This story was born somewhat unintentionally.  In early January, I had traveled with my family to Temperance, MI to witness the baptism of my niece, when a parishioner there asked about the demolition which had taken place in the week prior to Christmas.  He suggested that we notify the Blade.  At that point, I was tired of putting the past on trial in the press.  We’ve been there and done that over and over again.  Sally Oberski takes a call from a reporter and turns on the recorded message that we’ve all heard over and over again:

• shortage of priests
• church was closed
• community requested the demolition

Then we get to go through another round of dissecting the story:

• St. James appealed to Vatican, Bishop Blair decision upheld
• St. James appealed in civil court, decision not overturned

We made our case in the press over and over again.  The problem with the priest shortage is not caused by the fact that there are too many churches.  The diocese chose to “win” by ignoring that very sound advice.  Arguing about this in the press was becoming a waste of creative energy for the diocese and for us.  They are determined to destroy themselves, and we’ve decided to stop trying to stop them, and get back to the business of being a church. 

But the interesting part is that so many who took up for the diocese in these arguments said that we needed to get over an attachment to a building and realize that the Church is so much more than a building.  About the Church being more than a building, we could not agree more.  We had already moved on before demolition, but now the building is no longer blocking the diocese vision of that fact.  The St. James community continues with the business of the Kansas community without missing a beat, and the diocese can no longer use a building and false arguments about our attachment to it as a foil against our credibility or legitimacy.  The diocese broke the law, we know it, and they know we know exactly how they did it.  We did our best to correct their ways, but now we have new missions and new priorities. 

We remember the past, and we learn from it; but we look to the future.  When the press wants to talk about the future, we have many very positive stories to tell them that won’t require them to print Sally Oberski’s talking points in a symbolic gesture of balance.  Whether or not the Toledo Diocese chooses not to recognize the legitimacy of our practicing of the Roman Catholic faith, it is our position that the path we are on is the most positive and Christian way to practice that faith for this community today; and it is our Christian duty to do so.

More to come on this I’m sure…….

Update:

St. Peters parishioners carry on

I still recall how back in the days when we began such an effort, how the “other side of the argument” was always represented by those who criticized us for being too attached to a building.  Kudos to Bob Zack, who in the article is quoted as saying “We do stand, however, in opposition to the closing of our church as well as so many others in our diocese…..the bishop says the church is his real estate.  Fine, take it.  We have no control over that.  But we have decided we want to keep our community together.”  Bravo.

While Zack concedes the property issue, St. James would still contend that whether you want the building or not, it belongs no more to the bishop than the dollars in your checking account belong to the president of your bank.  Taking what does not belong to you and expecting people to make peace with that because you are a cleric is indicative of a psychological state of mind that is not healthy for the church, and will ultimately prove to be a part of its unraveling from within.  When church clerics take the position that it is easier to ask for forgiveness than it is to ask for permission, it has effectively lost its way spritually.  This is why we took such a stand, and one of the reasons why St. James continues to be a church community with or without its former building.

God bless the St. Peter parishioners for taking ownership of their situation.  Hats off to you all!

Look forward to seeing you there!

Immediately following our case, St. James resumed the business of being the church that is needed during these difficult times in Kansas and the surrounding community.  Our Parish Council is actively working to reach out to those who need assistance, and we continue to hold weekly prayer services and monthly Masses that are well attended.  Our Sunday School program continues to grow, and our Lenten musical tradition of presenting His Last Days will kick off for the 22nd time this Sunday the 21st at Old Fort United Methodist Church.  We look to our future with excitement, humility, and with the knowledge that we serve a loving God. 

With so much to keep us busy, it has hardly been our nature to look backward to the days when our affairs were managed from the ivory tower on Spielbusch Ave by individuals with no discernible connection to our community; but purported to have our best interests in mind.  Lately we couldn’t help but notice that a pattern of behavior which we are all too familiar with is making a comeback as reported here and here.

I am not anxious to revisit the past, but I can’t help but share that my experience in the past has taught me that 3 camps will emerge out of this that may squabble over some of the details, while the most important aspects of what is taking place will go unnoticed by Bishop Blair, Sr. Joyce Lehman, many parishioners, and the media.  Not to put too fine a point on it, but with the changing/restructuring of the schools in Fremont, and the twinning of parishes, this will be all but inevitable.

1. The first camp is angry.  They may believe that the changes are unnecessary, or do not like the way those changes are being implemented.  These people will be told that the diocese understands that change is difficult for them to accept, and will be the subject of prayers that they may come to accept the changes.  No regard for the legitimacy of their feelings about poor planning or implementation will take place.
2. The second camp may or may not be unhappy about the changes, but will view those who voice their concerns as troublemakers who should accept and be quiet.  Some fingerpointing is likely about who is to blame for all of the hoopla in the first place, but will usually not factor in the role of any members of the hierarchy.  Ultimately, this group will conclude that if everyone can accept and move on, that all problems will go away, all wrongs will be righted, and everyone will get a unicorn for Christmas.
3. The 3rd camp is fully submissive, and proud of it.  This camp can be summed up by the following statement: If it has been decreed, than it is right.  I’ve had my fair share of engagement with this kind of thinking.  I have no comment about it other than to say that it is what it is; it will always exist in some form or fashion, and if you are predisposed to change any minds on this issue, this is the group that will give you the least amount of return for your efforts.

Now I want to stress that while all of this is going on, the key take aways from the linked articles above are this (with my emphasis added):

In a letter to the pastors of St. Ann, St. Joseph and Sacred Heart, Bishop Leonard Blair, head of the Toledo Diocese, called the entire system Bishop Hoffman School. He felt SJCC should be renamed to promote unity, according to the letter.

and this:

This is a “particularly difficult year” for the diocesan priest shortage, Sister Joyce said, with nine leaving through retirement and only three coming into the system. And the gap between anticipated retirements and the number of new priests will continue to grow, she said. 

“There’s a little bit of a crunch in the next couple years,” she said.

 

We’ll have to remain focused on the business of running and growing St. James, and it is refreshing to know that we will be able to do so without being hindered by the “assistance” of the office up north in the way that the parishioners in the Fremont Catholic schools and the 10 twinned parishes are now.  But if you are caught up in camp 1 above, do not allow camps 2 and 3 to take your eyes off the ball, which is highlighted in the two quotes I called out.  The takeaways are that:

1.  no matter what you and your fellow parishioners know about your community, the hierarchy “knows” what is best for creating unity in your community
2. twinning is a stop gap that is only part of a much larger problem.  Something will have to give, and the choices that the hierarchy has are either to close churches, allow priests to marry, or ordain women.  In other words, the hierarchy does not believe they have a choice, and this is only a rest stop on your journey with the Toledo Diocese.  Don’t kid yourself about the destination.

UPDATE:

I’m being told that in Fremont, the Diocese has backed down from renaming all of the individual schools, but that the system will be called the Bishop Hoffman School System.  I’m not sure what ultimately prompted the change, but this is good news.

As we light the fourth candle on the Advent Wreath this morning, I wish that I could stand up here and talk about how we would be back in the St. James building for Christmas. Advent means the coming or arrival of something important; and this is an advent for the next phase of our church life. I’ve received some messages of condolence from several people this last week, and what I have stressed to them is that as far as I’m concerned, this doesn’t change anything for our church community. Our remaining a church family didn’t hinge on whether we had our building returned to us; but it was one of the most paramount missions that we had taken on as it was symbolic of our desire to make the Catholic Church honest in how it conducts itself. I’ve told people that we will continue to have missions, and will remain a church family as those missions come to fruition.

Sometimes Goliath wins. I have no regrets about that; I would only have regret if we never tried. In this case, the Catholic Church has only become more solidified in its determination to commit suicide by a thousand cuts. If that is what they want, we can’t change that for them. What we can do is remain supportive of others who face the same predicament, or face a future without a church in their life. We can stay focused on the truth, and continue to be a community in the body of Christ. I’ve called several different church buildings my church home in my life, and several different congregations have been my church family as well. But the same God was with me no matter where I was worshiping, and God is here with us today.

With the lessons surrounding Advent and Christmas, we are reminded that life was never easy for Jesus either. Even his birth was filled with hardship. Physical hardship, being born in a stable out in the cold, with an animal feeding trough for his first bed. Political hardship, with King Herod sending his minions to find the baby Jesus who was a threat to his political power, and bring him to Herod to be killed. Refusing to die, and choosing to live while faced with hardship is part of following Christ’s example. If we choose to live on, than I don’t understand how we lose; and I don’t see how the Catholic hierarchy in their failure to uphold viable parishes comes out as a winner, or a victor over the St. James Parish. The Catholic Hierarchy has put itself in a strange position; for even if they win this kind of battle, they really haven’t won anything other than their right to lose things or give up on them. If that is what winning looks like, than I don’t want to be on the victorious side in that fight.

Jesus was not a member of the “why bother when we’re just going to lose” crowd. He was a member of the “I’ll do it out of love even though I will be killed for it” crowd. There aren’t very many people that are cut from that cloth. That is a powerful kind of love, the kind that makes sacrificing everything ok, because it makes a difference and it matters. A famous movie once used a line that said “love means never having to say you’re sorry.” John Lennon later amended that to say “actually love means having to say you’re sorry every 15 minutes.” But the kind of love that Jesus showed didn’t have anything to do with being sorry or not being sorry. How many people when they think of the people that they love center their thoughts around whether or not they ever feel sorry? When you love someone, that might mean that you are willing to let that person hurt you, because the prospect of not being involved in this person’s life is worse than severing ties because the relationship is sometimes painful. That is the kind of love that Jesus had for us, and He has absolutely nothing to apologize for.

The love for this church can sometimes be painful. If it were easy, it might not be worth having it at all.

I don’t have a lengthy reflection for you this morning that provides a lot of answers, but I want to provide some of my thoughts on the questions that I’ll be pondering this Christmas. Jesus’ entry into this world was difficult, then followed by an even more difficult life and a horrific death; only to be made alive again, a legacy which is carried by congregations like this one who continue to fulfill the truth of the Gospel. Long after many of us are gone, I want to know that there will be a church where people named Ethan, Eva, Bryceson, Abbey, Noah, Alex, Grant, Allison, Cheyenne, Morgan, Erica, Yanel, Erin, Kelsey, and others whose names we don’t yet know will be filling these seats with their families and friends, carrying on the legacy of Jesus in the St. James tradition. What will I do, and what will we do to make that a reality? What role will I play? What talents do I have that I am not using to make this a reality? And most importantly, what am I waiting for?

And to put my own twist on another well known quote I’ll end by saying, “Merry Christmas to all, but I’m not saying good night.”