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	Defiant Parish Welcomes Bishop's Presence, Chafes at Message By David Abel Boston Globe March 24, 2008 http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2008/03/24/defiant_parish_welcomes_bishops_presence_chafes_at_message/ When the man in the flowing white robes and pink skullcap stood at the pulpit yesterday, many parishioners saw his presence as a gesture of good will, a rare sign of compassion from the archdiocese for their defiant parish. They appreciated that Bishop Robert Hennessey would come to Our Lady of Mount Carmel to say Easter Mass, marking the first time the Archdiocese of Boston sent one of its representatives to host a Holy Week Mass since the 103-year-old East Boston church began holding vigil in October 2004. Until yesterday, the church offered weekly services with a lay minister, but it has only held Mass a few times because the archdiocese has refused parishioners' requests for Mass on Christmas and Easter. But some bristled at the message delivered by Hennessey, an auxiliary bishop who was pastor for 12 years at the nearby Most Holy Redeemer Church. "My presence today is a pastoral statement; my presence today does not change the policy, doesn't affect the status of the church, this community," he said. Later in his remarks, Hennessey added: "It is my firm belief that what happens here on most Sundays is not a good thing, that it could even put your souls in peril. I'm here as your bishop to remind you of that." Our Lady of Mount Carmel is one of five churches in the archdiocese to resist orders to close in the wake of financial problems and a shortage of priests that resulted from the clergy sexual abuse scandal. The archdiocese has closed 62 parishes since 2004. News that Hennessey, who celebrated a Mass at the church on a feast day last summer and has performed several funerals there, would say Easter Mass inspired hundreds to fill the pews. Lou and Louise Crescenzi, who were married at the historically Italian church and whose parents' funerals were held there, drove in from Hanover. Before the service, Louise Crescenzi pointed to a nearby stained-glass window, which at the bottom bore a dedication to her grandmother. "Hope springs eternal," Lou Crescenzi said. "I haven't been here in a long time, but this means a lot to people who have faith. This is a little victory, a very little victory, but it is a victory." But after Hennessey said the souls of parishioners might be in jeopardy, he shook his head. "I don't agree with that," he said. In a brief interview after the Mass, Hennessey said he did not mean to suggest that parishioners would go to hell for protesting the archdiocese's orders. He said he worried for them because they were not receiving Communion from a priest. But parishioners said they were offended. "I certainly took offense. What he said suggested we were still living in a time before the Renaissance," said Vincent Fazzolari, 57, a lifelong parishioner who now lives in Revere. "It's a way of trying to scare us away, but the people are more educated than that. We don't believe everything a priest says, and he shouldn't have said that." Francesco Daniele, 34, also of Revere, said he would have preferred to hear "more of a sermon and less politics" from the bishop. "It didn't leave me with that warm Easter feeling," he said. "I think what he said shows why people have to stand up for their beliefs." Archdiocesan spokesman Terrence C. Donilon said Hennessey was trying to "build communication." "His intent was not to scare people," Donilon said. "His intent was to build communication, continue to provide a pastoral presence there. That was his goal today and that's our goal going forward, but at the same time to remind folks that the parish is closed and that it won't reopen." Some parishioners were just happy to have a priest say Mass at their church. "What he said was just his personal opinion," said Rita Grillo, 42, who lives across the street and has attended the church for 38 years. "I'm just grateful he came." Anthony DiGiulio, 49, another lifelong parishioner from East Boston, said the Mass would add to parishioners' resolve. "It meant a lot," he said. "It made us realize that we're still a church. It proves that it's not just a building but a sacred place to worship." David Abel can be reached at dabel@globe.com.
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