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	More Than 1,000 Attend Ex-Pastor's Farewell Service By Matt Viser Boston Globe [Newton MA] October 3, 2005 NEWTON -- Following an emotional farewell service, more than 1,000 parishioners, fellow priests, and other supporters of the Rev. Walter H. Cuenin marched 3 miles yesterday to the headquarters of the Archdiocese of Boston to protest the forced resignation of their beloved pastor. "This despicable attempt to smear the reputation of a decent man must not stand," said Giovanni Fazio, a parishioner of Our Lady Help of Christians Church. "Even more disturbing, however, is what these events reveal about the archdiocese's continued failure to be open, honest, and just." Cuenin resigned last week amid allegations that he received a $500 monthly stipend for the performance of baptisms, weddings, and funerals, and a leased Honda Accord he shared with visiting priests. The archdiocese has not given him a new assignment. As about 1,500 people crowded into pews and stood along walls in the cavernous church, Cuenin smiled broadly as he delivered a 10-minute homily that was upbeat, but at times defiant. "It is with a very heavy heart that I speak to you today for the last time from this pulpit," Cuenin said. "As I look back over the last 12 years, there are so many memories." He recounted parish renovation projects, the day that Mother Teresa visited the parish, and the Sunday several years ago when he led parishioners to help clean up a nearby temple that had been vandalized. He also focused on his support of two issues that have made him a lightning rod in the archdiocese: gay rights and an increased role of women in the church. Those stances, many parishioners say, may have played into the decision of the archdiocese to ask for Cuenin's resignation. "We welcome all people -- single or married, divorced or remarried, gay or straight," he said to raucous applause. He recounted the 10 months, from December 2002 to September 2003, that the archdiocese banned church gatherings at Our Lady after Cuenin was quoted in The New Yorker magazine questioning church teachings on gays and women. "If that is what it means to be banned in Boston, then bring it on," he said. Following the service and a reception held to honor Cuenin, a group of about 1,000 supporters marched to the archdiocese's administrative offices in Brighton, chanting "Investigate, Exonerate, Reinstate" and carrying signs that read "Take the car, not our priest" and "Stop Abuse of Priests." "Although Father Cuenin has asked his parishioners not to protest, we believe it would be immoral to remain silent at this time of crisis," said Fazio, reading a statement from the parish council. "The allegation of financial impropriety that the archdiocese has made is ridiculous on its face." The money was approved by parish leaders but violated an archdiocesan policy that allows priests to take a $5 stipend for each Mass. The archdiocese says Cuenin has agreed to repay $75,000 in stipends, which archdiocese spokesman Terrence C. Donilon has suggested is akin to Cuenin admitting wrongdoing. "We understand that he is a beloved pastor," Donilon said in an interview last night. "Common sense would say that you wouldn't willy-nilly remove someone like that. There is good reason for this. "It's really time for us to turn the page," he added. "There's a new chapter beginning there." Some, though, said they weren't yet ready to move on. "The church wants a bunch of sheep they can crack the whip on," said Attilio Proia, 66, who has been traveling from Canton for nine years to attend church at Our Lady. "Father Cuenin treats us like individuals. We're not sheep; we can think for ourselves." A lifelong Catholic, Proia said the removal of Cuenin has shaken his faith to the point where he will no longer attend the Newton parish and may abandon the Roman Catholic Church altogether. "This is the final straw," he said. The archdiocese has appointed the Rev. Christopher J. Coyne, a former spokesman for Cardinal Bernard F. Law and Archbishop Sean P. O'Malley, to take Cuenin's place. Parishioners said they were troubled by the choice because Coyne had been the public voice of the church during the clergy sexual abuse scandal and at the start of the parish closings process. "I don't mean to put down Father Coyne," said Joan McSweeney, 62, a lifelong parishioner. "But we don't need a new leader. We have a leader right now." Coyne's name appeared yesterday in the bulletin as pastor, and in a brief letter to parishioners he said he is "apprehensive" about the post and has "no illusions that I can replace Father Walter." "As your new pastor, I know that the circumstances of [Cuenin's] departure have left many angry with the Archbishop and the Archdiocese," he wrote. "Many people feel hurt, betrayed, and disenchanted. Many of you are also troubled by my appointment as the new pastor. . . . There is a feeling, I know, that I should not be here." Cuenin did not mention Coyne during yesterday's service, but included a note in the bulletin that said, "Give Fr. Chris Coyne a good welcome." "I'm grateful to everyone for being here," Cuenin said in a brief interview after the service. "I hope the parish remains strong." "In English when we say goodbye it seems so final," Cuenin said at the end of his homily. "In Italian, we say 'Arrivederci,' which means 'until we meet again.' From the bottom of my heart, I say, 'Arrivederci.' "
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