Diocese Eases Parish Worries

By Elizabeth Hardin-Burrola
Gallup Independent
May 21, 2015

http://gallupindependent.com/

GALLUP – Although Bishop James S. Wall hasn’t agreed to meet with parishioners from Gallup’s St. John Vianney Parish, he has apparently heard their voices loud and clear.

Wall and his chancery officials spent the last several days backpedaling on several unpopular diocesan decisions concerning St. John Vianney that left parishioners upset, frustrated, banding together and requesting to meet with the bishop. As of Sunday, several of those controversial decisions had been reversed.

The controversy erupted over Mother’s Day weekend when parishioners were stunned to learn their popular priest, the Rev. James E. Walker, was being abruptly transferred to Bloomfield and their parish was being reduced to a chapel. As a mere chapel, they were informed, they would have no resident priest, only two weekend Masses, no religious education program for children, and the loss of sacraments such as baptism, reconciliation, confirmation and marriage.

Parishioners, many of whom gathered for an impromptu parish meeting Monday, feared this was the diocese’s first step toward closing down their parish.

Chancery officials said the abrupt decision was made because Walker was needed to replace the Rev. Bob Mathieu, who resigned because of “some incidences of imprudence in the use of social media — Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.”

St. John Vianney parishioners were dismayed by Walker’s transfer and upset that their thriving church was being stripped down to a chapel.

In an interview Wednesday, parish member Lawrence Andrade, a local physician, credited Walker’s pastoral leadership for the church’s growth and cited the church’s full attendance, increased collections, growing religious education programs and a much needed expansion of the church parking lot as evidence of the parish’s vitality.

Andrade bluntly said he believed chancery officials made the decision out of “jealousy and anger” because St. John Vianney’s attendance and collections were increasing while the bishop’s Sacred Heart Cathedral, with its “conservative, overly reverent pre-Vatican II” style services, was experiencing dwindling attendance and collections.

During Saturday and Sunday Masses, St. John Vianney parishioners learned Wall was backing down on some of the decisions affecting their church. Although Walker was still being transferred, the church will continue as an active parish, not a chapel.

In a letter inserted into the church bulletin, the Rev. Kevin H. Finnegan, the current chancellor and vicar general, announced he has been assigned as pastor of the church.

“Please be assured and take comfort that the viability of St. John Vianney Parish will continue under my pastoral care,” Finnegan wrote.

Most of the weekly Masses will now continue to be offered, as will the religious education program for children. Because of Finnegan’s physical disabilities, he will not move into the parish rectory at this time but will continue to live at the bishop’s House of Discernment.

Although Finnegan’s letter stated the parish’s third weekend Mass was to be cut, that decision had also been revoked by Sunday morning.

Walker, addressing parishioners at the 11:30 a.m. Mass, which was the Mass slated to be cut, said Finnegan had telephoned that morning and said the third weekend service would continue. Parishioners then burst into applause at the announcement.

Finnegan’s decision to eliminate youth altar servers at the parish did not elicit a similar positive response. Church leaders frequently cite youth altar server programs as a positive method of promoting religious vocations. Finnegan, however, is asking for adult volunteers to replace the parish’s youth servers.

The future of weddings and funeral services at St. John Vianney has yet to be determined.