Respecting the Covid-imposed restrictive social distancing, the faithful filled the chapel at the San Diego Naval Station (32nd Street) two times on Sunday, Sept. 26, to mark the end of an era. In a cost-cutting move, the U.S. Navy decided to end the Catholic chapel-based program at the installation, and the faithful wanted to participate in one last Sunday Mass.
The sadness was evident on their grave faces. Even the masks could not hide it. However, no unkind words were spoken. Sparks of anger did not flash. Choir, musicians, cantor, lectors, and extremely well trained altar servers prayerfully fulfilled their roles with competence and enthusiasm.
They listened intently to the Timothy Broglio, Archbishop for the Military Services, as he tried to integrate this moment of suffering into a wider comprehension of the motivating factors that determined this decision. No doubt the ability to support pain exhibited so often by the Filipino people contributed to their attitudes. All of them thanked Archbishop Broglio for coming as they left the chapel.
The chief shepherd tried to make some sense of this challenging decision when he said in the homily: “This community has been forced into a painful sacrifice. I share your pain. My preference would be not to be obliged to close this Catholic community…. It is heart-rending to end the parish-like aspects of a Catholic military community. Telling them that there will be no more scheduled Sunday Masses or religious education is so diametrically opposed to what a pastor wants to do.
“Certainly, I saw almost no active-duty personnel at either Mass. However, they are people who have worshipped at that chapel for a lifetime. It was home to them….”
The above comes from a Sept. 30 email from the Archdiocese for Military Services.
The government can contemplate spending $3.5 trillion in a pork-laden budget but has to close a Catholic chapel on a Navy base to cut costs.
Liars. All of them. Liars.
Covid is the excuse to shut down churches and here, cost-cutting is the poison cherry on top. Timid Catholic are willing to accept all kinds of excuses for the government to exercise control over us and it must be resisted. We are the Church Militant after all, let’s act like it.
“In a cost cutting move,” yet, the Biden administration (only the second in US history to be led by a Catholic) is spending millions of our taxpayer dollars to kill preborn babies and violate their mothers (and subsidize “journalists” who support their agenda) in their proposed multi-trillion dollar budget. Lord, have mercy on us all!
And, may God bless and protect the men and women of our armed services and their families.
Someone has control of your (blue hand) approval ratings,
and is changing them to reflect better on Biden’s programs
bb, is it possible that the “readership”/viewership of California Catholic Daily is more diverse than you thought?
is the murphy canyon chapel on the base still open? the internet lists it on santo rd, multidenominational use.
the murphy canyon chapel is listed as having sunday mass at 11:00.
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“No unkind words were spoken. Sparks of anger did not flash.” What admirably passive effeminacy.
Sorry to say but dems do not support religion. Will use any excuse to discriminate against people if faith