What Is Excommunication?
Rev. Charles Strebler • July 11, 2026
“There is nothing more serious than the sacrilege of schism because there is no just cause for severing the unity of the Church.”—Saint Augustine
Dear Parishioners:
You may have been hearing about the fuss in the Catholic Church in the last couple of weeks and are wondering what it is all about.
There is group in the Church called The Priestly Fraternity of St. Pius X (SSPX). They follow the teachings of Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, who rejected parts of the Second Vatican Council, including the current formulation of the Mass. The group ordained four men as bishops on July 1st without a papal mandate—the authorization of the pope. This was after several warnings from the Vatican and Pope Leo not to do so. This is an act of schism, which is defined by the Church as “the withdrawal of submission to the Supreme Pontiff or from communion with the members of the Church subject to him.” Because of the seriousness of the act, any bishop ordained without a papal mandate and the bishops ordaining him are automatically excommunicated for doing so. The Vatican declared the excommunication, which makes the situation even more serious because it sets even stricter penalties on the one excommunicated.
This is being portrayed as being merely about the old Mass in Latin, the Tridentine Liturgy, but is about much more. If you have seen any social media about the situation, many of the Lefebvrists followers do not acknowledge Pope Leo as a legitimate pope and reject the Second Vatican Council. Somehow, they know better than the popes, the bishops, and the Church. They are right and everyone else—the vast majority of Catholics—are wrong. Lefebvrists made the choice to follow their course. Now they face the consequences.
A note about excommunication since the word is bandied about these days with little precision. Excommunication is seen as the Church’s hammer for punishment. This is incorrect. Excommunication is called by the Church a medicinal penalty. It is meant to make it clear to the offender that a line has been crossed that should not be crossed. Excommunication is a call to repentance and return and reconciliation. It is not meant as a punishment but as a corrective. People get it wrong when they ask, “Why were not the priests who abused children excommunicated?” That situation did not call for a medicinal penalty, it called for an expiatory penalty, which is not about reform but are punitive. Such penalties can include being removed from the clerical state, which was done to many of the abusers, or a life of prayer and penance which others received.
Another common misconception is that excommunication puts a person “outside” the Church. This is not the case. Though the relationship with the Church is strained, it is never broken. It is like sending a child who disrupted Thanksgiving Dinner to his or her room. That child is not permitted to be with the family but is not considered not to be a part of the family anymore. When the child considers the bad choices and actions made and apologizes, the child is welcomed back to the table.
This situation with the Lefebvrists is a wound in the Body of Christ. We pray for the unity of the Church, in all those separated from her that the “High Priestly” of Christ on the night of the last supper, “that they may all be one, as you, Father, are in me and I in you, that they also may be in us, that the world may believe that you sent me.”
Sincerely,
Rev. Charles F. Strebler
Pastor
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“Jesus was loyal to his apostles, with full knowledge of their cowardice.”— Mother Angelica Dear Parishioners: I was asked to share the “letter” I used to start my homily last weekend. From : Jordan Management Consultants Dear Sir: Thank you for submitting the resumes of the twelve men you have picked for managerial positions in your new organization. All of them have now taken our battery of tests; and we have not only run the results through our computer, but also arranged personal interviews for each of them with our psychologist and vocational aptitude consultant. The profiles of all tests are included, and you will want to study each of them carefully. As part of our service, we make some general comments for your guidance, much as an auditor will include some general statements. This is given as a result of staff consultation, and comes without any additional fee. It is the staff opinion that most of your nominees are lacking in background, education, and vocational aptitude for the type of enterprise you are undertaking. They do not have the team concept. We would recommend that you continue your search for persons of experience in managerial ability and proven capability. Simon Peter is emotionally unstable and given to fits of temper. Andrew has absolutely no qualities of leadership. The two brothers, James and John, the sons of Zebedee, place personal interest above company loyalty. Thomas demonstrates a questioning attitude that would tend to undermine morale. We feel that it is our duty to tell you that Matthew had been blacklisted by the Greater Jerusalem Better Business Bureau; James, the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus definitely have radical leanings, and they both registered a high score on the manic-depressive scale. One of the candidates, however, shows great potential. He is a man of ability and resourcefulness, meets people well, has a keen business mind, and has contacts in high places. He is highly motivated, ambitious, and responsible. We recommend Judas Iscariot as your controller and right-hand man. All of the other profiles are self-explanatory. We wish you every success in your new venture. Sincerely, Jordan Management Consultants Eating Problems for Breakfast by Tim Hansel, Word Publishing, 1988, pp. 194-195 Remember the point of the homily: If God can choose these people, He can choose us! Sincerely, Rev. Charles F. Strebler Pastor
“The council now beginning rises in the Church like the daybreak, a forerunner of most splendid light.”—Pope John XXIII Dear Parishioners: After several sessions of prayerful discernment, there is a new Parish Pastoral Council at Holy Spirit! The members are: Larry Maloney, Chairman Todd Sabath, Vice-Chairman Andrew Renacci, Secretary Mike Breton Dave Fritzman Ray Frank Susie Graehling Jen Luca Mark Seidel And from the Parish Staff: Chris Hoag Nathan Hetrick As I said before, the members of the HSPPC are more akin to a president’s cabinet than they are to elected representatives in a legislature. While they do express the tenor of the parishioners, their role is not to be the speaking voice of a single parishioner or a small group of parishioners. If a parishioner brings a concern to a member of the HSPPC, the member will pass along the concern but will share with me the name of the person asking. As Christians and mature adults, we take responsibility for our words and do not hide behind anonymity. I have said several times before: If you have a concern about something in the parish, talking to your friends and neighbors will not accomplish anything because they have no ability to effect change; it then is just gossip and is not productive. If you have a question, concern, or complaint about the parish or an aspect of it, please bring it to me . I would be happy to sit down with you for some conversation. You can reach me via the parish office 440-933-3777 or email at cstrebler@hspal.org . Sincerely, Rev. Charles F. Strebler Pastor
“And since there is in the Sacred Heart a symbol and a sensible image of the infinite love of Jesus Christ which moves us to love one another, therefore is it fit and proper that we should consecrate ourselves to His most Sacred Heart – an act which is nothing else than an offering and a binding of oneself to Jesus Christ, seeing that whatever honor, veneration and love is given to this divine Heart is really and truly given to Christ Himself.”—Pope Leo XIII, from the encyclical Annum Sacrum (1899) Dear Parishioners: To mark the 250 th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, celebrated as the birthday of this nation, the bishops of the United States are consecrating The United States to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. The Sacred Heart of Jesus is the image and symbol of God’s love for us incarnate in Jesus Christ. Devotion to Jesus’ Heart has deep roots in the faith of the Church. It was to Margaret Mary Alacoque (1647-1690) that Christ appeared showing her His heart and asking for devotion be given and reparation be paid to His Heart. In these appearances, Jesus said to St. Margaret Mary, "Behold the Heart which has so loved men that it has spared nothing, even to exhausting and consuming Itself, in order to testify its love.” Archbishop Alexander Sample says that the reason for the consecration of the United States, “would be to place our nation under the kingship of Christ.” He also said, “Yes, we are a democratic republic; we are a civil society — but no civil society can long endure without being under the kingship of Christ himself; to place ourselves under God’s providence and care.” He adds, “So at this time, as we celebrate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, it’s to remind all of us that — whatever civil government we might have — we are all under, ultimately, the kingship of Christ.” This consecration will take place on Thursday, June 11 while the bishops have their summer meeting in Orlando, FL. That day is the eve of the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. You are welcome to come and join in prayer at Mass on the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Friday, June 12, at 8:30 am in the chapel. As the bishops consecrate the United States to the Sacred Heart, let each of us as individuals and families do so as well. I share the USCCB’s prayer: O Most Sacred Heart of Jesus: You know the longings of our hearts, and you desire that we enjoy friendship with you. From your pierced side, you have poured out the wellspring of life, for which we thirst. Your heart burns with a love for all people to return to a right relationship with you. We celebrate the abundant gifts you have given this nation, founded on the self-evident truths that our Creator has endowed all people with the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. We make reparation for the offenses against you and against human dignity that have taken place in this nation. May our hearts be united to yours, so that our families and communities enjoy peace and happiness; may broken relationships be reconciled, injustices repaired, and the wounds of our land be healed. May your holy Catholic Church serve as a sign, pointing all people to your infinite love. O Desire of Nations and Center of History, we ask you to bless these United States of America. Who live and reign with God the Father in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. Amen. Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us! Immaculate Heart of Mary, pray for us! Sincerely, Rev. Charles F. Strebler Pastor
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“The Spirit comes with the tenderness of a true friend and protector…to save, to heal, to teach, to counsel, to strengthen, to console.”—St. Cyril of Jerusalem Dear Parishioners: Sometimes I feel like I am missing out on something when we pray Eucharistic Prayer III at Mass on Sundays. When we come to the lines, May he make of us an eternal offering to you, so that we may obtain an inheritance with your elect, especially with the most Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God, with your blessed Apostles and glorious Martyrs ( with Saint N.: the Saint of the day or Patron Saint ) and with all the Saints, on whose constant intercession in your presence we rely for unfailing help, we don’t have a patron saint to include. For many years, I was used to mentioning St. John the Evangelist during the time I lived at the Cathedral. If you hear me mentioning a saint at this point in the prayer, it is acknowledging the saint or saints celebrated on that date, though it is the Mass of Sunday. A parish’s patron saint’s day is celebrated as a Solemnity, regardless of its liturgical rank. It can also be moved in Ordinary Time from a weekday to a Sunday for a special celebration. For Holy Spirit Parish, today, Pentecost, is our patronal feast. It is always on Sunday and is already a solemnity. I would argue that our patronal feast day is the second most important day of the Church year, after Easter Sunday. Pentecost is the birthday of the Church. The sending of the Holy Spirit changed the many disciples into the one Body of Christ. The Holy Spirit was sent to enliven and invigorate the Church. It keeps the Church in Truth. What a great patron! The many people: men and women; young and old; working and retired; single and married and families; Democrat and Republican; are all part of this one parish. The Holy Spirit enlivens our parish and invigorates us for the spreading of the Gospel and the Kingdom of God in our part of Avon Lake and into the world. In this parish we encounter Jesus Christ, The Truth, and from here proclaim Him to the world. The Holy Spirit is not a saint but the sanctifier. Not a human person, but the Third Person of the Trinity. The Holy Spirit might not be mentioned in the Eucharistic Prayer with saints, but is active in the same prayer, doing the work of the prayer, making the bread and wine in the Body and Blood of Jesus. As far as patrons go, The Holy Spirit is a pretty good one. Sincerely, Rev. Charles F. Strebler Pastor
“On the other hand, I believe there's hope, because the breakdown and the repair are happening simultaneously.”—Kathryn Bigelow Dear Parishioners: Three things are certain: death, taxes, and something needing to be repaired on the parish grounds. The infrastructure at Holy Spirit is aging out. Some of these things will be addressed in the upcoming church and office renovation. Some of them need to be addressed sooner. In the very near future, we will be replacing the front church steps, which particularly took a beating last winter (estimated cost: $17,700). There is some roof work in the hall that needs to be done to fix a leak in the Drexel Room. There are other needed repairs that pop up on a far-too-often basis. Thank you to you, the parishioners, for your on-going support of the Repairs and Improvements (R&I) account at Holy Spirit Parish. This enables us to keep up with the upkeep of the parish. Sometimes we get a check dedicated to R&I, or parishioners check the box on their multi-purpose parish envelope indicating that amount goes to R&I. When given to R&I, that money must be used for that purpose and cannot be used for anything else. Some parishioners like to donate to R&I because they know that their donations stay at the parish; we do not pay diocesan assessments on those donations. While that is a plus, we also need funds to pay salaries and other non-R&I expenses. We need both the regular collection and R&I to keep the parish running. The Finance Council and I have spoken for a while about being more transparent on the R&I funds—how much we have, what is given, what is spent and how it is spent. With Nicole Davis getting settled into her position as Business Manager, we are in the place to be able to do this accurately. In the next week or two we will be presenting this information in the bulletin each week. Again, thank you for your support of Holy Spirit Parish in the past and on-going into the future. Sincerely, Rev. Charles F. Strebler Pastor
Bugs: Duck season! Daffy: Rabbit season! Bugs: Duck season! Daffy: Rabbit season! —Rabbit Fire (1951) Dear Parishioners: It’s Ordination Season !—in the Diocese of Cleveland. A couple weeks ago, three men were ordained as transitional deacons; that is, they will be deacons for about a year and then will be ordained priests around this time next year. Last year’s crop transitional deacons is now ripe. Six men will be ordained priests for the Diocese of Cleveland on Saturday, May 16. One of these will be Fr. Mitch Carson. Mitch has been assigned as the parochial vicar at St. Joseph Parish, Avon Lake, beginning June 9. He will take up residence in the rectory in the next few weeks. There may be times you see him around Holy Spirit, maybe even helping here on occasion. Fr. Mitch is a parishioner at St. Peter, North Ridgeville and an Elyria Catholic graduate. We welcome him to Avon Lake. Another of the ordinan di (those to be ordained, as compared to those who have been ordained, called ordinan ti ) is Fr. Joe Ho. You might remember Fr. Ho when he did some of his preaching practices here at Holy Spirit. He has been assigned to St. Sebatian Parish in Akron. Last week, there were four men ordained as permanent deacons. Permanent deacons, often married men, are ordained for service to the diocese as deacons and do not become priests. One of the four ordained was Deacon Zak Jester, who is assigned to St. Raphael in Bay Village. Deacon Jester is the husband of Sarah Hamski, who was the youth minister at Holy Spirit during the first years of my pastorate. Speaking of permanent deacons, Kevin Jugilon has concluded his field education at Holy Spirit. It was great having him and his wife, Sharon, learning and serving here at Holy Spirit. He really jumped in with both feet, being involved as a lector, server, extraordinary minister of holy communion at the Masses and to the homebound, assisting with the First Thursday Night Prayer and benediction, leading stations of the cross, and he will be very much missed by The Friends of Jesus, with whom Kevin and Sharon worked very closely. Kevin has two more years of formation before (God willing, as candidates for holy orders often say) being ordained for the service to the Diocese of Cleveland. Fun fact: Holy Spirit is in the Diocese of Cleveland. While Kevin could be assigned to his home parish of St. Raphael, as deacons often are, or another parish, if— if —the stars aligned and the fates allowed and the bishop concurred, Kevin would be most welcome back to Holy Spirit. This is not a promise, or even a probability, but just saying… Sincerely, Rev. Charles F. Strebler Pastor
“We're putting the band back together!”—The Blues Brothers Dear Parishioners: In March of 2025, Bishop Edward Malesic, Bishop of Cleveland, issued new norms for Parish Pastoral Councils in the Diocese of Cleveland. One of the norms was that, existing Pastoral Council members may serve the remainder of their terms as defined by their council’s or by-laws presently in effect— as long as this was within two years of the promulgation of the new norms. The Holy Spirit Parish Pastoral Council members terms expired in October of 2025. It is time to constitute a new Parish Pastoral Council for Holy Spirit Parish. I am inviting those who have an interest in serving on the Holy Spirit Parish Pastoral Council (HSPPC) to take part in the formation and discernment for possible members of the HSPPC. This takes place over two nights, Monday, May 11 and Monday May 18 at 6:30 pm. On Monday, May 11, there will be an information session on what the HSPPC is and what it is not. It will cover the expectations of members. Some of the central aspects of the HSPPC include: It is consultative and advisory and is not a deliberate body; it cannot function independent of the pastor. That being said, I do listen to the HSPPC and will often bring issues to them to hear their opinions and to seek their advice. In the members of the HSPPC I am looking for people to advise me. I do not look for a “rubber stamp” but neither is someone who views their role as to be always oppositional helpful to the HSPPC and me as the pastor. The bishop’s vision is that the meeting be devoted to prayer, formation, and discussion, where the prayer is not just cursory. On Monday, May 18 , those who were present for the information night the week before (unless excused from the meeting by me) will gather for Mass in the chapel at 6:30 pm. Following the Mass there will be time for the discernment of gifts and calls. It is up to me to choose from those 8-14 members for the HSPPC. The bishop’s document stresses that this is not a parish election, but the membership is chosen by the pastor. This evening will allow all those involved in the discernment process to consider prayerfully what is best for the HSPPC. The bishop’s document states, parish council members ought to have knowledge, skills, or abilities that are helpful to engaging and informing the pastor’s pastoral strategies and have the creative skills to help him in implementing them for the good of parish life. If possible service to the parish on the HSPPC is something that interests you, I ask that you pray over attending the meeting on Monday, May 11 at 6:30 pm, and then continue to pray over returning for the discernment night on Monday, May 18. Sincerely, Rev. Charles F. Strebler Pastor
