Well, Tom Gallagher may have another “victory” to celebrate. Gallagher, who gained notoriety in his successful effort to evict the “Wiffle Ball kids” from their makeshift stadium, has been a vocal advocate for Catholic parishes being run by lay boards.
A bill advocating just such a radical requirement has been introduced in the Connecticut General Assembly at the instigation of the Judiciary Committee, whose Vice Chair, Senator Andrew McDonald of Stamford, has been critical of the Catholic church’s positions in the past. There will be a hearing on the bill this Wednesday, March 11, 2009 in Hartford. The bill is specific only to Roman Catholic corporations.
The state’s three Catholic bishops are rallying the faithful. This controversial bill will be the subject of commentary from the pulpits in a Catholic churches throughout Connecticut at masses this weekend. Catholic school principals in the Bridgeport Diocese were called to the Catholic center yesterday, and asked to seek support among parents. Catholic blogs throughout the nation have sounded alarms. The Knight of Columbus, whose international headquarters is in Connecticut, is opposing the bill.
The bill, deemed by many to be anti-Catholic, will require the yearly election of 7 to 13 lay directors. The bill states “the pastor of the congregation shall report to the board of directors with respect to administrative and financial matters.” Under its current structure, each Catholic parish is a corporation with five “members” – the Bishop, the Diocese Vicar General, the pastor and two lay members. The parish corporation owns the assets of the parish, including the land, church building, and schools. The parish assets are for the benefit of the parishioners, so that if a parish is closed or consolidated into a new parish, the assets are not sent to the Diocese, but are transferred to the new parish.
