The following are the expressed opinions of the authors.

 

 

 

 

Loretta Paglia Tigar

  

Dear Friends of Father Carmel,

Hi, my name is Father Noel Camilleri and I am from Malta. I know Father Carmel pretty well since both of us come from the same Parish of Saint Catherine of Alexandria. I support you and Father Carmel in this just cause. I would like to thank you for supporting Father. God bless you.

                                                                                    Father Noel Camilleri 

 

 

  

To Whom It May Concern:
7/27/04

    I am writing this letter with a heavy heart regarding the transfer of
our beloved Father Carmel who we have come to respect and admire. My family
is very distraught with the knowledge of Father Carmel leaving Saint Mary
Magdalen Church and School. We respect Father's abilities to run both a
school and church all the while he was reducing an enormous debt he
inherited when he arrived. Father was certainly able to reduce the debt and
also make mass improvements to the church and school at the same time.
Father Carmel is a decent man who arrived at Saint Mary's nearly three years
ago and was treated poorly from the onset. He has always been kind to my
family and was good with the kids. He respected the kids and the kids
respected him. This past fall Father reached out to my family when our son
was very sick and was hospitalized. Father came to the hospital to visit our
son; he called our home on a regular basis, and also prayed for him in
church. He certainly went beyond the call of his duty. I will never forget
the kindness he showed us during this very sad time. At the same time, I
will never forget how Father was excluded from this years Honor Society
Induction, the Eighth Grade Baccalaureate Mass Preparation, or the Eighth
Grade Graduation Preparation and Honors selection. It was very evident that
Father was eliminated from the planning of these very special events and it
showed in his solemn demeanor. How could the Pastor of the church and school
be deliberately excluded from such important school events. He should have
been the key role model and yet he was left out. This is unacceptable to me.
Father is an excellent role model and influence. He got the youth involved
in the church through the Confirmation Program. My son looked forward to
Tuesday Evenings when he could go to the church and give a helping hand to
beautify the church and school. Father was always on hand to encourage the
kids and often rewarded them with ice cream. Since Father arrived some three
years ago he has had to endure the hatred of a few families and teachers
however, despite the recent petition to keep Father at Saint Mary's, the
decision ruled in the favor of the discontented ones. Because of this
wrongful decision, I have elected to remove my daughter from Saint Mary's
Magdalen School, which was the home of my children for nearly eight years. I
will not send my child to an environment where hatred and hypocrites seem to
flourish. I don't want my daughter to be amongst those who would rather
gossip than teach. I have eye witnessed a teacher during mass services sit
and make mockery of Father for all to see and yet she is allowed to teach
our young ones Christianity. The children need to be taught to love and
respect one another and our superiors and that is not happening. It is a
terrible crime that the staff did not show Father Carmel their support and
respect. I only hope and pray that Father will be accepted at his new
residence with both open arms and hearts. He certainly deserves a better
group to serve and love. As for my family we are now displaced as well. We
will no longer attend Saint Mary Magdalen Church. We are very ashamed of
those who have succeeded in getting Father transferred and we do not wish to
be associated with these types of people who claim they are Catholic but
rather wolves in sheep clothing.  I also pray for Father Carmel's immediate
replacement. May he not experience the hell that Father Carmel tolerated for
the last three years. No one deserves this unjust treatment. It is our
desire to stay in touch with Father Carmel in the future, as he is truly a
decent man and true Catholic Priest.        "GOD BLESS FATHER CARMEL"

                                                    Sincerely,
                                                    Rick & Deborah Riggins

 

                                                       The Lost Sheep   

     When my family and I moved to South Jersey in May of 1993, we were all hoping for a new beginning.  Even after purchasing a smaller home and learning to live within our means, something  was still missing. My wife Audrey was eager to find a new church in the area.  We must have gone to mass in as many as ten different parishes.  It seemed to me that most church masses were only going through the motions. 

     One Sunday, Audrey and I attended a mass at St. Judes in Blackwood, NJ.  Father Carmel was giving the homily and explained that in order to get to know Jesus better, we should not seek instant gratification from the mass in the way we might purchase a quick cup of coffee from WaWa.  Many parishioners seemed to scoff at this, but I took it to heart. I have learned that many other lessons in life should be learned the same way.  Most things instantly gotten are instantly lost.

     Thank you Father Carmel for re-igniting my faith in the Lord. 

                                                                                        --  Forever in Christ,    

                                                                                            William W. Humcke, Jr

 

The Way We Were 

     In 1967, my parents would drive us from Philly to Bellmawr every weekend to stay in the “ Bellmawr House”  - the summer house that was built by my grandfather and his children.  That year, my grandfather passed away, and my parents bought the house.  I remember going down Spruce Ave. and seeing a building being built.  My mother said that this was going to be our new church.  My parents were one of the first families to register in this new Parish (Mary Mother).  I received my First Penance and my First Holy Communion at Mary Mother.  We were blessed with good priests - priests that got involved with the parish and the families.

     Years later, I eventually moved out of Bellmawr and attended a different parish.  Now and then, my wife and I would take my mother to Mass at Mary Mother, when she was up to it.  I remember explaining to my wife how this church use to be full of energy and spirit.   But it no longer was.  Unfortunately, the last few priests before Father Carmel had major health issues, and although they tried to make the church an active community, they physically weren’t able to.  This led to the church being run by a few parishioners with no real direction.

     Then, one day my wife and I took my mother to Mary Mother and we saw a change. We saw new statues, new flowers, etc.  We then listened to this man speak.  And for the first time in a very long time, we actually felt filled with the Holy Spirit.   My wife then suggested that we change parishes.  I said ,“You want to change parishes?  You always said you never liked coming here because the place has no spirit."   Her answer was that this new priest has changed this parish completely and we should give him our support. 

     Before you knew it, I was volunteering on Tuesday nights with the other parishioners, doing maintenance, cleaning, painting, etc., and was actually having laughs and a good time.  Next, I was helping out with the processions, and then Father Carmel asked me if I wanted to do something.  He asked me if I was interested in becoming a Eucharistic Minister.  I was never so honored in my life.  All the awards I received over my life time from my career or from my volunteer work in town, did not compare to this.   I signed up for the classes and started them immediately. 

     Then, in August ,while I was in the last class, I heard about the Bishop's plan to remove Father Carmel from our Parish.  And from that day on, life at Mary Mother has not been the same.  No longer do I feel fullfiled when I leave Mass.  No longer do I  see the parishioners getting involved .  What I do see is a perfectly good priest, sitting alone and wasting his talent.

                                                                                               - The Webmaster

 

                                                   Truth and Courage

 

     I don’t pretend that I could ever speak for someone else.  Hopefully Helen won’t mind if I put her fifteen (15) word testimonial and the setting in which she said them to paper.

 

     In a year filled with mostly disappointing lows, there were also a few highs.  One such high was the phony lawsuit against Father Carmel being thrown out.  Another mostly unknown high took place at St. Mary Magdalene church in Millville, N.J. at a “speak-up” held by Bishop Joseph Galante where those present witnessed a display of both truth and courage.

 

     It tool courage for the average parishioner from Mary, Mother of the Church to get up and voice their displeasure with the bishop’s decision to remove Father Carmel last October.  These are not hardened union picketers used to taking their cause to the street.  They are mothers, fathers, grandparents, retirees and just plain folks.  Most are bothered by these protests.  They get upset.  Most are not comfortable when it comes to speaking before a group, especially telling a bishop that he is wrong!

 

     They summon up the courage to overcome their fears because they believe that truth is on their side.  Some deal with “butterflies” and “weak-knees”, but they still get up.  They leave the comfort of their own homes, driving many miles in all kinds of weather, just to make a statement.  They have the courage of their convictions!

 

     But the greatest lesson in courage and truth came not from the protesters from out of town, but from a local resident.  Her name is Helen, and she walks with a walker.  It was the walker and its constant thump across the floor that first drew everyone’s attention as she made her way slowly, and most likely painfully, to the seating area at the speak-up. 

 

     She patiently watched and waited as first the Millville people, and then the Bellmawr people addressed the bishop after presenting him with the second of two petitions in six months; both containing three hundred (300) signatures in support of Father Carmel.  Helen then signaled that she would like to say something.  The nun accompanying the bishop graciously brought the microphone over to her.

 

     Despite all that has been written and said about this issue in the year since Father Carmel was removed, nothing has had the impact of her few words.  She smiled as she struggled to say, “I love Father Carmel……please send Father Carmel back…he is always nice to me”!

 

     That was it!  No great oratory, no eloquent verse; just the courage to speak the truth drove her that sixty (60) feet from the door to her seat.  Truth allowed her to speak despite her difficulties.  Helen made us realize that our efforts these past twelve months, which have tried our patience and tested our faith, were all worth it.  Helen’s courage to speak the truth allowed each of us in that room to realize that this woman was nobody’s “sycophant”!  She was not being “used”.  She simply could only say what was in her heart.  And that was enough.  Thank you, Helen!

 

                                                                                                                        Frank Malloy 

 

The Man from Texas

 

     He rode into town from Dallas in 2004, as the new Bishop of Camden.  I remember several different priests asking us to pray to St. Joseph that God would send us a good bishop to govern our diocese.  Word went out that the new bishop was named Joseph, giving us all reason for optimism.  He supposedly was one of us; his Philly roots, his summer home at the shore and heck, he was even an Eagles fan.  I myself welcomed the Man from Texas back to the South Jersey area in a letter to the editor around the time of his arrival.  I now regret that!

     Bishops were not exactly big news here in the Camden diocese.  One might get to meet the bishop at Confirmation (not anymore-too busy) or some other function; but the never took center stage in anyone’s life.  Former bishops of the Camden diocese were seen by most Catholics as someone they might occasionally see in the Star-Herald or perhaps on a video played at Mass announcing the Bishop’s annual House of Charity appeal.  With the arrival of the Man from Texas, things began to change.  He was not one of us!  He was an outsider with different ways of thinking.  He believed in ecumenical gatherings more than the establishment of the articles of faith.  The Man from Texas was a disciple of Vatican II and its liberal leanings.

     The Man from Texas came to the attention of the parishioners of Mary, Mother of the Church when word had leaked out that our pastor was being written about and letters unfavorable to him were being sent to the bishop.  Those who recognized the good man their pastor was responded with their own campaign of positive letters.  The Man from Texas never gave them a thought.  To this date he has yet to personally address the parishioners about the removal of their pastor.  Oh yes, he sent one of his hired guns, the chancellor of the diocese to read the pastor’s personal file before hundreds of parishioners with no chance for rebuttal!

     The Man from Texas passed himself off as a listener, “You speak, I listen” he told us as he started his parish speak-up campaign.  We spoke, he has yet to listen!  Nothing could be said about the turmoil swirling about our parish at the speak-up, but, we were told ours was the best yet.  At the speak-up and at a prior town meeting we were told over and over that they (the priests in attendance) were “there to support” our pastor.  But were they?  How can you support someone when you are conspiring against them?  At least three members of the Priest Personnel Board are guilty of listening to those doing the complaining, yet they did not dismiss themselves because these people were their friends or they knew them.  At the same time no credence was given to the parishioners of Mary, Mother who supported their embattled pastor.  Their pleas for justice went unheard, both by the Priest Personnel Board and the Man from Texas.

     It now appears clearer, that after eleven months of banishment, that the pastor was the victim of a conspiracy by the Man from Texas and his posse at the chancery office, aided by the few complainers at Mary, Mother.  The pastor was removed October 2, 2005.  Yet, one priest in the diocese told a parishioner in July of that same year that their pastor would not be at Mary, Mother much longer.  Another priest knew ten months prior!

     Couple that with the basketball fiasco, where the pastor of neighboring St. Francis De Sales was to meet with members of the Mary, Mother parish council to discuss ways in which basketball could be played that year.  The pastor never met with them, he obviously knew that the pastor of Mary, Mother would soon be gone.  The principal of the school also promised concerned parent in July that things would be worked out.  She guaranteed a basketball season.  She too, also knew what we did not!  The St. Francis pastor knew all to well that this was not about basketball, but an equitable subsidy for Mary, Mother demanded by the pastor of Mary, Mother.  No wonder his eyes were as big as golf balls when Mary, Mother parishioners showed up at his speak-up!

     Was St. Francis paying a subsidy for use of the parish hall?  No!  Were they paying for heat/AC and electricity?  No!  Were they paying for repairs and helping with water and loose tile problems?  No, again!  So, where did they get the impression that the hall/basketball court was theirs?  The Man from Texas, possibly?  When a new “pastor” took over at Mary, Mother, he informed St Francis that there would be no basketball for three years.  That edict lasted until he was contacted by the Man from Texas.  Basketball, played at Mary, Mother, by St. Francis, was paramount and would continue.  Was it not the Man from Texas who told several parishioners at a speak-up, “Do you actually believe I would remove a priest over basketball”?  What was thought to be true in October of 2005, is known to be true in September 2006.  Yes!   

     Of course, this was also about a need for anger management and a fear of a “million dollar lawsuit” by the Man from Texas.  A lawsuit, brought by a parishioner, was thrown out of court by a judge who knew better.  What was a conspiracy theory in October 2005, has proved to be a genuine conspiracy in September 2006.  That same chancellor, who read the pastor’s file, was an acquaintance of the person bringing the lawsuit!  Smell a rat?  The banished pastor remains in limbo.  The diocese has been turned over to liberal nuns to run and for all intent and purposes, the newly appointed monsignor is the bishop.  Isn’t he the same priest who was conspiring against the pastor?  Isn’t it amazing that he gets a promotion and his two cohorts, the vicar of the clergy and the aforementioned chancellor, receive parishes to pastor?

     There’s something rotten in the diocese of Camden and it came by way of Texas.  Why are they so afraid of a priest from Malta?  What have they got to hide?  The phony speak-ups aside, the Man from Texas has been a disaster for the Camden diocese.  He does, however, seem to have a way with money; probably stemming from his time at the Vatican bank.  The Man from Texas seems to want parishes to borrow money from the diocese.  The diocese makes money on the interest.  A pastor who gets rid of debt is a definite no-no in the Camden diocese.  The Man from Texas and the diocese of Camden are actually smaller versions of Alan Greenspan and the Federal Reserve Bank!

     Where are the parishioners who wrote the letters of complaint?  They got the pastor out of the way, yet, they do not return to their parish; they remain unseen.  Guilty consciences, maybe?  The Man from Texas is on record (Phila. Inq.) saying he wants no cover-ups in the Camden diocese.  The removal of Father Carmel is not about anger management.  The only anger most parishioners have seen came after their pastor’s removal and was displayed by the former pastor of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel in Berlin and by the Man from Texas at the cathedral in Camden.

     Perhaps it’s time the Man from Texas went back to Texas; but then, they didn’t want him there either!  To admit this whole sordid affair was a mistake is above him.  To admit his coming to Camden was a mistake would be telling the truth.  Was it not the early Church fathers who warned that the ruination of the Church would come from within, and be caused by “bad bishops”?  Someone claiming to be compassionate and striving for the mind of Jesus would have put an end to this fiasco long ago!

 

                                                                                                            Frank Malloy     

 

One Year After Bishop Joseph Galante

Expelled Father Carmel Polidano from his Pastorship

     Tuesday 9/20/05 I was shocked to read in our local newspaper "Galante last week told Polidano it would be in the best interest of the priest and his parish if Polidano were to step down."

 

     The brief fourteen months Father Carmel was our pastor we were a vibrant faith filled community with well-attended Sunday and daily masses. Monday nights we attended novenas and sacred scripture classes. Tuesday nights we cleaned, painted, and repaired our church buildings and property. All volunteer workers enjoyed delicious home cooked meals in our parish social hall when we rested from our work. We also had many well attended socials, benedictions, processions, missions, lay ministries, adult and children's choir sessions, open monthly financial council meetings and parish council meetings. Everyone was encouraged to attend.

 

     Our monthly fund raisers were very well attended. They brought in THOUSANDS OF EXTRA DOLLARS each month to subsidize our regional Catholic elementary school. We were a vibrant growing, financially solvent parish community which met and surpassed the needs of most parishioners.

 

     Now one year after Bishop Joseph Galante expelled Father Carmel Polidano from his pastorship, Mary, Mother of the Church parish community has been MORTALLY WOUNDED.   

 

     Many good parishioners have left MMC to worship elsewhere. Sunday mass attendance has decreased so much that in January we will have only two masses on Sunday morning and one on Saturday night. Weekly contributions have decreased approximately 30%. Our monthly fundraisers are not well attended. They often bring in less than $1000 which can't begin to subsidize our regional Catholic elementary school which requires a subsidy of approximately $80,000 annually from our parish community.

 

     Our financial situation is terrible. Weekly expenses have skyrocketed. Our parish community is approximately A QUARTER MILLION DOLLARS IN DEBT. When Bishop Galante expelled Father Carmel from his pastorship, MMC parish community had more than $40,000 in the bank after all our current expenses were paid.

 

     Our current pastor schedules our parish council and financial council meetings only quarterly not monthly. They are closed meetings. Parishioners are not permitted to attend.

 

     We still have Monday night novenas, where many of us petition our Blessed Mother to help return Father Carmel to our parish. Seven months after Father Carmel Polidano was forced to leave MMC more than 300 parishioners signed and presented Bishop Joseph Galante a petition requesting Father Carmel be reinstated as our pastor.

 

     Even though Bishop Joseph Galante publicly said last year "it would be in the best interest of the priest and his parish if Polidano were to step down" just the opposite has proved true for our parish community.

 

     Father Carmel's life is certainly less stressful. Now he sleeps late usually beginning his day at 7am. When he was our pastor, his day began before dawn especially on Friday mornings when he drove to the wholesale florist to buy fresh flowers in bulk. Before mass began at 8am he would have placed half a dozen or more beautiful floral arrangements in our sanctuary. Our church smelled and looked beautiful every day. I loved being a member of such a beautifully decorated sparkling clean, vibrant, faith filled parish community. I enjoyed being at MMC practically every morning attending mass and several evenings each week at spiritual and social activities. My spiritual and social life increased enabling me to become a better Christian more caring and sharing.

 

     This past year I have changed, as has our parish community. The changes are not good. Many parishioners are no longer spiritually energized. We still have weekly bible study but it is in my home after we were locked out of the church several weeks in a row. Half a dozen or less parishioners attend. With Father Carmel there were dozens. We are not learning at the accelerated rate we learned with him, but we are doing our best on our own. We follow Father Carmel's guidelines praying before and after our bible study.

 

     With Father Carmel as our pastor our parish community of MMC GREW 'INTO A DYNAMIC COMMUNITY OF FAITH, HOPE AND LOVE WHEREIN WE REVEALED THE MIND AND HEART OF JESUS THROUGH OUR ACTIONS AND OUR WORSHIP.' Without Father Carmel's energetic deeply spiritual compassionate nature and support we have faltered and fallen.

 

     How does Bishop Galante feel knowing he has caused so much turmoil and anguish to faithful parishioners and priests? Is God pleased with his actions? Have they brought more souls to God and their eternal salvation? Does Bishop Galante pray to God for guidance and support in alleviating this deplorable situation created by his unjust removal of our beloved pastor and our passionate abiding support? If he does, I confidently believe God will enable him to reach a righteous solution.

 

     Before daily mass we continue to pray for the special intentions of our pope, our present pastor and our previous pastor. We hoped and prayed for an Easter resolution. Now we fervently pray God's Will, will soon be accomplished. He alone knows best.

 

     If Bishop Galante had known what an exceptionally good pastor Father Carmel was and how most parishioners loved and respected him, how ceaselessly we would work to have him returned to us, would Bishop Galante have forced Father Carmel to leave? Our bishop's actions have caused so much needless pain and suffering in our parish community, our diocese, and to Father Carmel and himself.

 

     We continue to hope and fervently pray God will inspire Bishop Galante and Father Carmel to do what needs to be done to enable our beloved pastor to return as soon as possible to pastoring his persevering parishioners.

 

                                                      -Loretta Paglia Tigar

                                                       Bellmawr, NJ

  

The Man from Malta

 September 2005

 

            He came to this country as a young man dedicated to giving his life to Christ.  He left country, family and friends to achieve his goal of being a Catholic priest.  He spent his childhood in a traditional Catholic atmosphere and brought that upbringing with him when he came to America, a country he adopted and became citizen of.

            The man from Malta was really a little child in a 53 year old man’s body.  He could be mischievous one minute, laughing the next, dead serious in matters pertaining to the faith, and then once again, one of the boys whether it be working or playing.

            The man from Malta was given an almost impossible job by his bishop; straighten out the mess at Mary, Mother of the Church in Bellmawr, where essentially the inmates had been running the asylum for years.  In doing this, the man from Malta made some enemies.  The bishop who had assigned him there failed to back him up in the hard choices he had to make.

            Instead, the bishop listened to the wrong people.  He listened for thirteen months, never once stopping to hear the voices of the majority of parishioners who had written letters in support of their pastor.

            The man from Malta became the target of a neighboring parish due to the fact the he had cracked down on the use of their (Mary, Mother Parish hall) basketball court.  They seemed to believe they had exclusive privileges to this hall.  Years of neglect from broken tables and chairs, to trashed bathrooms, all directly attributed to the basketball games being played by the neighboring parish, were what the man from Malta had inherited.

            Those whose power or money was taken away, reacted with vengeance in a campaign to try and unseat the man from Malta.  Lies were accepted as fact.  Rumors were believed.  Yet, this untraditional bishop never once told these people, “This is the pastor I assigned, live with it”.  No, instead the attacks intensified!

            It became a double assault, those former, unhappy parishioners from Mary, Mother and those who wanted their basketball court back, by any means.  A lawsuit, as phony as the bishop’s “Speak-up sessions”, became the center of the storm.  The bishop’s reaction to his pastor’s dilemma?  “Get your own lawyer”!  As if the man from Malta was one of the slimy pedophiles or homosexuals we’ve read about all too often in our Catholic Church.

            Could it be that a deal was made?  Unseat the man from Malta and we’ll drop our phony court case?  Isn’t it ironic that as I write this, the man from Malta is being removed as pastor of Mary, Mother?  After all, it is closing in fast on basketball season and there’s that court that the man from Malta insists be used in a way not detrimental to the daily affairs of his parish!

            Imagine, the man from Malta actually wanted to have control over when basketball was played, so as not to interrupt meetings, services, novenas, Masses and other events taking place in the church above or it’s hall!  After all, the parish of Mary, Mother was only there to service the needs of St. Francis De Sales parish!

            This was unacceptable to those in the neighboring parish and the negative letters kept on coming; over 250 in all!  Couple that with the continued attack on the character of the man from Malta by those jealous of his charisma and spirituality.

            Where was the man from Malta’s famous temper when a basketball coach, incensed by what was taking place, was nose to nose with him, shouting obscenities at him?  Where were the Barrington people when the church hall, excuse me, the basketball court of Mary, Mother was flooded with four inches of water?  Where were they when tiles needed to be replaced or tables fixed and replaced?  Where were they for parish fundraisers? 

We will never see his like again.  The church of Mary, Mother for the first time since its initial pastor became a community once again.  The building was made beautiful by the hard work and diligence of its parishioners.  The debt inherited from the previous administration was

paid off and as the man from Malta prepares for his final Mass, the parish is $10,000 in the black!

            Still, that wasn’t enough for the bishop!  The man from Malta had to go!  He was forced out of the church he loves, punished by the faith he has served for 25 years, and his good reputation trashed!  His entire life is the church!  He has been betrayed!

            I used to be proud to tell people I lived in Bellmawr, no longer!  I’ve seen it at its vicious worst.  I once thought highly of Barrington, no longer!  Basketball and Mary, Mother of the Church basketball court took precedence over a good priest doing a job to the best of his ability!

            I used to be proud to call myself a Catholic, no longer!  There’s nothing Christian about the way the man from Malta was treated!  But, it’s not the Catholic faith that is at fault, I still believe it to be the true faith and the church established by Jesus, Himself.  It’s the people in that faith that are the problem, from the faithless taking up space in the pews or watching their watches lest the sermons be too long, to the hierarchy capable of protecting child molesters and homosexuals in the priesthood; or allowing a good priest to be ruined!

            In the end, it was the people who brought down the man from Malta, the 2% minority, and their cohorts who had the bishop’s ear, who kept the 98% majority from being heard.  The petty complaints that overshadowed all the good accomplished by the man from Malta.

            Most of the credit, however, goes to a gutless bishop who allowed this travesty to continue for 13 months only to finally remove the man from Malta as he was about to celebrate his 53^rd birthday and the 25^th anniversary of his priesthood.  He allowed the town of Bellmawr and a church dedicated to the Mother of God to be split by the venom he helped create!

            I will attend one of the last Masses offered by the man from Malta in a parish that may never realize its 40^th anniversary (1967).  Along with the man from Malta goes the heart and soul of this church.  The basketball games will return along with the petty few who once left, but I will not!

            God bless Father Carmel Polidano, a man I was proud to call a friend, confessor, co-worker, teacher, pastor and most important, Catholic priest.  He made us all better Catholics, better men and women, better parents, better husbands and wives, better Christians and a better community.  A man of his character will survive this injustice; but will Bellmawr?  Will Barrington?  Will the Camden diocese?  Will this bishop?

            When I first laid eyes on the man from Malta and saw the traditional cassock he wore, I knew Mary. Mother had itself a real priest.  I also knew, with today’s liberal hierarchy, that meant trouble for him.  Funny, isn’t it, but the man from Malta is the only one who can walk away from this mess with his head held high!

 

 

- Frank Malloy

 

 

Bellmawr and the Invisible Man

October 2005 

 

            As he walks away with his head held high, the man from Malta is dealt another insult; he becomes the invisible man, according to the bishop’s letter enclosed in the Mary, Mother of the Church bulletin for the weekend of October 16-17.  We, the parishioners of Mary, Mother have spent fourteen months with a man who never existed!

            To add insult to injury, his personal file is then read to those attending a meeting where, once again, a stand-in for the bishop supposedly hears the parishioners pleas.  Is that the job of a chancellor?  Let’s have a look at everyone else’s personal record, including his and that of the Star-Herald columnist!

            The invisible man’s past history was no problem when he was made pastor at Mary Magdalene parish in Millville.  It was no problem when he was made pastor of Mary, Mother in Bellmawr.

            It only became a problem when those doing the complaining, along with the sycophants in the bishop’s office, the same brother priests that were there to supposedly support the invisible man at town meetings and the speak-up session, co-operated in smearing this good priest’s name.

            This man had been wronged, and say what you will about some of the people of Bellmawr, when they see a wrong, they try and right it.  My apologies!  They gathered petitions, wrote letters to the papal nuncio and the pope.  They have taken their case to the bishop through letters, phone calls, e-mails and fax; as well as attending speak-up sessions at other parishes.  They have put aside their weekly envelopes.  They have prayed.

            The invisible man will become visible once again when he has his day in court and is completely exonerated of these false charges.  This, despite the bishop declaring him all but guilty in a local newspaper.  This is the same bishop who claimed another removed priest was the “leading suspect” in a case involving stolen monies, only to say weeks later that he hopes he’ll “be exonerated”!

            The bishop contends this is about the invisible man’s “temper”, denying it has anything to do with the lawsuit or anyone complaining.  Has the bishop never gotten mad about anything?  Why did he voice concerns to a parishioner that he was afraid of a million dollar lawsuit?  Why were letters of support ignored?

            In my last letter, I claimed that this was about basketball and the phony lawsuit.  I stick to that assessment.  The “250 letters” came from a parishioner who heard it from a St. Francis De Sales parishioner’s own mouth, “it took over 250 letters, but he’s out of there” is something like what was heard.  That has now been confirmed by the smugness some of them showed with their “we won” signs.

            The sound of basketball will once again echo in the parish hall of Mary, Mother (St. Francis De Sales annex), despite the new pastor’s promise.  Seems the bishop had already made a promise to St. Francis that they would have the hall for basketball.  There was only the little problem of removing the invisible man beforehand.

            Of course, this is also about school subsidies as well.  The invisible man wanted no parts of the way business was being run as Mary, Mother took on an unfair part of the burden of supporting St. Francis school.

            It’s about a deacon crawling out from under the rock he’d been under the day after the invisible man was dispatched.  The parishioners walked out!  Did he somehow expect a standing ovation?

            It’s about the person who brought the phony lawsuit being accosted on the church steps by angry parishioners.  Did she expect to be greeted with open arms?  It’s about the CCD teachers and their complaints.  It’s about all those who have had the bishop’s ear for months.

            If the bishop were to open an investigation into what went on at Mary, Mother before the invisible man’s arrival; certain facts might become more visible.  He is nothing like what he’s been painted.  He’s what’s still good about our Catholic faith in these perilous times.

            Unless, of course, the bishop is right and the invisible man never really existed.  He was but a figment of our imagination as to what a Catholic priest should be.  He was too good to be true.  He brought people back to the faith and demanded the best from those who purport to believe it; and yes, he

cared about the way they dressed before Jesus in the tabernacle!

            Nothing gives Satan more satisfaction than to have a priest, consecrated to God, fall prey to him.  He has obviously taken much delight at what has taken place here in America.  Yet, while he has gone about devouring the priesthood, a very visible man from Malta, now an American citizen, has stood tall against the evil that surrounds him.

            The invisible man’s insistence about being “tall in the saddle” when it comes to the faith, is what put him at odds with some people.  They just don’t get it; he is trying to save their soul.  That’s the job of a monsignor, a bishop, etc.?

            Finally, do not underestimate the power of prayer.  Our Lady will not abandon her champion.  She, like most of the parishioners of Mary, Mother must have been extremely disappointed when on October 7 (Feast of the Most Holy Rosary) and October 13 (anniversary of last apparition at Fatima; “miracle of the sun”) there were no processions in her honor.  But then again, they, like the novenas to Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, were only for the invisible man’s gratification anyway!

            No slight is intended to the man who replaced the invisible man, but under these circumstances, “no substitutes accepted”!  I’m sure he’d appreciate his former parishioners doing the same for him were he victimized in such a way.  This will not be over until justice is served; and if need be, “Joe must go”!  Oops, that’s “a typo”.  To be continued . . . . . 

 

- Frank Malloy 

 

 

The Visionary

 

     While the man from Malta has remained mostly invisible (he has been spotted at a funeral now and then), a man known as the Visionary has been holding speak-up sessions at parishes throughout the diocese for the better part of a year, saying he will listen while the parishioners speak, regarding the future of the church.

     Recently, the Visionary announced his “guiding vision” for the church, which is in keeping with Lumen Gentium, the Dogmatic Constitution of the Church, given us at Vatican II.

     Respectfully, why bother to hold speak-ups if this vision has already been set?  Were they just a P.R. stunt to promote the Visionary’s vision?  Was the Visionary even listening, or was he too caught up in his vision to listen to people like those at Mary, Mother of the Church?

            “A bishop…being taken from among men, and himself beset with

weakness, he is able to have compassion on the ignorant and the erring.

Let him not refuse to listen to his subjects…as having one day to render

an account for their souls” –Lumen Gentium.

     Has not the Visionary refused to listen to us since we wrote letters of support for the man from Malta in November of 2004?  Who is responsible for those people that were coming to the faith before the man from Malta was removed?  Who is accountable for those souls the man from Malta brought back to the faith, only to become disenchanted with the Catholic Church upon his unjust removal? 

     Have the Visionary and his brother priests held forth to Lumen Gentium?

“And let the bishop regard his priests as his co-workers and as sons

and friends…” –Lumen Gentium.

     Did the Visionary treat the man from Malta as a son and friend?  A friend does not remove a friend twice in fifteen months on trumped up charges.  A friend does not appoint someone as pastor and then ignore him when he is under attack from vicious lies.  A friend does not have his friend’s personal file read in front of his parishioners.  A friend does not allow another priest to slander his friend, just because it’s his newspaper!

            “In virtue of their common sacred ordination and mission, all priests are

            bound together in intimate brotherhood, which naturally and freely

manifests itself in mutual aid…” – Lumen Gentium.

     Have the man from Malta’s brother priests come to his aid, or have they aided those who chose to complain?  A friend does not write vicious lies about his friend in his personal file or write detrimental newspaper articles about him.  A friend does not claim to support him at town meetings and speak-ups and then do the opposite.  A friend does not say, “he’s my friend”, and then do things which prove he is not!

     Can there be a plan for the future of the church that excludes Our Lady, Mother of the Church?  She’s nowhere to be found in the 135 word text.  Out are good priests like the man from Malta, in are those who would, “ensure that future planning is consistent with the broad themes of the Vision”.

     Some people in Bellmawr, those who support the man from Malta, also have a “vision”.  It involves the return of the man from Malta, as pastor to Mary, Mother, as

ordered by the Papal Nuncio or the Vatican itself!  That will be, “a great day of celebration”!

     Delaying tactics aside, the man from Malta will eventually have his day in court and be vindicated, his good name restored.  What those who support the man from Malta will never accept is his being forced out and “retired” because the Visionary chose to listen to a few complainers while ignoring the rest of us; or because he speaks with an accent and is foreign born, or because he yells on occasion, or because he refused to go to an insane asylum, or because he tells people the truth they might not always want to hear!

     The Visionary’s “vision” is blurred, he has been unable to see the good priest that the man from Malta is.  He has not even upheld his own speak-up document, “…..let him not refuse to listen to his subjects”.  All the while, the man from Malta was living it:

            “Let them (priests) so lead and serve their local community that it may

            worthily be called by that name…..And as good shepherds go after those

            also, who though baptized in the Catholic Church, have fallen away

            from the use of the sacraments, or even the faith” –Lumen Gentium.

     The Visionary should have realized that to accomplish these things it sometimes took more than the Vatican II butterfly; it took the “faith of our father’s” action!

 

                                                                                                - Frank Malloy

 

 

The Innocent Man

 

The man from Malta is now the innocent man; found so recently by a court of law.  The frivolous lawsuit, which was the nucleus of his being removed as pastor, is no more.  The bishop need no longer fear a million dollar lawsuit against the diocese.  Father Carmel Polidano is innocent!  Of course, we all knew that a year ago!

     What now says the diocese of Camden?  Does it persist with its obvious prejudice of this man with its demands of “anger management” and his forced retirement?  I had always held out hope that the bishop would come to his senses once this phony lawsuit was put to rest.  I still do!  I believe the bishop was wrongly influenced by his advisers, who never took the time to see the man from Malta for the man he really is.

     The man from Malta has had his good name restored.  He is not someone who punches or assaults anyone.  He is innocent!  He is someone who cares about people, be it going out of his way to visit the sick at home or in hospitals, or tending to the dying and those who care for them.  He cares about peoples’ souls.  He needs to be put back in his parish as pastor!

     It takes a big man to admit he’s wrong.  For my part, I’m sure I’ve made some mistakes.  Then again, prior to this, the only time I ever saw a bishop was at Confirmation.  Everyone has to look at themselves in the mirror.  I, and others who support the man from Malta, have no reservations about that.  We were, and are, right!

     Can everyone involved in this mess say the same?  Have you been taking Communion every week, all the while knowing you slandered an innocent man?  Did the loss of supposed power or finances, clothing regulations, basketball games, or some other petty problem take precedence over a good priest’s good name?  We know who we are.  Do you know who you are?

     In a Catholic faith gone awry from priest pedophiles and scandals of every sort, it was refreshing to come to know the man from Malta.  He was, and remains, what is good about the Catholic faith.  He’s old school in a Church gone liberal.  He’s a welcome relic from the “faith of our fathers”.

     As a member of the parish council, I took an oath to represent the parishioners of Mary, Mother of the Church.  Many of those parishioners believe an injustice was done to the man from Malta and that the bishop was wrong and had abused his power!  We are angry and upset over the wrongful removal of our pastor!

     We have confronted the bishop at speak-ups and other functions, and will continue to do so until we get justice.  We are not the extremists we were made out to be, just because we tried to right a wrong.  We were, and still are, the parishioners of Mary, Mother of the Church.  We have not changed, our church has!  It is now the St. Francis De Sales Annex.  One man, and one man alone, is responsible for that……………………Bishop Joseph Galante!

     Hopefully, this is my last letter.  I will fade away and let Rome, or the bishop, have the final say in this sad affair.  God bless a champion of Jesus and His mother, a good priest, a good pastor and a good man.  God bless the man from Malta, Father Carmel Polidano.

     And yes, trying to be the good Christian I’m supposed to be, God bless Bishop Joseph Galante (in whatever new diocese he is assigned, or his own forced retirement)!

 

                                                                                    - Frank Malloy