Wednesday, December 19, 2007

Back to the Future

"While the modern Catholic Church is known for being hierarchical, the first parishes in New York were founded by ordinary folks, Shelley said. A group of immigrants would form a corporation and raise enough money to buy a piece of land and build a church. Then they would ask the bishop to send them a priest.

New York City's first parish, for instance, was formed in 1785, when 22 lay people organized St. Peter's Church on Barclay Street.

Where did early congregations meet until they had churches?"

Many parishes organized in stables," Shelley said.

"Often it was a very modest beginning."...just like Christianity, eh?"

These words are from Moving "Forward," Looking Back, a recent post in Rocco Palmo's blog "Whispers in the Loggia." Mr. Palmo turns his attention to Monsignor Thomas Shelley's history of the archdiocese, "The Archdiocese of New York: The Bicentennial History, 1808-2008."

Maybe it's time for history to repeat itself.

No comments: