I agree with Mr. Joe Flanagan's column in the Jacksonville Times-Union. On Thursday, April 25, 2019, I asked St. Augustine's PZB to ponder issuing letters rotatory to Pope Francis to establish that the Vatican has NOT endorsed this local bishop's misguided plan to ruin the Shrine of the Lady of La Leche/Mission Nombre de Dios. As Pope Francis wrote in his encyclical, Laudato Si, under capitalism, the world is turning into a "piece of filth." Enough filthy lucre destroying our precious history, nature and cultural heritage here in St. Augustine.
Opinion
Guest column: Plan to develop St. Augustine mission grounds should be defeated
By Joe Flanagan
Posted Apr 21, 2019 at 2:01 AM
Jacksonville Times-Union
Note to readers: The Times-Union Editorial Board offered the bishop of St. Augustine a chance to respond to the following opinion column. He preferred to use an advertisement for that purpose.
The bishop of St. Augustine is planning a development for the historic mission grounds in that city, a plan that has drawn widespread opposition.
Proposed is a 1,200-seat amphitheater and a three-deck parking garage to accommodate an influx of people attending events that the diocese has been evasive about.
There are many reasons the bishop’s plan is a bad idea, but the most obvious is traffic. San Marco Avenue is hopelessly overloaded on any given day, and on weekends — even when there is no special event — it is backed up bumper-to-bumper as far as you can see in either direction.
The Florida Department of Transportation has rated San Marco Avenue “F” in terms of its effectiveness to handle traffic. Residents of these neighborhoods have to plan when it’s possible to travel and when it is not.
City officials talk about “quality of life” when they discuss the comprehensive plan for St. Augustine but if they truly did, the bishop’s plan for the mission grounds wouldn’t even be getting considered.
Other hotels — already approved — are coming to San Marco. The traffic will get worse. If the city government is even serious about mobility, the bishop’s plan to develop the mission grounds should be rejected.
Another reason this development is wrong is its cheapening of the site’s historic and spiritual significance. A petition began circulating recently, gathering nearly 1,000 signatures within a few days. People left comments explaining why they opposed the bishop’s plan, and what is remarkable is how many of them mentioned the spiritual importance of the place.
The words “sacred” and “serene” appear with great frequency in these comments. So do the words, “disgraceful” and “travesty.” Many of these individuals identify themselves as faithful Catholics who feel that their loyalty is being disregarded, their faith disrespected.Many them say that they have powerful memories of visiting the grounds — particularly during difficult times — and find a spiritual connection there.
The grounds are a point of pride for longtime residents, regardless of their faith, which is why the response to this project has been so passionate.
People love the mission grounds for what they are. They love the power of the open, contemplative setting, experiencing the connection between the spiritual and the natural worlds. It is one of the city’s most authentic places, one of the few that hasn’t been Disneyfied.
To cheapen the historic and spiritual legacy the mission represents would be, as many of the signers of the petition said, a travesty and a disgrace.
This can be stopped if the people make their voices heard. Write, call, or email the bishop at this address: Most Reverend Felipe J. Estevez, 11625 Old St. Augustine Road, Jacksonville, FL 32258; Phone: (904) 262-3200; Fax: (904) 260-8736; bishopsoffice@dosafl.com.
The St. Augustine city commissioners can be reached at P.O. Box 210 (75 King Street), St. Augustine, FL 32085-0210; Phone: 904-825-1006; Fax: 904-825-1096; cosa@citystaug.com.
For more information on how to get involved and to stay updated on opposition to the development, email: SaveStA2020@gmail.com.
Joe Flanagan lives in St. Augustine.
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