Nov 18, 2009 / 08:37 am
In a recent talk to the priests of his diocese, Bishop John D'Arcy spoke on the importance of priests remaining faithful to the Church's teachings on sexual morality and urged them to be courageous in their efforts.
Bishop D'Arcy of the Fort Wayne – South Bend diocese, centered his talk around the sub-theme of the Year for Priests given by Pope Benedict XVI, which is, “Fidelity of Christ, Fidelity of the Priest.” Drawing out the theme, the bishop spoke about areas that priests are called to fidelity, giving particular attention to what he called “fidelity to the truth.”
To illustrate the importance of priests remaining faithful to the truth, Bishop D'Arcy recounted two stories that he had recently heard in his diocese.
The bishop first told the story of Dr. Patrick Holly, a doctor in Fort Wayne who had always prescribed contraceptives to Catholic women and to women of all faiths. This eventually began to trouble the doctor and one day when he took his family to a Japanese restaurant, the owner greeted him by saying, “Oh, big family, good Catholic family, good Catholic man.” At that moment, “a grace came,” Bishop D'Arcy said. Dr. Holly thought to himself that he was not a good Catholic, nor a good Catholic doctor.