By Elizabeth Doran
Post Standard
December 24, 2010
http://www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf/2010/12/post_340.html
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| Parishioners at St. Mary's in Jamesville keep their faint hopes alive, against all odds, that the Vatican might reopen their church. The congregation met at the church for their annual Christmas service. At right is Colleen Latray who makes an announcement that they will have their day in court to make an argument for the reopening of the church. |
Since the Syracuse Diocese decided in 2007 to close St. Mary Roman Catholic Church in Jamesville, parishioners have been told over and over they have little chance of a successful appeal.
Undaunted, a group of several dozen who worked to file an appeal have never given up hope. And now that persistence is paying off as St. Mary’s will soon take an unprecedented step in its appeal to the Vatican.
Where numerous other parishes have been turned down before getting to this stage, St. Mary’s has been granted a court hearing Feb. 12 at the Vatican in Rome, when their formal appeal will be heard. The appeal will be heard by a panel of the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura, the Vatican’s supreme court.
"This is highly significant because it’s the first and only case to my knowledge from an American parish group that’s made it all the way to be granted a full court hearing," said Peter Borre, chairman of the American Council of Parishes, a Boston-based advocacy group which helps parishes with their appeals.
Eleven parish groups in the Boston area submitted appeals to the Vatican, and all 11 were denied.
"Every step of the way (St. Mary) parishioners have been asked why they are bothering to continue." Borre said. "This group has advanced much further with its Canon appeal."
Borre said it may be a month before the court’s decision is released.
Matthew Loveland, assistant professor of Sociology at LeMoyne College, agreed the decision to hear the appeal is significant.
"It seems like they went about it the right way, where others may have made technical mistakes," Loveland said. "And getting this far has motivated a lot of others to fight for their parishes. More than anything, I think this demonstrates the significance of parishes to committed Catholics."
No one is sure why St. Mary’s has succeeded in getting a hearing; some think the Diocese may have made an error in the closure procedure, while others think the parish simply has an overwhelming case with a growing, financially stable membership.
The Diocese of Syracuse said it hasn’t been notified that a hearing will take place, said spokesperson Danielle Cummings. She said that could be because the appeal is between the Vatican and St. Mary’s
At least 40 parishes have been closed in the seven-county Roman Catholic Diocese of Syracuse,. Catholic dioceses all over the country are closing parishes as they respond to shortages of priests, declining attendance and population shifts.Colleen LaTray, one of the key people behind the appeal, said St. Mary’s was growing and welcoming new families and not declining at all. She’s among a group of parishioners who have worked on the appeal and are now "cautiously optimistic."
LaTray said they’ve persisted partly because in Canon law every case is based on its own merits, and not on precedent. "We know we have a strong case," she said. "We are financially solvent, growing, located in an expanding community and have a strong active ministry."
St. Mary’s, with 350 families in the parish at the time of the Diocese’s announcement, is the only Catholic church in the Jamesville area.
"We had a spike in people moving into the area and a lot of growth, so our circumstances didn’t support what the Diocese gave for reasons to close parishes," said Chris Prosak, a 20-year church member.
In 2008, a Vatican council upheld St. Mary’s closure and said it found no mistakes in the procedure or the facts. But St. Mary’s parishioners took their appeal to the Apostolic Signatura. In 2009. the Promoter of Justice at the Vatican rendered an opinion in St. Mary’s favor, LaTray said.
"Our decision to appeal has been confirmed every step of the way every time we hear something," she said. "We were told we’d never get this far."
Since St. Mary’s final Mass on July 1, 2007, a group has held weekly prayer services at 6437 E. Seneca Turnpike. Opponents of the closure occupied the church 24 hours a day from June 28, 2007, to Jan. 30. On that date, diocesan officials, accompanied by members of the Onondaga County Sheriff’s Office, asked the one person inside the church to leave.
"We really question the reasons for closure based on our unique situation at St. Mary’s," LaTray said.
Elizabeth Doran can be reached at edoran@syracuse.com or 470-3012
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