How small does the church become before it disappears?

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The American Conservative disagrees with the Catholic Church on most things. It usually headlines the same issues as extremely liberal Catholic publications, or fundamentalist publications, that oppose the Catholic Church.
 
So where’s all these Commies in the Catholic Church today? Some people i have met think Pope Francis is one.

To the extent that gay people are in the Church, I don’t think they are Communists.

I am very leery of Dreher’s and Voris’ railing against gays. They remind me of Joe McCarthy. They create division and feed conspiracy theorists. It is not constructive and I don’t like it.
 
Ever heard of Liberation Theology? It’s Communist to the core…
 
Meanwhile, back at the thread…we had some interesting posts about parishes and towns. Who else wants to chime in?
 
Rob2 said:
Going back to my younger days , within the town were four parishes served by eleven priests .

Now the town has two parishes served by two priests .

So we have gone from 4 parishes and 11 priests to 2 parishes and 2 priests .

I have been thinking that if in the future the church here declines at the rate it has in my lifetime there will soon be no church here .

Any thoughts ?

Anyone whose local church is having similar problems ?
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The ONLY guarantee is that “The Gates of Hell shall NOT prevail”; there is no warranty on the existence of Local Churches for which WE, me and you are responsible to insure survive.

A RHETORICAL question: How often do YOU pray for vocation and your Pastor? How much support do YOU give to your parish? Do YOU do anything beyond attending Sunday Mass?

Patrick {and YES I do and I have to each question}
 
In my area a few churches have been closed but they were about a mile apart. One parish was merged but both church buildings are being maintained. On the other side of the diocese a new parish was opened. The area is increasing in population. There are a lot of “ethnic minorities” attending.
 
I completely agree. As a catechist I feel that youth ministries are vital. I don’t know how anyone can think that the average child would get enough spiritually or educationally out of just going to mass. I know that the home is supposed to be the domestic church but I find that oftentimes that is not the case, thus youth can really benefit. They also help keep young people from falling away from the faith, especially ministries like LifeTeen. IMO it’s a far better option to combine greatly struggling parishes into one parish that would be thriving so that there is more opportunity for everyone. That includes adult ministries as well.
 
I think the real challenge with mergers is that whether it’s a workplace or a church no one really wants them. I have seen it leave a bit of a “them and us culture”
 
In Evangelical churches, hiring a Youth Pastor is considered an urgent priority once a congregation reaches a certain size. This is someone in addition to the Sunday School, who usually also works with the young adults. This is so taken for granted, they don’t have to argue to justify it.
I like historic churches as much as anyone. Why isn’t Youth Ministry considered a historic priority for Catholics? In my town Catholics will find the money to keep open the huge nearly empty parish where grandparents worshipped, but there’s no money for Youth or Young Adult ministry.
 
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