THURSDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2019
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: C. J. DOYLE
(617) 524-6309
catholicactionleague@gmail.com
SCANDAL IN THE DIOCESE OF WORCESTER
A former three term member of the Worcester School Committee, Tracy O'Connell Novick is seeking to regain her seat on the Committee in Worcester's municipal elections next Tuesday, November 5th.
A proponent of sex education in the public schools, she has been endorsed by the Planned Parenthood Advocacy Fund of Massachusetts, the political action arm of Planned Parenthood for state and local elections in the Commonwealth. During her previous tenure on the School Committee, Novick received the Defender of Liberty Award from the Central Massachusetts branch of the American Civil Liberties Union.
Nominally Catholic politicians and office seekers abandoning Christian morality and repudiating Catholic beliefs to serve the interests of Planned Parenthood are neither surprising nor exceptional in Massachusetts today. Tragically and disgracefully, they have become the norm.
What makes the case of Tracy O'Connell Novick different is the identity of her husband. Colin Novick is the Executive Director of the Greater Worcester Land Trust. He is also the permanent deacon assigned to Saint Paul's Cathedral in Worcester. As a deacon, his duties include assisting the Bishop of Worcester at the altar of the cathedral during Mass.
Catholic Action League Executive Director C. J. Doyle made the following comment: "A permanent deacon is not part time lay worker. He is an ordained member of the clergy who has received the sacrament of Holy Orders."
"The Novick candidacy is a grave scandal, which sends a message of confusion to the Catholic community regarding the commitment of the clergy of the Diocese of Worcester to the moral teachings of the Catholic Faith. It also conveys to secular society the impression that the Church is not serious in upholding, even in its own institutions, the principles it professes to believe."
"More troubling is the suggestion implicit in this candidacy, to Catholic and non-Catholic alike, that dissent from Catholic teaching is, under some circumstances, expedient, permissible and respectable. This incident, needless to say, is moreover, a compelling example of how improvident it would be for the Church to discard the apostolic tradition of clerical celibacy."
"The First Letter of Saint Paul to Timothy exhorts: 'Let deacons be the husbands of one wife: who rule well their children and their own houses'. That does not seem to be the case when a deacon's spouse seeks public office with the endorsement of the enemies of the Cross in Planned Parenthood."
"A bishop must also rule well his own diocese. The Bishop of Worcester needs to address this outrage. Faithful Catholics should contact Bishop Robert McManus and urge him to clarify both the status of Deacon Novick and the position of the Diocese of Worcester on Catholics collaborating with the culture of death."
Bishop McManus can be reached through his secretary's email at lpietrowicz@worcesterdiocese.org. The Vicar-General, Father Richard Reidy, can be reached at rreidy@worcesterdiocese.org. The main telephone number of the Worcester Chancery is (508) 791-7171.
Update #3: After the early morning Sunday Mass today (9/22/2019) a friend asked Deacon Colin to explain Tracy's endorsement by Planned Parenthood. I write this to give everyone a chance to exercise their prudential judgement in this area, to attempt to give Tracy's side of this issue. Colin said that his wife did not seek the endorsement, and has refused both money and support from Planned Parenthood, that she is not a supporter of abortion but is a supporter of what seh calls comprehensive sex education to help prevent disease and pregnancy in public school children (which is why Planned Parenthood endorsed her, according to Deacon Colin.) The question I would have asked would have been why she did not publicly denounce after the fact or refuse the endorsement before the fact. As far as I am concerned, this is still a scandel, and I would encourage all of you to ask Tracy directly about it during the weeks coming up to the election. Tracy Novick needs to address this publicly, and it is scandalous to support anyone endorsed by an organization engaged in an intrinsic evil.
Update #2: Bishop McManus is aware of this situation, and as in any situation which involves public scandal, public chastisement can have unintended as well as the opposite desired effect. And in this case the desired effect is a change of heart, both Tracy's and ours. At this time I think we should not simply desire her to be publicly rebuked by name, right now it would make more sense to use this scandal as a teaching moment. I would watch for public statements from the Bishop regarding the responsibilities of public officials to protect all citizens, as well as guidance to Catholic voters and their responsibility not only to vote, but to vote against evil and for life.
I am not recommending that we all remain silent, in fact I strongly recommend all of us to reach out to both Tracy and Colin, (not their children), especially those of us who know either of them in any way, and in a christian manner go to our brother or sister privately to see if they will listen to you (Mt 18:15). If you know their email or address, I recommend a gentle note or postcard. These message should have to following outline:
1. We love you
2. The endorsement of Tracy by Planned Parenthood is a true scandal because Planned Parenthood is engaged in a business, abortion, which is intrinsically evil
3. As a result of this endorsement, you certainly cannot vote for any candidate thus endorsed, no matter how small they may claim abortion is a part of Planned Parenthood's business, you cannot even be involved .1% with intrinsic evil
4. You will pray for the Novicks that they will be protected until she repents of this foolish and risky involvement with the prince of the world.
Be sure to sign with true love, the love that seeks the good for the other, not the false love of the world which is simply worldly approval. Ask God to bless the Novicks and
pray that the Holy Spirit convicts them of this malicious attachment
Know your Faith well enough to avoid the passive scandal that is trying to push you to inaction, indifference and even despair. God wills that all Catholic engage the world in order to change it. The most important thing in any election is not the economy, it is the spiritual and moral welfare of the entire citizenry. As Saint Thomas says the only reason to develop an economy is so that people can develop virtue
What we could fail to realize here is this entire scandal is a spiritual attack on all of us, a divide and conquer approach by the forces of worldliness (remember while Christ is King, there is also a prince of the world - Jn 14:30). So we do not effectively fight a Spiritual battle with only worldly tactics - we need prayer; constant and continuous.
Worldly tactics such as public rebukes by name may make us feel better but can embolden those rebuked, possibly back-firing on us and turning that person into a martyr for their worldly cause.
We are not living in a time when there are differences of ideas, differences on the best policies with which to ensure all of our rights. We are living in a time of Good versus evil, of Life versus death, of Light versus darkness. We need to fight smart.
=============original post===============
Please
contact Bishop McManus RE:
Planned Parenthood has endorsed Tracy Novick for
Worcester School Committee.
Her husband Colin is a Deacon at the Cathedral of St. Paul.
This is a grave scandal and the Bishop needs to hear from you all that this cannot be ignored.
Diocese of Worcester
49 Elm Street, Worcester
MA 01609-2597
ph.: 508-791-7171
fax: 508-753-7180
https://www.worcesterdiocese.org/
Office of Religious Education Mission - (508) 929-4306 FAX: (508) 753-7180
Elizabeth Marcil, Director
emarcilworcesterdiocese.org
Barbara Ramian, Associate Director
bramianworcesterdiocese.org
Mary Pat Heelan, Associate Director
mheelanworcesterdiocese.org
Tina Romeo, Administrative Assistant – Office
tromeoworcesterdiocese.org
Office of Marriage and Family / RESPECT LIFE
Mrs. Allison LeDoux, Director
Phone: 508-929-4311
E-mail: aledoux@worcesterdiocese.org
Office of Environmental Stewardship
Pete Dunbeck - Chair
Email: EnvironmentWorcester@gmail.com or
email form:
African Ministry Office Hours: M-Th 10:30am-5pm, Fri to 3:30 pm
Father Enoch Kyeremateng, Director and Chaplain
508-929-4329, 774-253-4660
Email: africanministry@worcesterdiocese.org
Misión Ministerio Hispano
Rev. Hugo Cano, director
51 Illinois Street
Worcester, MA 01610
Email: hugo.cano@yahoo.com.ar
508-981-9414
New Evangelization Worcester for Youth & Young Adults
Tim Messenger
Diocesan Director of Youth and Young Adult Ministry
508-929-4360
tmessengerworcesterdiocese.org
Carolyn Galgano
Administrative Assistant
508-929-4330
cgalganoworcesterdiocese.org
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2019
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: C. J. DOYLE
(617) 524-6309
catholicactionleague@gmail.com
SCANDAL IN THE DIOCESE OF WORCESTER
A former three term member of the Worcester School Committee, Tracy O'Connell Novick is seeking to regain her seat on the Committee in Worcester's municipal elections next Tuesday, November 5th.
A proponent of sex education in the public schools, she has been endorsed by the Planned Parenthood Advocacy Fund of Massachusetts, the political action arm of Planned Parenthood for state and local elections in the Commonwealth. During her previous tenure on the School Committee, Novick received the Defender of Liberty Award from the Central Massachusetts branch of the American Civil Liberties Union.
Nominally Catholic politicians and office seekers abandoning Christian morality and repudiating Catholic beliefs to serve the interests of Planned Parenthood are neither surprising nor exceptional in Massachusetts today. Tragically and disgracefully, they have become the norm.
What makes the case of Tracy O'Connell Novick different is the identity of her husband. Colin Novick is the Executive Director of the Greater Worcester Land Trust. He is also the permanent deacon assigned to Saint Paul's Cathedral in Worcester. As a deacon, his duties include assisting the Bishop of Worcester at the altar of the cathedral during Mass.
Catholic Action League Executive Director C. J. Doyle made the following comment: "A permanent deacon is not part time lay worker. He is an ordained member of the clergy who has received the sacrament of Holy Orders."
"The Novick candidacy is a grave scandal, which sends a message of confusion to the Catholic community regarding the commitment of the clergy of the Diocese of Worcester to the moral teachings of the Catholic Faith. It also conveys to secular society the impression that the Church is not serious in upholding, even in its own institutions, the principles it professes to believe."
"More troubling is the suggestion implicit in this candidacy, to Catholic and non-Catholic alike, that dissent from Catholic teaching is, under some circumstances, expedient, permissible and respectable. This incident, needless to say, is moreover, a compelling example of how improvident it would be for the Church to discard the apostolic tradition of clerical celibacy."
"The First Letter of Saint Paul to Timothy exhorts: 'Let deacons be the husbands of one wife: who rule well their children and their own houses'. That does not seem to be the case when a deacon's spouse seeks public office with the endorsement of the enemies of the Cross in Planned Parenthood."
"A bishop must also rule well his own diocese. The Bishop of Worcester needs to address this outrage. Faithful Catholics should contact Bishop Robert McManus and urge him to clarify both the status of Deacon Novick and the position of the Diocese of Worcester on Catholics collaborating with the culture of death."
Bishop McManus can be reached through his secretary's email at lpietrowicz@worcesterdiocese.org. The Vicar-General, Father Richard Reidy, can be reached at rreidy@worcesterdiocese.org. The main telephone number of the Worcester Chancery is (508) 791-7171.
Update #3: After the early morning Sunday Mass today (9/22/2019) a friend asked Deacon Colin to explain Tracy's endorsement by Planned Parenthood. I write this to give everyone a chance to exercise their prudential judgement in this area, to attempt to give Tracy's side of this issue. Colin said that his wife did not seek the endorsement, and has refused both money and support from Planned Parenthood, that she is not a supporter of abortion but is a supporter of what seh calls comprehensive sex education to help prevent disease and pregnancy in public school children (which is why Planned Parenthood endorsed her, according to Deacon Colin.) The question I would have asked would have been why she did not publicly denounce after the fact or refuse the endorsement before the fact. As far as I am concerned, this is still a scandel, and I would encourage all of you to ask Tracy directly about it during the weeks coming up to the election. Tracy Novick needs to address this publicly, and it is scandalous to support anyone endorsed by an organization engaged in an intrinsic evil.
Update #2: Bishop McManus is aware of this situation, and as in any situation which involves public scandal, public chastisement can have unintended as well as the opposite desired effect. And in this case the desired effect is a change of heart, both Tracy's and ours. At this time I think we should not simply desire her to be publicly rebuked by name, right now it would make more sense to use this scandal as a teaching moment. I would watch for public statements from the Bishop regarding the responsibilities of public officials to protect all citizens, as well as guidance to Catholic voters and their responsibility not only to vote, but to vote against evil and for life.
I am not recommending that we all remain silent, in fact I strongly recommend all of us to reach out to both Tracy and Colin, (not their children), especially those of us who know either of them in any way, and in a christian manner go to our brother or sister privately to see if they will listen to you (Mt 18:15). If you know their email or address, I recommend a gentle note or postcard. These message should have to following outline:
1. We love you
2. The endorsement of Tracy by Planned Parenthood is a true scandal because Planned Parenthood is engaged in a business, abortion, which is intrinsically evil
3. As a result of this endorsement, you certainly cannot vote for any candidate thus endorsed, no matter how small they may claim abortion is a part of Planned Parenthood's business, you cannot even be involved .1% with intrinsic evil
4. You will pray for the Novicks that they will be protected until she repents of this foolish and risky involvement with the prince of the world.
Be sure to sign with true love, the love that seeks the good for the other, not the false love of the world which is simply worldly approval. Ask God to bless the Novicks and
pray that the Holy Spirit convicts them of this malicious attachment
Know your Faith well enough to avoid the passive scandal that is trying to push you to inaction, indifference and even despair. God wills that all Catholic engage the world in order to change it. The most important thing in any election is not the economy, it is the spiritual and moral welfare of the entire citizenry. As Saint Thomas says the only reason to develop an economy is so that people can develop virtue
What we could fail to realize here is this entire scandal is a spiritual attack on all of us, a divide and conquer approach by the forces of worldliness (remember while Christ is King, there is also a prince of the world - Jn 14:30). So we do not effectively fight a Spiritual battle with only worldly tactics - we need prayer; constant and continuous.
Worldly tactics such as public rebukes by name may make us feel better but can embolden those rebuked, possibly back-firing on us and turning that person into a martyr for their worldly cause.
We are not living in a time when there are differences of ideas, differences on the best policies with which to ensure all of our rights. We are living in a time of Good versus evil, of Life versus death, of Light versus darkness. We need to fight smart.
=============original post===============
Please contact Bishop McManus RE: Planned Parenthood has endorsed Tracy Novick for Worcester School Committee.
Her husband Colin is a Deacon at the Cathedral of St. Paul.
This is a grave scandal and the Bishop needs to hear from you all that this cannot be ignored.
Diocese of Worcester
49 Elm Street, Worcester
MA 01609-2597
ph.: 508-791-7171
fax: 508-753-7180
https://www.worcesterdiocese.org/
Office of Religious Education Mission - (508) 929-4306 FAX: (508) 753-7180
Elizabeth Marcil, Director
emarcilworcesterdiocese.org
Barbara Ramian, Associate Director
bramianworcesterdiocese.org
Mary Pat Heelan, Associate Director
mheelanworcesterdiocese.org
Tina Romeo, Administrative Assistant – Office
tromeoworcesterdiocese.org
Office of Marriage and Family / RESPECT LIFE
Mrs. Allison LeDoux, Director
Phone: 508-929-4311
E-mail: aledoux@worcesterdiocese.org
Office of Environmental Stewardship
Pete Dunbeck - Chair
Email: EnvironmentWorcester@gmail.com or email form:
African Ministry Office Hours: M-Th 10:30am-5pm, Fri to 3:30 pm
Father Enoch Kyeremateng, Director and Chaplain
508-929-4329, 774-253-4660
Email: africanministry@worcesterdiocese.org
Misión Ministerio Hispano
Rev. Hugo Cano, director
51 Illinois Street
Worcester, MA 01610
Email: hugo.cano@yahoo.com.ar
508-981-9414
New Evangelization Worcester for Youth & Young Adults
Tim Messenger
Diocesan Director of Youth and Young Adult Ministry
508-929-4360
tmessengerworcesterdiocese.org
Carolyn Galgano
Administrative Assistant
508-929-4330
cgalganoworcesterdiocese.org
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