An AP news article by Nicole Winfield, “Vatican struggles with sex cases,” reminds me of how Mystic's St. Patrick's Church struggles with the inability to listen. The article describes about how the Vatican continues to receive direct sexual contact complaints without addressing them. As a devout Catholic, this does not make any sense. The article explains how a Spanish parishioner brought a 2009 case to bishops and to the pope this year without any resolution. Still, after all of the former cases that destroyed many church finances, the church fails to address the cases.

Although a separate subject matter, Mystic's St. Patrick Church does not listen to parishioners’ feedback. Many parishioners have indicated the $6.5 to $7 million church hall is excessive and should be reconsidered. Instead of listening, the church has asked parishioners to "dig deeper" and donate $5,000 per family. Families have plenty of other expenses and this request is unreasonable.

The project is currently stalled due to insufficient funding. The church needs to backtrack and look at the project scope. All church authorities need to listen to their members and address their issues. Although prestigious, they are here to serve the people.

Kevin Bogle

Mystic