December 29, 1999

 

 

PERSONAL AND CONFIDENTIAL

Most Reverend Joseph A. Fiorenza

Bishop of Galveston-Houston

1700 San Jacinto

Houston, TX  77002-8291

 

 

Dear Bishop Fiorenza:

 

I have reason to believe you were never afforded an opportunity to review the enclosed November 28 letter. At the risk of sounding pompous, I believe it is the single most significant temporal call to action you will ever receive.  Consequently, I am taking this means of ensuring that you at least see it; whether or not and how you choose to act upon it is a question that can only be resolved between you and your conscience.

 

If you delve into the history of this matter, Bishop Fiorenza, you will find that I have been the recipient of more dissembling from the NCCB than has the American public from the current administration.  I have approached the topic of Sunday collection security from every angle imaginable only to be ignored or told absolute untruths.  And until recently, I had no recourse or access to the media, the court of public opinion.  Now, however, there is the World Wide Web, the Internet, where those who have been denied a fair hearing or, having been afforded a hearing, were ignored or dismissed in spite of having presented a solid case may make their case known to the general public.  I have reluctantly elected to take advantage of that option.

 

In addition to my primary Website which offers a free download of effective collection security guidelines, I maintain several other sites including one devoted to the display of key correspondence and summaries which graphically illustrate the NCCB’s 10-year role as the untouchable target in a game of Dodge Ball.  The ball, of course, is genuine security which the Conference apparently loathes more that Lucifer himself.  While that Website is relatively new, I expect visits to it will gradually increase among concerned Catholics and others as the various Internet search engines assimilate its key words/phrases into their memory banks.  If, for example, you were to conduct a search using the phrase “church collection security” (in quotes), it is quite likely that my several-year-old main Website will appear as the one and only result.  I hope to achieve a similar level of recognition with the NCCB-related Website.

 

I look forward to hearing from you, Bishop Fiorenza, and I stand ready to assist in any way possible.

 

Most sincerely,

 

[signed] M. W. Ryan

 

 

RESPONSE SUMMARY

 

No reply was received from Bishop Fiorenza.  A follow-up letter was directed to him on March 10, 2000.  That letter and a summary of the response may be viewed by clicking on Bishop Fiorenza 3 in the menu bar.