Locked Churches

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Sancto_Spiritu

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I wasn’t sure where to post this, so I figured I’d put it in this forum.

I went home today (30 minutes away) for an appointment. While in town, I wanted to go to a church I’d never been inside. My grandpa did the gold leaf on the steeple cross, so I’ve got a bit of an attachment. It’s in a neighborhood that was once working-class and is now pretty bad. It’s a beautiful old, early 20th century church in the middle of a poor neighborhood.

I tried to open the doors. Locked.

I went to the parish office to ask if I could go in, and they wouldn’t let me in!!

Apparently, a few years ago, they had problems with vagrants sleeping inside and the high altar was spray-painted.
I called the diocese office and apparently, all churches are locked during the day except during daily Mass and over the lunch hour.

I’m happy that they’re protecting the churches, but it’s disheartening that I couldn’t slip inside for 15 minutes and say a Rosary in silence.

Now my point:

Are churches in your areas locked during the day? If so, what do you think about it?
 
I live in Dallas and only one church was locked during the day and that church’s “sanctuary” didn’t open to the outside but a foyer so I don’t know what they were on about.

The church I attend now has a solid gold Tabernacle in it, but they don’t lock the doors, Thank God. I find it disheartening that one cannot go into a church to spend time in prayer and meditation, but if there are troubles with people I can understand why. However, the pastoral office knew you weren’t going to do that so I don’t understand why someone couldn’t just accompany you over there or ask you to come let them know when you were leaving. IDK… that’s a shame though.
 
We have 1 church that never locks it’s doors. St Martin of Tours.
There is a Perpetual Adoration Chapel there, so that’s why it remains open at all times. There is a security guard on duty at all times.

It’s fitting that St Martin’s is the one always open, because it’s one of the most beautiful Catholic churches in the area.

Two of only three full skeletal remains of Saints in the world displayed for veneration are there beneath the side altars.

St Bonosa


And St Magnus


saintmartins.psbackup.com/ArtArchitecture/PaintingsandStatuary/tabid/671/Default.aspx
 
I_Believe said:
We have 1 church that never locks it’s doors. St Martin of Tours.
There is a Perpetual Adoration Chapel there, so that’s why it remains open at all times. There is a security guard on duty at all times.

It’s fitting that St Martin’s is the one always open, because it’s one of the most beautiful Catholic churches in the area.

Two of only three full skeletal remains of Saints in the world displayed for veneration are there beneath the side altars.

St Bonosa
http://saintmartins.psbackup.com/Portals/7/angelslarge/bonosa.jpg

And St Magnus
http://saintmartins.psbackup.com/Portals/7/angelslarge/magnus.jpg

saintmartins.psbackup.com/ArtArchitecture/PaintingsandStatuary/tabid/671/Default.aspx
Click to expand...
Why are the bodies of 3rd century saints displayed in the United States? Aren’t they usually kept at the shrine of the saint or at a church in his homeland, like St. Frances Cabrini and St. John Neumann in the U.S.? I wouldn’t have been surprised if it was just a fragment of the body, but the whole skeletal remains?

St. Martin of Tours is such an unknown church too as I had never heard of it before reading about it here. I would have thought that a church like this would have better known since it has these relics.
 
It’s an unfortunate fact, particularly in the modern US, that most churches (Catholic and otherwise) have to locked when not in use. The only exceptions I know of are those that are popular tourist destinations or those that are used for “perpetual Adoration” where there are at least security cameras, if not actual security personnel, or those in some very rural areas.

But the OP surprises me: I find it unconscionable that the parish office would not allow even a supervised visit, even when the church was officially closed. That’s just not nice.
 
malphono said:
But the OP surprises me: I find it unconscionable that the parish office would not allow even a supervised visit, even when the church was officially closed. That’s just not nice.
Click to expand...
Course on the flip side…if the OP dropped in without an appointment, who knows how busy the person in the office was at the time.
In defense of the parish priest or whomever was in the office at the time, they have no idea who the OP was and are merely protecting their own safety. OP said it was a rough hood.

It is a shame that the world is like it is - but such is life.
 
I’m in the Philadelphia suburbs. Our Church is open during the day (can’t say about the night) and the perpetual adoration chapel is open 24/7.

It is disheartening to say the least but it appears the Churches in the areas where they are most needed are the ones that are locked the most, but that is the sad reality we live in.
 
Our church is open during the day.

The Priest comes over when he gets up and unlocks the doors and locks up before he goes to bed.

We have had problems in the past with vandals, so the church is not open overnight.
 
I live in a town in SW Oklahoma. While not a big town, it is not nearly as small as some may think. There are two Parishes in town. My Church (the older of the two) is unlocked from sunrise to sunset, unless there is a Vigil Mass, in which case Father locks up afterward. When I was younger I attended the newer Parrish as we lived close by. My dad passed away many years ago late at night and I went to the newer Parrish in the middle of the night (since it is right by my parent’s house). While the main Sanctuary was locked, the smaller Sanctuary for Daily Mass was unlocked and provided a good place to pray for the repose of my dad’s soul. However, that was many, many years ago, and I’m unaware of the current practice at that Parrish.
 
Our church is pretty much always locked. I’ve stopped by once when it wasn’t, but it usually is locked. I find it odd because it’s in a small town (c.1000).

I know someone who has to have a key to go to adoration. Sad, but true.
 
Our church is unlocked during parish office hours. Sometimes the secretary locks the doors in the afternoon, or Msgr. will lock them later in the evening.

The cathedral near where I work is unlocked during the day, even though a woman went in there several months ago and smashed holes in two of the stained glass windows, broke the ambry, the processional crucifix, several candlesticks, and smeared oil all over the sanctuary. Apparently she had mental problems.

The pastor said he will still keep the cathedral open because it’s important people have a place to go and pray.
 
In my town I know of several churches that are open during the day. The one downtown is open till 9PM.

My own parish is open during office and school hours and the Adoration Chapel, while locked has a keypad. If you are an adorer or substitute you know they number to get in. I suppose anyone in the parish might be able to know that so they could spend time with our Lord.

My TLM oratory is locked after morning Mass.

Such is the way of the world in this day and age.
 
I live in a small town in Kentucky, and my parish church is in a bad neighborhood. Several years ago, the tabernacle was stolen along with other things and so since then the church is locked. The adoration chapel is open, but you have to use a coded key pad to get into it.

Sad.
 
JPUSC said:
Why are the bodies of 3rd century saints displayed in the United States? Aren’t they usually kept at the shrine of the saint or at a church in his homeland, like St. Frances Cabrini and St. John Neumann in the U.S.? I wouldn’t have been surprised if it was just a fragment of the body, but the whole skeletal remains?

St. Martin of Tours is such an unknown church too as I had never heard of it before reading about it here. I would have thought that a church like this would have better known since it has these relics.
Click to expand...
Pope Leo XIII gave the church the remains, and they arrived in 1901. And yes, they are indeed full skeletal remains.

I’ll see what other info I can find as to why he chose St Martin of Tours in Louisville, and let you know. I’ve been meaning to photograph the small plaques in front of the reliquaries, but I’ll have to get permission from Fr K first 🙂 I’ll probably be able to do that before the EF Mass tomorrow.
 
Yes, the churches where I live are locked if there’s nothing going on. The one I attend has a Perpetual Adoration chapel that’s unlocked for the adorers; but that’s about it.

However, in San Francisco, down in the Tenderloin or the Mission–one of the really down and out areas–there is a church that is open all the time. The Franciscans have it and they keep it open even though there are all kinds of people down there and the potential for damage is great. The fathers wanted to have the church available for the people. I want to say the name is St Boniface, but I am not sure.

And then again, my info is a few years old and maybe they’ve changed their policy by now.
 
Sancto_Spiritu said:
I wasn’t sure where to post this, so I figured I’d put it in this forum.

I went home today (30 minutes away) for an appointment. While in town, I wanted to go to a church I’d never been inside. My grandpa did the gold leaf on the steeple cross, so I’ve got a bit of an attachment. It’s in a neighborhood that was once working-class and is now pretty bad. It’s a beautiful old, early 20th century church in the middle of a poor neighborhood.

I tried to open the doors. Locked.

I went to the parish office to ask if I could go in, and they wouldn’t let me in!!

Apparently, a few years ago, they had problems with vagrants sleeping inside and the high altar was spray-painted.
I called the diocese office and apparently, all churches are locked during the day except during daily Mass and over the lunch hour.

I’m happy that they’re protecting the churches, but it’s disheartening that I couldn’t slip inside for 15 minutes and say a Rosary in silence.

Now my point:

Are churches in your areas locked during the day? If so, what do you think about it?
Click to expand...
yes. i dont like. since i was used to walk in any Church any time during the day and just meditate in the beauty of our Lord.

today we cant. and there is the reason that people will still or vandalize the Churches. i assume with so many anti Catholic around it is probably easy to commit abomination against our Lord by vandalize the Church. plus money is short these days to fix it.
 
The local church where I live is locked most of the time. Sometimes I’ve been lucky and found it open, so I’ve been able to slip inside and say a prayer or two, but it’s mostly locked. It’s really, really sad… but like the other posters said, it’s a reflection of this day and age. 😦
 
In mysuburban area, the front doors are often locked, but the side door near the office or rectory is generally open. Except one, where doors are locked even in the few minutes between the Saturday evening Mass and confessions, if the latter are offered
The tabenacle in that church is alarmed; one time nobody told a visiting monsignor about it, so we suddenly had a squad of police show up at Communion time 😃 .
A few years ago, in a Mexican city close to my other home, a large chruch was viictimized with the tabernacle ripped from its altar and the Blessed Sacrament desecrated. That church is still open during the day, but with alarms and cameras in operation. Ny own village church is usually locked, but anyone can ask the lady next door to open it for private prayer.
Many years ago, a friend lost his university job in Guatemala because he was a practicing Catholic, while the local regime was pentecostalist. During this period, he would send me clippings about rampant vandalism against Catholic churches, with profanation of the Blessed Sacrament and other abuses, all under the eye of police who took orders from the local bosses. The priests and faithful recovered the damages and had unofficial guards watching the unlocked churches. Thngs are better now.
 
When I was a boy growing up in rural Missouri, every church, as far as I was aware, was always open. I can well remember having my car break down on a back road, during a terrible snow storm, and taking refuge in a tiny, Baptist, church. I think the wood stove was the only thing that kept me alive until daylight.

On the other hand, when we were in St. Louis for my mother’s funeral a couple of years ago, I wanted to show my wife the Episcopal church where I had been a long time member, years ago. Not only was it locked, the people in the office abused us terribly and accused me of wanting to steal from the church, because I politely asked if they would unlock the door so I could let my wife see it.

Times have changed and not for the better.

Paul
 
The churches around here are always locked, unless they’re being used for something.

One of the local parishes has Adoration on Fridays, which is held in the “chapel” (a classroom of the vacant school across the street) during the winter, because it’s smaller and cheaper to heat. Sometimes, the doors there are locked even when Adoration is going on, and you have to knock and wait for someone to come recognize you and let you in. 🤷
 
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