Saturday, September 02, 2006
JUST AS I FIGURED--CLOSE THE PARISHES THAT ARE IN DEBT
Concerned parishoners showed up to St. Jude's hoping for the best, but found out that their church, most likely will be closing.
People have been congregating at Saint Jude's for more than 60 years, but the parish council and an accountant for the diocese will recommend to Bishop Richard Lennon that the church shut down because it's thousands of dollars in debt.
If history is any indication..it does not look good.
Bishop lennon closed 80 parishes in the first year he took over in Boston.
My parish is on the chopping block as well, presumably, since our "debt" continues to rise, and since we are not being given any financial report, but rather must rely on the "minimum needed weekly" as projected in the bulletin each Sunday, and the "week's deficit" calculated in relation to that "need." But these are funny numbers. Any figure could be plugged into that "minimum need." We have nothing on which to base an evaluation on the legitimacy of that "need." That weekly "need" has risen by $4,000 per month as of last July. I believe it has been fabricated for the purpose of justifying the closing and sale of my church. What I don't know is whether this has been instigated at the parish level or at the diocesan level; however, given Bishop Lennon's reputation, my suspicions lie with the latter.
The scandal was hushed up here. Was it hushed up with a monster settlement that has left the records sealed and the diocese scrambling for ready cash? We have a financial scandal unfolding in the diocese. We had a sudden resignation of our previous bishop, accepted almost overnight in Rome, and a new bishop appointed almost instantaneously. I believe the chancery is covering up something nasty and we are being lied to.
I can learn to hate the hierarchy of my Church. I can. All they have to do is keep it up!
