If you think the changes in the Boston archdiocese were big, wait until you what they have planned in Portland, Maine, diocese, which covered the whole state. They’re planning for a reduction of parishes from 135 to 35… for all of Maine! The tentative plan calls for merging parishes, leaving one central parish with closed parishes remaining open as “worship sites” where priests would make their rounds on Saturday and Sunday. That’s radical.
This is America’s fault. Cardinal George says it, so it must be true.
I don’t get it. Is the fact that our secular society is distancing itself from Christianity the fault of “clericalism?”
Cdl. George was quite right in what he said. IMO.
What is Rod’s problem? Don’t bishops deserve respect? If not for their character, at least for their position. Even Bill Clinton deserved respect as president, though his behavior made it difficult to give. I understand that the laity sometimes need to speak up about certain issues, but we must also practice filial obedience.
Am I the only one who noticed that this article is still another “Voice of the Faithful” piece?
Michael Sweatt is the VOTF Maine spokesman, and—surprise!—well, let the Ellsworth American and Mr. Sweatt come to the real heart of the matter:
Of the priest shortage, Sweatt said, don’t have my respect until they earn it (which a great many of them have not even come close to doing). For a great many other Catholics I know, a large number of these men have lost all respect.
For a great many other Catholics I know, a large number of these men have lost all respect.
This may be true but it has NOTHING to do with this post. And I apologize to Dom, Rod, Dan, Goat, and Christine for sending you scurrying over here for this.
Let me try to make it (sorta) worth your while.
Christine,
Like you, I cringe at the phrases “worship site” and “worship centers.”
But from what I understand from the Maine situation, along with Boston’s, is that some parish buildings will remain open in order for priests to celebrate Sunday Mass.
Call me a bingo-hating-bigot, but—uh—isn’t this the main purpose for a parish church?
This article is a product of a VOTF-inspired hallucination. Didn’t you see the reference in there and all the euphemisms? Excuse me, it’s not a “worship site,” it’s a CHURCH. Hello.
As if that wasn’t stupid enough, the diocese of Portland, ME is hardly the one to redefine the Roman Catholic priesthood for the whole rest of the world by “thinking about what it means to be a priest.” This is ridiculous.
It’s probably the case that there are lots of really good catholics in Maine who you haven’t heard from. You’re only hearing from the ideological freaks.
But even if Portland, ME falls into the ocean it will take a major investigation by the New York Times to notice. Get a clue, Mainees. Illusions of grandeur are a sign of serious illness.
There’s no need to insult Mainers. My mother and my sister are Catholics living in Maine. You’re treading on dangerous ground. Besides, some could say the same about the Church in Michigan. No one should get too big for their britches and too full of their own self-importance.
It’s not Voice of the Faithful that’s coming up with the plan to decrease the number of parishes, it’s the diocese. Just because the reporter decided to consult with a VOTF flunky doesn’t make the plan any less likely or monumental. Any diocese, whether it’s in Maine or anywhere else, that plans to decrease the number of parishes by such a large percentage is a big story.
I’m not insulting the Down Easters. Nor the diocese.
Just because the reporter decided to consult with a VOTF flunky doesnte_gmt>2004-06-03 13:21:31
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