{"id":91005,"date":"2019-05-05T17:22:57","date_gmt":"2019-05-06T00:22:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/?p=91005"},"modified":"2019-08-01T11:35:36","modified_gmt":"2019-08-01T18:35:36","slug":"holy-rosary-transitioning-again","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/holy-rosary-transitioning-again\/","title":{"rendered":"Holy Rosary, Transitioning Again:
a Plea for the Future of our Parish"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

M<\/span>y parish of Holy Rosary has been going through a rough year. I’ve restrained myself from speaking too much about it, although I did have numerous posts on the inciting incident: the sudden collapse<\/a> and then death<\/a> of our pastor Father Michael Wagner<\/a> last year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Our Lady of the Holy Rosary Church, Tacoma<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Following Father’s death, we had a string of supply priests last summer. The best of these was Father Francis Xavier Kikomeko<\/a>, who made an indelible impression on the people of the parish. He was amazing. Solid, orthodox, and joyful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our current pastoral team of Deacon Fish and Father Bourke came aboard<\/a> in July of last year. They were our fourth pastors in as many years. Deacon Fish is a rock-solid administrator, and he certainly lit fires where fires needed to be lit. He is our pastor, and we love him. But it’s no secret that he did not understand, nor approve of, the liturgical bent of our parish. Much of what we had spent the past six years adding was stripped away in just a few months. Attendance at the parish, already in decline when Father Wagner died, fell further.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And then, in October, while Francine and I were in Spain on Camino<\/a>, part of the vaulted ceiling over the church choir loft collapsed. Before the beginning of Advent, we were forced out of the church and into the school auditorium.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now, I understand that this was a safety issue. But months passed with no explanation and seemingly no effort to get us back into the church building or get repairs started. We we told to be patient, sit tight, and not to engage in any fundraising, even as our anxiety to help, to do something – anything<\/em> – for our beloved parish church built to a crescendo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In fact, there was no information communicated to the parish at all until the local press began picking up the story. <\/p>\n\n\n\n