Bishop objects to group in parade

Serratelli rallies priests against NOW chapter

BY MAURA McDERMOTT, Star-Ledger Staff, February 23, 2006

The bishop of the Paterson Diocese has asked priests in Morris County to contact organizers of the Saint Patrick's Day parade in Morristown and express their concerns that a group that supports abortion rights plans to participate.

In a letter dated Feb. 13, Bishop Arthur Serratelli wrote that the National Organization for Women's support for "abortion, birth control and reproductive rights for all women ... stands against the teachings of the Church and the Catholic values that St. Patrick in his life as a missionary and bishop worked tirelessly to promote."

The county chapter of NOW has marched in the Morristown parade since 1993, and it does not advocate for reproductive rights or any other policy at the festivities, according to the group and local officials.

The group typically decorates a vehicle in shamrocks and green balloons, and some 15 to 20 members participate, with some of them holding signs bearing the NOW logo, according to Mavra Stark of Montville, president of the Morris County chapter of NOW.

The Morris County chapter is still welcome at the parade as long as it continues to abide by rules banning political advocacy, said Robert Nace, vice president of the parade's board of trustees and mayor of Morris Township.

A Morris County group that opposes abortion rights once tried to hand out literature and balloons, but parade organizers did not allow them to do so, Nace said.

The NOW chapter has never strayed from the rules banning politics, Nace said.

Parade organizers received e-mails from 12 priests, including some from Paterson, objecting to NOW's participation, Nace said.  The trustees have discussed the issue and will respond to the e-mails by explaining that the parade is a nonsectarian, nonpolitical event, he added.

"The bishop never reached out to John Butler or myself," Nace said, referring to the board's president.  "Had they contacted us, we would have explained our conditions."

Serratelli asked priests to contact parade coordinator John Bradley, whose phone number and e-mail address he included in the letter.

Diocesan spokeswoman Marianna Thompson said the bishop was not seeking to pressure organizers to ban the NOW chapter or pull its priests from the parade.

"He simply told his priests who they could contact to express their concerns, so their voices could be heard," she said.  "Action was left to their discretion."

Stark said she was horrified to learn of the bishop's letter and relieved that the parade organizers did not plan to drop her group from the lineup.

"I just hope they can stick to it," she said.  "It's hard, when you're pressured by a lot of people, to stick to your guns."

The bishop's letter is not linked to Pope Benedict XVI's recent expressions of support for strict adherence to Catholic doctrine, including opposition to abortion, Thompson said.

"I don't want to give him the rap of Benedict the Enforcer," Thompson said.  "John Paul II was very firm about affirming Catholic doctrine at all times.  That's the job of the Holy Father."

The privately funded parade attracts 40,000 to 60,000 viewers and includes more than 120 groups, from bagpipers and Irish step dancers to elected officials, police, firefighters and Scouting groups.  Proceeds go to two groups, one that aids Northern Irish children and another that organizes alcohol-free high school graduation parties.

Many NOW members are Irish-American, and the group -- which advocates for equal economic as well as reproductive rights -- honors the spirit of the day, Stark said.

It is, she said, "a time to enjoy the bagpipes, the crowds, the cheers, the children and the balloons.  The parade is not an appropriate event to use to make political statements that are hurtful to others, especially to peaceful community organizations such as ours."

Priests at several Morris County churches could not be reached for comment yesterday because it was a day off for them, but Monsignor Kenneth Lasch, a retired priest who lives in Morristown, said he often attends the festivities and has no problem with NOW's participation.

"It's an open society and people have the right to express themselves, and the parade organizers have the right to make the decision," Lasch said.  "That's the way life is in America."

Maura McDermott covers Morristown.  She may be reached at mmcdermott@starledger.com or (973) 539-7910.