Tonight I received a press release on Saint Adalbert Basilica…it is like the title of this post says…good news and bad news.
But…
I say the good news far outweighs the bad.
From the press release…
Almost three and a half years ago, parishioners and friends of St. Adalbert Basilica on the east side of Buffalo, NY announced they had begun the process of appealing the decision by the Diocese of Buffalo to close St. Adalbert’s as a worship site and merge the parish into St. John Kanty parish. Today, the “Save St. Adalbert” committee is pleased to announce that the Vatican has made the decision that St. Adalbert Basilica should remain open as a place of worship.
In a letter sent to the appeal committee representing the parishioners and friends of St. Adalbert Basilica, Undersecretary for the Congregation of the Clergy at the Vatican Reverend Monsignor Celso Morga Iruzubieta wrote that the Dicastery has reviewed the matter “thoroughly” and “rests assured that the church (St. Adalbert’s) will remain a place of worship.”
What makes this news very important is that an overwhelming number of church closing cases sent to the Vatican usually end up with Rome siding with a diocese’s decision.
The bad news is this…
Following receipt of the letter, representatives of the Save St. Adalbert’s committee reached out to the Diocese of Buffalo to implement the Vatican’s ruling in a collaborative manner, only to be told at a meeting that the Bishop would continue his plan to merge St. Adalbert’s into St. John Kanty’s and cease regular worship at the basilica, leaving it open only for special services such as weddings and funerals.
Saint Adalbert people had this to say…
“We were overjoyed to learn that the Vatican saw the merit of keeping our beautiful basilica open for worship, and cannot understand why the Diocese of Buffalo would violate the spirit of the Vatican’s ruling,” Save St. Adalbert’s representative Ronald Suchocki said. “How can we remain open as a worship site when all regularly scheduled worship is eliminated? Clearly, Bishop Kmiec and the Diocese of Buffalo are ignoring the Vatican’s intent.”
Suchocki continued, “Not only does the Diocese’s flawed plan mean there would be no regular masses at St. Adalbert’s despite the Vatican’s judgment, it also puts in jeopardy all our special events that have been planned for months such as our Lenten Soup Suppers (planned for March 12, 19, and 26) and our community presence at the Broadway Market during the Easter season.”
The Save St. Adalbert’s committee promptly sent a letter to the Vatican asking for clarification of Rome’s ruling. “The good people of faith at St. Adalbert Basilica remain undeterred by this latest roadblock,” Suchocki concluded. “We trust in the wisdom of God and the Vatican, and look forward to worshiping every weekend at St. Adalbert’s for years to come.”
I am quite sure we haven’t heard the last of this.
Wait a minute . . . the diocese and Bishop Kmiec are blatantly disobeying orders from the Vatican? I have to be honest, that’s pretty disturbing. I wouldn’t have the nads to do that. Of course, they wouldn’t be doing it either if Jan Pawel II was still running the shop . . .