www.byzcath.org Forums Faith & Christian Life Parish Life & Evangelization Byzantine Parish Closing in Lake Worth Fl

Carson:

This troubled me greatly when I read it some months ago. Surely there is more to this story!

All the best,

Scott

Scott,

Good to read your post. Have you been ill? If so, it is especially good to see you back. Could you send me an email. I lost your email address. Mine is Laufferc266@sbcglobal.net

Dan L

I went to Mass this past saturday night, at Mary, Mother of Light, here in Lake Worth, Florida. I think the parish has resettled here. It is a former Pizza Hut building. Very nice and clean facility. Maybe this is where the eparchy has displaced the parish? A much more convenient location.

I find it interesting that the OCA has a parish that serves both Lake Worth and Palm Beach as well.

Jim,

That same priest also has a mission in Melbourne Florida for which my wife and I have been. He is a wonderful good priest.

Jim and Ray,

Is this priest a Church planter? I.e., does he go about starting Churches and when they get strong enough moves onto a new field? That is the kind of work I'd love to do.

Dan L

Dan, I'm not actually familiar with the Melbourne Byzantine mission. When I was there last year caring for my Dad, they were not having services. They used to be at the college there, and were served out of Orlando, if memory serves. The nearest Byzantine parish was Ft. Pierce- Fr. Sopalinga. There had also been an ACROD mission in Palm Bay, St. Barbara's. I occasionally get a newsletter from the OCA Diocese of the South, in which they listed a church serving both Lake Worth and Palm Beach.

The sign in the front of this church, for their new location reads, "Byzantine Catholic Community, Mary, Mother of Light, Maronite Catholic Church." They even have their own website. The two priests serving there are - Reverend Frank Eles, Retired and Reverend Glen J. Pothier, JCL, DTH (Canada). The address is 4891 Lake Worth Road, Greenacres, FL 33463 www.exsultet.com/byzantinecc.htm [exsultet.com] This church is not to be confused with any division of an Orthodox church.

Would the community have become Maronite after having their temple taken from them? Or is this a separate conversation altogether?

Dan L

I clicked on the link above and was directed to Mary, Mother of Light Maronite Mission. From their site I went to the Eparchy of Passaic link, then Florida parishes page, clicked on the link for:
Holy Apostles
4788 Clock Rd.
Lake Worth, FL 33463
Phone: 561-968-8500
E-Mail: holyapostles@exsultet.com
Site: www.exsultet.com/holyapostles.htm [exsultet.com]

Reading through some of their archived bulletins it appears the congregation is still together for the most part, and now worshipping in the Maronite Church building graciously offered by their Archbishop. It sounds like they haven't joined the parish, just sharing the building for now.
Sam

Sam,

Maybe they do strange things like that in Passaic. It wouldn't be the first time, so I hear.

dan l

Dan,
I just edited my post after reading through their bulletins.

LOL! Old Country is very strange!

Sam

The following report is interesting, though I don't know if it applies to the Holy Apostles situation:

Vatican bars Boston archdiocese seizure of parish assets [cwnews.com]

I think this is similar to Fr. Deacon John's post
http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2005/08/12/parishes_told_to_protect_rights/

Dear Fr. Deacon John:

Let us hope a copy of the Congregation's ruling will become available soon because a cursory reading of the news item seems to redefine who or what is a "juridical person" as provided for by the Latin Code of Canons. (I suspect that the same provisions are extant in Eastern Code of Canons.)

Under the Latin Code, the "particular Church" is the archdiocese/diocese, represented by or in the person of its Bishop/Archbishop as a "Corporation Sole" or other identifier allowed under secular law obtaining in the locality and, therefore, it is the "juridical person" endowed with the rights of ownership, possession, AND administration of properties. Administration may be delegated to the parish priest and his finance council/committee as it is presently followed in the U.S. dioceses.

Accordingly, in the case of the Boston Archdiocese, I think it is within the right and, therefore, power of Archbishop O'Malley to collate, collect, and transfer parish properties to the archdiocese as HE IS the "juridical person" empowered by the Code to do so, including eventual sale or alienation of such properties.

However, the Code enjoin that "juridical person" to seek the advice and counsel of his own archdiocesan financial council/committee AND that of the parish priest and his financial council/committee for the proper disposition of properties ADMINISTERED by the parish.

It is unfortunate, and perhaps mislabelled, that the moves taken by Archbishop O'Malley were or are being described as "seizure," which carries a negative connotation.

Amado

P.S. The Canons on the treatment of the temporal goods of the Church are the same, or at least similar, in the Latin Code (Book V) and in the Eastern Code (Title 23).