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I first met Father Marincic when I moved to Sharon, Wisconsin, in January 1991. He was pastor of Peace Lutheran Church, Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin. His contributions to our circuit pastors' meetings were insightful and humorous. He was relentless in his defense of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and compassionate to those weighed down by their sins and the burdens of their lives. His mind was sharp and use of language incredible. These two qualities were evident in Scott by his constant use of puns in his conversations. In January 1994, I presented a paper to the pastors of the Beloit and Janesville (Wisconsin) circuits of the South Wisconsin District of The Lutheran Church--Missouri Synod (LCMS). The major points of my paper were that confirmation should be less academic and that the age of confirmation should be lowered. Pastor Marincic disagreed with these two points and set out to prove me wrong. In the midst of his studies another circuit pastor provided Scott with information on infant communion. After a year of study, Father Marincic presented his study to the same group of pastors in September 1995. Needless to say, I and the other pastors were amazed by his conclusions. Rev. Marincic's basic conclusion was that the current practice of withholding the Lord's Supper from infants and young children has no foundation in the Scriptures, in the history of the holy Christian and Apostolic Church, and in the Lutheran Confessions. Needless to say, a furor arose among the pastors, some denouncing the paper and others intrigued by the paper. (I was among the latter.) The pastors raised many questions over the following months. These questions along with Pastor Marincic's paper were sent to the Commission on Theology and Church Relations (CTCR) of the LCMS. Around this time, I took a seminary course about the initiation rites of the early church. As part of the class requirements, I prepared a paper focusing on the practice of infant communion in the Western Church. It became apparent to me that the practice of infant communion was the normative practice of both the Eastern and Western Churches until the twelfth century. At that time, the Western Church under the influence of the Bishop of Rome began discouraging the practice of communing. Finally, by action of the Council of Trent (1545-1563), the communion of infants was stopped in all churches of western Europe. It was Pastor Marincic's desire that his synod, The Lutheran Church--Missouri Synod, discuss his paper and findings. It is to that end that I have begun this website. I hope that through coming months and years additioal papers will be added which will allow this topic and other related issues (such as, faith) to be thoroughly debated. The Reverend Scott Michael Marincic was born June 13, 1961, in Rochester, New York, the son of Emil and Ruth Ann (Miller) Marincic. He was reborn into the kingdom of God through washing of Holy Baptism on October 8, 1961. He died on November 15, 2001, in Findlay, Ohio. Scott married Beverly Gartner on May 15, 1982. They were blessed with two daughers, Kristen and Michaela. Scott graduates from Concordia College, Ann Arbor, Michigan, in 1983. He received a Master of Divinity degree from Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, Indiana, in 1987. Rev. Marincic spent his vicarage year at Immanual Lutheran Church, Bristol, Connecticut. His first assignment as pastsor from the seminary was to Zion Lutheran Church, Hay Springs, Nebraska (1987-1990). His second parish was Peace Lutheran Church, Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin (1990-1998). At the time of his death, he was serving as Assistant Pastor of Concordia Lutheran Church, Findlay, Ohio (2000-2001) and as Training Manager at Microsoft Great Plains, Solomon Division of Findlay. Also over the years, he assisted several congregations during their vacancies. A memorial fund has been established by the family for Scott's daughter's college education. Contributions for "Kristen and Michaela Marincic" may be sent to Thrivent Investment Management, PO Box 219348, Kansas City, MO 64121-9348. Updated: September 30, 2005 Website Publisher: Rev. Gary V. Gehlbach |