St. Brigid's fight heads
to court
Parishioners challenge archbishop's right to shut
Church
St. Brigid's parish council chairwoman Marilyn Donoghue, is leading the fight
to keep the church operating, over the objections of Archbishop Marcel Gervais. So far, says Ms. Donoghue, 'they won't budge.'
By Patrick Dare, The Ottawa Citizen
Published: Thursday, July 20, 2006
Parishioners of St. Brigid's Catholic Parish have
filed an application in Divisional Court to stop Archbishop Marcel Gervais from closing their 116-year-old Lowertown church.
Parishioners, led by parish council chairwoman
Marilyn Donoghue, are fighting to keep a church going that was built by poor Irish immigrants and today serves a mixture of
believers, including the Filipino community.The court application argues that the decision to close and sell the church, and
transfer Rev. Pedro Arana to Assumption Parish in nearby Vanier, wasn't based on all the facts, was callous, and didn't follow
the archbishop's own rules of administration.
The application says the archbishop's 1997 administration
manual said that when major decisions are to be made, the bishop is not to act alone.
"He needs the support, wisdom and consent of others,"
according to the manual.
In the case of St. Brigid's, the parishioners say
the archbishop sent encouraging signals to the parish that it was making progress with its finances, then shocked the community
with the decision in the spring.
It came like a bolt out of the blue," said Ms.
Donoghue.
Repeated attempts to change the decision, and meet
directly with Archbishop Gervais, have failed. "They won't budge," said Ms. Donoghue.
The application for a court order could go to the
Divisional Court for hearing in October.
Keith MacLaren, lawyer for the task force, said
the parishioners aren't questioning the authority of the church and he admits such a legal challenge is "very new law."
But he said the Catholic Church owes its members
the courtesy of a full and transparent consultation when such a big decision is being made about a church that parishioners
have put much time and money into.
"They're really begging the archbishop to listen
to their concerns," said Mr. MacLaren.
He said one possible solution would be for the
Archdiocese of Ottawa to follow the example of some churches in Toronto, which have allowed development around and above their
buildings, as a way of raising funds in neighbourhoods with high property values.
Archbishop Gervais has defended the decision to
sell the church and transfer its priest to a neighbouring church on the grounds that restoring the church would cost millions
of dollars and that there's plenty of space for parishioners at nearby churches, such as the recently restored Notre Dame
Cathedral, where the archbishop officiates.
In fact, the application to stop the church closing
includes a 2005 letter from the archbishop in which he notes Notre Dame "desperately needs more parishioners in order to meet
its own pastoral objectives and operating costs."
St. Brigid's thought it was on the road to a renaissance
after it met several objectives set by the archbishop, such as paying most of its $126,000 debt, paying $18,000 for World
Youth Day, forming a finance committee, putting operations on a balanced level and raising more than $100,000 for restoration.
The restoration fund is now close to $200,000, Ms. Donoghue said yesterday. Thirty-eight children had First Communion this
year.
The stone church, which features a beautiful altar
and recently saw its murals restored at a cost of $50,000 covered by four parishioners, is designated a heritage building
under the Ontario Heritage Act. The church, built in 1890, is in urgent need of a new roof.
Yesterday, Msgr. Kevin Beach, of the Archdiocese
of Ottawa, said the plan to wind the parish down is going ahead, with the transfer of Father Arana to Assumption Parish to
proceed next month. He said the archdiocese was not seeking a buyer for the church property but, with recent news coverage,
some people who are interested have approached the archdiocese.
Ms. Donoghue said the only proper function for
the building is as a Catholic Church, serving the 400-plus families that go there.
She said parishioners are "extremely disturbed"
and some have questioned their faith over the issue.
In a letter to Archbishop Gervais last month, Ms.
Donoghue wrote: "We are a church, poor when built, but with spirit and praise for God Almighty, and poor still.
"We can't believe God wants churches to be closed
where there is any semblance of opportunity to keep them open. That which is sacred should never be sold."
