“‘For I was hungry, and you did not give me to eat;
I was thirsty and you gave me no drink;
I was a stranger and you did not take me in;
naked, and you did not clothe me;
sick, and in prison, and you did not visit me.’
Then they also will answer and say,
‘Lord, when did we see thee hungry, or thirsty,
or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and
did not minister to thee?’ Then he will answer them saying,
‘Amen I say to you, as long as you did not do it
for one of these least ones,
you did not do it for me.'” – Matthew 25: 42-45
I hope that people from across the diocese will show their support for the people of St. Thomas and St. Salome, especially those who belong to St. Margaret Mary and St. Cecilia. For right now the people of STA and SS are in their hour of need, and desperately could use the support of anyone who can help to keep their community alive. For remember, just because your parish may not be closing right now, does not mean that it won’t be on the chopping block next year, or the year after. If one looks the other way when the people of STA and SS are in their hour of need, how can they seriously expect support when they are faced with the same threat of closure?
Please, Catholics of Rochester, offer your prayers and assistance to these two parishes. The support you offer now will be repaid to you when you are in need.
Tags: Bishop Clark, Church Closings, IPPG
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so besides prayer, how can the masses be of service?
I have to echo Ben's question.
I'm a SMM parishioner, and hate what I'm seeing but don't know what to offer but my prayers.
Point us in the right direction and let us know what we can do….other than pray which we will continue to do so.
Hello all, and thank you for your prayers!
Donations can be made to the "Save STA" fund c/o Patricia Laufer, 90 Lorraine Drive, Rochester, NY 14617
These donations will help with the cost of a canonical suit to keep STA open. We have hired a good Canon laywer who is familiar with Bishop Clark and the Diocese of Rochester.
I'm sure your presence would be most welcome at a weekend or weekday Mass at STA and SS, or for a visit to STA's adoration chapel which is open Monday thru Friday 9:00 AM to 11:00 PM. I think we should visit these treasures and offer prayers while we still can. Oh how wonderful it would be if everyone in these parish districts who has fallen away would come back to help increase attendance this summer, as a show of support against the closures. Catholics Come Home!
I agree with Anon 1:27. I attended 8AM Mass today at STA since I had never been inside. They had an excellent crowd today for daily mass and Fr. Beligotti offered one of the prayers of the faithful for he and his classmates who are celebrating their priestly anniversary today.
Let us hope and pray that this is not over. It is a beautiful and large church which the DOR may likely need again soon. It would, for example, have been a good location for the Aquinas Baccalaureate Mass which is being held this year at St. Lawrence in Greece.
As a parishioner of STA, it is heartening to know that others outside our parish are suffering with us. I sometimes see it as winners vs losers, but we are the Body of Christ and the loss should be felt by all.
I am praying for the St. Thomas & St. Salome Parishes! God Bless!
I will be glad to give money to STA fund to help save their church. I hope others will as well. This is a hard time for folks spiritually as well as financialy. If we all gave something (whatever amount you can)I think it would say just as much by the number of people that gave as to the amount of money given. (Did I say that right?)The attorney would love to be able to use the info that catholics all over Rochester are protesting this closure. Without mentioning attorney name ,could we know if he is Catholic?
Check is in the mail!
With prayers we can not fail.
Thy will we done.
Be the best Catholics you can be. Be passionate about your orthodixy and keep your heads high! And remember, hate the sin and love the sinner. But as this sits states, don not let heresy go unchalanged. Mere opposition will tweak the minds of the heretics. You are with God. You will triumph!
We'll be putting up a paypal button for the Save St. Thomas effort soon.
I think I have found a cause to support instead of the CMA.
Has anyone considered approaching any various religious orders about purchasing St Thomas? The Redemptorist Fathers who formed St. Joseph's in downtown & then merged with Our Lady of Victory would be ideal. Their nearest parish is Notre Dame Retreat House in Canandaigua- having left Rochester in the late 1980s. Perhaps if STA was marketed to a religious order, it could be free from Diocesan regulation. Just a thought, but any idea could be a good one…