As tends to be the trend lately, even on holy days of obligation, the sermon has turned to subjects generally unrelated to the readings. Today the sermon was used as a platform to reiterate to St. Mary's parishioners the importance of the sacred office of the priesthood. Unfortunately, having respect for the office of the priesthood, like having respect for the office of the bishop, has nothing whatsoever to do with expecting priests to do what they are supposed to do. (Namely, so far as we can tell, priests should protect the faithful, defend the Church, bring the Sacraments, lead holy lives, teach the Faith, and evangelize those who do not know Christ.)

Sadly, the "you have no respect for the priesthood" cudgel has been used too many times to speak of in order to try to shut up the lay faithful when they see wrongs being done in the name of Holy Mother Church. In our particular case, ever since we began the campaign to save St. Mary's, we have been called "disrespectful" when we disagreed with things expressed by the bishop and his priest supporters who have sought to close our church. Somehow, we are not "loving" if we disagree with a priest or the bishop. (Strangely, the reverse rationale has not applied to the laity. Apparently, no one is obligated to be "loving" and "respectful" towards us.)

We must never lose sight of the fact that priests and bishops, like the lay faithful, do not always do what is right or Christlike, even though they are "in persona Christi." In the wake of an "evangelization" meeting sponsored by the Diocese of Camden in which they seriously intend to "market Jesus," there are those of us who beg to differ with the crass commercialism and un-Catholic sentiments being expressed in these dark times.

Yes, we beg to differ. Bigger isn't necessarily better, a lie does not become true just because we keep saying it, and we cannot and should not "market Jesus." Yes, we seek to save our church and shield those in the pews (or potentially in the pews) from these offenses to Christ and His Church. If that makes us offensive to those who wield political power over us, so be it. It is not our job to please our pastor, but to defend our church and in so doing, defend The Church.

We have a good friend who grew up in another country. This country is predominantly Catholic and our friend is very devout. The interesting thing is that we agree on just about everything pertaining to the mess our Church is turning into. But our reactions are different. While I have been surprised in so many ways by the behavior of those supposedly representing the Church, my friend has not. Why? Because, she said, back in her country the vast majority of the priests were (fairly openly) corrupt. The pastor of her parish was even widely known to have fathered a child, and many priests, she said, drove expensive cars when most people could barely afford crappy ones. But she said there were some holy priests and they were easy to spot. They rode bikes.

The funniest thing she said, which I thought was at the same time very sad, was that "Americans have such high standards." After discussing what she meant by this, I learned that she meant that we Americans expect our priests to live out, well, what they're supposed to do. While we don't expect them to be perfect by any stretch of the imagination, we don't expect them to be corrupt. We Americans, she said, generally expect our priests to stand up for what is right and when they fall so far short, we are surprised.

I think that what were living through at this moment in time--between the child abuse scandals and the subsequent mass closure of Catholic churches throughout the country, as well as so many other things that have come to light--is a major American Catholic shift in attitude. Too many American Catholics, while respecting the office of the priesthood, no longer believe it possible to live a holy life as a priest. They no longer trust priests generally. As a result, there is a trickle-down effect. They no longer believe it possible to live a truly holy Catholic life as a lay person either.

We cannot let this happen. We must hold our priests and ourselves as lay Catholics to the same high standards. It is possible to live a good and holy Catholic life! We are called to obey God in all things and must not feed ourselves rationalizations of actions we know to be wrong. Things like eliminating masses, screaming at parishioners, stealing church funds, "merging" and closing churches, bearing false witness (lying) are all wrong for both priests and laity alike.

The long and short of it is this: Want to be respected as a priest in persona Christi, as a pastor who will lay down his life for his sheep? Act like one.

Here's a letter to the editor from Diocese of Camden spinmaster, Andy Walton. Don't laugh right away, read it first.

Re: "Do not care" (letters, Aug. 27).

The letter writer from Magnolia, whose struggling parish is merging with two nearby parishes, suggested that Bishop Joseph Galante, his priest advisers, deanery planning teams, planning commission and Core Teams "do not care" about the pain being felt by parishioners when their parishes merge.

The feelings of loss that accompany change of this kind are not being ignored. In fact, unlike other dioceses that have moved far more quickly with parish reconfigurations, the bishop insisted there be a period of 12 to 24 months before he issued decrees formally establishing new parishes. He did this in recognition of the sense of loss he knew would be experienced and to give parishes adequate time to prepare to come together.

During this time, he has heard personally from parishioners in every part of the diocese and has acknowledged the disappointment many naturally feel. The fact is, if he didn't care, he would not be taking steps to address the needs of Catholics in South Jersey. If he didn't care, he wouldn't be working to reverse downward trends in religious practice.

The fact is, it is precisely because the bishop cares so deeply about the well-being of parishioners and because of his great love for the Church and the people of South Jersey that he has undertaken the effort now under way to strengthen parishes and improve care to the people.

ANDREW WALTON Office of Communications Diocese of Camden Camden

St. Gregory's:
Andy's talking about the beautiful St. Gregory's (above) in Magnolia. Galante, McGrath, and Walton "care" so much they seem to have sold the property to Wawa. Who do they think they're fooling? We've got pictures of the surveyors sent to us by a concerned reader back last Christmas. Money talks, and to the tune of 10 million dollars, apparently. Empathy my foot. It's prime real estate.


View Larger Map

"Downward trends in religious practice":
As to the misleading demographic information continually touted by Mr. Walton, we've addressed it numerous times. It's lies. Just look here and here and here. All you have to do is look on a map to see where Magnolia is to know that the Catholic population in that area can only be expanding, not decreasing. We're not talking rural Fairton, Cumberland County here or Dennis Township, Cape May County. We're talking close proximity to Philadelphia in a congested, continually expanding area of South Jersey.

The plain fact is that the Catholic population in NJ and in South Jersey in particular is dramatically increasing. In fact the Catholic population in NJ has increased by at least 2.5% since 1990, by roughly 100,000 people. In Gloucester County alone we're looking at a Catholic increase of at least 20% since 1990. The Catholic population is only decreasing in South Jersey's only true urban centers, Camden and Atlantic City, as illustrated below:

                    Deptford           Salem County                Camden                   Atlantic City

1950                 7,304                 49,508                       124,555                       61,657

1960               17,878                 58,711                       117,159                       59,544

2006-7*          30,529                 66,595                         80,010                      39,684

*most recent available estimate

"Reversing Downward Trends":
Do they really care about reversing supposed downward trends or about justifying their own agenda? If all they care about is giving people what they want, they should stop watering down the Faith and desiring to build protestant style megachurches. And if they are truly targeting young adults, as they should, this group wants one of two things, neither of which the Diocese of Camden is offering: (1) an authentic and unapologetic Christianity, or (2) at the very least, clarity and a lack of hypocrisy. This is why you see the most traditional churches and religious orders growing. Alternately those who are leaving the Church are leaving for a protestantism whose Christianity is clear and faith exacting. Others who leave leave the Faith and stay away out of disgust for the likes of people like Walton and others who pretend religion but in reality have nothing but political motives. See these comments on Andy's letter, for example:

bjd0305:

It is more effective to have fewer churches with more people in them. god is a hell of a businessman
9/2/2009 8:27:08 AM

firebird 7478 replying to bjd0305:

Which is why he's always asking for more money.
9/2/2009 10:41:42 AM

Case in point. House of "Charity" anyone?

"Feelings of Loss that Accompany Change":
We addressed this patronizing attitude just the other day. So we quote ourselves!

They have spewed psychobabble pertaining to the alleged difficulty that we, the laity have coping with change. This kind of patronizing dribble is without merit because it fails to address the purpose of the change and merely holds up "change" as having inherent value. This type of rhetoric attempts to put the Catholic faithful on the defensive, as if we have to prove our ability to healthily cope with change by accepting the destruction of our parishes. The question remains, is the change we are expected to embrace a change toward the Good, toward God's Will, toward God Himself? What are we supposed to be changing to?

"Heard Personally From Parishioners":
And, apparently, listened to few of them. Go ahead and ask St. Gregory's how "listened to" they're feeling right about now. They got "listened" right into closure.

Bishop Galante's parish reconfiguration plan, if implemented, will result in a reduction of parishes in the Diocese of Camden from 125 to 68 (a 46% reduction) and a reduction of churches from 133 to approximately 103 (a 22% reduction).  One of the four justifications offered by Bishop for the parish reconfiguration was "shifting demographics."   The following is an excerpt from Bishop's reconfiguration announcement:

 

"Second, in many areas of the diocese, parish facilities exist in very close geographic proximity to each other.  They were established in a different era to serve Catholic people that have now moved from former Catholic population centers into other parts of South Jersey or even out of the diocese completely, leaving behind under-utilized and often aging facilities." 

 

A quick summary of population data for some areas of the diocese are shown below (all from wikipedia):

 

                    Deptford           Salem County                Camden                   Atlantic City

1950                 7,304                 49,508                       124,555                       61,657

1960               17,878                 58,711                       117,159                       59,544

2006-7*          30,529                 66,595                         80,010                      39,684

*most recent available estimate

So, here are some logical conclusions based on these demographics and Bishop's statement above.  Deptford, which has more than quadrupled in size since 1950, and Salem County, which has seen slow steady growth and is one of the few areas left in NJ that is not already built out, should see very little impact from the reconfiguration.  On the other hand, Camden and AC, which have lost more than one-third of their population will likely suffer a high percentage loss of churches and parishes.  This all seems pretty basic and straightforward, so let's see if the high paid diocesan consultants came to the same conclusion.   (We're not going to bother pretending that anyone else had any input into the decisions). 

 Let's look at Salem County first.  Salem County started with six parishes and six churches.  After the reconfiguration, only one of the six Salem County parishes will remain, with three churches.  This is an 83% reduction in parishes (compared to 46% throughout the diocese) and a 50% reduction in churches (compared to 22% throughout the diocese).  That's odd.  Did those high price consultants (paid for by YOUR DONATIONS) somehow conclude that rural Salem County is suffering an extreme Catholic exodus?  Perhaps the result of urban decay, loss of industry, gangs and crime?  Do they actually think that Salem County's six parishes (the fewest of any county in NJ) are somehow "in very close geographic proximity to each other," thereby justifying their closures?  Could it be that they believe the small churches in Salem County are actually huge, empty "facilities" falling into disrepair?  Have they ever even been to Salem County?  For that matter, has the Bishop?  Is this what they would expect us to believe about Salem County?

Two more Catholics leave Salem County. They walk past former luxury apartments, now in a state of decay and infested by cows...

Compare this to the way Camden and Atlantic City fared in the reconfiguration process.  Camden began the parish reconfiguration process with nine parishes and nine churches.  After the reconfiguration, Camden will have six parishes and eight churches.  So there will be a 33% reduction in parishes (compared to 46% throughout the diocese and 83% in Salem County) and an 11% reduction in churches (compared to 22% throughout the diocese and 50% in Salem County).  Wow - those consultants must have concluded that Camden has NOT suffered from shifting demographics, while the rest of the diocese has.

 

Similarly, Atlantic City started the process with five parishes and five churches.  Oddly, Bishop actually lists a sixth parish, Holy Spirit, saying he intends to "merge Our Lady Star of the Sea (Atlantic City) and Holy Spirit (Atlantic City) at Our Lady Star of the Sea."  But since Holy Spirit Parish does not actually exist, I am not going to count it.  After the reconfiguration, Atlantic City will have, stunningly, five parishes and five churches, a 0% reduction in each.  Is Atlantic City a model of Catholic vibrancy or what?  Who are these consultants?  Follieri and company?  Someone else as equally "qualified?"   

 

Apparently they must have concluded that the plight of urban decay, with Catholics fleeing rust belt cities, has affected areas of the diocese like Waterford, Blue Anchor, and Malaga.  Have they ever heard of the Pine Barrens, Pineys, the Jersey Devil?  Have they ever seen a cranberry bog?  But, perhaps most distressing of all is that they seem to believe that ALL Catholics have left the apparent aging metropolis of Deptford Township, as evidenced by the fact that after the reconfiguration it will have zero Catholic churches.  That's right - no Catholic presence in Deptford. 

You gotta love consultants (no offense intended Bob).  It seems that the area that more than quadrupled in size (Deptford) will lose all of its parishes and churches.  The area that had steady growth (Salem County) will lose the majority of its parishes and churches and the two areas (Camden and AC) which lost more than 1/3 of their population will be almost completely unaffected.  Oops - guess it must have been "backwards day" at the Chancery when this plan was hatched! 

(By the way, I'm not suggesting that churches in Camden or Atlantic City should close; rather, I am simply pointing out that the justifications for the churches that are closing are completely bogus.)

by Julie

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me: for my soul trusteth in thee. And in the shadow of thy wings will I hope, until iniquity pass away. I will cry to God the most High; to God who hath done good to me. (Psalm 56: 2-3)

Why?

I unexpectedly had my sweet little niece for an overnight last night. She's 6. My own two [boys] are five and three (although the youngest is closer chronologically to 22 months due to developmental delay). In any case, ever since she was a baby, whenever I've had my niece with me I like to take her to church since that isn't something she normally does. When you have kids around this age, it's amazing the bizarre or surprising conversations you wind up having with them since they ask "why?" about almost everything.

I happened to have a couple of signs from rallies in the car and my niece was asking me questions about them. I tried to answer her succinctly. But my answers inevitably led to questions about why the bishop would want to close churches. Kids just never understand this, and I can't say I blame them. I truly wish Bishop Galante would listen to the children a little more often, because no child I know can wrap their mind around why their bishop should want to shut down their church. Anyway, I found this simultaneously easy and difficult to answer. Difficult because at first I wasn't sure what to say or how to explain it, and simple because when it came to me, I realized that the situation wasn't really that complex.

No Hope

The bottom line, I thought, is that the bishop has no hope. Truly this is a sad, sad thing on many levels. Hope is something divinely infused, necessary to salvation, and, when you think about it, God Himself. Our hope is in the Lord, our hope is the Lord, and the Lord Himself implants hope within us. But what came to me when I was trying to explain this to the kids was that hope is trust in God, trust that He will provide, that our lives are in His hands, and that no matter what happens to us, He's in charge. When we have no hope, God loses His rightful place on the throne of our hearts, and we go about leading our lives as if we were in charge. As Bishop Galante himself put it, we can't sit around waiting for a miracle to happen.

Of course, this is a dramatic shift in perspective, isn't it? We stop waiting for God's direction and rely upon our own. We even stop expecting God to give us direction, we no longer expect God to care for us, and all of life's burdens are placed squarely on our own shoulders. Like the God of the Deists, He will not intervene, He will no longer draw souls to Himself. He will no longer call men to the holy priesthood nor women to the consecrated religious life. In this view of our world, human life varies from place to place and time to time, and common sense dictates that one must live one's life and alter one's religious practice accordingly. Therefore we cannot have the same view of God as those who lived hundreds of years ago. We cannot be that simple-minded. We must be realistic and face facts: we must downsize the Faith. This, my friends, is a mistake of monumental proportions.

He Don't Change!

In reality, God doesn't change even when our lives on this earth do, no matter the place or the century. However, with the dawn of progressive religious sensibilities, particularly during the modernistic "Second Great Awakening" in the nineteenth century (the fruits of which were seen in the twentieth), came the notion that with the march of time and progress, our understandings of God will become less obscured and consequently more reasonable. Our lives will improve largely due to scientific advances which lead to greater awareness of ourselves and the universe. And while our ancestors were simplistic and naive, we, with greater information at our disposal, are more enlightened. We may look upon our ancestors and their religion, then, with tender sentimentality, but no true regard. Whenever you see the title of a program or workshop that reads "spirituality for today," "modern Catholicism," "religion for our lives and times," or the like, the presumption is that today's religiosity ought to be better than yesterday's because not only our lives, but also our God, are changeable. In a nutshell, this is modernism;

A spirit of movement and change, with an inclination to a sweeping form of evolution such as abhors anything fixed and stationary.

Earlier this evening, my husband and I were talking about modernistic tendencies. He's not Catholic, by the way, but was lamenting the prevalence of this mindset in his denomination. It occurred to me that the modernism we were discussing, which has infected all forms of Christianity and even invented new ones, was connected to my discussion of hope with the kids in the car. Closely associated with a type of liberalism, it

denies, at least practically, God and supernatural religion. If carried out logically, it leads even to a theoretical denial of God, by putting deified mankind in place of God.

You may know from your own personal experience the very thing that this sort of self-reliance leads to: despair. Why? Because without God we are nothing. We are made in His own image and likeness, He is the object of our love and the definition of love itself. We are mortal creatures with immortal souls, and He is the Immortal in us. We were created to long for Him. All the knowledge ever sought was sought with the impulse He placed in the human mind to know Him. Without Him we are incomplete. In a word, placing our broken, sinful selves on the throne of our hearts in place of God just won't cut it.

But be thou, O my soul, subject to God: for from him is my patience. For he is my God and my saviour: he is my helper, I shall not be moved. In God is my salvation and my glory: he is the God of my help, and my hope is in God. Trust in him, all ye congregation of people: pour out your hearts before him. God is our helper for ever. But vain are the sons of men, the sons of men are liars in the balances: that by vanity they may together deceive. (Psalm 61: 6-10)

The Bottom Line

Without hope in the Lord, we close up shop. We take things into our own hands instead of placing them in His. At the helm of our ship, we have a bishop who has no hope. PRAY FOR HIM.

O God, who art mighty above all, hear the voice of them, that have no other hope, and deliver us from the hand of the wicked, and deliver me from my fear. (Esther 14:19)

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.
  

We have been meaning to share some quotes with you from the wonderful and well-researched book, Goodbye, Good Men by Michael S. Rose. The book focuses largely on the true reasons for the supposed "priest shortage." Admittedly, the book is shocking even to those familiar with the darker sides of church politics, but it is very convincing and well-documented. Intermittently we will share quotes with you from this book since it is so relevant to the situation at hand in so many diocese around the country including, presumably, our own.

The fact is that many qualified candidates for the priesthood have been turned away for political reasons over the past three decades. Systematic, ideological discrimination has been practiced against seminarians who uphold Catholic teaching on sexuality and other issues; dissenters from Catholic teaching--including teaching on homosexuality--have been rewarded.

Goodbye, Good Men exposes this corruption: the deliberate infiltration of Catholic seminaries by what Andrew Greeley has dubbed the "Lavender Mafia," a clique of homosexual dilettantes with an underground of liberal faculty members determined to change the doctrines, disciplines, and mission of the Catholic Church from within. Through the seminaries, liberals have brought a moral meltdown into the Catholic priesthood. If the sex scandals that have rocked the Catholic Church are to end, the individuals responsible for this moral meltdown must be rooted out. (page xi)

To use the words of a friend's father with regard to the last sentence above, "If there's a rat in the corn crib, you get rid of the rat, you don't quit farming." He lamented the fact that instead of rooting out the rats, corrupt bishops elected instead to keep child abusing priests around to destroy the Church and the souls entrusted to Her. As a result of all the financial settlements, some church leaders have decided to deal with the likes of con-man Rafaello Follieri to sell off diocesan properties as quickly as possible and access cash for the settlements. So with the closure of churches and schools, they've effectively decided to "quit farming," so to speak: to get out of the business of saving souls and into the business of saving skin.

To drastically understate the case, some seriously poor decisions were made, but instead of repenting of these and making a serious attempt to turn things around and restore the trust of the laity and the Bride of Christ generally, another series of poor decisions was made--to close our churches and schools. Perhaps worst of all, the rationale for doing so has been covered with misinformation and false rationales (there's a priest shortage, there are demographic shifts, etc.) because the truth is simply too horrible to admit to. And now look where we are?! We, the faithful in the pews, are paying the price for one bad decision after the next. And now we must pay for these sins by sacrificing our very houses of God, our schools, and even our Faith? We must expose and reject the pretenses for closing our churches, which we know to be untrue. One such pretense is the availability of priests (or lack thereof). While particulars vary from diocese to diocese, on a broader national scale the decline has been traced to far-reaching and disturbing trends.

According to Michael Rose, the priest shortage, where it does in fact exist, is "artificial and contrived." He quotes Archbishop of Omaha Nebraska, Elden F. Curtiss, who says

It seems to me that the vocation "crisis" is precipitated by people who want to change the Church's agenda, by people who do not support orthodox candidates loyal to the magisterial teaching of the pope and bishops, and by people who actually discourage viable candidates from seeking priesthood and vowed religious life as the Church defines these ministries. I personally am aware of certain vocations directors, vocations teams and evaluation boards who turn away candidates who defend the Church's teaching about artificial birth control, or who exhibit a strong piety toward certain devotions, such as the rosary.

Rose goes on to mention unapologetically orthodox bishops whose diocese have experienced dramatic increases in vocations to the priesthood. Of course, most of us are familiar with religious orders that are experiencing vocations booms as well. After all, if one is going to sacrifice his or her life for the cause of Christ, whether one's vocation be lay or religious in nature, it must be worth it!

We will explore more of Goodbye, Good Men in the future. More to come...

Via Fr. Romanowski, we recently received a letter from a Texas couple which briefly described what Bishop Galante did when he was down in Dallas, how devastating that has been, and how they are still dealing with the aftermath of his time there. They wished us all the best and assured us of their prayers in this struggle. Hopefully this will open up a line of communication and we thank them for reaching out to us.

Indeed we have already seen the patterns in other diocese, under other bishops who wish to similarly dismantle the Catholic Church and faith in their regions. However we have been certain that, given Bishop Galante's past actions in Texas, the reasons given to us in the Diocese of Camden for closing our churches and schools have nothing to do a priest shortage, demographic shifts, youth ministry, or any of the other rationales du jour. What we are witnessing is a program that has been instituted by Galante in other places and continues to be thrust upon the faithful in many other diocese throughout the country (Lansing, Pittsburgh, Boston, Scranton, and on and on).

By M, a friend of St Mary's
Updated 7/21/08 3:00pm. Email tips to: follieri@savestmarys.net

July 15th's New York Post breaks with A Deal with the Devil, detailing Camden Bishop Joseph Galante's working relationship with Italian con artist and playboy Raffaello Follieri, jailed two weeks ago on federal fraud and money-laundering charges (PDF) in a complicated scheme to use investor money to buy up Catholic churches at below market value then "flip them" for profit. The Bishop sold Follieri his $400,000 beach house in January 2007 (it was back on sale recently) even as news of the scheme was unraveling and even as the Bishop was working on the plan to close and sell off half of the churches in his diocese.

A Business Model Built on Bilking the Church

Follieri arrived in New York in 2003 and presented himself as a brash, young well-connected real estate developer. What he quickly developed was a reputation for high living. As the National Catholic Reporter wrote in 2006:

The business opportunity exploited by the Follieri Group is evident: A cash-hungry, land-rich institution (the American church) experiencing a demographic shift among its clientele (parishioners abandoning the inner city) and huge and ongoing liabilities (more than $1 billion has already been paid victims of clergy sex abuse) needs to divest itself of long-held but increasingly unproductive holdings (inner-city parishes and other excess real estate holdings). It's a big business.

The NCR profile showed that Follieri Group lavished a lot of time and money on the 2006 meeting of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, providing a "hospitality suite" for the bishops and lobbying them on real estate sales. At the meeting the bishops changed the rules on Vatican oversight on large sales of church property. A important player in the Conference was its former spokesperson, Bishop Joseph Galante.

Follieri spent the next few years using exaggerated ties to the Vatican to build a real estate scam that used money from Californian billionaire Ron Burkle (friend of Bill Clinton and assorted nineteen year old NYU students) to buy up church property below market value, then flip them for profit. They figured that the crushing debts following the sexual abuse scandal would have created a country full of desperate bishops (Trenton politicians squashed independent prosecutorial investigations into the sex abuse scandal in New Jersey so we'll never learn the details that have become public in places like Boston). Most diocese turned away the Follieri Group; few churches were sold and none seem to have been resold for profit. Most of the Burkle money went to feed Follieri's jet-setting penthouse lifestyle complete with Hollywood pretty girl Anne Hathaway.

But it was not to last. Investor Ron Burkle had wised up according to FBI records he flew a representative to New York in January 2007 to examine Follieri's "engineering reports." The Italian was out of the office and claimed to have the only copies with him. When pressed, Follieri warned Birkle's man that he "should see what happened to the last guy that crossed Follieri." Around February 13 Birkle directly confronted Follieri's $20,000 expense of a private jet between Los Angeles and Las Vegas and turned off the money.

Buying a "Unique Relationship with the Catholic Church"

Follieri went looking for a new business model. From the FBI indictment:

By or about early 2007, Follieri took additional steps to look for new investors. Among other things, Follieri directed the production of a pitch book based on the false representations that Follieri had connections witht he Vatican and the ability to obtain church properties cheaply. The pitch book for Follieri Media, which Follieri had distributed to several potential investors, state, among other things, that Follieri Media had a "unique relationship with the Catholic Church."

Starting February 28, 2007 Follieri began liquidating Birkle money he had stashed in Monaco, "transferring hundreds of thousands of dollars from two other accounts at a private bank in Monaco to a bank account in New York, New York, for the Follieri Group." (FBI).

His new plan to build a "unique relationship with the Catholic Church" proceeded remarkably quickly. Within three weeks of the money transfer he was named a "special consultant" to the New York-based Pontifical Missions Society, headed by Monsignor John E Kozar, a priest appointed in 2001 by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. Eight days later, on Wednesday March 28, Kozar and Follieri announce a joint financial venture, an affinity credit card arranged through Clinton/Burkle friend Howard Kessler (A former Follieri Capital VP now works for Kessler).

The day after announcing this joint financial partnership, Follieri settled on the $400,000 sale of a nondescript condo in a South Jersey beach town that had been sitting idle on the market for over six months. It was a far cry from Follieri's usual San Tropez/New York Penthouse and an unusual choice for an international playboy. The seller had recently launched phase two of a plan that would eventually call for the sale of over sixty church properties to real estate developers. Bishop Joseph Galante had bought the house a decade earlier for $114,000, a remarkably healthy annual return of 32%. Two nearby properties that Zillow.com identifies as "Comparable Homes" have since sold for $165,000 and $208,900.
 
Our Usher in the Vatican

Galante says the suggestion to first use then-26 year old Raffaello Follieri came from a 2004 phone call from a high Vatican office but now can't seem to remember just who it was who called. The FBI says Follieri's only real Vatican connection was a low level employee. Italian papers name him as Tonino Mainiero, an "usher" or "lay clerk" at what the Post identifies as a "small church within the Vatitcan." Follieri had hired the nephew of a powerful Vatican figure for his vice president but there is no indication that he had any special connection to his uncle or involvement with the Follieri Group and he seemed to have been used mostly to get a well-known Vatican name on the letterhead.

Previous negotiations between Follieri and the Diocese to buy property in Atlantic City had fallen through, but sometime around the sale of the condo, Bishop Galante loaned Follieri a priest.  Diocesan spokesperson Andrew Walton has admitted the diocese was aware that Atlantic City Monsignor William Hodge spent a considerable amount of time traveling to investor meetings with Follieri, but that press reports about him being directly employed by Follieri are not true. If Walton's denial is to be believed, then the only salary Hodge received during his time working for Follieri was coming from diocesan offices in Camden.

The FBI reports that Galante's loaner priest was actively involved in the scam. They have sworn testimony that Follieri kept clerical robes of "a more senior clergyman" in his New York office and that Hodge and Monsignor John E. Kozar used them to impersonate Vatican officials to would-be investors. New reports say that around this time Kozar's charity began passing millions of dollars  to a under-documented real estate holding company and no one seems to know where the money's gone. Hodge left the country "on vacation" the same week Follieri was arrested by federal authorities in New York and has phoned in a denial that he dressed in bishop's clothes.

"Nobody Was Aware"

Bishop Galante says he didn't know Follieri was a con artist when he sold him the beach house at such a good profit. His spokesman Andrew Walton claims that "nobody was aware of problems with Mr. Follieri or his company at that time". Yet in 2005 a potential investor in a Follieri scheme to siphon charity money for an Ecuadoran orphanage asked around and was advised to "stay away, that's not good. I don't think it's a real foundation." A year later the National Catholic Reporter article came out and quoted a financial officer of a religious order as saying "this thing smells in my opinion. I wouldn't get close to these people." In 2006, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette opined that Follieri "has had an easier time maneuvering around Manhattan society than in acquiring and developing Catholic church property" and outlined his shady billionaire backers, expensive life style and glitzy Hollywood girlfriend. It gets better: a Follieri Group vice president, listed prominently on their website, was Vincent Ponte, son of convicted waste-management mobster Angelo Ponte. Vincent's own resume included a 1997 bribery conviction, easily discovered via Google. A full two years before Galante accepted Follieri's $400,000 check, even a blogger could connect enough dots to warn the Boston diocese to keep the Follieri Group "at arm's length."

Even if there had been no signs of a brewing scandal it was a clear conflict of interest for Galante to sell personal property to this group at the same time he was organizing a mass sell-off of churches.

We're not the first to recognize that many of the churches slated for closure are both financially solvent and sitting on prime real estate. Spokesperson Andrew Walton disingenuously claims that "parishes own their own properties and any sale would benefit them, not the diocese" without explaining that when a parish is closed its trustee body ceases to exist: proceeds of the sale go to the newly created mega-parish entity, three of whose five trustees will have been recently hand-picked by the bishop.

What this means to the movement?

Vati-Con, or The Great Church Sell Off, has been occurring in diocese after diocese all across the country and the script is remarkably consistent. Bishop comes in, makes showy listening tour, commissions committee to make future plan, then calls in the TV stations to express shock and dismay at the depth of the proposed cuts before throwing his hands up and bowing to the process, as if this is all another victory for democracy.

The consistency of the process (and the invariable ending) is a clear clue that this The Sell Off is being coordinated at a higher level. Raffaello Follieri almost certainly acted as public relations consultant to the bishops, and other networks formal and informal are probably at work. It is commendable that U.S. bishops are working together to address national issues facing the Catholic Church, and it would be fine to hire an outside real estate developer for consultation. But it becomes conspiracy when the network and the motives and money are hidden behind church walls and tax records.

It is conspiracy when Camden and dozens of other Dioceses produce showy process for a known end: closure and sell-off of churches. It is conspiracy when employees of the Diocese of Camden dress up as high church officials and jet around the world with a real estate developer on diocesan time. It is conspiracy when the bishop quietly sells his personal beach condo to a known con artist who will be a likely bidder on the sixty-some properties about to go up for sale.

Those behind the Sell Offs have relied on the lack of coordination of local efforts to save the churches. Google around and you'll see that every diocese hit by this has spawned blogs and websites determined to save the churches. We've been divided by lack of communication but also by the loyalty and trust that church-goers properly extend to their pastors and bishops, a trust which has been used to deflect tough questions and honest answers.

We've now found that at least one U.S. bishop is in bed with Raffaello Follieri and has profited from at least one six-figure personal business transaction. Where else will this money trail lead?

You can email confidential tips to follieri@savestmarys.net.

Quote:

The church closing announcements by Bishop Joseph Galante came after two years of meeting with parishioners for alleged input. I attended one of the bishop's speak-up sessions two years ago. The session produced all the concerns set forth in the newspapers, but with little or no input from people who are the church.

It's like they read from the same script, huh?

LANSING -- Two months into his new position, Bishop Earl Boyea is confident the 10-county Lansing Catholic Diocese, which includes Jackson, will emerge stronger, more vibrant and holier from a three-year period of self-examination.

The product of that study -- a report that is a composite of information and feedback gathered from parishes, schools and other entities -- reached Boyea's desk Tuesday.

Boyea has the power to make changes in the diocese based on the report, but in an interview Wednesday he said he wasn't ready to say what moves he will make. Some changes will be immediate, he said, others will take several years to implement.

At issue is whether any parishes or schools will close because of a shortage of priests and a shifting Catholic population in the diocese.

The commission that prepared the report has met monthly for 39 months.

"It would be foolish for me not to accept their judgment," he said. "I think they have done more than a thorough job. I couldn't believe when I read that 94 out of 97 parishes contributed to it."

Besides parish or school closures, consolidation options will be considered, he said.

The article goes on. Believe me, I know nothing about Lansing and I've never been there, but it sounds pretty darn fishy to me. Why? Because clearly there is just one playbook and the liberal bishops share it. The thing is, though, that even when you're plagiarizing somebody else's work, you should at least look for other words to use. You know, make it look creative and different and unique, not like you're just copying somebody else's work. These guys can't even find new words to use to attempt to dupe the general public.

For example,

"Blah blah blah more vibrant, blah blah blah more vital churches. And therefore blah blah blah listening session so we can hear the voice of the people. We of course want their feedback and participation (except when it isn't what we want to hear). Blah blah blah we know the laity, in their wisdom, will of course tell us to close (ahem "merge and consolodate") their churches and schools. And why will we do this? Blah blah blah priest shortage (insert fake numbers from rigged studies here, don't mention money) and blah blah blah population shifts demographics blah blah blah other big, four-syllable words and corporate-speak. But the blah blah process was a process and of course there was no preordained end result even though the other bishops are all doing the same things and saying the same things. And did we mention there's a priest shortage? (Of course, we have to make sure to get rid of as many good priests as possible to ensure a priest shortage, but keep it on the down-low so it doesn't look like we have an agenda or anything.) But keep in mind it's not because there's a priest shortage we're doing this because this article is coming out on a Wednesday and Wednesday is a "shifting demographics" day, not "priest shortage" day. (Tomorrow is chow mein day.) Blah blah blah young people. Blah blah blah lay participation blah blah blah VATICAN II !

The bishop up in Lansing says this. (He must've been paraphrasing either Joseph Galante [bishop], Roger McGrath [official string-puller], Marilyn vollmer ["the other bishop"], or Walton [diocesan spokesperson who must be very busy these days with spin].)

Boyea, 57, said "not everyone will be happy with changes but because this was such a great process, they will accept it."

Uh-huh, I suspect that's wishful thinking. I doubt a big love fest is what you'll be facing up there, Bishop Boyea. And of course, we must replace the priests with lay ministers:

Meanwhile, he said he sees many positives in the diocese, including the "excellent" lay minister preparation...

And finally he drops the V-Bomb:

...even if we had a hundred more priests, we would still need lay ministers," Boyea said. "They are part of the blessing of the post-Vatican II Council."

Nevermind almost two thousand years of Church teaching. What counts are the abuses of the last 40 or so done falsely and for self-serving purposes in the name of Vatican II. So predictable, isn't it?

In the end it's not about a lack of priests. God knows, there are plenty of them in the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter, but the liberal bishops won't allow these orthodox young priests into their diocese. That's because there's an agenda; a liberal agenda. The poor faithful in the Diocese of Lansing are about to have their churches ripped away from them and the bishop's liberal agenda foisted upon them. Yuck. I pray they fight for the Faith. It's the only thing a person can do when insidious plans begin to infultrate Holy Mother Church. Sometimes the battle to do what's right is not easy. In England only one bishop stood up to Henry VIII. Only one!* Take courage and stand up! Times aren't so tough as then, but God still requires acts of martyrdom on a daily basis, however small in comparison.

Whatever happens, we know they can never win because that is what God has promised us. He will preserve His Church until the end of time.
 
Click here to read the article.


* In case you're interested in St. John Fisher, I thought this was a very useful quote from the brave and saintly Bishop John Fisher:

Reply to Bishops Stokesley, Gardiner and Tunstal, sent to the Tower by Thomas Cromwell to persuade Fisher to submit to the king:

Methinks it had been rather our parts to stick together in repressing these violent and unlawful intrusions and injuries dayly offered to our common mother, the holy Church of Christ, than by any manner of persuasions to help or set forward the same.

And we ought rather to seek by all means the temporal destruction of the so ravenous wolves, that daily go about worrying and devouring everlastingly, the flock that Christ committed to our charge, and the flock that Himself died for, than to suffer them thus to range abroad.

But (alas) seeing we do it not, you see in what peril the Christian state now standeth: We are besieged on all sides, and can hardly escape the danger of our enemy. And seeing that judgment is begone at the house of God, what hope is there left (if we fall) that the rest shall stand!

The fort is betrayed even of them that should have defended it. And therefore seeing the matter is thus begun, and so faintly resisted on our parts, I fear that we be not the men that shall see the end of the misery.

(Article link below)

Again, the thing the Diocese just doesn't seem to get is that they are not giving any local demographic statistics to justify the trends they say exist. Just because a general trend is occurring nationally doesn't mean that that same trend can be applied to every specific region. This is a basic principle of sociology, of course. But apparently the bishop and Mr. Walton think that if they throw a bunch of numbers out to the population at large they'll be dumb enough to buy it. Many don't trust the bishops after they mishandled the sex abuse scandal or think fighting a bishop is useless since they'll run roughshod over the laity anyway. What difference will these misleading numbers make to them?

As I've said before, here in South Jersey, there are only two urban centers, by definition: Camden and Atlantic City. Even if there is a Catholic exodus from these areas, church closure is not necessarily the answer. At St. Bart's in Camden, for example, which is a parish that was established in particular for the Black Catholic population, parishioners drive from various locations to attend this church. In other words, just because the Catholic population in an area may shift, this does not always mean that the church is underutilized.*

People are attached to their churches for many reasons, and it has been shown in recent years that the local (or most geographically expedient) church is not always the one people choose to attend. I myself drive past countless Catholic churches to attend the two churches to which I belong. My neighbors on one side attend one Catholic church, across the street another, and next door to me on the other side yet another. We all live in the same town on the same block and between the four houses we attend five different churches in a total of three different towns. At one church I attend, I don't think I know any parishioner who actually lives in that particular town.

About the most they give us in this article is the following: "Local shifts in population also have occurred." ??? They continue to fail to give any specific information about particular parishes which are situated in areas with significantly decreased Catholic populations. While I'm sure there are a few such parishes, I hardly believe the far-reaching changes the bishop proposes in any way meet the actual statistical data. I am so confident that they are wrong in their conclusions, in fact, that if I had all the time in the world I'd pour over the census data myself. (Unfortunately I have a job and two young children, so I don't anticipate this happening.)

There are at least two things the Diocese, intent on only sociological planning (and poor planning at that) rather than Godly action, have missed altogether:

1. These days, particularly due to the fact that there are churches that do not unapologetically embrace the fullness of the Church's teachings, people will drive to get to a Catholic church they want to and in conscience can attend. St. Mary's and St. Bart's are only two such churches in the diocese. There are definitely others: St. Peter's in Merchantville, the Cathedral in Camden, Mater Ecclesiae in Berlin, St. Catherine's in Clayton, St. Lawrence in Lindenwold, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton in Absecon, etc.

2. We are to evangelize! We are Christians! The bishop's answer to decreasing numbers of practicing Catholics is to close the churches they were baptized and received the sacraments in? Take away the only church that fallen-away Catholics have any attachment to and you take away their last remaining connection to the faith. Besides this, if population changes are truly occurring to the point where drastic action is needed, that drastic action is evangelization, not church closure!!! Maybe instead of investing all this time and money on how to close down churches and turn a profit from property sales, he should be thinking instead about how to win hearts and minds for Christ and his One, True Church. Fill up those pews again, then, don't take away people's houses of God! (Boy I bet they're glad they didn't pack it in in Europe when church attendance fell away. The tourist trade at all those old churches is quite lucrative.)

In any case, without exerting ourselves, we can use their own information to disprove their argument. In the past, the bishop has talked about major population increases in the Pitman area, for example. In fact, Bishop Galante has on several occasions sung the praises of the evangelical protestant Gloucester County Community Church. Well GCCC is two blocks from the Pitman line, and yet he wants to close down Our Lady Queen of Peace in Pitman? That makes no sense. In just about every instance I can think of, Galante and McGrath are seeking to close churches in areas where there is significant population growth.

Again, take the Malaga and Waterford areas. Both these areas are experiencing development, population influx not decrease, and yet Galante and McGrath want to close both these churches (St. Mary's and St. Anthony's). The rationale given (among many depending on the day of the week) is that people don't live in these areas anymore and demographics are shifting. Huh? Just goes to show they haven't done their homework and actually explored these geographic areas. Have exploratory/preliminary studies been done? Doesn't seem like it. All you have to do is look around and see houses going up and know people are moving in, not out.

So far as I can tell, the real reason for the destruction of the Diocese is that Galante, McGrath, and vollmer simply do not like traditional Catholic churches, particularly not small ones. It's an issue of preference. They embrace a different model of church altogether and wish to radically change the face of Catholicism in South Jersey. Just look at the churches the bishop seems to like: Gloucester County Community Church and St. John the Evangelist in Naples, FL. One is protestant and the other a liberal McMegachurch. But if they gave their true reasons, who would be behind them? Hardly anyone is now, can you imagine if they were administered a truth serum and were forced to lay bare their real motivations? We must pray for their conversion, it's our best hope and their best hope. Bishop Galante is the bishop of our Diocese, we must pray for his soul and those who will be affected by these actions!


*Of course, while claiming to promote "unity within our diversity," according to the mission statement of the Diocese, Galante plans to close the only Catholic church in the diocese that was established for the Black population. What an insult. But that is another matter.


Read here if you want to waste your time with more propaganda.

The bishop is now admitting to wanting to change the culture of the Church. What we are facing as the faithful is an attempt to change the fundamental nature of the Church, the Church as we know it, and how it functions, particularly on a local level. We must fight this--moreover we are obligated to by virtue of our baptism. It is a matter of our eternal destiny and the loss of many souls.

Snippet:

Over the next year, South Jersey's Catholics will experience a wave of dramatic -- and sometimes traumatic -- change.

Those losses -- which some observers compare to a death in the family -- will be controversial casualties in an ongoing campaign by the Diocese of Camden.

The diocese -- faced with a worsening priest shortage, aging congregations and shifting demographics -- plans to slash its parishes from 124 to 66. And Camden Bishop Joseph Galante said surviving parishes will see a culture change, as they are revitalized with an influx of ministries and new members.

I have only skimmed the article, but the title looks promising. Please email me any commentary you may have. I've been getting plenty of great contributions of late, so keep them coming.

Read it here

True Motivation of the Merger Process:
It's Financial
by An Anonymous Contributor
(hey, if the Catholic Star Herald can have anonymous writers, so
can we!)

The Catholic Star Herald recently published the following Q&A on
its webpage further explaining the merger process as Galante
would have it happen. 

Read it here. 

What the answer fails to include, however, is that the Bishop
is ordering these "Priest Conveners," as their very first
duty upon appointment, to take an ENTIRE INVENTORY OF THE
PARISH. He's apparently concerned with preventing theft.
(Seriously, this is the exact reason he provides for ordering
these inventories!) This is ironic since he keeps saying the
mergers are about "vibrancy," but his very first directive
with respect to the mergers is clearly MATERIAL in nature.

As if we're too simple to see past his patronizing one-
dimensional answers, Galante has brushed aside our concerns by
explaining that parish assets don't belong to the diocese. Well
if it's not his plan to have his new parish priests sell all
the assets and funnel the $$$ back to the diocese to create the
ultimate legacy (of his ego), then why is he so concerned with
trying to protect his (OUR!) possessions from theft by the
faithful? Which concern is, in itself, so telling about his
notions of spirituality!

__________________________________________________________

6/22 Editorial Note:
Although it may be true that Canon law makes necessary the
inventory of all material goods of a parish, the point of the
above writer is well-taken. The material aspect of this
"reconfiguration" is over-emphasized.

On multiple occasions the bishop has spoken about the assets
of particular parishes and emphasized his role as being over
the entire diocese. A parish with significant funds and/or
property will eventually be "merged" with another parish that
does not. After that time, the first parish will cease to exist
as an entity, but because it was "merged" rather than suppressed,
the money is still usable.

In other words, it is clear that assets of parishes not in
arrears will be used (at least in part) to "bail out" parishes
that are. Take for example the case of Our Lady Queen of Peace
in Pitman and Our Lady of Lourdes. Bishop Galante wishes to 
merge these two churches. The former parish has significant
assets, the latter is in debt. While the bishop may be
concerned about theft from the diocese on some level, what's
really going on is pure and simple theft from parishes by the
diocese. The bishop wishes to legitimately seize
assets from parishes for the benefit of the diocese. If the
church doesn't have cash assets, they may be strategically
located on potentially valuable real estate. I can think of
many such parishes off the top of my head. In the end, who knows
what will really happen to these funds.

Further we see multiple rationales given for the
"reconfiguration"--an eventual priest shortage,
demographic shifts [evidence please ???], lack of funds, and a
need for slick, paid "ministries," the need to strengthen or
"revitalize" the diocese, whatever happens to be the
"rationale du jour. Financial difficulties are often on
the list. The bishop and Msgr. McGrath still are able to dig deep
and find--without apparent problem--five MILLION dollars to buy
land for a new high school that will cost tens of millions of
dollars.

Meanwhile, he shutters our beloved churches and schools 
and ups the "Appeal" goals for most parishes to astronomical levels.
He makes demeaning comments in a television interview quipping
that parents want a "quality" education for their children, 
clearly implying that the schools he chose to close did not
provide "quality" educations. Those poor teachers must feel
horrible to receive such a put-down for their years of service.
But to Galante, the more money you can throw at a school or parish,
the better the "quality."

The point? Money's a huge motivator. Unfortunately that old
saying my dad used to quote all the time still holds true:
"Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely." It's
such a shame that this is happening in the Church Christ founded.
No, in fact, it's embarrasing.

Quote:

Hundreds of parishioners from the Church of the Assumption gathered at the church Wednesday night to let Bishop Joseph A. Galante know that they opposed what one church member called "this half-baked idea of merger."

(Click here to read Press article in its entirety)

Aaahh, it's a beautiful thing, isn't it? And that's just the start. The article is very favorable to our cause, in my opinion! Thank you, Press of Atlantic City and Trudi Gilfillian! (I just called Trudi, the journalist who wrote the piece, and left her a message thanking her for the article. You can call her or email her to thank her. Here's her email address: TGilfillian@pressofac.com )

______________________________________________________________


Editorial follows:

Bishop Galante has attempted to assuage people's anxiety by saying their churches will remain "worship sites." As we know, people aren't buying it. As we know from Joanna's recent piece here on savestmarys.net, "worship sites" are just one short step away from closure. By lowering the status of a church to a "worship site," this allows Galante to swoop in and close the church at his whim, as if it was a gym, hall, or some other makeshift-type, temporary location and not a house of God. Yes, a church is a house of God! Fred Spiewak at last night's meeting put it best when he said, "This is God's house. Let us live here with God as we've done all these years." Amen and Amen to that!

So the question remains, "How do we strengthen the church?" as Bishop Galante himself asked last night. He claims that strengthening the Church is his only true interest. Well I can guarantee you this, Bishop Galante. The best way to strengthen the Church is by reliance on the Almighty, not by sociological experiments, as the pope has said. Bishop, you say we cannot plan for miracles--only for "reality." But the thing is this, Bishop: Each and every act of God, however commonplace, is a miracle. Anyone who has kids or works with kids, particularly ones with disabilities like one of my own, knows that firsthand. I pray each day for the vocations of my children, whatever they may be.

Those who see with the Eye of Faith recognize that new vocations to the priesthood abound. They just aren't coming here to this diocese at the moment, and I can certainly see why. Who would want to come into this mess? Young priestly vocations are flocking to the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter and other good, orthodox diocese and orders. But as a source has shared with me, Bishop Galante won't allow the Fraternity into our diocese.

Bishop Galante, we live in God's time, and that is real. God's reality is the only reality that matters. If you don't believe that, how are you supposed to lead us as a diocese, as a people of faith?  Life is full of miracles--each and every faithful parish in the diocese is a miracle in itself because it reflects the commitment and faithfulness of the people to God Almighty. Having the strength, courage, and conviction to heed the Word of God in today's heathenish culture is indeed a miracle. But if we close our eyes to the miracles of life, we miss them. Bishop Galante, open your eyes!

Dear Bishop Galante, please know that despite and even because of our differences, we continue to pray and fast for you. Because I am a Christian and I believe it is fruitful to unify oneself with Christ's own holy sacrifice, I myself fast most days for this intention: that you do the holy Will of God and not your own. I pray that we all do His will. Amen.

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

In June 1961, the Most Reverend Celestine Damiano, bishop of Camden, formally established St. Mary's as an independent parish and appointed the Reverend Charles Zimmer as its administrator. To accommodate the increasing population in the Malaga area, Father Zimmer added a third Sunday Mass. In addition, he offered Masson weekdays--something that had not been possible during St. Mary's four decades as a mission church.

Building the Rectory

During his first months in Malaga, Father Zimmer used the church sacristy as a temporary home and office. Early in 1962, Bishop Damiano approved the building of a rectory across the street on land acquired four years earlier.

As was the case in 1922 when St. Mary's Church was built, the people of Malaga responded generously to the fund-raising campaign. One hundred and seventy-four individuals gave approximately $20.000. Father Zimmer officiated at the groundbreaking ceremony on March 31, 1962, with Messrs. Joseph Ali (1923-1992) and Charles Colucci, trustees, assisting. The latter volunteered his services as general contractor; the subcontractors were mostly local craftsmen who worked with care and dispatch. Before spring ended, Father Zimmer was able to move into the completed rectory.

Vatican Council II and the 1960s

In the fall of 1962, Pope John XXIII convened the twenty-first ecumentical council of the Catholic Church, generally known as Vatican Council II. Father Zimmer was quick to implement its threefold mandate--renewal, modernization, and ecumenism. He changed the position of the altar so that a priest could say mass facing the congregation. He becam to say Mass in English instead of Latin, he formed one of the first parish councils in the area, and he fostered dialogue with neighboring churches.

By the end of the 1960s, St. Mary's had changed. Part of this change was due to the dictums of Vatican Council II. Another factor was the influx of young, newly married couples, who were attracted to the Malaga area by housing developments within commuting distance of their workplaces. (This influx was akin to that of Malaga's immigrant population a half century earlier.)

The death of many of St. Mary's founders during the 1960s (and 1970s) also augured for chnange. The annual Feast of the Assumption, for example, no longer featured fireworks, a band, and other Old World attractions. Because virtually all the founders were farmers, and because most of their descendants had gone on to other pursuits, the 1960s marked the end of an era during which farming was the dominant occupation of St. Mary's parishioners.

The 1970s and '80s

During the 1970s and for most of the 1980s, Father (later Monsignor) John McCaffrey was pastor. He often said, "My whole interest is in reading and studying the Word of God," and he considered the CCD (Confraternity of Christian Doctrine) program to be vital for the children. Monsignor McCaffrey organized a cadre of volunteers to supllement the teaching by nuns from Villa Rosello (Newfield) at that time.

By the mid-1980s, Mr. Ronald Bonner had been coordinating the CCD program for several years and enrollment had soared to over 100 children, including preschoolers. The preschool instruction motivated numerous parents to send their youngsters to St. Rose of Lima School in Newfield (instead of a public school). At one point, about fifty pupils from Malaga were enrolled at St. Rose's.

Soon after he arrived, Monsignor McCaffrey established a Praesidium of the Legion of Mary to serve the Malaga area. The legion stresses Marian spirituality through attendance at weekly meetings and through a variety of apostolic activities. St. Mary's legionnaires welcomed new families and registered them in the parish.

In addition to helping newcomers with the practical aspects of getting settled in a new community (locating stores, services, medical care, and so forth), members of the legion sounseled them in spiritual matters. During the 1980s, many residents, both old and new, were brought back into the Church as a result of the legion's activities.

During Monsignor McCaffrey's tenure, the diocese's Third Order of Mount Carmel elected to make St. Mary's parish its home. St. Theresa's Rose Garden, which symbolizes her devotion to souls in purgatory, is located on Harding Highway, west of Malaga Lake. A part of the garden, St. Anne's Cenacle, continues to be a site of prayer for Carmelites and others.

Recognizing the importance of music to the beauty of the liturgy, Monsignor McCaffrey encouraged Mrs. Sally Bonner to organize a folk group to provide music that would appeal to St. Mary's youth. Mrs. Bonner's guitar playing and singing, together with that of the younger people under her tutelage, has enhanced Sunday Masses since 1982. (Her long-term dedication is reminiscent of that of an earlier musician, Mrs. Simone Walsh [1899-1985], who served as organist at St. Mary's for twenty-five years.)

St. Mary's in the 1990s

The Reverend Abbott Hope was pastor of St. Mary's from 1989 until his retirement last February (1997). During his first years in Malaga, Father Hope was assisted by the Reverend Mr. Philip Harris, deacon.

In August 1992, the parish celebrated the seventieth anniversary of the building of St. Mary's Church. The celebrant of the High Mass was the Most Reverend James McHugh, bishop of Camden. Monsignor Patrick Madden, Monsignor Edward O'Connor, and Father Hope were concelebrants.

Father Hope continued to strengthen the spiritual programs at St. Mary's. he focused on making the parish ever more youth-oriented by providing religious instruction for children who attended public schools. (Rising tuition costs at local Catholic schools had caused a shift back to public schools.) He helped start a youth group, which now has 23 members. The group carries out service projects and sponsors recreational activities for its members. Currently, Messrs. Andrew Nuar and John Dalesandro, Jr., represent their peers at parish council meetings.

Father Hope worked closely with his parishioners in operating St. Mary's programs, which are now staffed by the following people:

                                                        Lead Person
Building/grounds.............................................Mr. Charles Chamberlin
Carmelites.....................................................Ms. Mary Whittam
CCD..............................................................Mr. Ronald Bonner
Diamond Jubilee.............................................Miss Theresa DiMatteo
Feast............................................................Mrs. Louiuse Mancus
Fellowship Sunday.........................................Miss Carmella Castelli
First Friday Adoration.....................................Dr. Aime Nuar
Legion of Mary...............................................Ms. Cynthia Herzler
Liturgy...........................................................Mrs. Sally Bonner
Music............................................................Mrs. Sally Bonner
Parish Council...............................................Mrs. Louise Mancus
Youth Group..................................................Mrs. Cindy Merckx
                                                                    (Adult Coordinator)

During his final months as pastor, Father Hope oversaw the purchase of the property next to the rectory (the former Hopkins residence) with funds bequeathed by Mrs. Evelyn Tonelli of Dutch Mill Road, who died in 1994.

Early this year (1997), the Reverend Jerome Romanowski became St. Mary's twelfth pastor. The traditional Catholic community into which he was welcomed comprises nearly 400 registered parishioners--about four times as many as when St. Mary's Church was dedicated seventy-five years ago. Even more significant than this growth is the community's transformation from a group of foreign-born farmers to a population of American-born technicians, tradespeople, large-scale farmers, and professionals.

Over two hundred years ago, the Founding Fathers declared our national motto to be "E Pluribus Unum" (one for many). They envisioned a nation to which many peole could come, transcend differences, and unite.

Today, a small, southern New Jersey Catholic community continues to help fulfill that dream under the leadership of an energetic, forward-looking pastor.

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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