CIRCULAR TO PARISHIONERS WEEK 62 - AUG. 06, 2005
THE PERFECT OPPORTUNITY...
Letter from a Parishioner to Cardinal Ambrozic.
It is with a very heavy heart, that I write to you today. Your letter to the parishioners of St. Martin of Tours
Parish saddened me deeply. Granting Father Beltran's request for a sabbatical, created the perfect
opportunity to bring peace to St. Martin's Parish. You state clearly that Father Beltran continues to have the
support of the Archdiocese, and so, without any humiliation to Father Beltran, and without the wording
"there are to be no substantial changes in the pastoral policies and involvement in ministries and activities in
the parish" you could have healed the wounds which have festered for so long.
Blessed are the Peacemakers. A line remembered from my childhood. Please don't let this opportunity of
peacemaking fall by the wayside. Please have compassion for the many parishioners at St. Martin's who
have struggled to remain faithful. For the many who have joined other parishes, to once again feel the peace
and fulfillment of Mass and Holy Communion. For the many older parishioners who have been with St.
Martin's from the beginning, but have had to join and support other parishes, for fear they may need
visitation at home or hospital, the last sacraments, a funeral mass, compassion for their families - things that
would not be forthcoming under the present administration.
Please choose the new administrator for our parish carefully. Please choose with prayer and guidance.
Please choose someone who has love, and compassion, humour, and joy. Someone who will welcome us
all, and not be selective in his duties. I pray that you will take this opportunity to reunite us all, in God, and
love, and community. I pray that you will look at the situation at St. Martin of Tours with open eyes, an
open heart, and an open mind and be compassionate to us, in your choice of administrator.
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WHAT ARE WE SUPPOSED TO TELL THE CHILDREN?
Like it or not, the Catholic Church for the young exists in the person of the priest. It lives or dies in direct
proportion to the priest’s resemblance to Christ, the God/Man.
We have 4 children whom we have raised at St. Martin of Tours Parish. They are struggling through the
present situation. They ask us questions about what is going on in our parish and we try to answer them
honestly and accurately. From the moment when problems first surfaced with Father dismissing the Choir
on Ash Wednesday and again on Holy Thursday of 2004, they have looked to us for an explanation. What
could we say? We too were in shock. They are not fooled by some of our attempts to make the Church
look better than it is. How do we remain loyal to a church that is clearly not loyal to the wishes of God who
created it? Children are the future of our church. Our children have looked up to the priests and hierarchy,
but now they question their methods. We are afraid of what our children think of the church. We try to
explain things that we barely understand ourselves. They hear about a situation such as the scandals in the
Boston Archdiocese – it seems a long way away but then suddenly we have major issues happening on our
own doorstep, and they are confused and look to us for answers. What are we supposed to tell the
children?
We brought them to a meeting where the pastor was going to speak to us about his decision to fire the music
director. We told them there must be a good reason and we would understand more after Father had spoken
to us. Father did not show up and sent a message for us to leave the church by 8 pm. We respected his
wishes and finished the Rosary and left by 8 pm. Father said he was caught in traffic, but a parishioner
went to the rectory and he was there with a houseful of people. What are we supposed to tell the
children?
The Church for the young people is really about the Pastor and the Community of Faith that surrounds a
parish. They watch our leader, the Parish Priest. They work with him; they listen to his homilies and his
words of encouragement. He has a huge influence over them. He says he is coming to a meeting to explain
his actions but he does not show up and lies about why. What are we supposed to tell the children?
When we go to Mass with our girls and the pastor accosts an 80 year old woman on the sidewalk while
dressed in his sacred vestments, what are we supposed to tell the children? How do we explain this?
When the pastor does not go to the hospital to visit parishioners, what are we supposed to tell the
children?
When the parish spends time in preparing a wonderful ceremony to celebrate the pastor’s 25th anniversary,
and he then treats us so rudely, what are we supposed to tell the children?
There have been so many more incidents that it is impossible to mention them all. The point is, we are
trying to raise our children in a spirit of love, kindness, understanding and giving, in a Catholic Church that
just doesn’t get it. What are we supposed to tell the children? If they are the future of the Church, then
we need to be provided with some serious answers - and not just that “we support the parish priest”.
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For more information, contact: Aisling Egan 416 671-4710
Pat DeAngelis 416 809-1819 Duncan Walker 905 277-9825
Lucy Pires 905 273-6093 Dunstan Bazely 905 275-3946
Judy Byrnes 905 275-1536 Patricia Russell 905 279-9205
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Email: bishop.boissonneau@rogers.com Fax: 416 207-4984.
ambrozic@archtoronto.org Fax: 416 934-3452 .
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