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	Diocese Refuses Gifts from Protesting Parishioners Associated Press, carried in Shreveport Times November 28, 2008 http://www.shreveporttimes.com/article/20081128/NEWS06/811280319/1065 NEW ORLEANS — The fight over Catholic church closings in the New Orleans area has taken another turn, with the archdiocese not picking up Christmas donations from parishioners trying to save St. Henry parish. Archbishop Alfred Hughes closed that parish and others last month, prompting St. Henry's occupation by parishioners who have continued traditional ministry work, including raising money for Christmas-time distribution by the archdiocese's charitable arm, Catholic Charities. Sarah Comiskey, a spokeswoman for the Archdiocese of New Orleans, said that since the parish is closed, it wouldn't be appropriate to send representatives there. She said the archdiocese would be grateful if the more than $3,000 they have collected was donated from another site. Hughes wants the congregants to find a new church home at another parish. But a leader at St. Henry, Alden Hagardorn, said the donation site shouldn't matter. He said Christmas drive organizers, hurt by the archdiocese's position, have begun looking for another recipient.
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