The latest mess in Boston involves a closing Catholic elementary school, Our Lady of the Presentation in Brighton. Parents have been staging protests ever since the the archdiocese announced the school was closing. The parents, including Mass. Secretary of State Bill Galvin (an unannounced Dem. candidate for governor next year), have proposed buying the property and keeping their own independent Catholic school going, but the archdiocese refused the offer. Instead, they planned to move the archdiocesan tribunal and other offices from the chancery grounds, since their old offices have been sold to Boston College.
Last week, somebody realized that the tribunal also handles cases involving priests accused of abuse. That someone thought it might be a good way to stir the pot to use that to instill fear and anger in the neighborhood. Headlines in the newspapers proclaimed that “perv trials to be held at school.” Never mind that the number of such proceedings would be very small and that they’re already being held down the street at the chancery.
After that the gloves came off and the protesting parents started talking about occupying the school, in imitation of people at some closed parishes. To head that off, the Archdiocese announced that it was ending the school year two days early.
