From the Pastor August 9/10

Step up for Affordable Housing

Affordable housing is one of the most serious problems facing every community in our country. Here in Chatham steps have been taken to set aside funds and select parcels of land but construction of housing is still only in the planning stage. In 2023 the parish sold the town a parcel of land across the road from Our Lady of Grace Chapal in S. Chatham for the set purpose of construction of affordable housing. Now is the time for parishioners to step up in support of building housing on the parcel. 

On Thursday, August 14, the Zoning Board of Appeals will hold a hearing on the proposed developer’s application to wavier certain zoning restrictions. They propose building eight structures containing 42 dwelling units on 3.57 of the over 5 acres of land. Such a project will make an impact on providing housing for families working here in Chatham. Our town needs families. The median age of permanent residents is around 78 years. Sustaining an enrollment large enough to justify keeping our elementary school open is a problem. We need families to keep our town vibrant year-round. 

Approving the zoning exemptions seems like a no brainer but you can bet the NIMBYers, (Not In My Back Yarders) will show up at the hearing to try to shoot the proposal down. They will cite every conceivable issue, building density, historic preservation, increased traffic, and the all-encompassing, ruin the character of our town.”  Some of these issues might lead to slightly adjusting the plan but they can’t be used to completely stop the project. If roads, sidewalks, and other infrastructure need improving to facilitate safety then the town needs to fund it.

NIMBYism is often the disguise used for everything from elitism to sadly racism. Change is always difficult but is an inevitable part of life. We can work to manage it to minimize any adverse impacts but can refuse to let it happen just so we protect the value of our material possessions or personal preferences. 

As Catholics we believe in the basic goodness of people. No public policy that contradicts that premise can be good and no apparent good that relies on the negation of this principle can be considered good. Catholic social teaching is that access to stable, safe, and affordable housing is a natural right. Our Church’s teaching puts the human person at the center of things instead of things such as possessions and ideologies at the center of the human person.

I want to invite as many parishioners as possible to join me in attendance at the Zoning Hearing. The hearing is scheduled for Thursday, August 14, at 2:00 pm at the Town Hall Annex, 261 Goerge Ryder Road in the Large Meeting Room. I will only be able to stay for about an hour because I have to return to the parish to prepare to celebrate the 4 pm. Vigil Mass for the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. We need to balance the debate and resist the NIMBYers who will show up at the hearing determined to squelch the project or any other attempts to provide affordable housing in Chatham. 

Our summer chapel, Our Lady of Grace, on Meetinghouse Road in S. Chatham, is open for the summer. The Mass Schedule is Saturday Vigil at 4:30 p.m. and Sunday morning at 7:30 & 9:30 a.m. The chapel will be open every weekend until the Labor Day weekend August 30-31. 

Holy Day of Obligation

Solemnity of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary

Mass Schedule

Friday, August 15

Thursday, August 14, Vigil 4 PM

Friday, August 15, 8 AM & 12:05 PM

All Masses will be celebrated at Holy Redeemer Church

Fr. Sullivan’s Walk for the Homeless

Fr. Sullivan would like to thank all those who supported him in his annual walk-a-thon for Chatham Ecumenical Council for the Homeless on Wednesday. CECH is a local group that raises funds to provide emergency assistance to Chatham residents struggling with homelessness, mortgage payments, and rental support. He was joined by several parishioners on his five-mile walk from the church, down Main Street to the corner of Sam Ryder Road and then back on the bike path. As of last Monday, parish sponsors have contributed $3,084 to the walk. Fr. Sullivan is celebrating Masses at Our Lady of Grace this weekend, so if you pledged your support and you will be attending there this weekend, he will happily accept you payment. He’ll be back at Holy Redeemer next weekend. If you want to settle up before then you can send your contribution to him at the Rectory. 

Thank you for Supporting Unbound 

Last weekend Rev. Bill Martin and Rev. Thomas Keyes visited the parish to speak on behalf of the work of Unbound, a lay Catholic lay sponsorship ministry that helps connect children and elderly in 17 developing countries with sponsors here in our country. Thank you to the thirty-five parishioners who signed up to be sponsors. If you didn’t have an opportunity to speak to either one of them and apply to be a sponsor you can still do it. To learn more about their organization call (800) 875-6564 or visit Unbound online at www.unbound.org.