FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, April 25, 2011
North Wales, PA – Catholics4Change.com will go offline to support Msgr. John Conway, the pastor who wrote to Cardinal Rigali about being “duped” into placing priests who had been accused of sex abuse. The group will attend his parish Mass on Sunday, May 1 at 10:45 a.m. at Mary, Mother of the Redeemer in North Wales. The group will distribute blue “Keep Kids Safe” ribbon stickers at the entry to create a visible sign of solidarity with the pastor.
Conway asked Cardinal Rigali to visit Montgomery County to reassure “the faithful” of his commitment to reforms. That request was denied.
“We need more priests to take a public stand for the protection of children – even if it means angering Church leaders,” says organizer and site creator, Susan Matthews. “The laity wants their priests to practice what they preach.”
The Archdiocesan Office for Communications answered Catholics4Change’s own letter to Cardinal Rigali. “It was a letter from the faithful in the pews and we didn’t get the respect or the ministry we deserve,” says Matthews. “Priests and laity have to work together to ensure child safety.” Catholics4Change will continue their offline efforts until Cardinal Rigali follows every recommendation in the Grand Jury report.
The parish is located at 1325 Upper State Road, North Wales, PA 19454.
OUTSTANDING re the blue ribbons … great visual!
Thanks for organizing this postive event! As to the comment from a lady that said we should be cautious as to who we support. I think it is time to act and not wait any longer. We have waited long enough and the point is to support postive change, foster communication, compassion ,faith and healing. Even if this pastor had some selfish motive to write the Archbishop which I don’t believe to be the case we should not use this excuse to keep us from moving forward and protecting all our children.
My wife Debbie and I will attend.
While on the subject of support, we have been informed that we can continue to contribute to our local parish without it being assessed by the “palace on the parkway” by earmarking the contribution towards a specific parish fund. Our checks are now made payable to our school operating expenses.
As to the archdiocese assessment of the general Sunday contributions (10%) and the Cardinals continued no-show at local parishes, isn’t this a form of “taxation without representation”? Wasn’t this one of the major causes of the American Revolution? Hmmmm!
This is the heart of the matter. The Church thinks of the Faithful as an unthinking mass–existing only to follow the rules made by the hierarchy. It is not I who is saying this, it is the action of the bishops, cardinals, the Vatican itself. The more we pressure the hierarchy to respond to our needs and the more they fail us, the more we know that our life of Faith continues and thrives despite the behavior of the hierarchy. We must continue to speak out, blog, and publish the deep divide between what we as People of Faith and Compassion want and need and what the hierarchy provide.