Matt C. Abbott
Catholic attorney fondly remembers slain priest, remarks on Palin, Catholic politicians
By Matt C. Abbott
Peter B. Kelly is a practicing attorney and traditional Catholic who works in Monroe, Wis.
He has quite an impressive educational background: Bachelor of Business Administration, University of Notre Dame, (1979); Master of Science (Natural Resource Policy), University of Michigan, Ann Arbor (1981); Juris Doctor, Marquette University Law School (1984); Master of Theological Studies, Ave Maria University (first in his class, 2003); Master of Science (Counseling), University of Wisconsin-Whitewater (first in his class, 4.0, 2008).
Mr. Kelly, who's currently in the process of completing a Catholic-themed novel, hosted a Catholic radio program in the 1990s that featured (on different occasions) the late Father Alfred Kunz — whose unsolved 1998 murder I've written about in several of my columns — and Father Kunz' good friend, Father Charles Fiore, who died of natural causes in 2003.
Regarding Father Kunz, Mr. Kelly recalls:
"I called him one summer night. I noticed he was not speaking clearly. His voice was very labored, like he had a bad cold. I asked him about it and he said he was out mowing the cemetery and his hay fever/allergies were causing him the significant respiratory trouble.
"I realized how unusual a priest this was. Father Kunz baptized the babies, taught the children in his parish school, heard their first confession, gave them their first Communion, taught his parishioners in carefully crafted informational sermons and well-written bulletins, cooked for them at Friday fish fries, witnessed their weddings, administered extreme unction, stayed by their death beds and, after burial, mowed, with significant discomfort, the grass above their graves. How many priests lived such a life of service?"
(Mr. Kelly and I both know who the investigators' person of interest is in Father Kunz' murder, but because they have not publicly identified the individual — a man who no longer lives in Wisconsin — we really can't reveal a name. I can say, with certainty, that Fathers Kunz and Fiore knew the individual.)
I also asked Mr. Kelly to comment on the John McCain, Sarah Palin ticket. His response:
"I note that Gov. Palin was baptized a Catholic, but her family was lured away to the Assemblies of God denomination. From there the Palin family moved on to a so-called non-denominational Bible church, which is certainly at odds theologically with the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church established by Christ. How odd that the pro-life vice presidential candidate is an 'ex-Catholic' and the pro-abortion vice presidential candidate calls himself a (current) Catholic!
"I think this is a significant bench-mark measuring how, in the last 44 years, Catholic families have been allowed, by uninspiring post-conciliar teachings, to drift away, seeking a more 'relevant' spirituality. At the same time, the post-conciliar Catholic Church was not convincing enough to discourage some members from publicly promoting abortion 'rights' while holding themselves out as dedicated Catholics, namely, Joe Biden, Nancy Pelosi, Ted Kennedy, and others.
"What would Pope Saint Pius X have said about this situation?"
Indeed.
© Matt C. Abbott
Peter B. Kelly is a practicing attorney and traditional Catholic who works in Monroe, Wis.
He has quite an impressive educational background: Bachelor of Business Administration, University of Notre Dame, (1979); Master of Science (Natural Resource Policy), University of Michigan, Ann Arbor (1981); Juris Doctor, Marquette University Law School (1984); Master of Theological Studies, Ave Maria University (first in his class, 2003); Master of Science (Counseling), University of Wisconsin-Whitewater (first in his class, 4.0, 2008).
Mr. Kelly, who's currently in the process of completing a Catholic-themed novel, hosted a Catholic radio program in the 1990s that featured (on different occasions) the late Father Alfred Kunz — whose unsolved 1998 murder I've written about in several of my columns — and Father Kunz' good friend, Father Charles Fiore, who died of natural causes in 2003.
Regarding Father Kunz, Mr. Kelly recalls:
"I called him one summer night. I noticed he was not speaking clearly. His voice was very labored, like he had a bad cold. I asked him about it and he said he was out mowing the cemetery and his hay fever/allergies were causing him the significant respiratory trouble.
"I realized how unusual a priest this was. Father Kunz baptized the babies, taught the children in his parish school, heard their first confession, gave them their first Communion, taught his parishioners in carefully crafted informational sermons and well-written bulletins, cooked for them at Friday fish fries, witnessed their weddings, administered extreme unction, stayed by their death beds and, after burial, mowed, with significant discomfort, the grass above their graves. How many priests lived such a life of service?"
(Mr. Kelly and I both know who the investigators' person of interest is in Father Kunz' murder, but because they have not publicly identified the individual — a man who no longer lives in Wisconsin — we really can't reveal a name. I can say, with certainty, that Fathers Kunz and Fiore knew the individual.)
I also asked Mr. Kelly to comment on the John McCain, Sarah Palin ticket. His response:
"I note that Gov. Palin was baptized a Catholic, but her family was lured away to the Assemblies of God denomination. From there the Palin family moved on to a so-called non-denominational Bible church, which is certainly at odds theologically with the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church established by Christ. How odd that the pro-life vice presidential candidate is an 'ex-Catholic' and the pro-abortion vice presidential candidate calls himself a (current) Catholic!
"I think this is a significant bench-mark measuring how, in the last 44 years, Catholic families have been allowed, by uninspiring post-conciliar teachings, to drift away, seeking a more 'relevant' spirituality. At the same time, the post-conciliar Catholic Church was not convincing enough to discourage some members from publicly promoting abortion 'rights' while holding themselves out as dedicated Catholics, namely, Joe Biden, Nancy Pelosi, Ted Kennedy, and others.
"What would Pope Saint Pius X have said about this situation?"
Indeed.
© Matt C. Abbott
The views expressed by RenewAmerica columnists are their own and do not necessarily reflect the position of RenewAmerica or its affiliates.
(See RenewAmerica's publishing standards.)
