St. Mary's parishioners have made some interesting observations recently. Here are a couple more of them:

Two parishioners (of many) believe that lack of belief in and reverence for Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament on the part of priests is to blame for the merger/closure crisis. In our own parish, we have seen lack of regard for the Blessed Sacrament not only in the desire to unnecessarily "reduce" Masses and Eucharistic Adoration, but in attitude on the altar. For example, once, when the pastor accidentally dropped a host on the floor, the proper dignity and procedure was not followed. When this was later pointed out by an elderly parishioner, the parishioner claims our pastor continued in a flippant attitude of defiance, insisting he had never heard of such things and had done nothing wrong. It is a sad day when the laity have to point out the importance of revering Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament to a priest. But the bottom line is, if you don't respect Jesus' Eucharistic Presence, it's all downhill from there!

• One parishioner pointed out how frequently he sees priests without priestly attire. He believes that this reflects a lack of respect for their own vocation. We can attest to our own experience at a diocese-sponsored event at which multiple priests were in attendance. To our recollection, only one of them was wearing clerical attire. One was at our table and we did not learn that he was a priest until about an hour or more into the workshop. At a nearby table in a plaid, flannel shirt and jeans sat the pastor of the parish! Not only was he not dressed like a priest, he was not even dressed particularly neatly.

The parishioner who pointed out this problem believes that this is one of the reasons why Catholic identity as well as respect for and understanding of the role of the priest are so confused. We wonder, if there are a significant number of priests who misunderstand their own true role as shepherds--and fail to take that responsibility seriously--how are the laity to understand or follow? Certainly this has been the case at St. Mary's since the departure of our last pastor, and it has been very sadly true at the diocesan level as well.

Is it a matter of being willing to stand out and be different? Is it a matter of fear that the general public may no longer view priests favorably due to the child abuse and church closure scandals? Or is it merely an unwillingness to stand up for the Faith and what is right and true, even though it may be unpopular, unpopular even with one's superiors? Who knows.

• Along these lines, many parishioners have also expressed their observation of a certain worldliness that is prevalent, while on Sundays being told that the priesthood is about sacrifice. To most this smacks of hypocrisy at worst, a double standard at best, since so many ordinary Catholics struggle from day to day to make ends meet. It also seems ironic to them because we are being expected to give up those things that are most precious to us--our church and our religious devotions, particularly to Jesus in the exposed Eucharist--but we are continually told that as a priest, our pastor is "entitled" to X, Y, or Z. Needless to say, this does not go over too well with anyone at St. Mary's. The bottom line is that people can tell a true shepherd from, well, an impostor. So do pray for your priests, but be careful to know your Faith, for the devil is the Father of Lies.
  

Read Press of AC Article Here or scroll down

Fresh from the desk of our "pastor," Fr. Edward Namiotka, comes this "bright idea. Here is another example of why we continue to fight to save St. Mary's. Over the past two years and, arguably, since the 1970s, more and more strange ideas in the name of "Catholicism" have been made, and so many have been suggested in the past two years by the Diocese of Camden. But never you fear! Rest confidently that this particular innovation is the brain power of a Sacred Heart High School administrator. Is it just a way of getting you to part with your cash, or is it a new-fangled spiritual practice? You be the judge. However, we wouldn't recommend you try this at home. Let us give you some background, first.

Father says in his Jan. 3 bulletin that since the light bulbs in St. Michael's Minotola need to be replaced, members of this parish ought to sponsor a light bulb ($25 a bulb). Apparently the labor cost of changing light bulbs is into the thousands. He calls this the "Guiding Light" project. In the interest of spirituality, he says that light bulbs are just like votive candles. Ya know, candles give light and so do light bulbs. Yeah, we see the similarity. We quote:

It is not that far removed from the practice that we have of lighting candles in a church in memory of someone. And these light bulbs should radiate in the church for a significantly longer amount of time than a candle--potentially a couple of years or more. [emphasis his]

However, from our point of view, as Fr. Namiotka has previously pointed out that nothing is permanent, including our churches, and that they are nothing more than just buildings, we're not sure we understand the point in making that sort of an investment. A light bulb that lasts two years? Gee wizz. All things are changing, right? As he pointed out a few bulletins back, our churches could get bombed out tomorrow just like the ones in Europe during World War II (or, alternatively, stolen by a bishop and his conspirators). Therefore we're not sure that kind of investment is warranted. A more practical approach might be for each of us to just bring our own flashlights to mass. Heck, that might be fun, like a camp out, but we digress. Father goes on, imploring us to think:

Think about it. Every time you enter the church you can look up and think of someone who shone like a light for you. Hopefully it will help you to remember them and to pray for them. [again, emphasis his]

Ummm, I could remember my loved one or I could go blind from staring into a lightbulb. Uh-huh!

Then he goes on to say, and we could not possibly make this up, that there are "three mouths to feed in our rectory household while the weekly collection has not increased proportionately." Ain't that cute? They're like hungry little kittens who've come scratching at our back doors or something. Remember to put out a bowl of chow!

Some of us have lost our jobs, are struggling during this recession, have families to feed, and don't own Rolex watches, nor do we have our auto insurance, rent or mortgage, gas, utilities, and other life expenses paid for us by our employers. No one shops for us, cooks our meals, or cleans our houses, either. To top it all off, they're threatening to steal our churches away from us, but that's not enough. They want more, more, more. Their mouths need feeding.

The pastor's hungry? Well cry me a river. We've made you pierogies, taken you out to eat, and had you over for dinner. Not enough? We'll set an extra place for you any night of the week at our dining room table. Come on over. Open invitation. Again, we've digressed from the light bulbs. Sorry.

We're supposed to mark our envelopes "Guiding Light" and bring our contributions, along with the names of our dear departed loved ones, to the rectory. In the spirit of the "Guiding Light" project, we have furthered the innovation. A natural extension of the prayer rock, we now have the prayer light bulb, intended to remind us to pray for our loved one.

Step 1: Select a bulb.

Recently we've been contacted by readers at churches slated to close who have told us that their church collections are down:

None of this surprises me. I think that the reason church collections are down at Parish X are that people are protesting the merger. Withholding church collections is a form of passive resistance and I think that the bishop is going to be very surprised when he sees the collections of the "non-resisting" churches.

That's one email. Similarly, we've been told that at some churches that are not slated to close, attendance is up. We have no idea if this is at all representative of the Diocese, but it would seem to coincide with Galante and McGrath's long-term schemes to kill parishes they want to die and preserve parishes they believe are worthy for whatever reason. What do you think?

I work in a place where children are given athletic instruction. Parents talk amongst themselves while their children are in classes. My husband brought our children to classes tonight while I was working. While waiting only inches away from the other parents of children in the classes, he could not help but overhear a discussion about church mergers. Let's just say these parents aren't happy campers. (And yes, they would all be youngish people in their late twenties to early forties.)

Not only do they dislike the merger of their churches, they also feel that their CCD programs are being hijacked. According to these parents, the people who had led their CCD programs for the past ten or more years are now being replaced in the new merged entities. More than that, they report that teachers are also being replaced. They state that their "new" parishes complain they do not have enough teachers, but let's face it, morale is very low. When you effectively kill somebody's community, and their sense of connection to it wanes, it's no great surprise if they don't feel they have a place anymore.

Although that's just conjecture, the tone of the conversation was more about long-time church members being pushed aside to make way for the bigger and better. Surprised? No. We think it's not unreasonable to expect hostile takeovers and slick new marketing of what we once new as "the Faith." God only knows what they hope to make it, but it probably ain't Catholicism as we know it.

More to the Diocese's point, if they think these unhappy Catholic families are going to be lining the collection baskets the way they might have before--after all, they first mess with people's parishes and then their children's religious education programs--we think Galante and Co. are in for a surprise.

But hey, maybe if we all hold hands and sing a chorus or two of Kumbaya (or its Catholic version, Peace Is Flowing Like a River) we would all feel better. Thanks a lot, Diocese of Camden Administration, for ruining our parishes. Ashame it isn't just the "church building" affected, as you would like us to believe. No, these are real people's lives you're tinkering with and let us assure you, the children are watching what you're doing. They don't miss a trick.

Courtesy of our former bishop. Yikes. This fake priest's quite the pretty boy. If they think this is going to get people to church or confession, they're even more out of touch than we thought.

Commentary (not written by savestmary's):

Yes, this is a real pitch by the Diocese of Brooklyn. Does Bishop DiMarzio really think this will bring the youngsters into the Catholic Church? This is brought to you by the same Los Angeles ad agency that uses the devil to promote Catholic television:

The campaign [for NET, the Diocese's cable TV channel], by Cesario Migliozzi in Los Angeles, features an unusual spokesman for religious television: the Devil. "We could have easily said, 'Net is the network you've been praying for,' but we need to get eyeballs," said Michael Migliozzi, partner and creative director at Cesario Migliozzi. "The idea of having a little devil telling you not to do it would be a lot of fun."

The Times reports that the"fun" devil ad cost the Diocese of Brooklyn about $200,000. "Father Vic," who we'd guess is an under-employed L.A. actor, must have lightened the collection plates of a few more hundred thousand dollars.

In totally unrelated news, the Diocese of Brooklyn recently announced the closings of over a dozen schools as part of it's "Preserving the Vision" campaign (where do they come up with these names?), citing budget deficits that approached a million dollars a year. Getting out the calculator, the average shuttered school would be responsible for $70,000 in annual deficit. Two $200,000 ads represents 5.7 closed schools and thousands of students.

Ah, but "Father Vic" is pretty darn cute, don't you agree? I bet he got a lot of "View Again" clicks in the Rectory offices.

Re: "Cares deeply" (letters, Sept. 2).

Andrew Walton, spokesman for the Camden Diocese, implies (erroneously) that St. Gregory's in Magnolia is a struggling parish. This could not be further from the truth, unless he is referring to the morale of our parishioners since the announcement that our church would be closing.

Financially, St. Gregory's is not struggling. We are probably on better financial footing than Mary Mother of The Church in Bellmawr, the parish we will merge with under the reconfiguration plan.

Our mortgage was paid off many years ago. And our weekly collections and stipends bring in enough money to cover our parish expenses and then some -- including contributions monthly to diocesan debt and other special collections.

I believe the proceeds from the sale of St. Gregory's assets are earmarked to pay off or reduce the debt of Mary Mother of The Church, which is the true struggling parish. Yet, Bishop Joseph Galante wants St. Gregory's to merge with this parish. And therein lies the hurt we feel.

It makes no sense. Mary Mother of the Church should merge with St. Gregory's, not the other way around. Or it seems to make more sense if it were merged with the other parish in its own community.

In addition, our dissatisfaction with the bishop's decision is not entirely about the assets our parishioners worked hard to pay for and that we are about to lose. Our struggle is more about our loving parish community and the fond memories that are about to be snuffed out. God bless us all.

WALTER ZUBRZYCKI

Magnolia

Read the CP letter to the editor here

"Our people were scattered around the country like refugees, " he says. "I thought, 'The church is a way to bring them home."
-Fr. Tony Ricard

So true! There are so many scattered sheep. Our churches are ways to bring them back to home to God and to the Faith. Closing them up just closes that familiar door, the only way they know back to return to Him.

Although following Katrina this parish was slated to be closed, the parish pitched in, with their pastor at the helm. They believed in themselves, their faith, their parish, and, well, you read the story. It'll bring tears to your eyes.

Click here to read article

Determined priest provides place for parishioners after Hurricane Katrina

by Sheila Stroup, The Times-Picayune

Sunday August 30, 2009, 5:00 AM

It was September 2005, and New Orleans was a ghost town. The 8th Ward neighborhood that surrounded Our Lady Star of the Sea lay in ruins. His rectory had taken in 6 feet of water from the levee failures that followed Hurricane Katrina.

But the ebullient priest never doubted that the red-brick church on St. Roch Avenue would reopen.

"There was something in my heart that told me, 'People are coming back to Our Lady Star of the Sea no matter what, ' " Ricard, 45, says. "So I never asked, 'What do we do if they don't come back?' I asked, 'What do we have to do to bring everyone back?' "

During 77 days of living in exile with his family near Leesville, his faith grew stronger.

"My parishioners were people who had always lived in New Orleans, and I knew they wanted to come home as much as I did, " he says.

The native New Orleanian -- "Father Tony" to his parishioners, the young men he mentors and members of the New Orleans Saints, for whom he serves as Catholic chaplain -- reasoned that if he opened the church, his flock would return to the city.

"Our people were scattered around the country like refugees, " he says. "I thought, 'The church is a way to bring them home.' "

The 75-year-old building, raised several feet above the ground, sustained relatively minor damage from Katrina: The air conditioning and heating units were ruined, and the wooden floor needed refinishing, but otherwise, the lovingly refurbished church was in good shape.

He and his parishioners had brought it back from the brink of death once already. He knew they could do it again.

"What we had going for us was faith and an awful lot of love, " he says.

. . . . . . .

When he became pastor in July 2001, the church at 1835 St. Roch Ave. was crumbling. Active members numbered 120, and there were rumors that the archdiocese was going to close the church.

But instead of performing the last rites, the young priest challenged the people to breathe life back into Our Lady Star of the Sea.

He told them, "I will bring my gifts to the table, but you need to bring your gifts, too."

His lively homilies made them believe in themselves and their church and convinced them to be generous during the offertory. The congregation grew week by week as word spread about the dynamic new pastor, and in eight months the working-class worshipers donated $50,000 to restore the church's interior.

"They were determined to save their parish, " he says.

At that time, a pastel mural behind the altar showed Mary surrounded by a host of fair-skinned angels.

"But all those angels had moved to Metairie, " Ricard jokes.

New Orleans artist Vernon Dobard convinced the new pastor that behind that wall were other angels trying to get out. As part of the renovation, the New Orleans artist created "The Dance of Holy Innocence, " a vibrant floor-to-ceiling mural that shows Mary surrounded by gorgeous angels in flowing gowns, representing the various cultures that have worshiped at Our Lady Star of the Sea.

"It was so beautiful, " Ricard says, "people cried when they saw it."

. . . . . . .

In the dark days that followed the hurricane, Ricard had another reason to reopen Our Lady Star of the Sea. His second parish, St. Philip the Apostle in the 9th Ward, had been under 10 feet of water for weeks and couldn't be salvaged. He wanted members of St. Philip's to have a place to call home.

"It was really a kind of natural migration, " he says.

He had been appointed pastor of that church a few months after becoming pastor at Our Lady Star of the Sea, and for five years he had the difficult job of dividing himself between the two church communities.

"It was like having two families, " he says. "It also meant I had two sets of old ladies who thought they knew everything about running a church."

At the same time, his reputation as a national speaker was growing, and he was traveling nearly every month.

"It was tough going back and forth, " he says. "It was a challenge for the parishioners and for me."

Katrina left far greater challenges in its wake, but Ricard was undaunted. On Christmas, less than four months after the storm, he celebrated Mass with more than 400 parishioners.

"I called it the 'we-opening' of our church, " he says.

In February 2006, after he learned that Our Lady Star of the Sea was not on the reopening list released by the Archdiocese of New Orleans, he asked for the chance to prove his church could survive.

He explained to the congregation what that meant: They would have to pay their bills. They would have to pay their monthly assessment to the archdiocese. They would have to come up with the money for repairs to the church.

"I told them, 'We have to do this all on our own, ' " he says.

They opened their hearts and their pocketbooks, and when Ricard traveled around the country speaking he would ask the congregations to take up a second collection for his church instead of paying him.

At the gospel Mass on Dec. 16, 2007, when he read the letter from Archbishop Alfred Hughes announcing the official reopening of Our Lady Star of the Sea, 525 people stood up and cheered.

"Today, we rejoice that like that reed swaying in the wind, we have not been broken by the disaster of Katrina, " their pastor told them. "We have not faltered. We have not failed."

(Click on the link above to read the rest of the article. Thank you to our friends at "The Insuppressible" St. Henry's Parish New Orleans for recommending it to us.)

We received this email yesterday. In reference to her last paragraph, I personally can attest to the fact that I know of at least three separate orders of priests who have offered to come into our Diocese and have been denied by Bishop Galante. I also know of an order of sisters who would love to come into the Diocese. They are apostolic, not contemplative, but habited and marian. I believe part of what they do is teaching. They would like to live at St. Mary's. If Galante and McGrath had really listened at the Listening Sessions, they would've learned that Catholics want religious and priestly vocations encouraged, but since that doesn't seem to fit in with the Diocesan plans, it is not something they are prioritizing.

It used to be that Catholic elementary schools were financed and controlled by the individual parishes. Parishes would support the churches through collections and parents ran fundraisers. Parishes had great pride in their schools.

Then Bishop Galante came with his plan to control and consolidate the Catholic elementary schools. He wanted the diocese to control them. As a part of his plan, he promised that parents would have more affordable tuition. When his plan took effect, many schools closed, teachers lost their jobs, and tuition nearly doubled. We are reaping the fruits of his plan for Catholic schools and it is foreshadowing of what will happen to the churches if his reconfiguration plan goes through.

Now Catholic high schools are a different story. Some of them are referred to as "diocesan" high schools, but they receive very little money from the diocese. They are largely funded by tuition; that is why they are more expensive than county colleges. However, they will probably continue to thrive for a while because parents are afraid of drugs and violence in some of the public high schools.

In addition, it is also shameful how this diocese is treating our retired sisters. Elderly sisters are discouraged from staying active in their vocations, such as teaching, and they get nothing from the diocese. They aren't even mentioned in the House of Charity appeal.Our bishop doesn't seem interested in promoting vocations in the Church.

Many of you may have noticed that those in your acquaintance are very upset by the parish closures Bishop Galante and his Administration (those doing the work "on the ground") plan on imposing. The question remains, where will these people go if their church is closed?

We don't know what will happen ultimately. But we do know what is already happening and what people have said they will do should their church be closed. We don't notice many in leadership positions losing any sleep over it, but this is what we have noticed:

• Some have already left the Church. No, not just their parish, but they have left the Church altogether. Disgusted and disillusioned by what is happening, they washed their hands of it and left. And more will leave as their churches are stolen out from under them.
  

• Some are planning on going (or have already gone) to Byzantine Catholic churches. Yes, the Byzantine (and  many other rites) are in union with Rome and should not be confused with Eastern Orthodox churches, which are not.

• Some plan on leaving the Diocese altogether to go to Pennsylvania, Delaware, or North Jersey. I quote, "If this bishop closes my church, I will put not another dime into a collection basket in this Diocese. I will leave the Diocese."

• Some, in the midst of this confusion, will not attend any church at all.

• Some will hop from one church to the next, like migrants, never at home any place in the diocese ever again. They may not even apply for membership in any one place, but only attend mass in various locations. They will not set down roots, but will fulfill their obligations as Catholics and live out their faith more or less privately. Most of these will not contribute financially in any way.

• Some of the more traditional-minded Catholics will simply go to the SSPX or some other Catholic group.
  

Rest assured, we are making none of this up. This information comes from real people in various parishes across the Diocese of Camden. The question remains, do those in leadership positions in the Diocese of Camden actually care about people leaving the Diocese or even the Church? Doesn't seem like it, does it? Worse, does it serve their agenda? Possibly.

They plan on robbing us blind just to give us this (the latter link is their words, not ours, and if that ain't evangelical protestant McChurch, I don't know what is. See also this article and this one. But hey, if you like Gloucester County Community Church as much as Bishop Galante does, you may be in for a treat!).

We know that the church closures are not about money. Truly, whatever is lacking could surely be found. (The Diocese owns so much unused real estate and has plenty of money.) And besides, some of the most financially viable churches in the Diocese have been slated for closure. But many persist in believing the closures are about money.

Worse still, there are priests and pastors out there who claim that if a church cannot support itself, it has no right to exist.

(Keep in mind that debt is sometimes incurred due to the necessity of paying assessments to the Diocese and certain amounts to support local Catholic schools, whether or not parishioners actually make use of or can afford tuition at these schools. Barring these two things, most churches do not have any problem paying their utility bills and maintaining their properties. We should also remember that by virtue of threatening certain churches with closure, the bishop has scared off many Catholics from the Faith or their parishes altogether, causing a great deal of confusion, despair, and decreased church attendance, all of which affect collections.)

In any case, what we need to ask ourselves is this: As Christians, should it be the case that those churches who are wealthier deserve to exist, while those who are poorer do not? What kind of an attitude is that? Is it Catholic? Is it even Christian?

In fact, it is neither. Our Lord did not recommend that the poor go out and attempt to become rich, but that it would be easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of God. Jesus said that the treasure of the poor would be great in heaven, and that the Kingdom of God belonged to them, that the heavenly banquet would be theirs!

The burden of coming to the aid of the less fortunate parishes in a Diocese falls upon the wealthier ones. And it is the job of the shepherds--the bishop and priests--to see to it that all the faithful have churches in which to worship. The effort to evangelize, not consolidate, should be in the forefront of all of our minds.

If it is believed that a prior pastor lacked the ability to financially manage his parish, then is it fair that the laity be forced to lose their church as a result? We of course know that this is only an excuse to do something we all know to be wrong, but the point is this: shepherds of  flocks in need should help them find ways to subsist.

Let us not delude ourselves. The role of a true pastor is not to persecute his flock, but to help them grow in Christ. He should be acting as a healer and not a henchman. No priest who plans on closing churches may be construed as a prophet unwelcome in his own country.

Let us look to St. St. John Vianney, one of the most unlikely saints of all. Thought to be a poor student, and having failed his seminary exams, he was finally ordained due only to his piety. He was sent to a teeny tiny French village called Ars:

Two decades after the French Revolution inspired massacres of 300 priests in France, there was a desperate need for priests....In a village of 40 houses, there were 4 taverns. Church attendance was very low, the farmers worked on Sunday, everyone spend their time drinking and swearing. It was a 'punishment parish' and the people laid bets on how long this new priest would last. But the new Cure of Ars surprised them all.

Someone peeked in his window and saw that he prayed all night. Others noticed that he removed all the fine furniture from the rectory and turned the parlour into a woodshed. He gave his clothes away to the poor and ate only two potatoes a day. Others reported that though his voice seemed to hurt their ears, his sermons stirred their hearts. He became part of the village life as well, visiting all the homes, and helping the villagers with their daily lives. He helped a shop owner with his bookkeeping, prescribed remedies for whooping cough, and when a tavern closed for lack of business, raised money for the owner to buy a farm, then tore the tavern down.

Twelve years later, people would say 'Ars is no longer Ars.' Everyone went to the three hour masses. The farmers prayed the rosary as they worked in the fields. When Father Vianney heard confessions, people would stand in line for hours....People travelled for miles and from around the world to make a confession to him. Sinners were converted at a few words from him. By the end of his life, he spend 16 to 18 hours a day in the confessional, and he was mobbed whenever he appeared. He heard 20,000 confessions a year, up to 300 a day.

In a country that had murdered great numbers of its priests, and discouraged the practicing of the Catholic faith John Vianney moved like a bright light, restoring faith and healing hearts....

The heroes of his youth were those priests who refused to submit to the French revolutionary government's nationalization of the Church, and risked martyrdom to celebrate Mass in secret in houses and barns of the faithful. John began to practice mortifications in imitation of these priests and as sacrifice for sinners from an early age.

When he was ordained and sent to Ars, he continued these austerities. He disposed of the fine furniture in the rectory, and used the money to help the poor of the parish. He spend hours in prayer, hours in the confessional and more hours serving the day to day needs of his parishioners.

In the entire village in which St. John Vianney lived, there were only a couple hundred people. Now a parish with 250 families is said not to have a right to exist! Oh how far we have fallen. This saint of saints and priest of priests spared nothing for his flock. What are the priests who should be imitating this great saint doing today? Busy figuring out how to close churches? We hope not. Let us pray that all priests, pastors, and bishops see the Light and heed the commands of Our Lord, to "preach the gospel to the poor."

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)

Submitted by Kathy

This want ad was in Sunday's Courier Post: 

The Catholic Community of Christ Our Light

Cherry Hill, NJ

 

The Catholic new Community created from the merger of Queen of Heaven and St. Peter Celestine Parishes in Cherry Hill, is seeking vibrant candidates to fill the following positions:

 

Pastoral Associate for Lifelong Faith Formation

Pastoral Associate for Worship & Music

Pastoral Associate for Communications & Operations

Pastoral Associate for Community Outreach & Social Justice

Director of Elementary Faith Formation

Director of Youth and Young Adult Formation

Director of Adult Faith Formation

Assistant Pastoral Associate for Worship & Music

Fulltime and part time administrative assistant, secretary & receptionist positions

Bookeeper - part-time

Part-time maintenance and cleaning positions.

 

Please send letter of interest, resume, etc. to

Parish Merger - Staffing committee...

 

Here are some recent comments in response to the article regarding the bishop's 1.5 million dollar luxury estate--oh wait, no, "convent"--in Pittsgrove. As a comment of our own, it has occurred to us that undoubtedly the diocesan administration must be exerting tremendous pressure on the poor sisters at this time, who must truly feel caught between satisfying the bishop's requests and fulfilling their vow of poverty, a promise they made to God. It is outrageous that the chancery would put out a statement supposedly made by Sr. Bernadette, while no one from the media has spoken directly to her, to the best of our knowledge. There is no way of verifying that she actually said what they claim she did. Press Comments: Is Andrew Walton coming unwound? His comments are hysterical, not to mention completely contradictory. He's another way our diocese is wasting money. I wonder how much he's getting paid for his "services." Posted by: hahaha on Sun Mar 15, 2009, 11:28 PM

	How much money does Andrew Walton make that he thinks an $800,000 house is a 'modest' living arrangement? Posted by: elaine on Sun Mar 15, 2009, 11:38 PM

	Not to be mean but with all the church and school closings recently and more in the future, why do they need new nuns? What are they going to do? Posted by: theFlyingNun on Mon Mar 16, 2009, 2:32 AM

	wake up parishoners! YOU'VE BEEN DUPED!! welcome to CAMP ALTAR BOY!!! Posted by: no sin no win on Mon Mar 16, 2009, 3:58 AM

	Ahhhhhhhh...haters and cafeteria Catholics. Some things you can just go to sleep on. Posted by: Truth on Mon Mar 16, 2009, 5:13 AM

	Isn't this awful when the diocese closes St Nicholas School in Egg Harbor City and wants to shut St Nick's church! This is an outrage!!!!! Posted by: MaysLandingJane on Mon Mar 16, 2009, 6:14 AM

	As with any charity...most donated funds go to administrative costs...I am sure the 'Bishops Annual Appeal' needed a new headquarters to operate from... counting your gold in a lavish country estate seems Medival in a way Posted by: mikeyd__ on Mon Mar 16, 2009, 6:18 AM

	simple math: $8 million divided by 5 nuns = $1.6 million per nun. talk about HIGH MAINTENANCE BABES!!! Posted by: collection plate - not! on Mon Mar 16, 2009, 8:21 AM

	This purchase gives a whole new meaning to "House of Charity". But seriously, why should I give a dime? They clearly don't need my hard earned money. Posted by: Maria on Mon Mar 16, 2009, 8:30 AM

	from Kenyan grass hut to upscale rural estate. nice career move girls! ps: but do they know how use the wet bar and ice maker? Posted by: papist scam on Mon Mar 16, 2009, 8:31 AM

If you had a bunch of people giving you money every week wouldnt you spend it...They havn't spent it properly in a long time. I went to Rome on vacation a few years ago and I am getting on the plane walking to my coach seat and what do I see a priest sitting in first class. I know when I searched to purchase those seats were like $15k round trip...I have not given a dime to the church since I saw that Posted by: scam on Mon Mar 16, 2009, 8:41 AM

Why does this come as a shock to anyone? The Catholic Church is one of the wealthiest entities on the planet! They preach poverty yet acquire lavish property, jewels and artwork all the time. The vatican houses some of the most precious artworks of all time. They are not strapped for cash and never have been. They are considered to be among the larges private land holders in the world, and are estimated to have billions of dollars in banks and stocks around the world. It is one of the biggest businesses on earth. In his newest list of sins that will send you to "you know where," the pope has included accumulating vast wealth, but the Church has been doing that every day since its inception. Interesting, isn't it? And sorry, but it's not 8 million dollars, it's 800 thousand dollars. Guess the math wasn't so simple for the brain trust who thought he'd make a point. Too funny. Posted by: Really? on Mon Mar 16, 2009, 8:55 AM

	Okay, everyone get your Catholic-bashing out of your system. Just remember when you are done, that Catholics are a very devout group of people. Unfortunately, their leadership is self-serving...just like our politicians. Ever notice that no matter what the group, power corrupts? Posted by: njstorm on Mon Mar 16, 2009, 9:12 AM

	"Spirit of poverty" while living in a $1.5 million dollar home? That's kind of like saying the Bishop has a "Spirit of fasting." Greed, corruption, lies - all from the Catholic heirarchy - it is disheartening to say the least. Bishop Gallante should resign. Posted by: outraged in ocean city on Mon Mar 16, 2009, 9:32 AM

	The church is big business. The road to heaven is paved with good intentions now send me the dollars. Posted by: executioner1 on Mon Mar 16, 2009, 9:38 AM

	I am somewhat familiar with the situation, and can tell you that the sisters are not at all comfortable with the sitaution. This was all Gallante. Posted by: maverick on Mon Mar 16, 2009, 9:39 AM

If someone wants to know the excess of the hierarchy of the Catholic church in our Diocese, as well as in Philadelphia's, look at the ownership of several beachfront homes in Ventnor ... just a block from where St. James R.C. Church and school faced closings. And not begrudging just the beachfront property, but the excessive nature INSIDE those homes (yes, I have seen it firsthand). When the Diocese decided to close St. Augustine School in Ocean City, knowing full well prior to their decision that those students did NOT have another school that could take them, I knew I had given the Diocese my last time. I think Catholics in this Diocese need to express their displeasure in the only way the Diocese and the Bishop understand ... financially. That is what bought several churches at least temporary reprieves already. The religion and the faith of Catholics are strong (and yes I am one) ... its the leadership - the human element - that is flawed. Posted by: truth not rhetoric on Mon Mar 16, 2009, 9:46 AM

	There are way tooooo many empty Convents throughout the state to allow this to happen. The house should have been sold or rented for a lot of money. The Nuns are very nice people who deserve whatever they get however there are many many empty houses in this and other states for them to live in for free. Posted by: Empty nests' on Mon Mar 16, 2009, 10:02 AM

OK...so here we are with hundreds of billions of OUR dollars going out to greedy banks and business men to "save" them all. This is all OUR money and will cost us and our children for decades to come. I have a great idea. this will eliminate the current billions in debt and settle the national debt. If we just tax the Catholic church on its real estate holding in the U.S. we will raise enough cash to cancel out all the problems. All of the faithful can then empty there wallets into a brass plate on Sunday to help the churches pay there tax bills. Now the church will really now what poverty is like. We pay our tax bills every year now it is there turn. Just look around town next time you take a drive. no matter what town you live in the churches own the nicest land and the nicest homes in the nicest sections of town. Then go home and look at your home and your tax bill and just do some math and you will get an idea of the value of some of this land and structures. Posted by: njscanner on Mon Mar 16, 2009, 10:03 AM

	I am outraged by this article. There are devote Catholics who tried their best in preventing the merger from happening last year. They even poured in money from their personal savings. In return, we here about a eight-hundred thousand dollar convent. Posted by: Listen here on Mon Mar 16, 2009, 10:29 AM

This is appalling! There are many, many underused convents in the diocese. The diocese has a retreat center in Blackwood and to believe we would trust they're purchase of this property as a 'future retreat center' is ridiculous. What is it with this bishop, he comes across like the leaders of the financial institution we have bailed out. Totally out of touch with his pariashioners, he is getting bad advice from those around him They should reverse this purchase and sell this property. Posted by: uneasy catholic on Mon Mar 16, 2009, 10:44 AM

Talk about irresponsible actions. We were advised that the Bishop has increased the amount of money he wants to renovate the kitchen in the new, dynamic, vibrant elementary school in Clayton to the tune of $200,000 dollars. Andy Walton tried to justify the spending by saying the price was dropped from $1.5 million to $800,000 dollars. What he failed to mention was that the home was on the market for a year and when the recession/depression hit, it couldn't sell for the original listing price. So the "good catholic family took their money and moved south. How about the $1.7 million dollars for the sale of St. Bridget's school that went toward reducing the debt of that parish rather than helping to support the new elementary school in Clayton. There are too many instances of flagrant misuse of monies by the CEO of the Camden diocese and his constituents to print here. I wonder if they would agree to an audit of how they are spending their monies and make it an open report to the parishioners whose money they are spending. Sounds similar to the AIG scandalous use of taxpayers money with the backing of the government. We are being told by Bishop Galante that he is concerned about the number of Catholics leaving the church, well I suggest he look in the mirror to see how he is a major reason why this is happening. Posted by: mazz on Mon Mar 16, 2009, 10:58 AM

To help facilitate communication, we have started a newsletter.  The first issue went out to the 8:30 and 11:30 Sunday Mass attendees and the CCD parents.  For anyone who missed it, the content is posted below.  Please also see the Editor's Note at the bottom.

St. Mary's News

As most of you are aware, we now have a new pastor, Fr. Edward Namiotka.  Fr. Romanowski has appealed his removal as pastor of St. Mary's*, but while the appeal is pending, Fr. Namiotka will be pastor.  Fr. Romanowski has chosen retirement over reassignment as a parochial vicar at St. Nicholas in Atlantic City.  If he wins his appeal, Fr. Romanowski will be reinstated as pastor of St. Mary's.  In the meantime, he will continue to reside at the rectory at least through the end of April and will assist Fr. Namiotka with the pastoral care of our parish.  We welcome Fr. Namiotka and continue to support Fr. Romanowski. 

Many people are wondering what this transition means for our efforts to save St. Mary's.  For the most part, we will continue on exactly as we have been.  Fr. Namiotka's appointment does not mean our church will close anytime soon, nor does it mean that our church will stay open for the duration of his six year term.  This will be explained in more detail at the Save St. Mary's Meeting on Monday, March 9^th at 6:30 pm.

 

 

Upcoming Events this Week
9th	Save St. Mary's Meeting (6:30 pm)
10th	Jr Choir Practice (7:00), KOC/Choir Practice (8:00)
11th	Eucharistic Adoration, Mass and Miraculous Medal (7:00)
12th	Rally (TBD), Jr. Legion (4:00), Legion of Mary (7:00)
13th	Rosary (6:30), Stations of the Cross & Sacred Heart (7:00)
14th	Confession (3:30)
15th	Third Order Carmelites (1:00)

Saving St. Mary's

What You Can Do To Help

1.        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.

2.        STAY ACTIVE!  Try joining a parish group, participating in a devotion, become a lector, etc.  Our parish is active every day of the week, stop by anytime and encourage others to come to St. Mary's. 

3.        CONTRIBUTE!  It's important that St. Mary's be self-sufficient.  Please contribute generously to your church (the first collection) and also to Save St. Mary's.  

4.        WORK WITH ONE OF THE SAVE ST. MARY'S COMMITTEES!  We have several committees working to keep St. Mary's open.  Please join one of the following committees to help with the planning:  Prayer/Devotionals, Picketing/Rallies, Media, Letter Writing, Fundraising, Vigil Prep, Canon Law Appeal, Civil Litigation. 

5.        CONTINUE WRITING LETTERS AND RALLYING!

For more information, please attend our meeting on Monday, March 9^th at 6:30 pm or contact Leah Vassallo (692-0222) or Kevin Kelton (694-2748) for more information.  We will also provide more details in our next newsletter.

 

Fr. Edward Namiotka's Contact Info:

     Address: Queen of Angels Parish

           202 North West Blvd.,

           Landisville, NJ 08326

     Phone:     697-1450 or 691-4491 x. 1116

     Email:       enamiotka@shhslions.com

 

"To not resist error is to approve it, to not defend the truth is to suffocate it."   - Pope St. Felix III

 * Editor's Note:  Since the publication of this newsletter, Fr. Romanowski has informed us that he has withdrawn his appeal.  We will present this latest change at tonight's meeting and in next week's newsletter.

Please email us at info@savestmarys.net if you would like your name added to the petition. Thank you and God bless you!

I always made an effort to stress that the parish is not an accidental collection of Christians who happen tolive in the same neighborhood...Through careful listening to the word of Scripture and sound instruction in the faith they are enabled to experience their lives, and the life of the parish, as a dynamic sharing in the history of salvation. That experience, in turn, becomes a powerful motive for evangelization.
                                                                        -Pope John Paul II (1998)

We, the undersigned, strenuously object to the closing and merging of St. Mary's in Malaga and all other vibrant, viable parishes within the Diocese of Camden. In addition to providing the Sacraments and fostering out spiritual growth, our parishes have many active groups providing spiritual and material assistance to those in need in our communities. Closing and merging parishes in our neighborhoods is not only unnecessary and devastating to the parishioners, but it is also detrimental to many communities within the Diocese of Camden. Furthermore, we vigorously oppose the sale and future use of church properties for anything but that for which they were originally intended--the Catholic Christian worship of God. We pray you will reconsider your actions and reverse this decision.

                                                               NAME                                           TOWN

1	Al DeValerio	Newfield
2	Alberta Winkler	N. Vineland
3	Alex Benarba	Clayton
4	Alexia Farside	Vineland
5	Alexis Ramos	Malaga
6	Alice Obert	Clayton
7	Alicia Rivera	Clayton
8	Allen Kerski	Clayton
9	Allison Sieminski	Glassboro
10	Alysha Chambers	Elmer
11	Amanda Bosco	Malaga
12	Amanda Kelleher	Newfield
13	Amanda Rippel	Frankinville
14	Amee Muller	Clayton
15	Amy Chamberlin	Franklinville
16	Amy Ryan	Clayton
17	Ana Sales	Williamstown
18	Andrea Craig	Clayton
19	Andrea Marcellina	Williamstown
20	Andrew E. Kilroy	Malaga
21	Andrew J. Moore	Clayton
22	Andrew J. Moore, Sr.	Clayton
23	Andrew Kasper	Clayton
24	Andrew Nelson	Clayton
25	Andrew Schifano	Colts Neck
26	Andrew Vassallo	Newfield
27	Angel DeMaro	Glassboro
28	Angel Gaull	Clayton
29	Angel Lugo	Clayton
30	Angela Gaull	Clayton
31	Angela Ledzinski	Clayton
32	Angelina Rutkowski	Elm
33	Ann Waldman	Clayton
34	Anna Chamberlin	Franklinville
35	Anna Mackewick	Clayton
36	Anne Bauer	Clayton
37	Anne Hercy	Williamstown
38	Anne Teta	Clayton
39	Annette Rumph	Clayton
40	Annie Brunner	Clayton
41	Anthony DelPalazzo	Voorhees
42	Anthony M. Colache	Williamstown
43	Anthony Rizzo	Newfield
44	Anthony Roman	Franklinville
45	Anthony Yoworsky	Clayton
46	Anthony Ramos	Malaga
47	Antoinette Boylan	Clayton
48	Aracelis Acosta	Clayton
49	Ashley Lehman	Franklinville
50	Ashley Preine	Franklinville
51	B.T. Lilimore	Pittsgrove
52	Barb Liescko	Pittsgrove
53	Barbara Ann McCann	Pittsgrove
54	Barbara Carrigan	Williamstown
55	Barbara DeValerio	Newfield
56	Barbara Sage	Clayton
57	Benancio Espinal	Clayton
58	Bernie Blatt	Forest Grove
59	Betty Fischer	Malaga
60	Beverly Stiner	Clayton
61	Bill Boeckle	Glassboro
62	Bill Cipollone	Malaga
63	Bill Dalessandro	Malaga
64	Bill Laner	Franklinville
65	Bill Roberts	Clayton
66	Billy Cipollone	Malaga
67	Bob Raymond	Clayton
68	Brad Pantaleo	Malaga
69	Bradley Smith	Franklinville
70	Brandon Maynor	Millville
71	Brendan Kirby	Clayton
72	Brian Dean	Monroeville
73	Brian Dtari	Clayton
74	Brian Schifano	Colts Neck
75	Brittney Shaw	Clayton
76	Bryan Burkert	Franklinville
77	Buddy Craig	Franklinville
78	C. Daugherty	Malaga
79	Caitlin Brandon	Mantua
80	Cara Esposito	Clayton
81	Carleigh Gallardo	Pittsgrove
82	Carlo Profico	Clayton
83	Carmella Castelli	Malaga
84	Carole Trace	Malaga
85	Carolyn H. Gant	Franklinville
86	Casey Flory	Clayton
87	Cathy Culle	Clayton
88	Cecelia Trace	Malaga
89	Charles Chamberlin	Franklinville
90	Charles Schifano	Colts Neck
91	Charles Zanetich	Clayton
92	Charlie Bosco	Malaga
93	Chelsea Cossaboon	Newfield
94	Cherisse Watson	Clayton
95	Cheryl O'Hara	Clayton
96	Chris Colache	Williamstown
97	Chris Godfrey	Pitman
98	Christopher C. Sever	Clayton
99	Christopher Russell	Clayton
100	Christopher Senor	Franklinville
101	Chuck Esposito	Clayton
102	Chuck Grinnell	Clayton
103	Cindy Burgess	Franklinville
104	Cletus S. Beckel	Pittsgrove
105	Clifford Taylor	Malaga
106	Colleen Kohn	Clayton
107	Confesora Caban	Clayton
108	Corie Brandon	Mantua
109	Courtney McHale	Mullica Hill
110	Cynthia Merckx	Malaga
111	Cynthia Trasferini	Malaga
112	Cynthia Hetzler	Sewell
113	D.L. Marion	Turnersville
114	Dakoda Maynor	Millville
115	Damien Colache	Clayton
116	Dan Sommeling	Clayton
117	Dan Vassallo	Malaga
118	Danali Young	Clayton
119	Daniel Oyola	Clayton
120	Daniel Ramos	Malaga
121	Danielle Chamberlin	Clayton
122	Danielle McCord	Clayton
123	Danielle Pantaleo	Malaga
124	Danny Farside	Vineland
125	Dante Colache	Williamstown
126	Dave O'Brien	Pittsgrove
127	David Dowonta	Clayton
128	David Hughes	Clayton
129	Dawn M. Meyers	Clayton
130	Deb Ragone	Clayton
131	Debbie Iuliucci	Malaga
132	Debbie Sauer	Clayton
133	Deborah Luchay	Mullica Hill
134	Deborah Lugo	Clayton
135	Deborah Zanetich	Clayton
136	Debra A. Dougherty	Newfield
137	Denise Battle	Clayton
138	Denise Brandon	Mantua
139	Denise Miller	Clayton
140	Denise Morton	Clayton
141	Denise Shaw	Clayton
142	Dennis Zanetich	Clayton
143	Derek Flory	Clayton
144	Diane Hitzelberger	Clayton
145	Diane Trace	Malaga
146	Diane Vassallo	Newfield
147	Dick Hughes	Clayton
148	Dino Atencio	Clayton
149	Dino DiCastelano	Franklinville
150	Dolores Lafferty	Malaga
151	Dolores Pfeuffer	Erial
152	Dolores Podsiadlo	Elmer
153	Dom DiPetro	Glassboro
154	Domenic Russo	Clayton
155	Domenica Trace	Malaga
156	Donald Keppen	Clayton
157	Donna Andrea	Clayton
158	Donna Kirby	Clayton
159	Donna Wilson	Malaga
160	Doris DeMatteo	Malaga
161	Doris Ruppel	Malaga
162	Dorothea Bosco	Clayton
163	Dorothy Erwin	Clayton
164	Dorothy Horady	Franklinville
165	Doug Ramos	Malaga
166	E.T. Selinger	Clayton
167	Earl L. Prous	Williamstown
168	Edward Mackewick	Clayton
169	Edward Wisowaty	Clayton
170	Eileen Scholl	Franklinville
171	Eleanor Donato	Vineland
172	Elesio Vianlargo	Clayton
173	Emil Lettica	Clayton
174	Emilie O'Hara	Clayton
175	Emily Atkinson	Sicklerville
176	Enrique Caban	Clayton
177	Eric Barrett	Clayton
178	Erika Zaruba	Franklinville
179	Ethel A. Pozzi	Clayton
180	Ethel DeFeo	Malaga
181	Eugene Melnyk	Franklinville
182	Evelyn M. Acevedo	Vineland
183	Feyance Previtt	Clayton
184	Fr. Jerome Romanowski	Malaga
185	Fran Emmons	Franklinville
186	Fran Schultz	Malaga
187	Fran Zeilman	Malaga
188	Francine Repice	Malaga
189	Francis Kelley Heiland	Hammonton
190	Frank DiCicco	Clayton
191	Frank Obert	Clayton
192	Frank Richer	Newfield
193	Franny Papiano	Malaga
194	Fred Ronzo	Williamstown
195	Frederick H. Blauth	Vineland
196	G. E. Brusizaker	Clayton
197	G. J. Swanson	Clayton
198	G. T. Swanson	Clayton
199	Gabrielle Preine	Mullica Hill
200	Gail Perino	Malaga
201	Gary Eastlack	Clayton
202	Gary Smith	Franklinville
203	Gary Zanetich	Clayton
204	Gemma Vassallo	Newfield
205	Gene Melnik	Bluebell
206	George Steinfield	Newfield
207	Georgetta Bucci-Bruno	Newfield
208	Gina Bosco	Malaga
209	Gina Trasferini	Malaga
210	Glemin Fabey	Clayton
211	Glen Ruppel	Franklinville
212	Glen Scott Ruppel, Sr.	Franklinville
213	Glenn D. Moore	Clayton
214	Glenn O'Brien	Pitman
215	Grace Lawrence	Clayton
216	Grace Carlson	Mt. Ephraim
217	Greg Duva	Hammonton
218	Gregory Profico	Clayton
219	Gregory Sentz	Newfield
220	Haley Colache	Clayton
221	Hannah Flory	Clayton
222	Harold Sims	Malaga
223	Harry McGruray	Franklinville
224	Helen Durham	Clayton
225	Helen Kilroy	Malaga
226	Helen O'Hara	Clayton
227	Herb Pfeuffer	Erial
228	Holly A. Flory	Clayton
229	Holly Fabey	Clayton
230	Iesha Torreibeu	Clayton
231	Irene Mick	Franklinville
232	Isabel Furtan	Clayton
233	J. Jess	Franklinville
234	J. Wengert, Sr.	Franklinville
235	J.J. Ruppel, Sr.	Malaga
236	Jac-lyn Zeilman	Malaga
237	Jacob Keppen	Clayton
238	Jacqueline Hetzler	Sewell
239	Jake Baluch	Clayton
240	Jake Muller	Clayton
241	James A. Castrelli, Jr.	Vineland
242	James Castrelli	Vineland
243	James Chamberlin	Franklinville
244	James Kelleher	Newfield
245	James Sieminski	Glassboro
246	Jamie Smith	Clayton
247	Jane Bruno	Clayton
248	Janet Walker	Bridgeton
249	Janet Webekind	Newfield
250	Janice Bosco Tacka	Palmyra, PA
251	Janit Peilher	Vineland
252	Jared Pennisi	Sewell
253	Jason Lapin	Clayton
254	Jason Lipsett	Clayton
255	Jayme Zeilman	Malaga
256	Jean R. Liberto	Blue Anchor
257	Jean Wacker	Clayton
258	Jennifer Cipollone	Malaga
259	Jennifer Hetzler	Newfield
260	Jennifer Olsen	Clayton
261	Jennifer Rowedda	Clayton
262	Jerry DiCicco	Clayton
263	Jerry Velazquez	Newfield
264	Jessica Eastlack	Clayton
265	Jessica Kasper	Clayton
266	Jessica Kelleher	Newfield
267	Jessica Lincoln	Clayton
268	Jessica Parker	Malaga
269	Jessica Zeilman	Malaga
270	Jewel Sauder	Clayton
271	Jill Sommeling	Clayton
272	Jillian Fabey	Clayton
273	Jim Brown	Clayton
274	Jim Waterman	Mullica Hill
275	Joan Carrigan	Williamstown
276	Joan Goodwin	Williamstown
277	Joan Stone	Malaga
278	Joan Wokveck	Clayton
279	Jo-Ann Annie Zeilman	Malaga
280	JoAnn Betz	Vineland
281	Joann Halg	Pittsgrove
282	Joann Laner	Franklinville
283	JoAnn Mills	Malaga
284	Joann Young	Clayton
285	Jo-Ann Zeilman	Malaga
286	Joanna Vassallo	Newfield
287	Joanne Canken	Clayton
288	Joanne Esposito	Clayton
289	Joanne Ryan	Clayton
290	Jocelenn Zaya	Vineland
291	Jody Nelson	Clayton
292	Joe Bruno	Clayton
293	Joe Podsiadlo	Elmer
294	Joe Revelas	Swedesboro
295	Joe Sansalone	Malaga
296	Joe Young	Clayton
297	Joey Russo	Clayton
298	Johamil Salcedo	Clayton
299	Jo-hanna Zeilman	Malaga
300	John Bryozowski	Malaga
301	John Gravenor	Malaga
302	John Griffis	Clayton
303	John Hetzler	Sewell
304	John Jakymczuk	Malaga
305	John Morton	Clayton
306	John Sarill	Clayton
307	John Shaw	Clayton
308	John Tiffany	Clayton
309	John Trovati	Clayton
310	John-Anthony Hetzler	Sewell
311	Jon Lawrence	Clayton
312	Jonathan Shaw	Clayton
313	Jos. U. Dorys	Newfield
314	Jose Del Carmen Espinal	Clayton
315	Joseph Coleman	Clayton
316	Joseph Kelton	Malaga
317	Joseph Nardalli	Franklinville
318	Joseph P. Moffa	Malaga
319	Joseph Sparks	Mullica Hill
320	Josh Griffis	Clayton
321	Josh Parker	Malaga
322	Joshua DeQueter	Clayton
323	Joshua Vassallo	Alloway
324	Juan Oyola	Clayton
325	Juanda Fernandez	Clayton
326	Judith Pidgeon	Wilmington, DE
327	Judith Preine	Pittsgrove
328	Julia Hetzler	Sewell
329	Julia Roman	Clayton
330	Julia Trovati	Clayton
331	Juliana Sieminski	Glassboro
332	Julie DeMarchi Heiland	Hammonton
333	Julie Kirk	Clayton
334	Julie Lincoln	Clayton
335	June Cairone	Malaga
336	Justin Shaw	Clayton
337	Karen DeFrank	Clayton
338	Kat Roberts	Clayton
339	Kathie J. Ramos	Malaga
340	Kathleen Castelli	Vineland
341	Kathy DiStefano	Sicklerville
342	Kathy Mensinger	Franklinville
343	Katie Griffis	Clayton
344	Kellie Kasper	Clayton
345	Kenneth Zanetich	Clayton
346	Kevin Clinch	Franklinville
347	Kevin Kelton	Malaga
348	Kevin Lapin	Clayton
349	Kevin Pain	Clayton
350	Kristin Battestella	Franklin Township
351	L. M. Swanson	Clayton
352	Lance Knisely	Malaga
353	Lane McCord	Clayton
354	Larry Geltzer	Margate
355	Larry Storniola	Franklinville
356	Laura Camma-Resino	Williamstown
357	Laurel Fabey	Clayton
358	Laurie Lettica	Clayton
359	Leah Vassallo	Malaga
360	Len DeFrank	Clayton
361	Len Lapin	Clayton
362	Len Sarill	Clayton
363	Leonard Goodwin	Williamstown
364	Lesley Barrett	Clayton
365	Leslie McFall	Franklinville
366	Lily Kirby	Clayton
367	Linda Bryan	Clayton
368	Linda Persia	Newfield
369	Lisa Bekeshka	Monroeville
370	Lisa Eastlack	Clayton
371	Lisa Lugo	Clayton
372	Lisa Sauber	Clayton
373	Liz Ruggerie	Clayton
374	Loralie Kasper	Clayton
375	Lorenzo	Haddonfield
376	Loretta DiMeo	Franklinville
377	Lorraine Clapp	Clayton
378	Lou Anne Hughes	Clayton
379	Lou Brown	Clayton
380	Lou Kohn	Clayton
381	Lou Kohn, Jr.	Clayton
382	Lou Sgorlon	Vineland
383	Louis Cairone	Malaga
384	Louis Zanetich	Clayton
385	Lucy Davey	Clayton
386	Luis Oyola	Clayton
387	Luis Riviera	Clayton
388	Luis Riviera, Sr.	Clayton
389	Lydia Carrigan	Williamstown
390	Lynn Atkinson	Millville
391	M. Elaine Sware	Clayton
392	M. Geri	Franklinville
393	M. Metz	Clayton
394	Madeline Moffa	Malaga
395	Maegert Claro	Clayton
396	Manny Claro	Clayton
397	Manny Wokveck	Clayton
398	Marco A. Riviera	Clayton
399	Margaret Bryan	Clayton
400	Margaret Wallace	Franklinville
401	Marge Kirsch	Clayton
402	Marge Lapin	Clayton
403	Maria Bella	Clayton
404	Maria DiCicco	Clayton
405	Maria Espinal	Clayton
406	Maria Ronzo	Williamstown
407	Mariann Metz	Clayton
408	Marie Bancroft	Malaga
409	Marina L. Stewart	Newfield
410	Marisel Rivera	Vineland
411	Mark Atkinson	Millville
412	Mark Morton	Clayton
413	Mark Ramos	Malaga
414	Marlene Alston	Clayton
415	Marlene Castelli	Malaga
416	Martin Kelley	Hammonton
417	Mary Anne Sena	Vineland
418	Mary DeFeo	Vineland
419	Mary Ellen Waterman	Mullica Hill
420	Mary J. Quinn	Monroeville
421	Mary Johnson	Franklinville
422	Mary Marion	Turnersville
423	Mary Mignogna	Blackwood
424	Mary R. Colache	Williamstown
425	Mary R. Rabne	Vineland
426	Mary Sparks	Mullica Hill
427	Mary Velazquez	Newfield
428	Mary White	Newfield
429	Mary Yoworsky	Clayton
430	MaryAnn Fithian	Franklinville
431	Marybeth Boeckle	Glassboro
432	Marybeth Owens	Clayton
433	Matt Morton	Clayton
434	Maureen Butcher	Pittsgrove
435	Maureen Geri	Franklinville
436	Maureen Kelleher	Newfield
437	Maureen Starling	Pittsgrove
438	Maurice Young	Clayton
439	Megan McCauley	Vineland
440	Megan Pontano	Sicklerville
441	Megen C. Keury	Clayton
442	Melissa Holden
443	Melnyk Family	Franklinville
444	Michael A. Cianchetti	Elmer
445	Michael Beer	Clayton
446	Michael Bryan	Clayton
447	Michael Chambers	Elmer
448	Michael Griffish	Vineland
449	Michael Jenkins	Newfield
450	Michael Kelton	Malaga
451	Michael Magliocco	Newfield
452	Michael McHale	Mullica Hill
453	Michael Menginger	Franklinville
454	Michael Pagano	Millville
455	Michael Sarill	Clayton
456	Michelle Boylan	Clayton
457	Michelle Metz	Clayton
458	Miguel Griffish	Vineland
459	Miguelina Salcedo	Clayton
460	Mike Blatt	Forest Grove
461	Mike Gaull	Clayton
462	Mike Lopez	Clayton
463	Mike Lugo	Clayton
464	Mike Vassallo	Malaga
465	Miller Mills	Malaga
466	Molly Atkinson	Sicklerville
467	Mr. S. Velazquez	Newfield
468	Mrs. S. Velazquez	Newfield
469	Nadine Ambrico	Bellmawr
470	Nancy Godfrey	Pitman
471	Nancy Kane	Malaga
472	Nancy Pantaleo	Malaga
473	Nardelli Family	Williamstown
474	Natalie Persia	Newfield
475	Nate Thomas	Clayton
476	Nic Blauth	Vineland
477	Nicholas Deitz	Newfield
478	Nicolas Hrynenko	Newfield
479	Nicole Bacher	Clayton
480	Nicole Hoffer	Clayton
481	Nicole Sieminski	Glassboro
482	Nicolina Candela	Malaga
483	Nicolle Russo	Clayton
484	P. Sarill	Clayton
485	Pat McCauley	Newfield
486	Pat Schnenberg	Glassboro
487	Patricia A. Mimuy	Clayton
488	Patricia Duva	Hammonton
489	Patricia J. Blauth	Vineland
490	Patricia Lipshultz	Franklinville
491	Patricia Wight	Newfield
492	Patrick DeFeo	Bridgeton
493	Patrick Kelleher	Newfield
494	Paul A. Betz	Vineland
495	Paul Arey	Pine Hill
496	Paul N. Gant	Franklinville
497	Paula Dalessandro	Malaga
498	Paula Melnyk	Franklinville
499	Pauline Blatt	Forest Grove
500	Pauline Taylor	Malaga
501	Pearl Richer	Newfield
502	Peggy Lisinger	Elmer
503	Peggy Pennisi	Sewell
504	Philip Quinn	Monroeville
505	Phillip Colache	Clayton
506	Piera Gravenor	Malaga
507	Pilita Porlucas	Franklinville
508	Polly Sergenti	Clayton
509	Princess Lugo	Clayton
510	Rachel Luchay	Mullica Hill
511	Rachel Ramos	Malaga
512	Ralph Cleo	Frankinville
513	Ralph Travaglione	Franklinville
514	Ramona Sansalone	Malaga
515	Rashawn Previtt	Clayton
516	Ray Gonzalez	Clayton
517	Regina Arey	Pine Hill
518	Regina Farside	Vineland
519	Regina Sims	Malaga
520	Renata Colache	Clayton
521	Renee Hubbard	Newfield
522	Renee Maurer	Malaga
523	Rev. Gannon	Cherry Hill
524	Rich Albano	Clayton
525	Rich Kilroy	Malaga
526	Richard E. Doone III	Franklinville
527	Richard Krug	Clayton
528	Richard Lincoln	Clayton
529	Richard P. Craig, Jr.	Clayton
530	Richard Webekind	Newfield
531	Rickie Krug	Clayton
532	Rita Alvino	Franklinville
533	Rita Griffiths	Vineland
534	Robert Ambrico	Bellmawr
535	Robert Furtan	Clayton
536	Robert Godfrey	Pitman
537	Robert Johnson	Franklinville
538	Robert Lawrence	Clayton
539	Robert White	Newfield
540	Ron Iuliucci	Malaga
541	Ron Vassallo	Alloway
542	Ronald Vassallo	Newfield
543	Rosalie B. Moore	Clayton
544	Roselee Papiano	Malaga
545	Rossi Family	Franklinville
546	Rubea Luciano	Clayton
547	Russell Buck	Clayton
548	Ruth Sottile	Clayton
549	Ryan Jenkins	Minotola
550	Sam Campbell	Willimstown
551	Sam DiStefano	Sicklerville
552	Sam Lopez	Clayton
553	Sammy Steenland	Newfield
554	Sandy DelPalazzo	Voorhees
555	Sandy VanDelft	Clayton
556	Sara Melnyk	Franklinville
557	Sara Truluck	Clayton
558	Scott Bryan	Clayton
559	Scott J. Sievers	Vineland
560	Shannon Muller	Clayton
561	Sharyn Beckel	Pittsgrove
562	Shawn Krug	Clayton
563	Sheena Otto	Franklinville
564	Sheila Smith	Clayton
565	Shelby Patrick	Malaga
566	Shirley Rumph	Clayton
567	Shonna Cooper	Clayton
568	Somer Knisely	Malaga
569	Stacey Yenelli	Clayton
570	Stephanie Kelton	Malaga
571	Stephanie Starling	Pittsgrove
572	Steve Martin	Clayton
573	Steve Yoworsky	Clayton
574	Steven Velazquez	Newfield
575	Sue DiCicco	Clayton
576	Sue Griffis	Clayton
577	Sue Hofer	Malaga
578	Susan Benarba	Clayton
579	Syed Benarba	Clayton
580	T. M. Swanson	Clayton
581	T. Mick	Franklin Twp.
582	Taylor Trace	Malaga
583	Theodore K. Heiland	Hammonton
584	Theresa Borda	Glassboro
585	Theresa Carlson	Mt. Ephraim
586	Theresa Keppen	Clayton
587	Theresa Paleri	Clayton
588	Therese Rizzo	Newfield
589	Thomas Bosco	Malaga
590	Thomas K. Metz	Clayton
591	Tim Carlson	Mt. Ephraim
592	Timothy Trace	Malaga
593	Tina Hayden	Franklinville
594	Tina Young	Clayton
595	Tita Lugo	Clayton
596	Tom Luchay	Mullica Hill
597	Tom Profico	Clayton
598	Tony Bauer	Clayton
599	Tony Brown	Clayton
600	Tony Yoworsky	Clayton
601	Tony Ramos	Malaga
602	Traci Atencio	Clayton
603	Trevor Blauth	Vineland
604	Tyler McCord	Clayton
605	Valerie Schifano	Colts Neck
606	Vanessa Caban	Clayton
607	Vanessa Hughes	Clayton
608	Vannessa Omari	Clayton
609	Veneranda Ramos	Malaga
610	Vicki Taggart	Clayton
611	Vincent Paglioni	Clayton
612	Vincent Sware	Clayton
613	Virginia Wacker	West Collingswood Heights
614	Viva Mackey	Clayton
615	Vivian Hamilton	Clayton
616	Walter Schultz	Malaga
617	Walter W. Clapp	Clayton
618	Werfy Fernandez	Clayton
619	William F. Walker	Franklinville
620	William T. Steenland	Vineland
621	Yasmin Espinal	Clayton
622	Yohanny Salcedo	Clayton
623	Zac Gaull	Clayton
624	Zachary Farside	Vineland
625	Zory Caban	Clayton
626	Zuleyka Salcedo	Clayton

627

Edward Zeuner

Hainesport

Here's yet another letter to the editor. We've missed many, we know. (Thanks everybody for sending in all your letters and links.) Certainly the Courier Post doesn't publish everything it could, by any stretch of the imagination, since they seem to be in the Chancery's pocket. Shameful. In any case, here's the link, and the text is below. (By the way, this is a truly excellent letter, Mr. Malloy, and really hits the nail on the head.)

Corporation

CourierPostOnline.com • October 24, 2008

We've received so many tips lately on savestmarys. Thank you to one and all, there is so much to do and we are continually heartened by the broad level of input and participation on the part of those in and out of the diocese. This most recent article was forwarded to us since it is so very valid in this and other diocese and truly epitomizes the crisis in the Church at this time. It is very interesting and disturbing.

These Forty Years of Loyalty and Dissent: Humanae Vitae on the 40th Anniversary

I regret to have been surprised with the fortieth anniversary of Humanae Vitae just two days after my return from World Youth Day 2008 in Sydney Australia. I regret it, because it is a huge piece of what is happening in the Church and the world today, and I did not have time to prepare some commentary.

I cannot praise enough, nor recommend enough, Cardinal Stafford's laudable narration of his experiences and insights (cf. Humanae Vitae: The Year of the Peirasmòs -- 1968, By Cardinal James Francis Stafford). If only the whole Church were full of such pastors: wise insight into their pastoral experiences, cultured in their literary background, faithful to the Magisterium, and charitable in their assessments.

After my mind was blown away by the frankness and depth of his article, one aspect has struck me, even though it is an accidental point his article made. And it is this impression upon which I want to compound. It has to do with the unity, charity and brotherhood of the diocesan priesthood. Or better said, the complete lack thereof in our day. I think Cardinal Stafford does well to expose the causes.

My experience with clergy at every level of government of the Church is full of very unpleasant memories, and requires on my part a continual effort for forgiveness. And I forgive, as I need God to forgive me. Where I should have expected kindness, support, brotherhood, acceptance, advice and even fraternal correction, I have experienced every form of anger, lies and gossip, attack of my good name, varying degrees of hatred, exclusion, rejection and uncharitable criticism.

Did I merit such conduct, I must ask myself with all honesty? I think the answer is no, I did not. The hostility has come from heretics and liturgical abusers, and from a group of men who have done all to cherish one another, and defend each others' conduct which includes everything from impurity to abuse of alcohol to an absolute absence of a life of prayer to abuse of money to... well, we've all seen it in public and in private. But to this one could say, "That is an attack ad hominem, and proves nothing." OK, I agree.

Yet the reasons for this hostile conduct have been because: I refused to abuse the liturgy, I stood in the way of the Precious Body and Blood being washed down the drain, I preferred gold to glass for the species at Mass, I wanted to hear confessions every day before Mass, I adhered to a religious orders' Constitutions to the point of earning the contempt of my superiors, and I refused to say mass on a dirty coffee table in a living room. I earned ridicule because I pray the breviary every day (an obligation for priests under pain of mortal sin), because I employ Latin whenever possible in the liturgy, because I get up very early and because I don't watch TV. And after four years of the priesthood, I'm in my ninth parish, when each removal was a completely unilateral decision on the part of pastors, to whom I showed charity in exchange for their abuse. I could go on and on, but I think that's enough to make the point: If I were punished for evil deeds, I would deserve it. But the abuse comes from loyalty to the Catholic Church, in teaching and in practice.

A good priest friend of mine made an excellent observation a couple months ago: the first of all religious orders is the diocesan priesthood. It is truly a community, a brotherhood, or at least should be. Yet ever since the 1700's (I think of the rise of Illuminism, Freemasonry, St. Clement Mary Hofbauer, etc.), there has been an increasing decline in the unity among the clergy, and it is not rare to find in recent and late history true persecution of faithful clergy by unfaithful clergy.

Allow me to be clear: The problem is dissent. And dissent is a fruit of sin.

Cardinal Stafford mentions how the annihilation of fraternity among today's clergy returns especially to those priests, older now, who have rejected Humanae Vitae. He says, "The Archdiocesan priesthood lost something of the fraternal whole which Baltimore priests had known for generations."

The persistence of this dissent has not fizzled away, as he says, "Contempt for the truth, whether aggressive or passive, has become common in Church life. Dissenting priests, theologians and laypeople have continued their coercive techniques." The coercion takes the form of  the mentality of "dissent with us or we'll treat you worse than the trash," accompanied by group enterprises in which dissenters would rope in faithful priests against their will, and then give them no voice. This is why the Cardinal says, "No dialogue was possible in 1968; it remained impossible in 1978. There was no common ground." And there still is none. "Diocesan presbyterates have not recovered from the July/August nights in 1968."

I regularly avoid priest meetings in my local area. I have sat in on many, and have found that they are places where bad priests gossip and slander good priests, where the spirit of dissent is cultivated by discussions about how to get rid of the all-male clergy, the celibate clergy and how to justify homosexual conduct. When schools close by the handful, I have seen the clergy wrangling over "who gets the money" while no one even attempts to discuss "how are we going to educate our community's children in the Catholic faith?". I have sat in on meetings of ministry and apostolate where the discussion was all about numbers and money, and apostles lower on the power ladder would position themselves again and again to climb that very ladder. There is not rarely excessive drinking, criticism of Rome and of the Pope, a total hatred of Catholic forms of piety and devotion, contempt for rubrics.  Childish fighting, childish conduct, childish discussion and immature faith.

If I had the Catholic faith in common with my brother priests, I'd probably be criticized by my parishioners for neglecting them and spending so much time among such exemplary men. But we do not have the Catholic faith in common. I have little in common, in fact, with heretics, dissenters and haters of Rome , or with those who are apostles of sin.

I have no experience of a true fraternity of priests in a presbyterate or religious order; at least Cardinal Stafford new the day when he was a younger priest. Somehow in the back of my head, I can imagine what that might be like. Sure, there would be the occasional challenge of getting along with someone because of personality conflicts or minor defects; that's to be expected even in families. No, I'm not crying about my situation, just explaining why I don't go to all these gatherings of priests, and expressing a hope for reform in the Church.

Fortunately in my parish, there are two other diocesan priests, Fr. Bustamante and Fr. Perrone, and an occasionally varying collection of exemplary priests from the Canons Regular of the Holy Cross. We do form a sort of community, we discuss spiritual matters and encourage one another to be faithful. We share discoveries about the ancient liturgy, the Pope's latest teachings, the good example of the saints. And all that with lots of humor besides. We even do sports together and share meals.

Many faithful priests in the world are isolated by the type of coercion which the Cardinal mentioned. I meet them everywhere, including priests from around the world at World Youth Day, and many tell the same stories: abuse in exchange for fidelity. Yes, there are good priests out there; one Australian article stresses that there are many in fact. But dissenters in powerful positions put these faithful priests in very difficult positions and places, and places far from other faithful priests. It is not good for man to be alone, and every priest needs a presbyterate of brothers with whom to encourage, commiserate, bless, advise, laugh and pursue holiness.

May it please the Lord to send a great reformer to the Church. And may Catholic priests one day discover that they do, indeed, have Catholicism in common.

Fr. Paul Ward