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	For Local Catholics, Time of Tribulation In Hindsight, His Remarks Seem Prophetic. The Republican & Herald February 22, 2008 http://www.republicanherald.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=19321250&BRD=2626&PAG=461&dept_id=530483&rfi=6 For the 88th anniversary celebration of Lithuanian Independence Day in February 2006, the Rev. James C. Bechtel, then pastor of St. George Roman Catholic Church, Shenandoah, spoke about the upcoming second synod of the Allentown Catholic Diocese and the need to adjust to whatever changes will occur as a result of it. Is it possible he could have known then what was coming? Maybe everyone should have known. Part of the synod involved the restructuring of churches and parishes in light of a declining population, declining vocations and declining finances. Translation: Parishes will be consolidated and churches will close in a process that is now at hand. It's a process that is sparking one of the greatest undertones of unrest among regional Catholics that has ever been witnessed, even by oldtimers. • The annual celebration of Lithuanian Independence Day for years was a big deal for St. George parishioners and regional Lithuanian-Americans. After all, the magnificent church at Jardin and Cherry streets was thought to be the oldest — and certainly one of the most significant — Lithuanian Catholic churches in America. And with Shenandoah in the early 20th century having been a destination for a significant number of Lithuanian immigrants — one of the largest such destinations in America due to the burgeoning anthracite industry — the local outlook regarding the tiny Baltic nation's independence day took on great significance. It's likely few would have suggested that enforcement of synod parish consolidation criteria would affect the Church of St. George, which has stood at its site since 1891. As things turned out, it wasn't the synod enforcers the church had to fear. Barely three months after that 2006 Lithuanian Independence Day observance, a study found deterioration and structural shortcomings in the church building that posed enough of a danger to prompt the diocese to close the building. Subsequent studies determined the cost for repairs would be from $6 million to $9 million, a price tag that stunned parishioners and practically everyone. Initially, there was grand talk among the faithful about the need to raise that money and right the ship of faith, but that's largely subsided. In the meantime, financial strains and declining enrollment resulted in the diocese closing Cardinal Brennan Junior-Senior High School, Fountain Springs, for which the Church of St. George was a feeder parish. So given the financial realities in the diocese, it isn't likely Allentown will be the source of the millions needed by the St. George faithful. The 2006 celebration was the last one held in the church building, which remains closed. • Sunday's 90th annual celebration of Lithuanian Independence Day prompts reflection on the uncertain future of St. George Church. Perhaps it's ironic that with synod enforcement at hand, it's an uncertainty shared by most of the regional Catholic churches. The synod criteria, among other things, calls for one priest per parish. In the district that comprises the Shenandoah area, there are nine Catholic parishes, including the six in Shenandoah plus St. Mary Magdalen in Lost Creek, St. Mary in Ringtown and St. Joseph in Sheppton. Three priests are serving those churches. You don't have to be a rocket scientist to see that nine churches may soon become three. As was the case for the 89th annual Lithuanian Independence Day celebration in 2007, this year's observance will be marked with a 2 p.m. Mass Sunday in Annunciation BVM Roman Catholic Church, two blocks down Cherry Street from St. George Church. A dinner featuring traditional Lithuanian dishes, plus entertainment, will follow the Mass in the Trinity Academy school hall, just across the street from the church. • For the 2006 celebration, a contingent from St. Andrew and St. Casimir churches, Philadelphia, also of Lithuanian heritage, was due to attend. However, inclement weather forced postponement of their visit to Shenandoah until May of that year, by which time the St. George building had already been closed. Still, they came. The Rev. Peter Burkauskas, pastor of the Philadelphia churches, commented that he knew little of the circumstances surrounding the closing of the St. George building, but noted its beauty and status as the oldest Lithuanian church in the nation. Then he said, "We didn't plan our visit for bricks, granite and stained glass. We want to preserve our Lithuanian spirit and honor." His words resound to the soul of what's going on here. Surely, people who have faith in God are in a condition that transcends bricks and mortar. But for people who were baptized, received sacraments and were married in a particular church and also buried loved ones from that church, watching the closure of it is nothing to be taken lightly. Emotions about what's happening are, understandably, mixed and even simmering to a boil. A group called United Catholics is acting, via petitions and prayer, in an attempt to keep churches open by calling for the recruitment of priests from destinations worldwide. Betting people would wager the group's chances of blocking the synod enforcers are slim to none. The turmoil will likely worsen before there can be acceptance. As for healing, that will take even longer, likely the passing of a generation.
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