A group called Concerned Parishioners of St. Stephen Church is taking steps to possibly engage a lawyer to oppose the closure, demolition and/or sale of the Oil City church.
The group has indicated its intentions by handing out letters and a “procurator mandate” after Masses at St. Stephen the last two weekends.
The procurator, who would not be the attorney but someone who would work with a lawyer, is identified as Connie Schwabenbauer of Oil City. Schwabenbauer is a lifelong St. Stephen parishioner, and she has helped run the annual parish festival for many years.
The group hasn’t responded to several efforts the newspaper has made to interview them about their plans.
Announcements were made this past weekend at all the Masses at St. Joseph and St. Stephen by the Rev. John Miller, pastor of the two parishes, that St. Stephen will be merged into St. Joseph, effective Jan.1.
The procurator mandate asks for signatures to “protect (the signatory’s) interests in this matter by pursuing appeals in accord with Canon Law, even to final appeals allowed before the Apostolic Signatura.”
This procurator would be able, the mandate states, to “act in (the signatory’s) interests as the law allows, to initiate petitions and appeals in accord with Canon Law to advance (the signatory’s) interests identified above, and to represent these interests in judicial and administrative processes of the Catholic Church related to this issue.”
The letter that was handed out after the Masses says the committee “is exploring procedures dealing with canon law to try and explore better options in our current situation.”
“It is unrealistic,” it continues, “to make a sound decision without parishioner involvement.”
The procurator mandate, the letter says, is “the first stage of filing an appeal.”
The appeal will be filed, the letter continues, if “the bishop decrees that St. Stephen is to be closed.”
Bishop Lawrence Persico did issue the decree Saturday, and it was this final decision that Miller related to the congregations at the four Masses this past weekend.
According to the manner in which it was written, the letter had been composed before that decree had been announced or published online.
The letter also says the group has asked to meet with the bishop and with Miller.
“This is our only recourse to exercise our rights as per canon law,” it states.
The letter also said that the rapid process to close St. Stephen “has left many people in various stages of grief, confusion and disbelief.”
“We believed that the listening sessions would bring about new ideas and result in changes to the plan, not a final decision to close St. Stephen with no changes to the plan,” the letter says. “While many fully believe that we need to have one church in the end, it seems that deciding to close, sell and/or demolish St. Stephen Church is too hasty a decision from which we may never heal.”
The letter ends by asking those who are concerned about the plan to close St. Stephen to “pray for the intercession of St. Stephen and the guidance of the Holy Spirit to lead us all to a sensible and feasible decision.”
