A source in Brighton tells me that the new pastor of Our Lady Help of Christians in Newton, the newly resigned Fr. Walter Cuenin’s old parish, will be none other than Fr. Chris Coyne. Fr. Coyne (no relation to Fr. Ron Coyne of hell-denial fame) is the former spokesman in the administrations of Cardinal Law/Bishop Lennon/Archbishop O’Malley.
What do we know about him? He’s loyal, he’s in the inner circle, and he’s no shrinking violet. People I know who’ve taken his classes at the seminary and lay institute tell me he’s orthodox. Of course, he’s also the spokesman who told parents objecting to Talking about Touching that they should just trust the archdiocese to have their kids’ best interest at heart. Yeah, because that trust wasn’t just shattered by a little Scandal that precipitated the implementation of Talking about Touching.
It will be interesting to see how Coyne handles this very difficult new ministry.
It should go without saying, but I suppose I can’t assume anything, that we should be praying for Fr. Cuenin and all the people involved in this. What’s more important than ideological battles is communion in Christ and ongoing personal conversion and rejection of sin. That applies to me as much, if not more, than anyone else.
“It should go without saying, but I suppose I can he’ll find it—and admit it to be—by FAR easier than handling the press!
I know him, too. He’s kind, funny, orthodox, talented…and tough when he has to be.
Actually, Father Coyne was second in command to Donna Morrissey as archdiocesan spokesman when Cardinal Law was here.
I don’t know about “several abuse survivors” in that parish. I know of one.
But that, according to the “mouthpieces” of many Our Lady Help Of Christians parishioners (the Globe and the Herald), isn’t much, if any, of the problem they have with Father Coyne.
’‘This is a witch-hunt, not more, not less,” said Gisela Morales-Barreto of Newton, a parishioner at Our Lady’s for 20 years. ‘‘They were trying to find something against him, and it took them all this time to make it happen. This is their way to punish him and punish us for how outspoken he has been. And now the one thing we have feared all along is happening—that if Walter will leave us, they will send someone from the other extreme to put the brakes on what this community is all about. Chris Coyne is in the opposite end of what Walter is all about.”
To me, the above quote shows that the parish needs compassion, indeed.
While I can’t get into Gisela Morales-Barreto’s head, I’m going to go out on a limb here and guess that the “opposite end of what Walter (sic) is all about” is “Chris (sic) Coyne’s” perceived fidelity to Church teachings.
I hope Morales-Barreto’s statement is correct. Shepherding these folks back into the Church seems pretty darn compassionate to me.