SUN HERALD

This is a transcript of Bishop Thomas J. Rodi's response to the lawsuit filed by members of Holy Family Parish of Pass Christian. It is reprinted with permission of the Gulf Pine Catholic, where it originally was published on Friday.

LAWSUIT ATTACKS THE UNITY AND LIBERTY OF THE CHURCH

It was with great sadness that I received notice of a lawsuit filed against the Diocese of Biloxi, Father Dennis Carver, pastor of Holy Family Parish in Pass Christian, and me.

The lawsuit is 66 pages long and contains a great deal of "lawyer talk." The bottom line of the lawsuit is that it is an attempt to have the courts order the Catholic Church to have a church building at a specific place. If this lawsuit would be successful, it would mean, in effect, that the courts would tell the Catholic Church where God must be worshipped, where Mass and the other sacraments must be celebrated, and how the Catholic Church must use the financial resources of Holy Family Parish. This lawsuit attacks both the unity and liberty of the Church.

Fortunately, in this country we have a philosophy of separation of Church and State, based upon our Constitution. I am not familiar with any court that has told the members of any religion where they must worship God.

The background to this lawsuit began about two weeks after Katrina. Before the storm there were three Catholic parishes in the Pass Christian area. One (St. Paul Parish) was staffed by a diocesan priest, another (Our Lady of Lourdes Parish) was staffed by a Missionary Servant Priest, and a third (Our Mother of Mercy Parish) was staffed by a Josephite priest. Two weeks after the storm the Missionary Servant religious order announced that it would no longer continue staffing Our Lady of Lourdes Parish. This was a great disappointment, but the number of their priests continues to decline (including the recent death on May 5, 2007, of Father Robert Shay, a former pastor of Our Lady of Lourdes Parish). Age and severe decline in Missionary Servant vocations have caused the order to leave some parishes which it had staffed for generations.

The number of priests in our diocese is also decreasing, so it was necessary to combine St. Paul Parish and Our Lady of Lourdes Parish into one new parish - Holy Family Parish - so that it could be staffed by one diocesan priest. Our Mother of Mercy Parish continues to be staffed by a Josephite priest.

The consolidation of parishes is one of the most painful decisions for any bishop to make. It certainly has always been a painful decision for me. It is painful for a bishop because it is usually so painful for the people affected. In the desire to avoid as much pain as possible, the original decision was for both church buildings to remain open, one church building on the beach and the other on Menge Avenue.

That remained the plan for Holy Family Parish for over a year. However, as the pastor considered the declining numbers of priests, received estimates of the costs of building two parish locations, and other factors, he concluded that it would be best to have one church building for Holy Family Parish. He has explained that, foremost among the other factors, is his concern for the spiritual welfare of the parishioners. Any pastor desires to create unity in his parish and the pastor of Holy Family Parish reached the conclusion that having two churches would tend to have parishioners identify with one church building or the other rather than identify as one Holy Family Parish. One church building would also allow for a combining and strengthening of parish ministries, especially those associated with the celebration of the Eucharist, which have been weakened by the loss of so many parishioners. At present only about 700 individuals (not 700 families) attend Mass at Holy Family Parish.

After consultation and prayer, the pastor asked for permission to have one church building on Menge Avenue, adjacent to the new Saint Vincent de Paul Catholic Elementary School, and to use the badly damaged church building on the beach as a parish center available for parish and community activities. He believed that such a use of the building would help the recovery efforts of the Pass Christian area and maintain a visible presence of Holy Family Parish in the city. After further consultation, I approved his request.

Obviously, there are some who do not agree with the pastor's decision and have sought to have the courts force the Catholic Church to build a church on the beach location.

This deeply saddens me since this lawsuit is not in keeping with our understanding of the fundamental nature of the Catholic Church. We are a church, not independent congregations. In faith, worship, and practice, we are in union with the successor of Saint Peter, the Pope. The Pope appoints the bishop of each diocese to serve as shepherd of the diocese. The bishop in turn appoints pastors to serve as shepherds for the parishes. The pastor is to minister for and with his parishioners. In making decisions affecting the good of the parish, he is to carefully consider the advice of the parishioners, especially his advisory committees, but the final decision is his as pastor.

The pastor of Holy Family Parish made his decision based upon many factors, but the most important factor was the spiritual welfare of his parish community. This lawsuit overlooks this essential identity of the Catholic Church. It would seek to have the courts, rather than their pastors, make decisions about the spiritual welfare of the parishioners.

Sadly, this controversy exists. However, I remain very hopeful. Our faith teaches us that reconciliation is not only possible, it is our duty as Christians. Where divisions exist, the love of Christ constantly calls us together. I am confident that the love of Christ is more powerful than the present tensions. I am confident that calm and reason, and especially Christian love, will overcome any bitterness. Let us together pray for this reconciliation.

THOMAS J. RODI, BISHOP OF THE DIOCESE OF BILOXI