The layout of the place is something out of "Cribs!"

It makes “a’ mala figura!” to ask parishioners to support the Archbishop’s annual appeal only to have him be able to retire to a 5 thousand square ft. home in Hunterdon County – which is currently being renovated by adding another 25 hundred square ft. addition complete with swimming pool, hot tub, and 3 elevators.

In other words, this “retirement home” will have all the amenities that could only be afforded by someone who was the CEO of a Fortune 500 company.

Or, like a basketball player being featured on "Cribs!"

This makes a stunning contrast to a couple of things.

First, it’s in stark contrast to the report a couple of weeks back that stated New Jersey is one of the worst state for retirement.

Another contrast is the report aired last night on “60 Minutes” profiling the lifestyle of Pope Francis.
A man of great humility, the Pope chose to live not in the 16th Century palace where so many other of his predicesors lived, but in a Spartan hotel room.

So this begs the question: Why does one of his subordinates, the Archbishop of Newark need to retire to a home in tony Hunterdon County – when his flock lives miles away – and a lifestyle away from all that.

According to this from nj.com:

A national Christian Group, known as Faithful America collected online signatures from more than 22,000 people who are not happy with Myers for building a 3,000-square-foot addition on a 4,500-square-foot home in Franklin Township.

While a group attempted to deliver the collection of signatures directly to Myers, he did not meet with them and they instead had to deliver them to Myers spokesperson, Jim Goodness..

 

"We'd like see the money that's been used to put an addition of nearly a half million dollars on to his mansion used for a better cause: feeding the hungry and sheltering the homeless," said Kevin Davitt, a parishioner with St. Catherine Church in Glen Rock.

Probably because those questions would be difficult at best to answer.

But do you feel he should keep this opulent spread in Hunterdon County when so many other religious institutions are closing their doors (referencing the closing of Catholic schools and the soup kitchen in the above report).

“Mala figura” (trans: bad impression) for sure.

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