NJ Catholic bishop rebukes separatist church

A New Jersey bishop on Friday called for a breakaway Catholic church at the shore to return to the fold, saying its leaders are playing a game "with dangerous spiritual consequences."

A dissident Catholic faction claims to have formed an independent parish in Long Branch called Our Lady of Guadalupe Church. 

The group took the action earlier this year out of dissatisfaction with the merger of three Catholic churches.

Trenton Bishop David O'Connell said Our Lady of Guadalupe is not part of the Roman Catholic Church and issued a statement urging its members to end their "schism" with the Vatican.

"No Catholic church is independent," the bishop said. "This group and the individuals leading or promoting it are schismatics who refuse to acknowledge — or worse, reject — the unity of the Roman Catholic Church and its leadership and laws.

"My greatest fear is that they will take other well-intentioned Catholics down with them, leading them away from the true practice of their faith under the pretense of legitimacy," 

O'Connell said. 

"History has shown, time and time again, that is a dangerous path to walk, for both the leaders and the followers, with dangerous spiritual consequences."

The group, which meets in a social club, is led by the Rev. Anthony Testa, who is married. 

It says it is affiliated with a group called the American National Catholic Church, which is not affiliated with the Vatican.

Testa said he will present the bishop's letter to the congregation at its next meeting this weekend, and said he did not want to speak for its board. 

But speaking for himself, Testa said the bishop's letter did not appear to offer anything new.

"He's just asking Guadalupe to reconsider what they're doing; he's not offering any changes in any way," Testa said. 

"Nothing has really changed."

The diocese formed a consolidated parish, Christ the King, from three parishes that it decided it could no longer operate independently: Holy Trinity, Our Lady Star of the Sea and St. John the Baptist. 

Such consolidations have been common in the Catholic Church in recent decades, and unhappy parishioners have sporadically formed offshoot groups that reject church authority.

Testa said parishioners wanted their own churches to continue operating, particularly those that had large Hispanic membership.

"They wanted their ethnicity there and to keep their own parish family," Testa said. 

"They didn't see a need to merge. They just want things back the way they were."

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