Monday, April 11, 2011

Onward and Upward

Parishioners in Syracuse keep on keeping on. The money quote: “To me, it seems the church has become a business, and I thought they are supposed to be saving souls,” Angiolillo said. “Closing churches of loyal parishioners is not the best way to save souls. They are only harmed by this action.”

10 comments:

  1. Has the SOP contacted a Canon lawyer? If so, what is it going to cost to pursue this? I think if we have a good chance, then we should go for it. This is yet another blemish on the parish and the diocese- when parishioners resort to legalities to keep their church doors open. Also, what I am wondering, is if the collection has increased as much as is claimed in the bulletin, are we still talking about closing Saint Vincent's for financial reasons? It seems like we should be celebrating that we no longer have cause to close!

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  2. 1:11 And we should hire back the 2 who were let go for "financial reasons". But, oops, we recently did add somebody to the payroll, you just didn't read about this opportunity in the bulletin...we create new job titles ( ex.-cemetery secretary), hire new staff and don't bother to inform the parishioners who are paying the salaries. Makes me feel like I am part of this "family" (sarcastic)

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  3. I don't believe anyone is trying to put blemishes on the parish or diocese. We are just hoping and praying to preserve St. Vincent's.

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  4. SOP is in the process of hiring a canon lawyer, possibly the same person who is representing Irondequoit's St. Thomas the Apostle. His fee is $125/hour. As a result of recent cases in MA, PA, and now Syracuse, he believes that the Vatican panel is viewing these cases differently and is cautiously optimistic.

    If anyone would like to donate, please use the Donate button in the top, right corner or mail a check(address above). Checks should be made out to Friends of St. Vincents. All donations are tax-deductible.

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  5. Gretchen- I was not implying that you or anyone in your group (I support you!) were trying to put blemishes on the parish- they have done this without your help.

    Susan- I will donate to the Friends of Saint Vincent's and don't care if it is tax-deductible but am curious about how this is possible. Do you have a 501c3?

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  6. Thanks, 4:49. Sorry for misunderstanding.

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  7. 4:49, yes, Friends of St. Vincents is a 501(c).

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  8. Even if you do manage to preserve the building of St. Vincent's, you're still stuck with the lack of respect for church tradition and God's Word and the mistreatment of parishioners. Do you really want that anyway?

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  9. 7:03am- Leadership will change. We have every confidance to believe that if God allows Saint Vincent's to avert the wrecking ball, He will provide us with the leadership to survive and thrive. It is very possible that if we are able to get a ruling that the Church cannot be destroyed, the parish and Diocese will still opt to close it for masses.(Pride as a destructive factor) HOWEVER, recent rulings from Rome indicate that they would not be able to lock the doors and we would still have a place to pray and then one day...well...perhaps God has foreseen the resurrection of this parish!

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  10. To all the people who have left: Pray about helping out with this! If you think it doesn't affect you, you are wrong. Saint Josephs could be next. Or Saint Catherine's. We need to work together to send a message to the Diocese- closing viable Churches is wrong. $10,000 is not too much money to raise. If we all give as much as we are able to spare, we can do it. Pray about it!

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