This morning the Democrat and Chronicle ran an article about yesterday’s closing Mass at Our Lady of Perpetual Help in the city northeast. In the article, the D&C printed the comments of Fr. Tracy, one of the temporary “assisting priests” for the new parish. In his comments, Fr. Tracy speaks about where OLPH worshipers will be heading next:
“”I want to see you again. We all want to see you again. We all want to be together again and we can and we will,” said Father Laurence Tracy, who was ordained in the church in 1966.
“So next Sunday at 9 o’clock, and every Sunday, the Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church congregation will be together at the corner of Prince Street and East Main Street, which, for us will be Our Lady of Perpetual Help II,” Tracy said, referring to Our Lady of the Americans [sic] Church [Corpus Christi].”
I find it very interesting that Fr. Tracy is suggesting that OLPH parishioners continue their weekly worship at Corpus Christi church when OLPH has been clustered with St. Michael church for some time. St. Michael also happens to be geographically closer than Corpus Christi. So why is St. Michael not being viewed as “Our Lady of Perpetual Help II” by this priest?
Tags: Church Closings, News and Media, Northeast Rochester Cluster
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I’m still wondering why there was such a rush to close OLPH. I wonder if St. Andrew is close to ending Sunday masses as well?
Interstate–I can answer that–it all hinges on the timeframe for the construction at anunciation…i’ll find the bulletin insert in a few minutes and post the exact wording here…
BTW: I hear some of the English mass attendees at OLPH are joining St. Stanislaus.
Maybe the reason why St. Michael wasn’t mentioned is that it may not have a Mass in English on Sunday mornings. I believe it has a Sunday morning Mass in Spanish only. Our Lady of the Americas has a 9 AM Mass in English, which is close to OLPH’s 9:30 time. St. Andrew’s also has a Mass in English, but it may not make sense to “send” OLPH people there because it’s due to be closed after Annunciation is renovated. That would mean the OLPH people would have to move again. If someone has the new Mass times at the churches staying open, that might help explain Fr. Tracy’s suggestion. I have to say that all these closures and changes sure make one’s head spin!
st michael has a 4pm english Mass though…
New Mass times – Starting on January 16, 2011
.Our Lady of the Americas 9:00 am English, 10:30 am Spanish
.Saint Michaels 11:30 am Spanish; 4:00 pm English
.Annunciation 4:15 Saturday English; 5:00 Teen mass English
.St Andrews 9:30 am until completion of renovations at Annunciation.
It is my understanding that this could be a temporary schedule. As there will be only 2 Priests to say mass, once St. Andrew Closes.
And the two priests may or may not be the ones serving the cluster now (Fr. Panepinto and Fr. Tracy).
Chances are good though that at least one of these two priests will be a part of the new parish, since the diocese isn’t exactly bursting at the seams with priests fluent in Spanish.
The pastoral plan called for six masses and two bi-lingual priests.
When St. Andrew does close, it would only be right that it be Fr. Mayer offering the final mass.
I agree with the Fr. Mayer idea. Deacon Hurley was at the final Mass @ OLPH according to the Courier site, and he is no longer a deacon in the parish.
Nobody I’ve spoken with knows where Deacon Hurley is to be assigned next. I do hope, for his sake, that it’s a less hippie-dippie place
I daresay that wherever Fr Tracy is, I’d just as soon avoid. The guy’s a wolf in shepherd’s clothing