Lest we forget, the battle over closed parishes in Boston continues. The folks at one parish, St. Frances Cabrini in Scituate, seem to not grasp the meaning of either what’s happening in the Church or even what it means to be Catholic.
First, they’re suing the archdiocese for ownership of the parish. And if they win, then what? They have a nice empty building that has nothing to do with the Church. Will they then sue the archdiocese to force it to send them a priest? Or will they just go find one from the many schismatic groups out there?
Then we’re told that they’re all (20 people out of the entire parish) going to court tomorrow:
According to Rogers, parishioners are looking for a “sense of solidarity” through legal recourse since their parish is still in dealings with a possible permanent closure or real estate sale.
I wish I could tell that they’ll find that sense of solidarity, not in legal proceedings, but within the Body of Christ and in the shared communion of Catholics. (Notice, how often the parish’s real estate holdings and financial assets are mentioned; what’s the real priority?)
I hope all of the “vigil-antes” still out there in the Archdiocese pay attention to your article.
This is also a sign that many nominal Catholics in Boston are no longer truly Catholic in their thinking. Rather, thanks to poor catechesis, the constant drumbeat of a hostile media culture, rebellious and heterodox priests at many parishes, and other reasons besides, they have become Protestant and Americanist in their thinking.
Despite the efforts of Archbishop O’Malley to preach the truth, there still exists a heterodox iron triangle in our chancery, institutions of higher learning, and among homosexual priests.
For example, I went to Mass in Lexington this morning before work, and on the way out, I noticed a flyer for a local chapter of Women in God’s Service (WINGS). The opening lecture (to be held at the former Sacred Heart Parish hall on 22 Sept at 9:30AM) is by none other than the infamous pro-sodomy priest Fr Walter Cuenin, and the title is “Must I Believe Everything the Church Teaches in Order to be Catholic?” Looking at the other topics, I see many talks by BC professors and religious sisters such as the pastoral associate at Cuenin’s parish. Automatically and sadly, they are suspect in my eyes.
Did I miss the part of the article that said the parishioners were planning to start their own church? I guess that the court data is about ownership of the property, and that is why the article was about ownership of the property.
Does the article say that the 20 former parishioners are no longer attending Sunday Mass? Did any of the former St. Francis parishioners say that they no longer find solidarity within the Body of Christ?
The idea of the Cardinal/Bishop “owning” the parish property is purely
an American Secualr invention. Traditionally in Europe, Royalty
(Trustees, if you will) owned parish property and hired clergy to
deliver the sacraments.
Given the miserable state of stewardship performed by the Catholic
Bishops in the USA, I applaud parishoners taking some responsibility
for the physical nature of the church.
An empty buiding Dom? That seems the intention of the Catholic Bishop
of Boston, not the parishoners fighting to keep Sacred Space thus
Sanctified.
I am not 100% on the methods on this, but am must more trusting in the
intent and actions of the parishoners rather than the hierarchy.
JBP