Perhaps that should be the end of the story. However, the particular details of the transfer have raised many questions and the explanations given by the bishop, instead of providing answers, have raised even more questions. In fact he stated that “it has never been diocesan policy to consult with parishioners prior to a clergy personnel change.” Details have been slow in coming, and the parish staff seems reluctant to speak openly, as if afraid their jobs are in jeopardy. The lack of transparency in the process has created a lot of frustration among those of us who know and admire Fr. Gillespie, particularly as the murkiness of the situation has raised rumors and speculations in town among those who don't know him.
The transfer was announced the weekend of August 7th, 2010, in a letter from Bishop Galeone that was read at all the Masses. The letter stated that Fr. Gillespie had “graciously agreed” to the bishop’s request to become the new pastor of St. Sebastian Parish, where he would be “coming to the aid of the diocese, and of a brother priest who will have to step down from active ministry for medical reasons.”
Fr. Gillespie himself only found out of the transfer on Friday August 6th and the changes were effective as of August 15th. However, his new appointment at St. Sebastian was not effective until two months later, October 15th. During those two months, Fr. Gillespie did not celebrate Mass at either St. Sebastian or St. Augustine, with the exception of a funeral.
Why such a long time between appointments? The bishop’s letter stated that after 30 years, Fr. Gillespie deserved the extra time to make the transition. But if the priest at St. Sebastian, Fr. Tom Walsh, was so ill, wasn’t he needed there? The church bulletins at St. Sebastian didn’t mention anything about the transfer until several weeks later.
An article in the Gainesville Sun (9/25/2010) interviews the new pastor of St. Augustine, Fr. David Ruchinski, where he states that the bishop has charged him with balancing the budget. He has managed to do this by laying off four full-time and one part-time staff members and substantially reducing the salary of at least two more. Several others have agreed to work for free.
The article states that under Fr. David “for the first time in years, the budget for St. Augustine is balanced.” It has made people wonder whether the primary reason for Fr. Gillespie’s transfer is financial. It is true that our church is not wealthy. It houses the Catholic Student Center that serves the needs of the UF and Santa Fe College communities, and a very ethnically diverse congregation – groups that are perhaps not as solvent as others. It has always been this way; longtime church members remember the priests selling donated potatoes and watermelons to raise funds for the parish. And the last couple of years have been particularly tough economically for our church, as they have been for so many people around the country.
This year Bishop Galeone changed the end of the fiscal year from the usual Dec 31st to June 30th, presumably because he wanted to have the books clear for his retirement this September. The bishop has now submitted his resignation, as he has reached the customary retirement age of 75. However, he will remain as bishop of the Diocese of St. Augustine until a new bishop is assigned, which can take many months. The Diocese receives money from all its parishes in the form of diocesan taxes, which are levied at their discretion. It should be noted that the financial situation of the Diocese is quite healthy as reported by their Fiscal Office and posted on their website.
Our parish contributions, collected from the parishioners through the offertory, are always at their lowest during the summer, when many members of the university community are out of town and those on 9-month salaries (school teachers and many professors) don't get paid. Even so, Fr. Gillespie launched a special appeal to pay off our debt to the Diocese. His Year End Report for the “Short” Fiscal Year 1/1/10 – 6/30/10 reported that, in a span of two months, we were able to raise $170,000 and were planning to continue towards a goal of $250,000. He cut expenses sharply, even holding weekday Masses in the library so he could turn the air conditioning off in the church building for most of the week. He talked to the staff about options to cut personnel budget that would not result in any layoffs. The staff agreed on cutting their hours and salary while keeping benefits. He presented the Dioceses this past summer not one, but four separate proposals that balanced the budget. All four proposals were dismissed without consideration.
Perhaps Fr. Gillespie’s strength was not fundraising, but he is an excellent pastor and an exemplary human being. He is a tireless advocate for the homeless and hungry, particularly through St. Francis House. He was always available to his parishioners and anyone in need, any time of day or night. He reached out to people of other cultures and made sure he understood their needs and desires. He gave truly thought-provoking sermons. He is also an intelligent, rational man, with liberal views, politically and socially, that have gotten him in trouble with the bishop before.
Catholic priests take vows of chastity, poverty and, perhaps hardest of all, obedience. As Bishop, Galeone has the authority to remove or transfer any priest as long as he follows the rules stipulated in the Code of Canon Law, which includes a specific protocol to be followed if a parish is having financial difficulties. But as a Christian, Bishop Galeone has the moral obligation to make sure his actions do not damage others in any way, including damage to their reputation caused perhaps unintentionally by his actions. After a lifetime dedicated to the Church, Fr. Gillespie deserves to be treated with more respect. Our church staff deserves better.
We, the parishioners of St. Augustine who were so faithfully served by Fr. Gillespie for the past 30 years, the People of God, pray that our bishop will be more forthcoming with answers to our questions in this matter. Bishop Galeone will be in Gainesville this Saturday celebrating couples from the Diocese that have been married for a long time. We will be outside St. Patrick Church conducting a peaceful, respectful protest without interfering with the celebration. Please join us there in prayer, and invite your friends to do the same. Leave your car at the park across NE 16th Ave from the church and wear a white shirt to show your support for Fr. Gillespie.
JOIN US IN A PEACEFUL, RESPECTFUL PROTEST
Saturday Nov 6, 2010
12:30 in the afternoon
Outside St. Patrick Church,
550 NE 16th Ave, Gainesville FL.
WEAR A WHITE SHIRT
Our purpose with this blog is to talk about some issues that we don't believe have been explained to us fully. We tried very hard to do so in a respectful manner, without offending anyone, and making sure our comments are supported by facts. Unfortunately, some of the comments were offensive and not based in fact. We have decided to disable the comments, but feel even more strongly the need to know the truth.
