Even the Boston Globe is starting to call Voice of the Faithful and the Council of Parishes “dissident Catholics” now.
“Local Catholics align with others to keep churches open”
Dissident Catholics in the Archdiocese of Boston have joined parishioners in New York in the struggle to keep open some of the 21 churches slated to be closed there and are working with groups in Ohio and Arizona to encourage resistance to parish closings nationwide.
The Council of Parishes and Voice of the Faithful, two Boston-based organizations critical of the Catholic hierarchy, are providing information and advice to some of the parishes scheduled to close by March 1 in the Archdiocese of New York.
It looks like Cardinal Edward Egan isn’t going to mess around with so-called vigils and sit-ins either.
“We called Peter to help us in this because he has experience,” said Carmen M. Villegas, one of six women arrested Monday night at Our Lady Queen of the Angels in East Harlem, where police and private security guards terminated attempts by about 40 parishioners to start a Boston-style occupation.
[...] A vigil at another New York church, Our Lady of the Rosary in Yonkers, was broken up Sunday. Two people were arrested there.
Catholic congregationalists
Technorati Tags:Catholic, Council of Parishes, New York, parish closing, Voice of the Faithful
Dear Dom,
I was amused by the article discussing FutureChurch, which “advocates preservation of parishes, ordination of women priests, and voluntary celibacy for male priests.” The order makes me think that the other two might be ways to solve the problem…not like the are (see Episcopal Church).
In New York it should be very easy to keep a Parish open. Get out your wallet, and pay for the upkeep of the plant and equipment of the parish, and pay the priests and administrators necessary to run a parish.
In my opinion, Cardinal Egan has been very charitable in his negotiations in the the past. But a key point to supporting the church is supporting the Church. These “protest groups” need to quit complaining and get their checkbooks out. Go hold a rummage sale, bake sale, bingo game, like the rest of us do to support our Parishes and Schools.
JBP
CHECKbooks? You wouldn’t believe the # of people who think the Church runs by itself and the diocese owes the parishioners (and visitors)its maintenance. The sad thing is that the people most affected when the parishes close are the elderly, who really DID sacrifice to support their church. Also, many of them aren’t closing because of lack of income, but because of debts to be paid by the diocese.
It is weird that those who sue the Church can’t seem to make the cause/effect connection. I’m not saying they shouldn’t sue (for many, it was the only way to be heard) but to blame the Church (rightly) for the abuse and THEN blame them for closing churches to pay the debts incurred doesn’t make sense to me.
If only Cardinal O’Malley would put an end to this nonsense and clear out the “vigil” holders.
Here in Scituate, MA everytime they pass a month holding “vigil” at St. Frances Cabrini it’s a new milestone worthy of front page newscoverage in the local papers.
Please. Enough already.
The New York Parishes must be financially viable or have some major redeeming quality to stay open, as New York runs their parish operations pretty much independently of the Archdiocese.
I have seen the Archdiocese here in Chicago and New York bend over backwards to assist parishes in need. Sometime the parish and the parishoners have to assist themselves.
JBP