8/14/10
Questions surround St. Stanislaus vote Membership is central to how human beings organize themselves. They are members of groups they don't choose (gender, race) and groups they do (bowling leagues, Facebook). Not so long ago, membership of a particular faith group was something people were born into — a group they didn't choose. But in the modern age of congregation shopping, more people of faith are choosing a house of worship that best fits their personalized concept of spirituality. A good example is St. Stanislaus Kostka, the church just north of downtown that has been locked in a property and authority battle with the Archdiocese of St. Louis for seven years. Since its foundation at the end of the 19th century, St. Stanislaus has had mostly Polish members who chose to worship there because the Mass was celebrated in their native language, and because the rest of the membership recognized a familiar Polish culture. Since 2005, when former St. Louis Archbishop Raymond Burke declared the church no longer Roman Catholic, it has attracted members from a pool of religious seekers who have become disillusioned with the Catholic hierarchy and church doctrine. Their Pied Piper is a former Catholic priest, the Rev. Marek Bozek, an activist fighting for Catholic approval of issues antithetical to church teaching — female priests, homosexual behavior. On Sunday, 442 members of St. Stanislaus voted on how to proceed in their lay board's legal fight with the archdiocese. Just as it seemed the two sides were getting closer to a resolution to the 2-year-old lawsuit, Bozek and his board called for a vote, or a 'survey" as it was renamed by St. Stanislaus attorneys. Parishioners were asked if they agreed or disagreed "with the direction the Board is pursuing toward settling the lawsuit." In July, the board's chairman, Richard Lapinski, had sent out a postcard to parishioners telling them they should be prepared to vote on a "reconciliation offer on the table" from St. Louis Archbishop Robert Carlson. And, indeed, a couple of weeks later, Carlson made public a letter detailing his offer of a resolution with the church. St. Stanislaus attorneys met with parishioners in the weeks before the final vote to go over the proposal and update them on the status of the lawsuit.
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2010 Media Report Villanova School of Business