There is an old saying “No Such Thing As Bad Publicity.” I hope it is true as an article came out in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel today about the Cry of the Poor Petition. However, it was not about this plea to use the funds from sales of property of Catholic Churches in North Center Milwaukee for the needs of the people in this poverty and segregated area of Milwaukee. Rather the article was called “Northwest side Catholic parish ponders use of merger money” and written as conflict about use of the monies. For a real conflict it takes two parties and so far our efforts to use the money for spiritual and corporal works of mercy have been ignored.

But the publicity is good in the sense that it gives attention to real concern: the Catholic Church closing churches and withdrawing resources in the poorest and the poorest and most segregated areas of Milwaukee. The Catholic Archdiocese behavior is what we may call the Catholic Preferential Option for the Poor in reverse. As the neighborhood in North Central Milwaukee became poorer and more segregated instead of increasing Church, resources and outreach the Catholic Church has done the referees of Jesus called for in the Gospel. As white people and those who could afford to moved out of the neighborhood so did the Catholic Church. Where once there was 17 Catholic Churches now there are three to serve the spiritual and corporal works of mercy of persons in North Central Milwaukee, the poorest area of the fourth poorest city in the USA and the most segregated in the most segregated area in the most segregated city in the USA.

At the end of the Judgment of Nations parable in Matthew 25 in the Gospel the nations and organizations that are been condemned ask. “Lord, when did we fail to help you when you were hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in jail”? The king will say to them, “Whenever you failed to help any of my people, no matter how unimportant they seemed, you failed to do it for me.” (Matthew 25:45,46)

Maybe the publicity of the article will not be so bad if it points out the ‘Reverse Option for the Poor” in North Central Milwaukee.

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