Fearless, politically-incorrect and calling out those who need to be called out including the USCCB, the coronavirus hysteria, the Cardinal of Washington DC, and more. He actually discusses politics – how dare he?
He also challenges the media, LGBTQ, the attack against masculinity, the genuine role of men and fathers and reactions to sin in the world. I wonder how long he will be allowed a voice before he is silenced.
Contrasted with the general “happy, clappy, don’t ruffle feathers” homilies, this is a shocking and startling brilliant homily.
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Amazing and beautiful homily.
Who is this priest and where is his parish?
Courageous priest! Sadly to say, it’s rare nowadays!
May God’s Grace rest upon him always, and St. Michael protect him.
My understanding that clergy cannot talk politics from the pulpit is not enforceable (else we lose a tax exempt status). But our Church suffers from the belief that it is. Our Bishops need to let our pastors free. Some may be strong like this young Priest, others my no support his position. The weakness is our leadership in the Bishops of America.
So awesome and refreshing to hear truth. A homily my Dad ( who would be 102) would have appreciated because he speaks and cherishes the truth. Thank you!!
Finest homily I’ve ever heard. What a brave and fearless young priest. May God wrap His shield of protective armor of grace around this man, for if we had more like him, we would not see the destruction happening to our treasured and sacred churches and monuments. Calling out the feckless USCCB is exactly what needs to be done by every priest who has been hamstrung by cowardly bishops acquiescing to the liberal and Satan influenced politicians of our time. I pray this video gets to every priest and that at least some of them are inspired by this man’ courage and quest for the truth to be told. The media, and its right arm, Hollywood, have surely been at the helm to damage family and fatherhood, and every single Catholic who has voted for liberals in office has this travesty on their soul. God knows who they are. Eternity awaits us all. Just imagine…
I would like to know the name of the wonderful young priest that gave the homily on Father’s Day . May Godbless him and keep him safe.
How I would love to hear a priest in England speak up about what is going on in the world today. Can somebody please give me his name and a way to get in touch with him. Thank you Godbless X
This is a priest doing what the Lord insists all priests do. Speak the TRUTH boldly and unafraid. We should pray for him and for more priests like him.we constantly hear about the Lord’s Mercy from the pulpit, and that is wonderful, because He is Merciful. But we never hear that we have to repent and ask His forgiveness in order to obtain His Mercy.
We also never hear of His Justice. If we do not repent and ask His forgiveness, then we will receive His Justice. Priests need to speak the truth. There are so many people in my church, including some clergy, who are very liberal. They vote for candidates who openly support abortion. I don’t understand how they can do this and call themselves Catholic. God’s Law comes before any secular law. We need more bold priests to speak the truth without fear of the bishops. We need the truth so that we can do what the Lord requires of us. Time to fight back. Too much evil in the world. Praise Jesus
Hearing this homily makes me super grateful for my own pastor.
Fr. James Altman. Diocese of LaCrosse WI. Was pastor of our friend’s parish for a while. He’s for real folks!
Great homily.
Steve, you like so many others, are experts…in your own minds. Most priests have enough "back seat driving experts" in their parish.
Your opinions are sweeping, uncharitable and off the mark. There are plenty of us who speak the truth of the faith, plenty of us who are orthodox, plenty of us who love our Lord and do preach the fullness of the Gospel.
When you have a priest that does not do this the laity, in charity and calmly, after much prayer, needs to speak to the priest. If he receives it , blessed is God. If not you have done the "better part" and the Lord will bless the layperson.
Steve, you need to speak of our bishops, many who are "squishy" and simpering. Priests are often caught in the middle between laity and vindictive bishops. Priests who speak out are silenced and sometimes removed by bishops. But if you speak against bishops you might lose your livelihood; you might not receive permission to speak in their dioceses. Then you will feel what many good priests: fear.
BTW, there is no Cardinal in DC, sadly, only His Grace, Archbishop Gregory.
STEVE RAY HERE: Fr. Khouri, first thanks for being a faithful priest. God bless you for that.
Second, you are a bit overreacting to my post. I think you may have missed the point of my post. I am not criticizing other priests but complimenting this young priest.
Third, I realize how difficult it is to be a priest today. I also realize that many bishops act more like politicians than they do pastors. Priest ARE squeezed not only between the bishop and the laity, but also between laity and laity. Some in the parish and politically liberal and other conservative. No matter what the priest says he is going to be criticized from one side or the other — and the bishop will hear about it no matter what.
So, I don’t think we disagree with each other. Thanks again for being a faithful priest.
One good thing this virus-business has done is open me up to on-line Masses from all over the country. There are more and more priests like this who do speak-up (sadly, still a very small percentage). I’ve noticed many of them offer the Holy Mass Ad Orientem or offer the Traditional Latin Mass (TLM), with communion rails and Holy Communion on the tongue. If you check their parish bulletin, confession is typically offered daily. Notice this priest has the altar arranged for Ad Orientem or TLM. God bless him!
This homily is an important reminder that as a Catholic layman, I need to step up my game, be courageous like this priest with my own family, at my work, at parish activities, or other social events. Speaking the truth is easy to agree with, easy to blab to others saying, “…Father ought to be saying this or that in his homily”, but hard to do myself. Sancta Maria, pray for me, pray for our priests, and pray for all of us!
Thanks for spreading that over-due homily far and wide, Steve. Some act as though there is an equal balance between sacred tradition and modern convention in the church. It is easy to place oneself above it all and see the errors of ‘both sides’. However, our dioceses are not exactly suffering from an excess of dogmatic rigidity. When a courageous voice speaks out it is noticed because it stands in dramatic contrast to the laxity which has been overwhelmingly dominant over the past decades.
“We have had enough of exhortations to be silent. I see that the world is rotten because of silence.”
– St. Catherine of Siena
What a courageous young priest! Altar looks like a traditional high mass. Pius X church?
I wish more prelates had the gumption to speak up like this young priest. Wonder what his Bishop said to him after seeing this video…
I would love to have a dvd made of this homily. I have never heard a priest speak out like this. He said everything we are forbidden to say. God Bless this priest and keep him safe.
How will that priest explain the Covid-19 "hoax" to families who have lost members to that virus?
STEVE RAY HERE: His response would be the same as mine. We regret the deaths of people from the virus but we do not condone shutting down the whole world and locking up people because of the media-inspired hysteria. Do you know how many people die every year of the flu? And yet we just came down shutting down the whole world to stop the flu each fall?
In the past societies have protected the aged the sick and the vulnerable and left the world continue to function. My mother is 98 1/2 years old and we protect her from the general public and exposure to the virus.
The insanity going on today shut down the whole world. That’s what he means when he talks about the hoax.
For example, Israel has locked the whole country down and they’ve only had 312 people Out of 9 million who have died since March. The virus hysteria is being used to shut down churches and Christians and has done great damage to our country and the world. There’s a balance to be made and our governments have certainly not achieved that balance.
Thank you, Father for your strong and brave words. The Catholic Church has always taught forgiveness. How sad that so many Catholic Institutions in Cincinnati, Ohio are tearing down the name of Marge Schott for her mistakes, words takin out of context , words not documented and in many cases totally untrue. They do so for political reasons. They need to jump on a false band wagon. They are afraid of criticism. They do not want to take a stand. They do not want to forgive nor show appreciation for her benevolence and all that she has given to the Catholic Church and to Catholic education . They do not want to forgive. How sad.
Great homily! I hope he won’t get suspended like Father Rothrock was in Indiana for speaking the truth about BLM being terrorists and Marxists.
If more bishops were like this priest was in his homily, the Catholic Church would be in much better shape. This priest hit a home run with the homily on fatherhood and how the lack of it is destroying our society.
God protect this Holy Priest…
Viva Christo Rey…
Fr. Altman clearly has issues that should be addressed. His paranoia screams out at his listeners and condemns people rather than the sin. He is not giving a homily but a diatribe better placed in a college classroom or periodical essay.
Perhaps he could be included among the science deniers of 500 years ago since he does not want to admit the medical evidence of homosexuality or the scourge of a virus sweeping the globe.
Perhaps he would burn the one at the stake and pack people into churches elbow to elbow!
Without a doubt society has taken a left turn. Who today can remember all 10 commandments or the Beatitudes? How many parents teach virtue and morality at home or for that matter use the sacrament of reconciliation or attend Mass?
Yes, Fr. Altman, sin will always be with us. Is is not a new phenomenon. But it is certainly more apparent in a fast moving world of technology. However, you miss mark by a long shot by just pointing out what you think needs to change without offering paths to solutions, if indeed there are any. Evoking fond memories of parenting in days gone by is not an answer. Nothing stays the same only change itself. And we as followers of Christ are called to use his grace to evolve and reshape the world and our communities.
STEVE RAY HERE: Moderated this post and allowed it for educational purposes, Is a perfect example what are good father was teaching about.
My first thought was this priest is the antichrist. Putting our bishops down is not the way. He has issues which should be said in the town square or in a classroom. He has no idea what a homily or sermon is.
Ranting on without preaching the word in a mass setting is not what we are taught in the seminary.
Apparently he does not believe that the corvid 19 is real. He should visit our state and see the devistation it has caused. He is stuck in prevatican II days with his beliefs. He doesn't understand the parable of the wheat and weeds. Only God decides who is wheat and who is not, not him. Apparently there was a problem in the passed with his rants and I can see why.
STEVE RAY HERE: I’m a bit sorry for your comments. Your words are dripping with anger and lack of understanding. I really question whether you’re a deacon and in the future if you’re going to write things you want to keep your credibility at least try to spell your words correctly. I am allowing your post to stand so people can see part of the problem we are facing today.
STEVE RAY: Marie has made a comment or two on my blog. She obviously doesn’t like positions I take and feels it is her obligation to make her point heard and to squelch conservative voices. Very typical.
I have posted the other comment she made but she has come back. Liberals don’t quit until everyone agrees with them and celebrates their position. So here is what she posted with a few responses from me.
MARIE BEGINS HER DIATRIBE: Obviously Stephen you only want yes men and followers who believe and accept what you feel is right and correct. No room for dissent is apparent.
STEVE RAY: My blog is not set up as a forum for dissenters. It is my blog to promote and share my thoughts and the thoughts of other polite and rational people. If you don’t like my blog and want to come here ONLY to complain and push your agenda, then good-bye. Start your own blog.
MARIE: Hasn’t this priest been censured in the past? I wonder how many fathers left that mass spirituality uplifted after being told how dreadfully they were perceived. What a downer!
STEVE RAY: I have no idea if he has been censured. The fathers listening were hopefully challenged to be better. Reading the comments below suggest they did. That is one of the purposes of a homily—to point out weaknesses, challenge to holiness and inspire the faithful. Based on the thousands of positive responses this priest has received, it seems he did his job well. Christianity is not just about clappy-happy people accepting every diviant point of view in a undiscriminating manner.
Oh and yes, the man you addressed above, Peter, has been an ordained deacon in the Catholic church for 33 years. Perhaps you should ask him how many burials he officiates each year at our Catholic and national cemeteries. He averages about 500 a year. Yes, that’s 500! This year will be over the top. It is a humbling ministry and one that brings great comfort and hope to bereaved families. Perhaps our Maker will overlook his misspelled words and reward him for his dedicated life in His service.
STEVE RAY: God bless him for his service. But he can keep his criticisms to himself. I did not ask him to come here to contradict me or the good homily by a faithful priest.
MARIE: Homeletics (check your spelling Marie) is an art but follows certain protocols. One such requirement is that it should not exceed 7 minutes. After that, we are told your audience has mentally left. Anything longer is a sermon. If you cannot relate the readings to our daily lives in that time, rework it. Holy Mass is not the place for a bully pulpit. Neither is Mass the place to grind an axe.
STEVE RAY: Really, and who made you the master of homiletics? Our pastor is loved and revered and preaches for at least 20-25 minutes and people come from afar to hear him. Never have I heard that a homily should be less than 7 minutes. Most deacons and priests would chuckle at your absurd suggestion and imposition.
MARIE: I get it, I really get that we all see and want needed changes for the better. But allowing our egos to take over and holding an audience captive while ranting on is neither productive nor appropriate. This priest would do much more good by directing his energies into activism groups. Hopefully his bishop can help him I pray.
STEVE: I have rarely seen an ego more pronounced than your ego in this post. Who the heck are you to tell a priest and a bishop what to do? Who made you the judge? This is a great priest with a clear and precise homily and I don’t think people come to hear him because he has a “big ego” but because he states the truth the liberal fear and scream at.
MARIE: FYI Check out the stats on the annual deaths due to flu and what covid has done in less than 6 months.
STEVE: If you think the slew of confusing and contradicting numbers on Covid are reliable then I have some beachfront property to sell you in Nevada. I already explained in my previous response what the priest meant by the covid scam. I suggest you switch off CNN once in awhile and pay attention to some of the other doctors, scientists and experts that don’t follow the CNN narrative. Funny thing how the virus has turned into a political football like so many other issues.
You are welcome to visit my site and to leave comments, but if you are here only to criticize and promote your own ego and agenda, please go elsewhere.
All of Fr. Altman’s homilies for the last three months can be watched on the YouTube channel of the “Saint James the Less parish – La Crosse, WI”, – the video tab shows all of the daily Masses and both the Sunday Traditional High Mass and Novus Ordo Mass. These Masses also stream live every day on the channel.
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