New Jersey Archbishop Myers builds mansion, hot tub as diocese suffers

Irish Central ^ | February 21,2014 | Kate Hickey

[stisidore]

“It sure looks that way. And it needs to be addressed, and rectified.”

Yesterday.

[Gamecock]

I suspect the Presbyterians and Baptists don’t have anywhere near the holdings of Rome Inc.

Now the Mormons….

[NKP_Vet]

And the mission of protestants is to kick Joel Osteen and Rick Warren out of their 10 million dollars homes and make them sell their fleet of jets and start building more shelters for the homeless.

http://www.therichest.com/celebnetworth/category/celeb/televangelists/

http://celebsnetworth.net/joel-osteen-net-worth/

http://www.celebritynetworth.com/richest-celebrities/rick-warren-net-worth/

[Mrs. Don-o]

"The Vatican’s fungible assets are worth about a billion dollars, a mere drop in the bucket compared to, say, Harvard University’s $27 billion endowment."

Link. Worth a glance.

[Gamecock]

[Not gonna take it anymore]

And now for the rest of the story:

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/kathyschiffer/2014/02/some-key-facts-everyone-should-know-about-the-archbishop-s-residence-in-newark/

WHAT WILL THE RENOVATION COST THE ARCHDIOCESE?
Quick answer: Nothing. The project is being funded solely by private contributions which have been donated for this purpose.
The home which is the subject of newspaper speculation was actually purchased by the Archdiocese of Newark twelve years ago, using proceeds from the sale in 2002 of a more expensive home on the Jersey Shore. The Jersey Shore home which was sold in 2002 had a greater value than does the home which is currently being renovated, even when one includes the cost of landscaping and furnishings.

[DPMD]

The responsibility to feed the hungry can be argued; it is, I believe, one of the Corporal Works of Mercy, and if the Church doesn’t lead by example, who will follow? While the miracle of loaves and fishes was funded by a divine act, we can’t exactly get one on demand.

In many municipalities, we see sites, such as St. Anthony’s Dining Room in San Francisco, established to do just that. If donations, one source of its funding, dry up - it’s a bad economy these days - does the Church then turn its back on the mission?

One unfortunate consequence of the Church’s position on birth control - not to be confused with abortion - is that it helps to create more poor and hungry Catholics and non Catholics in those poorer countries devoted to the Church. If decades/century old properties are more important than preserving the lives of faithful followers, there may need to be a change. Yes, we’re meant to suffer in this life, but it doesn’t help to promote suffering for the sake of preserving wealth.

Thanks for your post.

[metmom]

In a time when Pope Francis is cracking down on the Catholic Church’s extravagant spending, John J. Myers, the Irish American archbishop of the Newark Archdiocese, in New Jersey, is spending $500,000 on a three-floor expansion of his 4,500-square-foot retirement home. The 1.3 million strong Catholic dioceses is footing the bill.

Imagine that.

Who would have thought?

[metmom]

To quote the late Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen:

“WHO IS GOING TO SAVE OUR CHURCH? NOT OUR BISHOPS, NOT OUR PRIESTS AND RELIGIOUS. IT IS UP TO THE PEOPLE. YOU HAVE THE MINDS, THE EYES, THE EARS TO SAVE THE CHURCH. YOUR MISSION IS TO SEE THAT YOUR PRIESTS ACT LIKE PRIESTS, YOUR BISHOPS, LIKE BISHOPS, AND YOUR RELIGIOUS ACT LIKE RELIGIOUS.”

Luther tried that, too.

You remember how that worked out for him, don't you?

[metmom]

The guy took a vow of poverty, did he not?

[Legatus]

The guy took a vow of poverty, did he not?

That's a common misconception, diocesan (also called "secular") clergy do not make vows of poverty. Bishops are generally drawn from the diocesan clergy rather than the religious, although there are certainly exceptions. That's no excuse for extravagance though.