Haddon Parishioners Were Shocked to Lose Their Refurbished Worship Site.
By Kristen A. Graham
Philadelphia Inquirer
April 27, 2008
http://www.philly.com/inquirer/front_page/20080427_Congregants_fight_their_church_s_closing.html
John Canuso is an upbeat man, rarely at a loss for words. But he struggles to describe the day he found out the parish he considers home was closing.
"I can't tell you it was as bad as my daughter dying, but it was pretty bad," said Canuso, a member of St. Vincent Pallotti Roman Catholic Church in Haddon Township.
This month, Bishop Joseph A. Galante announced that the 124 parishes of the Camden Diocese would become 66. St. Vincent Pallotti was ordered to merge with St. Aloysius, 1.3 miles up the road in Oaklyn.
Parishes around the diocese are struggling with the fallout of the consolidation. But St. Vincent's case seems especially acute.
That the two congregations would merge came as no surprise: Parishioners had recommended the move and say they welcome it.
But few imagined St. Aloysius would be chosen as the worship site. St. Vincent and its buildings will become the property of the newly created parish and can be sold or put to another purpose when the merger is completed within two years.
The facilities at St. Vincent - which has nearly triple the Sunday attendance - are roughly twice the size of St. Aloysius', with room to grow, members say. St. Vincent is also fully handicapped accessible, a necessity for its pastor, Msgr. Louis Marucci, who has multiple sclerosis and uses a wheelchair.
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| John Canuso gave $400,000 to the St. Vincent Pallotti building campaign in memory of his daughter, who is pictured on a mural. Photo by David M Warren |
Thanks to a recently completed $1.1 million capital campaign, St. Vincent has a new boiler and roof and, just four weeks ago, dedicated a combined parish hall, rectory and chapel. The money for the buildings came from parishioners.
The diocese says it had three reasons for picking the Oaklyn church: St. Aloysius is also in good condition, the merged congregation can fit there, and events at St. Vincent could pose scheduling conflicts with Paul VI High School, whose campus it shares.
Marucci and his parishioners dispute the last two contentions. And while the first is true, they say St. Vincent is in better shape.
Andrew Walton, spokesman for the diocese, cited St. Aloysius' new stained-glass windows and roof and said the sanctuary did provide handicapped access.
"There were two acceptable worship sites, but only one needed," Walton said. "What you don't want, frankly, are half-empty churches. That is not conducive for liturgy, for establishing a sense of community."
The Rev. George Seiter, pastor of St. Aloysius, declined to comment.
Through a foundation established in memory of his daughter, Joan "Babe" Canuso Fischer, Canuso and his wife, Joan, donated about $400,000 to the St. Vincent building fund. The cavernous new parish hall, with wooden ceilings, large windows, and room for parties, is named for Babe, who died in 2005 at age 40.
"This is Babe's legacy, and I have to keep that alive," said Canuso, a developer who lives in Haddonfield.
Parishioners have formed Friends of St. Vincent Pallotti, a committee to organize the congregation's response to the bishop. If the decision to discontinue use of their church as a worship site stands, they say, they might appeal all the way to the Vatican.
In a thick report on why the move to St. Aloysius won't work, Canuso - who has gone before South Jersey planning and zoning boards for 40 years - cites problems with zoning, the fire code, parking and space.
Bottom line, he said: St. Aloysius is too small. And because many of St. Vincent's parishioners come for the church's community and full handicapped accessibility, he said, some of the faithful will simply drift away.
"This doesn't add up to this being a well-conceived plan," said John Wilson, president of the parish council, adding he would be "devastated" if St. Vincent's new buildings weren't used as intended.
"The only thing I can conceive is that whoever gave the bishop this recommendation didn't look at the facts, or had them mixed up," Wilson said.
For now, Marucci is trying to answer parishioners' questions and doing a lot of praying.
"Our people feel like they did all this talking, but they weren't heard," the priest said.
St. Vincent's chapel still smells new. Plaques in honor of donors went up the week before the closure was announced. The space was already popular with the coffee-and-doughnuts crowd and for smaller Masses.
Canuso proudly points out the meeting space and a painting of his daughter. He had planned to build a rosary garden at his own expense, but there's no reason to, he said, if the congregation moves.
"I can't come to grips with losing this," he said.
For Marucci, the problem is a moral one.
"If people gave in good conscience for these buildings, it's about them being able to use these buildings for the reasons they gave," he said. "I think changing that violates an ethical responsibility."
John Hargrave, chairman of the parish financial committee, is frustrated by suggestions that St. Vincent's new building is overly lavish or that the expansion was executed without the diocese's blessing. The church has copies of contracts the diocese signed, allowing the parish to build.
"It wasn't a casual spending spree," Hargrave said. "It was something we needed for a long time, and people reached in their pockets. This isn't a wealthy parish."
Handicapped access is a major issue for many. Worshipers in walkers and wheelchairs are common at St. Vincent's Masses. St. Aloysius has ramps, but parts of the church remain inaccessible, they say.
"People don't understand accessibility until they live in the world of the disabled," Marucci said. "St. Vincent Pallotti is a parish that is focused on total inclusion, total welcome."
In his first assignment out of seminary, Marucci served at a parish with limited access. To attend meetings in the basement, he would haul himself from his chair, bump on his rear down some steps, then pull himself into another chair he kept on the landing.
"It was personally humiliating, but I was willing to do it for the sake of ministry," said Marucci, 49. "I could do that at 33. I can't do that now."
Priests from the affected churches, whose jobs are effectively ended because of the mergers, will receive a list of open parishes June 1. Will Marucci apply to be pastor of the consolidated parish?
"It depends on where the worship site is," he said. "There are five steps to get into St. Aloysius."John Canuso is an upbeat man, rarely at a loss for words. But he struggles to describe the day he found out the parish he considers home was closing.
"I can't tell you it was as bad as my daughter dying, but it was pretty bad," said Canuso, a member of St. Vincent Pallotti Roman Catholic Church in Haddon Township.
This month, Bishop Joseph A. Galante announced that the 124 parishes of the Camden Diocese would become 66. St. Vincent Pallotti was ordered to merge with St. Aloysius, 1.3 miles up the road in Oaklyn.
Parishes around the diocese are struggling with the fallout of the consolidation. But St. Vincent's case seems especially acute.
That the two congregations would merge came as no surprise: Parishioners had recommended the move and say they welcome it.
But few imagined St. Aloysius would be chosen as the worship site. St. Vincent and its buildings will become the property of the newly created parish and can be sold or put to another purpose when the merger is completed within two years.
The facilities at St. Vincent - which has nearly triple the Sunday attendance - are roughly twice the size of St. Aloysius', with room to grow, members say. St. Vincent is also fully handicapped accessible, a necessity for its pastor, Msgr. Louis Marucci, who has multiple sclerosis and uses a wheelchair.
Thanks to a recently completed $1.1 million capital campaign, St. Vincent has a new boiler and roof and, just four weeks ago, dedicated a combined parish hall, rectory and chapel. The money for the buildings came from parishioners.
The diocese says it had three reasons for picking the Oaklyn church: St. Aloysius is also in good condition, the merged congregation can fit there, and events at St. Vincent could pose scheduling conflicts with Paul VI High School, whose campus it shares.
Marucci and his parishioners dispute the last two contentions. And while the first is true, they say St. Vincent is in better shape.
Andrew Walton, spokesman for the diocese, cited St. Aloysius' new stained-glass windows and roof and said the sanctuary did provide handicapped access.
"There were two acceptable worship sites, but only one needed," Walton said. "What you don't want, frankly, are half-empty churches. That is not conducive for liturgy, for establishing a sense of community."
The Rev. George Seiter, pastor of St. Aloysius, declined to comment.
Through a foundation established in memory of his daughter, Joan "Babe" Canuso Fischer, Canuso and his wife, Joan, donated about $400,000 to the St. Vincent building fund. The cavernous new parish hall, with wooden ceilings, large windows, and room for parties, is named for Babe, who died in 2005 at age 40.
"This is Babe's legacy, and I have to keep that alive," said Canuso, a developer who lives in Haddonfield.
Parishioners have formed Friends of St. Vincent Pallotti, a committee to organize the congregation's response to the bishop. If the decision to discontinue use of their church as a worship site stands, they say, they might appeal all the way to the Vatican.
In a thick report on why the move to St. Aloysius won't work, Canuso - who has gone before South Jersey planning and zoning boards for 40 years - cites problems with zoning, the fire code, parking and space.
Bottom line, he said: St. Aloysius is too small. And because many of St. Vincent's parishioners come for the church's community and full handicapped accessibility, he said, some of the faithful will simply drift away.
"This doesn't add up to this being a well-conceived plan," said John Wilson, president of the parish council, adding he would be "devastated" if St. Vincent's new buildings weren't used as intended.
"The only thing I can conceive is that whoever gave the bishop this recommendation didn't look at the facts, or had them mixed up," Wilson said.
For now, Marucci is trying to answer parishioners' questions and doing a lot of praying.
"Our people feel like they did all this talking, but they weren't heard," the priest said.
St. Vincent's chapel still smells new. Plaques in honor of donors went up the week before the closure was announced. The space was already popular with the coffee-and-doughnuts crowd and for smaller Masses.
Canuso proudly points out the meeting space and a painting of his daughter. He had planned to build a rosary garden at his own expense, but there's no reason to, he said, if the congregation moves.
"I can't come to grips with losing this," he said.
For Marucci, the problem is a moral one.
"If people gave in good conscience for these buildings, it's about them being able to use these buildings for the reasons they gave," he said. "I think changing that violates an ethical responsibility."
John Hargrave, chairman of the parish financial committee, is frustrated by suggestions that St. Vincent's new building is overly lavish or that the expansion was executed without the diocese's blessing. The church has copies of contracts the diocese signed, allowing the parish to build.
"It wasn't a casual spending spree," Hargrave said. "It was something we needed for a long time, and people reached in their pockets. This isn't a wealthy parish."
Handicapped access is a major issue for many. Worshipers in walkers and wheelchairs are common at St. Vincent's Masses. St. Aloysius has ramps, but parts of the church remain inaccessible, they say.
"People don't understand accessibility until they live in the world of the disabled," Marucci said. "St. Vincent Pallotti is a parish that is focused on total inclusion, total welcome."
In his first assignment out of seminary, Marucci served at a parish with limited access. To attend meetings in the basement, he would haul himself from his chair, bump on his rear down some steps, then pull himself into another chair he kept on the landing.
"It was personally humiliating, but I was willing to do it for the sake of ministry," said Marucci, 49. "I could do that at 33. I can't do that now."
Priests from the affected churches, whose jobs are effectively ended because of the mergers, will receive a list of open parishes June 1. Will Marucci apply to be pastor of the consolidated parish?
"It depends on where the worship site is," he said. "There are five steps to get into St. Aloysius."
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