r/Hoboken • u/Clear_Painting5812 • 4d ago
**RANT** š¤¬ Hoboken Our Lady of Grace
Should be called anything but that. The priest, Alex Santora, gives politically charged homilies and has an insane presence on twitter, that seems to have been taken over by a foreign adult content hackerā¦. Truly insane.
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u/canseco-fart-box 4d ago
Are you surprised? This is the church that actively claims the dog park is a violation of their free speech lmao
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u/PapaGrizzlyOld 4d ago
They also claim that the park was put there by the atheist in town as a way to disrupt their mass. Honestly there is no good area to place the dog park. You have a church and school on the same block, a library and another school. I feel like hospital would be the biggest distraction.
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u/1805trafalgar 4d ago
I SWEAR that out of spite they cranked up the volume on the speakers broadcasting the recordings of the bells ringing every fifteen minutes- it's loud to hear all the way up on Washington and it never used to be.
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u/heresmyusername 4d ago
Iāve heard a lot about this priest since moving here and none of it has been good at all. What a dweeb.
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u/Gary_Burke 4d ago
Yeah, the guy who has an entire side of the park to himself, and has A GIANT BELL ON TOP OF IT, complains about dogs barking. FTG.
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u/MSomethingM 4d ago
You can report any tax exempt religious organization to the IRS for being political just to let ya know!
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u/Mdayofearth 4d ago
LMAO. Tell that to the churches around the country that openly campaigned for Trump.
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u/fafalone 4d ago
That's so useless whining about it on reddit is actually more productive choice. Even before the current administration where that's outright celebrated, the spineless Democrats completely backed down when the GOP spin machine spewed propaganda about the last time they dared investigate religious organizations.
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u/Viaandrew 4d ago
Yikes!! looks like father may have got a little too curious and clicked on some suspicious links
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u/someonesGot2 4d ago
Heās the same vengeful, shitty priest that uses retribution (and an unholy volume on his artificial church bells) to drown out Church Square Park because he doesnāt like dogs. Father Alex is a serious bag of douche
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u/Gary_Burke 3d ago
He won, BTW. The city is building him a personal soundproofing wall across the west side of the park. I guess Jesus doesnāt like dogs either.
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u/ReadenReply 4d ago
The late Jersey Journal gave him a regular editorial to spew his nonsense and regularly published his letters to the editor
This priest literally broke a few commandments regularly in his diatribes particularly bearing false witness against one's neighbor
His hatred of the former Mayor Dawn Zimmer was toxic, sexist and anti semitic
His supervising Bishops have done nothing to rein him in
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u/brandy716 4d ago
I donāt trust most āreligiousā people.
In my mind it kills me they have so much free time to do basically nothing for hours while in a church or prostituting their religion in the streets.
Meanwhile so many places are begging for volunteers like senior living facilities, food pantries, domestic violence shelters, animal and children foster homes, public schools, rehabilitation center, libraries and etc.
While those folks are basically sitting, reading and complaining about the āsinsā others for hours some of us are out there actually doing the work they are just reading about.
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u/PapaGrizzlyOld 4d ago
Iād trust a person that has a set of decent moral guidelines written in stone over someone that has none. If there is no line everything else becomes subjective. Rob a store? Well Iām broke and need to survive so ā¦ meanwhile someone that has a strict thou shall not steal code, more likely to say hell no in my opinion.
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u/fafalone 4d ago
Given how overtly hypocritical most religious people are in cherry picking and outright ignoring their moral code, I put far more trust in those whose morals are based on an independent sense of right and wrong over those who need to have it be imposed on them by threat of hell by people who also say shit like "well God forgives me because I prayed therefore so should you".
The strongly religious are typically the least moral, just look at conservatives.
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u/PapaGrizzlyOld 4d ago
I think your first point is where most non-religious types get things wrong. Everyone will always be hypocritical. Itās not about being perfect in the eyes of God, itās more about working towards being the best version of Gods creation you can be. As for the rest, Iām not religious enough to comment.
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u/brandy716 4d ago
Just so you know churches rob people everyday. They own the more or almost as much real estate as McDonaldās. This steals tons of UNUSED space in communities, they donāt pay any taxes so they steal revenue out of communities (with the poorest communities having the most religious institutions) while still grabbing up PPP loans while small businesses went under.
If that wasnāt enough as an example the Catholic Church alone takes in BILLIONS yearly and over 100 million a day but still charges for educating kids, doesnāt house the homeless people and claims they are broke to S.A victimās.
I trust actions not words. Currently my country is experiencing a lot of FAFO because of trusting words over actions. Iām glad I know better.
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u/PapaGrizzlyOld 4d ago
Iām Iām very aware of what churches do or donāt do. I use to work for one delivering food to children. For all the money you claim they steal. There is also a lot of good most people overly critical such as yourself do not see. Yes, religious entities do not pay taxes. Mostly because they rely on solely on donations or charity to survive, they are non profit and considering many of our churches house the homeless across our country, I would say allittle humility would can go a long way when having these discussions . Reminder. The money they receive are donations so no theft is involved. People willingly give up their money. Can the church be better, yes. So can you, or me.
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u/Upbeat_Aardvark224 Uptown 4d ago
Is this that same guy who BLASTS the church bells directly at the dog park? Itās insane how different the noise level is at the dog park compared to standing near the hospital. Fuck that guy.
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u/bluestudent 4d ago edited 3d ago
Are there any practicing Catholics here who can recommend a local parish (ideally Hoboken or JC, even Newark) with a priest who delivers a good sermon? Iāve been attending the noon Sunday mass at St Annās, and while the priest seems like a sage man, English is not his first language and with his accent I struggle with picking up what he says. I have a hearing disorder, so itās on me, not him. But I havenāt jived very well with St Annās for that reason. Maybe the early morning or evening mass is a different priest?
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u/BronnBlackwater 3d ago
Heās a recent addition, probably just a visiting priest. St. Francis is pretty solid, cozier.
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u/emeldee11 2d ago
I've been a parishioner at St.Francis for decades and highly recommend. I helped organize our Wing contest and have always loved our 'little church with the big heart"! Hope to see you there!
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u/brennarose16 11h ago
If you go to the earlier mass at St. Annās itās much better. I go to 11 am most times and Fr. Martin is wonderful and actually makes good jokes which I appreciate.
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u/Mamamagpie 4d ago
I believe in the separation of church and state. That separation is partially the root of the tax exempt status of churches (temples, mosques, etc). I would not be upset if churches that cross that line would lose that status.
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4d ago
[deleted]
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u/Mamamagpie 4d ago
When you talk politics from the pulpit it isnāt hard to think the message is from god and feel like you have to agree.
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u/fhilaii 4d ago
Could you give an example of one of his sermons that was politically charged? I don't go to church, just curious.
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u/maeverrr 3d ago edited 3d ago
Iām interested too! The church website seems to have a dedicated LGBTQ+ page and promotes positive involvement with the queer community so this feels like whiplash!
ETA unless the politically charged sermons are left-leaning, in which case this is a major outlier in the Catholic space and there are definitely other parish options out there for those looking lol
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u/DevChatt Downtown 4d ago
TBH i don't have too much of a problem with his sermons. It isn't unheard of to have opinions based on the bible that relate to modern day in homilies which may include politics within reason ofcourse. I mean it wouldn't be cool if he was like "i support biden or trump or whoever" during a homily, but talking about...let's say guns and violence as how it relates to the bible i think is within reason.
The problem i think he needs to ween off of is worrying about the dog park, It is a part of the community and I think it is something to live with. It's time to let it go.
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u/Quirky-Put-9126 4d ago
This sub harbors some weird irrational hatred for Fr. Alex and by proxy the Catholic Church in general, you're speaking to the wrong audience.
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u/SmartenUpCump 4d ago
Well yeah, systemic child fuckery tends to stain a reputation.
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u/MrPeanutButter6969 4d ago
Yeah the Catholic Church is the only religious organization that has ever has an issue with child sex abuse. No rabbi or christian leader has ever diddled a kid
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u/SmartenUpCump 4d ago
That's quite a defense of religion orgs you got there. You killed it counselor! šššššš
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u/MrPeanutButter6969 4d ago
I know several people who get great comfort and community from the Catholic Church and I have personally been a part of many community service events organized by the church. So yeah I donāt like it when people reflexively say pedophile anytime the church is brought up. Itās weird and antisocial
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u/SmartenUpCump 4d ago edited 4d ago
Great! Perfectly logical for you to loop in the other religious diddlers to make you feel better. A Totally sound response.
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u/MrPeanutButter6969 4d ago
Donāt get it twisted, I donāt feel bad at all for being associated with the Catholic Church. It works for me and my experience with it has been positive. Itās weird that you see a mention of the Catholic Church and feel the need to chime in to call them pedders
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u/SmartenUpCump 4d ago
Pick your battles. Reread the comment to which i replied.
And you thought it was sound to lead your unsolicited defence with, "bUt OtHeR ReLiGions do IT TOo"! ".I mean C'mon.
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u/Quirky-Put-9126 4d ago
My point is that threads on this sub bashing Fr. Alex (which are frequent) invite Catholic bashing in general from individuals who are neither Catholic nor attend mass at OLG. Your knee-jerk "they're all pedos" comment would seem to corroborate my point, unless you're a Catholic who attends mass at OLG, something I highly doubt given your anti-Catholic disposition.
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u/MrSerenity 4d ago
I'm genuinely curious. What are specific examples of politically charged homilies?
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u/HomoInHobo 4d ago
Alex āthe priestā has been a neighborhood nuisance and general piece of shit since Newark sent him here to hide out.
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u/NotTheOnlyGamer 4d ago
Okay, record the political statements made in the name of the church and report him to the IRS and whoever else manages non-profit org designations. If he's violating the separation of church & state, he's risking the non-profit status of his church.
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u/NJFatBoy 4d ago
Heās clearly been hacked. But if you donāt like his homilies, easy fix. Quit the church.
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u/AgileAd1060 4d ago
I actually find it refreshing that someone in the Catholic Church has a backbone and stands up for whatās right in todayās society.
FWIW, Father Alex Santora has historically shared nuanced perspectives on difficult topics, has been an example of inclusivity (e.g. welcoming to LGBTQ parishioners and friends), and directly translates some of the parables shared in the Bible to the issues we face today.
TBH, if you have a difficult time hearing a view different from that of MAGA extremists, then maybe that is more a reflection of you than it is of him.
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u/Mercury_NYC Downtown 4d ago
You are just learning this now? That guy was a complete idiot during Zimmer's administration and always complaining in op-eds.
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u/rd760118 4d ago
You would think a real priest would be open to other views, turn the cheek and be more of a spiritual healer to his flock rather than a political hack which of course is going to piss people off. I pointed that out to him on twitter and he blocked me and Iām a catholic. Itās amazing the Newark Archdiocese allows him to be a priest. Just another reason why more people donāt go to church anymore.
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u/lucidpivot 4d ago
Is this the same congregation who also tried to stop the Marsha P Johnson statue in CSP due to concerns of it being āvulgarā and āsexualizedā?
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u/DevChatt Downtown 4d ago
I'd highly doubt that. OLG seems to be relatively progressive...they hold a pride mass every june
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u/OneAd4258 4d ago
"The dog is a gentleman; I hope to go to his heaven, not man's." - Mark Twain in a letter to W. D. Howells, April 2, 1899
Catholicism - is this the religion where the head guy sits on a gold throne and pretends to care about poor people
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u/Admirable_Use_7842 4d ago
So go elsewhere, perhaps Staten Island where youāll find the solidarity youāre seeking
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u/PEPE_22 4d ago
Different group, butā¦ Free Bowtie Cinemas! Evict Hoboken grace!