There is a lot of misinformation circulating through the community regarding Beacons of Light and the merger of our parishes. I offered two meetings to communicate our merger and what it means for us, and for many those meetings helped to alleviate fears. However, three significant false claims are being circulated and perhaps giving rise to new fears. I want to address these:
- Claim #1: Only individual parishes have a right to a Sunday Mass in their respective church; therefore, merger would take away our right to have a Sunday Mass in our church.
- This is false. There is no law granting a right to any church for a Sunday Mass. The only law in this regard pertains to those spaces in which the Blessed Sacrament is reserved: “In sacred places where the Most Holy Eucharist is reserved…insofar as possible, a priest is to celebrate Mass there at least twice a month” (Can 934, §2). This Mass can be any day of the week, and it doesn’t even have to be public. This law exists to ensure the proper care needed for the Eucharist when kept in reservation. We intend to keep the Blessed Sacrament reserved in all of our churches. This will not change after merger, and all of our churches will continue to have Mass regularly, even if not on Sunday.
- Claim #2: Merging of parishes is just a step towards closing churches; therefore, merger will cause us to close our church.
- This is false. Merging of parishes and closure of churches are two completely distinct juridical acts; one does not cause the other. Merger is not a step in the process of closure, because the closure of a church has to do with the state of the church itself, and not with its status as part of an individual parish. Our parishes are merging, but our churches are not closing, and they will not close if we do what we must to maintain and provide for them.
- Claim #3: If we merge, the “smaller” parishes will lose their control to the “big” parishes; therefore, merger would mean the “big” parishes make all the decisions.
- This is false. In a merged parish, every parishioner of the former parishes becomes a parishioner of the new parish; there is no “us” and “them”, no “big” and “small”, no “ours” and “theirs” – we all become equals and co-responsible for our new parish. In our merged parish, everything will belong to everyone, and we will all commit to taking care of everything. Furthermore, decision-making is the responsibility of the pastor, in consultation with members of the parish. If the pastor is not influenced by popularity or money, this protects the parish from being led and potentially harmed by those who don’t have the eternal good of the parishioners or the mission of the Church at heart.
As we move forward together, considering the merger decree and what it means for us, some are relieved, some are confused, some are worried, some are hopeful, and some are angry – most are a mixture. Emotions are good insofar as they are part of what makes us human, but in our fallen nature they can get the best of us. One way to help ourselves in times of heightened emotion is to understand the truth, to distinguish between facts and fears, and not let our minds run wild and our emotions get the best of us. We owe it to ourselves, and we owe it to one another.
Lastly, I want the parishioners to know this: it’s okay if you are okay with this merger. Our plan is a good one, and we are doing this in obedience to the archbishop, who is responsible for governing this archdiocese. It’s okay to trust your archbishop, it’s okay to trust your pastor. No one should feel pressured to “stand up” and “join the fight” against merger. You are not being a traitor to your parish because you choose to trust your pastor. Everyone has the duty to act according to what conscience says is right, but we also have the duty to form our consciences according to the facts – not fear, not feeling, but truth. It is the truth that dispels the darkness of fear and fills us with the courage to follow the Lord where He leads. In the end it isn’t about being on “our side” or “their side” but striving to remain at His side. “Nearer my God to Thee, even if it be a cross that raiseth me”. If this cross can bring us nearer to Jesus, let’s climb it together. May God bless you in the week ahead and may Mother Mary lead you more deeply into the Sacred and Merciful Heart of Jesus. I remain,
Affectionately Yours in Christ,
Fr. Hess
