| Original Message |
Rosanna
Posted Jun 21, 2009 5:54 PM
A lot of distorted information is being passed around. Monsignor Joseph Granato has been a priest at St. Lucy's for 54 years now. He kept a poor parish alive and well (against all odds) through the failure of urban renewal, the riots in the 60s and numerous other trials that, in the hands of a lesser man, would have left our community to wither and die. He is a good man...a kind man...a holy man...a humble man...an honorable man...the likes of which are rarely seen in this day and age.
In the last 112 years, St. Lucy's has had only three pastors (the latest of whom is Monsignor Granato), each of whom trained for the position by assisting his predecessor. Archbishop John Myers has not seen fit to use this tried and true method to train Monsignor's replacement. Indeed, throughout all this, the Archbishop has refused to even sit down with the man he is about to evict from the only church Monsignor has ever belonged to, much the less tap into his years of wisdom and experience.
St. Lucy's is a successful, well-integrated, self-supporting city parish, yet another way in which it departs from the norm. At a time when Catholics are leaving the church in large numbers, the parishioners of St. Lucy's remain fiercely loyal to the parish that is our spiritual home, traveling from far and wide to attend the 53 masses scheduled each week, in English, Italian, Latin and Spanish, sitting in the very same pew our grandparents and great-grandparents sat in decades ago.
All we have ever asked is that Monsignor's replacement be someone who understands and respects the longtime traditions of our parish, the very reasons why we all choose to be at St. Lucy's and why St. Lucy's is a thriving community today. In recent weeks, however, we have even stopped focusing on that. Our primary goal now is to keep the Archbishop Myers from going back on his word. He told Monsignor that if he retired, Monsignor would be allowed to live out his days as did his predecessors, in the rectory that has been his home for more than half a century. Monsignor took him at his word. Now the Archbishop intends to renege on his promise and summarily evict our quiet and unassuming pastor, without cause or justification.
On Sunday, June 28th, we will gather on St. Gerard's Plaza in front of St. Lucy's Church at 10:30 AM. We will then process up 7th Avenue to Clifton Avenue to Sacred Heart Cathedral, where we will be until 1:00 PM, joining in prayer that the Archbishop reconsiders his misguided plans.
Although the archdiocese prefers to put its own spin on all this, what it comes down to is very simple...What is the RIGHT thing to do? What is the Catholic thing to do? What would Jesus do? Stand by His word or 'reward' 54 YEARS OF GOD'S WORK with a shove out the door?
The Friends of St. Lucy's
www.savestlucys.com
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