Four days after meeting with upset parishioners at All Saints Catholic Church, Bishop Douglas Lucia announced Friday he will extend All Saints Pastor Fred Daley’s retirement date from Jan. 2 to June 30, giving the church six more months with its beloved spiritual leader. Parishioners at All Sa ints’ 4 p.m. Saturday Mass greeted the news with sustained applause and Rev. Daley described the bishop’s amended plan as “a win-win situation.” The diocese announced on its website Friday that Lucia will allow Daley to serve as co-pastor of All Saints and St. Lucy’s churches alongside Rev. John Manno from January through June, after which Daley will retire and Manno will lead both parishes. Earlier this month Lucia appointed Manno to replace Daley on Jan. 2 and told Daley he had to retire on that date.  The unexpected decision caused an uproar that led to Lucia meeting with pastoral teams from both All Saints and St. Lucy’s on Monday night. At that meeting and in hundreds of letters, emails and phone calls to the diocese, All Saints parishioners and members of the general community accused Lucia of forcing Daley to retire due to Daley’s progressive ministry to gay and trans people, immigrants, refugees and others who feel unwelcome at more conservative churches. Daley, who came out as a gay priest in 2004, said he thinks the outpouring of support for All Saints’ work on behalf of marginalized communities persuaded Lucia to revisit the “timeline” and give him and his flock “some breathing room” before he retires. The change gives All Saints members time to adjust to the idea, get to know his replacement and give Daley the kind of sendoff he deserves, said parishioner Toni Guidice, who shared the news with friends by posting, “Alleluia! Fred can stay through June!” After that, it’s unclear what Daley’s role will be. Until Lucia announced his retirement, Daley was to play a key role in implementing the Costello Project, a plan to merge resources of All Saints, St. Lucy’s and three other ministries serving the poor and marginalized on Syracuse’s south and southeast sides to maintain a strong Catholic church presence there. Daley helped teams from both parishes devise the project named for the late Auxiliary Bishop Thomas Costello over the past five years and was to take over as pastor for St. Lucy’s when Rev. Jim Mathews, 89, retires Dec. 31. The plan was for Daley to then step down as pastor of both parishes in July but remain on a “sacramental team” to celebrate Masses and other events.  Daley said Saturday he will be available as needed, but will not be on “the regular schedule” for Masses because Lucia plans to become more involved with the Costello Project and will assist Manno in that regard. Daley reiterated that he had not planned to retire, but said he hopes that not having to be a parish administrator will allow him to participate in social justice issues, what the late Congressman John Lewis called “getting into good trouble.” “I have no intention of hanging my boots up yet,” Daley told the Central Current. “I will continue to assist the parishes and the diocese wherever there is a need.” He said Manno, 51, has extensive experience with inner-city ministry and, after 12 years as pastor of Holy Family in Fairmount, wants to get back to that calling. Manno has expressed interest in learning more about and continuing All Saints’ LGBTQ+ Task Force and other support groups for people “who are not just materially poor, but marginalized by society,” Daley said. Jeff Wright, chair of the LGBTQ+ Task Force, said he is thankful that Lucia reconsidered his original decision for Daley to leave on Jan. 2. “I am grateful he has listened to the voices of the faithful and that Fr. Fred will continue serving as a pastor of All Saints Church until his retirement on June 30, 2027,” Wright wrote in a statement he sent to Central Current. But, he added, “Bishop Lucia’s handling of this process has profoundly damaged my trust in his ability to lead this diocese without bias. Restoring that trust will take more than changing a retirement date. It will require transparency about what happened, accountability for how it happened and a genuine commitment to discern with, rather than simply for, the People of God.” Syracuse Diocese spokeswoman Danielle Cummings said Lucia’s decision to retire Daley is part of a larger pastoral plan that will affect at least 15 other parishes over the course of the next year. “The headlines and stories look like we moved one priest, when actually this is part of major pastoral changes that are taking place,” Cummings said. “There are a lot of parishes receiving news that their pastor will be changing as we address the future needs of the diocese.” The post Bishop allows All Saints’ pastor to work 6 more months after parishioners protested his forced retirement appeared first on Central Current. ...read more read less