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	Bishop Fails to Address Many Church, School Issues By Dante D'Antonio Courier-Post May 11, 2008 http://www.courierpostonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080511/COLUMNISTS25/805110322/1005/OPINION As a devout Catholic, attending Mass six days a week, I am profoundly disappointed by Bishop Joseph Galante's text covering the elimination of many parishes. Not once does he address the issue of why we have not been able to encourage more dedication for our youths to become priests and nuns. Not once did he address the issue of closing Catholic schools, the foundation and building blocks that encourage children and parents to encourage their children to a life devoted to our Lord. Affordable Did His Excellency go to a Catholic school? How many of the approximately 170 active diocesan priests in the Camden Diocese received their education in the Catholic school system? How do we make the school system affordable? Has His Excellency considered that deacons perform priestly functions with the exception of hearing confessions and the most important function of all -- the consecration of the bread and wine. We, Catholics, believe this consecration brings us the body and blood of Christ. Those of us who have been in the hospital or shut in at home receive our Lord not from a priest, but from a Eucharistic minister, more often that not, a lay person. Therefore, a significant number of hosts can be consecrated once a week to later be distributed by deacons and/or Eucharistic ministers. We can hold communion services without the presence of a priest. We do it every year during weekdays when all the priests attend their annual conference with His Excellency at the Jersey Shore. Missions Another issue that was not included was the issue of missions. We are constantly encouraged to support our missions when we are closing schools and parishes. Should they not be considered in the category of missions? We send funds overseas, why not help our Catholic schools here in our diocese? We have an annual appeal for Catholic University in Washington, D.C. Why not take those funds and help our own Catholic schools and parishes in the Camden Diocese? We send annual funds for the Holy Land churches, but no funds for our parishes. And last, but not least, the House of Charity -- the bishop's fund. As I recall, there were very few parishes over the years that did not attain 100 percent or more of their assigned pledges to this fund. It's interesting that some of these same parishes will now be closed or consolidated. I believe the fund pledges last year were in excess of $6 million. Could not these funds be available to help keep our parish churches open? Pedophiles The hierarchy of the Catholic church may not realize, or if they do, refuse to discuss, the long-term pedophile priest problem and the effect it has had on church attendance. We are living in a well-educated time, receiving immediate news. Catholics question how our cardinals and others (Bernard Law in particular) permitted the sexual abuses resulting in long-term damage to our children, plus approximately $500 million paid by the American Catholic Church. Every dollar has come from contributions and any investments made, plus insurance payments, which are the result of contributions. Until this problem is honestly addressed with the Catholic people and confidence in the hierarchy restored, the lack of young men and women entering religious life as a vocation and church pews not filled will continue. The above are some of the silent issues many of my Catholic friends discuss in private. The Catholic Church is the only one that has traditionally offered daily Mass. For many faithful, this is a very important part of their daily lives. With these closures of churches, will the next step be to eliminate daily Mass?
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