Open Letter to Bishop O'Connell of Trenton

Joe Tevington | 06/26/2024

Your Excellency Bishop O'Connell,

Though Trenton Catholic Charities apologized for sponsoring the scandalous ‘Beyond the Gender Binary’ book reading to children (cf, National Catholic Register, 6/25/24), you are ultimately responsible for ensuring they are professionally competent and theologically/ pastorally formed.

(Canal & State Streets, Trenton, 6/26/24)

Art. 7.

- § 1. The agencies referred to in Article 1 § 1 are required to select their personnel from among persons who share, or at least respect, the Catholic identity of these works.

"§ 2.

To ensure an evangelical witness in the service of charity, the diocesan Bishop is to take care that those who work in the Church’s charitable apostolate, along with due professional competence, give an example of Christian life and witness to a formation of heart which testifies to a faith working through charity

To this end, he is also to provide for their theological and pastoral formation

[emphasis added], through specific curricula agreed upon by the officers of various agencies and through suitable aids to the spiritual life....

Art. 11.

–

The diocesan Bishop is obliged, if necessary, to make known to the faithful the fact that the activity of a particular charitable agency is no longer being carried out in conformity with the Church’s teaching, and then to prohibit that agency from using the name 'Catholic'

[emphasis added] and to take the necessary measures should personal responsibilities emerge....

"I order that everything I have laid down in this Apostolic Letter issued Motu Proprio be fully observed

[emphasis added]...and

enter into force on 10 December 2012

" [emphasis added] (

Apostolic Letter Issued 'Motu Proprio' of the Supreme Pontiff Benedict XVI on the Services of Charity

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About the Author

Joe Tevington

Joe Tevington is a proudly orthodox Catholic, a husband since 1986, a dad to two married adult children, a grandpa to two, and a civil service retiree. He is a sign language fluent certified rehabilitation counselor with graduate degrees in deafness rehabilitation, religious studies/moral theology, & Christian counseling psychology, as well as a catechetical diploma and certificates in benefits planning and Catholic social ministry. He deeply appreciates Catholic teaching on the sanctity of human life and the sanctity of the transmission of human life, as well as how they are to inform us in our apostolates and ministries.

On much lighter notes, he fancies himself to be the foremost authority on his native Brooklyn, when it comes to architecture, geography, history, Italian food, Saturday Night Fever, stick ball, stoop ball, or wiffle ball.