The Lake County times. [volume] (Hammond, Ind.) 1906-1933, 1908-04-29

So said the Rev John Parscouta Of
st. Mary's Green Catholic church of
Whiting yesterday afternoon to a TIMES
reporter after Judge Reiter had issued
temporary restraining orders against
the priest who by order of Bishop S. 8.
Ortinski of Philadelphia, is dismissed
from the parish. The priest says he
will appeal.
The ease went to trial yesterday
morning and just as the courthouse
clock struck 4 Judge Reiter was say
ing that the temporary restraining or
der was granted. In the courtroom the
priest took his defeat gracefully and
the parish. which was there in body,
filed out of the room quietly. but once
outside there were congratulations on
all sides and expressions of satisfac-
ton. Outside of the courtroom Rev.
Parscouta gave vent to his feelings
to a TIMES reporter who asked him
what he intended to do now that his
commission had been taken away from
him.
Whether the ruling of Judge Reiter
yesterday ends the "squabble' in the
Greek Catholic church is only ques-
ton, judging from past experiences in
the congregation. The fight has been
going on for FIVE years, having been at
times brought into the justice and cir
cult courts. Everybody admits that
the little priest is game little fighter
and that while he speaks the United
States language brokenly, is the equal
of any one for intelligence and men
tality. He was a live wire in the
courtroom yesterday and answered his
questions in a way that left no loop
hole for any of the attorneys. The
eyes of the congregation were continu-
ally on one of the two priests, watch
ing their expressions and reading from
them how thetriaI was going. Oppo-
site the Rev. Parscouta sat the Rev.
Valentine Balog, the newly appointed
priest. Although his predecessor had
said of him that he did not know where
either north or south were, he did not
look the part. He was dignifed and
priestly in appearance. Judge Reiter
in granting the temporary restraining
order said that it is a we'll known fact
that courts cannot interfere in church
troubles, but that they can only assist
in keeping order. So Rev. Parscouta
is ousted from the parish.
The trouble in the Greek Catholic
church started about five years ago
when the question arose about the
proper church from which a certain
woman who had been accidentally
killed. should be buried.
Should she be buried as a Roman
Catholic or a Greek Catholic? was the
question. 1t developed that while she
/ belonged to the Greek Catholic Wo-
mn's society of Whiting, she was
buried in the Roman Catholic church.
Having belonged to the Woman's So
ciety in the Greek Catholic church she
was entitled to $500 death benefit Rev.
Parscouta presented an expense ac-
count Of $50 to the society which he
claimed was due him for the Greek
Catholic burial ritual, according to
which this woman should have been
buried. The case was taken to the
circuit court and from there to the
appellate court, the decision being in
! each case against Parscouta. The So
cfety instead of paying Father Pars-
couta $50, gave $500 to the husband of
the deceased woman, which the Rev.
Parscouta offered to turn over to the
court for payment of the husband. Be-
fore turning the check over he. how
ever. raised it to $500. the $50 being
added to pay the court costs. The
motive of Father Parscouta was never
questioned in the courts. especially
since the money was not for him. He
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