Priest's disappearance prompts some confusion

Continuing press reports concerning the disappearance of a priest and valuables from a chapel in Glenmont have left some people confused about his and its connection to the Diocese of Albany and the Roman Catholic Church. In short, there is none.

Newspaper, television and radio reports revealed last week that Rev. Brendan O'Keefe had disappeared from St. Michael's Chapel in Glenmont with tens of thousands of dollars in cash and equipment. Police are searching for him.

In their stories, the media sometimes referred to a "Catholic" priest and a "Catholic church," leading some people to wonder about their connection to the Albany Diocese. Neither Father O'Keefe nor the chapel are connected with the Roman Catholic Church in general or the Albany Roman Catholic Diocese specifically.

The Glenmont chapel originated when a priest left the Church over his objections to the Second Vatican Council and joined a schismatic sect that had broken from the Vatican.

Calling themselves "Traditional Catholics," the members of the sect object to such changes in the Church as the use of English in the liturgy and dialogue with other Christians. By doing so, they rejected the authority of the pope and the magisterium.

The Traditional Catholics have a loose network of chapels around the U.S. and ordain their own clergy. Unconfirmed press reports this week indicated that Father O'Keefe was originally a member of the Greek Orthodox Church, which is also not in union with the Vatican.

(10-30-97) [[In-content Ad]]