Serve New Orleans, not Rome
Archbishop Hughes defended the decision to send armed off-duty law enforcement officers into a mass celebration at St. Augustine Church:
Hughes said the archdiocese requested the armed security. "That's not unusual when we're faced with a situation that, as it turned out to be, could be risky to the safety of others," he said. Maestri and Jacques felt intimidated, Hughes said, and the situation "became potentially violent." He said the two priests feared their car windows might be smashed by protesters following them out.
Violence? The press account states that protestors were holding up signs and singing "We Shall Not Be Moved."
How about working together to come up with a solution instead of telling parishioners that "the church" can't afford to keep St. Augustine open, or patronizingly quipping that there are other more authentic Black Catholic churches?
Hughes said "St. Joan of Arc and Corpus Christi parishes, formed about 50 years later, were the first New Orleans parishes founded for black Catholics and are more accurately seen as cradles for black Catholicism."
"Founded for" is not the same as "founded by."
Parishioners of St. Augustine don't want to move to another parish. They feel strongly about their own parish. St. Augustine isn't "property" for the church to dispose of as it likes. It was founded by free blacks 160 years ago. It belongs to the community, not "the church."
posted by Schroeder @ 5:37 AM
3 comments
3 Comments:
As a former Catholic, I can say leave it to the Catholic Church to abandon the faithful in their greatest time of need.
I dunno man, it doesnt say anything about B16 saying to shut it down, so it may just be a localized idea to shut it down.Schroeder, any idea as to wether they've appealed to the Vatican? What about historical landmark status?
Not to clog up your message board, but I went back and read this little quip from the Nola article:
"In the year before the closure decision, the parish conducted only 12 baptisms, administered no First Communions to children learning the faith, conducted no confirmations for older children and had no adult education programs for adults seeking instruction in Catholicism."
Yeah, if you aint doin any of that stuff, your parish is pretty much dead man. If this is the truth,I'd have to say the Church didn't abandon anyone Marco, and in fact, it almost seems as if they extended the deadline for them.
I can understand people being upset, but in a situation like this, the parishioners have to get involved and help bring people into the church,it's more of a communal thing these days (you said you were a former Catholic,I didnt know how long you'd been away from the church, so pardon me if I sound like Im being condescending, its not my intent), RCIA, Faith Formation, all that's run by volunteers these days, and if you dont have the volunteers, the programs fail. Then add the massive depopulation of new Orleans these days, and you have a recipe for disaster. I'm not saying its their fault, but I wouldn't say the church failed them either.
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