Sunday Best and leave the church in Sunday Best. Please note a change in the dress code: Women's heels may not exceed 2 inches. This is in order to maintain modesty in The House of God.”  Yes, you heard it right: men can’t even remove their ties “in the parking lot” after Mass; and women’s heels, heretofore restricted to three inches in height, must now be a maximum of two inches.  

But wait!  Not to be outdone by the deranged Donster, Dannie Dolan (aka “The oracle of West Chester”) has recently uttered (from his pulpit) this latest decree: that going to an “una cum” Mass is a mortal sin.  Yes, boys and girls, going to an “una cum” Mass is no longer just a “no no.”  It has been “upgraded” to the status of mortal sin.

The foregoing dictums beg the following question:  Have Dannie and the Donster lost what’s left of their diseased minds?!  Well, perhaps – but whether that’s the case or not, what it signifies is a desperate attempt by these two bloodsuckers to reassert “authority” over their respective flocks -- to show them that they are still their bosses.  Big Don, reeling from the loss of Our Lady of the Sun in Arizona -- and Dannie, disappointed that his Quinquagesima “Sunday Social” didn’t lure any more suckers into coming to his Friday Night ordeal-a-thons – are feeling pretty insecure these days.  And what does an insecure dictator do when he feels like he’s losing his grip?  He becomes even more authoritarian -- that’s what.

But it really shouldn’t surprise anyone that Big Don should issue his latest insane “dress code” missive and Dannie his equally insane “una cum” decree. These are just two more of the telltale signs that SGG and MHT are (and always have been) CULTS – exhibiting all the classic cult traits: making up arbitrary (and invariably irrational) “rules” that their followers must obey (but from which the cult-masters and their “favorites” are exempt); “living large” at their followers’ expense; and passing themselves off as “the real thing,” when in fact they are not.

That is why Dannie could summarily dismiss watching porn and fornicating with a fellow student (and getting her pregnant) as “boys will be boys” – because these deeds were done by the sons of one of their “favorites”: the “school principal.”  But let some poor unfortunate student miss his homework assignment, and he gets beaten with a wooden paddle – in front of faculty members called in to witness the “discipline.”  Or let some “rank-and-file” parishioner attend an “unapproved” chapel while on vacation, and he gets refused Communion.  Also, the rank-and-file are expected to obey the Lenten fast and abstinence rules, while Dannie skips off to Mexico for “copious quantities of meat.”  And that is also why Dannie and Tony dine at fine restaurants and go off on “apostolates” to posh destinations, while the Gerties get peasant fare back at the cult center: the former “enjoy” while the latter “obey.”

And what do the Gerties get for putting up with all this nonsense?  What do Dannie and Tony pass off as “the real thing”?  “The show,” of course.  Drop in on SGG’s High Mass any given Sunday, and chances are you’ll find a procession (or some other form of pontifical pageantry). Nary a Sunday goes by when His Self-Importancy isn’t oiling his way through SGG’s aisles (in full ecclesiastical regalia, of course, and surrounded by a huge contingent of servers, torch-bearers, and other assorted tinsel), with church bells blaring away -- and (of course) with enough incense billowing into the air to send everyone nearby into coughing spasms.  (In the past, it has even set off a smoke alarm.)

But is all of this “the real thing”?  Is SGG a place where one gets real Catholicism?  No, of course not.  It is a place where the “shepherds” preach about “protecting our innocent children,” but in practice condoned the aforementioned immoral behavior and the brutalization of those innocent children by a sadistic “school principal.”  (And the insanity doesn’t stop there: one of Dannie’s “religion teachers” proclaimed that riding a roller coaster or wearing a sports headband in church were mortal sins!)  And what kind of lunatic, we may ask, would say that one “una cum” Mass is worse than all the abortions ever performed?  MHT’s “prefect,” that’s who.  The sad fact is, there is no such thing as morality or real Catholicism at the cult centers.  So much for cult “Catholicism.”

So why do the Gerties put up with all of this?  Are they not aware of it all?  The answer is, in most cases, YES THEY ARE.  And that’s the problem: because they are, that’s what makes them, in fact, WORSE than the cult-masters themselves.  One could understand why Dannie, Tony, and Donny do the things they do.  They can’t help themselves: villains do what villains do.  But the Gerties – these “Catholics” who KNOW how evil these scumbags are, and who have personal knowledge of the many who’ve been victimized by them – why are they still there at SGG?  If they know, why do they stay?  That is why we reiterate that they are, in fact, WORSE than Dannie and Tony, because – with full knowledge of what kind of scum Dannie and Tony are – they still support (and therefore enable) these worms – simply because they can’t do without their “show.” ²  

And the most culpable of “those who know” are perhaps those who have children or grandchildren (whom they’ve kept “insulated” from all the chicanery of the cult-masters), who stay for “the show” simply because they want to see those youngsters make their first communions (or get married) in a “churchy” setting.  This is SICK.  These people are the real whores in the sordid SGG soap opera: willing to sacrifice those young peoples’ souls just for the sake of “the show.”  Do they not realize that those youngsters are eventually going to find out the truth about Dannie and Tony one day – and when they do, that they most likely will become thoroughly disillusioned – perhaps to the point of losing their Faith? Do they not realize that their allegiance is to their families, not to the cult, that they are responsible for their children and their spiritual well-being -- and that they are answerable to God for that?  Do they not realize that their children’s souls are far more important than “the show”? ³

If not for the support of these spineless wretches, the cult-masters would be out of business.  But, because of their support, Dannie, Tony, and Donny are able to continue to wreak their havoc.  And, whatever evil the cult-masters’ do, these people must realize that they are the cult-masters’ accomplices – that they share equal responsibility and equal accountability along with them.  Actually, their accountability goes beyond that, because, to reiterate, they are accountable as well for their children, many of whom -- because their parents put “the good of the cult” before the good of their families -- have gone astray and/or lost the Faith.  The importance of this (and its consequences) cannot be over-emphasized.

Do these people not realize what’s at stake here – and the lives (and souls) affected?  Do they not realize the consequences of their actions (or their inaction)?  Are they that blind that they cannot see the handwriting on the wall?  The answer is “yes” and “no.”  Yes, they have been “blinded” in a sense by the cult-masters – with the dazzle of the spectacle, and the syrupy “holy speak” that the cult-masters pass off as “Catholicism.”  But no, they really don’t care, as long as they get their “show.”  Deep down, they know “something’s wrong”; but they allow themselves to be deluded, because that is the path of least resistance.

Will they come to their senses?   We doubt it, because their problem is not so much “blindness” as it is something more basic -- PRIDE – which no amount of “elucidation” can remedy.  They’re too proud to admit that they’re wrong, and that they’ve been “backing the wrong horse” all these years (or some other such bogus reason as that).  Dannie has them convinced that, like the Pharisee in the parable, they’re “right” and everybody else isn’t.  And once they have taken that moral high ground, it’s hard for them to relinquish it.  Humility comes hard to people -- but especially to the Pharisaic.  Besides, they’ve become too “comfortable” with their ersatz “Catholicism” (and change comes hard to the “inertial” as well).  But their “moral high ground” is quicksand – and if they don’t change, they will surely “sink,” along with the cult-masters.  So, will they come to their senses?  Well, we certainly hope so – but, again, we doubt it.

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¹ Overburdening people with “chores” is a classic cult tactic:  preoccupying them –both physically and mentally – with the cult, to the point where they haven’t time to think of anything else but that, to where it becomes the single most important thing in their lives.  The classic case of this is the Jonestown cult, where the “Reverend Jim Jones” persuaded his followers to commit mass suicide by drinking cyanide-laced Kool-Aid.

² There probably isn’t one person at SGG who is not aware of Schiavo, and the sordid part the cult-masters played in that sad saga.  THIS ALONE should have been cause enough for them to send Dannie and Tony packing.  Add to that the myriad (and well-documented) 2009 school scandals – of which virtually all the parishioners were aware – and there was absolutely no excuse for any of them to remain with (and support) these lepers – but they did.

³ Many of SGG’s young have already found out, and have left – especially back in 2009.  Back then, when one of the principal’s sons got a girl pregnant, word of it “spread like wildfire” amongst the younger set.  Word also spread about the other abuses that happened (especially at the school); and the kids saw through all of this -- and the hypocrisy of the cult-masters’ wretched laissez faire attitude toward it.  This obviously disillusioned many of them – some to the point of losing their Faith.  We can only imagine the disillusionment of those “insulated” youngsters when it’s their turn to “find out” – and the consequences of their disillusionment.

And many such “consequences” have already occurred: As we noted in at least one previous article, not only have many of the younger set left the Faith and “gone astray,” but some have even had children out of wedlock -- and one became a lesbian, and another, a “transgender.”  But the even sadder thing is that in many of these cases, the parents involved don’t seem to care that their children went astray – nor do they seem to have any sense of accountability for what happened: they “wash their hands” and continue on, sanctimoniously following this or that cult-master, pretending as if nothing ever happened -- as if one’s children going astray is no longer one’s concern or “fault.”  (But what else could one expect from a cult-indoctrinated mind?)

"Do as I Say, not as I Do"

One of Dannie Dolan’s perpetual laments these days is the SGG cult’s dismal attendance record.  Week after week, Dannie has tried to shame his Gerties into “coming to the show” (especially for Lent) – using all sorts of guilt-tripping and intimidation techniques – all to no avail.  So, for this year, Devious Dan has decided to try something new: bribery.  And to kick off this Lenten season on that note, Dannie announced a Quinquagesima “Social Sunday” (see Pistrina’s article) complete with free pancakes (“a pancake or two”) and “informal games.” ¹

Never mind that Dannie’s “Social Sunday” was nothing more than a a latter-day version of “bread and circuses” -- a peasant-fare starch-a-thon, coupled with “games” probably about as “entertaining” as one of Checkie’s sermons.  However, it was, at least, a freebie – as he put it, “a fun raiser, not a fundraiser” -- a pleasant departure from his past use of heavy-handed coercion, and a tacit admission by him that this past policy of coercion has failed miserably.

However, one can “take it to the bank” that there was a “hidden agenda” for that “Social Sunday,” because the whole idea behind the dime’s worth of pancakes and “games” was to sucker these folks into coming to the Lenten Friday-night “marathons” that Dannie puts on.  And marathons they are.  The entire program includes not only Stations, but a Mass, an assortment of novenas and prayers (including Dannie’s “blessing of the sick” scam, where those who are “sick,” i.e., those with anything from a hangnail to a hiccough, come up to receive “faith-healer Dan’s” “blessing”), a supper (after which strategically-placed “lieutenants” stare down those trying to “sneak out” afterwards without staying for the rest of “the show”).  And the show, of course, continues with a “candlelight” sermon by Dannie, some more prayers, and then the final distribution of Communion (purposely held off until last to keep those who want to receive it there ‘til the bitter end.)  If one stays for the entire sit-stand-and-kneel-a-thon, it’s a four-hour ordeal – throughout which the wee ones are expected to remain silent and motionless.²

Will Dannie’s new bribery trick work?  Will more folks come to “the show”?  We think not.  Oh yes, the hard-core culties will be there, and perhaps an initial flurry of freshly recruited newcomers (from the "Social Sunday"?) will be there.  And Dannie, by the way, will provide free suppers (even more starch-laden than that Social's pancakes) in an effort to make his Friday night show look more like a “bargain.”  (His former “potluck dinner” policy never went over that well with the Gerties.)   But, in spite of all these measures, the attendance – as Lent wears on -- will probably dwindle, and revert to “pre-bribery” levels.³

And why?  Well, first of all, his Gerties will see those “freebie” dinners for what they are: starch-laden “bowel stoppers” that aren’t worth the risk of verstopfung.  Besides, a belly-full of starch (free or otherwise) won’t be incentive enough to entice folks into staying for the Friday-night ordeal (nor are they the determining factor). The problem is that “the show” is just too long -- especially for those with small kids, whom Dannie presumptuously (and unrealistically) expects to remain silent and still throughout the entire performance. 

Okay, we know what some of Dannie’s aficionados might be saying right now: “You people really don’t believe in sacrificing during Lent – and (so) how dare you criticize ‘His Excellency’ [LOL!] for trying to do the right thing,” etc., etc., etc.  Well, we’re saying (or thinking) nothing of the sort.  Lent is a penitential season, and it is right and proper to do penance during this time.  But, many Gerties are now aware of how much “penance” Dannie did when he was in Mexico the other year (when he stuffed his face with “copious quantities of meat”).  So why did “His Excellency” not set an example for his flock, and refrain from such excess?  (And why, for that matter, did he not decline the offer of a pleasure boat ride while he was there, as at least some token display of “penance”?  Why is it always his Gerties, not he, who must “offer it up”? 

Why?  Because Dannie has NEVER “set the example,” that’s why – not a good one, at least.  His “Mexican Lent” is actually typical of the kind of “self-denial” that Dannie practices.  One look at Dannie, and it is obvious that he is not in the habit of “denying” himself – and we’re not just talking food here, either.  Dannie, for instance, cannot tolerate any kind of “discomfort.”  When his sinuses were bothering him some years back, he couldn’t “just offer it up” like the rest of us.  Instead, he had to have his sinuses operated on (an operation, by the way, that didn’t work), after which he underwent a lengthy “recuperation” at The Bishop’s Lodge (an all-inclusive “destination” resort in the desert southwest).⁴

Another example of Dannie’s “self-denial” was his silver jubilee, which he decided to hold at the most prestigious venue in the area, the Palm Court in downtown Cincinnati’s Netherland Hilton Hotel.  (Tony’s was held there too.)  The peasants were allowed to come (they had to be!) – but they were served different “beverages” than Dannie and his entourage.  Besides, the tab for these affairs (somewhere in the neighborhood of $25,000 each) was, of course, picked up by “the parish.” ⁵  When it comes to Dannie’s and Tony’s creature comforts, no expense has ever been “too great.”

The fact is, word of all of this is getting around, and the Gerties are starting to “read between the lines.”  That is, it’s beginning to dawn on them that Dannie really doesn’t practice what he preaches, and that “mortification and self-denial” are for them, not him.⁶  Oh sure, he no longer goes to posh restaurants (see footnote 3), that is, he doesn’t admit to going.  But that’s because his old “underwriter” (Bernie Brueggemann) is now gone; and it’s also because, again, “word is getting around.”  Dannie now knows that he can’t flaunt his extravagance as he used to, because he knows we’re all watching – and reporting.  That's why he's now being forced to be more subtle in his (exploitation) approach, and resorting to bribery – a thing he’s never had to consider doing in the past. 

The “bottom line”: the sun is setting on Dannie and Tony – and they know it.  Dannie’s comment (in his Sexagesima Sunday bulletin) that the Quinquagesima “Social Sunday” was to be “a fun raiser, not a fundraiser” was a Freudian slip on his part: it was not only a tacit admission by Dannie that his “financial exploitation” days are over, but also that his Gerties know this – and that they’re not standing for it anymore.  Another reason that the sun is setting on Dannie and Tony is that their older parishioners, brought up in yesteryear’s “Catholic obedience” mindset, are dying off; and the younger set, although using the same “traditional” buzzwords and phrases as their parents, don’t think the same way.  More and more, they’re thinking for themselves, as their contemporaries do in today’s modern world.  (And, actually, many of those “parents” are adopting that mindset too – especially as they “find out” about Dannie and Tony.)

One recent visitor to SGG commented that Dannie looked “bloated” and “worried.”  We don’t doubt it.  Dannie’s in trouble.  His credibility in Trad World is all but gone, as is Tony’s – especially his reputation as a (LOL) “scholar.” ⁷  And all their recent desperate attempts to regain their prestige -- SGG’s “Ordo,” it’s calendar, Tony’s hapless videos, etc. -- have all failed miserably.  Nobody takes them seriously anymore.  Couple this with the fact that more and more Gerties are realizing, at long last, that Dannie and Tony never really practice what they preach (and never will), and this spells “trouble” for SGG.

With Tony’s reputation as a “scholar” in the toilet (and deservedly so), all that the cult-center has going for it now is Dannie’s “charisma” (for what that’s worth).  But that charisma is wearing thin with many of his Gerties, especially as Dannie’s credibility continues to tank.  Another ongoing problem for Dannie and Tony – and a real “wild card” – is “the school principal”: how long are they going to have to put up with this parasite?  (And why, more and more Gerties are wondering, can’t they just “get rid of him”?!)

For the time being, SGG will limp along, because some of Dannie’s Gerties will still fall for his “charisma” and Tony’s “scholarship” – but their numbers are dwindling.  The day will inevitably come when the scales will tip to the point where SGG will collapse under the weight of its own moral decay (if its crumbling infrastructure literally doesn’t do so first) – and we look forward to that day.

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¹Dannie, of course, sent his regrets about coming to the “Social”:  “I regret not to be here, but I had already been scheduled for a long delayed Milwaukee visit.”  Yeah, we bet you “had already been scheduled,” Dannie.  Why is it that you always seem to “miss” such occasions, as you did when you were partaking of “copious quantities of meat” in sunny Mexico while your Gerties were back at the cold cult-center partaking of macaroni and fish sticks?  It kind of makes us wonder: when you were in Milwaukee, did you have pancakes there too, or did you have “copious quantities” of something else?

² And, oh yes, there may be a “Lenten alms offering” collection taken up as well. Yes, in the past, this has been a Friday night “staple”: those conscientious enough to make the sacrifice of packing up all their little ones in the car, braving the (usually) inclement Lenten weather, and coming to the Friday marathon were “rewarded” by being shaken down for a “Lenten alms” donation. Will Dannie continue this “tradition” (in which case, “so much for that “free supper”!), or will he (for once) realize that this is a gross imposition on these folks, and scrap it?

³ And, according to Dannie’s Lent I (March 5, 2017) ’Corner, it looks as though “attendance” is already starting off at “pre-bribery” levels: “Ash Wednesday was sparse, as it was the previous two years, due perhaps to bad weather.”  “Bad weather,” Dannie?  Do you think, instead, that “bad attitude” might have something to do with it?

⁴ The Bishop’s Lodge has traditionally been one of Dannie’s “favorites.”  And what makes this so inappropriate is that, in addition to being hideously expensive, this place has a wide reputation as a Mecca for hedonists and homosexuals – not a very good example for Dannie to set for his Gerties.  Besides this extravagance, Dannie and Tony regularly feasted ((back in “the good old days,” when they were being bankrolled by the Brueggemann family) at local high-end restaurants. (La Petite France, The Grand Finale, and The Iron Horse Inn were their favorites.)  Now, they must settle for Taco Bell (which more suits their fancy anyway, because their tastes are actually decidedly plebian -- two sow’s ears pretending to be silk purses.)

⁵ It was most certainly Bernie Brueggemann (SGG’s chief benefactor at the time) who picked up the tab for both of these events.  Bernie, being the generous soul that he was, was regularly taken advantage of by these con men.  But it is Bernie who has the eternal advantage now, for his innumerable acts of kindness and generosity have, no doubt, been richly rewarded by our Lord, while Dannie and Tony await a much different “reward” for what they have done.

⁶ But that’s the way it is with cults: “mortification and self-denial” are for the followers, not their masters.  In every classic cult, the leader does (and gets) whatever he wants, living high while his followers, guilt-tripped and intimidated into submission, must “deny” themselves.  Does all of this sound familiar? 

⁷ Tony’s “scholarship” has always been nothing more than “ignorance wrapped in arrogance.”  In everything that he has ever said or written, he has thoroughly embarrassed himself; and he would have fared much better if he had only kept his mouth shut -- on Schiavo, for instance.  But his monumental ego wouldn’t let him do that.  A “legend in his own mind,” he just had to “blow his own horn” – and ruined his credibility in the process.    

(Not So) Masters of Deceit

A recent Pistrina Liturgica article (click here) caught Dannie wrongly attributing “Lurch” (aka, “Fr. McGuire”) as being the author of something written in a recent St. Hughes bulletin, when in fact it was a verbatim repetition of something actually written by someone else -- a priest named Fr. Simon Tugwell.  And in yet another article (click here), Pistrina found Dannie plagiarizing again – this time from a piece written by a man named Paul Anthony Jones.  Afterwards, Pistrina then gave Dannie a chance to mend his ways (and not plagiarize again), warning him not to plagiarize the following Sunday -- but Dannie didn’t heed the warning: that following Sunday, he passed off even more of Mr. Jones’ writing as his own. (Click here for that article.)

But that’s not the first time that Dannie has plagiarized – nor will it be the last.  For instance, here’s another example: in an article in September of 2016 (click here), we mentioned how Dannie quoted a passage from a Dr. Anthony Esolen (concerning the proper running of a school), following that with a statement giving the reader the impression that SGG’s school and Dr. Esolen’s representation of what a school should be were one and the same.  Nothing, of course, could be farther from the truth. 

The other false impression that Dannie’s readers probably got was that this “Dr. Esolen” was “traditional.”  He is not.  Actually, he is affiliated with Providence College, a Novus Ordo institution (which Dannie would otherwise be bad-mouthing).  But Dannie probably figured that none of his Gerties would check up on Dr. Esolen’s “credentials” or affiliation, and hence figured it was safe to “use” Dr. Esolen for his own purposes.

But plagiarizing is just one of the many ways that Dannie “practices to deceive.”  There are others, one of his “favorites” being name-dropping.  A few examples will illustrate:  Once, Dannie mentioned a priest coming to SGG for a “Solemn Mass with Fr. Cekada and myself” – insinuating that this had just happened.  He was, in fact, referring to an event that had taken place twenty-five years prior.  (See Dannie’s Name-Dropping Bird Droppings.)  Dannie wanted to give his readers the impression that he and this priest were “the best of buddies.”  The priest, at one time on friendly terms with Dannie, had long since broken with him -- and now loathes Dannie.¹ 

But perhaps Dannie’s most frequent use of name-dropping is that of invoking the name of Bernie Brueggemann.  (See Name Dropping’s Poster Child.)  Dannie always liked to use his name because Bernie -- at one time SGG’s main benefactor (before he left after the 2009 school scandals) -- is still remembered (and revered) by many at SGG, and hence of good “propaganda value" to Dannie.  Once, after engaging in a bit of “Bergoglio bashing,” Dannie added, “What would Bernie Brueggemann have to say about this?”  And on another occasion, 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.” 

What Dannie conveniently failed to remember was that Bernie spent “the last year of his life” (and longer than that) 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.” And another thing that Dannie failed to mention was that Bernie actually attended Immaculate Conception Church every First Friday for a good number of years before “the last year of his life”; and he did NOT, as Dannie put it, “forbid discussion of the very subject in his home.”  This was, plainly put, 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.”  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.

Then, of course, another act of deception (and subterfuge) was Dannie’s abortive attempt to sabotage the ordination of a priest in Lawrence, Massachusetts (mentioned in our last article).  Dannie tried to deceive the people there into believing that the young man to be ordained was “unfit.”  (See Pistrina’s article, A Shut Soul’s Hypocrisy.)  This was not only an act of deception, but one of duplicity and mendacity as well.  And who could forget Dannie’s trying every year to convince everyone that SGG’s altar is “privileged” (because Dannie is a “bishop”).  As Pistrina correctly pointed out in its article, “Altar” Ego, only a lawfully appointed bishop (with a see) can claim a privileged altar – and Dannie doesn’t qualify on either count.

Yet another (embarrassingly stupid) attempt at deception by Dannie was this one, when Dannie wrote in his Bishop’s(?) ‘Corner of Jan. 3, 2016 that some of his affiliate clerics “had crosses* this Christmas”….  Fr. Mardones says Juarez and El Paso had the worst (and first!) snow in many years, shutting down the cities over the weekend.  Bishop Sanborn’s back grew worse after his Michigan trip for Bishop McKenna’s funeral, and he finally had to cancel his Christmas trip to England and the Continent.”  How sad to miss Mass for Christmas, or be laid up and out of action.”  Dannie was insinuating that Fr. Mardones missed Christmas because of the snow (and that Sanborn missed his trip because of back trouble).

The problem, however, with Dannie’s insinuation that Fr. Mardones missed Christmas Mass (because of the snow) is that the snow down in El Paso and Juarez didn’t even start until the afternoon of the day AFTER Christmas.  So, the snow couldn't possibly have caused Fr. Mardones "to miss Mass for Christmas" – making a liar out of Dannie once again.  (Click here for the El Paso newspaper’s account of the snow-storm).²

There are actually many more examples of Dannie’s deception that we could catalog here – but that would make for a prohibitively long article.  However, two more recent examples bear mentioning: SGG’s embarrassingly inaccurate “Ordo 2016” (and 2017), and its equally pathetic “calendar.”  Dannie tried to pass both of them off as “SGG originals” – but both were largely plagiarized copies of other peoples’ efforts.  And even though they were just “copy jobs” – they were still riddled with errors.  It seems that even when they “practices to deceive” by copying someone else’s work, SGG “can’t get it right.”

The truth is, Dannie’s entire tenure at SGG has been one of deception.  Every week, he plies his Gerties with some form of it, trying to convince them that SGG alone is “the real thing” -- and that everyone else isn’t.  In his recent Septuagesima “Corner, for instance (click here), he bad-mouthed everybody from (of course) Bergoglio to Bishop Fellay and the SSPX -- and even blasted Fr. Jenkins and IC, commenting that “Fr. Jenkins has produced a long, rambling and fatally boring video on the old question of the validity of the Thuc consecrations,” then adding, “I presume he’s worried about the number of his faithful who often attend St. Gertrude the Great.”  (Firstly, Dannie, for “fatally boring, try watching one of Tony’s videos!  And secondly, it’s not IC’s folks who are in danger of defecting to SGG, but the opposite – but one can always count on you to misrepresent the facts!)

The fact that deception is a mainstay of Dannie’s “repertoire” should surprise no one, however, for Dannie is Tradistan’s premier and consummate hypocrite; and, after all, deception is what hypocrisy is all about – pretending to be what one is not.  He (and Tony, of course) will continue to “practice to deceive” – except that they’ll be deceiving no one but themselves.  The truth is, his Gerties are seeing through all of this deception -- and the lying and everything else that goes along with it.  Dannie and Tony, who are always representing themselves as Traddieland’s “authorities on everything,” have in fact shown themselves to be nothing more than bungling know-nothings.

So, what say you, Gerties?  We think it’s high time that you stop deceiving yourselves, and -- as Pistrina so aptly put it -- give these imposters the “pink slip” they deserve, and …

Starve the Beast!

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¹ Our article, in fact, prompted one of our readers to write to us and comment “about Dolan’s using the name and reputation of other clergy to garner support for himself by suggesting that they are somehow affiliated with him or supportive of him and his various endeavors, when in fact they are NOT.”  Our correspondent later added, “Now that Dolan is under attack and suffering losses on all sides, he is back to name dropping so people won’t realize how alone he is.”  (For a complete account of what he had to say, click here for our article, Starting to Unravel.)  

² Now one of Dannie’s apologists might argue that it was Sanborn to whom Dannie was referring when he lamented, “How sad to miss Mass for Christmas.”  But, upon inspection, this doesn’t hold up to logic.  As Dannie himself pointed out, it was a Christmas trip (to England) that Big Don missed, not Christmas Mass -- and it was because of back trouble, not snow.  Also, the trip was to be after Christmas anyway; hence, one can only deduce that Dannie was referring to Fr. Mardones – not Big Don -- when he said, “How sad to miss Mass for Christmas.” 

Sentimentality as a Weapon

A recent Pistrina Liturgica article (click here) did an excellent job of pinpointing Dannie’s fawning (and obsessive) preoccupation with “the baby Jesus” and his syrupy, over-the-top sentimentality that goes along with it. Indeed, Dannie gushes forth with lots of “sentimentality.”  It has become Dannie’s trademark modus operandi, just as pedal-to-the-metal hellfire and brimstone has become Big Don’s.  But there’s something macabre and eerie about Dannie’s sentimentality, because one also finds him matter-of-factly “waxing sentimentally” about baby bunnies being dismembered and devoured by feral felines – leading one to think that Dannie’s “sentimentality” is the kind one might expect to find in a chamber of horrors (or perhaps the padded cell in a home for the criminally insane).

Another example of Dannie’s sick sentimentality is – as Pistrina has often pointed out – his “Doctor Jesus” fetish, where he dresses up an infant “doll” in white “doctor duds” (complete with stethoscope), passing off this peculiar ensemble as “Doctor Jesus” (a custom reportedly practiced by Latinos, from whom he borrowed it).  He usually displays the doll by suspending it from the pulpit – dangling quasi-comically (and inappropriately) -- almost as if in effigy.  Perhaps it is an acceptable custom in some Latino cultures; but here in gringo-land, it comes off as somewhat ridiculous – more fawning puerility from Dannie’s disturbed mind.  (We doubt, too, that Latinos display it as haphazardly as Dannie does.)

Yes, Dannie’s “sentimentality” certainly is “sick”; and, as Pistrina also correctly pointed out, it is just a smoke screen to cover up for the SGG cult’s deplorable deficiencies (and its lack of true Catholicism).  Like everything else he does, Dannie’s “sentiment” is all for show.  The truth is, that behind this sentimental veneer, is a cold, calculating mind that is, ironically, totally devoid of any real sentiment or compassion.  His “sentiment” is just a weapon – or, more precisely, a carefully cultivated business strategy -- that he uses to achieve his goals. There’s nothing sincere or “spontaneous” about it.  It’s carefully measured, and he turns it on or off, like a faucet or tap, to suit his purposes.

Witness the episode between him and a recently widowed woman, for instance. When she declined Dannie’s “invitation” (i.e., his “guilt-tripping” attempt at coercion) to have her husband buried from SGG, his demeanor quickly morphed from syrupy sentimentality to cold vituperation.  Even as she was reeling from having just lost her husband, Dannie proceeded to accuse her of being selfish in “denying” her husband a “Catholic burial.”¹ He also told her that he couldn’t attend her husband’s visitation because it was “ecumenically impossible” for him to be in the same room as her son, a Baptist minister (see our article, Hypocrisy’s Poster Child).  This was, in fact, a LIE.  Later, he compounded his lie by telling another SGG parishioner (a friend of the widow’s) that he didn’t attend because he got the date “mixed up.” ²

Of course, the foregoing is not the first instance of Dannie’s lack of any real compassion (not to mention, his lack of veracity).  It was already very much in evidence on Schiavo.  How he and Tony could justify (or even countenance) the murder of Terri Schiavo is simply beyond comprehension.  How could Dannie look on with such disinterested indifference as she was being slowly and methodically starved and dehydrated to death?  What kind of person – one who calls himself “Catholic” -- could even think of doing such a thing?  Where were his “sentimentality” and his compassion then? ³

But perhaps the most prominent (and publicized) example of Dannie’s utter lack of “sentimentality” was the 2009 SGG school scandals.  When the school’s kids were being brutalized by its sadistic principal, Dannie simply ignored the complaints of their irate parents (and ignored their pleas for him to do something about it).  When one woman complained to him, he simply told her that she could, in effect, go somewhere else if she didn’t like it.⁴  And when another complained about the principal’s boys watching porn on the school computer, Dannie – who is always sentimentally cooing about “protecting the innocence of our children” -- responded with his “boys will be boys” comment – not only disdainfully indifferent, but totally flying in the face of Catholic morality.⁵  It was his cold insensitivity about all of this, in fact, that precipitated the mass exodus of people from SGG back then.

Not only is Dannie’s demeanor totally lacking in true sentiment, but it has, more often than not, a scheming, conspiratorial aspect to it.  For instance, when a young man was to be ordained at a chapel in Lawrence, Massachusetts, Dannie clandestinely phoned them in an effort to sabotage the ordination.  (See Pistrina’s article, A Shut Soul’s Hypocrisy.)  Fortunately, the effort failed miserably; but it evoked a response from the ordaining bishop.  And, fortunately for Dannie, that bishop, man of good breeding and discretion that he is, did not expose Dannie as the culprit.  Instead, he graciously spared Dirt-bag Dan by not mentioning his name, saying only that “an ecclesiastic of prominent hierarchy (to whom we offer the charity of not naming although he didn't have it when he formed his evaluations) called a trustworthy priest on the phone, asserting that we would be ordaining a candidate who lacks sufficient formation” -- something, if circumstances were reversed, that no-class, low-life Dannie would NEVER do.⁶  We, however, DID put the finger on Dannie, for he deserves no such anonymity. 

This episode gives valuable insight into Dannie’s psyche, perfectly illustrating his deviousness and his duplicity, and showing the depths to which this weasel will descend to achieve his goals.  It also shows that, under Dannie’s sentimental veneer, there just isn’t any sentiment.  Like everything else he does, his “sentimentality” is not what it appears to be: it is fake; it is counterfeit -- and it is just one more facet (and proof) of his consummate HYPOCRISY.  In reality, Dannie is anything BUT sentimental.  He is a veritable ”Rasputin in shepherd’s clothing” – a cold, scheming Machiavelli, always ready to use whatever means available to further his agenda.  Fortunately for us, however, his sorry attempts at subterfuge are easy to spot; and he always exposes himself as the hapless bungler that he is.

But as long as his gullible Gerties keep falling for it, Dannie will never learn his lesson, and will continue to use his “sentimentality” strategy (along with his other “weapons”).  And we, of course, must thank him for that, because it gives us the opportunity to continue to expose his folly to the world, thus diminishing what little reputation (and credibility) that this bungling buffoon has left – and thereby increasing the chances that his Gerties, at long last, WILL wake up and realize that his “sentimentality,” like everything else he is and does, is a sham, and – ultimately -- that everything he is and does is not Catholic.

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¹ Actually, her husband did get a Catholic burial: Fr. Bernard Hall, when informed of the deceased man’s death by his widow, immediately said a Requiem Mass for him; and, when he attended the man’s visitation (which Dannie refused to attend) he also blessed the man’s body, casket, etc.

² After we reported about Dannie refusing to come to the deceased man’s visitation, Dannie then changed his story and told an SGG parishioner (named “Natalie” – a friend of the man’s widow) that the reason he didn’t come was because (as we stated earlier) “he got the date mixed up.”   The widow, however, said that no such “mix-up” occurred, and that both she and the funeral director gave Dannie the correct information.  Dannie simply LIED to “Natalie,” thinking that this would “put the matter to rest.”  Well, it didn’t, Dannie.  You only “dug yourself a deeper hole.”

³ At the time, Dannie and Tony were “living high on the hog,” frequently going to their favorite gourmet restaurants.  How they could ignore Terri in her death agony is simply beyond belief – especially when considering the fact that even their pet cats (“Caravaggio,” “Puccini,” and “Vivaldi”) enjoyed all the food, water, and “kitty spa” perks their little feline hearts desired, while Terri lay dying a slow, painful death of court-ordered starvation and dehydration.

⁴ The boy’s name was “Andrew”; and when his mother complained to Dannie, his (Dannie’s) exact words were, “So you won’t be sending them back” (because she had other kids in the school too).  (See our article, Well, He Got Schiavo Wrong, But…)  (See also, Litany of Reported Abuses at SGG.)

⁵ When one of the principal’s sons impregnated a female student at SGG’s “school,” Dannie again made light of it.  He said nothing about it, except to later blame the girl involved.  The boy, however, he later feted in an SGG Newsletter article (about his skill at playing the organ) – typical of misogynist Dannie.  And what makes Dannie’s behavior here all the more hypocritical is that he was warned almost a year in advance about the boy’s misbehavior, but Dannie ignored the warning.  (He was warned by one of SGG’s teachers at the time – who was later dismissed from the faculty, then labeled by Dannie and Tony as “mentally unbalanced.”)

⁶ Dannie delights in exposing (and vilifying) anyone whom he perceives as a “rival” or “threat” to him and/or his SGG cult.  Among others, he did so to Fr. Bernard Hall (click here), accusing him of being a “trouble-maker.”  And before Fr. Hall was ordained, and still a teacher at SGG, he was wrongfully fired; then – because he was a foreign national – he was later “anonymously” reported to Homeland Security.  In an extensive article, a former parishioner chronicles all the events leading up to this.  (Click here for article.)

 Dannie also slandered a Fr. Florent Grassigli.  In a letter, dated November 21, 2013, to the Association Saint Pie V de Chambery (in France), Dannie not only attacked Fr. Grassigli for his “”lack of canonical fitness,” but even attacked his parents, by referring to Grassigli as “the son of a Lyonais communist.”  (In that same letter, he also attacked Bps. Slupski and Dymek as being “canonically unfit.”)  (A copy of the letter to which we refer is in our possession, but in “pdf” form.  Since we are not “cyber savvy” enough to make it a hyperlink, we cannot reproduce it here.  However, if one of our readers can find it (and has the capability to hyperlink it), perhaps he or she could send us that “link.”

Tony Cekada has done much the same, including what is perhaps his most despicable attack, an unprovoked hatchet job on the late Abbot Leonard Giardina (click here).  The SGG cult-masters have “slammed” many others besides, including Fr. Jenkins (of Immaculate Conception), and, in the past, the CMRI (although they and CMRI now seem to be more or less “getting along”).  Actually, both SGG and MHT habitually discredit whomever they perceive as being “in their way.”  And if the full truth were known, the “list” would probably be much greater than what we have reported here.