Bishop Robert Hennessey's visit to Mount Carmel Church for Easter Mass drew some media attention, with a story in The Globe and a report on NECN. The newspaper article says that hundreds filled the pews at the East Boston church, which was closed by the archdiocese in October 2004 and has been occupied by parishioners since then.Hennessey surely squandered a good bit of the good will his visit generated when -- referring to weekly services that Mount Carmel's faithful hold using lay ministers -- he said, "It is my firm belief that what happens here on most Sundays is not a good thing, that it could even put your souls in peril."
Yikes. Sounds a lot like, "Stop your occupation or you're all going to hell." I guess we've learned to expect that from an institution that still treats its followers like it's the Dark Ages.
1 comment:
I was surprised to learn that services were even being held at Mt. Carmel, a parish that for all intents and purposes has been surpressed by the archdiocese. I realize it is a difficult thing for parishioners to come to terms with however, once a church has been suppressed, it is no longer recognized as a place of worship.
My family's former church was suppressed and initially we were told that the facility could be used for funerals and weddings. Imagine the added sadness when, upon my grandmother's passing, we learned that her funeral services would not be permitted to be conducted there. Obviously we had to come to terms with it.
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