For those of you who received the July 2nd Catholic Star Herald propaganda sheet (oops, we mean the Diocesan newspaper), you may have noticed an article on page 13 about the "Marriage Encounter" weekend. There's a little inset picture on the bottom with gray haired couples in matching turquoise t-shirts embracing each other. 
Needless to say, we're really glad we weren't there. Fr. Ed Namiotka, our current "pastor" at St. Mary's (at least officially), is really big into this Marriage Encounter stuff. Good to know he's got time for something, because he certainly doesn't seem to have any for us at St. Mary's!
Needless to say, we're really glad we weren't there. Fr. Ed Namiotka, our current "pastor" at St. Mary's (at least officially), is really big into this Marriage Encounter stuff. Good to know he's got time for something, because he certainly doesn't seem to have any for us at St. Mary's! Funny quote from Namiotka. He is quoted as saying that these Marriage Encounter events also celebrate Holy Orders: "That's important to remember because marriage complements Holy Orders, and Holy Orders complements marriage." Isn't that refreshing? It's good to know that one sacrament besides Holy Orders is of value to him. Why would we say such a thing? Well, he doesn't seem to show up for baptisms at St. Mary's, won't return the phone calls of parents who wish to have their children baptized (we've spoken to more than a few by now, all frustrated), and he does not appear to value the Blessed Sacrament because he said he wants to "reduce" the worship of Christ's Body exposed in the Blessed Sacrament. Huh. Maybe we're allowed to favor some sacraments over others? Who knows.
Funnier still is the very next sentence: "Father Namiotka is pastor of Queen of Angels Parish, Buena Borough, and president of Sacred Heart High School, Vineland." Ha! We at St. Mary's continue to be sheep without a shepherd. We've known this for a long time, however, since Namiotka has tried his best to distance himself from and lash out at everyone from children to little old ladies ever since he arrived. He regards Queen of the Angels (really Our Lady of Victories and St. Michael's) as "my parish." Point is, we assume this quotation in the Star Herald was no accident, because, in reality, he's pastor of St. Mary's in name only.
Well, the good news is that Namiotka's off on another one of his many "vacations"* this week and more throughout the summer, but he did not leave before a visit from the detective investigating our mysteriously "missing" money. In any case, St. Mary's parishioners can breathe a sigh of relief that someone else, anyone else, will be presiding on Sunday.
* For the record, St. Mary's parishioners have frequently commented that they've never in their lives known a priest to go on more vacations than Namiotka. Certainly no "normal" lay person could ever go away so often without being rich. From the beginning of his time at St. Mary's, he has made a point of stressing that he is "entitled" to these vacations. Wow. More power to ya!