Philadelphia Archbishop Charles Chaput has denied the appeal to keep Bristol Borough’s Saint Ann parish open.
The news came late Tuesday evening and spread like wildfire on social media.
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“This denial was anticipated from most of us as the archbishop has been completely shut down to any discussion or meetings regarding the closure,” Bristol Borough Council President and lifelong Saint Ann’s member Ralph DiGuiseppe said in a statement. “Therefore we have already been working on our appeal to Rome, and our meeting next Wednesday becomes even more important. Our consultant from Boston will lay out the entire process for everyone.”
A Saint Ann appeal meeting is set for 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, July 16 at Calvary Baptist Church on Green Lane in Bristol.
“We have already retained canon law attorneys in Rome and our consultant has been in constant contact with them on keeping the ball moving forward. We still have two opportunities in Rome to get the Archbishop’s decision overturned, so we need to continue the fight and stay SAINT ANN STRONG!”DiGuiseppe said.
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The church has transition to a new archdiocese “worship center,” which will hold baptisms, weddings and funerals. How long the archdiocese will keep Saint Ann’s as a worship center remains to be seen.
The Trinitarian priests are gone from the church, much to the dismay of many parishioners.
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Members of the church told LevittownNow.com recently that they don’t want to merge with Saint Mark’s parish, which is about a half mile away. Some cited the way their immigrant families were treated years ago and others said Saint Ann’s means too much to them.
“This is sad. I was baptized here, married, had communion – everything,” Dom Toby Oriolo recently told LevittownNow.com. He added his wife Julia has also celebrated so many life memories in the church.
The parishioners led by the DiGuiseppe family have collected more than 1,800 signatures asking the archdiocese to keep the church open. Many parishioners said they reached out directly to the Vatican.
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The church has hired to Canon lawyers in Italy to appeal the church closure. DiGuiseppe said those lawyers will cost about $25,000 to $30,000. A bank account to help pay the costs has been set up at First Federal of Bucks County on Mill Street.
Along with Saint Ann’s closing, 15 other closures in the Philadelphia region were announced. The move came as the archdiocese is selling property amid decreased income and attendance.
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Here’s a timeline of the closure:
- On May 31, the parishioners of St. Ann Church were informed of the Archbishop’s decision to close St. Ann Church and merge it with St. Mark’s, also located in Bristol.
- On June 3, the parishioners of St. Ann Church announced their intent to appeal the Archdiocese of Philadelphia’s recommendation to close the church and merge congregations with St. Mark’s.
- Since then, the parishioners held a planning meeting on June 5 where more than 1,800 members showed up in support and signed the formal petition.
- On June 10, the parishioners officially submitted their appeal to Archbishop Charles Chaput. The deadline for the church’s closure and merger was June 30.
- On June 16, the parishioners held a “Walk with Good St. Ann” that processed throughout Bristol Borough from St. Ann School to the church.
- On June 28, the St. Ann congregation was informed by St. Mark’s pastor Dennis Mooney that St. Ann Church will be used as a worship site. The church can be used for wedding and funerals and will host one weekly mass—on Sundays at 10:30 a.m. —with priests from St. Mark’s (not the Trinitarian priests). No timetable was given for how long the church will remain as a worship site.
- On July 8, the parishioners received their official response (denial) from Archbishop Chaput. They have already begun their appeal to church officials in Rome.
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