A Letter of Encouragement

By Joe R. San Agustin
Concerned Catholics of Guam
January 9, 2015

http://concernedcatholicsofguam.org/letters/a-letter-of-encouragement/

Joe R. San Agustin

To my colleagues in the CCOG.

I am writing to the officers, board directors, and members of CCOG to offer a few words of encouragement in what we are all doing for our Church. May God bless us in our endeavors to try to bring peace, harmony and unity within our Catholic Church.

It saddens me no end to read that Archbishop Anthony Apuron has labeled our organization as one that is “plotting against the Church”. My goodness! How can he say this when EVERYTHING that we are doing is in search of the truth regarding his leadership as the Head of the Catholic Church in Guam, which is so sadly divided. If trying to discover and uncover the results of his leadership of our Church, making known our spiritual needs and desires , and making known our opinions – for the good of the Church – is in fact “a plot against the Church” – we would like to know what part of what we say or do is “a plot against the Church”.

I personally challenge the Archbishop to cite one example of what we say or do which directly or indirectly constitutes “a plot against the Church”. Please, Archbishop, cite us ONE EXAMPLE!

Searching for the truth, and exposing any error where we find them, is not a plot. It is a right – and indeed a duty – of every Catholic to try to uncover what ails our Church, and to seek solutions. The Code of Canon Law is very clear on this:

§2. “The Christian faithful are free to make known to the pastors of the Church their needs, especially spiritual ones, and their desires.

§3. “ … They have the right and even at times the duty to manifest to the sacred pastors their opinion on matters which pertain to the good of the Church and to make their opinion known to the rest of the Christian faithful without prejudice to the integrity of faith and morals, with reverence toward their pastors…” (Code of Canon Law, Canon #212).

With the presence of several key officials of the Vatican (Archbishop Savio Hon Tai-Fai, Archbishop Martin Krebs, and Father Tadeusz Nowak) who are looking into the problems that our local Church is facing at this time, we pray that they will be guided by the Holy Spirit in their mission, and offer us a truly healing solution.

For our part, I pray that we all stand firm in the Faith and in our resolve to do good. As we hope and pray for resolution from the Vatican Delegation, we must ever be mindful of the admonition of St. Peter when he wrote: “Brethren, be firm and be vigilant, because your adversary, the devil roams about like a lion, seeking whom he may devour. Him you should resist: Be strong in the Faith!” (1 Peter 5:.8-9). Yes; let us be strong in the Faith. Let us all strive to be of one Faith, One Lord, one Baptism, so that we can all be of One Flock under One Shepherd – as our Lord prayed to His Father “…that we may be One, even as He and His Father are one…”

Your colleague in the CCOG – Joe R. San Agustin