St John the Evangelist, Calgary is attempting to raise $165,000 as a down payment [possibly a balloon payment?] on its property and as I monitor the situation things are not going well. Calgary is an oil town and low prices have led to job losses and a real estate bust.
My visitor has suggested that Fr Kenyon's participation in the "Signs and Wonders" project may be related to the need to raise funds to finance purchasing their plant. If this is so, unfortunately, Fr Kenyon and others need someone to bring them down to earth. Hollywood is a crapshoot at best and no place for beginners. I keep thinking of a piece of copy-machine wisdom I used to see posted in a data center where I worked: LIFE IS TOUGH. IT'S TOUGHER IF YOU'RE STUPID.
As I noted the other day, I've been told that the US-Canadian Ordinariate has put out the word that it needs funds to finance the consecration of Bp-Elect Lopes, and it wants to start a capital campaign. Earlier this year, an appeal went out for funds to finance the travel of OCSP clergy to their clergy retreat. The merged Philadelphia groups intend to purchase an aging parish property from the diocese, but any estimate of potential pledge income from a merged group of 60 or so is not going to match maintenance, insurance, repair, and heating costs in the hundreds of thousands for such a facility, even leaving out payments to the diocese for the purchase.
I note that several successful Episcopal parishes in Los Angeles have clergy on staff who specialize in non-profit "development", which is a fancy term for fundraising. I can't imagine that any would seriously consider a half-baked amateur film proposal as a serious way to raise the kind of money you need to run a real church.
I have a sense that Bp-Elect Lopes will wish to put adults in responsible positions in the Ordinariate when he takes over fully. I hope he does, and I hope someone can discourage the kind of irresponsible thinking that may be occurring in the Ordinariate now. That Mr Murphy would enable this kind of naive and irresponsible thinking by endorsing it is one more reason I take him less and less seriously.
