Bishop Marsh's Hands-off Attitude

toward St Mary of the Angels ought to be troubling to the ACA, and indeed, to the St Mary's dissidents. Every account I've had, from inside or outside the parish, is that Mrs Bush is running things, with an iron hand. Mrs Bush is in fact a well-known social fixture in the local community. As it happens, there's been a highly disruptive sewer pipe project in the area. I happened to remark to a lady in the community not connected with St Mary's that it seemed like Mrs Bush might be responsible for it. The lady thought that was a most insightful remark and laughed, replying, "And how do you know Marilyn?"

One difficulty with giving Mrs Bush the free hand she has is that, as I've mentioned, she didn't begin attending St Mary's until early 2011. Prior to that, she hadn't attended church at all for 40 years, since her late husband had disapproved of religion. We may surmise that Mrs Bush used this time in learning how to achieve social prominence, not in the prayers and sacraments. Consequently, I think she views St Mary of the Angels as less a church than a chapter of an exclusive social club. This probably explains the bitter anger of Mrs Bush's small clique at the much wider membership of the parish.

But for Bishop Marsh to ignore what's happening in the parish is simply a recipe for disaster. I'm just a lay person, but my experience in the corporate world has given me many examples of why those in charge need to stay in touch and keep track of things, because cobwebs grow in undusted corners, and things can veer out of control at unexpected times. Winging it is never a good strategy. Word to the wise, Bishop Marsh.