So sometime ago I decided to write a blog, but like most things I start it got pushed to the back burner for the mundane craziness of everyday life. But it is far past time to check back in. So here is entry number 3.

I am what is often referred to as a "Cradle Catholic", born and raised in the faith from day one. I went to Parochial school, I went to Mass every Sunday,every holy day, every day in Lent and I think Advent as well. In school we prayed the Rosary everyday in May and October (the months of Mary) and had a May Procession to honor Mary in you guessed it, May. In order to miss Mass I had to have a fever of at least 100, my mother's criteria, and we did not often meet that mark. My childhood parish, Immaculate Conception in Winchester, had a CYO (Catholic Youth Organization) which I took part in and a pastor named Fr. Herbert K.A. Driscoll, a man who was very scary. Not because of anything bad he did, but because he was not overly pleasant, he was the pastor and I was a little girl so he seemed intimidating.

As I grew up, I went to Mass until I graduated from high school, and then slowly trickled down until I wasn't going at all through my 20's and into my early 30's. At this point, I was living in Beverly, MA and often wondered about that big red brick church on Cabot Street, St. Mary Star of the Sea. My life was at a point were I felt returning to my faith would be a good thing. So one weekend I decided it was time, checked the Mass schedule and off I went. At first it was strange, I felt out of place, maybe I was gone too long, so much was familiar but....The priests at the time were pleasant, Fr. Johnson the pastor, Fr. Beaulieu, Fr. Mehm, then Fr. Foley, Fr. Geary and Fr. Hughes the pastor that replaced Fr. Johnson. They were all pleasant and for the most part their sermons were all okay. I kept going, usually sitting quietly in the back, sometimes wondering why I was going as I still felt disconnected. Then a young priest joined the parish, Fr. David Barnes.

When Fr. Barnes first came to us he was nothing amazing - just a very pleasant young priest that gave very dry homilies (sorry Padre). By this time, I had met my future husband, Bob, and we started attending Mass together. Then we got married, had children and eventually enrolled the kids in the parish school. Fr. Johnson retired and slowly all the other priests were transferred, except Fr. Barnes. We watched him grow from young new priest to exemplary pastor. His sermons were a joy to listen to, sometimes they stung as they hit a little too close to home, sometimes they were sad, sometimes funny, always personal and always he tied the Gospel into our everyday lives. I loved his bulletin messages and looked forward to his blogs, A Shepherds Post,  once he stated writing those. Under Fr. Barnes, St. Mary's flourished. Young people from area colleges started coming, he sent young men to the Seminary to study for the priesthood, often the rectory was filled with other priests, seminarians and those hoping to enter the seminary. The church was filled with young families and he was a strong supporter of the parish school, St. Mary Star of the Sea School. All the school kids loved Fr. Barnes, and his dog Finbar and he enjoyed them. He did so many great things I cannot possible name them all here. Perhaps his most admirable quality was his availability to his parishioners. He was great a friend to so many of us and genuinely cared for all.

But.... all this came to an end. The one thing I will never ever understand is why the institutional church does what it does. The Archdiocese of Boston decided to form collaboratives of parishes mainly to compensate for the priest shortage. I can understand that, in fact I don't think it is wrong at all. What I do think is wrong is that the Archdiocese asked all pastors to submit a letter of resignation for probable reassignment. If you read the goals of the reorganization, then St. Mary's met or exceeded all of them and Fr. Barnes was the reason. He was already in charge of two of the three Catholic churches in Beverly and knew people at the third. If this was a corporation, then Fr. David Barnes would have been the obvious choice to lead the newly formed collaborative.

But....this is the Catholic Church and as much as I love the spiritual side, the prayers, the rituals, the beauty of the Mass, I dislike what the powers that be do. I am fairly certain that most people wanted Fr. Barnes to stay - we all loved him, he had become our friend, he helped so many of us through so many bad times and he shared so many good times. For my family, that was Christmas Eve dinner for years among many other great times.  Six hundred people turned out to say goodbye, all with tears in their eyes. It was a forced break-up that no one wanted. I would just like an explanation as to their logic. I even called the office of pastoral planning - that was pointless. The institution of the Catholic Church would do well to listen to its people that fill the pews every week and not continue to shut out our feelings.

I pray for my beloved St. Mary's that it will continue on the path so strongly built by Fr. Barnes over the past 9 years as our pastor, 13 in total with us. I would hate to see it all fall apart because our voices were never heard. I am hopeful that our new pastor will be a good man, but he has very big shoes to fill  and a church full of broken hearts. Let the mending begin.....