Worship Site Status – Beware

There was much joy when some parishes that were slated to close were now designated as a ‘secondary worship site.” Beware; the very aspects of your church that bring people in will now be taken away bit by bit. CCD will be under the “new parish,” but in reality it will be taken away from you. If your church has a vibrant and successful CCD program, it will be given to the new church. School subsidy status will change. The initial proposal was to have equal standing with any school you choose. Again, if your church has attracted members due to the sending status of a particular school, that will be taken away. The parents will have little choice but to join a parish that matches their current school enrollment. Little by little, the essence of your parish life will be taken away. Sooner than later your church will have lost its vibrancy and members, and that is when your “secondary worship site” will change to “closed.”

Stay awake and do not be led astray like lost sheep.

The merger plan is rewarding bad behavior.

I must bring to your attention the parallel between what is happening in our country and recent events in the Catholic Church in the Diocese of Camden.

A CBS News survey Posted on Tuesday, 24 February 2009 on KYW News radio states:

By 61 to 20, Americans favor a bailout for homeowners but many are resentful of irresponsible owners.

I believe in helping my brothers and sisters in need, but cannot help but be angry with the churches with a history of irresponsibility. The plan is for each team to have an equal say in the merge. However, the bigger church inevitably wants to take over and dictate to the smaller one.

This scenario is probably playing out in more places throughout the diocese.

Let’s look at the merger plans. We’ll name them the “bigger church” and the “smaller church”.

The “bigger church” is heavily in debt, cannot pay their bills and has low attendance.

Their spending is out of control with high payrolls filled with cronyism.

While Jesus gave us the example to tend to the poor and help the minimalized of society, the “bigger church” has reversed priorities. The focus is on lavish parties and extraneous accruements. The message of living a Christian life has been ignored and social status has become important.

The “smaller church” is second to home, where you see your family every week and share all the joys and sorrows of life. Many of the parishioners from the “bigger church” attend the “smaller church” because of the prayerfulness and spirituality. The “smaller church” pays the bills, has better attendance and gives more in the collection per capita than the “bigger church.”

The merger plan is rewarding bad behavior.

The homes of some are being taken away and given to others.

What is the true intention of this merge?

The Fairy Tale - Part II

(From last time) Now the great King used the people’s own words against them. Because you are lacking, we will close the city gates.

The people were astounded. They were grieving and in great despair. Many could not sleep or eat and cried day and night. How could this great King inflict so much pain, when he is meant to be a symbol of love?

The King said, “You are mourning now, but you will see that my vision will prevail and the Kingdom will be better for it.”

The people pleaded with the King, “Our ancestors built this great city with their own sweat and blood. In a time when there was nothing, they made something. This place is an impressive testament to our faith and devotion. Countless generations gathered here to express their love and thankfulness. Please do not close our doors.”

The King would not listen. He continued to make false statements.

The people went into the streets and started to protest.

“The King is destroying the Kingdom!”

Mark 3:24-27

If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand. And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand; that is the end of him. But no one can enter a strong man's house to plunder his property unless he first ties up the strong man. Then he can plunder his house.

A Fairy Tale

Once upon a time, there was a new King.

He had great power over his people. Many of the previous flock were not loyal and tried to destroy the Kingdom.

This new King came to the people and said, “How can I make things better for you?”

Now the people were surprised at this, because a King had never said this to them before. They had always faithfully given to the Kingdom and didn’t expect anything in return.

So the people were very happy that this new King cared so much for the people that he would visit them. These people were his true followers and dedicated themselves to building up what had been torn down.

So the people thought of a great wish list of things they would like; and then became yearning for their neighbor’s wishes. Like innocent lambs, they went one by one to the great King and expressed their dissatisfaction.

The great King said, “I will form a troupe and you will determine the plans for the future.”

So the faithful innocent lambs went to many meetings and reported to the King.

But the great King said “No.” and rejected all of their proposals.

So they continued working until the King had the decision he wanted.

Now the great King used the people’s own words against them. Because you are lacking, we will close the city gates.

The people didn’t understand and like children, thought “What did we do wrong?”

How did the great King become displeased with them?

They found more fault with themselves and tried to please him, but he still said “NO!”

Now time had passed and the people began to believe that the great King had not told them the truth.

Upon investigation they found many of his statements to be false.

Our land is being sold for money for the King.

Mark 12:38-40

In the course of his teaching he said, "Beware of the scribes, who like to go around in long robes and accept greetings in the marketplaces, seats of honor in synagogues, and places of honor at banquets. They devour the houses of widows and, as a pretext, recite lengthy prayers. They will receive a very severe condemnation."

Mark 3:24-27

If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand. And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand; that is the end of him. But no one can enter a strong man's house to plunder his property unless he first ties up the strong man. Then he can plunder his house.