Saturday, July 19, 2025

On hazing and other random thoughts

  •  I read about the weird hazing (at best), incident at St. John Vianney Seminary in Denver, Colorado and it's very disturbing. I've seen reactions to it that say, it's no big deal and men need stuff like this. Really? Hazing is a humiliation ritual that typically involves emotional or physical pain.  I know of one man who is in his 60s now but still becomes upset when he talks about the hazing he received at the hands of his hockey teammates, which ended with him going to the hospital.  Every now and then, year after year a victim dies and it makes the news.  There is almost always an element of occult, sadism, and frequently has at least a hint of homo-eroticism.

    I know I'm not a man, thank God and I can't fully understand male bonding but do you really think playing with knives, blood, covering the mouths of seminarians, and taking them into a room with a dude dressed in a Yeti costume is the way to make boys into men? Fr. Nepil, who organized this whole thing  was the Vice Rector of the seminary and says the "prank," was ill conceived and a mistake but not hazing, which is illegal in Colorado..  Out of the 15 young men who were "pranked", only one refused to play along. He contacted the police and was told to take a year off from the seminary. Why?

    If St. John Vianney were to walk into this seminary he'd give everyone involved a good smack. As for the seminarians, it's frightening that only one young man said no. I would not want any of the 14 who apparently were "good sports" and went along with Fr. Nepil's little "joke," to be my priest. 





  • One some man, somebody devout, erudite, happily married with many children please talk to Tim Gordon. He's gone from being interesting but incredibly callow to nuts. The boy is half a step from advocating Catholic purdah.   


  • I don't think the average Catholic has any idea how much Evangelicals hate us.