Anyone who reads this site often knows that I like to push the envelope. Twist the knife. Step up to the line but not cross it. You get the idea.
I have apparently angered numerous people with my TikTok videos that pertain to a beggar who has been harassing people in my parish before Mass. I wrote about how we all turned him away and how I escorted him back onto the street outside of my parish. Well, it turns out that numerous people have complained to my parish and now my diocese.
People have also complained about other videos, all of which you can see by going to the channel that I linked you to. The point of this article is to show you how petty some people can be, dragging that pettiness to my diocese and parish. It takes a lot of effort and time to organize a hate campaign such as that.
Figuring out my diocese is easy. It is the diocese of Albany, New York. That was an easy find. I am mildly curious as to how people found my parish as I’ve never named it on this site or on social media. Oh, and it should be obvious, but I am speaking for myself here. I do not represent my parish, diocese or the Church in any way. No, I was not told to write that. I’m just posting what should be common sense.
I’m not embarrassed. I’m not scared. Hell, I’m not even annoyed. I have several guesses as to how someone found out and I think I’ve worked it out. I have to say that, far from being scared of any consequences, I am pretty damn impressed!
Then again, if you know how to drill down a Google search, the bulletin from Easter Vigil 2022, the night that I was baptized and confirmed, is still accessible via Google, so maybe I shouldn’t be impressed after all. I have to admit that I did unintentionally drop some breadcrumbs that someone could have used to find my parish, but that was not my intent. However, I have no reason to be ashamed or frightened.
Far from being scared into removing things left and right, I am welcoming towards those who want to come to Mass, including you, provided that you’re there for the right reasons. People clearly know where I go for Mass. I suspect that someone did that on Saturday as she sat across from me and wouldn’t stop looking at me. I saw her. I ignored her. That angered her, and she stomped out of the sanctuary while the lector was lectoring.
I understand that there is the possibility that someone will print out copies of articles that I’ve written and then come to Mass to distribute that material, but I am losing absolutely zero seconds of sleep over it. Besides, people who disrupt the services are absolutely escorted out of the building and yes, calling the authorities is on the table, so people thinking of going that route might want to rethink it.
A lot of people have commented on my videos regarding the beggar, pointing out that turning him away is not how Christ would have handled it. Still others claim that it was a test and that I turned Christ Himself away, not once, but twice. Maybe, maybe not. I am not giving that guy nor any other beggars any money because I have no sympathy for people who want help getting out of a situation that they got themselves into.
Look, this world is a far different place than it was when He left this planet. Commentors have claimed that I and we should have given thhe guy money and food. It’s not that simple! First and foremost, if you feed a stray dog, he’ll just come back for more. Secondly, it is not our responsibility to reward him for his poor life choices. Third, why should I reach into my own pocket for this guy or any other beggar?
As a parish, we simply aren’t set up to just hand things out to any rando who steps into our church before Mass, especially when they’ve been harassing my fellow parishioners in our parking lot, in front of our vehicles and in the sanctuary itself. It is a very serious safety concern, plus he’s an eyesore that does not reflect well upon us.
Things were so bad that for two Saturdays in a row, after the beggar approached our vehicle while my wife was in it, she became so scared that she ran into the building and she begged me to do something. So I did. I showed him the door and told him to get a job. No regrets.
Besides, at that particular moment, no one in authority was there, so I took it upon myself to kick him out on the basis that I will always protect my wife and my fellow parishioners. And I’ll do it again and again. This beggar has many options, but harassing and victimizing us is not one of those options.
On Saturday, and yes, Masses are held on Saturdays and they count as a day of obligation as if it were Sunday, I was vindicated by my parish’s leaders. In the bulletin, a safety alert was published. We have officially been told to not give him or others like him any money and to report their presence immediately so that they can be escorted off of our property or so that the authorities can be called to remove that person.
I am sure that there will be some readers or TikTok viewers who will whine that Christ would not do what we are doing. Yeah, well, as I stated, the guy had options, didn’t he? He could have gone to a food pantry. We happen to run one twice a week, so don’t you dare say that we’re not charitable. Just because we don’t help in a matter that some people feel we should does not mean that we’re evil.
Look, this guy could have and should have gone to social services. Or, and this is a wild concept, he could have secured a job. The jobs are out there, but it seems like no one wants to work these days. 2 Thessalonians 3:10 backs me up here: if a man does not work, that man does not and should not eat. It’s not a difficult concept to grasp.
The beggar who has been harassing us clearly does not work, so therefore, he should not eat. If you truly believe in the words of the Bible, then you understand why he’s being turned away.
In response to a visit to my TikTok channel this morning by the people who run the diocese’s social media profiles, I reached out to that department via email and cc’d my parish, as well as my head priest directly. I’m being proactive rather than hiding from it. I have no reason to be intimidated or worried.
Just like Tom Petty, no, I won’t back down.
The person running the profiles responded quickly and made it clear that she habitually views the profiles of new visitors. So, hello, RCDA!
That is the answer that I was hoping for. I wrote back that if there is a complaint issue, she can contact me so that I can respond appropriately without sacrificing my free speech.
I have gone to great lengths to not name the parish that I attend. Although the cat is out of the bag in some places, I will continue to not identify the parish until it becomes unavoidable. All I can say is that I go to a parish that is located somewhere in the general Albany area.
Now, if the parish or diocese wants me to remove or modify anything, I will respectfully decline, even if it’s the head priest who was involved in my baptism back in 2022. I respect him and the fact that he’s responsible for not one, but three parishes, but I won’t let even he dictate my editorial practices.
Why will I decline, even if the bishop, or, hell, even the pope themselves reach out?
- Nothing was written, published or posted on Church property. Because of that, neither the parish nor the diocese has the right to censor me in any way. If I had made Saturday’s TikTok video in the sanctuary after Mass, then yes, I can be expected to take it down. But this isn’t that.
- I’ve never named the parish. It is not my fault that someone, a person from the parish who has been stalking me, has publicly named my parish. I have taken steps to ensure that they cannot name the parish in the comments section of my videos. And, as you can tell, comments are not permitted here at all.
- I have never posted anything that would compromise the safety of the diocese or its people. I never would.
- I have never published anything that is even close to blasphemy or is sacrilegious, both things that can lead to excommunication. At least two complainers have insisted that I be excommunicated for my opinions, completely ignorant of what can actually lead to excommunication. Sorry, folks, opinions that you find offensive are not something that will lead to excommunication.
- What I’ve published may seem cruel, mean or in contrary to Christian standards in regards to charity, but I am merely expressing my views. I cannot help it if people are hurt by what I write and I will not censor myself, nor will I let anyone censor me unless I cross the lines that I’ve mentioned.
Things seem to be okay at the diocesan level, but I know from personal knowledge that the parish staff, including both of the priests, are very aware of what I have been writing and I know very well the complaints that have been received.
One coward hid behind a ProtonMail address and others have identified themselves. That is not a good thing for them. Words, after all, do have consequences.
Messing with me in any way, especially when messing with my religion, is not a wise idea. It was not smart to complain about me using real information. I can show you several pupils who’ve been through it and someone’s pants will burn by the time I’m through it.
The people that the complainers are targeting are aware and, thus far, have not said a word to me about it. The complaints go back at least two months, and neither of the priests have approached me regarding any internet activity on my part. It’s no surprise then that I have not been denied Communion.
In fact, one of the recipients of complaints against me gave me Communion on Saturday. I truly believe that I should not be denied Communion. The only basis for such a move would be offensive opinions.
One complainer outlined in a very detailed email the reasons why I should be denied Communion and excommunicated, pointing to things that I’ve written or said that have nothing to do with the Church. In that email, the author pointed to things that I said way back in 2005, way before Catholicism was even on my radar.
To be fair, the author did list one concern that could be considered valid. Namely, an article that I wrote wherein I admitted to denying someone CPR on the basis of race was mentioned. That may be a terrible thing to do to something over something they cannot control, but I did what I did. No apologies, no regret. Nothing to go to Confession over, at least not in my mind.
The deacon did question me on that incident, but I quickly changed the subject. I did not lie to him. I just redirected the conversation that was part of a meeting between my wife and I regarding convalidation, something that has to be done since my first marriage was annulled. If I am asked directly by one of my priests or the deacon, I will then answer with complete honesty. I have no reason to be ashamed.
The article pertaining to my denial and the denial itself is irrelevant as pertains to my membership in the Church. It is my right to render or refuse to render CPR to anyone for any reason or no reason. The author of that email knew that, but listed it anyway out of malice.
That’s just how desperate and pathetic that person is. He or she was never concerned about protecting the Church, but was concerned with malice and only malice. The pathetic, mouth-breathing knuckle-dragger was likely molested as a child and this is their way of acting out, wanting to drag others down with them into the tar pits of despair.
Another thing that was pointed out in the email was how I handled my purported biological daughter back in 2006. Or should I say the girl who turned out to be neither my nor the purported biological mother’s child. Yep, she was never our child to begin with. But the complainer attempted to weaponize all of that and failed. There was another daughter involved, this one really a daughter, but she is no longer with us. But that’s another story.
None of the reasons that the whiner pointed out were compelling or realistic as pertains to excommunication or denial of Communion, which is why I have not been approached, even informally.
I realize that my website and TikTok channel are both public, and I have absolutely no reason to be concerned if my priests, or anyone in the diocese, visits this site. I have absolutely no concern whatsoever. None.
Even though my recent articles and TikTok videos have ruffled a lot of feathers to the point where my recent posts have received over 78,219 views when put together, those things are not just cause for excommunication. I am not in apostasy. I have not attacked the pope. I have not engaged in schism. I am not a heretic. I have not desecrated the Eucharist. I have not encouraged or paid for an abortion. You get the idea. Offensive videos, opinions and articles are not among the causes for excommunication.
Yes, I have done a lot of horrible things in my life, but none of those things should mean that I am not in a state of grace, despite the protests of the person who wrote that email to the contrary. I am not in need of going to Confession over those things, regardless of what the author claimed.
Pointing out to my parish or diocese things that I’ve written or said, especially in years past, as a means to deny me Communion is just petty and malicious.
So far, I have not noticed anyone treating me differently. I am still allowed to perform my usher duties, for example. I still perform some volunteer duties on a weekly basis. There have been some minor duties that I have been held back from, and I suspect that that’s retaliation of sorts, but when you write what I write, you have to expect that sort of petty revenge.
Is anything going to happen to me? We’ll see, but I am certain that they know that, no matter who asks me, nothing is being edited, removed or apologized for. Just remember that anonymous complaints aren’t always so confidential and I do believe in consequences. Recently, I have been angel taking silent notes. I will handle things on my own timetable and in my own way.
Yes, people are free to approach my parish or diocese and complain. A wise complainer knows that complaining brings about consequences. Again, I can show you several pupils who’ve been through it. And I suspect that I will soon have a few more pupils whose pants will burn by the time I’m through it.