Subscribe
E-mail
Posts
Comments

Stop R.B. 1098, CT Bill Targeting the Catholic Church

March 7th, 2009 by

It’s one of the most outrageous attacks on religious liberty in Connecticut in living memory. Click here to read up on R.B. 1098 and to help us stop it.

2 Comments »

2 Responses to “Stop R.B. 1098, CT Bill Targeting the Catholic Church”

  1. on 09 Mar 2009 at 5:26 pm1 Rev. Seraphim

    I recently converted to the Roman Catholic Church after over 25 years in a church that operated under the “congregational” model.

    Even if the elected lay board were all the most devout, informed and well-meaning of the parish, they never all agreed on financial matters and this caused great problems in the implementation of the pastoral, social, evangelical, charitable and educational mission of the parish. These board members will soon be seen by the parishioners as their elected representatives, as opposed to the pastor who acts as their advocate in progressing the overall mission of the parish and promoter of its good. Pseudo “political camps” and allegiances will develop behind these representatives causing unnatural divisions among the parish family and all the baggage that this model brings will change in very dramatic ways the entire social structure of our churches.

    Now, when the need for Catholic schools is so evident, this bill will dramatically reduce the number of those kept open. As i have witnessed first hand, the primary response to lay boards will be to focus only on the “bottom line” and so those schools that are running at a deficit (mostly inner city – which are the highest priority!) will be placed on the chopping block.

    Another result will be the reduction of the number of clergy and support staff in the parish. In a predictable effort to tighten the belt priests will be encouraged (or forced) to retire. The number of clergy will be reassessed and reduced and soon after that the number of masses and pastoral programs will be reduced. Questions such as “Why should we have 5 masses on the weekend with a half filled church? We should only have two!” Soon after that will come the question of the cost of opening buildings for educational programs with small attendances, the expense of mailings, the reduction of clerical and pastoral support staff and the like. Soon a vicious circle of diminished parish activity leading to diminished collections will ensue and the need for bingo, festivals and fund-raisers will develop changing the parish from a spiritual center to a true financial corporation (or more crudely put – money making operation).

    As the bill states, the pastoral or ecclesial will be under the priest and the financial under the board. The two will always be at odds and all things will be measured against the “operation costs”. P&L statements, not the gospel will dictate the scope and reach of the ministries of the parish. The division of duties and responsibilities will soon translate into the financial division (the parish board) becoming primarily obsessed with the financial welfare of the church “corperation”.

    All parish activities will be weighed against the overall fiscal viability. Let’s ponder the effects of the diminished role of the Church in this scenario! The state has no authority to affect it so!

    There are already numerous and effective laws and statutes to safeguard the people from embezzlement and other fiscal infractions. Whether any Church or secular organization decides to involve the civil authorities and courts for public prosecution is a parochial and private descision.

    Senator McLachlan of Danbury on his blog (senatormclachlan.blogspot.com ) exposes the subtle and not-so-hidden real motivation of Sen. McDonald in the introduction of this statutory revision and his misanthropic and dishonest manipulation of the already victimized parishioners in Darien. I hope they will eventually see his true motives and the “disordered” reasoning behind his actions.

  2. on 13 Jun 2010 at 4:35 pm2 Standing Fast In England and America « Mary Victrix

    […] of Our Lady in Walsingham at the gorgeous little Slipper Chapel, with a particular mention of the situation in Connecticut, which I find profoundly disturbing, even if for now the nefarious efforts to execute a plan to […]

Leave a Reply