St.
Pat's lineup hits raw nerve
By
Maya Kremen, Staff Writer, NorthJersey.com February 24, 2006
Catholic objections
to an abortion-rights group's participation in the Morristown
St. Patrick's Day parade have touched off a debate about whether
the parade is a religious event and who should be allowed to
take part.
Bishop Arthur J. Serratelli of the Paterson Diocese sent a
letter Feb. 13 encouraging Morris County priests to "express
your concerns" that the local chapter of the National
Organization for Women would be marching in a celebration
honoring the Catholic missionary and bishop St. Patrick.
Parade organizers have since heard from a dozen priests and
others who object to NOW's participation, including Monsignor
John J. Carroll of Our Lady of the Magnificat Church in Kinnelon.
Carroll sent an e-mail saying he was withholding the parish's
annual $300 donation to the parade because NOW is marching.
"Since it's a parade honoring St. Patrick, a saint of the
Catholic Church, I don't think it's appropriate," he said
Thursday.
Parade organizers countered Thursday that the celebration is
non-sectarian and that any group that does not advertise its
political message at the March 11 event is free to participate.
Besides the objectors, they also have heard from three Roman
Catholic women who support NOW's cause.
"We welcome anyone who wants to celebrate St. Patrick's Day and
abide by our rules," said Robert Nace, vice president of the
parade's board of trustees.
The Morris County chapter of NOW, which lobbies for reproductive
choices and equal rights for women, has participated in the
parade for 13 years. Members, many of them
Irish-Catholics, ride in a clover-decorated flatbed truck or
antique car and display their organization's banner, but avoid
overt political statements, chapter President Mavra Stark said.
"We are very grateful for the parade committee for sticking to
their guns," she said. "To have a bunch of priests down
your neck is great pressure. We know it took courage and
we're grateful for it."
Former Paterson Bishop Frank J. Rodimer was the parade's grand
marshal in 2000, but diocesan spokeswoman Marianna Thompson said
that the diocese only recently received notice of NOW's
participation.
In his letter, Serratelli said that NOW's support of abortion,
birth control and reproductive rights "stands against the
teachings of the Church and the Catholic values that St. Patrick
in his life ... worked tirelessly to promote."
Serratelli, who replaced Rodimer in 2004, recently banned a
Catholic non-fiction writer and activist who supports abortion
rights from speaking on church property in Morristown.
Regarding the St. Patrick's Day parade, Thompson said the bishop
was trying to raise awareness among priests, not ban the group
from participating.
"We're just letting our people know and raising the concern,"
she said. "We have not asked the chairman of the parade
committee to remove them."
She added, though, that the parade wasn't "merely a cultural or
family event," but one with religious significance. NOW's
message runs counter to this significance, she said.
Regardless of the interpretation of St. Patrick's Day, Nace
said, it isn't the committee's place to judge participants by
their political views.
"Think of the politicians in the parade," he said. "Some
are pro-life and some are pro-choice. We don't provide a
litmus test to see whether you're one or the other."
E-mail:
kremenm@northjersey.com
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