Diocese may close up to 20 parishes: 'If you can't deliver the sacrament. ... it's like Nike not being able to make shoes'

[_Abyssinia]

At the end of a lengthy review, Catholics in the Diocese of Belleville could have up to 20 fewer parishes, Bishop Edward Braxton announced in an open letter on the diocese website.

He noted the diocese’s upcoming 125th anniversary in January, and with that, said: “As we give thanks for the past we must plan for the future, taking into account the realities of the present. A number of factors indicate that we need to consolidate some of our parishes if we hope to have strong and vital Catholic communities in the years to come.”

The process is called the Pastoral Plan for Parish Renewal and Restructuring, and it involves a first phase of six months, starting in September, in which parishes and diocesan schools will use a set of criteria to evaluate their viability. The first phase will also include town hall-style meetings for parishioners to express their views. The parishes will submit their reports to a committee chaired by the vicar general and moderator of the curia, Rev. John W. McEvilly.

In the second phase – May to February 2013 – the committee will study the recommendations and meet with parish leaders. The committee will make a final recommendation to Braxton.

As an explanation in part, Braxton wrote: “We currently have 69 diocesan priests in parish ministry. Five of these are 75 or older and three more are 70 and older.”

bnd.com/2011/08/28/1837450/diocese-may-close-up-to-20-parishes.html?storylink=addthis#.Tlug6e_Dam8.twitter

 

[Hastrman]

Actually, the metaphor may be odd and a bit flippant, but it’s fundamentally correct: there is no purpose to a church (or a priest for that matter) without the sacraments, just like Nike is shoes, other things designed to advertise the shoes, and nothing else.

 

[Pfaffenhoffen]

At the end of a lengthy review, Catholics in the Diocese of Belleville could have up to 20 fewer parishes, Bishop Edward Braxton announced in an open letter on the diocese website.

He noted the diocese’s upcoming 125th anniversary in January, and with that, said: “As we give thanks for the past we must plan for the future, taking into account the realities of the present. A number of factors indicate that we need to consolidate some of our parishes if we hope to have strong and vital Catholic communities in the years to come.”

The process is called the Pastoral Plan for Parish Renewal and Restructuring, and it involves a first phase of six months, starting in September, in which parishes and diocesan schools will use a set of criteria to evaluate their viability. The first phase will also include town hall-style meetings for parishioners to express their views. The parishes will submit their reports to a committee chaired by the vicar general and moderator of the curia, Rev. John W. McEvilly.

In the second phase – May to February 2013 – the committee will study the recommendations and meet with parish leaders. The committee will make a final recommendation to Braxton.

As an explanation in part, Braxton wrote: “We currently have 69 diocesan priests in parish ministry. Five of these are 75 or older and three more are 70 and older.”

bnd.com/2011/08/28/1837450/diocese-may-close-up-to-20-parishes.html?storylink=addthis#.Tlug6e_Dam8.twitter

Too Much of a Good Thing.
Being Americans so organized, and being they able to team-work so well, cannot they find a way the Parishes may be open?
A visit to parishes in Africa where you are 8 days away from the priest, through dirt roads, I think would teach something about lay leaders, deacons, lay organizations and so on.
It times of crisis, it would be better to have the Church open, on Sundays people gather around an Internet connection to the main Church and then the deacon would give the Communion.
Lay people would lead, as usually preparation for cathecism, 1st communion, chrisma and so on.
Better than close it…

 

[revert_jen]

Too Much of a Good Thing.
Being Americans so organized, and being they able to team-work so well, cannot they find a way the Parishes may be open?
A visit to parishes in Africa where you are 8 days away from the priest, through dirt roads, I think would teach something about lay leaders, deacons, lay organizations and so on.
It times of crisis, it would be better to have the Church open, on Sundays people gather around an Internet connection to the main Church and then the deacon would give the Communion.
Lay people would lead, as usually preparation for cathecism, 1st communion, chrisma and so on.
Better than close it…

I think it depends on how far away the next church is. I mean, if the next church is 8 days away, then yes, you would want to leave it open. If there is no priest at the church and the next one is 8 blocks away, then it might be better to close it. For example, the article said that 8 of the parishes that would probably close are in one city.

It is better for people to go 8 blocks (or 8 miles) out of their way for a real Mass than to go to Communion services in their priestless church.

That said, it is always very sad when a church has to close, and of course there has to be consultation with people to make sure it works out OK. And we should all pray for additional vocations, in Belleville and everywhere.

Just MHO.

–Jen

 

[Pfaffenhoffen]

I think it depends on how far away the next church is. I mean, if the next church is 8 days away, then yes, you would want to leave it open. If there is no priest at the church and the next one is 8 blocks away, then it might be better to close it. For example, the article said that 8 of the parishes that would probably close are in one city.

It is better for people to go 8 blocks (or 8 miles) out of their way for a real Mass than to go to Communion services in their priestless church.

That said, it is always very sad when a church has to close, and of course there has to be consultation with people to make sure it works out OK. And we should all pray for additional vocations, in Belleville and everywhere.

Just MHO.

–Jen

I agree totally. Is is better to have 200 people gathered in 1 church than samll groups scatered around.
God Bless.

 

[LongJohnSilver]

The proces of closing churches and merging parishes has been going on for some time now in my country (the Netherlands). Former small parishes have joined in groups of 9-12 and form a new big parish with one church in the center. The prediction is that in a few years most churches will close and those centre churches will become the church for all parishioners in the area where there’s Mass every Sunday and most of the pastoral activities will take place.

We don’t have a shortage of priests, but a surplus of churches.