My family on my mothers side became parishioners here in the 1950s.
Wealthiest parish in the city, located in a posh neighborhood. St Luke was a physician, of a wealthy family, and his Greek was the best we see in the New Testament.
Stupid the name was recently changed to the Catholic "Community" of St. Thomas More (some years ago the parish and school were given to the Jesuits). It should be changed back to St. Luke's immediately. And IHM should have been closed years ago.
That was Harry's thing.
ReplyDeleteAre you sure they didn't actually alter the name of the juridic person? Perhaps the diocese felt a change was necessary as it went from being a diocesan to a religious parish.
ReplyDeleteWhy should it be changed back, other than that you feel wronged?
Stupid indeed. Blame Arch Flynn. St. Paul, Minn always had the four evangelist parishes: Matthew, Mark, Luke, John. The former St. Luke's traces its history back to the 1800s. Flynn did it to be politically correct (to keep people "happy"). Look at Lumen Christi in Highland. St. Greg's should have been closed years ago. St. Leo the Great was perfect, across the street from Planned Parenthood. When in the Latin OR Greek Church has a parish been named "Light of Christ"? By the way, with IHM, it was about money (one particular benefactor). Parish mergers fine, but keep the names.
ReplyDeleteIf a church is consecrated a particular saint, with the relics in the altar, it goes without saying the name should not change.
ReplyDeleteThe name of the Church building and the name of the juridic person are completely different. When parishes are altered such that a new juridic person emerges, there necessarily is a new name. Other times it is done for pastoral reasons, which is something you would be wise not to dismiss out of hand.
ReplyDeleteThey have renamed some parishes in my neighborhood to, to sound as Protestant as possible. One is from "St. Matthew's Roman Catholic Church to..."St. Matthew's Parish Community". Almost sounds as if it could be Episcopal, or even Lutheran......or Presbyterian. UGH!
ReplyDeleteWhile the name of the parish may be changed, the name of the church cannot be changed. The church remains St. Luke whatever the name of the parish.
ReplyDeleteA parish (or the like) is a juridic person. A church building is not.
Actually, that's true enough. In canon law, the parish is the community, which is distinct form the church building. You may have seen some of those cases in the news where bishops had suppressed a parish but were unable to get permission to alienate the church building itself.
ReplyDelete