Thread: I am furious
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Old 02-21-2011, 07:11 AM
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kfierle kfierle is offline
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I am so sorry for your loss and share your anger and frustrations.

My dear, departed mother attended church in St. Petersburg for years. After many years of living in Treasure Island, my parents moved to a senior community in Seminole. Shortly after, my mother was diagnosed with brain cancer and was receiving in-home hospice. We contacted her parish in St. Petersburg, St. Johns, which she faithfully attended even after moving to Seminole, asking for a priest to come visit for the "anointing of the sick" rites. We were told that she no longer lived in that parish and they would not travel to Seminole. Needless to say, my father, sisters, and I were furious. Several friends of my parents, who were still members of that parish, contacted the priest and we told the same thing. We were finally able to find a priest from a parish in Seminole to come to the house. He came from a party, smelled like alcohol, and burped and passed gas during the entire time he was administering the "last rites" to my mother. Needless to say, we were were not happy. Before he left, he looked at us and said "that will be a $20 donation for the parish". My mother, who could barely speak at the time, told him to "get out of my house". You could see the disappointment on her face that her parish priest made no effort to come see her in her last days.

Talk Host, I personally share your frustrations. I never knew that God had limits within certain parishes. My mother donated thousands of dollars to that parish, which she obviously loved. My family decided to bring her "home" to New York for her funeral and burial. The parish she attended when she lived in New York welcomed her and provided a beautiful funeral mass, even though the priest did not know my mother.

I personally have some issues with the Catholic faith. I have tremendous issues with St. John's parish in St. Petersburg. It is a huge parish but I still do not understand why they could not come to see my mother, a faithful parish member.