HomeMy WebLinkAboutPublic Comment from Ryan in SupportG. THOMAS RYAN
June 10, 2026
Jacob Dewey, chair
Zoning Board of Appeals, Town of Barnstable
367 Main Street
Hyannis MA 02601
Attn: Anna Brigham. Principal Planner
Dear Mr. Dewey and Members of the Board
My experience before planning boards and ZBA’s, and a re-reading of Our
Attorney General’s Guidance on the Dover Amendment prompts this letter.
The project under consideration on 10 June is a project that is clearly a
religious use of the space & land.
Just four days ago, while visiting a homeless shelter run by the Archdiocese
of Madrid Spain, Pope Leo XIV said;
“Christians too, on a number of occasions, have succumbed to
attitudes shaped by secular ideologies or political and economic
approaches that lead to gross generalizations and mistaken
conclusions. The fact that some dismiss or ridicule charitable works, as
if they were an obsession on the part of a few and not the burning
heart of the Church’s mission, convinces me of the need to go back
and re-read the Gospel...” (Pope Leo XIV, June 6. 2026, “Cedia 24")
St. Joseph House is at the heart of the mission of the Fall River diocese. The
Dover Amendment clearly allows this project to continue.
Sincerely
G. Thomas Ryan
250 Western Avenue
Eastham MA 02642
E-MAIL gthomasryan@verizon.net P O BOX 1688
TEL 1 508 255 6782 Orleans MA 02653
MOBILE 1 774 358 0090 USA