It's so, so sad when you can't believe a single word that comes out of the Diocese of Camden/Catholic Star Herald. The latest propaganda they're spewing (here's the swill if you're interested: link ) says that there's a "study" that's been done that "proves" people want to close down their schools in favor of the mega-high school. Did you ever hear that old saying from Shakespeare that says, "The devil can cite Scripture for his purpose?"* It's very much like that with the Diocese. Like pharmaceutical companies that want to peddle a drug conduct their own "studies," so does the Diocese.

In this case, they've hired Meitler Consultants, commonly known as "the wrecking ball." They're the brains behind the "studies." Funny, unless I've missed something, they don't seem to ever have found a school or church they thought worthy of keeping open. They're who various American Catholic diocese bring in when they want to justify the wreckage they're about to unleash on the unsuspecting faithful.

In the Diocese of Scranton, PA, they talk about Meitler here in their website dedicated to the Catholic schools targeted for closure. Quote:

March 2007: Seton Catholic High School, Pittston:
The Seton Catholic High School Junior class already had their class rings and were busy planning for their happy senior year when the extremely expensive "Meitler Study," commissioned by Bishop Martino, reported its "findings." Midway through their Junior year, Bishop Joseph F. Martino and the Diocese of Scranton made the final decision to close Seton Catholic in June 2007. A lot of hearts were broken that day, and continue to be broken. Seton Catholic/St. John the Evangelist High school can NEVER be replaced and there is STILL a need for a Catholic high school in the Pittston Area School District.

And here's the great leavenocatholicstudenbehind.com's page dedicated to the Meitler group, which is quite informative: link. So far as we can tell, the Meitner group's consulting surveys handily provide Scripture for the Diocese in question's purpose, and for a hefty fee. The Meitler group has been used in various diocese around country. The Diocese of Camden is its latest victim. One of the most recent victims before us were the poor people in the diocese to the north, Trenton. Predictably, the

Trenton Diocese used the study as a "smokescreen" to execute previously planned school closings and regionalization.

And here's a blog about church closings in Kansas and how Meitler has "helped" with those: link Here are the angry comments of one of the faithful complaining about the sham facilitator of the "listening sessions." (Sounding familiar, folks?)

Hey, Facilitator Lady? Is that supposed to make us feel better? The Old Enemy has conquered Boston in a bloody rout, and your Meitler guys are there helping Bishop Sean (excuse me, I mean Cardinal Sean) pick the last flesh off the bones of Holy Mother Church there. Meitler is responsible for destroying THIS. What will they wreck in the Dotte?

The parish to which the commenter refers is Holy Trinity German, an unbelievably beautiful old German church in Boston whose last mass was in Latin. It was officially suppressed only a week ago. From their site:

It is with great sadness and regret that we must inform our readers that His Eminence, Seán Cardinal O'Malley has set June 30, 2008 as the date for the closure of Holy Trinity.  Although four years have passed since this intention was first announced, we still do not know why our church was specifically identified for elimination.  While it seems to us that successful parishes with unique missions should be among the last to be sacrificed to help the Archdiocese adjust to administration challenges and demographic changes, others apparently do not see it that way.

It seems like there's a whole industry making money off of church and school closures. Certainly the Meitler Consultants are cleaning up. There is more at work here than meets the eye, and certainly the "Old Enemy," as the commenter above called him, is at work in the American part of Holy Mother Church. What more must the Church and the faithful suffer? We shall see. Pray hard, brothers and sisters in Christ, and keep the brain God gave you in working order.


*From the Merchant of Venice. It's a great quote. It continues: 

An evil soul, producing holy witness,
Is like a villain with a smiling cheek,
A goodly apple rotten at the heart
O, what a goodly outside falsehood hath!