Sunday, May 30, 2010

Vatican Rejects Final Appeals of 10 Closed Parishes in Boston

This item rolled off the AP on May 17. The New York Times presented it as a news brief in their national section, Massachusetts: Vatican Rejects Appeals by 10 Parishes in Boston Archdiocese. The following day USA Today expanded and expounded on the topic in their piece Vatican rejects closed Boston churches' appeals.

The wagons seem to have been circled and there seems to be a singularity of purpose in these denials. We should all get together and see if the text (in Latin, no less) of these denials is identical. The Church's recently demonstrated penitence for the abuse of minors by priests has not yet extended itself to the corollary phenomenon: the manner in which "parish families" have been dispossessed and dispersed without suitable pastoral attention. Parishes have unique cultures and charisms that should be studied, preserved and propagated, not obliterated.

Archbishop Dolan: Our Lady of Vilnius, while originated to serve Lithuanians, evolved into a beloved multi-ethnic community solidly resting on the base established by faithful Lithuanian immigrants. The recent rapprochement between the archdiocese and the Lithuanian clergy does not reconstitute the parish family of Our Lady of Vilnius. Our flock needs to be gathered, reunited and fed.

Friday, May 28, 2010

More Press About Msgr. Putrimas' meeting with Archbishop Dolan


CLICK HERE to read Bernardinai item about the May 7th meeting between the Monsignor and Archbishop Timothy Dolan. For those who don't speak the language, Google will translate it into Lithuanglish or Engluanian, which I am almost beginning to understand.

Same text, no pix at Vatikano Radijas aka Vatican Radio.

Monday, May 24, 2010

A New Void in the Blogosphere

It was with a heavy heart that I read that Bob Arihood's blog, Neither More Nor Less, has drawn to a close. This news reached me via the NY Times piece, An East Village Blogger Hangs Up His Mouse.

Though he chronicled the East Village, he did come west the evening of the day our church was padlocked and posted Our Lady of Vilnius is Closed and, as usual, his pictures said it all.

Please read his last post, Basta ! ... No More . This is the Final Post at NMNL . A quote that really resonates with me:

"In doing NMNL we produced 1572 stories simply riding the final whimper of a dying era in the East Village . Today there's not enough interesting material remaining for us to regularly , productively and effeciently photograph and write about in a more-or-less daily blog like NMNL . We're tired of spending so much of our time hunting ,hoping and waiting with so little to show for having done so ."
We are honored to have been included in this work.

Saturday, May 22, 2010

Today is the Feast of St. Rita of Cascia, patron of impossible causes


Ask St. Rita for her help in our impossible cause of saving our church, reuniting our parish and helping the Archdiocese of New York regain the confidence of the faithful by exhibiting corporate behavior consistent with the teachings of Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Thursday, May 20, 2010

A Cautionary Tale of Purchasing & "Re-purposing" Church property

Yesterday's New York Times presented the story of the failed National Museum of Catholic Art and History in East Harlem. The museum is housed in the former Mt. Carmel school which was purchased for $725,000, a sum which included government grants to enhance pedestrian traffic and bolster local businesses. For a variety of reasons, the museum did not deliver on its promise and it is now for sale with an asking price of 4.9 million dollars. Founder and administrator, Christina Cox, drew a salary of $100,000 per year during the museum's run. The article includes interesting sidelights about some of the exhibits.

This is a good read and a cautionary tale for those who espouse the purchase and re-purposing of Our Lady of Vilnius.

read Catholic Museum’s Angels Fail to Save It

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

Worth A Thousand Words



"Meeting with NY Archbishop Timothy M. DolanOn Friday May 7, 2010

Mons. Edmond J. Putrimas and NY Lithuanian Community Chair Ramute Zukas met with the Most Reverend Timothy M. Dolan, Archbishop of the Archdiocese of New York at his residence in Manhattan. After congratulating him on his appointment as the Archbishop (April, 2009) several issues were discussed. The first was the possibility of scheduling and organizing Masses in Lithuanian throughout the calendar year for the local Lithuanian community in New York. Another important topic was the concern about the spiritual, cultural and historical importance of Lithuanian parishes for the local Lithuanian community in New York as well as throughout the United States. As part of the pastoral care of local Lithuanian Catholics, the Archbishop wholeheartedly supports personally taking part in a special Mass at St. Patrick’s Cathedral, in honor of the commemoration of Lithuania’s Millennium. During that event, a commemorative Lithuanian religious icon will be placed in the Cathedral. Under consideration is an icon of Our Lady of Siluva. The Lithuanian Bishops' Conference Delegate looks forward to working together with Archbishop Dolan, his staff and the local Lithuanian Community in preparing for this special event as well as dealing with other pastoral issues pertaining to the Lithuanian Catholic community in New York. "


courtesy of Sielovada