Posted on 11/18/2004 8:05:22 AM PST by NYer
The Vatican has ruled that St. Stanislaus Kostka Parish must comply with the governance structure of all other parishes in the St. Louis Archdiocese.
The decision was sent to the archdiocese and a representative of the Polish parish Nov. 15. It denies the parish’s appeal of the archdiocese’s request that the parish’s lay board of directors be dissolved.
Archdiocesan officials said they were hopeful that a reconciliation would occur. Archbishop Raymond L. Burke last summer transferred the Polish apostolate from the 124-year-old parish in North St. Louis to St. John the Apostle and Evangelist Parish Downtown, where officials said it would remain until a reconciliation is reached.
The lay board of directors was allowed by Archbishop Peter Kenrick in 1891. The Vatican ruled that the board had since then amended the incorporation document so that it no longer complied with Church law.
According to Associated Press writer, Jim Suhr ...
St. Louis — The Vatican has turned aside an independent Polish parish's bid to scuttle the St. Louis archdiocese's push for control of it, marking a "terribly devastating" defeat for the 124-year-old parish.
In a ruling made public Monday, the Congregation for the Clergy — the Vatican office that handles all parish matters — sided with St. Louis Archbishop Raymond Burke, who objected to St. Stanislaus Kostka being run by a lay board of directors.
The parish vigorously had challenged Burke's demand to relinquish control of $9 million in assets and a lay board's leadership, calling that an unlawful takeover.
But the archdiocese said it learned Saturday that the Vatican ruled "the structure of the parish must be conformed promptly to that of every other parish of the Archdiocese of St. Louis."
"The decision, in the form of a decree, was made without qualification," Monsignor Vernon Gardin, the archdiocese's vicar general, said in a statement. "It is the Archbishop's expressed desire that the decision of the Vatican will be implemented in a spirit of reconciliation and Christian charity."
Gardin suggested that should come sooner rather than later, saying he planned to arrange a meeting with the parish's board chief "to discuss the implementation of the decree."
Roger Krasnicki, who in May took the parish's case directly to John Paul II and met in Rome with a papal adviser, called the news "terribly devastating" and "nothing more than a regurgitation of what Burke had been saying all along."
Given the ruling, he said, St. Stanislaus' parishioners — a mix of old world Catholics and U.S.-born descendants of Poles — would weigh their options, ranging from handing over the parish assets to breaking with Rome by bringing in an independent Catholic group to minister.
Another possibility, Krasnicki said, might be turning the church — a red-brick beauty on the National Register of Historic Places — into a museum, touting a history that includes hosting the 1969 visit of Cardinal Karol Wojtyla of Krakow, now Pope John Paul II.
"It's not over with as far as the parishioners are concerned," he said. Serving 278 families, or about 700 people, St. Stanislaus "continues to be punished over the archbishop's desire for power and absolute control over every aspect of every life here."
"For people who have been loyal Roman Catholics, sticking to tradition and the rules of the church, this is absolutely mystifying to them," added Krasnicki, a retired lawyer whose family has been with the parish for more than a century.
The church was established in 1880 when Irish and Polish immigrants settled the neighborhood. In May 1891, then-Archbishop Peter Kenrick and parish leaders signed a deed "forever" conveying church property from the archdiocese to a private parish corporation with a board of lay church members.
The archdiocese now says the structure is contrary to church law and has sought to force the parish to conform to a more traditional structure. If the lay board and parishioners refused to back down, Burke pledged to declare St. Stanislaus no longer a Roman Catholic parish and establish a Polish-speaking parish elsewhere.
"We've been a cornerstone of the community, and now we're being told that all of this is wrong, notwithstanding the fact that every bishop since Kenrick has recognized us," Krasnicki said.
Thanks. Great post.
Firstly, Jesus Christ did NOT promise the Apostles nor their sucessors worldy goods. Nor did he establish the temporal infrastructure/operating proceedures of the Church: those are the works of man......which can be (and are by their very human nature) fallible.
Christ only gave His Apostles and their sucessors spiritual authority. That is all. Period. End of story. Please open a Bible and read from the Holy Gospels.
For the record - while your parish might be a notable exception - in many if not most parishes the contents of the "poor box" are never seen by the poor. If the pastor is halfway honest, they are simply deposited in the general bank account of the parish. If he is dishonest, they go toward Father's personal endowment fund.
If you are not aware of any priest with condos (excluding those which are legitimately inherited), then you are either living in some sort of churchly nirvana, or you are blissfully unaware of reality. I personally have known of quite a few priests with condos, and private houses which were purchased with funds which came neither from their salaries, nor from an inheritance.
It's a nasty word called embezzlement, and it happens all to often, unfortunately.
It is for that reason, as well as for the spiritual welfare of the priests, that I support the concept of poverty of use for Diocesan clerics, and general material sufficiency. NO SALARIES......period. They do not need one - not with a furnished residence with food, laundry, all utilities, fax, computer, copying machine, etc, etc. Beyod a little pocket money, they have no need of a salary, per se.
Canon Law is not infallible. It is a proceedure manual written by mortal men for governance of the Church. In so far as man-made laws are just, they are to be obeyed.
Christ did not insitute Anullments........nor parish councils........nor parish/diocesan endowment funds. Those are the works of man. The will of Christ is for good - but sometimes He lifts his restraining arm, and allows man to do evil - or have evil befall him. Money can be used for good - or it can ensnare, and corrupt.
Th abuse and criminal misuse of Mammon has been the downfall of the Diocesan clergy for a thousand years. It is THE major temporal issue which caused the Protestant Reformation. It is THE major temporal issue which spurred the establishment of all major religious orders of men (and women). Christ told the rich man to leave all, and follow him. He told his apostles and disciples not to worry what they are to eat or wear, as the Father would provide for them. Indeed he always has.
Christ was never more glorious then when he was hanging naked from the cross, as He conquered earth, death, hell and sin by this means. His Church - which we call the Mystical Body of Christ has never been more glorious then when it was poor, naked, starving, and persecuted.
For in the hour of trial alone does the Holy Spirit do its best work with a man. In that hour does man's soul become open to the graces with which HE can fill it, to perfect itself, and to glorify God. In that hour is given the strength to endure all manner of suffering, even unto death - and not let go or give up on God.
As Christ was on the hill of Calvary stripped of his garments, His Church - the Mystical Body of Christ is preparing to be stripped of its vesture......money, property, esteem, fame, reputation. Only through such shame, derision and torment - and seeming death and entombment - will it be glorified in its resurrection. It is fitting.
Despite their incomplete theology, there is one thing that the little old Black Baptist lady knows - which most Catholics (and almost all priests) have lost. Jesus. That is all that poor woman knows. That is all that really matters, when persecution comes - which it is.
With a heart so attuned to Christ in love and obedience to Him, she may well be given the grace at the last hour to understand Mary, the rosary, the Eucharist.....and to accept it all, as it comes from the Christ whom she loves. The key factor is that her love is pure and simple - like that of Catholics of a bygone generation. Knowing not of great things, but only of what is essential.
That is what the Church needs to return to - simplicity. This is not to say that it should not have and use material assets. This is not to espouse some wannabe socialist agenda of "give it all away". No - but we need to get back to what is important: spirituality. All of us need this - Bishop, priest, and people.
And spirituality......the knowledge, love of & obedience to Christ, is totally free. And it is not listed on the NYSE.
Dear thor76,
You're entitled to your opinions.
But, you might want to read post #80. It's a good start.
I will only remark that I believe that not all priests, nor even many priests are thieves. I'm very sorry for you if you believe differently.
sitetest
Outstanding. Thank you.
"I will only remark that I believe that not all priests, nor even many priests are thieves. I'm very sorry for you if you believe differently."
BWHAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!
(rolling about on floor, laughing hysterically).
Yes and the elves that live in the tree make Keebler cookies. Right.
It would be impossible to give accurate figures/percentages, but I will give you a solid lead: if your pastor is your typical gay modernist presbyter......he has sticky fingers. There have been more then enough cases locally and nationwide to justify that statement. It also originates in a quote from a vice chancellor of a major diocese who left the priesthood in disgust over this very issue.
I also know better personally from long experience. The good ones are usually not named pastor. And local pastors within a vicariate, and within a diocese as a whole help and advise each other about the obvious. And protect each other.
If the priest is gay, he is morally lax, and will also be lax in his theology and faith. One follows the other. It is no big leap of immorality to go from problems controlling ones zipper to keeping ones fingers from getting caught in the till. If h is not gay, but is a modernist, my statement still applies because of a lack of any semblence of true faith and morals, and the existance of a truly Catholic conscience.
Dear thor76,
"It would be impossible to give accurate figures/percentages,..."
Then perhaps you ought to avoid smearing priests in general with a broad and slanderous brush. Eighth Commandment, and all that.
Your cynicism is pitiable.
I'll pray for you.
sitetest
"It would be impossible to give accurate figures/percentages,..."
This is due to the fact that lay Catholics like to sleep.....deeply, whilst the wolf raids the henhouse. We are foolishly trusting, as a group, and seemingly do not know how to do math.........or operate calculators. So all too many of the guilty clerics get away with their misdeeds un-caught.
But if one were to read newspapers, one would see more and more priests in recent times - especially over the last year - are gettgin caught with their hand in the till.
Like the Msgr. in Manhattan who not only apprantly stole hundreds of thousands from his parish, but bilked a widow while she was alive, and from her estate after her demise.
Oh.......but he is a highly repected man of the cloth.....and how dare I criticise him!
There is One who will - if no one on earth will accuse these theives - the Just Judge upon the last day.
I predict that most Catholics in the St. Louis Archdiocese will not know or care what happens to the parish which is the subject of this thread. They will only be concerend with dancing with the nuns in tights around the altar, and clapping with the band, as they celbrate how wonderful they are. That, very sadly, is what they are being led into.....all across this land.
In more then one instance I have heard of the pastor suggesting that, rather then putting a check in the collection, that parishioners should sign up for "automatic electronic withdrawel" of funds on a regular basis as an EFT to the parish bank account.
Yes, Father.......please.....take my money.
Canon Law allows for Traditionals and practices to continue if they have been in place 100 years and 30 years, respectfully. Our parish has been in this modis operandi for over 124 years! The Archbishop says that these should have been changed when the Canon Law was changed in 1987 ... but they were NOT! Also, Canon Law was introduced in 1917, the parish was started in 1880.
This is our exact contention, this is NOT about doctrine ... the Archdiocese needs the money to pay off all the pedophile/abuse cases!
These are NOT TRUE. We have NO WRITTEN proof of this. No parishioners know of this from previous times. There is NO documentation anywhere to prove this, unless the diocese manufactures it now!
Let the archdiocese get their payoff money elsewhere.Anything they threaten to take away will be gone if the property is sold to a developer. Archbishops come and go.
I was confirmed by Cardinal Ritter at St. Adelbert's in 1951 and have spent less than a week in St. Louis since then. I remember several beautiful old churches which contrast discordently with the wreckovated disasters I now see in the NW.
Stick to your guns.
I hope you have good lawyers canon and civil. I know you have the prayers of many including some here on Free Republic.
I have read your posts and also visited the website saveststans.com to which you have provided a link. It is quite puzzling. The language and tone of the web site seems very hostile, anti-church and contradicts basic teachings of the Roman Catholic Church.
Here in Poland we believe in loyalty. If you claim that you are Roman Catholic faithful, you should not try to resolve your parish problems using argumentation and support of non-catholic media (BTW some of them such as Riverfront Times seem quite shameful). They only look for the opportunity to attack the Church and point out its weakness. Being a Catholic how can you call Archdiocese newspaper a "biased rag". If response from Vatican supports your Archbishop it means that you are wrong, and you should accept it. As a Roman Catholic faithful you should not attack the Church and its officials under no circumstance.
It is not surprising that you are unable to come to agreement with your Archbishop - there is no peace in your community. If are disappointed with Roman Catholic Church, then just leave the Church but as long as you consider yourself a Catholic - show due respect for your pastors, your bishops and our Pope Jan Pawel II. Do not forget that Roman Catholic Church led Poland and supported us during the most difficult and dark times.
Good luck, and I hope you will find a way to make a peace with your Archbishop, and continue to be a a part of the Roman Catholic Church.
Also, you website invites visitors to become members of the parish. How can you accept new members if you do not have priests offering pastoral care and religious services?
Listed below are excerpts from letter from St. Kostka Parishioners which explains in details why changes proposed by the Archbishop are necessary. Prior to forming their own opinion, members of this forum may benefit from reading this letter. It presents nature of this conflict in somewhat different light..
****
Open Letter to Parishioners and Supporters of the St. Stanislaus Kostka Parish
Over the last several months the Polish community of the St. Louis metropolitan area has been largely divided over a disagreement between the Archdiocese of St. Louis and members of the Board of Directors of the parish corporation regarding the future of the parish. The purpose of this letter is to outline the position of the St. Stanislaus Parish faithful parishioners who are supportive to the changes proposed by the Archbishop of St. Louis. Our prime objective is to reunite our community of faith and to resume religious services at St. Stanislaus Church.
In order to understand what is currently occurring in the St. Stanislaus Parish community we need to take a closer look not only at events which occurred earlier this year, but also at the circumstances surrounding changes of corporate by-laws by the Board of Directors of the St. Stanislaus corporation. This conflict has many underlying issues which have developed over many years, and unfortunately they have not been explored enough by the media and therefore are not known to the public. To further explain our position, it seems useful to clarify some terms in regard to St. Stanislaus Parish community vs. Polish Roman Catholic St. Stanislaus Parish Corporation.
St. Stanislaus Kostka Parish is a faith-based community of people who subscribe to the discipline and teachings of the Roman Catholic Church. The parish was established by Archbishop Kenrick in 1880. As a parish, St. Stanislaus Kostka is required to function in accordance with the norms of Roman Catholic Church law.
The “Polish Roman Catholic St. Stanislaus Parish” is a Missouri not-for-profit corporation established in 1891 to enable the St. Stanislaus Kostka Parish community to more easily function within civil law. As Article 1 of the original by-laws states, “The corporate power of the corporation shall under the laws of the State of Missouri be exercised in conformity with the principles and discipline of the Roman Catholic Church, and in accordance with such rules and regulations as may be established from time to time, for the government of said church, by the Roman Catholic Archbishop in the Diocese of St. Louis, or by his authority.”
Unfortunately, for some time the values and goals of both entities have been very different. As a result, the needs of many members of our parish community have not been properly represented and attended. Over the past several years, the St. Stanislaus Parish corporation has been managed in such a way that it has resembled more of a small family business, rather than a Roman Catholic parish community which functions according to the norms of Roman Catholic Church law.
The original by-laws were adopted by the first Board of Directors of the St. Stanislaus Corporation in 1891. The first President and Treasurer of the Board was the pastor of St. Stanislaus Kostka Parish, Fr. Urban Stanowski. In 1891, Archbishop Kenrick, as trustee for the Congregation of St. Stanislaus, signed a deed conveying a property from the archdiocese to the civil corporation – “Polish Roman Catholic St. Stanislaus Parish”. While the deed conveyed the property to the civil corporation, it did not transfer financial control of the parish. When the property was conveyed, the parish corporation was structured so that all directors, including the pastor, were appointed by the Archbishop who could also remove the directors in case of disagreement. The Archbishop also had final decision-making authority in any disagreement among the directors.
Article 5 of the original by-laws states that “The Treasurer of said corporation shall collect all moneys due or coming to said corporation and pay out of funds in his hands, only such claims and demands as he may be directed to pay by resolution of said Board of Directors. Whenever the money in his hands belonging to said corporation shall exceed sum of Five Thousand dollars, he shall deposit the same, in the name of said corporation, in a depository to be designated by said Board: and monies thus deposited can be withdrawn only by check signed by such Treasurer and countersigned by acting President of said corporation. He shall keep in a book for that purpose, a just, true and full account of all receipts and disbursements of said corporation, and said books at all times be open to the inspection of any member of said Board of Directors and to the Archbishop of Diocese of St. Louis or his representative. He shall on the first Monday after the Feast of Pentecost, in each year (or oftener if required by resolution of said Board) make out, in duplicate a full, true and detailed account of all said receipts and disbursements, together with a full and true statement of all assets and liabilities of said corporation, and shall transmit, without delay, one of said duplicates to the Roman Catholic Archbishop of said Diocese, and shall submit the other to said Board of Directors at its next regular meeting. He shall prepare and cause to be published in such manner as the President of said corporation may direct, a synopsis of said account and statement for the benefit of the members of said corporation.[..]
Article 8 states that “If any dispute or controversy arise between the members of said Board of Directors which they cannot settle, they shall submit same, without delay, to the decision of said Archbishop of said Diocese of St. Louis, and if he be absent to the Vicar-General, and in his absence to the Administrator of said diocese of St. Louis, and the decision of said Archbishop, Vicar-General or Administrator, shall be final and binding on all parties. Either party refusing to abide by said decision, after being duly notified in writing thereof, shall forthwith cease to be a director of said corporation and his place shall be declared vacant by other members of said Board of Directors”.
Article 12 states, in part, that “Those by-laws cannot be changed or modified, nor […] shall any amendment be made at any time which shall in anywise be in conflict with any law of the State of Missouri, or with any rule , regulation or requirement of the said Diocese of St. Louis in force at the time of such proposed change”.
The St. Stanislaus Corporation functioned in its role in accordance with the original charter until the lay members of the Board of Directors revised the original by-laws in 1978, then adopted new by-laws in 2001, and most recently in 2004. Through these illegal changes of the original by-laws, the lay Board of Directors took away the authority of the Archbishop over the parish corporation. Through these revisions, the Board of Directors secured its own autonomy by removing the power of the Archbishop to remove them from office. By revising the by-laws in this manner, the members of the Board violated the original purpose of the St. Stanislaus Corporation and its relationship to Saint Stanislaus Kostka Parish and thus the Roman Catholic Church.
After assuming a position of authority over the parish corporation, the Board of Directors focused their attention primarily on the financial management of the parish funds and so disregarded many relationships with active parish members. Despite several requests by many parishioners over the course of many years, and although required by the original by-laws, the Board refused to provide a complete detailed written report of all the financial accounts of the parish. As far as we know, the Corporation has never gone through an independent audit of all financial accounts it holds.
In the summer of 2003, Archbishop Rigali initiated the process of bringing the parish into conformity with the more than 200 other parishes of the archdiocese. In response to the Archbishop’s request, the Board of Directors initiated an intense, large scale, hostile campaign crafted to discredit Archbishop Burke, the successor to Archbishop Rigali, who has worked to bring to completion the work begun by Archbishop Rigali. The vindictive language and tone used in Board of Directors communications to parishioners and on their internet site is despicable and disgraceful and should have no place in any parish community. We find such tactics deeply troubling and unacceptable, particularly if they are used in the name of all parishioners.
The current conflict between the Archdiocese and the Board of Directors clearly demonstrates that the Board is defending its own position of power, which was attained through illegal modifications of the original corporate by-laws and which for the first time is being seriously challenged. In a desperate attempt to retain final authority over the parish assets, the Board wrote on its internet web site that it is currently considering the parish assets “to be deeded to another Polish organization not related to the Archdiocese and possibly not related to the Roman Catholic Church, or to join another (non Roman) Catholic Church.” By appealing to the passions and prejudices of many unaware parishioners, members of the Board created an illusion of a potential danger of closing the parish.
The St. Stanislaus corporation currently owns multiple bank accounts with considerable assets, which have been generated through the hard work and generous donations of money, time and talents of countless individuals who believed that their work benefited the St. Stanislaus Kostka Parish community and thus the Roman Catholic Church. Many supporters providing financial contributions to the current campaign do not realize that they actually support actions which remain in direct contradiction with principles of Roman Catholic morality. The “Save St. Stans” campaign, filled with hostility towards the Roman Catholic Church, exploits the vulnerability of many faithful parishioners and supporters of the St. Stanislaus Kostka Parish who have been led to believe that donating money to the campaign, will help to save the parish from closing. Unfortunately, these donations are used to fuel aggression and hostility towards the Roman Catholic Church.
The changes the Archdiocese is requiring in the structure of the St. Stanislaus Corporation will allow St. Stanislaus Kostka Parish to be faithful to its original mission. These changes will also ensure that parish assets will be managed in accordance with both the spirit and the law of the Roman Catholic Church. In this way the required changes will benefit the entire parish community.
garbage by communist supporters that have a stake $$$ in what would be realized from the sale of the church. There has NEVER been any document from the diocese that guarantees anything. As such, the Archbishop would CLOSE the church for the money once the deal comes to fruition.
POLSKA NIE ZGINILA
I am not sure what you have been trying to convey in your last incomprehensible post, which appears to be written in anger. There is still a lot you should learn...I would start with definitions of basic concepts of discipline, humility and obedience which are fundamental for catholic faith.
Code of Cannon Law, number 1373:
"A person who publicly incites among subjects animosities or hatred against the Apostolic See or an ordinary because of some act of power or ecclesiastical ministry or provokes subjects to disobey them is to be punished by an interdict or other just penalties."
You might be interested in reading this post:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/1351909/posts
I suggest that you re-examine your conscience - if you still have one, before you continue your quest of hatery towards Roman Catholic Church and your fellow parishioners.
So burke was right!
Yes more garbage from people that are being provided $ and indulgences for their support of Archbishop Burke's actions ... TELL THE TRUTH don't fabricate it.
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