BishopAccountability.org
	Uptown Church Members Vow Fight against Closure Plan By David Hammer The Times-Picayune April 9, 2008 http://www.nola.com/news/index.ssf/2008/04/uptown_church_members_vow_figh.html At Our Lady of Good Counsel, a few blocks off St. Charles Avenue Uptown, dozens of bewildered parishioners today gathered in the entryway to the 121-year-old sanctuary, its gold and scarlet altar gleaming at the foot of an ornate ceiling lined with stained-glass depictions of the mysteries of the Rosary. The parishioners said they couldn't understand why the archdiocese would fold them and nearby St. Henry's parish into the area's other large church, St. Stephen. Our Lady of Good Counsel, established in the late 1800s, since Hurricane Katrina had more than doubled its membership, paid off $115,000 in debt, expanded its ministries and succeeded in developing a diverse and vibrant community, the members said. The community met and exceeded benchmarks the archdiocese gave it to meet, they said. "Every question they had, we had an answer for them before they asked it," said David Frere, a member of the parish council. The church had even sent one of its own, Patrick Carr, to seminary, which Frere said should have answered the archdiocese's concerns about a priest shortage. "If this were a plant owned by a business, this would never be a candidate for closure," said Ronnie Davis, chairman of the parish's finance committee. The archdiocese said it couldn't justify keeping open relatively small parishes close to one another, even if they do show signs of vibrancy. Novelist Poppy Z. Brite, a new member of the church, said she was drawn to Good Counsel because of its diversity -- of race, ethnicity and age - and particularly by the fact that it is gay-friendly. When asked if she thought that openness might have been a factor in its closure, she said, "I'd like to think more highly of the archbishop." Parishioners said they were ready to fight the decision, by whatever means, including appeals directly to the Vatican. They said the parish council will come up with a game plan. Rosary Henry, a longtime parishioner, said the archdiocese's decision would drive families who had been loyal to the church for generations away from Catholicism. "Through all the scandals (in the Catholic Church) what suffers is the donations and attendance," she said. "I feel this (decision) is going to put a wedge in the participation of a lot of devout Catholics. What's the logic in closing a growing parish, a devoted parish, a parish that's raising money to support the archdiocese? It makes no sense."
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