We have had lots of reasons, all of which we have previously debunked, (including the priest shortage lie,*) thrown at us as rationale for the merger/closer of our church. One of them is that, at approximately 250 families, we have no right to exist because we are simply too small a parish to justify.

Partly because my (Julie's) husband is not Catholic, my [largely evangelical protestant] workplace, extended family, and other acquaintances, we happen to know a lot of non-Catholic Christians. We also happen to have fairly frequent houseguests from all over the country because my husband's denomination is so small and geographically disparate, they often travel just to get together or for meetings. Currently we have a twenty-something couple, recently married, staying with us. They are both originally from the midwest but they are currently living in Washington, D.C. They both grew up in protestant churches, she the daughter of a pastor.

When the subject of, "and where do you attend?" comes up, the church closure fiasco inevitably arises. In the past our "priest convener" has said something to the effect of, "what must the protestants think of your not going along with your bishop?" It has always struck me as strange that anyone would think that protestants would not be sympathetic to our plight because they always seem to be. But why are they sympathetic?

Based on my conversations, I would some it up with a couple of pretty simple reasons, really. One, they understand that right is right and wrong is wrong, no matter who happens to espouse the view. Second, in their enthusiasm for growing the church, they understand that closing a church flies in the face of the propagation of the Gospel. Next, they understand that corruption causes more corruption and that it is all too common in all Christian circles for the everyday people in the pew to suffer as a result. But most of all, they are baffled by the following, which is far less abstract, and usually elicit a reply to this effect:

"Two hundred fifty families? That is considered small?" Apparently, by just about any protestant denomination's standards, a congregation anywhere near this size would be considered a great success. Last night was not the first time I have witnessed this reaction. Almost every single time the subject comes up, we are asked how large St. Mary's is. Our houseguest's (the daughter of the pastor) church back in Ohio has "no more than 200 people, probably less," and his in Kansas is even smaller. To have even fifty people in attendance over the course of a weekend would be just great to them. And if you buy into the priest shortage argument is legitimate, you should see the dearth of prospective pastors in their denomination, so this reaction is not due to their great abundance of ministerial candidates. And they should know. He (the one from Kansas) works for one of their denomination's few seminaries.

To top it all off, this apparent preference of so many priests and bishops for "bigger and better" flies in the face of contemporary trends, although they don't seem to recognize that. In their effort to be more protestant and less distinctively Catholic, they are missing the boat entirely. In this day and age of the house church movement, intentionally small Christian churches, and a movement away from the megachurch model, we are witnessng a yearning for the authentic on the part of younger generations in particular and the desire for true community. They also do not seem to be noticing the fact that there are many young protestants who are embracing distinctively Catholic practices without even knowing it,** while so many Catholic leaders seem to want to purge Catholicism of those annoying little things that they think separate us from the protestants.

Meanwhile, our protestant friends are mystified by the desire of someone charged with spreading the gospel to close a church, much less dozens of them. He (the one from Kansas) said, "That is terrible from an evangelism point of view." He took the words right out of my mouth. "Yeah," I said. "One thing I'm pretty sure of is that Christ did not say, "Go, therefore, and consolidate." They laughed and nodded. "My worry," I said, "is that what is currently happening is that so many people are so disgusted with the whole thing that they are leaving not just the Church, but any church, because they figure the gig is up and it's all a bunch of crap. Hundreds of souls will be lost." He nodded in agreement. "Yeah, that's definitely true."

Over a card game last night they asked, "Where would you go?" because they understand how important and irreplaceable a tight knit community is. Without my having to explain anything, they already know that it is not so easy to just jump from one church to another, as if where one worshiped was completely unimportant. (After about a year, they themselves are still looking for a place to worship in the D.C. area and have started a small house church out of their home that meets monthly.) "I don't know what will happen," I answered. "But I do know this. We've got to fight with everything we've got."


* You can search our site for articles regarding the stats on priests per capita in our diocese over time, as well as information on the removal of priests by the dozen, their forcible retirement, and the refusal of the current diocesan administration to allow in priests from the FSSP (headed out of Nebraska but located throughout the country) or religious orders abroad.

** Search the internet if you want, but everything from the use of incense, candles, liturgy of the hours, lectio divina, "the new monasticism," and even praying the rosary are becoming wildly popular among many young, evangelical protestants (one of our houseguests included, to my great surprise...apparently he thinks some of these things are "Episcopalian" in origin).

I admit that watching the show, "Little House on the Prairie" is one of my guilty pleasures. I've liked this show ever since I was a small child. While traveling across the country once, I accidentally (but happily) found myself following the same trail that the real Ingalls family once followed and visited one of the museums associated with the famous pioneer family. Now my husband and I are reading the book series aloud to our children, and this nicely coincides with a homeschooler class my son is taking entitled, "Westward Ho."

In any case, I think that one of the central attractive qualities of this series is the real life struggle between good and evil. While members of the Ingalls family do not always make the right choices initially, with the help of God and by strengthening each other, in the end they always chooses the side of right.

I was reading a quote from one of the writers of the show the other day. He was commenting on the episode, "The Bully Boys" (see last few minutes of episode and transcription below). In this episode a group of thugs threaten the way of life of the entire town. By the end of the episode, virtually the entire town has been abused in some way. The writer states that what makes this episode different from many is the fact that it is acknowledged that some people are essentially bad. The soft-spoken and Christ-like Reverend Alden sums up the sentiments of the writer in his sermon, which precipitates the driving of the thugs from the community.

The reason why I am bothering to share this with you is that I think we face a similar situation on a much broader scale here in our diocese. While some bullies stand outside a church or community, some appear to be a part of it. They wield their membership and, in some cases, their authority in abusive ways. They lie, threaten others, and may even steal what does not belong to them.

Unlike the villains in this Little House episode, there are some in leadership positions in our diocese and throughout the Church who are basically just thugs and bullies. Like the tv show bullies, they think nothing of pushing people and communities around. The common street criminals, the thieving corporate CEOs, the scheming Washington politicians, and certain corrupt Church officials have one thing in common: they are out for only themselves and do not consider the wellbeing and rights of others, much less the propagation of the Faith and the Gospel. They are career-oriented opportunists. Therefore it is imperative that we pray daily not only for ourselves and our parishes, but for the conversion of all Church leaders to Christ and His Church.

In a simple and straightforward way, this episode manages to relay a few very important truths:

1. Contrary to the modern world's popular opinion, good and evil exist. Good and evil are not subjectively determined. They are not matters of perception, but are objectively true.

2. In all of our lives, we have a choice to make. We must daily choose between good and evil, right and wrong, Jesus Christ and The Deceiver. Every day when we wake up in the morning, this is the choice that is before us. We must choose our side. This is called free will. However, we cannot be on the side of both Christ and The Evil One simultaneously. When we fall, when we have made a wrong decision and sinned, we confess it, we disown it, and we choose Christ's side again.

3. "Turning the other cheek" is indeed noble, but as demonstrated by Our Lord, does not automatically exclude the necessity of resisting the devil and "those who do his bidding."

4. A real community does not "stand alone against those who do the devil's work," but is unified by God in its insistence that evil be thwarted and right defended.*

Though the show depicts a protestant congregation, I think a valid fifth point may also be taken:

5. A pastor has an obligation to defend his flock from those who mean to harm it, from the attacks of the devil.

Transcription:

Rev. Alden: With your indulgence I would like to dispense with the hymn and go directly to my subject this morning: Heaven and hell. Sometimes we forget, in our contemplation of our reward in Heaven, that there even is a hell. But we might do well this morning to remember that hell has a purpose too. And the devil doesn't sit down there all by himself. Now I've told you that there's good in all people. But that doesn't mean that all people lead good lives. There are those who lie, who steal, who abuse those around them. Last week I told you that it was noble and courageous to turn the other cheek. Well, that's true, but this week one of you reminded me that there are times that the devil is in our midst; that no endurance, no nobility, will defend us against those who do his bidding.

Thug #1: Reverend, all that talk about the devil, you wouldn't be slurring me and my brothers, would ya?

Rev. Alden: More than that. It's strange that it took the children in this town to teach us the lesson: that we are a town, we're a community, we're a congregation. And no man should stand alone against those who do the devil's work.

Thug #2: What are you planning to do, preacher?

Rev. Alden: I intend to see you out of this church and out of this community.

Thug #2: Well that's pretty hard words but it looks like you're still standing pretty much alone.

[Reverend Alden and Isaiah Edwards slam the thugs against the wall.]

Rev. Alden: Am I?!

Thug #2: All right, all right, we'll be out of here by nightfall.

Rev. Alden: You'll go NOW. And you'll take only those things you brought with you. And maybe next time you'll think twice about taking advantage of good, decent people.

Thug #1: Tell him we'll do it, Sam, we'll do it.

Rev. Alden: [to Isaiah Edwards] Isaiah, your men can handle this?

Isaiah Edwards: Amen, Reverend!

Rev. Alden: [to Caroline Ingalls] Caroline, if you'll lead the ladies in a hymn, we'll be right back.

[Rev. Alden, Isaiah Edwards, and the men of the community march the thugs out of town. The congregation sings, "Onward Christian soldiers..."]


* St. John Chrysostom, On the Priesthood, Book II:

(Regarding pastors): ...but he who has human beings entrusted to him, the rational flock of Christ, incurs a penalty in the first place for the loss of the sheep, which goes beyond material things and touches his own life: and in the second place he has to carry on a far greater and more difficult contest. For he has not to contend with wolves, nor to dread robbers, nor to consider how he may avert pestilence from the flock. With whom then has he to fight? With whom has he to wrestle? Listen to the words of St. Paul: We wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

(Regarding wolves in sheep's clothing): ....even should they capture the whole flock, they do not leave the shepherd unmolested, but attack him all the more, and wax bolder, ceasing not until they have either overthrown him, or have themselves been vanquished. Again, the afflictions of sheep are manifest...

Most of St. Mary's founders were immigrants from Europe, and virtually all of their native villages had a patron saint. On that saint's feast day, the pastor celebrated a High Mass, and his parishioners organized a parade to honor "their" saint. Afterward, a public gathering took place featuring music, games, food, and fireworks.

Because St. Mary's of Malaga was named for the Blessed Mother, the Feast of the Assumption became--and has been--the parish's main celebratory event since the church's beginning in 1922. Back then, Mr. Giovanni Di Matteo, one of the parish's founders, was the main organizer of this mid-August feast. These celebrations replicated, in Malaga, the fondly remembered festivals of the Old World.

Parishioners blessed with long years and clear memories can still recall the sight of the statue of the Blessed Mother--festooned with ribbons on which worshipers had pinned dollar bills--being hoisted onto the shoulders of young men for the parade after the High Mass on Sunday morning. They can recall the sound of the Red, White, and Blue Band as it marched behind the statue westward on Dutch Mill Road almost as far as Malaga Lake.


As the young men carrying the statue of the Blessed Mother approached the Malaga Post Office--then situated on the northwest corner of what is now Old Dutch Mill Road and Old Delsea Drive--Mr. Corval Richman, husband of Post Mistress Pearl Richman, descended the post office steps with a crisp dollar bill in his hand (a significant amount then) and pinned it on the statue. This gesture by a non-Catholic was an expression of the regard he had for the faith of his foreign born Catholic neighbors. (Quite a few non-Catholic donors are listed on the Founder's Roll that has hung on the rear wall of the church for the past 87 years.)


After Mr. Richman's gracious gesture, the parade turned left and proceded onto Delsea Drive as far south as the Simms residence or the Bova farm or the Cesare farm (traffic was no problem then) before returning.


As the paraders approached the church grounds, they were greeted by the enticing aroma of zeppole (cruller-like fried dough) and other delicacies being readied for the afternoon and evening festivities.


Volunteer barkers urged people to "step right up" and test their strength and skill at knocking over bogus milk bottles with a baseball. The white bottles, made of wood with metal interiors to impart stability, were arranged in a pyramid 30 feet behind a counter. "Three balls for a nickel," the barker cried, "and one of these beautiful prizes is yours!" (The prizes were mainly stuffed animals.)

Young Raynard Infante from New York City, a relative of several area families, impressed local people with his Neapolitan love songs, which he sang from the bandstand that once occupied the area where St. Mary's outdoor shrine now stands. Another favorite amateur singer was Mr. Giuseppe Alvino, one of the church's founders, who rendered "O Sole Mio" with a fervor old-timers still talk about.

After a respite from the mid-day parade, members of the Red, White, and Blue Band took their places on the bandstand and entertained the crowd during the afternoon and evening. The music consisted of popular melodies, including ragtime and patriotic songs, mostly Sousa marches. The band's electrifying "Stars and Stripes Forever" preluded the festival's finale: fireworks.

As band members put their instruments away, firework technicians sent up aerial bombs that exploded high above in a cascade of color. This lured the crowd to the southern edge of the church grounds, where the rectory now stands. From that point, one could see technicians igniting the fireworks mounted on wooden structures on the knoll where the Malaga firehouse is today. Ground-level fireworks, including spinning wheels and "Niagra Falls," alternated with aerial displays depicting patriotic themes such as the Statue of Liberty, the Mayflower, and the American flag.

The fireworks (and the two-day festival) ended at about eleven o'clock Sunday night with detonation of an ear-splitting battery of explosives buried two feet below the ground--enough to destroy a small army. With the acrid smell of explosives still hanging over the church grounds, those who came in their primitive farm trucks and tin lizzies honked their horns in appreciation while others tramped home humming the songs the Red, White and Blue Band had played.

I received my most recent Coming Home Network International newsletter yesterday. In it, evangelical convert Keith Moore describes his journey into the Catholic Church. A combination of largely unchurched, Methodist, "nondenominational," and house church in background, he describes his first experience inside a Catholic church. He was visiting Washington state and attended mass at St. Aloysius, near Gonzaga University.

I will never forget walking into that beautiful Cathedral. I had never seen the Stations of the Cross. I had never seen such amazing stained glass windows, not just for their beauty, but for the stories they told of God's work in our lives. The statues were amazing...they suddenly seemed to me very important because of what they pointed to. I was almost trembling by the time we left that day.

St. Aloysius was built in 1911. How many "new" or modern Catholic churches have you seen that contain purposeful, beautiful, and inspiring art? I myself have seen almost none. That's not to say that it cannot be done, but that it usually is not.

What we have already in existence in the Diocese of Camden are churches that already have these things. St. Mary's, though small, has these things. It is not just a building, it is truly a house of God. It is through sacred art and the structure of a traditional Catholic church that we learn about the Faith. In and of itself, by virtue of its presence, it is a means of evangelization.

Beautiful churches draws in those who who know little about Catholicism, often without them even realizing why. In attempting to make our churches, and therefore our Faith palatable to those currently outside it, many have tried to lower the bar and create "spaces" that are less overtly Catholic and consequently less intimidating to those who do not understand the purpose of beautiful art inside a house of God. But in doing this we lose the very thing that makes our Church attractive to those who seek to join It. Our traditional Catholic churches are treasures that not only have historic merit, but serve an important purpose in our continual conversion.

When I am at mass at St. Mary's, I see all around me in the stained glass windows the saints who are interceding for us in Heaven, the angels who are witnesses at each and every holy sacrifice of the mass, and I am reminded of my place in God's order. Churches like St. Mary's should not be so flippantly dispensed with. They are God's silent tools of conversion.

I stumbled on this collection of beautiful pictures of the "Via Crucis Procession" in Washington DC. Quote:

Men carry a statue of the Jesus as they walk the Via Crusis, or "Way of the Cross," leading about 200 other Catholics through the Dupont Circle neighborhood to mark Good Friday April 10, 2009 in Washington, DC. The faithful "walked in the footsteps of Christ" and carried wooden crosses and statues from Our Lady, Queen of the Americas Catholic Church to the Cathedral of St. Matthew. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images North America)

I am fortunate to have a Eucharistic Adoration slot once a week. This gives me a little time for spiritual reading, among other things. I happen to love the many books written by Joan Carroll Cruz, such as The Incorruptibles, Secular Saints, and the one I had with me, which is called Miraculous Images of Our Lady. I was reading about Our Lady of Siluva (see also this link).

Our Lady of Siluva
In the early through mid-1500s, Lutherans and Calvinists were able to win over converts in Lithuania, but only among the nobles and ruling class. The peasantry (the vast majority of the people) remained staunchly Catholic, but were persecuted. Church properties were confiscated and turned over to Protestants. In 1570 the church in Siluva was similarly threatened and in his wisdom, the pastor, Rev. John Halubka, collected

some of the church's treasured articles including a few vestments, a favorite image of the Madonna and Child that hung above the main altar, and the church's records. Placing them in a metal-covered oak chest, he buried it a short distance from the church near a large rock. This was providential, since the church was soon seized by Protestants.

Finally, in 1588, a new law was passed which gave Catholics the right to repossess church properties unjustly taken from them, but the documents clearly proving previous ownership were required. For the church at Siluva, documents could not be found to prove that Peter Giedgaudas had given the land to the Church in 1457.

...in the summer of 1608...children shepherding their flocks, saw a beautiful lady standing on a large rock. Holding a child in her arms, the lady wept bitterly. Startled by the vision, one of the children ran to a Calvinist teacher, Mikola Fiera, who promptly claimed it to be an apparition of the devil who was trying to draw people away from Calvinism.

Hearing about the vision, people flocked to the rock. The Calvinist teacher continued to insult and riducule the people for paying any creedance to the children. But the Lady and Child appeared again. Fiera, the Calvinist, asked Her, "Why are you weeping?"

Sadly the vision answered, "Formerly in this place my son was adored and honored, but now all that the people do is seed and cultivate the land." Saying this, the lady and child disappeared.

The Calvinists tried to dismiss and argue against the apparation, but the people knew that they saw Our Lady and the Holy Infant Jesus. Shortly thereafter, Mikola Fiera left Siluva. The bishop had the matter fully investigated. A blind man, having heard about the vision,

remembered the metal-covered oak chest that the pastor had buried years before....when...taken to the rock, his sight was immediately restored. He was then able to indicate the exact location of the chest.

Inside they found all the contents, including a miraculously undamaged picture of the Virgin and Child. Now having the papers in their possession, the Catholics were able to get their church back, although it took years of court negotiations with the Calvinists. Because of the sheer number of people attending the church, it had to be expanded and expanded again in 1786 (picture left). By order of the bishop, in 1663 a chapel was built in the exact location of the rock, but again the sheer number of people required its expansion in 1818 and then in 1924. (The apparition was officially approved by Pope Pius VI.) The miraculous image has been credited with many countless healings.

We may even visit a shrine to Our Lady of Siluva in Washington DC at the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, where beautiful mosaics depict the story.
 

Our Lady's Desire
In the case of Our Lady of Siluva, She wanted Her Son to be worshiped, the church returned to Catholic hands. In the history of our Catholic faith, there are many such stories that have gone like this. I'm sure you might know of some others. What does Our Lady always do, without exception? She points to Her Son. She wants nothing more than for Her children to worship Her Son, Jesus. So when She miraculously appears, what does She so often request? She requests that a shrine or church be erected in a certain spot.

In the history of our Church, can you think of one single time that Our Lady has requested that a church faithfully dedicated to the worship of Her Son be closed? When has she said, "Knock it down! Cose it up! Replace it with a Wawa!" No, never. Not once. She has appeared miraculously in the obscurest of locations, in places where the church had long ago fallen into ruin. But no mere falling mass attendance deters Our Lady. The church can be laying in pieces on the ground and She requests it be raised up again and the worship of Her Son continue. And it does. Why? It is Our Lord's holy will, and Our Lady's desire. Of that we can be completely confident. Truly Our Lady weeps at such travesties as churches falling into disuse, disrepair, or closure.

At St. Mary's we know that Our Lady is with us. She is our much loved patroness, as She is the patroness of every Catholic. She is our Single Greatest Advocate in Heaven, our Queen, Mother of every saint, and our Mother. Most of all, She is Mother of the Church, Mater Ecclesiae, and she intercedes for the Pilgrim Church on Earth. This is why at St. Mary's over the past year She has granted us the grace of her miraculous image changing color before our eyes. In this small way, She has reassured us of Her loving presence and protection. "Our Lady of Malaga," Mater Ecclesiae, ora pro nobis!

This article is an entry taken from the Council of Parishes of SJ website, which we thought was good enough to constitute its own article here on Savestmarys.net. Thank you to Barbara Byrnes of St. Joseph's, Woodstown/St. Mary's, Malaga for writing it.

On a snowy January 19, 2002 my husband, Ed (Byrnes) and I were married by his brother, the late Father John Byrnes at St. Joseph's Roman Catholic church in Woodstown in front of all of our family and friends. If you know where Cowtown Rodeo is St. Joe's is not too far from there. St. Joseph's Roman Catholic Church is a small little country church which resembles the little country churches often depicted on Christmas cards. Our wedding was beautiful. Ida Nicolosi who comes from a Catholic farm family sang the "Ave, Maria" like an angel while the late Mrs. Judy Miller, who was a dairy farmer, played the organ perfectly. We, like many other parishioners gave donations to build a brand new parish center. At that time we were struggling to keep the farm. My husband and I had dreams....we had dreams to farm, raise a family and attend Mass at the Catholic Church which was built by many who faced persecution and hardships, including the Byrnes family. Dear and Holy Father Byrnes gave Ed and I the gift of the Holy Sacrament of Marriage. Respect for the Sacrament of Marriage begins with keeping our Catholic churches open!

Ed and I were forced from our parish of St. Joseph's RC in Woodstown in manner that wasn't Christian. We were treated this way because we opposed all the Catholic church and school closings, including our own parish. God and Our Blessed Mother made us hear the Bells of St. Mary's in Malaga, NJ where there is a brave and holy Catholic Priest who defends the Catholic Faith and the parish. Father Romanowski has a true and sincere love for God and our Blessed Mother. He loves us all too. Holy Orders is a sacrament too. If Cardinal Hummes of the Congregation of Clergy in Rome or Bishop Galante has any respect for the PRIESTHOOD, then they would leave Father Romanowski to remain as Pastor of St. Mary's in Malaga as is wanted by God and our Blessed Mother.

Our Cardinals and Bishops should be marching along side of us for the March for Life in Washington, DC. Instead of closing down our parishes, Bishop Galante should have had a pro-life postcard campaign done months ago. It was also a disgrace to see President Obama, a pro-abortion political figure, on the front page of the Catholic Star Herald instead of our Holy Father Pope Benedict. My mother-in -law (God bless her soul) , Anna Byrnes, would have been upset by this. It was a major disrespect for all those who participated in the March for Life too. I guess that shows you where our bishop's loyalties lie. But saints down the ages have had troubles with bishops, including even St John Bosco, who struggled with his archbishop.

The bottom line is this: It is a sin to destroy God's house. It is a sin to remove from our towns God, Our Blessed Mother, Holy Spirit and all of the Angels and Saints. (Every Catholic church has a guardian angel), Holy Catholic Mass, the Holy Eucharist, Confession, Rosary, Divine Mercy....

There is a Latin saying that states: "An action is good when it is good in every respect; it is evil when it is evil in any respect." If our Bishops and Cardinals put their faith in The Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, things would be alot different. ALL PRIESTS NEED TO HAVE COURAGE AND PUT THEIR FAITH IN GOD BY PROTECTING THE TEACHINGS OF THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH.

In 2005, there were approximately 440,000 Catholics in the Diocese of Camden according to the Diocese of Camden's Demographic Report.  On April 3, 2008, when the Bishop announced his reconfiguration plan, he claimed there were 500,000 Catholics in the diocese.  Why does this matter?  It's quite simple really and it involves....yup, you guessed it, Raffaello Follieri.

 

 

 

According to a National Catholic Reporter Article from February 2006 titled "Real estate developer with ties to 'Vatican hierarchy' in pursuit of U.S. church property:"

 

"Raffaello Follieri and Andrea Sodano visited the Capitol Hill Hyatt Regency Hotel in Washington, site of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops annual meeting. An escalator ride up from the general assembly meeting room, the Follieri Group maintained a hospitality suite for bishops. At that meeting, by a vote of 222-2, the bishops agreed to seek Vatican approval for an amendment to church policy that would allow large dioceses (those with more than 500,000 Catholics) to sell or mortgage properties for up to $10.3 million without Rome's prior consent. The previous $5.1 million limit, said those supporting the change, was increasingly cumbersome in the go-go real estate market affecting U.S. dioceses nationwide." (Emphasis added).

Hmmm, so properties that would sell for more than $5.1 million (like say St. Gregory's) would require Vatican approval......unless we have 500,000 Catholics in the Diocese of Camden. 

Guess what?  We now have 500,000 Catholics in the Diocese of Camden:

"Welcome.Thank you for visiting the website of the Diocese of Camden. The diocese was founded in 1937 and serves 500,000 Catholics in Atlantic, Camden, Cape May, Cumberland Gloucester, and Salem Counties, New Jersey."

The 440,000 figure is from the Diocese of Camden's Demographic Report, available on their website:

"Comparing the 2005 census update, the 2005 Catholic Directory, and the parish reports to the 111,240 average attendance indicates that 25.4% of the Catholic population of South Jersey attends mass regularly."

The 500,000 number has no demographical or statistical basis.  An overnight, inexplicable jump of 60,000 Catholics?  A startling 13.5% increase in the number of Catholics in the diocese, without any notice or explanation?  At that rate of growth, our Catholic population would more than double every 15 years.

 

I think not!  Sad, pathetic, despicable!  I might not know much about centering prayers, labyrinths, or ecofeminism, but I'm pretty sure lying and stealing are still sins.  And when they are coming from priests and bishops, they are scandalous as well!

This letter/article was submitted to Save St. Mary's a few days ago. We thank you for your submission.

I wrote a small piece and will send it to the Courier Post. The CP will never publish an editorial that doesn't glorify the Camden Diocese, So, I decided to share with your site too.

Can you serve both God and Mammon*?
It seems Bishop Galante thinks so.
Find Christ's answer here and the author's below.
(* Mammon: Riches, worldly interest See Luke 16:13 and Matthew 6:24)

Announcement from the Camden Diocese: Low enrollment, rising deficits force closure at end of school year of Our Lady of Guadalupe...

Here we go again!

Our Lady of Guadalupe's in Bridgeton will close at the end of this year due to low enrollment. It's no surprise that their enrollment continued to decline when you consider the atmosphere that Bishop Galante has created within the Catholic community of the Camden Diocese. How could enrollment grow with massive school closings, escalating tuition, and Church closures that demonstrate how the Diocese has turned its back on promoting our faith? The Diocese will quickly point to the declining numbers within the schools; on the other hand, one could speculate that poor decisions by a Diocese not driven by faith are at the root of the numbers decline.

Then we have the Church closures. Take a look at St. Gregory's Church in Magnolia and the prospect of this beautiful church becoming the site of yet another Super Wawa.

The beautiful St. Gregory's in Magnolia, NJ

These church closures represent a battle, Land Value vs. Faith. Sadly, I think land value is winning.

Surveyor outside St. Gregory's Magnolia.
Look out! Your church is next.

The people of the Camden Diocese need to say, enough is enough and unite to stop the damage this Diocese has done. With an apparent lack of devotion to our faith by those in charge at the Camden Diocese, how could the numbers increase in the pews or in the classrooms? Their devotion appears to be to the business of running a Diocese.

To top it all off, there is a general mistrust of Bishop Galante due to his dealings with Follieri, who is a criminal with his hands in the real-estate market.

One has to question Galante's motives in the light of his ties.

Bishop Galante on the front page of the
7/15/08 NY Post because of his financial
involvement with criminal Raffaello Follieri

For the future, my hunch is more closures will follow. In my area, watch out St. Teresa's in Runnemede. Forget about the dedication of the IHM sisters or your 80+ years of teaching our children so much more then just the academics. You are sitting on prime real estate (Black Horse Pike & Evesham).

View Larger Map

I beg you, if your number is called, don't go quietly.

Whether it's a school or church closure, it's all related. Neither closure will promote growth in the Catholic Faith. Both closures will free up real estate that could be sold for big profits. What is Galante's objective, to promote our faith or make money? Is he the right man to lead us in our faith? I think not.

In closing, Thank You Father Romanowski (St. Mary's Malaga) for proving that there is good in the churches of the Camden Diocese.

D. Lamancusa

Previously we have quoted a bit from the 2002 Michael Rose book entitled, Goodbye, Good Men: How Liberals Brought Corruption into the Catholic Church. This excellent book is well researched and sheds a great deal of light on the controversy, unorthodox doctrine, emphasis on "lay ministry," and seminary/priest formation problems encountered in the Catholic Church in the United States today. Perhaps more than anything else, it explains well how the "priest shortage" crisis is contrived and utterly avoidable.

(As a side note, Bishop Galante and those attempting to make changes to the Church ought to pay attention. Unless we  miscalculate, Rose was 33 when he wrote this book. The younger generations, which the bishop is supposedly trying to attract, are often the ones most disenchanted by the lack of adherence to traditional, orthodox Catholicism.)

Seminary & Priest Formation Problems

From Chapter 5, "The Heterodoxy Downer: How False Teaching Demoralizes and Discourages the Aspiring Priest."

Beyond issues of grave sexual immorality, the seminary environment presents a number of other deterrents to the orthodox seminarian. The most obvious and perhaps the most insidious is heterodoxy, open or subtle dissent from the official teachings of th Church. Many faculty members are averse to teaching what the Church teaches, and some find it onerous even to hide their disdain for Catholicism. The seminarian who arrives on campus expecting to find faculty and staff that love the Catholic faith and teach what the Church teaches can be sadly disappointed.

Continued:

Dr. Louise Leidner, who taught students from the Washington Theological Union in Washington DC...during the 1990s claims that students who expressed orthodox Catholic opinions were "publicly mocked by their WTU peers and by WTU faculty and superiors for taking positions consonant with the Church's teaching." In addition, she says that "Several of her students...were actually kicked out of their religious houses because they expressed orthodox opinions that were 'dangerous and harmful to other people"--even though their positions were supported by the Catechism of the Catholic Church--because they would "negatively infect and unduly influence and contaminate" the other students.

Does it get worse? Apparently. In Chapter Four, Rose mentions several well-known nicknames for seminaries, including a seminary (St. Mary's) to which Bishop Galante, here in the Camden Diocese, has decided to send seminarians. Yikes. (Incidentally, last we heard, this is where our married, former evangelical seminarian/diocesan chaplain employee is currently taking classes.)

According to former seminarians and recently ordained priests...institutions have earned nicknames such as Notre Flame (for Notre Dame Seminary in New Orleans) and Theological Closet (for Theological College at the Catholic University of America in Washington DC). St. Mary's Seminary in Baltimore has earned the nickname, "The Pink Palace."

Meanwhile, St. Charles Borromeo in Philadelphia, a seminary the diocese of Camden has most often sent seminarians to, is "known to be of a much more conservative mentality" (page 165).

The Rise of "Lay Ministries"

Rose also researched a typical "Lay Pastoral Ministries Program" run by the Archdiocese of Cincinnati. (Note that our own bishop is currently implementing one such program here in our diocese, while at the same time, by slow trickle, removing priests by the dozen to forcible retirement, military chaplaincy, removal to other dioceses, and ostensibly to "study" in Rome.) In the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, a man named Glenn Jeviden was interested in serving the Church and was directed to this Lay Ministries program. The screening process began with an interview conducted by what turned out to be a liberal sister who

asked me several times if I understood the Church was changing, and if I thought I was able to be "flexible enough to accept a pluralistic Church."

The interview was friendly enough but Jividen, though conceding that change is a part of life, asked the sister "if she believed that some truths never changed." She did not answer. He was next asked to write an autobiography, in which he discussed his pro-life activities, involvement with Catholics United for the Faith (CUF), and his devotion to the Church, the Holy Father, and the Blessed Mother, etc. He also had to take the Myers-Briggs personality test (a test based on Jungian psychological types) and was seen by a priest psychologist for other "tests."

During a psychologist visit, following the results of the tests, the conversation turned to CUF, and its alleged inflexible attitudes (read: orthodox) and Jividen's explicitly orthodox positions. The psychologist stated that the pope only had to be abided by when he spoke ex cathedra. It went on from there, you get the idea. Finally the priest psychologist suggested that Jividen would

feel uncomfortable with my CUF friends after entering the Lay Pastoral Ministries Program.

Needless to say, Jividen didn't make the cut and was told to "update" his theology. They suggested he develop his "personal spirituality" and that he see one of their spiritual directors, 22 of the 25 of whom were women.

The Agenda, says Rose?

Rose's point in discussing the lay ministries program is that some see the vocations crisis as "presaging a revolution and the demise of the  hierarchical structure of the Church" (quoting Helen Hull Hitchcock, 1999).

This is the contingent that has long been promoting "lay ecclesial ministry," the laicization of the clergy, and the clericalization of the laity. Simply put, they would like to see the laity take over the leadership of the Church at the parish level and beyond, from teaching and preaching to administering the sacraments. This program would effectively entail eliminating the priesthood rather than just "reenvisioning" it.

Indeed in many places, the lack of priestly vocations (or in our case, the forced scarcity thereof) is embraced as a way to promote a new vocation to "lay ecclesial ministry," that is, non-ordained, paid church professionals. Some bishops, priests, and other diocesan and seminary authorities actually seem to rejoice over decreasing priestly vocations as an opportunity for creating a "new model of Church" in which the laity can "take their rightful place" (quoting Roger Cardinal Mahony of Los Angeles).

This philosophy, drawn out by many over the last decade of the 20th century, betrays a peculiar attitude--the priesthood as a barrier to the emergence of the laity in their own dignity and mission (pages 209-211).

The word vibrant, is of course dropped--its use is not new--and the priest shortage is described as a self-fulfilling prophecy. "Where lay ministry is overemphasized, the priesthood becomes devalued" since it is reduced to sacramental ministry, viewed as being on par with "music ministry," "hospitality  ministry," "youth ministry," etc. Priests are mistakenly "defined...by what they do rather than what they are--an alter Christus."

The Vicious Circle

Tell us if this doesn't look familiar to you? The "vicious circle" looks like this:

Catholics in key positions of authority...actively discourage vocations to the priesthood in order to promote lay ministry. Yet at the same time, lay ecclesial ministry  is proposed as the answer to the dearth of priestly vocations, as if this were a permanent and perhaps ideal situation. Parishes run by lay ministers are likely to foster little, if any, interest in vocations to the priesthood. The result is that the number of priests will continue to decline further, necessitating more lay ministers to fill their places (211).

Rose goes on to describe church closures and radical "faith communities" formed in some places:

Priestless "faith communities" over time are likely to become simply congregational communities centered on the reading of the Scriptures, the homily, and on sharing bread and wine--devoid of the act of perfect worship, the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass--based on the model of Protestant community.

Continued:

The so-called shortage suits them just fine, precisely because they can use the crisis to justify radical change in the local Church...one run by "lay pastors." This "new model of Church" is not really about solving the priest shortage. It is about advancing their agenda of a politically correct Church.

Potential seminarians will, and do, gravitate toward dioceses and orders "that support the ministry of the priest as defined by the Church." The bishops in such diocese are not "issuing pastoral letters introducing parish 'clusters' or worse. Rose suggests that there are all too many in positions of Church leadership who have a "death with for the male, celibate priesthood."

Nothing New

Friends, what we have going on now in the Camden diocese is nothing new. As we have seen, it has been going on for a couple decades now, it has been perpetrated elsewhere, it has ruined other dioceses, it has discouraged vocations to the priesthood, it has wrought havoc and confusion in the Church. Now this downright un-Catholic plan is being recycled here in South Jersey in order to liberalize the Church by depriving us of the priesthood and even our very churches. Our churches are the places that reflect who we are in God's cosmology, they put us in our rightful place! But Galante, Vollmer, and McGrath would like to replace our churches--and Church--with something altogether different. Make no mistake about it. Bishop Galante even brought along one of the leaders from the Los Angeles Archdiocese--a diocese infamously known as one of the greatest messes with one of the most corrupt bishops in the entire country--"Sister" Marilyn Vollmer, to bring a bit of that mess here. (Of course, they called the program "Gathered and Sent" there, now they're calling it "Gathering God's Gifts" here, so at least they switched up the name a tad.)

Currently we are undergoing a screening process in which the "core groups" at each parish--those who are meant to lead the church mergers--are chosen based on their willingness to close or otherwise undermine their parish and positively participate in the bishop's agenda. Those who don't agree with the closure or status of their church and the direction the Diocese of Camden is headed are quickly weeded out.

Don't fall for the nonsense! Keep the faith. It his a hard thing to keep in a time when church leadership, even some bishops and priests, believe things very different than many of us do, a model of church unlike what we have known and what has been promulgated down the centuries. So continue to pray for Bishop Galante. He needs our prayers. And continue to pray for the holy courage and fortitude of the priests of our diocese and seminarians everywhere.

Sent to savestmary's from J:

In sad news, the Diocese goes to settlement on St. Bridget's School in Glassboro on Thursday. (That happened awfully quickly, didn't it?!)

From Kate, submitted today:
We, the parents at St. Bridget's, have for a long time wanted to expand to have a multipurpose room where students could gather for gym, lunch, and other activities. We explored several options and due to the very limited space on our property, could not expand.
 
Although a painful experience, the decision to recommend merging with St. Catherine's presented the opportunity to have a larger school campus in a neighborhood where police are not conducting drug raids two doors down from the school on Lake St and netting an AK47 and ammunition for their troubles. (See Glassboro crime log from Summer 2007)
 
The school is right smack in the middle of the Rowan Blvd/ Glassboro Redevelopment project. (Google Rowan Blvd) Not only is the construction itself an ugly, unsafe mess, but having a hotel or strip of stores and college apartments next to our school probably wasn't the best thing for our kids either.
 
Fr. Mazz made us a promise that if we moved to another location he would use the profits from the sale of the school building for two things: to pay off St Bridget's parish debt (which he had worked to lower since coming to St B's) and to give the balance of the money to the 'new' school (now called St Michael the Archangel) for classroom space and improvements to the property. Hopefully we didn't "miss the boat" on the sale of the property. If we had sold last summer before the housing bust, we would have gotten a cool $2.5 million easily due to the greedy developers who want in on the Glassboro redevelopment.
 
Again, although painful to leave St Bridget's, the school merger has been good for both school communities. St Catherine's got enough students to keep their school open. St Bridget's got a gymnasium and hot lunch program. Through the excellent leadership of Ms Jan Bruni and Sr Janice Novak a strong St Michael's family is developing, we now have a middle school electives program we didn't have before. And being double-graded brings other social and psycholohical benefits to students who otherwise would have spents 9 years of their education with only the same 15 - 30 people, thereby limiting their experiences during the bulk of their waking hours each school year.
 
I still hum our school song- St Bridget watch and guide us, bring your wisdom here. St Michael protect and defend us. (He already is- we will keep our church, our convener is already the pastor.)


Response:
Indeed the area nearby Rowan is a complete mess. We certainly hope that the new school is everything it should be, and that the money indeed goes where it is supposed to. We've requested that any follow-up information be sent to us, along with photos and updates. We welcome information from throughout the diocese on any school or parish changes, closures, "reconfigurations," etc.


A Total Aside...
In somewhat related news, I was listening to an NPR piece today about Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of Washington D.C. who have given up altogether and decided to "go public" as "charter schools." It was sad to hear how, in the piece, they were taking down crucifixes, images of saints, and an altar at St. Cyprian's School. I will see if I can find that piece for you online, perhaps tomorrow, since it's very late right now. It was on All Things Considered this afternoon, if you'd like to look for yourself and listen online.

The diocesan argument was, of course, a financial one for all the schools making the switch, but being in the midst of a similar situation that involves nothing but one lie after the next, it's hard to know what's really going on down there in D.C. and what was really in their books. Sadly, you just can't take anything at face value. If it really was that financially dire, how'd it get that way?

Anyway, the archdiocese reported that it costs them something like $7500 per student and that the diocese can only realistically charge parents, on average, around $4500, therefore subsidizing $3000 per pupil. However, I personally find it appalling that other alternatives were not explored before closing these schools altogether. I find it really difficult to believe that parents in one of the most financially strained states in the country, Michigan, can successfully open and maintain their own Catholic Catholic school that is reasonably priced and cooperatively run, and yet diocese with all the bureaucratic advantages--bequests, staff, consultants, grants, etc.--cannot figure it out.

On the other hand, I am well aware that many Catholic schools are Catholic in name only. My own high school I did not find to be overly "Catholic" even at the time, and I was coming right out of nine years of public school so you'd think there would've been some amount of culture shock. The only real culture shock I recall was lack of resources. That was 18 years ago, too. I wonder, though, if diocese shouldn't be looking to different types of radical change, like how to get back to the roots of the true essentials in Catholic education, and perhaps shifting to a cooperative model, if possible? I'm sure that there are all kinds of options out there if one prays enough and thinks creatively. But who knows.

In any case, I took the long way around to say that the closing of any Catholic school for any reason is pretty sad news since we know that the alternative for most kids is public school, which is not to say there isn't something to be said about that. I happened to love public school when I was a kid, but that was a long time ago and things have changed over the past 20+ years, and not all for the better. Ideally, as Catholics, we ought to want our kids' educations to be utterly penetrated with the things of God and the teachings of Holy Mother Church. Sometimes we homeschoolers are able to do this, but it costs quite a lot for a parent to forsake career in order to school her children in an age when two incomes is practically a necessity. At one time in America's not-so-distant past, Catholic schools did this and were affordable for normal families. How sad that our Catholic school standards have shifted to such a degree that even Catholic school education is all too often, well, far from it, and ridiculously priced too.

Our thanks is due to all the good teachers who ever taught at St. Bridget's Glassboro and at all schools everywhere. We owe them a lot, don't we? Lord knows, they don't do it for the money or the fame. (Now my sis and I are both teachers. So was our mom and our mom's mom, both of whom went to Glassboro State College/Glassboro Normal School.)


Another Total Aside, But That Never Stopped Me Before...
A long overdue thanks to some of my teachers, the people responsible for feeding my love of learning and perhaps partly responsible for my insanity (just kidding). I encourage you to look up your former teachers and thank them, if possible.

• Fr. Lyons, who I saw last week, English, Journalism, Mythology, 10th & 11th
  
• Mr. Galliger, English, 9th
  
• Mr. Day, History, 7th
  
• Mr. Phillips, 3rd Grade
• Mr. Rogers, Gym, Cross Country, Track, Gymnastics, & How to be a Good & Decent Human, 4th-8th and beyond
  
• Mrs. Benevento, Sprint, 4th-8th & summer
  
• Mr. Harrison, 5th Grade
• Mrs. Foster, Sprint, 3rd Grade
  
• Mrs. McGarrity, 2nd Grade
• Miss Hansen, 4th Grade, may she rest in peace
• Wacky Mr. Finnerty, Science (and of course, county politics...), the only person I've ever known to drink Drano regularly and also don an ugly green tux just to keep us interested, 6th & 8th
  
• Mrs. Schaffer, Home Ec, simply the best, 6th-8th
  
• Sr. Regina, Religion, "Stay close to Jesus," may she rest in peace, 10th
  
• Mrs. West & Mrs. Gilchrist, Art (K-3, 4-8 & summer)
  
• Miss Berrell/Mrs. Stein, Music (K-3 & 4-8)
  
• Mr. Lewis, my gymnastics coach
• Sr. Rita Francis, CCD & Bible School (VBS), K-8
  
• Mr. Leek, Shop, 6th-8th
  
• The famous "Deborah J," English, who definitely kept me entertained, 12th
• Mrs. Taylor, Mrs. Kingsley, & Mrs. Bingham, Nursery School
• My grandmother, Laura P. DeMarchi, and grandfather, Jacob DeMarchi, may they rest in peace
  
• And of course my mommy, Doris, my #1 teacher, may she rest in peace. I owe you everything.
  

The Council of Parishes asked me to attend the USCCB convocation called "Life, Justice & Family: Partners in the New Evangelization" today (Friday). Held at the Crowne Plaza in Cherry Hill, Bishop Galante was a defacto host of the event (along with Cardinal Rigali, who I believe will help close the event on Sunday). Attendance at the conference, in my view anyway, was quite pricey so it was no small wonder that it was not as well-attended as it might have been. Only people whose organizations could help defray the cost (or, perhaps, who are extremely interested in the subject matter) would attend such an event. However, I noticed that there were people from a variety of places in attendance, including Oregon (by way of the Bronx) and Kansas, among other places.

Mass
Friday's portion of the conference began with mass, which was pretty much what one would expect from a typical novus ordo mass, except that it was in a ballroom-type location, with the altar on a stage, etc. Msgr. Frey, pastor of St. Rose of Lima Haddon Heights, co-officiated with Bishop Galante. (I am a fan of Msgr. Frey and it was good to see him, but didn't see him at the presentations afterwards.) As a total estimate, I would guess that the number of people attending mass was about 50, but I did not do a head count or anything.

Given the theme, an unusual thing about a conference like this is that it seems to attract people on either end of the Catholic spectrum. In attendance were both the very orthodox "pro-life" activists as well as the more liberal "peace and justice" types. So on one side of me during mass there were two women kneeling during mass (and myself as well) and on the other side of me were two women standing even during the consecration (I think they may have been sisters in street-clothes).

Mass-wise, there were only a couple of oddities. One was that there was a "worship leader" type person who kept exhorting us to give her an "Amen," an "Alleluia," or a "Praise the Lord,"  particularly before mass began. Although I appreciated the enthusiasm, this is not the type of thing I personally am accustomed to at mass. I'm used to having quiet time to pray before mass. And given the very sterile, controlled, corporate environment of the conference location it seemed even stranger.

The second noticeable oddity were the lyrics to the song that the swaying, clapping choir sang during communion. The song is called "A Communion Hymn" and is attributed to Nolan Williams, Jr. Since the hymn was in our little booklets, I can share them with you. Here are the lyrics I found somewhat startling:

You said: Take this bread and eat of Me
This symbol broken represents My body

You said: Take this cup of sacrifice,
It represents My blood which gives you new life

Attributing a symbolic or representational meaning to the Eucharist is not what I understand to be Catholic, so I found the selection of this hymn surprising. (It reminded me of what I read here--scroll down to the last paragraph before "consecration of a bishop.") Other than these things, the mass itself was not out of the ordinary in any negative way.

Speakers
The first speaker was Bishop Lori of Bridgeport, CT Diocese. Though I know very little about him, I was impressed not only with his talk, which centered on the encyclical Humanae Vitae, but even more so with his answers to the questions posed afterwards. Unfortunately I cannot tell you precisely what was said because, strangely, my notes were taken along with my name tag, but I can mention a few things I liked. For example, he alluded to the very rift in the Church I mention above that sometimes exists among the pro-life and social justice contingents. He said, though, that we "are not an either-or Church, we're a both-and Church." He also discussed the Diocese of Washington (DC) and how they instituted a program called, "The Light is on for You" which promotes all churches in the diocese having confession in coordination. "Promoting the role of priest as confessor" is something he feels is hugely important in bringing people in to the Faith and in to a closer relationship with Our Lord. Bishop Lori also discussed the importance of good catechesis in Catholic high schools and colleges because if parents are paying for a Catholic institution they ought to be sure what they're getting is truly Catholic! He said that Catholic schools are very important and afford a very significant opportunity that must not be passed by--to integrate Catholic religious teaching with all subjects. In addition, Bishop Lori mentioned the importance of teaching NFP and Theology of the Body in marriage preparation courses which will at least cause couples to think about the Church's teachings regarding the marital act. He said so many great things, was clearly extremely intelligent and orthodox, and as a bonus was very accessible and approachable afterwards.

After his talk was a presentation by Marie Smith. (Who, by the way, mentioned that her husband is Congressman Chris Smith, whose very nice website I link to here. I see among other things that he is doing autism awareness too, which I am personally affected by because of my son.) Mrs. Smith's special calling is her work in human rights. She is a true crusader for a topic that has long been close to my heart as I was a human rights campaigner back in high school and college. Going into the presentation I confess I was not expecting much since "human rights" is such a vast topic, I assumed it was way to broad to be covered in any useful way. I was wrong. Her presentation was an overview of the human rights violations in the world today with a special focus on children and women, who are much more likely to have their rights violated in so many ways. Though at times it was hard to listen to the facts she presented, such as her discussion of child soldiering, genderscide, infanticide, stoning of women, etc., her presentation was simply excellent. I'd encourage anyone who has the opportunity to go hear her speak.

By the time of the third talk, my body was getting very stiff from having sat there in that chair so long and I needed a break. Each presenter had been at least 1.5 hours, plus there was breakfast in the same chair and mass before that, so I skipped out on the third speaker who discussed bioethics. Having a philosophy background, I'm interested in this subject, but my brain and body were a little sore. Based upon the quality of the first two speakers, I now wish I had gone.

Protest
In the early morning and late afternoon, rallyers were in attendance with signs protesting Bishop Galante's actions in the diocese. Since Bishop Galante had left the premises in the morning, when he returned in the afternoon he met the protesters at the door. It never ceases to amaze me how the timing always seems to work out that way. The protesters were asked to leave the premises both times since the area they were standing on was private property, but it took them quite awhile to decide to ask them to leave. In the afternoon they were asked to leave about 20 minutes after they arrived and after the bishop had already passed through them. However it was particularly unfavorable looking for the bishop to send someone out to ask a young man with his infant son in arms and an older  woman with a walker (among others) to leave. Frankly, it just makes the bishop look bad and elicits public sympathy. (There were a bunch of people from the conference looking on from a window inside.) As a prime example, since I was inside at the time, I overheard some people say, "Here come the protesters. Well, you really can't blame them. Who wants their church to be closed?" Since the crowd was so geographically diverse, overall they seemed unaware of the whole scandal involving the bishop here in the Diocese of Camden, but that is not a surprise. Nevertheless there is certainly a lot of sympathy for our cause simply because every Catholic can relate to the horror of having their church taken from them. Really there is very little the diocese can do, in my opinion, to make the proposed largest church closure in American Catholic history palatable, particularly now with the shadow of the Follieri scandal hanging over it. The financial motivations seem so very clear now to those following the ordeal.

This letter was sent by St. Mary's parishioner and historian William Sansalone. I thought it was worth publishing here:

Most Reverend Joseph Anthony Galante, D.D., J.C.D.
Bishop, Diocese of Camden
631 Market Street
Camden, NJ 08102

Dear Bishop Galante:

St. Mary's of Malaga is a treasure--and I ask that you keep it a free-standing parish. My letter is motivated, primarily, by a desire to ensure that you have more information regarding this church. I frame my request around four points:

• St. Mary's is an established faith community. About 100 immigrant families established this rural church 86 years ago. (For details about St. Mary's origins, please see the enclosed commemorative booklet.) Many descendents of these early settlers still live in Malaga, and their family histories are deeply rooted in the baptisms, confirmations, etc. that have taken place at St. Mary's. The disppearance of this church would have a soul-searing effect on them.

St. Mary's is also the spiritual home to families that began to move to Malaga after the Second World War. Working together, parishioners (old and new) established a Praesidium of the Legion of Mary during the postwar years. Many residents have been--and are being--brought back to the Church through the legion's visitations.

• St. Mary's is in solid financial condition and has a pastor in place. The parish is in sound fiscal condition owing to its long-time conservative mode of operation. About 35 percent of registered parishioners use envelopes for their weekly contributions. This is a respectable percentage, considering parishioners' modest incomes. Structurally, the church, rectory, prayer garden, and outdoor Stations of the Cross are in good condition. Much of the maintenance is performed by parishioners at no cost. In short, St. Mary's has never been the cause of financial problems for the Diocese of Camden, nor will it be in in the foreseeable future.

Our pastor, Rev. Jerome Romanowski, has been in place 11 years and is in good health. He promulgates traditional Catholic values that Pope Benedict underscored during his recent visit to the United States. Father Romanowski is a spiritual comfort to his parishioners. 

• St. Mary's is situated in a unique location. Because St. Mary's sits at the intersection of two major highways, travelers to and from Atlantic City (Route 40) and to and from Cape May (Route 47) frequently visit the church and its outdoor prayer sites. For this reason, then Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio designated St. Mary's a Shrine Church almost 10 years ago. If this historic landmark were to disappear, it would diminish the impact--regionally as well as locally--of Pope Benedict's recent message of hope and renewal.

• St. Mary's future plans. Under the leadership of the pastor and parish council, the Legion of Mary is implementing a plan with the following aims:

- expand the number of registered households (great potential exists in Malaga),
- increase the number of current registrants at Sunday Mass, and
- encourage vocations.

Pursuit of these aims started on Mothers Day weekend and will continue through spring and summer. On May 24 when I visited St. Mary's and spoke with Father Romanowski, he told me the above initiative had already yielded positive results.

As you probably know, New York Times writer Laurie Goodstein selected St. Mary's to illustrate the problem of church closures in the United States. (Her article appeared on the front page of The Times on the eve of Pope Benedict's arrival in the United States last month.) St. Mary's must have caught the eye of Ms. Goodstein's editors as well. Both photos accompanying her story show striking views of the church. This article attests--albeit from a secular perspective--to St. Mary's singularity.

We prayerfully hope you can view historic St. Mary's as a treasure--one that should be preserved.

                                                                            Sincerely Yours in Christ,
                                                                            William R. Sansalone
                                                                            (Native of St. Mary's Parish
                                                                            and author of St. Mary's of
                                                                            Malaga: 1922-1997)

cc: St. Mary's Parish Council Chair (Malaga, NJ); Pastor of St. Mary's (Malaga, NJ); His Eminence Francis Cardinal George, O.M.I. (sent to the USCCB, Washington, DC); Archbishop Pietro Sambi, Apostolic Nuncio to the United States (Washington, DC); and Cardinal William Joseph Levada (Vatican City)

Enclosure (St. Mary's of Malaga: 1922-1997)

Dear Readers,

An anonymous priest contacted savestmarys.net this evening and strongly suggested that we have letter writing campaigns in which we write to the Archbishop of Newark (who is also the metropolitan) and the Apostolic Pro Nuncio about the crisis in our diocese. It seems that taking the time to write Bishop Galante may be better served by writing the Nuncio in DC and the Archbishop, so skip letters to Bishop Galante. The addresses you need are on our homepage and below:

WRITE THE NUNCIO!
Please write the Apostolic Pro Nuncio:
The Most Rev. Pietro Sambi (In your letter, address him as Your Excellency)
Apostolic Pro Nuncio
3339 Massachusetts Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20008-3687

CONTACT THE ARCHBISHOP!
Please write Archbishop Myers, the Archbishop of Newark Diocese and the metropolitan of the state of NJ.
The Most Reverend Archbishop Myers (Address him as Your Excellency)
171 Clifton Avenue
PO Box 9500
Newark, NJ 07104
(phone #: 973-497-4000)

There were other things said in the email but he asked that I not publish the email online. I can say, however, that he is in support of our movement to save the parishes and expressed that most of the priests he knows are extremely distressed about what the bishop is doing. He also expressed reservations about contributing to the bishop's appeal (House of Charity), a reservation I share. Perhaps contributing directly to Catholic organizations would be a better way to go. Father asked us to keep up the good work. I commend and thank Father for taking the time and effort to write to us. He asked for our prayers! Please, I cannot request strongly enough that we pray for our priests!

Now, for whatever it's worth, in obtaining the mailing address for the Archbishop in Newark, I saw that the Archdiocese of Newark is currently doing a very similar "reconfiguration" plan, but it seems a bit less heavy-handed, at least in the way it's being depicted on the website. I only mention this because I cannot help but wonder if our protestations to a bishop leading a similar process in the north will fall on deaf ears. I have absolutely no idea what he is thinking about Bishop Galante's scheme, but I do think it's worth writing to him. At worst you've wasted 42 cents, at best you've alerted him to the scandal. They in turn alert Rome to the problems and perhaps a coadjutor would be sent.

Those of you whose churches are planned to be closed, I would strongly suggest that you start writing campaigns NOW. Set up a table that people must pass on the way out of mass. Have pre-written letters (from a computer) as well as a selection of stationary and postcards available for people to hand-write letters. You may use pre-typed labels with addresses and pre-stamp your envelopes. Make it as easy as possible, yet the letters should not all look exactly alike. There should be a little variation.

Letter writing campaigns are not difficult, it just takes a tiny bit of organization and the approval of your pastor. If your pastor is reluctant to have it appear to be sanctioned by him, do it on your own. Organize a group of two or three parishioners to spearhead the thing and do it in the parking lot, if need be, or via a mail/email list.

It is a privilege and a joy for me to add my greetings to those on the preceding pages from his Holiness Pope John Paul II; the Most Reverend Agostino Cacciavillan, the Apostolic Pro-Nuncio in Washington, D.C.; and from our own bishop, the Most Reverend James T. McHugh. On the pages that follow, a native of this parish, William Sansalone, summarizes key events at St. Mary's during the past seventy-five years. I commend this booklet to you. And I urge you to share it with our youth so they may better understand the parish's past--and our vision for its future.

Rev. Jerome Romanowski

(Actual letters, as well as pictures throughout the book, to be scanned in soon. The rest of the book was retyped by hand.)

We have three letters in the front of the book. First there is the apostolic blessing from Pope John Paul II dated October 19, 1997. Second a letter from Archbishop Agostino Cacciavillan (then Apostolic Pro-Nuncio in Washington, DC) dated July 11, 1997. Last there is a letter from Bishop James T. McHugh, Bishop of Camden, dated October 19, 1997.

I will pull a few sentences from the letter of then Bishop McHugh:

"During these seventy-five years Saint Mary's has been the spiritual home for many generations of Catholic families. People have begun their spiritual journeys in the reception of Baptism and fostered their spiritual growth in receiving the sacraments...over the years the people of Saint Mary's have learned and transmitted the faith to succeeding generations."

Part 1: The Origins of St. Mary's
Part 2: 1922-1939: A Mission Church of Sacred Heart Parish
Part 3: 1939-1961: A Mission Church of St. Rose of Lima Parish
Part 4: Since 1961: An Independent Parish
Epilogue: Pastor's Vision for the Future
Acknowledgments: About this history

The entire history is taken ver batem from the wonderful booklet prepared for St. Mary's 75th Anniversary in 1997. The booklet is entiteled, St. Mary's of Malaga, 1922-1997: A Delsea Drive Landmark Celebrates Its Diamond Jubiliee. The booklet was written by William Sansalone. The following are the author's acknowledgements printed in the front of the book:

"I thank the people of Malaga and the business community there for the funds to print this booklet. (They are listed on the program for the October 19 celebratory dinner.) Mr. Stephen Cesare's brief history of our church (1962) served as a starting point for the present booklet. Since May, numerous parishioners shared their knowledge of long-past and recent parish events, and I am appreciative. Mr. Michael Sanderson, a photographer with PhotoQuik (Vineland), gave me valuable advice. Special thanks go to Father Jerome Romanowski and Ms. Angela Iannello, his assistant, for their help during my recent fact-finding visits to Malaga.

"In the Washington, D.C. area, I am indebted to Ms. Susan P. Stark, who skillfully edited the entire contents of this booklet. Mr. Ralph Slesinski and Ms. Cathy Lee of Westland Printers (Burtonsville, Md.) did the design and layout. I am grateful to Westland's craftspeople for producing this booklet with thought and care. My wife, Alice, has consistently encouraged and supported me in this project."

---

Part 1: The Origins of St. Mary's
Part 2: 1922-1939: A Mission Church of Sacred Heart Parish
Part 3: 1939-1961: A Mission Church of St. Rose of Lima Parish
Part 4: Since 1961: An Independent Parish
Epilogue: Pastor's Vision for the Future
Acknowledgments: About this history

A Little About St. Mary's: What Makes It Such a Great Church?

Historic St. Mary's Church in Malaga, New Jersey was completed in 1922. It was organized primarily by Italian-Americans whose history in the area went back around seventy years previous to that. Current members of St. Mary's include descendents of the original founders, and several of the eldest members of the parish even remember St. Mary's being constructed! But descendents of the founding members are certainly not the only people who love St. Mary's Malaga.

Newcomers also find welcome at the church. Such people are attracted to St. Mary's because of its vibrancy and are willing to drive quite a distance to get there. I've even met a young family who moved to the area simply to be near St. Mary's. What makes this church so unique? The closeness of its community, the depth of spirituality, the Truth that is preached, the holiness of its pastor, regular opportunity for Eucharistic adoration, and so much more. Even the casual observer notices that there's something extra special about St. Mary's.

The small church is locted near the intersection of two major thoroughfares (routes 40 and 47) and because of this it attracts a third contingent: travelers. Father Romanowski has often spoken of the highway drop-ins. I am among these as I occasionally stopped at St. Mary's on my way home from college in the Baltimore area some years ago. But Father even knows of a seminarian or two who, because of St. Mary's location, discovered their vocations to the priesthood. Indeed the seeds of the vocation were planted by Our Lord, but He used St. Mary's to help those seeds to grow.

St. Mary's in Malaga is unique because it is a shrine as well as a parish church. It affords opportunity for meditation in the tranquil Rosary Garden and outdoor Stations of the Cross, and time before Our Lord exposed in the Blessed Sacrament. There is even a picnic area in the Rosary Garden. There are also several grotto areas, a gazebo, and many benches where a parishioner or a weary travelor can go to relax and pray.

The church has a rich and wonderful history which you will soon be able to read about on this hastily prepared site. In addition, we hope to include memoirs and little remembrances of St. Mary's through the years. Hopefully--with your help--this will include some video, too.

Bishop Galante Wants to Close St. Mary's...

...but we don't! We love this little church because it is a beacon in a dark world. Not only is St. Mary's a spiritually vibrant community, small but mighty, it is completely financially viable. This is exactly the type of church that any diocese ought to want to keep. In an era where church debt is commonplace, St. Mary's Malaga has no debt. Its forebears paid for it, and every last dollar was accounted for. You can even see a list of all the contributors hanging on the wall beside the entrance. And the church has plenty of money in the bank so it's certainly not a potential drain on the Diocese of Camden.

If St. Mary's could start with a small group of immigrant families who gave of their sweat and blood to see it built, certainly there are many more of us who attend St. Mary's now! If there was a cause for St. Mary's 86 years ago, there is all the more cause now than when Malaga was even smaller (hard to imagine, huh?). Contrary to statements on the part of the diocese as rationale for massive church closures, the Vineland-Buena-Malaga area is growing, not shrinking. So those of us who love St. Mary's want to see it and its ministries live on. We believe it is a church worth keeping.

What Can You Do?

1. TELL US ABOUT IT!
If you've ever been to St. Mary's and loved it, if you are a parishioner at St. Mary's, if you're a priest or religious with something to say about this little church, we want your story, however short or long it may be. Please email us (or call Fr. Romanowski 856-694-2576) and we'll gladly put it up on this website. If you are open to it, maybe we can interview you, so please contact us. (Of course, there's also the comments area on the blog that you may want to use.)

2. WRITE THE NUNCIO!
Please write the Apostolic Pro Nuncio about St. Mary's Malaga:
The Most Rev. Pietro Sambi (In your letter, address him as Your Excellency)
Apostolic Pro Nuncio
3339 Massachusetts Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20008-3687

3. CONTACT THE ARCHBISHOP!
Please write Archbishop Myers, the Archbishop of Newark Diocese and the metropolitan of the state of NJ.

The Most Reverend Archbishop Myers (Address him as Your Excellency)
171 Clifton Avenue
PO Box 9500
Newark, NJ 07104
(phone #: 973-497-4000)

4. PRAY!
Say a quick Hail Mary, a whole rosary or a decade, offer a mass, visit St. Mary's, offer time before our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament, whatever you can do.

5. JOIN ST. MARY'S
If you don't have a parish or are not content with your current parish, consider joining St. Mary's. Boosting St. Mary's numbers couldn't hurt.

6. MAKE A DONATION
Your contribution will help support our canon law appeal, vigiling, and other activities designed to keep St. Mary's open.  Please donate through the paypal button below (anyone can make a credit card contribution, but you will need a paypal account to make a bank account contribution).  If you prefer to send a check or other form of contribution, please email us at info@savestmarys.net for more information.

Fear not! At St. Mary's you are safe. We're a