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	Church Members, Bishop Spar over Staffer's Removal By William Behling Beloit Daily News March 16, 2009 http://www.beloitdailynews.com/articles/2009/03/16/news/local_news/news01.txt About 50 people who gathered in a Janesville church's parking lot on Saturday were determined to vent their frustration and express their displeasure. What had upset the group was the dismissal earlier in the week of a longtime worker for St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic parish in Beloit, Ruth Kolpack. The protesters learned that Bishop Robert C. Morlino would be at St. John Vianney's parish hall for a meeting with area priests and parish leaders, to outline his plans for a new approach to enlisting Catholics' financial support for operation of the Madison diocese he leads. As they waited for Morlino's arrival, the friends and supporters of Kolpack prepared placards critical of the firing, which occurred on Thursday. One lamented a "ruthless" action by the bishop and a "Ruth-less" St. Thomas parish. Another suggested "raise your voice for Ruth" and another said simply "Jesus Wept." As the bishop walked with his entourage to the church hall for the meeting, he waved to the protesters but was unsmiling. Aides declined to talk about the firing. Before entering the hall, Morlino told the protesters that he'd speak with them following the meeting, or in about an hour and a half. Most waited. According to a news release distributed by Kolpack's supporters, Kolpack, a pastoral associate at St. Thomas parish since 1995, was fired on Thursday "effective immediately ... with no opportunity to learn about nor defend the accusations made against her." No specific accusations supporting the dismissal have been made. The news release said that over the past three years, Madison diocese officials received "several accusations" against Kolpack. It added that in January, the Rev. Steve Kortendick, pastor of St. Thomas and St. Jude parishes in Beloit, met with Morlino about those accusations. Since then, the release said, Father Kortendick and the diocesan chancellor had met in an unsuccessful effort to find a "positive resolution." According to the release, the investigation shifted to Kolpack's thesis, written for her master of divinity degree that was granted from St. Francis seminary. The lengthy thesis, written in 2003, evidently stirred no interest from church leaders until lately. Kolpack's main theme is on inclusiveness, and what she sees as a patriarchal tone in the church's liturgy, with an implicit exclusion of women from key roles, such as the priesthood. Prior to her dismissal, the bishop told Kolpack she could agree to denounce her thesis, make a profession of faith, and take an oath of loyalty in order to keep her post at St. Thomas. She said she'd agree to the last two conditions, but wouldn't denounce her thesis because "it would be dishonest of me" and not true to her work. When he spoke with the protesters after the diocesan fundraising meeting on Saturday, Morlino declined to give any details of his reasons for firing Kolpack. All he would say was that the action was a "personnel matter" and that the thesis wasn't the only issue; that a "certain mentality" on Kolpack's part was "troublesome." He stressed that he respects her good work at St. Thomas and doesn't want to "hurt her good name." Several people questioned Morlino, and Dr. Tom Lang asked to take the lead role in the discussion. Lang told the Bishop that Kolpack served the parish well in many ways and has the respect of parishioners and townspeople. Lang, and others, invited Morlino to come to Beloit for a further discussion. The bishop said he'll come to such a meeting, but wasn't sure what it would accomplish. Asked if there was a chance he'd reconsider Kolpack's firing, the Bishop replied, "You never say never, but it would be wrong of me to raise hopes in that regard." Kolpack became a volunteer catechist at St. Thomas in 1971. She attended workshops and conferences to be certified in religious education. In 1983, she was hired as a part-time youth minister and organized a youth ministry program at St. Thomas. She took training at Loyola University, got a bachelor's degree in 1986 and was hired full-time. She later attended graduate school and earned a master's degree. Kolpack got involved in diocesan educational programs, did training work and had a leading role in establishing the "Hands of Faith" program in which several churches take turns housing homeless families. She also had a part in establishing a Hispanic Ministry for Beloit's three Catholic parishes - St. Thomas, St. Jude and Our Lady of the Assumption. One of the results has been an increase in the number of Hispanic families as members of St. Thomas, plus plans for a tutoring program to assist Spanish-speaking parishioners with their English skills. In a letter to Morlino, Kolpack said "My ministry is my life's work." She concluded by asking him to reconsider her dismissal. During the afternoon on Saturday, a few adults and children stood apart from the protest group, saying Hail Marys and displaying posters expressing support for Bishop Morino. Call to Action, an organization working for equality and justice in the Catholic Church, had members from its Madison branch at the protest in Janesville. Call to Action's Web site says the group "believes that the Spirit of God is at work in the whole church, not just in its appointed leaders."
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