Bishop Hermann: ‘I thought you should know’

Submitted on March 12, 2009

Most Reverend Robert J. Hermann, Archdiocesan Administrator

St. Stanislaus Parishioners, welcome home to the Catholic Church! This past Monday, March 9, 2009, Bishop James Johnston, Bishop of Springfield-Cape Girardeau, informed Father Marek B. Bozek that on January 31, 2009, Pope Benedict XVI had dismissed Father Marek Bozek from the priesthood. This means that Mr. Bozek no longer has any priestly powers, aside from giving absolution to a person in danger of death. St. Stanislaus Parishioners, welcome home to the Catholic Church! The Catholic Church is your home. You have a right to the Sacraments of the Catholic Church, including the valid celebration of the Holy Mass, the valid celebration of Confession, the valid celebration of marriages. We want to work with all those couples who have been led into believing that the marriages Mr. Bozek celebrated in St. Stanislaus were valid marriages. They were not. I encourage you to go to your pastor in order to discuss how to get your marriage validated in the Catholic Church. Until your marriage has been reconciled with the Church, you should not present yourself for Holy Communion at Holy Mass. The Marriage Tribunal is ready to work with any pastor who might have questions. This was the pastoral concern that moved Archbishop Burke to encourage all such parishioners, who had received the Sacraments invalidly at St. Stanislaus since the coming of Mr. Bozek, to seek out a Catholic priest for assistance. Archbishop Burke was concerned about the eternal salvation of those who had been misled. A number of parishioners, including several former members of the Board of St. Stanislaus Parish, have returned and have been reconciled with the Church. Archbishop Burke was simply expressing the Church’s pastoral concern. This has never been a dispute about money or property, but only about obedience. The Church regulates the use of all Church property for the sake of unity. Obedience to Christ and His Church begets unity and peace. St. Ignatius of Antioch tells us that wherever the bishop is, there is the Catholic Church, and wherever the Catholic Church is, there is Christ.