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	Two Dozen Parishioners in Church That Archdiocese Thought Was Closed By Maya Rodriguez WWL-TV January 4, 2009 http://www.wwltv.com/local/stories/wwl010408cbgoodcounsel.3b308636.html [With video. See two articles by Jason Berry on the New Orleans parish resistance: The Mass Is Ended: But Some Parishioners Are Not Going in Peace (September 16, 2008); and Mass Protests (November 9, 2008).] Video:Watch the Story NEW ORLEANS -- One day after the Archdiocese of New Orleans sealed shut the doors and windows of Our Lady of Good Counsel Church, an open front door welcomed people to a prayer vigil Sunday morning. That vigil included parishioners from Saint Henry, another uptown church that is fighting to stay open. "We're both in the same boat," said Alden Hagardorn, a St. Henry parishioner. "We're very supportive of each other because we want to show the Archdiocese that we can work as a team." The prayer vigil comes on the heels of the Archdiocese believing parishioners had vacated the church, which led to them screwing the doors and windows shut. "The building office has felt that there are safety and security issues," said Bishop Roger Morin, with the Archdiocese of New Orleans. "That someone could be injured, faulty wiring or extensions might lead to a fire, there could be any member of things and the archdiocese would be responsible." "We want on identity and we'll take that identity within the new parish they form. That's not the issue. The issue is when you lock these people out of these churches," Hagardorn said. Members of Our Lady of Good Counsel would not answer our questions today about how they gained entry into the church. However, they did release a statement asking for a meeting with Archbishop Alfred Hughes. The statement went onto say that they hope to “formulate a pragmatic solution to put a peaceful end to the vigils." A spokeswoman for the Archdiocese tells Eyewitness News that Archbishop Alfred Hughes is still consulting what to do next. However, during a news conference on Saturday, he expressed his desire for the vigils to end. "I am hoping that we can still persuade them to conclude the vigil," Archbishop Hughes said. "This is intended for the long-range good of these two communities and for the development of the new parish of Good Shepherd." It's a move that some parishioners say they also want a move towards reconciliation, but one that would also include a compromise. "We'd probably have to give up our identity as an individual parish, as long as we knew we could keep our doors open and have at least the ability to have mass once a week, weddings, funerals, our feast day services," Hagardorn said. In the meantime, some parishioners at St. Henry and Our Lady of Good Counsel plan to continue their vigils until further notice.
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