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	Parishioners Keep Vigil to Protest NJ Church Closing By Geoff Mulvihill Daily Record January 4, 2011 http://www.dailyrecord.com/article/20110104/UPDATES01/110104069/-1/UPDATES01/Parishioners-keep-vigil-to-protest-NJ-church-closing Italian-American immigrants in rural southern New Jersey got St. Mary's Roman Catholic Church built in 1922 by raising $5,000. Modern parishioners — some of them descendants of those church founders — have begun a vigil of protest, saying they'll stay in the church around the clock until higher-ups agree to keep the building open. Their vigil began Sunday. Parishioners, several at a time, are sitting in the unheated pews, sometimes praying the rosary or singing hymns, sometimes just chatting. "The people that worship here prefer a more intimate worship setting," said one of them, Kevin Kelton. He said the leaders of the Camden diocese seem to have another view: "The larger, the better," he said. The Roman Catholic church, facing shifting populations, has been closing parishes around the country — particularly in the Midwest and Northeast. Parishioners usually react with sorrow, and sometimes anger. Those at St. Mary's decided to protest. The parish was targeted to merge with two other nearby churches as the Camden Diocese embarked on an ambitious consolidation plan. When the process launched in 2007, Bishop Joseph Galante said it was needed because priests were retiring and soon there would not be enough for the 124 parishes that serve about 500,000 Catholics in the southern portion of New Jersey. The diocese is in the final stages of reducing the number of parishes by half through a series of mergers. When St. Mary's was put on the list of churches to be merged back in 2008, some parishioners became defiant, putting up a website dedicated to saving the church — and often criticizing both Galante and the part-time parish priest, the Rev. Edward Namiotka. "The bishop thinks he can change the church's name and we'll all forget what he has done," parishioner Donna Wilson, said Tuesday. But worshippers say they were surprised in November when a note was taped to the door saying that the church was closed because of a problem with the furnace. They were directed to the two other nearby Catholic churches with which the merger was planned. "In terms of the spiritial life of the people there, the diocese is not leaving them bereft without a church. The issue that is under contention is this particular church building," said Peter Feuerherd, a spokesman for the diocese. Feuerherd said attendance had fallen to under 200 for weekend Masses and the church has rung up a debt of about $250,000, which makes it hard to keep the church functioning. That's why the church was going to be consolidated, he said, but the reason it closed when it did was the boiler problem. He said the parish trustees voted to close the church. Members say the diocese's story is disingenuous. Leah Vassallo, an organizer of the vigil, says attendance is strong and has been stable for nearly 90 years since the church opened. She believes the diocese is targeting the church because officials don't like the website seeking to save the parish. Kelton, a former trustee at the church, said there is money available for the $9,000 furnace repair. And, he said, the trustees don't exactly represent the will of the parish. The five-member board includes only two lay people, along with the parish priest, the bishop and another diocesan official. Members say they've made do since the door was locked. The children's Catholic education class has been held at another parish. A nearby Methodist church let St. Mary's borrow its basement for a Christmas party. The sign in front of the sturdy brown brick building has been changed to say, "No Blessed Masses." The Christmas pageant, though, was canceled, and the junior choir hasn't practiced. Seven-year-old Julia Cippollone, who was at the church Tuesday with her mother, Jennifer, has been taking CCD classes. "They don't know what church they're going to receive their first Communion in," Jennifer Cippollone said. "You want to know who your priest is." Vassallo, who said her great- and great-great-grandparents were church founders, said there was talk of some kind of protest about the closure. But on Sunday, there was a stroke of luck. A parishioner found a church door partially unlocked and the alarm system disabled, she said. Since then, about 50 members have taken turns keeping vigil.
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