"The fallen floor appears limited to the newly raised altar area. DPW will perform more evaluations on the Agat Church to confirm it’s just the new add-on area and nothing more. It’s really too bad they didn’t leave Mount Carmel Church how it was for almost 70 years now. I’m sure those who did the latest work on the church had no idea. DPW and director Vince Arriola responded very fast."
- Mike Phillips, Guam Daily Post, 'No sinkhole': Hågat church's altar, sanctuary collapse
Yes, it's "too bad they didn't leave Mount Carmel Church how it was for almost 70 years now." The question is: "Who is They?" And why is there a "newly raised altar area?"
There is a newly raised altar area, an extension of the sanctuary actually, because the NCW "eucharists" require that the "brothers" sit around the "table." So apparently the NCW pastor, in order to accommodate NCW style "eucharists" extended the sanctuary, "the newly raised altar area" and then moved the main altar from the top of the three steps where it had been "for almost 70 years" down to the "newly raised altar area."
And CRASH, BANG, BOOM!
Did Archbishop Byrnes authorize the extension of the sanctuary, i.e. "the newly raised altar area?" Did Archbishop Byrnes authorize the moving of the permanent altar? If so, then this is on Archbishop Byrnes. If not, then unfortunately this is still on Archbishop Byrnes.
It's hard not to see the symbolism of this. And the message.
One might say that the renovation was a waste of parish funds...work that was done just to accommodate the Neo-cats. One can also imagine that the average parishioner was never consulted about why Fr Jose Alberto Salamanca wanted to make this expensive change to the Church.
ReplyDeleteBut they will probably counter that the Neo-cat community paid for all the renovations. Its probably a lie. But if true, that may explain why the shoddy work was done outside of code, and with poor engineering. I guess it's true ... Dr Eusebio is as good an engineer as he is a surgeon!
And if it is true they paid for this disaster, they they should also pay for the costs of temporary worship space, and for the actual repair.
Hopefully, this time around they will have a professional do the job.
Probably one too many neos dancing around the "table" after their Eucharist! Hava nagila...
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