Division in church widens as end of hearings nears

RUMSON — The undercurrent of strong emotions that ran beneath the surface at the Zoning Board of Adjustment hearing on the Holy Cross school and church expansion occasionally bubbled to the surface at the last hearing on the application — at least on one side of the issue.

Several supporters of the proposal took their time at the microphone not only to speak in favor of expansion, but against the members of their church who oppose it.

"This opposition is shameful," said Tom O’Malley.

"It’s full of rage, recrimination and terribly bad manners," he said.

He told the board that they had a choice — "You can give credence to their baseless, hollow and dead arguments, or you can decide in favor of the children."

Tom Kabookjin of Fair Haven said before coming to the meeting he searched the Bible for inspiration. He said one word kept jumping out at him with regard to the parishioners who oppose the plan to expand Holy Cross school and church. "They’re hypocrites," Kabookjin said, going on to define the word as " ‘a pretense of having a virtuous character that one does not really possess.’ "

Longtime parishioner Patricia Flynn of Waterway Street, who has spoken out against the expansion, said she was "disheartened by the derogatory comments."

Arthur Sorensen, an attorney who resides on North Ward Avenue, said he thought that the divisions in the church undercut "the beneficial use of any expansion."

Commenting after the meeting was over, Tom Reid, who has opposed the expansion, said, "Did you hear that? We’re not the ones making personal attacks. Whether we win or lose, at least we’ll know we’ve stuck to the zoning issues."

— Jane Waterhouse