Agony in Albany - The Roman Catholic Faithful

Roman Catholic Faithful, Inc. / AMDG May 2004 Albany newslettercatechists appropriate for the number of parishioners”;will be a contributor to the parish school, and ifnone exists, a contributor to the regional Catholicschool; will make The Evangelist available to everyfamily; will “make budget provisions for a‘comprehensive Christian service agenda’,” and will“have in place viable Church administration techniquesand procedures.”The Evangelist did not disclose that everyparish with more than 300 families has to hire a nunas a “pastoral assistant,” and must pay for her apartment,buy her a car, provide her a salary, and also hirea full-time religious education coordinator.“I can’t afford that,” said a priest, alreadycrushed by parish assessments that amount to 28% of“everything that comes in on Sunday,” and almostone-third of all money raised in the parish. This includesmoney from suppers, bazaars, craft shows, andother fund-raising projects.The Bishop also demands one-third of allmoney raised for parish heat funds and building projects,according to a layman familiar with parish finances.“If my priest gets an estimate from a rooferthat it’s going to cost $10,000 to repair the roof of thechurch, he has to raise $15,000 so that the Bishop canget his cut. Most parishes here have special collectionseach month during the winter for their anticipatedheat bills. Priests have to figure not only howmuch the cost to heat the church will be, but also howmuch they will have to pay the Bishop.“I wish I had somebody with the expertise orthe time to find out where all the money is going,” hesaid.A Terrible ProblemAccording to a lawyer who has preparedmany wills for Catholics who wanted to leave moneyto the Diocese, there are even more serious problemsin the diocesan financial picture.He said there are people who want to leave alot of money to their parishes to ensure their financialstability, but they are unwilling to give because theyfear their parishes will be closed, and the Bishop willjust take the money. People want to stipulate that theirmoney will be used in their parishes, but they can'tget that guarantee.“A much worse problem,” the lawyer said,“is that there are some people who want to leave humongousamounts of money to their parish when theydie, for Masses to be said for their souls over theyears.“People are discouraged from having Massessaid after they die, because, they are told, it causestoo many bookkeeping problems. They are told to justgive the money to the Bishop.“It’s a terrible problem,” he continued. “Inthe Bishop’s vision, we won’t be having any Massesin the future, because we won’t have any priests. ThisDiocese really discourages Masses.”One priest contacted by The Wanderer becausehe is reputed to have a great understanding ofthe financial situation of the Diocese — and a priestwho has nothing but the highest personal regard forBishop Hubbard — said that if it were not for willsand estates, “This Diocese would be in a lot of trouble.”He has no idea how the Church in Albany cancontinue to exist, even apart from its financial problems.“Go to Mass,” he said. “There are no youngpeople. All you see are gray heads. Even the peoplewho go to Catholic schools now do not go to Mass.Do you think they will be going when they graduate?”The Answer Is InIn February, 1980, Bishop Hubbard wrote,“Standing on the threshold of another decade, onecannot help but wonder what shape religious developmentand response will take as we rush toward thesecond millennium.”The answer is now in, say many AlbanyCatholics: There will be no priests, no Masses, and nochurches.Part VIIThe Establishment of Woman-Church“This Diocese is against men” — JoanneClough.The dissolution of the Catholic Church in56