How to save a church

[puppypatrol]

Unfortunately, I think many are missing at least half of the problem. All the money in the world won’t keep a parish open if there is no one to pastor it. This and financial issues didn’t happen over night. Where were all those people wanting to keep their parishes open for the last couple of decades!!!

 

[quiet52]

A few comments about giving:

1. From what I’ve seen, Catholics DO give generously, but they prefer to give to charitable causes to help the poor and unfortunate. If they passed the hat in our parish for upkeep of the building, there would be dollar bills in the hat, but if they passed the hat to help the poor, the hat would be overflowing with tens and twenties. There seems to be a perception that it’s not as “Christian” to pay for air conditioning and termite inspections as to pay for food and other needs for the poor.
2. I grew up evangelical Protestant, and I think that many Catholics have a distorted idea of how much evangelicals give. We used to say that 10% of the people in the church give all the money! (I’ve heard Catholics say the same thing about Catholic parishes.) There are a lot of evangelicals who never give anything, or who give only a few dollars. The ones who tithe and double or triple tithe make up for them.

I think we tend to look at the more immediate needs. In the weekly bulletin, the parish lists its collections, its weekly budget, and always a deficit for operational costs. We have separate envelopes for Maintenance, but what’s donated is a tiny fraction of the total collection, and we never see what the Maintenance budget looks like – maybe there isn’t one and maybe whatever’s collected is used to repair the roof and inspect for termites (like most of us do in our own homes).

 

[Majobe]

I am shocked…

With us here we are in need of Churches.Each year in our diocese we ordain about six new priests.We are talking raising funds and you guys are talking closing down,Wow

I will be praying for you, I can’t imagine what it would feel like.We need your prayers too,we need to build a church .

Good luck and keep praying…

 

[PJM]

=Sancto Spiritu There is a 142 year old church in Dubuque, IA being closed.

chicagotribune.com/news/chi-ap-ia-dubuque-churchclo,0,4005982.story

It’s only one of a myriad old churches across the nation being closed and torn down. They’re not only beautiful centers of worship, but they’re also historical landmarks.

How can I fight to keep these places open? I’m perfectly willing to be a thorn in a diocese’s side, if need be.

Every time I hear of a church closing, especially if it’s an old church, I feel like it personally hurts me. ‘Why can’t they get rid of the ******-looking modern churches?’ I wonder. But it seems that there’s nothing I personally can do, as I’m just a 23 year old Master’s student.

Any pointers??

***Sadly no! Why? Follow the money $$$$$$$!

It is a Bishops perogotive and a right granted by canon law.

Pray my friend that if for valid reasons or simply the Bishop whim, that New Churches will once again become not mere “gathering spaces” [Term now used by America’s Bishops] but actually be recogonized as God’s House.***

Keep praying,

 

[Dale_M]

With us here we are in need of Churches.Each year in our diocese we ordain about six new priests.We are talking raising funds and you guys are talking closing down,Wow

I will be praying for you, I can’t imagine what it would feel like.We need your prayers too,we need to build a church .

It is the same here in the US. The churches are not necessarily where they are needed. In the desert town of Mecca (really!), California the local Catholic church building had to be abandoned because the roof was collapsing and there was no money to fix it. The community is very poor.

So the church began meeting underneath a big tent. Remember, this is in the desert!

Unfortunately, it acted like a big greenhouse. People began dropping in the 120-degree heat. A handful of swamp coolers made little difference. And the distribution of fans made from Popsicle sticks taped to paper plates was even less effective.

“Almost every weekend we called the paramedics because people were fainting inside,” Lucas said. “We had 40 volunteers do CPR classes in case something terrible happened.”

Winter was no better. People shivered as cold winds battered the tent and sandstorms blew dust through the flaps. There were no bathrooms; portable toilets lined the parking lot. The church was a study in hardship and discomfort.

latimes.com/news/printedition/california/la-me-mecca7-2008dec07,0,3020566.story

This went on for months. Two years later, a temporary church was built - it is decidedly non-traditional in appearance, but it was all that could be afforded.
(Please Note: This uploaded content is no longer available.)

pe.com/localnews/inland/stories/PE_News_Local_E_church17.47ed7ca.html

 

[JKing]

There is a 142 year old church in Dubuque, IA being closed.

chicagotribune.com/news/chi-ap-ia-dubuque-churchclo,0,4005982.story

It’s only one of a myriad old churches across the nation being closed and torn down. They’re not only beautiful centers of worship, but they’re also historical landmarks.

How can I fight to keep these places open? I’m perfectly willing to be a thorn in a diocese’s side, if need be.

Every time I hear of a church closing, especially if it’s an old church, I feel like it personally hurts me. ‘Why can’t they get rid of the ******-looking modern churches?’ I wonder. But it seems that there’s nothing I personally can do, as I’m just a 23 year old Master’s student.

Any pointers??

Not having read the entire thread…

No Bishop would ever close a church whose congregation was growing year after year. If you are in a parish that is being closed, you have no one to blame but yourself. Want to save this parish? Get 50 or 100 people into the RCIA class.

 

[JKing]

Unfortunately, I think many are missing at least half of the problem. All the money in the world won’t keep a parish open if there is no one to pastor it. This and financial issues didn’t happen over night. Where were all those people wanting to keep their parishes open for the last couple of decades!!!

Families don’t give their sons to the Church anymore because they don’t have any to spare. If I only have one son, and he displays signs of a vocation to the priesthood, would I be more or less inclined to encourage it? Now, if I have four sons and one of them displays signs of a vocation…? See? In a world of 1.75 children per family, there aren’t enough young men in the pool to generate priests.

So, yes we need vocations, but even more, we need big families from which to draw vocations.

 

[JKing]

Many of the parishes that are closing are located in poor inner city neighborhoods where few of the residents are Catholic

Evangelize the people who are there!

and the churches are not being financially supported.

Evangelize. More people = more money.

Many were built to serve an immigrant population many, many, many decades ago. As residents moved to the suburbs the congregations lessened and the old churches lost parishioners and financial support.

Evangelize the people who are there.

High maintenance, priest shortage, etc have led to the necessary closings due to the need to consolidate resources and serve the more populated areas.

If the inner city parishes were growing as quickly as suburban parishes, would the bishop close it?

I guess I’ve made my point. Nothing personal, I’m as guilty as the next person. Our town consolidated 8 parishes down into 3, closing five churches. It’s so frustrating. We’ve had lots of migration and demographic shifts, but we have not evangelized the population that is here, so we close.

I’m so tired of retreating!! When are we going to go on the offensive?

 

[OhMalley]

A number of church closings/mergers will be taking place over the next year in the diocese where I live. Many of the parishes that are closing are located **in poor inner city neighborhoods where few of the residents are Catholic **and the churches are not being financially supported. Many were built to serve an immigrant population many, many, many decades ago. As residents moved to the suburbs the congregations lessened and the old churches lost parishioners and financial support. High maintenance, priest shortage, etc have led to the necessary closings due to the need to consolidate resources and serve the more populated areas. Sad as many serve as a community outreach in poor neighborhoods. When the closings/mergers were announced many appealled to the bishop and 2 or 3 parishes won their appeals - with stipulations. Others are appealing to the Vatican, I hear. Rumor has it that one parish is breaking away all together. I find it very sad that so many of these beautiful churches are to be closed and the new buildings don’t compare in the way of beauty and character. As others have said, it is the people that are important, not the buildings.

I did run across a website of a company that purchases stained glass windows, alters, artifacts, etc from old churches - restores them and sells to congregations building new churches. The pics of the restorations were amazing and it is so good to see that some of the beautiful work of the old artisans is being preserved and brought to new life.

I remember Deacon Alex Jones of Detroit talking about thise subject. A former ABp. of Detroit made the same comment, said it was unavoidable. Alex (before he was a deacon) suggested that things could have been different – the inner city churches (in Detroit) should have been filled with African American Catholics…

 

[JKing]

I remember Deacon Alex Jones of Detroit talking about thise subject. A former ABp. of Detroit made the same comment, said it was unavoidable. Alex (before he was a deacon) suggested that things could have been different --** the inner city churches (in Detroit) should have been filled with African American Catholics**…

Bingo!

 

[jblake]

JKing;:

I’m so tired of retreating!! When are we going to go on the offensive?

When you parish sends two men, or two women, or a man and a woman, door to door, knocking on every door in your state, and all of the states that surround your state.

That is how you add more than a million members per year to your denomination.
(Seventh day adventist — who outperform both Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society, and Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, in both conversion rates and retention rates.)

 

[JKing]

When your parish sends two men, or two women, or a man and a woman, door to door, knocking on every door in your state, and all of the states that surround your state.

Bravo! (Legion of Mary, anyone?)

That is how you add more than a million members per year to your denomination.
(Seventh day adventist — who outperform both Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society, and Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, in both conversion rates and retention rates.)

And this from a denomination that doesn’t even have the whole truth! Just imagine the power of people doing this with the complete Gospel! Someone (Chesterton?) once said that Catholicism doesn’t need to be defended, but like a lion, it only needs to be let out of its cage.

I’m convinced that the only reason people leave the Church is that they don’t know what she teaches and why. Likewise the only reason Churches aren’t standing-room only at every Mass is because people have no idea what is really going on there. (Hint: It ain’t about the singing, the good preaching, youth programs, big parking lots or clean bathrooms.)