Parishioners at St. Saviour are heard

On the evening of December 16th, 40 parishioners were given a forum to air their many grievances about their church governance. In November, under pressure from his own council members, the pastor, Father Daniel Murphy, allowed an outside facilitator to come in and discuss what might be done to heal the parish. The facilitator requested that Father Murphy not attend so that the council members could feel more at ease. Twenty people attended from the open call to the Finance & Welcoming Committees, Parish Staff, and the Pastoral Planning Council. They spoke to the facilitator about events leading up to the fracture in the parish community. It was at this time that the facilitator decided that he needed to hear from the protesting parishioners as well, so he set up the December 16th meeting in the Parish Hall.

The meeting was attended by 40 parishioners on a bitter cold December night. Time was limited so approximately 20 parishioners were allowed to speak before the group. Mr. Rudy Vargas, the facilitator, laid out some ground rules before the discussion began. He asked that people be brief and to the point, that no one was to interrupt, that is was ok to disagree (no one did), and that they should avoid searching for resolution at this juncture and allow God’s grace to help over time. The topics ranged from the forcing out of the parish music director, misrepresentations of events in the bulletin, people being shut out of the Pastoral Planning Council, lack of outreach and communication to disenfranchised parishioners, violations of Catholic Teaching, abrupt and harsh dismissal of elementary school principal after 25 years of service, false charges levied against principal, lack of transparency regarding church financials, parishioners attending other churches or checking the bulletin to avoid Fr. Murphy’s masses, liturgical irregularities, cronyism, and lack of participation or interest in elementary school and fundraisers until just recently. Most of the speakers were from families with long histories of being members of St. Saviour. Many were graduates of the Elementary School and/or High School with children presently enrolled in the schools. All in attendance mentioned feeling unwelcome in their own church and wondered what, if anything the Diocese could do about it.

The facilitator reflected back to the group that regardless of whether or not Father Murphy remains at St. Saviour or is re-assigned in June, he recognizes that these parishioners are members of a broken community that needs to find ways to come together and that it won’t happen overnight. Parishioners left feeling uplifted and unburdened. The third phase of the facilitation will be a meeting of protesting parishioners and church council members sometime in January. For coverage of the facilitation on the Catholic News Network, The Net, click here (start at 3:30 into program) and here (6:08).

St. Saviour Too Fractured for Proper Pastoral Planning Council Inductions

St. Saviour Church 10/20/09

On a Friday evening, September the 25th, a group of around 16 parishioners arrived at the Parish Hall at St. Saviour to attend a Pastoral Planning Council meeting. It was the first of two meetings intended to select three parishioners for the PPC and was advertised in the St. Saviour Bulletin on September 13th. The Pastoral Planning Council is defined in the bulletin as “Formed in 2006 through the discernment process, St. Saviour’s PPC conducted one-to-one interviews with many parishioners, held two parish assemblies and drafted the parish’s pastoral plan which was submitted to the diocese and subsequently approved by the Bishop. Working with other parishioners, progress on the various objectives and goals is being made and reported to the diocese on a yearly basis. The next step in the diocesan vision is pastoral plans for the clusters of parishes. St. Saviour is in a cluster with Holy Name, Immaculate Heart of Mary, St. Francis Xavier and St. Augustine.”

Parents and Parishioners are concerned with what will become of St. Saviour Elementary School when the transition from a parish school to an academy take place. They are also deeply concerned with the unquestionable fracture of their parish, as acknowledged by both Father Murphy and the remaining members of the Pastoral Planning Council. Considering the untimely firing of St. Saviour Elementary’s Principal, the unwarranted firing of the church music director, and the fact that the new principal was on the PPC and continues to be on the council, Parents and Parishioners felt called to dedicate their time and talents to be part of this important and influential council to their parish and school. The Parents and Parishioners also recognize the key role the PPC could play in healing the troubled parish.

The Diocese sent Ellen Rhatigan to lead the September 25th meeting. By the time Miss Rhatigan arrived, any tensions that initially existed between the parishioners and Father Murphy’s staff had abated and the meeting went smoothly. The next meeting was scheduled for October 2nd, and was intended to be for those still interested in being on the PPC. This meeting would entail a discernment process to select the three parishioners most suited to be on the council as decided by Father Murphy and other members of the PPC. These Parishioners who were willing to commit their time, feeling that they had been chosen by the Holy Spirit to step forward, were surprised to receive an email from Father Murphy on October 1st saying;

Dear Parish Council Nominee,

As you’ll read, Robert Choiniere, Director of Pastoral Planning of the Diocese of Brooklyn, has decided to cancel Friday’s Night of Discernment due to the tension, divisive agendas and polarization Ellen Rhatigan experienced last Friday night.

Fr. Murphy

Attached to the email from Father Murphy was a note from Robert Choiniere, the director of Pastoral Planning Councils for the Diocese. In his letter he suggested that the procedures followed by Father Murphy were not the recommended ones and may have hampered the procedures. Robert Choiniere mentioned that perhaps people who showed up for discernment were lacking in leadership gifts, which stung people who showed up to devote themselves to this group. He suggested that the discernment could take place after a reconciliation of parishioners. Mr. Choiniere mentioned that he has never had to cancel a discernment meeting and felt that our situation was very serious.

As of yet, Parents and Parishioners are left to wonder if they will have a voice in their church. They are left to wonder if their pastor is hoping they will move to another school and parish and they are left to wonder if the Diocese will be able to resolve these painful issues. It seems pretty clear to parishioners that there should be room for everyone’s voice to be heard. As one recent protester’s sign read, “We need to be loved, not ignored.”

Can’t Get Much Weirder at Brooklyn’s St. Saviour Elementary School

Wednesday, September 2, 2009

Click here to see article with comments

Our Story So Far:
It was only last May that parents clamored to get their children into Park Slope’s desirable St. Saviour elementary school, led for 26 years by beloved Principal James Flanagan.

Cue to the dark cloud swooping over the smiling faces . . . in the form of Pastor Daniel S. Murphy, a relative newcomer. On May 11, Fr. Murphy sent a memo to the teachers at St. Saviour informing them that Principal Flanagan was being let go as of June.

Chaos ensued. Teachers cried in the halls, parents (who had just dropped off their deposits) attempted to have a meeting with Fr. Murphy, but were refused. Letters and calls went unanswered. Parents held protest marches, prayer vigils, sent letters to the press, started St. Saviour Preservation Society and a web site, and sent letters to the Bishop and superintendent.

Fr. Murphy told the Brooklyn Eagle that the firing was in accordance with the Bishop’s long-term vision of the future. The Bishop, however, distanced himself, saying that the Pastor was totally and singly in charge of his parish, hiring and firing.

Fr. Murphy quickly appointed a new principal, parish insider Maura Lorenzen. Lorenzen, recently a well-regarded co-director at Congregation Beth Elohim’s Early Childhood Center, has said nothing since starting her new job, as protests continue to swirl around her.

According to the Eagle, accusations that Lorenzen is plotting with Fr. Murphy to hike tuition or even dump the school and rent the property to the City for use as a public charter school have been aired. (Fr. Murphy denies the latter.)

Mr. Flanagan appealed to the Diocese. He won his appeal, but apparently that carries no weight.

Our Story Today:
Now the Brooklyn Eagle reports that Fr. Murphy has turned down a mediator’s recommendation that Principal Flanagan return to St. Saviour for one more year, this time as a co-principal.

Father Murphy told the Brooklyn Eagle on Friday “that he has indeed declined to have Flanagan return as a co-principal,” but “did not elaborate on his reasons.”

Meanwhile, some parishioners are leaving St. Saviour to attend Mass at another church. Others are diverting money from the collection basket. More parent protests are planned.

Can it get any weirder? Can Fr. Murphy possibly screw the situation up any more than he has?

And about the Diocese of Brooklyn — They have the power to close a school, to combine schools into academies, to hire and fire pastors. Can they really claim they have absolutely no influence over Fr. Murphy?

As they fiddle, Rome burns.

St. Saviour Church 9/16/09