Rector shuffle upsets churchgoers
The moving of a popular rector from St Patrick’s Church to St Teresa’s has upset some churchgoers.Reverend Paul Voisin is set to move to his new church this weekend, filling the position that had been held by Father Joseph Palubeski until his death last December.Fr Voisin is set to be replaced at St Patrick’s by the rector of St Michael’s, Vladimir Sobolewski,A retired pastor from Massachusetts, Robert Doherty, will temporarily act as rector for St Michael’s while the diocese seek another full time pastor.David Lopes, who has been a parishioner at St Patrick’s for more than 50 years said yesterday that he felt the move hurts two parishes instead of one, as neither church wants to lose the pastor they already have.“We certainly don’t want to lose our pastor. We have a fantastic pastor, and we would hate to lose him,” Mr Lopes said. “I don’t want to disrespect anybody. [Fr Sobolewski]’s a really nice guy.”Mr Lopes said he felt the best solution would be to bring a new Pastor to the Island to hold the position at St Teresa’s, but he acknowledged that there is a shortage of pastors.Responding to the concerns, Bishop Robert Kurtz said that he understands that some parishioners may be upset by the move, but that he felt Fr Voisin was the right man to take over St Teresa’s.“The position at St Teresa’s requires a certain set of skills and I felt that the right person for the job was Fr Voison,” Bishop Kurtz said.“I can understand their concern about losing him, but on the other hand the people of St Teresa’s have struggles without a stable pastor.”