JimmyCsays: At the juncture of journalism and daily life in KC

With all the depressing stuff going on in the world, it’s refreshing to see something positive come along to lift the spirits.

Such is the story of the puppy — a pit bull mix — that two Royals’ fans helped rescue from a hot car at Kauffman Stadium on Sunday.

Michael Warner of Independence and his brother Josh Lee of Overland Park were walking back to their car in the eighth inning (the game went 13 innings) when they heard whimpering and followed the sound to the vehicle where the dog had been left. They summoned help, and team officials were able to get the dog out of the car. (I believe the windows had been left open enough to allow access to the release buttons.)

The dog, estimated to be about 16 weeks old, is at the city’s animal shelter, run by Kansas City Pet Project, and will be put up for adoption if the owner doesn’t claim the dog within several days…It seems unlikely to me that the owners will step forward, partly because of the embarrassment awaiting them and also because they could be charged with animal cruelty under city ordinances.

Warner, one of the rescuers, has expressed interest in adopting the dog. Congratulations to Warner and Lee for stepping into action and possibly preventing this little guy from dying.

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A little more than a year ago, the Catholic Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph was riven with conflict stemming from then-Bishop Robert Finn’s controversial reassignment of several priests.

Among others, many St. Thomas More parishioners in south Kansas City were fuming because Finn had reassigned their popular pastor, Rev. Don Farnan, to the hinterlands of northern Missouri. Also, many Visitation parishioners were in open rebellion against the appointment of Rev. Vincent Rogers as their new pastor. He was coming from St. Andrew the Apostle Church in the Northland.

The chaos revolved around Finn’s perceived desire to banish Farnan, with whom he was at odds, and, in a related move, impose a priest aligned with his orthodoxy (Rogers) on Visitation parishioners.

Before the moves were implemented, Pope Francis summoned Finn to Rome and canned him. Finn was singular in an ignominious way: He is the only American bishop who has been convicted of a crime (cover-up) in the priest sexual abuse scandal. A month after Finn was canned, the interim bishop, Joseph Naumann, of the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas, pulled the plug on the most controversial Finn transfers.

Recently, the new permanent bishop, James Johnston, announced reassignments that apparently were met with uniform acceptance. As part of the transfers that will take effect July 1, Farnan will be going to St. Charles Borromeo Church in the Northland, and Msgr. Brad Offutt, pastor at three rural parishes, will be going to Visitation. (Offutt is a former diocesan chancellor, the highest position besides bishop.)

The current Visitation pastor, Rev. Pat Rush, who had to put off his retirement plans after last year’s upheaval, will now get to stand down. And as far as I can tell, Rogers will remain at St. Andrew the Apostle for at least another year.

…In his first year, Johnston seems to have gone a long way toward restoring peace in the diocese and goodwill at the chancery, 20 W. Ninth Street. Among other things, I understand he recently led a group of people on a march from the chancery to Municipal Auditorium for a recent hearing regarding new federal rules to rein in the payday lending industry.

Takin’ it to the streets…That’s real leadership and, I’m sure, what Pope Francis would have done had he been here.

Bishop James Johnston