More on Rochester Parishes
A follow-on to my earlier posting, a new article from the Rochester Democrat & Chronicle, published on Sunday, January 31, 2010: Irondequoit churches to hear closing recommendations
IRONDEQUOIT —” Parishioners of the town’s five Catholic diocesan churches will learn the likely fate of their churches during Masses today.
Pastors will deliver messages about which churches are being recommended for closure, from a list of St. Thomas the Apostle, St. Salome, Christ the King, St. Margaret Mary and St. Cecilia. A pastoral planning group, composed of members from each church, has forwarded its recommendations to Bishop Matthew Clark, who will consult with the diocesan-wide Priests Council and ultimately decide later this year.
The churches are all part of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Rochester. St. Casimir, part of the Polish National Catholic Church, is not affected by the decision, but that parish also is in danger of closing, for the same reasons affecting the diocesan churches: dwindling membership, priest shortages and financial problems…
But not really the same because the closing decision would be in the hands of all the people who are members of St. Casimir’s. The Bishop cannot close the Parish, only a vote of the membership can. See Articles V, Sections 8 and 9 and Article VI, Sections 3 and 4 of the Constitution and Laws of the PNCC.
Article V
SECTION 8. All of the funds, moneys and property, whether real or personal, belong to those members of the Parish who conform to the Rites, Constitution, Principles, Laws, Rules, Regulations, Customs and Usages of this Church, and subject to the provisions of this Constitution and Laws.
SECTION 9. No Parish shall be liquidated without the written consent of the Prime Bishop and the Supreme Council, unless prevented by the law of the State or Province of incorporation, this provision shall be clearly stated in the charter of every Parish of this Church.
Article VI
SECTION 3. In administrative, managerial and social matters, this Church derives its authority from the people who build, constitute, believe in, support and care for it. It is a fundamental principle of this Church that all Parish property, whether the same be real, personal, or mixed, is the property of those united with the Parish who build and support this Church and conform to the Rite, Constitution, Principles, Laws, Rules, Regulations, Customs and Usages of this Church.
SECTION 4. The administration, management and control over all the property of the Parish is vested in the Parish Committee elected by the Parish and confirmed by the Diocesan Bishop, and strictly dependent upon and answerable to the lawful authorities of this Church.
I do not want to disagree, but the ownership and control of PNCC parish
property BY THE PARISH MEMBERS is restricted by these articles. For
example. “All of the funds, moneys and property… belong to those
members of the Parish who CONFORM to the Rites, CONSTITUTION… OF THIS
CHURCH, AND SUBJECT TO THE PROVISIONS OF THIS CONSTITUTION AND LAWS.”
Likewise, “The administration, management and control over all the property of the Parish is vested in the Parish Committee elected by the Parish and CONFIRMED BY THE DIOCESAN BISHOP, and STRICTLY DEPENDENT UPON
AND ANSWERABLE TO THE LAWFUL AUTHORITIES OF THIS CHURCH.”
I am not a lawyer, so correct me if I am wrong. But, I interpret this
to mean that a PNCC parish may NOT separate from the national Church and
keep its parish property. See the cases of the Los Angeles parish and
Toronto cathedral both of which were taken to court by the PNCC national
office when they tried to leave the PNCC and take local parish property
with them. So, local PNCC parish funds, moneys, and property in fact
belong to the national PNCC just as local Polish Roman Catholic parish
property belongs to the diocesan Roman Catholic bishop. The major
difference is that local PNCC parishes can NOT be closed without the
consent and approval of that parish.
Agree, it is restricted for exactly the protection of the members’ interests. Remember that a Parish is created as part of the PNCC, and is built through the labor and donations of its members. No, it may not separate. The people who form and build the Church, who maintain it, should not have their interests compromised by those that would attempt to literally steal their investment and use it for some other purpose.
The entire investment of the members is for the purpose of being part of the Church. It is not akin to a private investment club where people pool their money just to make money, or a business where people pool their money and labor to turn a profit making different choices as the day dictates.
As you note in the Los Angeles and Toronto instances that’s what newcomers tried to do, steal the interest of the members and use it for some other purpose. While they may have wanted to be some sort of “church” it wasn’t the Church which the members invested in or were faithful to.
Members in the PNCC don’t have some sort of flighty interest in building the Church, one day thinking it is a great idea, the next day thinking it would be better as a mosque, bar, or social club. Remember that people are (or at least were in the day) resolute in their faith. Membership in the PNCC means your are ‘Narodowiec’ – a National, a person of the Church. You join to be part of that. Without these built in protections it would be quite easy for a group of people to invest a little time and walk away with the assets of the faithful. It is a check and balance. In the end, it is the faithful, the members who decide as to their assets. The only thing they can’t do is steal them.
By the way, I’ve seen that happen in more than one Polonian organizations. Members stuff the ballot box with the votes of members they have paid for. Suddenly the group is no longer set to its original purpose but has become something else — usually fitting some narrow political agenda.