Our local FSSP parish is in an ugly little red brick edifice, formerly an independent Baptist church.
But great things happen there.
Posted on 06/13/2006 1:35:15 AM PDT by NYer
Bishop Howard J. Hubbard of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany hopes involving members of the diocese -- from its top clerical leaders to its average parishioners -- will stifle apprehension as the Catholic church begins a two-year pastoral planning process that will reshape the diocese and close some churches.
"I believe we have before us ... an opportunity to dream a new church into being; an opportunity to evangelize and re-evangelize," Hubbard said Monday in a prepared speech to diocese leaders in Albany.
The meeting was closed to the public, but copies of his speech were provided to the press.
Hubbard is looking for diocese members to recommend how to reshape their parishes and other diocese organizations. In some cases, that might include closings, but Hubbard doesn't want that to be the focus of discussion.
"This is the hardest to get across," said Jack Manning, diocese director of pastoral planning. "Don't start with the question of, 'Are you going to close my parish?' Don't start with, 'Are you going to take my priest away?'
"Your church is not faith; it's an instrument to enhance faith," he said.
Manning was among members of Hubbard's staff who met with The Post-Star editorial board Friday to explain how the pastoral planning process will work.
The church, he said, is hoping to cut costs by consolidating parishes and updating a century-old management style.
"Do you, for example, in a particular city, need six houses of worship that are costing $250,000 a year to heat alone and the collections may only be $500,000 in total, and you can get all of those people in two of those houses?" Manning said.
While the bishop has the final say, Manning said he wants to base his decision on recommendations of parish members and leaders.
To get that input, the diocese will be broken up geographically into clusters of four to six parishes.
Each cluster will form a Local Planning Group, which will be given fianancial standards to meet and will include four or five representatives from each parish.
Manning said each parish will send its pastor or parish life director, one member of its pastoral council, possibly a member of the church's staff and one or two parishioners chosen by the pastor or parish life director.
Rather than just recommend what staff to cut and what parishes in their clusters to close, Manning said Hubbard wants the groups to determine goals for ministering to parishioners and others in the community, then decide how to best use their resources.
In 1994, the diocese completed a similar long-term planning process. A fault of that process was not keeping average parishioners informed, said Sister Kathleen Turley, diocese chancellor for planning and pastoral services.
"So that's what we're looking at now -- how do we get that larger group involved and to take ownership of the kinds of processes that we're talking about?" she said.
Last year, in one cluster of 7 parishes, the diocese closed 6 churches! It was a disaster. Earlier this year, word on the street was that the bishop planned to axe 5 more churches across the Hudson River, in the city of Troy. One of the parishes on the 'slash and burn' list, is the only one offering up the Indult TLM. Perhaps the 'pastoral planning' team has concluded that a little 'arm twisting' might be more effective than the previous 'shut 'em down' technique.
Sadly, the churches effected, are those magnificent structures built by immigrants to the larger cities of Albany, Troy and Schenectady. Local area Catholics have migrated to the suburbs thus increasing the demand for new churches of the more austere, contemporary design.
The term "pastoral planning" is starting to have the same effect on me as the term "social justice" (cringe and poot on the large hip boots).
More circular churches? Bummer. We went to Mass in Williamsburg recently and the priest had to rotate during his homily to address the congregation. I'm sure the nitwits who designed this thing are the same people who objected to the priest "having his back to the congregation."
Ain't that the truth! "Music committee" is yet another one.
Those Albany parishes that installed 'pools' also had to erect fencing around them, in accordance with NYS laws for swimming pools .. lol.
Our parish uses a simple ceramic bowl and water pitcher (the previous pastor discarded the baptismal font). Father is now on the hunt for a baptismal font in one of those beautiful, closed churches.
If that church is the one I think it is, I believe they "wreckovated" it to put in in that sort of "circular" configuration. The one I'm thinking of has three wings with the (new) Altar at their junction.
CfE may be able to tell you about the Byzantine Catholic Parish in W'mburg.
Yes.
If that church is the one I think it is, I believe they "wreckovated" it to put in in that sort of "circular" configuration. The one I'm thinking of has three wings with the (new) Altar at their junction.
Yes. The old church was in a different location near William & Mary. It was a nice traditional church. The new one has plenty of parking space, but it looks like a flying saucer.
CfE may be able to tell you about the Byzantine Catholic Parish in W'mburg.
We were vacationing. It was our second visit there. We also visited the old church once. We had an additional surprise at the 5 o'clock Sunday Mass which was the "contemporary" service, complete with bass, guitar and drums. The music would have been fine for a youth program but not in a Mass. I almost fell over when I saw the 60 year old female altar server who I initially assumed was a priestess or deaconess. 8-)
the Church I was at is near william and Mary, is old, and had been wreckovated. The flying saucer appears to be very new. I'm thinking both buildings are the same Parish?
Ah, Williamsburg. ArrogantBustard warned me about the Latin Rite parish there when I was going to visit Williamsburg for my fall vacation a couple of years ago. There is a Byzantine Catholic parish in Williamsburg. I attended Divine Liturgy there and it was SPLENDID! Reverent, beautiful, and just plain wonderful. Beautiful icons and iconostatis! The priest was very welcoming; told me that I was to consider his parish my home whenever I visited Williamsburg.
Here is the information on the Byzantine Catholic parish in Willaimsburg:
Ascension of Our Lord
114 Palace Lane
Williamsburg, VA 23185
Pastor: Rev. Ron Hatton
Phone: 757-220-8098
Fax: 757-220-8098
E-Mail: frronh@cox.net
Deacon: Rev. Deacon Nicholas Sotack
Phone: 757-229-3729
Fax: 757-253-9106
Schedule of Divine Services:
Sunday Divine Liturgy: 10:00 AM
Tuesday Divine Liturgy: 9:00 AM
Holy Days: 7:00 PM
Directions:
From North: Take Interstate 64 East to Exit 238, Route 143; two traffic lights to Route 132; one traffic light to Route 60 Bypass Road; Left at traffic light on to Bypass Road; one traffic light to Palace Lane (Bassett's Restaurant on the right); right on to Palace Lane.
From South: Take Interstate 64 West to Exit 238 (Route 143); go left at end of ramp on to Route 143; two traffic lights to Route 132; one traffic light to Route 60 Bypass Road; Left at traffic light on to Bypass Road; one traffic light to Palace Lane (Bassett's Restaurant on the right); right on to Palace Lane.
Here is the parish's web site: http://www.ascensionva.org/
It is a former non-denominational Protestant church by the look of the exterior, which is quite plain, but don't let that throw you, the inside is beautiful.
Our local FSSP parish is in an ugly little red brick edifice, formerly an independent Baptist church.
But great things happen there.
The outside may be plain, but the inside is beautiful! When I attended the Byzantine Parish in Williamsburg, I admit I was a bit taken aback by the exterior, but when I walked through the doors and saw the inside.............
Thank you! That'll be our last visit to the spaceship church.
That's what I remember. On our last visit to the old church there was a lot of talk about the new church that was going to be built in a different location.
The old church now has a sign out front saying something like "Catholic Social Services." I hate to think what they've done to it.
:) You're welcome!
Your mouth to God's ears ... may your prayer be answered soon. There are some truly magnificent churches that he plans to shut down. /sigh/
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