Gregory Michael Aymond
Encyclopedia
Gregory Michael Aymond (born November 12, 1949) is an American
prelate
of the Roman Catholic Church
. He is the fourteenth and current Archbishop of New Orleans
. He previously served as Bishop of Austin
from 2001 to 2009, as Coadjutor Bishop of Austin from 2000 to 2001, and as Auxiliary Bishop of New Orleans from 1997 to 2000.
neighborhood of New Orleans, Louisiana
. He attended St. James Major Elementary School, and evacuated New Orleans with his family by skiff
after Hurricane Betsy
in 1965. After graduating from Cor Jesu High School
in 1967, he studied at St. Joseph Seminary College
near Covington
until 1971. He then attended Notre Dame Seminary
in New Orleans, from where he obtained his Master of Divinity
degree in 1975. He then furthered his studies at the Institute for Ministry at Loyola University
.
to the priesthood
by Archbishop Philip Hannan
on May 10, 1975. He then served as a professor
and later rector
at St. John Vianney Preparatory Seminary in New Orleans until 1981, when he became director of education and professor of pastoral theology
and homiletics
at his alma mater
Notre Dame Seminary. From 1986 to 2000, he served as president-rector
of Notre Dame; his tenure was the longest in the seminary's history.
During his priestly ministry, he also served as executive director
of the Department of Christian Formation, with responsibility for Catholic school
s and religious education
. He was director of Society for the Propagation of the Faith
and was a member of its national board (1977–2000). During the 1980s, Aymond and groups of seminarian
s from Notre Dame began to visit Mexico
, where they built houses and offered religious training. In 1994 he founded Christ the Healer, a medical mission program of the New Orleans Archdiocese in Granada
, Nicaragua
.
of New Orleans and Titular Bishop
of Acholla by Blessed Pope John Paul II. He received his episcopal
consecration
on January 10, 1997 from Archbishop Francis Bible Schulte, with Archbishops Philip Hannan and John Favalora serving as co-consecrators
.
, to remain in his post for several months after receiving information from the victim's father that Matherne had molested his son some 13 years earlier. He dropped the matter without alerting police after unsuccessful attempts to speak to the alleged victim. The youth (then 24) later told his story to the St. Charles Parish Sheriff's Office. Matherne was arrested and later pleaded guilty to molesting 17 youths over a period of 15 years and is serving 30 years in the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola. Aymond in part defended the church's handling of the case, saying it had followed the law but also admitted his mistake in not immediately firing Matherene. In Austin three years later, Bishop Aymond began tightening the Diocese's sex abuse policy, based partly on the Matherne case stating: "That painful experience -- I will never forget it. It helped me to understand the complexity of pedophilia better."
of Austin, Texas
, on June 2, 2000 by Blessed Pope John Paul II, being installed as Coadjutor Bishop on the following August 3. He later succeeded John E. McCarthy
as the fourth Bishop of Austin
on January 2, 2001. The Diocese of Austin grew rapidly (partly as a result of immigration) during Aymond's bishopric and actually had more churchgoers than many archdioceses, including New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina
.
In Austin, then-Bishop Aymond resisted a request by victims of sexual abuse to release the names of priests credibly accused in the past and as president of a national bishops' Committee for the Protection of Children and Young People in 2006, he opposed creating a searchable, Internet-based registry of abusers. He stated: "There is very little chance such a list would be comprehensive or accurate, " and it might lead to "a miscarriage of justice." Victims responded stating that it is important to signal to those suffering in silence that it is safe to come forward.
, His Holiness
, Pope Benedict XVI
named then-Bishop Aymond of Austin as the 14th Archbishop of New Orleans
. He was installed as Archbishop of New Orleans on August 20, 2009, at the Saint Louis Cathedral
. He continues, within the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
, to chair
the Committee for the Protection of Children and Young People and sits on the Committees for Campus Ministry, Education, Laity, and World Missions. In an elaborate ceremony in 2009 at St. Peter's Basilica
in Rome
, Pope Benedict XVI
bestowed the pallium
upon Carlson.
Archbishop Aymond faces challenges in "the aftermath of years of sex scandals and the unpopular consolidation of parishes and closing of churches for economic reasons" as phrased by Kevin McGill of the Associated Press
. Even so he said, "Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would come back here as [arch]bishop" on 2009 June 12. Shortly after his appointment as Archbishop, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests
issued a statement claiming he only "postures as someone who takes clergy sex crimes seriously."
, implemented a controversial post-Katrina church consolidation program that reduced the diocese from 142 parishes to 108. The storm drove away nearly a quarter of its former membership and left it with nearly $300 million in physical damage. Aymond has allowed several churches to re-open for special occasions.
Archbishop Aymond was one of more than 80 United States bishops who wrote to the University of Notre Dame
(in South Bend, Indiana
) to protest its award of an honorary degree to President Barack Obama whose support of abortion rights and embryonic stem cell
research conflicts with Church teachings on the sanctity of life.
In October 2007, Archbishop Aymond was criticized for his objection to the dissident Catholic theologian Fr. Charles Curran
's scheduled appearance at St. Edward’s University, a Catholic School in South Austin. Curran is a priest whose Catholic theologian title was stripped by the Vatican because he openly questioned the church’s ban on artificial birth control and its teaching on human sexuality.
Archbishop Aymond is known as a strong proponent of the Catholic Church's position of opposing abortion, artificial birth control, and capital punishment. Aymond also believes that homosexuals should remain celibate.
Introduction of the New Roman Missal
Archbishop Aymond, who is now Chairman of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
' (USCCB) Committee on Divine Worship, announced in a news release Friday, June 17, 2011, that diocesan bishops may permit the gradual introduction of the musical settings of the people's parts of the Mass that are sung from the New Roman Missal in September of 2011. Primarily this affects the Gloria
, the Holy, Holy, Holy, and the different Memorial Acclamation
s. This variation to the implementation of the Roman Missal
Third Edition, set to take place all at once on November 27, 2011, was authorized by the Conference's President, His Excellency
, the Most Reverend
Archbishop Timothy Michael Dolan, Archbishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
prelate
Prelate
A prelate is a high-ranking member of the clergy who is an ordinary or who ranks in precedence with ordinaries. The word derives from the Latin prælatus, the past participle of præferre, which means "carry before", "be set above or over" or "prefer"; hence, a prelate is one set over others.-Related...
of the Roman Catholic Church
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
. He is the fourteenth and current Archbishop of New Orleans
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New Orleans
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New Orleans, officially in Latin Archidioecesis Novae Aureliae, is an ecclesiastical division of the Roman Catholic Church administered from New Orleans, Louisiana...
. He previously served as Bishop of Austin
Roman Catholic Diocese of Austin
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Austin includes 125 parishes, or faith communities, in 25 counties in Central Texas. The diocese stretches from West, Texas, in the north to San Marcos in the south to the Bryan/College Station area in the east to Mason in the west...
from 2001 to 2009, as Coadjutor Bishop of Austin from 2000 to 2001, and as Auxiliary Bishop of New Orleans from 1997 to 2000.
Early life and education
The oldest of three children, Gregory Aymond was born in the GentillyGentilly, New Orleans
Gentilly is a broad, predominantly middle-class and racially diverse section of New Orleans, Louisiana. The first part of Gentilly to be developed was along the Gentilly Ridge, a long stretch of high ground along the former banks of Bayou Gentilly...
neighborhood of New Orleans, Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
. He attended St. James Major Elementary School, and evacuated New Orleans with his family by skiff
Skiff
The term skiff is used for a number of essentially unrelated styles of small boat. The word is related to ship and has a complicated etymology: "skiff" comes from the Middle English skif, which derives from the Old French esquif, which in turn derives from the Old Italian schifo, which is itself of...
after Hurricane Betsy
Hurricane Betsy
Hurricane Betsy was a Category 4 hurricane of the 1965 Atlantic hurricane season which caused enormous damage in the Bahamas, Florida, and Louisiana. Betsy made its most intense landfall near the mouth of the Mississippi River, causing significant flooding of the waters of Lake Pontchartrain into...
in 1965. After graduating from Cor Jesu High School
Brother Martin High School
Brother Martin High School is an all-male, Catholic, university preparatory school located in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States operated by the Brothers of the Sacred Heart. It was established in 1869 by the Brothers of the Sacred Heart, establishing the school as St. Aloysius College...
in 1967, he studied at St. Joseph Seminary College
Saint Joseph Seminary College
Saint Joseph Seminary College, also known as St. Ben or St. Ben's, is a private four-year seminary college founded in 1891. It is operated by the Benedictine Monks of Saint Joseph Abbey and the dioceses of the ecclesiastical provinces of New Orleans and Mobile, Alabama. The piney woods campus is...
near Covington
Covington, Louisiana
Covington is a city in and the parish seat of St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 8,483 at the 2000 census. It is located at a fork of the Bogue Falaya and the Tchefuncte River....
until 1971. He then attended Notre Dame Seminary
Notre Dame Seminary
Notre Dame Seminary is a resident, accredited graduate theological school in New Orleans, Louisiana, founded in 1923 for the education of men to be priests of the Roman Catholic Church. The building, located at 2901 South Carrollton Avenue, was constructed between 1922-1923, and was designed by...
in New Orleans, from where he obtained his Master of Divinity
Master of Divinity
In the academic study of theology, the Master of Divinity is the first professional degree of the pastoral profession in North America...
degree in 1975. He then furthered his studies at the Institute for Ministry at Loyola University
Loyola University New Orleans
Loyola University New Orleans is a private, co-educational and Jesuit university located in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. Originally established as Loyola College in 1904, the institution was chartered as a university in 1912. It bears the name of the Jesuit patron, Saint Ignatius of Loyola...
.
Priesthood
Aymond was ordainedHoly Orders
The term Holy Orders is used by many Christian churches to refer to ordination or to those individuals ordained for a special role or ministry....
to the priesthood
Priesthood (Catholic Church)
The ministerial orders of the Catholic Church include the orders of bishops, deacons and presbyters, which in Latin is sacerdos. The ordained priesthood and common priesthood are different in function and essence....
by Archbishop Philip Hannan
Philip Hannan
Philip Matthew Hannan was an American Roman Catholic Archbishop. Archbishop Hannan, in his episcopal career, served as Auxiliary Bishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington and later as the Eleventh Archbishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New Orleans from September 29, 1965 to...
on May 10, 1975. He then served as a professor
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
and later rector
Rector
The word rector has a number of different meanings; it is widely used to refer to an academic, religious or political administrator...
at St. John Vianney Preparatory Seminary in New Orleans until 1981, when he became director of education and professor of pastoral theology
Pastoral theology
Pastoral theology is the branch of practical theology concerned with the application of the study of religion in the context of regular church ministry. This approach to theology seeks to give practical expression to theology...
and homiletics
Homiletics
Homiletics , in theology the application of the general principles of rhetoric to the specific department of public preaching. The one who practices or studies homiletics is called a homilist....
at his alma mater
Alma mater
Alma mater , pronounced ), was used in ancient Rome as a title for various mother goddesses, especially Ceres or Cybele, and in Christianity for the Virgin Mary.-General term:...
Notre Dame Seminary. From 1986 to 2000, he served as president-rector
Rector
The word rector has a number of different meanings; it is widely used to refer to an academic, religious or political administrator...
of Notre Dame; his tenure was the longest in the seminary's history.
During his priestly ministry, he also served as executive director
Executive director
Executive director is a term sometimes applied to the chief executive officer or managing director of an organization, company, or corporation. It is widely used in North American non-profit organizations, though in recent decades many U.S. nonprofits have adopted the title "President/CEO"...
of the Department of Christian Formation, with responsibility for Catholic school
Catholic school
Catholic schools are maintained parochial schools or education ministries of the Catholic Church. the Church operates the world's largest non-governmental school system...
s and religious education
Religious education
In secular usage, religious education is the teaching of a particular religion and its varied aspects —its beliefs, doctrines, rituals, customs, rites, and personal roles...
. He was director of Society for the Propagation of the Faith
Society for the Propagation of the Faith
The Society for the Propagation of the Faith is an international association for the assistance by prayers and alms of Catholic missionary priests, brothers, and nuns engaged in preaching the Gospel in non-Catholic countries...
and was a member of its national board (1977–2000). During the 1980s, Aymond and groups of seminarian
Seminary
A seminary, theological college, or divinity school is an institution of secondary or post-secondary education for educating students in theology, generally to prepare them for ordination as clergy or for other ministry...
s from Notre Dame began to visit Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, where they built houses and offered religious training. In 1994 he founded Christ the Healer, a medical mission program of the New Orleans Archdiocese in Granada
Granada, Nicaragua
Granada is a city in western Nicaragua and the capital of the Granada Department. With an estimated population of 110,326 , it is Nicaragua's fourth most populous city. Granada is historically one of Nicaragua's most important cities, economically and politically...
, Nicaragua
Nicaragua
Nicaragua is the largest country in the Central American American isthmus, bordered by Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. The country is situated between 11 and 14 degrees north of the Equator in the Northern Hemisphere, which places it entirely within the tropics. The Pacific Ocean...
.
Auxiliary Bishop of New Orleans
On November 19, 1996, Aymond was appointed Auxiliary BishopAuxiliary bishop
An auxiliary bishop, in the Roman Catholic Church, is an additional bishop assigned to a diocese because the diocesan bishop is unable to perform his functions, the diocese is so extensive that it requires more than one bishop to administer, or the diocese is attached to a royal or imperial office...
of New Orleans and Titular Bishop
Titular bishop
A titular bishop in various churches is a bishop who is not in charge of a diocese.By definition a bishop is an "overseer" of a community of the faithful, so when a priest is ordained a bishop the tradition of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches is that he be ordained for a specific place...
of Acholla by Blessed Pope John Paul II. He received his episcopal
Bishop (Catholic Church)
In the Catholic Church, a bishop is an ordained minister who holds the fullness of the sacrament of Holy Orders and is responsible for teaching the Catholic faith and ruling the Church....
consecration
Consecration
Consecration is the solemn dedication to a special purpose or service, usually religious. The word "consecration" literally means "to associate with the sacred". Persons, places, or things can be consecrated, and the term is used in various ways by different groups...
on January 10, 1997 from Archbishop Francis Bible Schulte, with Archbishops Philip Hannan and John Favalora serving as co-consecrators
Consecrator
Consecrator is a term used in the Roman Catholic Church to designate a bishop who ordains a priest to the episcopal state. The term is often used in Eastern Rite Churches and in Anglican communities. The term "Principal Consecrator" is used to designate the primary bishop who ordains a new bishop...
.
Brian Matherne Sex Abuse Controversy
As an Auxiliary Bishop of New Orleans, one of Aymond's duties included the oversight of Catholic schools in the archdiocese. In 1998, then-Auxiliary Bishop Aymond allowed Brian Matherne, a coach at Sacred Heart of Jesus School in NorcoNorco, Louisiana
Norco is a census-designated place in St. Charles Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 3,579 at the 2000 census. The community is home to a major Shell petroleum refinery. Its name is derived from the New Orleans Refining Company....
, to remain in his post for several months after receiving information from the victim's father that Matherne had molested his son some 13 years earlier. He dropped the matter without alerting police after unsuccessful attempts to speak to the alleged victim. The youth (then 24) later told his story to the St. Charles Parish Sheriff's Office. Matherne was arrested and later pleaded guilty to molesting 17 youths over a period of 15 years and is serving 30 years in the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola. Aymond in part defended the church's handling of the case, saying it had followed the law but also admitted his mistake in not immediately firing Matherene. In Austin three years later, Bishop Aymond began tightening the Diocese's sex abuse policy, based partly on the Matherne case stating: "That painful experience -- I will never forget it. It helped me to understand the complexity of pedophilia better."
Bishop of Austin
Then-Auxiliary Bishop Aymond was named Coadjutor BishopCoadjutor bishop
A coadjutor bishop is a bishop in the Roman Catholic or Anglican churches who is designated to assist the diocesan bishop in the administration of the diocese, almost as co-bishop of the diocese...
of Austin, Texas
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
, on June 2, 2000 by Blessed Pope John Paul II, being installed as Coadjutor Bishop on the following August 3. He later succeeded John E. McCarthy
John E. McCarthy
John E. McCarthy was the Third Roman Catholic bishop of the Diocese of Austin.-Life before Priesthood:John Edward McCarthy was born on June 21, 1930, in Houston, Texas to George McCarthy and Grace O'Brien McCarthy. McCarthy graduated from St. Thomas High School in Houston,TX and earned a...
as the fourth Bishop of Austin
Roman Catholic Diocese of Austin
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Austin includes 125 parishes, or faith communities, in 25 counties in Central Texas. The diocese stretches from West, Texas, in the north to San Marcos in the south to the Bryan/College Station area in the east to Mason in the west...
on January 2, 2001. The Diocese of Austin grew rapidly (partly as a result of immigration) during Aymond's bishopric and actually had more churchgoers than many archdioceses, including New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was a powerful Atlantic hurricane. It is the costliest natural disaster, as well as one of the five deadliest hurricanes, in the history of the United States. Among recorded Atlantic hurricanes, it was the sixth strongest overall...
.
In Austin, then-Bishop Aymond resisted a request by victims of sexual abuse to release the names of priests credibly accused in the past and as president of a national bishops' Committee for the Protection of Children and Young People in 2006, he opposed creating a searchable, Internet-based registry of abusers. He stated: "There is very little chance such a list would be comprehensive or accurate, " and it might lead to "a miscarriage of justice." Victims responded stating that it is important to signal to those suffering in silence that it is safe to come forward.
Archbishop of New Orleans
On June 12, 2009, the Holy FatherPope
The Pope is the Bishop of Rome, a position that makes him the leader of the worldwide Catholic Church . In the Catholic Church, the Pope is regarded as the successor of Saint Peter, the Apostle...
, His Holiness
His Holiness
His Holiness is the official style or manner of address in reference to the leaders of certain religious groups. In Christianity, specifically the Orthodox Church, the Coptic Orthodox Church, Armenian Orthodox Church, Syriac Orthodox Church, Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church and the Roman Catholic...
, Pope Benedict XVI
Pope Benedict XVI
Benedict XVI is the 265th and current Pope, by virtue of his office of Bishop of Rome, the Sovereign of the Vatican City State and the leader of the Catholic Church as well as the other 22 sui iuris Eastern Catholic Churches in full communion with the Holy See...
named then-Bishop Aymond of Austin as the 14th Archbishop of New Orleans
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New Orleans
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New Orleans, officially in Latin Archidioecesis Novae Aureliae, is an ecclesiastical division of the Roman Catholic Church administered from New Orleans, Louisiana...
. He was installed as Archbishop of New Orleans on August 20, 2009, at the Saint Louis Cathedral
St. Louis Cathedral, New Orleans
Saint Louis Cathedral , also known as the Basilica of St. Louis, King of France, is the seat of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New Orleans; it has the distinction of being the oldest continuously operating cathedral in the United States...
. He continues, within the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops is the episcopal conference of the Catholic Church in the United States. Founded in 1966 as the joint National Conference of Catholic Bishops and United States Catholic Conference, it is composed of all active and retired members of the Catholic...
, to chair
Chair (official)
The chairman is the highest officer of an organized group such as a board, committee, or deliberative assembly. The person holding the office is typically elected or appointed by the members of the group. The chairman presides over meetings of the assembled group and conducts its business in an...
the Committee for the Protection of Children and Young People and sits on the Committees for Campus Ministry, Education, Laity, and World Missions. In an elaborate ceremony in 2009 at St. Peter's Basilica
St. Peter's Basilica
The Papal Basilica of Saint Peter , officially known in Italian as ' and commonly known as Saint Peter's Basilica, is a Late Renaissance church located within the Vatican City. Saint Peter's Basilica has the largest interior of any Christian church in the world...
in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
, Pope Benedict XVI
Pope Benedict XVI
Benedict XVI is the 265th and current Pope, by virtue of his office of Bishop of Rome, the Sovereign of the Vatican City State and the leader of the Catholic Church as well as the other 22 sui iuris Eastern Catholic Churches in full communion with the Holy See...
bestowed the pallium
Pallium
The pallium is an ecclesiastical vestment in the Roman Catholic Church, originally peculiar to the Pope, but for many centuries bestowed by him on metropolitans and primates as a symbol of the jurisdiction delegated to them by the Holy See. In that context it has always remained unambiguously...
upon Carlson.
Archbishop Aymond faces challenges in "the aftermath of years of sex scandals and the unpopular consolidation of parishes and closing of churches for economic reasons" as phrased by Kevin McGill of the Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
. Even so he said, "Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would come back here as [arch]bishop" on 2009 June 12. Shortly after his appointment as Archbishop, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests
Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests
The Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, known as SNAP, established in 1989, is the oldest and most active support group of survivors of clergy sexual abuse and their supporters in the United States...
issued a statement claiming he only "postures as someone who takes clergy sex crimes seriously."
Consolidation of parishes
Archbishop Aymond's predecessor as Archbishop of New Orleans, Archbishop Alfred Clifton HughesAlfred Clifton Hughes
Alfred Clifton Hughes is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as the 13th Archbishop of New Orleans, having previously served as Bishop of Baton Rouge from 1993 to 2002. On June 12, 2009, Pope Benedict XVI appointed Bishop Gregory M...
, implemented a controversial post-Katrina church consolidation program that reduced the diocese from 142 parishes to 108. The storm drove away nearly a quarter of its former membership and left it with nearly $300 million in physical damage. Aymond has allowed several churches to re-open for special occasions.
Willingness to Vocally Support and Defend the Church's Moral Teachings
Archbishop Aymond has gained a reputation of taking on controversial issues in a direct and vocal way. He has called the confrontations a necessary part of being a bishop. “I don’t feel I have a responsibility or an obligation to make people do what the church says,” he said in 2008. “In fact, I think that would be wrong. But I do have an obligation to say, ‘This is what the church’s teaching is.’"Archbishop Aymond was one of more than 80 United States bishops who wrote to the University of Notre Dame
University of Notre Dame
The University of Notre Dame du Lac is a Catholic research university located in Notre Dame, an unincorporated community north of the city of South Bend, in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States...
(in South Bend, Indiana
South Bend, Indiana
The city of South Bend is the county seat of St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States, on the St. Joseph River near its southernmost bend, from which it derives its name. As of the 2010 Census, the city had a total of 101,168 residents; its Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 316,663...
) to protest its award of an honorary degree to President Barack Obama whose support of abortion rights and embryonic stem cell
Embryonic stem cell
Embryonic stem cells are pluripotent stem cells derived from the inner cell mass of the blastocyst, an early-stage embryo. Human embryos reach the blastocyst stage 4–5 days post fertilization, at which time they consist of 50–150 cells...
research conflicts with Church teachings on the sanctity of life.
In October 2007, Archbishop Aymond was criticized for his objection to the dissident Catholic theologian Fr. Charles Curran
Charles Curran (theologian)
The Rev. Charles E. Curran is a moral theologian. He currently serves at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas, as the Elizabeth Scurlock University Professor of Human Values.-Biography:...
's scheduled appearance at St. Edward’s University, a Catholic School in South Austin. Curran is a priest whose Catholic theologian title was stripped by the Vatican because he openly questioned the church’s ban on artificial birth control and its teaching on human sexuality.
Archbishop Aymond is known as a strong proponent of the Catholic Church's position of opposing abortion, artificial birth control, and capital punishment. Aymond also believes that homosexuals should remain celibate.
Relationship with Catholics in his Archdiocese
A 2009 June 16 Times-Picayune editorial praised as "a promising way to begin" Archbishop Aymond's willingness to listen to his new flock.Church recruitment
Archbishop Aymond is thought to be an effective recruiter of people to church vocations. The Diocese of Austin web site indicates that under his bishopric the number of seminarians increased threefold.Personal management
Archbishop Aymond has been described as a "quiet pragmatist who prefers to promote Catholic values in and out of his church without the public confrontations some colleagues willingly accept."Introduction of the New Roman MissalRoman MissalThe Roman Missal is the liturgical book that contains the texts and rubrics for the celebration of the Mass in the Roman Rite of the Catholic Church.-Situation before the Council of Trent:...
(Third Edition) in 2011
Archbishop Aymond, who is now Chairman of the United States Conference of Catholic BishopsUnited States Conference of Catholic Bishops
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops is the episcopal conference of the Catholic Church in the United States. Founded in 1966 as the joint National Conference of Catholic Bishops and United States Catholic Conference, it is composed of all active and retired members of the Catholic...
' (USCCB) Committee on Divine Worship, announced in a news release Friday, June 17, 2011, that diocesan bishops may permit the gradual introduction of the musical settings of the people's parts of the Mass that are sung from the New Roman Missal in September of 2011. Primarily this affects the Gloria
Gloria in Excelsis Deo
"Gloria in excelsis Deo" is the title and beginning of a hymn known also as the Greater Doxology and the Angelic Hymn. The name is often abbreviated to Gloria in Excelsis or simply Gloria.It is an example of the psalmi idiotici "Gloria in excelsis Deo" (Latin for "Glory to God in the highest")...
, the Holy, Holy, Holy, and the different Memorial Acclamation
Memorial Acclamation
In Roman Catholic, Lutheran, and some Anglican and Methodist churches, the Memorial Acclamation is a part of the Eucharistic Prayer. It is sung or recited by the congregation.It is most commonly used after the Words of Institution.- Form of the acclamation :...
s. This variation to the implementation of the Roman Missal
Roman Missal
The Roman Missal is the liturgical book that contains the texts and rubrics for the celebration of the Mass in the Roman Rite of the Catholic Church.-Situation before the Council of Trent:...
Third Edition, set to take place all at once on November 27, 2011, was authorized by the Conference's President, His Excellency
Excellency
Excellency is an honorific style given to certain members of an organization or state.Usually, people styled "Excellency" are heads of state, heads of government, governors, ambassadors, certain ecclesiastics, royalty, aristocracy, and military, and others holding equivalent rank .It is...
, the Most Reverend
Most Reverend
The Most Reverend is a style applied to certain religious figures.*In the Roman Catholic Church , all bishops are styled "The Most Reverend", as well as monsignors of the rank of protonotary apostolic de numero.*In the Roman Catholic Church , archbishops are styled "The...
Archbishop Timothy Michael Dolan, Archbishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York covers New York, Bronx, and Richmond counties in New York City , as well as Dutchess, Orange, Putnam, Rockland, Sullivan, Ulster, and Westchester counties in New York state. There are 480 parishes...
.
Books by Aymond
Aymond has published two books:- Aymond, Gregory Michael. Courageous Moral Leadership. Washington, DC: National Catholic Educational Association (NCEA), 2004. ISBN 1-55833-342-8, ISBN 978-1-55833-342-0.
- Sofield, Loughlan; Juliano, Carroll; & Aymond, Gregory Michael. Facing Forgiveness: A Catholic’s Guide to Letting Go of Anger and Welcoming Reconciliation. Notre Dame , Indiana: Ave Maria Press, 2007. ISBN 1-59471-122-4, ISBN 978-1-59471-122-0.