In response to the Associated Press article, “Catholic Church taps virus relief plan for at least $1.4 billion in federal aid,” posted on theday.com July 11, it really would have been helpful and more accurate — and more honest — if the news department of The Day had done some more research into this story before painting ALL Catholic parishes with the same wide brush.

Had The Day news department done local reporting, it would have discovered that at least three local parishes – notably Saint Catherine in Preston, Saints Thomas & Anne in Voluntown, and Saint Mary in Jewett City — did not receive any of these federal funds and that they did not apply for these funds, yet The Day, by implication, decided to lump us in with other parishes and dioceses that did.

Further research shows that The Day story was part of a larger AP story which did in fact point out that not every parish or diocese applied for or received federal money. Why the news department decided to edit out those details and instead paint us with a wide brush and lump us in with everyone else is a good question.

Additionally, the article makes it sound as if the Catholic Church is one big corporation when in fact it is not. This would be like lumping The Day in with FOX News and saying they are part of the same corporation. In reality, dioceses are incorporated separately from each other, and in many states parishes are incorporated separately from dioceses. Yet again, if the news department of The Day had done some local research, they would have discovered these facts.

It is my hope that The Day news department does better research before publishing articles because articles like this one sadly and unfortunately give more credence to the charge of inaccurate reporting.

Reverend Ted F. Tumicki is the pastor of the Holy Spirit Catholic Community of St. Mary in Jewett City, St. Catherine in Preston, St. Thomas and Anne in Voluntown.