Rev. Peter M.J. Stravinskas: An Avoidable Debacle: On the Scandalous Funeral Service at St. Patrick’s

By now, unless you live under a rock or gave up all media for Lent, you have heard of the debacle that played out at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York (“America’s parish church”) on February 15 with the obsequies for one Cecilia Gentili. At this moment in the season of introspection and conversion, we can take to heart St. Paul’s admonition, “now is the acceptable time” (2 Cor 6:2), to ask just what happened, how it happened, and what lessons can be learned, so as to obviate a repeat performance.

All parties agree that some “relatives and friends” of the deceased approached personnel at the Cathedral to request a Funeral Mass for their dear one. Now, if I had been at the reception desk that day, I can assure you that I would never had heard of “Cecilia Gentili”; the “organizer” of the event admits that she withheld information she thought would not allow the show to go on. …

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