Remember the old says when Catholic parishes (and hospitals, cemeteries, etc) had the possessive apostrophe? You know... St. John's, St. Theresa's, St. Michael's, etc? That lil' apostrophe "S" indicated that the parish in question was dedicated to and under the patronage and protection a certain Saint. In essence, that parish belonged to that Saint, right? Of course... we all knew that.

But as of the past handful of years, the latest fad to come down the pike has reared it's ugly head. Can someone please tell me the rhyme and reason behind dropping the possessive apostrophe? We now have St Timothy parish, St Joseph Hospital, St Elizabeth cemetery. Is it just me, or does the singular just sound... well... awkward?

How screwed-up would it come across if you told someone that you just finished watching "The Bells of St. Mary"? Or just how goofy does it strike the ear if you told friends and relatives that when you were on vacation to New York City, you attended Mass as St. Patrick Cathedral?



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And somehow this madness will continue on so long as the Consecration of Russia isn't done yet.