As the dissident Association of U.S. Catholic Priests (AUSCP) prepares to hold its annual assembly in Albuquerque, NM next week, Lepanto Institute continues its coverage of this dissident organization.
We have already illustrated how the AUSCP is seeking to create priestless parishes and is pushing for the ordination of women to the permanent deaconate. Last week, we published a report on the AUSCP’s destructive vision of priestly formation and how they are giving a podium at their Assembly to Fr. Richard Rohr, who is notorious for favoring contraception, New Age mysticism, and homosexuality. Our report also spotlighted a class held 
by Fr. Rohr’s organization titled, “Elements of Magic,” which was based on a book by a self-proclaimed witch named Starhawk.
Archbishop John Wester is acting as “episcopal moderator” of the AUSCP and is opening up his diocese to this band of dissident priests. But, this is not the only support the AUSCP is receiving, and in fact, YOU may be unwittingly giving money to them as well!
In 2016, according to the AUSCP Facebook page, Archbishop Cupich willingly hosted the AUSCP Annual Assembly, expressing “support for the work of the association,” and “said he would encourage priests of the archdiocese to join in the assembly.”
In 2017, the Archdiocese of Atlanta opened up its doors to the AUSCP and hosted that year’s Annual Assembly. In addition to being a keynote speaker, Archbishop Wilton Gregory also sent out a memo strongly requesting “a good representation of the Atlanta presbyterate.”
On a more local level, AUSCP priests work to spread the AUSCP message in their parishes. Here are some examples:
- Columba Catholic Church in Oakland, CA, ran an AUSCP news release in its bulletin.
- Joseph Catholic Church in Waycross, GA, according to its bulletin, had AUSCP President Fr. Bob Bonnot visit and preach to the congregation.
- Pius X Catholic Church in Omaha, NE, ran an article by its pastor Fr. Mike Eckley about the AUSCP program and indicating that he is a member of the AUSCP.
While priestly membership in AUSCP is a problem (AUSCP claims over 1,200 priests as of Feb. 2017), another matter of equal gravity is that the AUSCP may be using YOUR money to keep the AUSCP funded. An AUSCP newsletter dated December 17, 2017 asks its member priests to take money from parish collections and send it to the AUSCP. This means there’s a chance that some of you whose parish priests are AUSCP members may be unwittingly supporting an organization actively seeking to spread modernism throughout the US Catholic Church.
The AUSCP is hardly Catholic and completely unworthy of funding from pew-sitting Catholics. PERIOD. And the fact that the AUSCP is requesting its member priests to fleece their flocks to support their modernist madness is horrifying.
If you suspect that your parish may be giving to the AUSCP, ask your priest directly if he is a member. And just to be sure, request a list of organizations being supported by parish collection funds. We all have an obligation to support the Church, but we should NOT be asked to support those seeking to undermine Her.
Thanks to your generous support, Lepanto will be on location during the AUSCP conference in New Mexico, delivering reports and updates on their activities, breakout sessions, and updating faithful Catholics on who else might be attending this public event. Stay tuned and please pray for us as we shine a light on the nefarious operations of this group and their enablers.
Hich, thank you so much and CM to. I also want to thank Dr. Alan Keyes as well for keeping us informed. I also want to thank the countless others who have or are waking up and informing many of us. As we all know Satan never sleeps. So we have to get our information more or less on the run. Humans cant keep up with these nefarious angels. Its up to our Lord to have Saint Michael protect us the other 16 plus or minus hours in the day. This being said fellow Catholics get informed and pass the word. I’m putting this on my blog Jean’sBistro2010’s blog for Hich and others. I also want everyone to know that I try to get many of you on my sight.
It is not good to lie. The money collected by Rev. Bonnot in parishes goes to Unbound which aids children and elderly in poor countries. The AUSCP is funded solely by its members and friends. Your article is misleading and may hurt the work of Unbound and poor children and elderly. You might think about a retraction.
Fr. Eckart, we did not claim that Fr. Bonnot was collecting money for AUSPC when he gives talks to parishes. We only stated that he was hosted by various parishes with the bulletin information. We do however stand by our assertion that the AUSCP asked it’s members to collect money from their parish collections for the AUSPC. That information comes directly from AUSPC’s own newsletter, as shown in our article. Thank you.
Rev Eckart – AUSPC is asking Parish Priests for donations from their parish collections. It is there, in black and white. Are you blind?
What a disaster! Satan is very busy especially playing with poor priests who were probably not properly formed in the first place. It might be good and useful and reassuring to remember that God remains in charge and that there are many, many priests who are trying to do the work they were ordained for.
But I cannot help but remember somebody saying on sensus fidelium that most priests go to Hell.
Deception presently abounds in the Catholic Church – from the pope to the priest – sad, very sad. The Catholic Church was the bulwark against abortion, homosexuality – now it aids and promotes these abomination. The smoke of Satan is indeed within the Church – may we be delivered from this evil soon, we pray.
In politics and in the Church as a practicing Catholic, it is my duty to do the homework, that is necessary to be informed about the insidious machinations that are going on today in the secular world, and especially in the Church.! I am kept informed by Lepanto , Church Militant, and The Catholic thing plus others, and I am so grateful for their work. I would not know three-quarters of this if it wasn’t for these dedicated men and their staff. I pray for them daily. Thank you and “I’M GOING IN” to the daily battle against the forces of evil!
Nothing evil going on in our Catholic church surprises me anymore. Especially from the ‘top on down….’