Wanderings

This will probably be the last I speak on this particular subject. I’m tired and moving on… This is not, by any means, an objective observation of my encounters but is instead a true and faith-filled accounting of my experiences within the “Independent Catholic Movement (ICM)” (also known as the “Independent Sacramental Movement (ISM)”). The Old… I started my path of service in the ministry as a small child growing up in the Roman-lead Church. I never looked at people as liberal or conservative – they were all simply people with needs. Theirs, like my own, were hearts exploding at …

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We are restless spirits until at last one day we return to the +Creator; our hearts, minds, and souls seek the wholeness of the +One from whom we were made manifest. Until recently I thought wandering was a bad thing. In the past 21 years, I have gone from place to place seeking a home from which I could expound the virtues of finding peace and comfort in our +Beloved +Creator. And so I spent great amounts of energy trying to remain fixed in one place. Of course, I failed miserably – or so I initially thought. But with time …

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Many years ago, as part of the Latino Nonprofit Leadership Program, I had the opportunity to attend a retreat where our cohort grew together through trial and tribulation. On our final morning, sitting beside the lake, I penned the following. As we enter into the season of lent next week (it officially begins March 2, 2022 – Ash Wednesday), let us allow ourselves to be moved and transformed by the +Creator’s creation! Senses, Be Stilled; Good MorningRev. Kenneth J. NelanJune 2013 Upon the blue stillness lies the immensity ofall seen and unseen,all wished and non-wished, all glorified and all condemned. …

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“Together we rebuilt what was once broken, but only after investing in the ruins – together.” Fr. Kenneth J Nelan, osfc Jesus did not endure destruction and rebuilding of the temple, that is to say, +Himself, alone. +His ministry focused on inviting people from all walks of life to minister to each other – and +He SHOWED us how. Together people from all walks of life healed the sick, fed the hungry, forgave sins, and brought a new way of thinking to an old world. We lost track of that original path at some point during the building of a …

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(Remember, Christ is not a last name, it is a title…) From the baby nestled snugly in a manger, to the overly large and anglicized statues in our churches, religious images remind us our +Creator sacrificed a part of their triune +Self so we might receive +Their merciful forgiveness. Christians believe this is the result of Jesus’ life, ministry, death, and resurrection. Today, Christians celebrate Jesus’ presence in the salvific vision by imitating the biblical lessons passed down to us after centuries of edits and redactions. Somehow, though, we’ve lost touch with Jesus’ real ministry of conversion and instead externalize …

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(This post is repurposed and rewritten from my originally published article, “Faith is not a journey, it is a way of being” on Convergent Streams, V8 N2 2020 April 2, 2020 – per their terms of service (as archived on Jan 1, 2022), I retain all rights to my published work(s).) My faith journey has always been private, but now I am opening myself so others may see what exists within the walls that is my soul. This post is a bit of self-exploration – a way for me to answer and internalize three fundamental questions: “Quién Soy?”, “Por Que …

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These were the words that flowed one late night after a long prayer-filled internal examination. That night the wind was ferocious and was the cause of many a power outage throughout the state. Strangely, I find a quiet peaceful place deep within the turbulence and chaos; deep within the center there is calm and purpose if only we take the time to really look at it without bias. In my own prayer process, it is about internalizing the +Christ. No truer words were ever written than those by a man who at one-time the Catholic church labeled a heretic, Pierre …

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Created by Rabbi Edwin Friedman and originally called the Fable of the Bridge, it was created as a lesson in releasing codependency. However, this powerful story has another lesson about accepting the choices people make in our lives without taking on those choices as our own. It is presented here in that light – as a lesson in allowing others to make their own life choices and to allow them to accept the consequences of those decisions. This is the story of a person who was embracing an opportunity to live the life about which they had always dreamed. One …

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The words explode in my heart and soul, as do the intrusive thoughts that follow whenever I hear the words, “We don’t exclude anyone for any reason,” followed promptly by, “Hate is not welcome here.” One group of people I thought I knew well had become experts in removing anything uncomfortable from their midst while proclaiming their own innocence and injustice, all while adhering to their previous statements on forgiveness and tolerance – so long as it fits their models. I still hear their voices only now they come from groups purporting to uphold the moral high-ground yet are themselves …

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I am no stranger to reflecting on the past – I’ve done it often enough throughout my now many years on this big blue marble. In the past few days, between clients and conferences, my mind has wandered through the past 20 to 30 years of celebration and turmoil. You see, in two days I celebrate 20 years as a priest in the Independent Catholic Movement (ICM); a movement filled with saints and sinners, servants and sharks. Before the ICM, I worked for 10 years at my local parish in the Roman Catholic diocese where I lived – including the …

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