Feeling Ignored, Going Elsewhere, by Carol Gorga Williams, Asbury Park Press, September 26, 2011

Feeling Ignored, Going Elsewhere

By Carol Gorga Williams
Asbury Park Press
September 26, 2011

http://www.app.com/article/20110925/NJNEWS/309250005/1001/NEWS&source=rss

For the first time, parishioners of Our Lady of Guadalupe celebrate a First Holy Communion, Sunday, Aug. 14, during Mass at Saint James Episcopal Church in Long Branch. / JASON TOWLEN/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Fifiteen-year-old first communicant Ana Hernandez of Long Branch, listens to a sermon by Bishop George Lucey during Our Lady of Guadalupe's First Holy Communion Mass on Aug. 14, held at Saint James Episcopal Church in Long Branch. / JASON TOWLEN/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

LONG BRANCH — After years of wandering in the metaphorical desert — holding religious services at curbside and later in social halls — the parishioners of Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church have found a Sunday home in a borrowed Episcopalian house of worship.

It is a start, they say, that one day could help them find the literal rock upon which they can build their church, separate from those of the local Roman Catholic diocese and associated with the independent American National Catholic Church, in which parishioners say they have more of a voice and espouse progressive positions that provide a home for divorced Catholics, married priests, female priests and a place for gay couples to marry.

"In many ways, we are more Catholic than the Roman Catholic Church," said the Most Rev. George R. Lucey, presiding bishop of the American National Catholic Church. "We accept everyone."

The parishioners hail primarily from St. John the Baptist, which the Roman Catholic Diocese of Trenton shuttered in May 2009 as part of a consolidation program that created Christ the King parish out of Holy Trinity, Our Lady Star of the Sea and those St. John members who did not oppose the merger plan.

St. John — which was comprised largely of Hispanic and Portuguese families — was the only one of the three to be demolished under the plan. Some objecting members in 2010 formed Our Lady of Guadalupe and, beginning this past Sept. 11, found a home at St. James Episcopal Church, where they will conduct Mass every week and begin to lobby those who have drifted away from the church to return.

The demolition of St. John the Baptist – which parishioners built in 1978 in a former factory – was part of a list of traumas Our Lady of Guadalupe parishioners say they endured from the Roman Catholic diocese as they unsuccessfully sought an audience with two different bishops.

The parishioners wanted to discuss what they contend was flawed evidence that led the bishops to support the closure of St. John the Baptist over the other two diocesan churches.

"We had big hopes" of Bishop David M. O'Connell, who succeeded the retiring Bishop John M. Smith in running the Trenton diocese, said churchgoer Noel Romero, 56, of Tinton Falls.

But in the end, the diocese was silent.

"They sent us a letter that said there is nothing to talk about," he said.

But for Our Lady of Guadalupe, there was plenty to discuss, from whether the committee that studied the consolidation plan handled the issue objectively to which Roman Catholic churches in Long Branch were growing and thus could bring more money to the diocese than St. John's $2 million building fund.

But mostly it was about trying to continue to place the church in the center of the community's spiritual and cultural life in a way that did not feel completely compromising.

"We were looking for a process to continue our Catholicism," said Angel Martinez, 66, of Eatontown, who was a founding member of St. John in 1978.

Martinez said he supports the more progressive elements of the church's canon because it is all about making Catholics feel included.

"We understand everyone should come to the table and participate," said Martinez.

Some parishioners say they are unhappy with the Rev. Juan Daniel Peirano, a former Peruvian military officer who served as pastor for St. John and now, Christ the King.

He could not be reached for comment.

Church members have posted videos on YouTube they say help demonstrate that Peirano treated many parishioners with disdain.

Meanwhile, the new church is moving forward. Preparation classes for Eucharist and Confirmation are held weekly, according to Our Lady of Guadalupe's new website, which also contains details about choir practice and Bible study.

In August, the church conducted its first-ever First Holy Communion.

"Nothing has changed as far as our belief in our sacraments," said Rivero, 50, of Ocean Township.

For him – and other parishioners of the independent church – there is nothing left of their relationship with the Roman Catholic church, and no way to repair what no longer exists.

"I think we've exhausted the means to get to them," Rivero said. "It hurt so much that we were not heard. We tried in so many different ways to stay Roman Catholic. We just needed our own place and … I think at some point, (Trenton) said 'Let them go.' "

After his experiences at the diocese, parishioner Virgilio Lozano believes the church needs to be more inclusive.

"I don't think anyone can tell you how to believe," he said. "You are responsible for that yourself."

One plus to Our Lady of Guadalupe members is church assets remain with the parish, which means the American National Catholic Church hierarchy cannot order the church closed and demolished and cannot seize assets from property sales, said Lucey.

"We are not afraid they are going to take our properties," confirmed Romero.

In fact, say members of the local church, the American National Catholic Church is not even requiring a portion of church collections — not while there is still so much to do to establish the church locally.

"They told us, 'Put it into your building treasury,' " said Romero. "Build your building first."

The Trenton diocese declined to respond to inquiries about the issue, instead pointing to a statement O'Connell issued in June expressing his concern over "alternative" or independent Catholics.

O'Connell said his greatest fear was that organizers of Our Lady of Guadalupe would take "other well-intentioned Catholics down with them, leading them away from the practice of their faith under the pretense of legitimacy."

Church members say Trenton treats them without respect, addressing correspondence "to whom it may concern" and applying pressure on the church's pastor, who was ordained in the Roman Catholic Church in 1976 but left 30 years ago to marry and have a family. The diocese contends that the Rev. Anthony J. Testa Jr. is misrepresenting himself as an ordained Roman Catholic priest.

"I'm amazed at their faith, their energy, their desire to come together and pray," said Testa, who believes serving Our Lady of Guadalupe answers his own vocational call. "We might not be Roman Catholics, but we still have a Catholic tradition dating back to the Apostles."

The independent Catholic movement is not new, experts said. The Polish American National Church recently celebrated its centennial while the so-called Old Catholics and those who follow the Byzantine rite are even older, said Timothy Matovina, Notre Dame's director of the Cushwa Center for the Study of American Catholicism.

As for the American National Catholic Church, "time will tell" if it endures, said Matovina of the church, established in 2009 and now in six states.

"When they see we are getting a bishop and a priest, they understand there are options," said Lozano of his Roman Catholic neighbors. "We're still Catholics. … This is the new Catholic Church."

Contact: CGorgaWilliams@NJPressMedia.com