Weekly Contribution for weekend of November 2, 2014

 

 

 

Ground Breaking

 

Click on the photocopy to enlarge:

Belvidere's St. James Catholic Church breaks ground - WREX.com – Rockford’s News Leader

 

BELVIDERE (WREX) -

St. James Catholic Church of Belvidere is getting bigger.

Church leaders, staff, parishioners, and students gathered Monday to break ground on a new addition. An extended auditorium is being added to allow the church to seat 850 parishioners. Bishop David J. Malloy was on hand to bless the new project.

"A parished church is so much a place that it brings people together. It's a part of life, it's a part of our faith," Bishop Malloy said. "And for a community like Belvidere, it's a part of the history of the culture of the community itself."

The addition is expected to be completed by Thanksgiving.

Go to the following to see the video:  Belvidere's St. James Catholic Church breaks ground - WREX.com – Rockford’s News Leader

Priest sex-abuse suit seeks $5M from Rockford Diocese - News - Rockford Register Star - Rockford, IL

 

Rockford woman is suing Holy Family Catholic Church and the Catholic Diocese of Rockford for $5 million, saying she was sexually abused for three years while a student at Holy Family Catholic School from 1972 to 1980.

Kathleen Gibbons, 46, is represented by the law office of Rene Hernandez. The suit, filed Friday, also names three clergy members as defendants: Monsignor Al Harte, Father Bob and Brother Allen. Harte died in 2002; Hernandez said the last names of Bob and Allen and their whereabouts are unknown.

Click on the following for more details:   Priest sex-abuse suit seeks $5M from Rockford Diocese - News - Rockford Register Star - Rockford, IL

Rockford Bishop pens letter on gay marriage - News - Rockford Register Star - Rockford, IL

 

The letter, in part, states:

“As you probably know, the Illinois legislature has voted this week to redefine marriage within our state, abandoning the understanding found in nature and in our faith that God has established this institution as a life-long commitment between one man and one woman.

“This decision, however well-intended, has no basis in nature and certainly not in the teaching or the practice of our Catholic faith. To quote Pope Francis when he was Archbishop of Buenos Aires, and a similar bill was under consideration: “Let us not be naive: this is not simply a political struggle, but it is an attempt to destroy God’s plan. … (and) to confuse and deceive the children of God.

“Our task now is to truly live and teach the reality of marriage and family as professed by our church with joy and faith. No human vote can overwrite God’s law.

“Let us remember as well that we are called by Christ to love and respect all of our brothers and sisters. That means all without exception. But we cannot do so at the expense of abandoning how God, in His love, has made us and made the world.”

Story taken from:  Rockford Bishop pens letter on gay marriage - News - Rockford Register Star - Rockford, IL

Letter to St. James parishioners from pastor

 

 

Church drops Scouts: Diocese where church dropped Scout troop over gay policy issues statement - chicagotribune.com

Bishop’s response to Rt. Rev. Grady’s actions

Robert McCoppin,

The Catholic Diocese of Rockford is calling for its churches to continue working with the Boy Scouts of America despite the group's new acceptance of gay members — a change that led one Crystal Lake church to announce plans to sever ties with a troop it sponsors.

In a statement on the diocese's website, Bishop David Malloy said the Scouts' new policy "does not seem to provide an obstacle to our continued sponsorship of those troops or of Scouting, as long as Catholic principles of morality are followed."

Click on the following to read the entire story:  Church drops Scouts: Diocese where church dropped Scout troop over gay policy issues statement - chicagotribune.com

Here is the Bishop’s statement: 

Current Statement on New Policy Adopted by the Boy Scouts of America
From:  Most Reverend David J. Malloy, Bishop of the Diocese of Rockford
Date:  June 3, 2013
It has come to my attention that media, both regional and national, are continuing to report that the Boy Scouts of America has changed its policy and will admit "openly gay" and/or "openly homosexual" young men. The new policy language adopted by the Boy Scouts of America, which becomes effective on January 1, 2014, does not use those words. It states: "... No youth may be denied membership in the Boy Scouts of America on the basis of sexual orientation or preference alone."
A statement released and updated on May 23rd by The National Catholic Committee on Scouting posted on both its website and the website for the Diocese of Rockford states in part:

1.   
"The Catholic Church teaches that those who experience same-sex attraction are always to be treated with dignity and respect."

2.   
"The Church also teaches that sexual acts belong within marriage, and that everyone is called to chastity."

The teaching of the Catholic Church regarding moral behavior for all persons outside the marital state remains the same. In addition, the policy of the Boy Scouts of America states "Scouting is a youth program, and any sexual conduct, whether homosexual, or heterosexual, by youth of Scouting age is contrary to the virtues of Scouting." This tenet of the Boy Scouts of America is not incompatible with the Church's teaching.
Currently there is no prudential reason to believe the Boy Scouts of America and its locally sponsored troops will act otherwise. However, more study is being carried out on this issue, including by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, so that our parishes locally and the Church nationally can attempt to forge a common understanding and a common policy to address this decision.
As Catholics we are called to love all people as fellow children of God, our creator. In doing so we must guide each other to live moral and chaste lives and never encourage or condone behavior contrary to God's plan for us.
In the Diocese of Rockford, 42 scouting units are sponsored by Catholic parishes or organizations. At this time the new standard adopted by the Boy Scouts of America does not seem to provide an obstacle to our continued sponsorship of those troops or of scouting, as long as Catholic principles of morality are followed. I will remain vigilant to this end and have asked the priests and pastors of this diocese to remain involved and steadfast in the application of Catholic guidance for the troops sponsored by their respective Catholic parishes and organizations.
At this time, it is my hope that we, in the Diocese of Rockford, will not need to discontinue partnering with the Boys Scouts of America in the healthy formation of young men.

 

The Boy Scouts Statements on the issue are available on the diocesan website: 

Go to:  http://www.rockforddiocese.org/pdfs/BSA/Open-Letter-to-Scouting-Volunteers.pdf   For the following:

Go to:  http://www.rockforddiocese.org/pdfs/BSA/2013-Membership-Standards-Resolution.pdf   For the following

National Committee on Catholic Scouting’s statement:  http://www.rockforddiocese.org/pdfs/BSA/Catholic-Committee-on-Scouting.pdf

St. James goes to City Planning for permission to double the size of existing church and use Annex as a rectory

The following is the legal notification sent to the 50 plus neighbors of St. James regarding zoning changes.

Click on the photocopy to enlarge: 

The narrative from St. James’ project engineer, Arc Design.  Note the large number of requested variances.

There are eight variances being requested.

Rockford's search for Catholic priests hits a ‘materialist age’ - Rockford, IL - Rockford Register Star

 

number of priests has remained relatively stable — 182 diocesan priests in 2012 versus 170 in 1965 — but the makeup of Rockford’s clergy has become dramatically grayer.

The number of active diocesan priests is down 20 percent since 1965, and the number of retired priests has increased sixfold to 53.

And the clergy work force does not reflect the diocese’s faithful, nearly half of whom are Hispanic. There are 24 priests of Hispanic descent in the diocese, just more than 13 percent of the total, although many parishes offer Mass in Spanish.

By the numbers
11 Counties covered by the Catholic Diocese of Rockford
390,476 Catholics
105 Parishes
68% Catholics of the diocese who live in Kane and McHenry counties
182* Priests
129 Active priests
53 Retired priests
49 Median age of Rockford’s priests
22 Seminarians
47% Hispanic Catholics
13% Hispanic priests

*Does not include religious-order priests

Click on the following to read all of this three page article;  Rockford's search for Catholic priests hits a ‘materialist age’ - Rockford, IL - Rockford Register Star

New? St. James Church Building Plan

The following was an insert to the January 13, 2013 weekly bulletin.

Chastened Catholic bishops told they have to reform themselves - The Washington Post

 

Many individual bishops spoke out in especially stark terms about the duty of Catholics not to vote for Obama, yet Obama won the Catholic vote 50-48 percent, according to exit polls.

READ THE ENTIRE STORY BY CLICKING ON THE FOLLOWING:  Chastened Catholic bishops told they have to reform themselves - The Washington Post

A prayer that Bishop Malloy can be these things:

 

For a bishop, as God’s steward, must be blameless; he must not be arrogant or quick-tempered or addicted to wine or violent or greedy for gain; but he must be hospitable, a lover of goodness, prudent, upright, devout, and self-controlled. (Titus 1:7-8)

. . . and this:

The saying is sure: whoever aspires to the office of bishop desires a noble task. Now a bishop must be above reproach, married only once, temperate, sensible, respectable, hospitable, an apt teacher, not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, and not a lover of money. . . .Moreover, he must be well thought of by outsiders, so that he may not fall into disgrace and the snare of the devil. (1 Timothy 2:1-3, 7)

BCJ: Parishioner speaks in support of Father Geary

BCJ: New St. James Church will not rise this Fall.

The following is taken from the Boone County Journal, Page 2, August 24, 2012.  It is available free of charge at merchants across Boone County and on the internet at:  http://www.boonecountyjournal.com/news/2012/Boone-County-News-08-24-12.pdf#page=2

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St. James will NOT be breaking ground for a new church this year

The following is an insert which will be in this week’s bulletin(8-19-2012) :

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When will the forthcoming “new architect’s plans” come?

 

Initial statement was October 5. 2011.  No new plans were presented to the parish only the late August 2011 plans that were submitted to the Belvidere Planning Department.

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In the Palm Sunday, April 1, 2011, parish bulletin the following statement regarding the architect’s plans was given. “..To date, the final drawings for the new church are being finalized and will be available for viewing in the near future.”

Here is the enlargement from the upper left hand of page 4.

June 29, 2012 letter to Belvidere CIty Council –.”…the architect has been put the completion of the drawings on temporary hold.  ….An extension to the special use permit construction start date will allow for adequate time for the architect to finish the drawings and for City to properly review and approve the same.”

Destruction has begun—when and what will be constructed?

The above picture was taken from the school parking lot this Sunday, June 17, 2012.  The garage is gone and the house partially removed.

Jack Wolf: St. James—“There is a way to do better, find it”

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Dear Editor:
Last winter Peggy and I visited the Thomas Edison
Museum and workshop in Ft. Myers, Florida. It took us a
full day to tour the grounds. We could have spent a week
there and we wouldn’t have seen all of it. One of the most
impressive things I noted was a statement made by Thomas
Edison, “There’s a way to do it better, find it.”

Boone County and Belvidere have to find ways to adopt
that statement. St. James Church has to do the same. I
would like to give you a few examples and ask the question,
Why?

Belvidere is now spending $100,000 on a survey to find
out where the significant places and areas of our local history
can be found. Yet, just a few months ago, the City Council
gave the authority of the Rockford Diocese to demolish St.
James Church. One of the oldest churches in town, it’s a
landmark! There were a dozen zoning laws that had to be
violated for the City Council to accept this request, if zoning
laws don’t apply in the area then why are they there?

It will cost the Parish over $2 million in building and
demolition costs to demolish these structures, the church
built in 1896, the Convent, one of the newer buildings in the
complex and the Priest’s House. Then we have to purchase
and demolish older houses to make room for additional
parking in this very congested residential area, Why?

St. James was given 22 acres of prime land by the
Bracken Family to build a new church. This land is located
on the southeast corner of Townhall Road and Squaw Prairie.
Our city spent $160,000 to develop “The West Hills Plan.”
Our church property sits ¼ mile from $100 million of new
schools which our school system recently built. This is the
growth area of Boone County. The Rockford Diocese says
we can’t build there, Why?

Belvidere is to put this new church on the east side of a
congested area filled with residential homes. The Rockford
Diocese has some good buildings and ample land on
Rockford’s west side yet, they purchased land and buildings
at the former “Barber Coleman” site on the east side of
Rockford less than six miles from Belvidere, Why?
Was the St. James Parish asked to get together and let
all of its members decide what would be the best plan for a
new church? No! It was decided by the Rockford Diocese,
Why?

Was our church formed 2,000 years ago to nurture and
provide for its people or was it designed for the use of the
clergy?

St. James Church built in 1886 should be saved! Many
of us will go to Mass there. It can be of assistance to St.
James School. The Priest’s House is very adequate and the
Convent can be remodeled and used for many of St. James
current needs.

Yes, we need a new church in Belvidere, but not in this
older congested area, but on the 22 acres on the northwest
side of Belvidere. Let our new church be built in a location
that is more convenient to our area of new growth

.
Sincerely,
Jack Wolf

No longer bishop now apostolic administrator

The following change of title occurred for Most Reverend Thomas G. Doran.  Upon the appoint of Bishop-elect Malloy, Doran is now the Apostolic Administrator.

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Tickets to the ordination of Bishop–elect Malloy

 

It appears that any Catholic can attend if they order their free tickets in time.  Has anyone at St. James , Belvidere hear of this?—YES—here is the insert from the Easter bulletin.