A New Church - This One Is For The People

You probably read it in the Malayalam media.

Knanaya Catholics just bought a new church. Their second in Chicago area.

This second church is ideally situated in Morton Grove, in the heart of Indian country. It has a seating capacity of 700 people with parking for over 200. It cost a mere 2.5 million.

Now compare that to our new cathedral. Seating capacity for 1090 people and parking for 210 cars. Total cost over 11 million dollars! Don't you want to pull your hair out or bang your head on that money tree now?

Our Knanaya Catholic brothers made a sound decision. They had previously abandoned the idea of constructing a new church in Hoffman Estates. By buying an existing structure they saved public funds and showed fiscal responsibility.

Our bishop Mar Angadiath sure can't be too excited about this new church. How dare the Knananites can have two parishes whereas we have only one? What happens if this repeats in other cities? Couldn't this lead to something more sinister, like them demanding their own bishop? (which is only a matter of time). In which case there goes half the kingdom of Bishop Angadiath.

Another question is what prevents non-Knanaya Catholics from attending services in the new church. After all it is temptingly close to many. Parking is not an issue. The church is under the same diocese. The bishop has no choice if many who live in the vicinity of the new church, and there are considerable number of them, opt to save a long trip to Hellwood in winter and go to Morton Grove instead.

This is a no win situation for the bishop.

On another matter: we are glad to report the church authorities have finally come to their senses in regards to the parking problem. We hear the steps are being taken to add extra parking spaces by converting adjecent church owned properties to parking area.

A similar eye-opening is also required regarding our sound system in the church. Nobody can understand what is coming out of those speakers. The vicar and everybody knows it is a disaster. Fr. Antony can say a thousand times the sound is perfect, hunky-dory. That all the parishoners have collective hearing problem. Fr. Antony, that is not the case and you know it. Please do not try to sweep it under the carpet. Confront it. Solve it. After all over $126,000 was spent on it. Spend a few thousand more, or whatever it takes, and get it fixed. Let us get going.

Another Pressing Matter: It is matter of shame our young people have no conveniences for extra-church activities in our church. Waiting for CCD, or Malayalam class we see many of our boys and girls wandering around with nothing to do. We have seen them all going to the McDonalds. We also have seen many of them going to neiborhood playgrounds to shoot hoops. We think that is a shame.

We used to have two basket ball hoops in our old church, now the parish hall. Why can't arrangements be made to re-install them so that our children do not have to wander around for activities?