The Beginning of the
St. Michael's Church
Preservation Society
On June 6, 2015 the Parishioners of the 100 year old St. Michael's Parish were shocked to read the article below in that morning's Atlantic City Press. Their Bishop announced plans to close St. Michael's and St. Monica's Churches within two months as part of a consolidation of city churches. To prevent this from occurring parishioners from St. Michael's Church organized to delay and/or stop the closure. This effort began with local parishioners and business's and soon expanded to former parishioners and others living outside the Atlantic City area. All felt St. Mikes was an important and valued historic, cultural, artistic, and spiritual anchor for the Ducktown neighborhood and Atlantic City. As a result the St. Michael's Church Preservation Society was formed to continue to preserve this sacred space for another 100 years.
Following a determined local and national campaign and a canonical appeal to the Vatican St. Michael's Church today is an important part of the City-wide Parish of St. Monica. The SMCPS now seeks to work with the Parish to renew St. Michael's Church's constituency and its unique Italian-American spirit so as to better serve the neighborhood and Atlantic City. Below are the highlights of how, why, and what the SMCPS has done and is doing since it was established as a 501 (c) 3 charitable organization in 2015.This story follows a timeline using news reports, videos, letters, and statements.
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June 5, 2015- News Release
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Two Atlantic City churches closing as Diocese of Camden consolidates parish
Don E. Woods | For NJ.com By Don E. Woods | For NJ.com
Email the author | Follow on Twitter
on June 05, 2015 at 4:08 PM, updated June 05, 2015 at 4:14 PM
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As Atlantic City is reinventing itself, so is the city's Catholic ministry. The Diocese of Camden announced that the four parishes in the city are consolidating into one — bringing together the city's many cultures of Catholicism at the expense of two churches, which are closing down.
Atlantic City will now have the Parish of St. Monica, according to Bishop Dennis Sullivan. The bishop is also bringing in three young priests to serve as a pastor and vicars of the parish.
"These priests will take care of the ministry to the black Catholic community, to the Vietnamese community, to the Spanish-speaking community and, of course, to the European community here in Atlantic City," Sullivan said Friday at Our Lady Star of the Sea.
Our Lady Star of the Sea Church and St. Nicholas of Tolentine Church will be the two worship centers remaining open in the newly formed parish. St. Michael's and St. Monica's Catholic churches will be shut down and the new parish will decide what to do with the property at a later date.
"Both of those places, unfortunately, have enormous debt and so we have to consider the debt for both of those parishes," Sullivan said.
The consolidation plans began in 2007 under then-bishop Joseph Galante and worked out by the pastors and administrators of the parishes.
"I would say, from my observing what has gone on in the Diocese of Camden with the mergers, it's a very good thing for the life of the church, especially for the life of the parish," Sullivan said. "A merge enriches a parish. A merger brings consolidated resources to the parish. A merger enables a parish to do things that it could not do because it had very limited resources."
Father Jon Thomas will serve as pastor for the Parish of St. Monica. His vicars will be Father Thanh Q. Pham and Father Fernando Carmona. The priests will add new energy and ideas to the parish, Sullivan promised.
Thomas has been working with the unions recently with the recent casino closures.
"This is an opportunity for me to really engage myself in a place where there's a lot of work that needs to be done," Thomas said.
According to Mayor Don Guardian, who identifies himself as Catholic, the church has been a big help for the community.
"They are the ones that have reached out to provide clothing and help with mortgages and rental assistance and utilities and food for people who have lost their jobs with casinos closing and certainly those who have been unemployed before that," the mayor said.
The northeast has been dealing with similar consolidations due to the migration of Catholics to the south and south west of the nation. Due to this migration, Atlantic City will not be the last area to consolidate.
"The consolidations are not done," Sullivan said. "There will be more as we go forward. There is need in certain sections of the diocese — just as there was need here in Atlantic City — to gather the present parish arrangements and ask them how can we strengthen this, how can this continue."
A portrait of St. Monica done by Michael McGrath was unveiled at the press conference Friday, showing the saint with children of many different races — including an Asian representation of a young Jesus.
Thomas and his vicars will take over the parish's duties on July 1. The closure of the two churches has not been decided yet.
Diocese of Camden serves 475,000 Catholics in Atlantic, Camden, Cape May, Cumberland, Gloucester and Salem counties.
Don E. Woods may be reached at dwoods@njadvancemedia.com
Additional Web inks are listed below that recorded the shock and determination of St. Michael's Parishioners:
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June 2015 - JULY 2015
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Following the announcement to close St. Michael's Church a group of supporters organized parishioners and businesses in both Atlantic City and nation-wide to request the Bishop to delay, nullify, or negotiate with parishioners to permanently postpone the closure of St. Michael's Church. After numerous letters from politicians and businessman, signed petitions by the parishioners, the support of the Press, and a national write-in campaign, the Bishop of the Diocese of Camden denied all requests to reconsider. This national write-in petition however continued. Today- while not needed -is still actively engaging supporters with regular updates on the activities of the SMCPS at this Change.org link. http://chng.it/bBr9ZdBw
In addition the following You Tube video was prepared for the first months of the campaign and still captures the parishioners determination and motivation to preserve St. Michaels Church.
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JULY-SEPT 2015
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After repeated attempts to get action from the Bishop the SAVE St. MIKES group engaged the services of a Canon Lawyer and began to pursue an appeal to the Vatican in Rome. Signatures of parishioners, community business persons were collected, arguments were prepared and assembled. This comprehensive and voluminous material was transferred to the Vatican through the Apostolic Delegate in Washington DC. The text of the cover letter is below:
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Robert Venafro
4301 Galesbury Lane
Chantilly, VA 20151
July 15, 2015
RE: St. Michael Parish and Church
Diocese of Camden
His Eminence
The Most Rev. Beniamino Cardinal Stella
Prefect, Congregation for Clergy
Piazza Pio XII 3
00193 Rome
ITALY
Your Eminence:
We write in regard to St. Michael Parish and Church, 10 North Mississippi Ave., Atlantic City, NJ 08401, a personal parish erected for Italian immigrants and located in the Diocese of Camden. On June 5, 2015, His Excellency the Most Reverend Dennis Sullivan, Bishop of Camden, issued a Decree merging St. Michael, St. Nicholas of Tolentine, St. Monica, and Our Lady Star of the Sea parishes into St. Monica Parish (Attachment 1). As such, it is an extinctive merger for St. Michael, St. Nicholas, Our Lady Star of the Sea and St. Monica. In response to the public notice, a group of us formed “Save St. Mike’s” with the intent to keep St. Michael Parish and Church from closure. The final Mass is scheduled for August 9, 2015.
On June 12, 2015, Mr. Bruce Gitto requested Bishop Sullivan to revoke his decision and suspend execution of the Decree. On June 14, 2015, on behalf of all of us associated with Save St. Mike’s, Robert Venafro sent a request to the Bishop that he delay the closing of the Parish and Church and work with us to find a solution to what he may consider to be concerns (Attachment 2).
Between June 10th and 21st, Robert Venafro and Bruce Gitto made contacts with the Pastor of St. Michael Parish, local elected officials, local businesses, and parishioners. Most had heard of the closing but were told by the pastor in early June that the closing was a “done” deal. Many non-local parishioners did not know of the merger and closure and wanted to be part of a larger effort to save the Parish. This resulted in 150 parishioners signing a petition requesting the Bishop to delay the closure and give interested parties time to address the matter (Attachment 3). On June 20, 2015, June 27, 2015, and again on June 30 Robert Venafro wrote again to the Bishop (Attachments 4-5-6).
On June 29, 2015, Mr. Gitto received a June 26, 2015 letter from Bishop Sullivan rejecting his request for a revocation of the Decree of Merger, and also rejecting his request for suspension of the Decree (Attachment 4). On July 1, 2015, Mr. Venafro received a similar letter from the Bishop rejecting requests that he revoke or suspend his Decree.
Regards the extinctive merger, St. Michael Parish should remain a stand-alone, personal parish. Those most affected by the merger were not consulted nor allowed a voice in how their donations and participation in the Parish would be used in the future. The manner in which the Bishop pursued the merger and closure had clandestine characteristics that kept St. Michael’s parishioners and donors from being heard in violation of their right to be heard (Canons 50, et al.).
Regards the closure of the church, the Bishop did not meet the standards of Canons 1222§1. We particularly note that St. Michael Church can be used for divine worship, and the Bishop’s Decree, effective on July 1, 2015, now extended to August 9, 2015 violates the rights of the faithful to entrance and use (Canons 1214 et al.), and the rights of the Parish Church itself to being used (Canons 934§1.1, 937, et al.).
The points and arguments used by Mr. Gitto and Mr. Venafro in their respective letters to the Bishop are incorporated here by reference. It is our intent to raise additional arguments as information comes to light.
Therefore on our own behalf, and on behalf of the members of the Save St. Mike’s Association, we beg the Congregation for the Clergy to revoke the June 5, 2015 Decree of Merger and Closure issued by the Bishop of Camden, or amend that Decree to remove St. Michael Parish and Church from being affected. We also beg the Congregation for the Clergy to suspend execution of the Decree pending the outcome of these appeals. Finally, we beg the Congregation for the Clergy to urge the Bishop to enter discussion with us, as we believe the people have the will and means to keep the Parish and Church open if only we are given a chance.
With assurances of our prayers, we remain
Sincerely in Christ,
Robert Venafro…Save St. Mikes, Graduate and National Parishioner
p.p.Daiva Minter…Parishioner and Church Lector
p.p.Richard Negro..Parishioner, Graduate, and Usher
p.p. Sebastian Cutaia..Parishioner for 60+ years and Former President of the Sons of Italy
p.p. Grace Cairns…Parishioner, Graduate, and National Parishioner
p.p. John Palmentieri…Parishioner for 70 + years
p.p. Louise Palmerteri..Parishioner for 70 + years
p.p.Bruce Gitto……Save St. Mikes, Graduate and National Parishioner
p.p.Dan Fedeli…….Save St. Mikes, Graduate and National Parishioner
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Sept.- Dec. 2015
During this time the members of Save St. Mikes held a meeting in St. Michael's Church with the parishioners to update them on the progress to Save St. Mikes, to seek their support with pledges, and to reassure them of our unwavering determination to Save St. Mikes. Sseveral meetings were held with the new Pastor Fr. Jon Thomas to seek some common ground to keep the Church open as a sacred space and to celebrate as many Masses as possible in the Fall and Winter of 2015-2016. The Business persons in the Ducktown neighborhood also contacted the Bishop and Fr. Thomas to assert their support to keep the Church open and active also as a social and economic benefit to the community. Below is a copy of the letter from the businesses in the community and a You Tube video of the Parish Meeting. The speaker in the video is Anthony Venafro, the current Treasurer of the SMCPS.
Below is a letter and the petition from Businesses in the Ducktown Neighborhood to the Bishop confirming their resolve and commitment to maintain an active St. Michael's Church.
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September 14, 2015
Barbera Seafood
2243 Artic Ave.
Atlantic City, NJ 08401
The Most Reverend Bishop Dennis Sullivan
Diocese of Camden
631 Market Street
Camden, NJ 08102
Your Excellency Bishop Sullivan,
I would like to appeal to you as a representative of the business owners in the neighborhood surrounding St. Michael’s Church. The owners below value this neighborhood of which St. Michaels is the focal point. We speak to residents and visitors that frequent our establishments. We have heard the anguish and stress that closing St. Michaels has produced. We wanted you to understand in detail how we feel about this decision to close St. Michaels Church from another perspective… as small business owners.
We have gathered the signatures below and have signed the attached petition. This represents over 70% of the key businesses in the neighborhood. Please note that we are speaking to you both from our hearts and with our pocketbooks in mind. We understand that the decision to close St. Michaels Church was in part a financial decision but you may not have considered the impact your financial decision will have on our livelihoods.
We ask you to reconsider and take to heart what we say in the attached petition.
Sincerely,
Dominic Alcaro
Owner
Barbera Seafood
Cc: Fr. Jon Thomas Pastor
Save St. Mikes
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Petition to His Excellency Bishop Dennis Sullivan from the business owners concerning the closing of St. Michaels Church in Atlantic City, NJ
We the undersigned small business owners from the community around St. Michaels Church in Atlantic City do not want the Church to close for the daily and Sunday celebration of Mass on September 27, 2015. Some of us are Catholic some of us are non-Catholics but we all agree that closing St. Michaels Church is a major mistake and will hurt our businesses, our employees, and their families. We rely on the parishioners and the summer visitors to the Church for our livelihood. In addition closing St. Mikes will cause the neighborhood to further deteriorate, slow down any hope for improving the area, and remove the character and stability to the area.
It is important for you to realize that many of us for decades have been financial and manpower supporters of St. Michael’s Church. St. Mikes “uniqueness” is inseparable from our commitments to the Church. St. Mikes is unlike “Star of the Sea” Church or “St. Nicholas of Tolentine” Church. St. Mikes is the heart and soul of “Ducktown”. We believe you will lose parishioners and maybe Catholics by sending parishioners to another Church not to mention their financial support. And we will lose a part of our business. We believe this is a bad business decision not to mention the spiritual and moral issues involved.
Yours Truly….
Jan.2016-Aug.2019
In January 2016 the Diocese of Camden and the Save St. Mikes organization and its supporters received the letter below from the Vatican. The letter addressed to Bruce Gitto- a member of Save St. Mikes- living in the Atlantic City area-instructed both parties to work together to resolve their differences. It was at this time that the St. Michael's Church Preservation Society (SMCPS) was incorporated as a 501 (c) (3) tax exempt charity. Its mission was established to preserve St. Michael's Church for the next 100 years.
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The leaders of the newly formed SMCPS met with the new pastor of the City-Wide Parish of St. Monica, Fr. Jon Thomas. The SMCPS and Fr. Thomas began to establish a new relationship based on the instructions of the Vatican and with the understanding that St. Michael's Church and its campus can and should be an important part of the new City-Wide Parish of St. Monica. With this working understanding the SMCPS has cooperated closely and supported Parish activities to this day.
The SMCPS main mission is to develop and maintain support in the Parish and the Atlantic City community to preserve the historical character, culture and artistic beauty of St. Michael's Church. This will be accomplished by attracting "legacy" churchgoers- those who are or at one time were parishioners of St. Michael's Parish. These persons may be located in the Atlantic City area or across the country. The SMCPS also sees that long term preservation of St. Michael's Church as a sacred space means attracting a new generation of immigrants- to become lovers of St. Michael's Spirit and Art, Values and Traditions.
The SMCPS seeks to accomplish this by promoting regular celebration of Mass and the Sacraments at St. Michael's Church and the full and active use of all the campus facilities especially those above and connected to the Church- The New Convent (formerly the Church Rectory), Dante Hall, Quaremba Hall, and now the St. Michael's Loft (formerly all the classrooms above and beside the Church). The SMCPS wants the church and campus to model Fr. Quaremba's original intent of the Parish-to serve God's creation with spiritual, social, cultural, intellectual and athletic opportunities. Since that time the SMCPS has worked to support or sponsor a number of activities and events in connection with St. Michael's Church and the Parish of St. Monica. A listing of these activities are listed in the events/ activities section of this website .
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