Grieving provides sad story of parish closings

Some churchgoers are grieving so much at the closing of their parish that they are writing personal protest letters to Bishop Richard Lennon and returning their offertory envelopes. One man even said he is on the verge of leaving the church.

Comments of a few of them were enough to provide a 29-paragraph story by Beacon Journal religion writer Colette M. Jenkins in today’s newspaper which included a photo of one member of St. John the Baptist.

He is the individual who said he has not set foot inside his church since the closing announcement and wrote “refused” on his offertory enevelopes and turned them in. He said “96 per cent of me wants to leave the church, but the other 4 percent is keeping me at Sacred Heart “ where he has been going since the closing announcement. Sacred Heart also will be closing.

A woman from St. John said she and others plan to just put a penny in their envelopes.
Also quoted in the story are three other parishioners, one each from St. Martha, Christ the Kng and St. Mary.

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