Ep. 4.21: The Contemporary Mission Crisis: When Zeal, Disobedience, and the 1970s Collided

In this installment, Monsignor continues guiding listeners through the turbulent “hermeneutics of rupture” era—this time focusing on one of the most dramatic and little‑known St. Louis stories of the 1970s. What begins as an energetic Montfort missionary experiment in urban ministry quickly spirals into forged documents, unauthorized ordinations, national TV appearances, and a showdown with Cardinal Carberry himself. Listeners follow the rise of the “contemporary mission,” a breakaway group of young seminarians swept up in the era’s cultural upheaval. Their folk‑music apostolate, inner‑city outreach, and growing sense of independence lead them to seek ordination from a bishop in Ghana—despite incomplete studies and no diocesan approval. Monsignor recounts how the group returned to St. Louis claiming priestly faculties, attempted to celebrate Mass at the College Church, and publicly accused the archbishop of neglecting the inner city. Meanwhile, journalists—including Julius Hunter—begin uncovering forged recommendations, questionable retreat houses, and a widening scandal.