Sex offender back in court for not reporting his job status..

Pottsville REPUBLICAN reporting ..

Enough to make pirate red...

you went to court
to defend a friend..
no shame?
a disturbing trend..

AP STORY: CHURCH CLOSINGS AN ISSUE ACROSS THE UNITED STATES

Associated Press reporting on church closings around the country and budgets run dry..

Allentown Diocese gets a mention:

Council of Parishes co-chairman Peter Borre said the letter is "a last resort" aimed at getting the Vatican to prevent bishops in eight dioceses from "wrecking the Catholic church in America by shutting down viable parishes."

The dioceses with parishioners participating in the request are Allentown, Pa.; Boston; Buffalo, N.Y.; Cleveland; New Orleans; New York City; Scranton, Pa., and Springfield, Mass.

The Council of Parishes was formed in 2004 to oppose parish closings

More from the AP

Reaction far and wide to pirate statue

First reported on Cardinal Brennan's alumni message board and then the Bell Tower Blog, the story is being read far and wide today after WNEP picked up the story..

From Schuylkill County to Harrisburg to Philadelphia, reactions have been coming into the Bell Tower Blog.. Most confused as to why a priest would wage war against an inanimate object. At least two from Harrisburg defending Father Connelly, mentioning that the statue of the scantily clad pirate was "too racy" for a main street..

One reaction from Harrisburg joked about Wnep's mention of the "busy main street of Girardville," saying whenever he drove through the Coal Region the street was rarely filled with cars besides those parked..

And finally, one local reaction said: "Perhaps next he can part the s**t crick"..

Arrrrrgghhh matey! The pirate so far is there..

The pirate battle continues...

WNEP with the full story tonight..

"The statue has been moved back from the sidewalk, the owners said, because it's windy but on the day of a recent protest the pirate was standing in full view.

Father Commolly commanded the owners to remove it.

"He pointed to the statue and very dictatorially and said, 'I curse you. I curse this place. I want to see this destroyed. I want her destroyed,'" said pirate owner Peggy Kanigoski.

"Nor did I curse in the sense of putting a curse on them. In fact I did quite the opposite. I blessed them," Father Commolly said."

MORE from WNEP..

Girardville priest protests pirate

Apparently a certain Girardville pastor led the flock to a statue of mannequin depicting a female pirate which he claimed was obscene, according to a posting on the Cardinal Brennan alumni message board ..

Subsequent follow up comments weighed in on the matter..

Father Edward Connelly owns his own website called Reasonably Well . .He is the chaplain and co-host of Road To Cana.

And now fiercely against scantily clad plastic pirates..