Source: New York Times
5/14/08: Less than two weeks ago, as final preparations were being made
for the visit of Pope Benedict XVI to the United States, the bishop of
Camden, N.J., announced plans to close or merge nearly half the
parishes in his diocese. Meanwhile, Catholics in New Orleans, Boston,
New York, Toledo, Ohio, and nearly three dozen other dioceses are
mourning the loss of parishes and parochial schools they grew up in.
"It's frustrating because you start to see the bishop as the enemy, and it puts you where you're conflicted," said Leah Vassallo, a lawyer whose parish in Malaga, N.J., is among those to be closed. "Obviously you don't want to give up your faith or go to a different religion, or not go to church at all. But it does disenfranchise you. We're going to be a lot more hesitant before we give money to the church."
A resistance movement to church closings that began in Boston has spread to other dioceses.
Read Full Story with a picture of St. Mary's
"It's frustrating because you start to see the bishop as the enemy, and it puts you where you're conflicted," said Leah Vassallo, a lawyer whose parish in Malaga, N.J., is among those to be closed. "Obviously you don't want to give up your faith or go to a different religion, or not go to church at all. But it does disenfranchise you. We're going to be a lot more hesitant before we give money to the church."
A resistance movement to church closings that began in Boston has spread to other dioceses.
Read Full Story with a picture of St. Mary's