During our conversation, we were discussing the closing of Catholic schools in DC. He told me that his sister is a parishioner at St. Andrew the Apostle (Silver Spring) and that the rumor going through the parish was the fact that there might be a merger of their elementary school and that of St. Bernadette’s (Silver Spring) next year.
I thought that both were doing very well, I confidently stated. On the contrary, he explained, St. Bernadette’s has lost a large number of students.
I asked if was due to the increased tuition or poor academics. No, was the reply.
I stated that I had heard rumors that the pastor at St. Bernadette’s was not well liked.
All I got was a smile.
Update: I don't know much about Fr. Smith. He may be a very good priest. It may be his communication style. It may be that the previous pastor let things get out of hand and Fr. Smith is there to clean things up. So, if there is anyone out there who can clarify the situation, I would love to hear from you. And, if my friend is wrong, I will certainly let him know what I have heard.
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5 comments:
Interesting, though I am new at St. Bernadette's the pastor seems nice enough and he is a good homilist. Must be that he is conservative, which is apparent and a good thing considering I spent some time at St. John the Baptist.
There are many in the Archdiocese who have a problem w/ more conservative pastors. I for one, as you can imagine, do not. However, sometimes it is a matter of style - how one communicates various issues, how one reacts to new ideas, etc. There are a variety of styles, and sometimes it is just a matter of style.
I have never met the man, don't know anything about him, how long he has been there, etc. I am just reporting one person's opinion.
At the meeting of Pastor of the Archdiocese of D.C. last Fall '07. Archbishop Wuerl laid out his plans for school and parish closings. The Pastors were sworn to silence and even encouraged to keep the truth at bay. Our Pastors are under extreme pressure from our Archbishop and Thom Duffy. Our Pastors need our support, they are in a terrible position. If you notice Wuerl is not naming "Pastors" to Churches, but instead "Parachiol Vicars".Parocial Vicars have very few rights by Canon Law, they can be transfered at a moments notice for any reason. "Pastors" are protected by Canon Law. Their transfers are more difficult to pull off.
Msgr. Smith is quite simply an amazing man and wonderful priest.
I don't think you disagree, but your post leaves some ambiguity.
Sometimes I wonder why anyone would want to be a priest in the DC diocese.
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