BishopAccountability.org
	Parishioners Vow to Stay Despite Order By Bruce Nolan The Times-Picayune October 27, 2008 http://www.nola.com/news/t-p/index.ssf?/base/news-0/1225084834201900.xml&coll=1 Three Catholic communities that for more than 100 years supported New Orleans families through the joys and wounds of childbirth, death, love and heartbreak celebrated Mass on Sunday for what may be the last time, many of their members red-eyed or silent and grim-faced, standing on the steps of the churches. But at two of the parishes, some defied archdiocese officials and stayed. At St. Henry, an Uptown parish of about 325 families, a handful of parishioners took the first overnight shift of what they described as an open-ended occupation intended to save their church. And at nearby Our Lady of Good Counsel, with about 400 families, some parishioners began signing up to do the same after their last Mass Sunday night. Those moves and counter-moves represent the latest chapter in Archbishop Alfred Hughes' seven-month campaign to reorganize a regional church to face a future that leaders say has been diminished physically by storm damage, depopulated neighborhoods and a steadily aging and shrinking corps of priests. --- Plans to stay --- Dissenting parishioners, however, have angrily rejected those motives, recasting the closures as a thinly veiled attempt to seize their real estate for its monetary value. Ann Farmer, an organizer of the St. Henry occupation -- parishioners call it a "vigil" -- said Sunday that 50 families already have volunteered to fill enough slots to keep teams in that church around the clock for at least the next two weeks. But their pastor, Monsignor Henry Engelbrecht, an advocate for keeping the parish open, explicitly appealed to his parishioners at their last Mass Sunday to forego an occupation. His appeal seemed to cool some of the original fervor. "I'm torn," said sixth-generation parishioner Kevin Smith. "Torn between my love for this place and my respect for Father Henry." "We've lost some, but some new ones signed up as well," Farmer said later. "It's an ebb and flow." While St. Henry parishioners have long promised an occupation, if necessary, the Good Counsel occupation was less anticipated. That parish has filed a civil suit challenging the closure, with a court hearing set for Tuesday; both communities have filed canonical appeals in internal Catholic church courts. "We want to keep all our pots simmering -- the lawsuit, the canonical appeal and the vigil," said Barbara Fortier, the head of Good Counsel's parish counsel. Organizers at both churches have said they expect the occupations to be open-ended. Alden Hagardorn, the president of St. Henry's parish council, has said the goal of that occupation would be to demonstrate devotion to the church until the arrival of a successor to Hughes, to whom they would make a fresh appeal. Hughes is serving past the usual retirement age; only the Vatican knows its schedule for announcing a successor. At Good Counsel, "Our model is St. Augustine," said Fortier, a reference to a three-week occupation of that historic Treme church in 2006 that reversed a similar closure order. Parishioners of both parishes scheduled organizational meetings Monday to develop further details of their resistance plans. Archdiocesan spokeswoman Sarah Comiskey said the archdiocese would not try to regain control of the buildings. "The archdiocese has committed itself not to enter into a confrontation, and will let those who want to stay remain there," she said. Still, the dominant note in Sunday's services was less anger than sadness at the realization that these gatherings might be the last in the beloved churches. At St. Henry's final Mass, Deacon Henry Garon nearly broke down trying to speak the ancient formula for dismissal: "The Mass is ended. Go in peace." Meanwhile, a poster outside the church provided a twist on that farewell: It read: "The Mass is ended. But we do not go in peace." Parishioners returned for a mid-afternoon prayer service. Leaving church for the last time, they emerged onto the street bearing lighted candles symbolizing the light of Christ. But overhead the church's funeral bell tolled mournfully over the neighborhood. At Good Counsel, the Rev. Pat Collum, leaving after eight years, preached a final homily on the power of love. Like Engelbrecht at St. Henry, he asked his congregation to pray for Hughes. He did not mention the planned occupation. Meanwhile, parishioners at St. Francis de Sales in Central City, another of the three Catholic parishes ordered to close Sunday, crafted a bittersweet final service that mixed sad resignation with a celebration of their community's history. Before their last Mass together at 8:30 a.m., members of the African-American congregation gathered outside their church to pray. Adapting an African custom, they ritually poured water onto the ground as they read the names of ancestors who helped build the 141-year-old parish. "They were good and righteous people who worked collectively to build up our family and build up the community of believers," said parishioner Funmilayo Smallwood. They then called up the names of current members who are carrying on the work of their ancestors. Inside, their Gospel was both jubilant and anguished. Many sang and wept simultaneously. Later, they collected written prayer intentions -- petitions to God -- and ceremonially burned them in a single vessel. The action symbolized their determination to put down their burdens and move forward, said Smallwood. "We've got to make that journey, brothers and sisters," long-time Deacon Raymond Lewis told the congregation. "No journey is easy. Press on! Press on!" . . . . . . . Bruce Nolan can be reached at bnolan@timespicayune.com or 504.826.3344. Valerie Faciane can be reached at 504.826.3325 or vfaciane@timespicayune.com.
Any original material on these pages is copyright © BishopAccountability.org 2004. Reproduce freely with attribution.