Replies

Much of my disillusionment with Bishop Wuerl goes back to the period where he had to close and consolidate a number of parishes because of declining population and attendance. Where I used to belong – the churches each had their own traditions. Most of them were founded by groups of immigrants – for example, the Poles had their church, the Italians had theirs and so on. At the time the closings were going on, we had something like five or six churches, all within the same square mile, but maybe a total combined active membership of at best a hundred or so people. Obviously, some of these churches had to close. I understand that. But it was the way the closings were handled by the Bishop that left a lot to be desired.

For example, when the churches in my neighborhood consolidated, the promise was made that the traditions and cultures of the various ethnic groups would be preserved and continued. That did not happen. As soon as the new pastor for the consolidated church was installed, he immediately did away with most of the traditions. A number of parishioners appealed to the Bishop, but the appeals fell on deaf ears. Still more parishioners left. I know of one group of parishioners of Polish ancestry who joined the Polish National Catholic Church (not under the Pope).

To be fair, our last good Bishop was the late Cardinal John Wright. None of his successors (Wuerl, Bevilaqua or Leonard) ever came close. Maybe it was that Wright was a tough act to follow. I don’t know, but I wouldn’t mind seeing someone of his caliber and integrity as Bishop here again.