A Lenten Apology

Dear Readers,



Since it is Lent, I thought it would be a good time to post a public apology to the writer Gabriel Garnica. Some of you may remember my "Ashes Favorite Sacrament, According to ABC/Washington Post Poll." The purpose of the article was to underscore the fact that many Catholics do not know what the Sacraments are. I attempted to do this by filling my article with "quotes" by invented characters, including clueless parishioners and a questionable priest. Folks who read this blog on a regular basis were pretty used to this. Using clueless sources to help me make a point has always been very enjoyable to me, and somewhat cathartic.



However, the "Ashes" article was read and picked up by more than my usual 10 readers. It ended up on various blogs and sites, including the Remnant and Spirit Daily. Unfortunately, the post was presented as an actual news story and many readers believed the article was true. One of those readers was Gabriel Garnica, a writer and lawyer, who obviously loves the Church a great deal. He was so infuriated by the article that he responded to it in an article of his own. In a decision that lacked charity, maturity, and good judgment, but demonstrated a whole lot of pride on my part, I not only posted his column on my blog, but I made fun of it, and mocked Mr. Garnica. As a result, Mr. Garnica was publicly embarrassed on my blog, and his reputation was damaged. Mr. Garnica is clearly a person who feels the same way as I do about some of the abuses going on in the Church. Instead of making fun of him, I should have privately explained the situation via email.



Although Mr. Garnica has graciously accepted my apology in private, I wanted to apologize to him in public, since that is where all the damage occured.



Happy Easter!
Maureen Martin