A nod of the miter goes to the parishioners of St. Thomas the Apostle, for their charitable and unrelenting defense of their parish from enemies inside and outside of the establishment. I have never seen a parish wanting so much to be kept alive, yet languishing under a seditious administration whose goals aren’t the preservation of the Church, but the preservation of one church. And guess what – it’s not St. Thomas the Apostle.
The following was distributed over the weekend by the concerned parishioners, after word got out about Fr. Tanck’s less-than-pastoral approach to dealing with the anger and hurt.
Please click the image to see it larger, for ease of reading.
Who would be vicious enough to spread lies and rumors about the people of St. Thomas? We’ve already seen a blind hatred of the parish from liberals in our midst, saying that the people there are cold, unwelcoming, etc. ad infinitem. Is it not ecclesial treason to betray the very people entrusted to you by God?
All I can say is that most parishes would have just withered away and permitted themselves to be bullied by the forces at work. However, the people of STA have organized into an impressive body, one which definitely shows that the parish is not dying, not apathetic, not bitter or cold. The only bitterness seen in the entire STA affair is the judgmental and irrational approach of certain diocesan employees (yes, I do mean Fr. Tanck), who would rather exclude the faithful from the sacraments than to offer one kind word of comfort.
What’s his reaction going to be to this? No Masses at STA this weekend? Only communion services until Pentecost? I wouldn’t be surprised.
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Excellent rebuttal. The people of St. Thomas mean business. They aren't going to roll over like the other parishes have done, or act too late for anything to matter.
I wish them well, however I have never heard of any parish, anywhere, that has been successful in staying open once their Bishop has decided to close it. Does anybody know of any?
Yes!! Mary Immaculate of Lourdes, Newton, in the Boston Archdiocese was scheduled to close, but after a few facts were made known in its appeal, it was kept open – and now is a home for the EF Mass.
What were the facts?
1. The Archbishop's person in charge of organizing the closures was a parishioner of nearby St. Philip Neri, a smaller building, landlocked, in a very upscale neighborhood with poor handicapped access. SPN was on much more valuable land than MIOL and SPN much less usable for the proposed merger of the parishes.
2. MIOL had some years previously sold part of the parish cemetery and had about $7 million in its account from the sale. It had plenty of money for the needed renovations there – so the argument of the Archdiocese that there was no money for renovations was refuted.
3. The Archdiocese wanted to close Holy Trinity (German) Church which was near the Cathedral in the South End where the EF was then said in Boston.
4. The MIOL parishioners made an appeal that the Parish had the financial wherewithal due to the sale of cemetery land; that SPN was less useful given its size, lack of space and limited handicapped access; it looked bad for all involved especially the Cardinal, in light of the SPN parishioner driving the closure process for the Cardinal, that SPN was to be kept open while MIOL, with more space and more money was to be closed.
Of course SPN was subsequently closed – sorry, "merged".
http://parishesonline.com/scripts/hostedsites/org.asp?p=5&ID;=1096
http://www.holytrinitygerman.org/
http://blogs.wickedlocal.com/newton/2006/11/27/st-philip-neri/
Thank you for that wonderful account! It's a comfort to know that things such as this are quite definitely possible for Rochester. We ourselves can do nothing, but with God, we can do anything.
Yes, it is encouraging to know that it's possible.
Come on John, didn't you once say:
"Once you say you're going to settle for second, that's what happens to you in life."
and
"Our problems are man-made, therefore they may be solved by man. And man can be as big as he wants. No problem of human destiny is beyond human beings."
Not me! Maybe some lesser John F. Kennedy 😉
As member of STA, I just want to say that all we are trying to do is seek truth and justice in this matter. We have no leadership to support us. This our parish! Of course we will fight for it. Our pastor should be proud of our actions instead of marginalizing and demonizing us. A parish has a right to exist. A parish is a "juridic person" and by its very nature is perpetual. It shouldn't be suppressed without just cause.
We are hopeful and joyful people. We look to the future with hope knowing that we are God's people and will always be safe and protected in His Church.
ANNON 6:10PM. I am praying for you. May our Lord guide and protect you all. I am not a member of STA. I wish as a community we could all pitch in and help you fight for what is right and just. I understand your pastor has all but abandoned you and his leadership is lacking. Hearing you and reading about you I can tell you are still strong people. Continue your fight, you would be surprised to learn of the many Rochester Catholics behind you.
Shame on those that hearts are filled with greed.
j m
The Catholic Church is referred to as "Holy Mother the Church." No mother in her right mind would kill a healthy child and distribute its body parts to her less healthy children. Not even if that mother were paid millions would she sacrifice her healthy child. It's unbelievable what the DoR is doing to STA.
Thank you J M. We the parishioners at STA are not mean angry people. We are full of goodness and joy and trust in God's providence. "Only goodness and kindness follow me. all the days of my life;. And I shall dwell in the house of the Lord. for years to come".