After Tuesday’s Sharing of the Meal, Kate G. asked Prindiville about Friday. He turned to assistant pp Clesio Mendes and asked if he had spoken to Clare M. as directed last Sunday. He replied that he had twice told her that the church would be open on Friday. Later that day Kate rang Clare.
Mendes’ assertion was news to Clare, who finally managed to contact Prindiville on Wednesday at around 6:00pm for clarification. He reiterated that he had asked Mendes to talk to her on Sunday. When Clare countered that Mendes had told her nothing about opening the church on Friday, Prindiville demanded to know if she was calling Mendes a liar.
The only time that Mendes was anywhere near Clare on Sunday, she was accompanied by others who didn’t hear anything either. In fact, when approached by Clare after mass he was seen to brush past her in silence.
Mendes celebrated last Sunday’s Mass, but curiously, although Prindiville was there beforehand to give Clare a copy of his constraining "guidelines" for the community’s input to the Easter liturgy, he didn’t take the oportunity to mention opening up on Friday to her. Neither did he make a public announcement to the congregation, which might have been more appropriate than singling out one member of the community.
Just in case you’re wondering after all that, the church was open at 5:00pm yesterday.
Since next Friday is Good Friday, the next meeting of the meditation and scripture reflection groups will be held the following Friday, 13 April.