Alright, some of you might remember my mentioning Fr. Frank Pavone in a few other posts, and I like what I know of him and admire his work on behalf of the unborn and other people who cannot defend themselves.
Still, when I saw this post today inviting people to 'visit' Fr. Frank's birthday wish, I found it strange. So I need to run it by all y'all to see if it is in fact strange, or if maybe I'm over-reacting. But first, check it out:
Frank Pavone's Birthday Wish
Alright, did you click on it? Did it strike you as weird, too? I'm trying to identify what made it seem strange to me, and here are a few of my best guesses:
Why is there a need to raise $500 for "Pray to End Abortion"? Last time I heard, praying to end abortion was completely free. The economy must be worse than I thought if God's charging now.
If prayer is the most powerful weapon against the culture of death, why are you raising money?
Okay, I understand that there are many costs associated with the work of the Priests for Life. Fine. Clearly, that must be what Fr. Pavone wants people to donate to for his birthday. But I think he should be a little more clear on what the donation is going towards...
...especially in light of the fact that Bishop Zurik recalled Fr. Frank to his diocese in Texas specifically because of his "deep concerns regarding his stewardship of the finances of the Priests for Life organization." Whether the Bishop's concerns were valid or unsubstantiated, this certainly does seem a time when Fr. Pavone might be particularly motivated to remain financially transparent, you know what I'm sayin'?
And the last weird thing is that from the time that I first clicked on the birthday wish until now, the amount raised at the top reads $400, and the progress bar shows that 80% of his $500 'birthday goal' has been met. Has it really stayed at that same level all day, or is it just a way of getting people to think that since Fr. Frank has almost met his goal perhaps they should donate?
Alright, enough of my musings. What do you guys think? (Not that it really matters, but I'd like some feedback.) Is this strange to you, too? Or is it just a great idea lacking the best presentation? I don't know, but I'm gonna go pray for the unborn while it's still free in California. I'm sure that as soon the state gets wind of Fr. Frank's idea, they'll be taxing us for prayer, too!
As always, thanks for stopping by, and be assured of my prayers!
Peace and all good,
Leslie
At the very least, the fundraising-for-my-birthday thing is tacky, especially in light of his recent disciplinary action.
ReplyDeleteIn the essence of fairness, can we completely rule out the possibility his site was hacked and this isn't some sort of prank? Idk, just trying to give him the benefit of the doubt...
Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Maureen. No, it seems to be real -- he posted the link on Facebook on the "ProLife" and "Father Frank Pavone" pages. That is kind of you to give him the benefit of the doubt, though. :)
ReplyDeletefwiw, I'm pretty sure I've seen at least one other higher profile pro-life activist do this, too. It must be the "in" thing to do. Just another way to raise money for the cause, I guess. (Personally, I think most fundraising efforts are tacky...)
ReplyDeleteMy guess is that "Pray to end Abortion" is the name of a (possibly new) organization, and this amount covers current expenses as well as enough to keep going.
ReplyDeleteAlright, as best I can figure it out, the 'Causes' website is used by Fr. Frank and the Priests for Life for all sorts of general fundraising, and I guess he just set up this special one 'for his birthday.' It looks like the $500 goal has been met, so hopefully it will all go to good use by the PFL in their various pro-life endeavors. Valerie, that's an interesting insight, and I agree that many fundraising efforts are 'tacky' to me as well. Brent, you could be right, though after looking around the site a bit more it seems to me that the 'Causes' website just required a name for the fundraising effort, and Fr. Frank chose "Pray to End Abortion." Thanks for reading and commenting, friends!
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