The "secret" of St. Brigid's

I have been away from MofJ for regrettably long, but this news just in from the indefatigable Committee to Save St. Brigid's impels me to pick up where I left off.  The Archdiocese's request for this "secret" would raise for me, if it occurred, acute questions concerning the moral and canonical responsibility of the hierarchy to the temporal patrimony of the Church.    Without even touching that word "transparency," one can say that the days of Spellman-sytle administration should be in the past.  What the present and future should look like is a question that, it increasingly appears, the laity must press.  Without questioning for a moment the necessarily hierarchical structure of the Church, one can wonder whether new systems and accountings aren't necessary here, too.  I have a feeling the Holy Father wouldn't be smiling about the tricks and deceptions that, it appears, have been used by some to assure the sale for many millions of dollars of this place where Mozart so often animated the most glorious liturgies.  The bills that never should have been incurred do need to be paid, but, sadly, St. Brigid's was closed before those bills were foreseen, and for what appeared to be, even a decade ago, totally or largely specious reasons.  I'm staying tuned for the incoming data from San Francisco, hoping also that somehow Mozart will again one day help the Catholic faithful and their clergy pray and worship there together. 

Attention St. Brigid Faithful!!

PROTEST TODAY FRIDAY, Sept. 9 at 3 p.m. in front of the church!!!!
Please be there.

We have just learned that major San Francisco real estate owner Luke
Brugnara has for a year now been offering the Archdiocese a plan to save
St. Brigid which would do the necessary renovation work to the building, give
the gymnasium to the school, throw open the doors of the sanctuary as a
church, and pay the Archdiocese several million dollars.

The Archdiocese asked Brugnara to keep his offer secret, for a year.

Then they turned him down.

Instead they chose to demolish our 100-year-old church and negotiate a
deal with a developer who wanted the vacant lot under the church to build
condominiums.

Only when the city rose up in open revolt, when our city supervisors
started the process of landmarking the building to protect it from the wrecker's
ball, and when our State Senator, Carole Migden, introduced legislation in
Sacramento to stop them - did they back down.

Brugnara has been a major donor to the Archdiocese of San Francisco and
has the resources to do as he offers.

Brugnara's offer still stands, but now the Archdiocese wants to sell the
church to the Academy of Art University.

Why do they want to do that? 

We're going to ask that question and provide some answers very publicly
today.

PLEASE be there. PLEASE invite your friends. PLEASE bring a sign that says
"Save St. Brigid" if you can manage it.

We've asked television and print reporters to be there to help us get the
word out.

SAVE ST. BRIGID!

Questions?

Joe Dignan     cell: 415-577-0105
Committee to Save St. Brigid Church

P.O. Box 641318

San Francisco, CA 94164-1318

www.st-brigid.org

(415)364-1511