Farewell to Fr. Waldie

by Peter W. Miller

This past June, Catholics in the Archdiocese of Seattle bid farewell to Missionary Oblate Fr. Paul Waldie who departed the area, headed to Africa. As pastor at St. Benedict's parish in the Wallingford neighborhood, Fr. Waldie made a name for himself with his non-traditional and "charismatic" approach to Catholicism. Even the "2002 Best of Western Washington" viewers' poll of KING-5's Evening Magazine named Fr. Waldie the region's "Best Local Religious Leader."

While his popularity cannot be denied, the contributions his antics made to Christ's Church are, at best, questionable.

Baptism: "Heavy Stuff"

This writer had the opportunity to attend a baptism performed by Fr. Paul Waldie a couple years ago. As the Godparent of one of the children to be baptized that morning, I was called upon to explain why I desired the child's baptism. After the other parents and Godparents explained how they wanted their child to be "part of the community" or "receive the same sort of initiation" they had, I gave my answer - I asked that the child be baptized in order to cleanse him from the stain of Original Sin and open his soul to Sanctifying Grace.

Obviously not the response he was expecting, Fr. Waldie laughed at my answer before commenting to the attendants that what I had said was "pretty heavy stuff." He went on to explain how unfortunate it is that people "have to" be baptized as infants rather than as adults when they can "better appreciate the experience."

"Fun", "Inclusive" Liturgies

"It's definitely not boring like other churches…" ¹

St. Benedict's is perhaps best known for its rowdy and raucous Sunday liturgies which have attracted big crowds in the liberal Wallingford area. It is within the walls of St. Benedict's which the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is perhaps least recognizable.

Kneeling during any part of the Mass (including the consecration) is not done. Most masculine pronouns (He, His, Father) have been replaced by "gender-inclusive" language (God, God's, Creator). The musical band includes electric instruments and is positioned on bleachers behind the altar. The homilies are conducted in a "town-meeting" format in which Fr. Waldie walks up and down the aisles, tells jokes, asks questions from the audience and utilizes various volunteers.

In an article covering Fr. Waldie's departure, The Seattle Times describes his "preaching style" which includes "picking on someone in a pew":

Suddenly, he reaches into the audience, grabs a man's head and kisses him on the forehead. "If you alone - and no one else - needed him to do that, he would have done it for you," Waldie says. "That's the deepest meaning of the Crucifixion." ²

David Horsey, the liberal cartoonist employed by The Seattle Post-Intelligencer provided his own tribute to the departing priest. He comments on Fr. Waldie's attitude towards the Mass:

"Church is the place to work on relationships, Paul would say -- relationships with fellow parishioners, relationships with the most needy in our community and, most important of all, one's relationship with the God who gave you life." ³

…his homilies:

"Many Catholics from other parishes dropped in to see something highly unusual: a Catholic priest who actually knew how to preach. To deliver his homily, Paul would come down from the distant pulpit and roam out among the parishioners. The seats nearest the center aisle came to be known as the hot zone, the area where a person risked having the priest come up close, lean in and ask a provocative question." ⁴

…his ability to "give a performance":

"A lover of movies, Paul is a great performer. ... As enthralling as his words is his ability to infuse the ancient liturgy with immediacy. He is not a priest who mumbles his way through the Eucharist as if he is in a hurry to catch an airplane. No, Paul takes time and adds drama. For him, it is no archaic ritual of wine and bread; it is an awesome encounter with the Living Christ." ⁵

…and his moral guidance:

"For longtime Catholics raised with a more distant, dispassionate clergy and a theological tradition that stressed sin and guilt far more than joy and love, Father Paul provides a transforming vision for what it means to be Catholic, Christian and human. ... For Paul, it seems, the greatest sins are prejudice, greed and indifference. He is quick to speak out for the poor and against injustice. He made St. Benedict a welcoming place for members of the gay community and challenged all to rise above bigotry and stereotypes." ⁶

While there's nothing wrong with enthusiasm and dedication to one's Faith and vocation, ordained souls must be careful to trivialize the sacred or act in such a manner which belies Catholic beliefs, especially pertaining to the sacraments.

And, as with any other parish, the number of attendees standing in the back of a filled church on Sunday morning is hardly an accurate indicator of the orthodoxy and true value of the pastor.

How many of those attendees who praise Fr. Waldie for "preaching tolerance" know (much less follow) the teachings of the Church on such basic matters of morality as fornication, sodomy and contraception?

How many of those so glad that Fr. Waldie does not "mumble his way through the Eucharist" know the prerequisites for reception of the Blessed Sacrament or have been to confession in the past year?

How many of those attendees thankful Fr. Waldie "makes church interesting" can identify the purpose of the Mass? Hint: it is not to "work on relationships", "experience the church" or be entertained.

Blind leading the blind?

At the end of his essay, David Horsey attempts to expand on his praise of progressive novelty with a strange editorial aside:

"At this particular point in time, when the Catholic Church in this country is being shaken to its foundations by a scandal in the priesthood, a priest such as Paul Waldie exemplifies what can be right about religion. If only there were a thousand more like him." ⁷

Without speculating on what Mr. Horsey regards as the root causes of the current crisis and its ties to immorality, dissent and widespread homosexual behavior, I find it hard to believe that someone who promotes "tolerance" of homosexual behavior is the solution to a crisis of homosexual child-rape.

Fr. Waldie assisted Fr. Jaeger in the archdiocese's "gay/lesbian ministry" which utilized the St. Benedict's property for meetings, BBQ's and other social events to facilitate the "work" of this ministry. St. Benedict's is listed in national homosexual publications as a "Gay Friendly" parish for it's "tolerance" and "inclusiveness." In his homilies, Fr. Waldie was known for not making anyone afflicted with homosexual disorders fell "uncomfortable."

Ironically enough, Fr. Waldie departs to train young men in South Africa to become priests.⁸ As South Africa is a region devastated by rampant homosexual behavior and sexually-transmitted diseases, and whose leading bishop was recently forced to resign for posting his homosexual fantasies on the Internet, pray that the seminarians trained by Fr. Waldie are able to separate the falsehood in his teaching from the truth.