Priest Calls Police on Mother of 11 Praying in Empty Church Without a Mask
Neither the priest nor the diocese have explained the arrest despite a stated mask exemption for those seated in their pew.KANSAS CITY, Missouri, November 24, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) —
The pastor of a Catholic Church in Kansas City, Missouri, had a woman arrested as she prayed with her children in the pews of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church for refusing to wear a mask, despite instructions in the church’s previous Sunday bulletin and the diocesan website stating that masks are required “except when remaining in the pew.”
The mother of 11 children, six of whom are adopted, said in an interview with Restoring the Faith Media that she came to the church with her family to pray Vespers, as she does every year on Halloween.
She had arrived early and was praying private devotions with her husband and children when police arrived and arrested her, at the request of the church pastor, Rev. Gary Ziuraitis, C.Ss.R.
The bulletin issued by Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church on October 25 reads, “In accordance with diocesan rules and the current Kansas City ordinance, everyone must wear a mask in church, unless you are seated in your pew.”
The Kansas City police incident report says the pastor told the officers that the mother, whose name she wishes to remain anonymous, was not wearing a mask when she entered the church, and neither were her children.
The mother said that the keyholder of the church yelled at her and her children as they entered for not wearing masks, even though no one was in the church at the time. She continued on to a pew to pray the Divine Mercy chaplet with her children, after which, she reported, the pastor approached them, without wearing a mask himself, and told her that she would have to put on a mask or leave the church.
The police report says, “It is not the Police Department’s position to enforce the mask ordinance in KC, the Health Department does that here. It was [the pastor’s] request that we ask her to leave or arrest her for trespassing.”
The website of the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph currently states, “The faithful are obliged to wear a mask upon entering the church and during the celebration of Mass, except when remaining in the pew [emphasis in the original] unless the local city/county health directives so require and for the brief moment of receiving Holy Communion.”
Not only does the bulletin of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church restate this exception for those in a pew, but the church is what the mother described as a “monstrosity of a cathedral the size of a football field.”
It seats up to 800 people, and has the “longest aisle in Kansas City,” according to the church website.
Obey citizen, obey.
Obviously trying to evict the last tenant so they can convert the property into a rave venue…
“All I did was flagrantly violate your topical and easily followed rules, ignored the admonishment of clergy in charge, and refused to leave when lawfully requested: How dare you arrest me!”
Religions are a destructive force responsible for thousands of years of war and bloodshed that stifled mankind’s growth and prosperity. I don’t need to believe there’s a super being watching me in order to adhere to a moral code
“So you’d blame the institutions of religion because of the actions of certain members?”
Religions have had to change a lot in the past few hundred years and acknowledge the flaws of their earlier practices
“Did God tell them to do that? Or was it common sense?”
“That’s the real question, isn’t it?”
They had no choice. People were leaving them in droves. The old standards didn’t make any sense. I don’t have anything against anyone who chooses to have faith in something. Just don’t try and push those viewpoints on me. I’ve spent a bulk of my career dealing with groups that thought they were divine in some way, be it with some crazy concept or luring people in with empty promises. The patterns are there, even if you strip away all the shiny things people like
“So you’d blame the institutions of religion because of the actions of certain members?”
The scripture they follow is flawed and filled with contradictions. You can’t preach tolerance and also have a clause in there that implies ‘join us or die—if you don’t believe what we believe, you’ll go to a mythical hell.’ That’s all crap people use to control other people
I have have known good people and I have known and do know popes.
Right action does not need a trumpet or a book.
“Genesis: Ken Lozito”
Cool story bro.
Wow! I’m impressed! How many popes do you know?
Twit
She shoulda claimed to be an illegal alien seeking sanctuary.
Sure, believe in your god, so long as faith in Mask comes first. Mask is a vengeful master.
Look lady…if a mask is good enough for the Lone Ranger, it should be good enough for you.
Garter belts first…
maybe a lil thigh 🙂
What a wicked cleric you are Gary Ziuraitis! What you’re doing to Jane Bernardel is nothing less than demonic. I’m so angry with your sort of hypocritical, lacking in faith type cleric, I can’t even bring myself to pray for your soul.