The Sixties have returned to Weymouth, Mass. Some of the former parishioners of the now-closed St. Albert parish are staging a sit-in at the church. I wonder if they’re singing “We shall overcome” and “Hell no, we won’t go.” Oh, that’s right, they don’t believe in hell.
Archdiocesan leaders, to their credit, are avoiding a confrontation and won’t change the locks or doing anything against the people. They’re going to wait them out. I have a feeling it won’t take long. After the first few defeats in court, they’ll move on.
Once again, Bella English provides editorial commentary in what is supposedly a news article. she writes, “St. Albert’s meets none of the criteria for closing: Its pews and coffers are full, its buildings in good shape.” Yet, that statement ignores what Archbishop O’Malley actually said. Back when he first announced the closings, he said that the overall declining attendance, movement of people, and financial matters of the all the parishes in the archdiocese necessitated some closings. He also said that some that apparently don’t meet the criteria, individually, will have to close anyway so that more marginal parishes that serve poor and immigrant communities in the urban centers can remain open. And since they just don’t need five parishes in Weymouth, the resources that would have gone toward that fifth parish can be re-distributed elsewhere.
Not to put TOO fine a point on it, Cam, but the Bishops have the autonomy which allows them to disobey.
They do that, regularly. If you wish, you can call that “pastoral,” and in a few extreme examples that may be the case.
But they undermine their own authority in disobedience, and undermine the rule of law (whether lower- or upper-case)
It’s very serious.
If they have learned that “we are the church and we are followers of Christ and not the Archdiocese of Boston’, then why are they so attached to their parish? to their building?
Seems to me that they think of themselves as more special or perhaps more important than other parishes (and parishoners) in the Archdiocese. Talk about Christ-like humility.
Now we are taught that at the end of time only Heaven and Hell will remain.
So Dom, if these people don deserves from its rotten practice of knowingly appointing (and re-appointing) heretical priests as pastors.
Bella English gets it right: “At the center of the parish is Father Coyne…” What’s wrong with this picture?
Dom, could you quote the text from the letter that led you to believe that he was going to deny Holy Communion to a pro-abortion politician?
I didn’t read anything in the article referring to Holy Communion / Holy Eucharist.
The ‘sixties? These folks are probably taking their cues from ‘nineties, when parishioners of St. Joseph Church in Worcester occupied the building for thirteen months and succeeded in getting their church re-opened.
Could the Catholic Church in The US be any more screwed up?
Yeah, Joe, She could. She could allow a “parish” like Saint Albert the Great, and its pastor, Father “Hey-What-the-Hell-it-Doesn’t-Exist” Ron Coyne, to keep on doing what they’re doing.
Now, if the Archdiocese assigns said Father Ron Coyne to pastor ANY parish in Boston, ask your question again and I may have a far different answer.
Repeat after me, folks: 70 percent of Catholics in the Archdiocese of Boston DO NOT GO TO CHURCH. And by the way:
“This statistic was true BEFORE the scandal.”
There is a certain poetic justice here. The Chancery is getting exactly what it deserves from its rotten practice of knowingly appointing (and re-appointing) heretical priests as pastors.
Bella English gets it right: “At the center of the parish is Father Coyne…” What’s wrong with this picture?
Now that Fr. Coyne seems to be stating openly that he rejects the Church’s teaching on the eternal destiny of unrepentant souls—a heretical position if I understand aright—it would be a scandal if he were appointed a pastor. Will we need to get Marc Balestrieri to draft a formal heresy complaint?
Now they hold sit ins! But did they ever spend one hour sitting before Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament? No wonder their parish closed.
RC—I mildly disagree. A sage priest-friend of mine, in discussing the lefties, describes their positions as “the rusty cutting-edge of ‘60’s liberalism.”
We are (at last) seeing the final paroxysm of the sex/drugs/rock-n-roll bunch who have dominated the US church since 1965.
1) There but for the grace of God (and a good wife) go I… and
2) Thank God! Go anywhere—JUST GO!!
We are (at last) seeing the final paroxysm of the sex/drugs/rock-n-roll bunch who have dominated the US church since 1965.
I agree. There is much hope. At the seminary that I attend, there are 160 of us who are doctrinally orthodox, love the Holy Father, etc. These other guys will disappear eventually. We need to pray for priests.
The bishops have enabled the dissident crowd to for 40 years, and had a good time while the rest of us have suffered. Now it’s going to come back to haunt them.
Actions have consequences. It’s what we have been trying to say for the whole 40 years.
Read today’s Globe—the day Coyne “left” the parish (which no longer canonically exists, by the way), he participated in a communion service led by layfolk.
HELLO???
You mean Coyne deliberately left the Blessed Sacrament behind after he handed over the keys to the area vicar? If this man EVER gets reassigned to parish work it will be a crime of the first magnitude! After (finally) being removed for blessing “gay marriages” with Fr. Steve Josoma at St. Brendan’s in Dorchester, he was given St. Albert’s to screw up. He’s now accomplished that task. Will the hierarchs give him another one now, a la the sexual abuse fiasco, hoping that he’s now “learned his lesson?”
Mark my words, if he is allowed to continue in parish ministry, we will be facing another issue like this down the road.
i guess my CHURCH ST.ALBERT’S has a STRONGER following of people then ur silly lil thread.. last POST 8-31-04 how sad..
when people go to St. Alberts EVERYDAY…!!!
No, it hasn’t had a post since 8-31 because, unlike you, we’ve moved on. I’d suggest you learn how blogs work before showing the whole world your ignorance. There are new topics everyday that people comment on.
And what’s your point anyway? This is just one post on one web site. What does that have to do with St. Albert’s closing?