Remember that Catholic parish in Salem I was mentioning the other day? The one with the foot-stompin’ hootenany children’s Mass? In their fight against their closing order, some Boston-area parishes are turning to Voice of the Faithful for help.
VOTF held a meeting in Newton this week late 80s and early 90s when the courts sided with the bishop.
But even if they succeed in somehow proving that the buildings or property belong to the parishioners and not the archdiocese, what will that accomplish? They’ll get to keep open their empty little church, but are they going to force the archbishop to send them a priest? Maybe they’ll go out and find some former priest who has left the Church to lead them and they can make their schism formal. Maybe Voice of the Faithful can do the same “service” for all the rest of the closing parishes and finally set up their own schismatic church.
It seems that they might be able to litigate and impair the liquidation of the Church property, but who’s going to pay for the lawyers for the parishioners to do so?
Has such a case involving a Catholic parish church ever been found in the favor of lay people?
Also, a parish “closes” when the bishop says so and pulls the priest out. Any priest attempting to function in that parish without the permission of the bishop would be in disobedience.
Stay tuned. We’ve had mini-schisms before over parish property…..
The one that comes to mind is one in Rochester, NY a few years back.
The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away. Blessed be the Lord!