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	St. Casimir Group Will Ask Bishop Tough Questions By Tanya Connor Catholic Free Press June 6, 2008 http://catholicfreepress.org/_Pages/_This%20Week/0606Casimir.html WORCESTER – Bishop McManus' visit to St. Casimir Parish after the 10 a.m. Mass Sunday will be an occasion for parishioners to welcome him, not a time to make problems, according to Frank P. Statkus. Mr. Statkus is chairman of "Friends of St. Casimir's Lithuanian Parish," a committee of parishioners trying to keep the parish open. He is also the parish finance committee chairman and vice president of the parish council. "It's a special occasion when a bishop comes under any circumstances," said David M. Moulton, a Friends committee member and director of music. He said some parishioners may wear native costumes and pray for the bishop in Lithuanian on Sunday. "It will be an opportunity for the bishop to explain his reasons for closing our parish," a letter on the committee's Web site, www.stcasimirworc.org, says. "It will also be an opportunity for us to calmly and respectfully express our concerns as an ethnic parish family. … Let us fill the church hall and show the bishop how much our parish truly means to us. Help us save our parish!" But Mr. Statkus said Wednesday that he didn't know what format this meeting would have. Father Richard A. Jakubaus -kas, pastor, said he invited the bishop, but was reluctant to talk about the meeting or the Friends committee. He said he wanted to keep things quiet and had already said what he had to say. "You've got to be in communion with the Church, the bishop and the pope," he reiterated, expressing his support for the bishop's decision to close St. Casimir's and merge it with St. John Parish July 1. The bishop said Sunday Masses in Lithuanian and occasional funerals will still be held in St. Casimir's Church for another year. Mr. Moulton said Father Jakubauskas is not actively involved with the Friends committee; he's neither preventing nor advocating what they are doing. Not all parishioners take the same view. "This is my family, but I'm a Catholic first," said Susan Jonielunas. If St. Casimir's closes, she will go to St. John's, she said. If it remains open, she will stay. The committee hopes to suggest to the bishop goals and timeframes in which parishioners would need to meet them in order to keep the parish open, Mr. Statkus said. "I do not have any ready solutions," just ideas, he said. "I wouldn't want to make claims we can't back up. We're still strategizing." Asked about reports that the committee will take its plea to the Vatican if Bishop McManus does not keep St. Casimir's open, Mr. Statkus said, "We're waiting to hear from the bishop." He said they sent him a letter May 27. The letter, posted on the Web site, indicates that copies were sent to Most Rev. Archbishop Pietro Sambi, apostolic nuncio; Msgr. Thomas Sullivan, diocesan chancellor; H.E. Audrius Bruzga, Lithuanian ambassador to the United States, and Father Jakubauskas. The letter asks Bishop McManus to "suspend and ultimately rescind or amend any decree that changes the juridical status of our parish." "Please note that in accordance with the provisions of Canon 1734 § 2, we are filing this appeal well within the peremptory period of ten canonical days from the date on which we were lawfully notified of the decree," it says. "In the event that your letter (of May 17) serves as a mere statement of your intention to suppress and/or to merge our parish with Saint John's Parish on July 1, 2008, we respectfully request timely notice of any eventual administrative action affecting our parish. Finally, we request that no additional action be taken against Saint Casimir's Parish while this appeal is pending." Asked whether this meant a legal appeal, Mr. Statkus said he thought it was more canonical and referred to a time period during which this would be under discussion. The letter says the Pastoral Planning committee's recommendation to close St. Casimir's was based on "the condition of the physical structure(s), financial status, existing ministries, sacramental records and attendance." The letter notes that St. Casimir's is "of limited size," but says it is financially solvent, has a sturdy physical plant and is an active ethnic community. "Before immigrating to the United States in search of freedom, many of our parishioners were persecuted under the reign of Communist leaders," it says. "At last, they have found refuge in Saint Casimir's Parish." In suppressing or merging the parish "to extinguish its distinctive identity and damage its ability to serve the needs of the Lithuanian-American community, you would not only be closing a church or damaging a unique place of worship," the letter says. "You would be committing an act of parish ethnic cleansing which would harm the Lithuanian-American community … eliminating a cultural way of life and a form of worship that simply cannot be assimilated into other area parishes. "Your Excellency, please preserve our parish, its customs and traditions for which our people shed blood, sweat and tears. … Grant us the continued freedom to practice our religion in our native language. … We will be beneficent to your special charities in thanksgiving for your generous consideration." The Web site also has a petition sheet "to collect signatures that will later be forwarded to Bishop McManus (and/or a higher power) … in demonstration of the love and commitment that we all have for Saint Casimir's Parish." "We're not against the bishop," Mr. Statkus said this week. "We just want to stay friends of the diocese and friends of our parishioners." Some parishioners are in their 90s and commute to church on foot or via their children, who are in their 60s or 70s, he said, and some who come in from outlying areas would not join St. John's. St. Casimir's does not have many baptisms or first Communions; they need to figure out how to bring young people into the parish, he said. He said parishioners haven't been overly involved in evangelization, though some attended some workshops. According to the Web the committee was formed of these parishioners: Mr. Statkus, Mr. Moulton, Raymond Jakubauskas, Barbara Thompson, Anne Leseman, Paula Courtney, Alan Bulejczek and Teresa Adomavicius.
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