The High Price of Pedophilia

It's truly sad that the down-to-earth, common folks are being forced to pay the high price of the epidemic of pedophilia and/or the homosexual, abusive activities of priests within the Roman Catholic Church.

The latest repercussions are being felt around the country but primarily in the anthracite region of Pennsylvania where many towns that had several churches of different ethnicities will have most close, leaving only one in existence in most cases.

In Schuylkill County, to cite just one example, the Diocese of Allentown plans to reduce the number of churches drastically. Of the 59 ethnic churches, 30 are concentrated in there, reflective of the tide of European immigration to work the coal mines more than a century ago,.

Some towns with several Catholic churches -- like McAdoo, Shenandoah and Frackville -- will be left with only one. Of the three McAdoo R.C. churches, and the church in Kelayres, only one will survive. Tresckow, just a few miles away but in a neighboring county, will see both of its Catholic churches close.

Other towns in nearby counties such as Freeland apparently also will have all churches closed but one.

Yet the bishops of the Allentown and Scranton dioceses refuse to admit theres a direct correlation between the church closings and the payout of more than $2 BILLION that U.S. dioceses have had to shell out in legal settlements so scoundrel priests who sexually abused young teenagers and/or children wouldn't have to appear in court.

But the bishops themselves, in most cases, have been able to keep from landing behind bars even though many were well aware of the actions of the pedophile/homosexual priests. However, instead of having them arrested and prosecuted, most bishops got rid of their problem by transferring their priests from one town to another -- and the pedophilia continued and expanded.

It should be emphatically noted that the decision to close certain churches comes with the disapproval of the majority of a church's parishioners. Their opinions have been totally ignored because the plans were set in cement long before parishioners even knew what was going on.

And these plans are being carried out in the Schuylkill and Allentown diocese by Bishops Edward Cullen and Joseph Martino, respectively.

As far as these Holy Rollers are concerned, the opinions of parishioners, whose deceased family members had paid hard-earned dollars to help construct the churches, didn't amount to a bag of beans.

Actually, the churches targeted for closing are not, in actuality, owned by the diocese. They are owned by the people -- the parishioners -- whose ancestors had financed their construction a century and more ago.

'The Little Town of Beautiful Churches'

Once there was a quiet little town -- McAdoo, Pa. -- that some folks called "God's Holy Mountain," because of its elevation. Many others, however, referred to it as "The Little Town of Beautiful Churches."

You see, it was more correctly called that because the town's four remaining Roman Catholic churches had stood as a testament to the residents' faith in God. The beautiful structures have long represented the pride in the past and the hope for the future.

The churches, or so the people thought, were indeed their birthright; and no one would dare take what was theirs... least of all, the powers On High (the bishops) whose duty supposedly was to tend their flock and assist in their spiritual needs.

More than a century ago, impoverished European immigrants came to the anthracite mining area of Northeastern Pennsylvania in search of the American dream. And, before they would even think of improving their most humble homes, they donated their hard-earned dollars to help build a parish church for their brethren from the Old Country.

The donations of many devoted Catholics helped construct magnificent churches. Those who sacrificed to build them intended they serve as a lasting tribute to their faith in a God whom they believed watches over the affairs of men. They wanted to leave this legacy to their children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren and the untold future generations,

But one day, while the townspeople were asleep, something happened to disrupt the peace and tranquility of "The Town of Beautiful Churches." They were told that soon Someone Else would decide what would become of their treasured inheritance.

This decree from On High shook the foundations of the rightful inheritors of these churches. You see, a mere two years earlier,, these same church-goers were assured in a letter from their local pastor that the "process" of deciding the churches' fate would be open and honest.

"My grandparents helped build my church (St. Kunegunda)... My parents, my nine brothers and sisters and I helped sustain it... These churches are our heritage, our inheritance, our legacy ... I feel
they are robbing us of
our heritage."

Vicki Gennaro, McAdoo

"Each and every parishioner would know exactly where their parish is...", they were informed. The people were also promised that "an independent building assessment firm would assess each of the four churches and rectory buildings..."

The message added that the results of the assessment team's findings would be shared "with the finance councils" of the various churches, then shared with the parishioners.

"We will schedule a meeting to present and explain fully to you all the results of our studies," the pastor assured his parishioners. "And we look forward to your input in the process."

That's what the pastor's letter had promised but, sadly, nothing like that happened at all.

Instead, the people received a stark directive from the bishop's office: You are not entitled to ANY information regarding the fate of the churches you love. You dare not even question how the studies were conducted, nor the reports' results, nor be told the name of the engineering firm which conducted the studies!.

"The information requested ... belongs to the juridic person of the parishes who funded it ,,," the parishioners were bluntly told. "They are NOT public documents."

The term, juridic person, had the parishioners puzzled. Well, if this is so, how can there even be a "juridic person" in existence if it were not for the sacrifice and hard work of their grandparents, parents, aunts, uncles, cousins, siblings, spouses, children, friends, fellow parishioners and themselves.

What kind of nonsensical talk is this, they wondered?. Who built these beautiful churches? Weren't they built by our ancestors? Who sustained them if not for ourselves and the others we see at Mass each weekend? Would those On High simply come in and take what is rightfully the property of the parishioners?

Strangely, the Catholics in "The Little Town of Beautiful Churches" soon learned that three churches were destined to close for good. All good questions went unanswered. It was being scripted totally from On High.

"The churches are more than bricks and mortar... People make the church. People had put their lives into building these churches."

Albert Zack, Frackville

Could the devout Catholics of the town think for themselves? Should they not have their say? And why were they insulted and slandered for merely asking a few honest questions?

The campaign to close the churches had begun years earlier when the people were told time and time again that ethnic heritage is bad and change is good. Ethnic traditions were even being spoken of in the past tense.

"It was nice to have (ethnic churches) while we had them," one self-appointed spokesman (who ironically did not have roots in McAdoo) told an Allentown newspaper.

But the schemes and scripted reactions advanced quickly -- like runaway boxcars. Other decrees from On High were published by the diocese after it undoubtedly selected persons whose bread was buttered by the diocese..

The comments published didn't really represent anything like that what most faithful parishioners were feeling..

The Catholics of McAdoo and Kelayres were now gasping for breath trying to keep up with the warp-speed of the process. Other than participating in a token survey, they hadn't had any real voice in the diocese's decisions.

The Catholics of McAdoo were told that they are "ready" for the closing of three of their churches. When did this happen, they wondered? How were their emotional and spiritual ties to the parishes they loved dearly severed without their knowledge? How did they already accept something they are just now learning about?

The diocese did not want the opinion of the faithful in "The Little Town of Beautiful Churches." Their comments fell on deaf ears, and certainly, their comments were not welcome in official circles.

So, how does this sad, sad story end? Well, there's no real ending yet. for the people in "The Little Town of Beautiful Churches."

Those On High -- not You, God -- have so secretly scripted the end game that the plot's completion is assured. But, the people still pray that God will have the final say.