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.
