Berkeley parishoners protest at church

By Martin Snapp
For the Oakland Tribune
Posted: 06/19/2011 07:24:48 PM PDT
Updated: 06/19/2011 08:42:29 PM PDT
BERKELEY -- Parishioners of a liberal Catholic Church demonstrated outside the facility Sunday,
protesting what they say is a more conservative direction the parish has taken the past two years.
About 100 members of St. Joseph the Worker Church took part in the demonstration, timed to coincide with a visit by the Most Rev. Salvador Cordileone, bishop of the Diocese of Oakland, which includes both Alameda and Contra Costa counties.
They were requesting the removal of the Rev. John Direen, the church's pastor, and objected to the ouster of the Rev. George Crespin, St. Joseph's
pastor emeritus. Direen was appointed to the parish two years ago.
In the past, St. Joseph's has been used to plan anti war protests and labor organizing drives; it once was used as a safe house by United Farm Workers
founder Cesar Chavez.
The protesters objected to Direen's dismissal of the parish council and its Latino counterpart, the Consejo Latino. Membership of the parish is largely Latino. In addition, parishioners assert that Direen has closed the conference room in the rectory to the
church's Social Justice Committee, the St. Vincent De Paul Society. "We were raised to be deferential to the hierarchy. But we have no choice. We have to save our church."
The parishioners were silent until a Mass said by Cordileone, was over. Then, as the church doors swung open, they began quietly chanting the Lord's Prayer. They hoped the bishop would meet with them after the Mass, but he did not. Cordileone did meet briefly with a small group the night before, but he made no promises.
"This (protest) is very painful for us," said Delfina
Geiken, chairwoman of the church's St. Vincent De
Paul Society. "We were raised to be deferential to the
hierarchy. But we have no choice. We have to save
our church."
More than 250 letters from parishioners protesting
the developments at St. Joseph's and Crespin's
dismissal have been sent to Cordileone. A similar
letter protesting Crespin's ouster was signed by 29
East Bay priests.
Mike Brown, spokesman for the Diocese of Oakland,
said he would comment Monday, after he has a
chance to talk with Cordileone.
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