Posted on 04/22/2007 5:51:24 AM PDT by NYer
Updated: 4/21/2007 9:16 PM
By: Web Staff
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"We have to tailor our resources to fit what we do have, and at the same time, we want to meet the needs," Bishop Moynihan said.
Discussion of how to address the problem began back in 1982. Now, a plan to close or merge churches across Central New York has been put in motion. On Saturday, Moynihan announced plans for the Eastern Region, which includes Oneida, Madison, and a small part of Oswego County. Scheduled to close as of August 16th are:
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St. George Church in Utica |
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St. Patrick Mission in Williamstown |
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St. Ann Mission in Glenmore |
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St. Mary Mission in North Brookfield |
Plans for parishes to merge include:
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St. Leo Church in Holland Patent and St. Ann Church in Hinckley |
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St. Anthony Church and St. Agnes Church in Utica |
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St. Mary of the Assumption and St. Peter Church in Rome |
In addition, Our Lady of Lourdes in Utica and Our Lady of the Rosary in New Hartford will discuss merging, but no official decision has been made yet. Also, St. Joan of Arc Church in Morrisville will become a mission of St. Mary Church in Hamilton.
The diocese said it understands how hard these changes will be on parishioners.
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Auxiliary Bishop Thomas Costello | |
But, once all of the changes are made, the diocese hopes people will see the benefits of merging parishes, particularly at a time when attendance is low.
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Father Joseph Salerno | |
If your church is affected by any of these changes, and you have concerns, the diocese encourages you to speak with your parish leaders.
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Search Rome/Mohawk Valley |
Prediction! Once reorganized, PLCs will be trained to run them, with priests brought in once a week to consecrate the Eucharist and hear confessions.
They would not be having to re-organize, if people were praying in front of the Blessed Sacrament 24/7 for vocations to the priesthood in at least one church in each town.
When will these bishops get the message? (If you don’t want lay leladers, pray for more priests!)
This Archdiocese has an annual Corpus Christi feast -- they have about 10,000 (or more) fill the tiny Atlanta Convention Center (though new and expanded, it is too small for this feast!).
In past years, Scott and Kimberly Hahn have given talks.
The year before the
Passion was released, Jim Caviezel gave a talk (he expressly had a large statue of Mary brought out to the stage as he is strongly devoted to Mary...
Once was a Bishop's conference in Atlanta -- once was in Washington DC. But I believe I have seen him on two different occasions wearing the same pro-life rose in his lapel.
That may not keep his churches open, but it does show that he is not afraid to make a strong stand -- especially for the unborn...
A couple of months after I had joined PFL and was living in NYC, I went to visit the Marians of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, DC on the Feast of the Guardian Angels.
I was blessed with the sight of one of the Atlanta Seminarians just as I entered the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception (I went for confession). He was at a nearby seminary -- Mount Saint Marys or another one.
But the point of the story is that the Archdiocese of Atlanta has a very strong Eucharistic adoration (24/7) in quite a few parishes, and some parishes that have limited Eucharistic Adoration.
The Archdiocese of Atlanta also has the devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary and the Sacred Heart of Jesus once a month -- The Alliance of the Two Hearts.
The Alliance of the Two Hears has a night for First Friday Mass (to honor the Sacred Heart), confession, Eucharistic Adoration/Benediction, Rosary, Divine Mercy Chaplet, and then after midnight they have a First Saturday Mass (to honor the Immaculate Heart).
This seminarian was involved in these activities -- rosary, Eucharistic Adoration, and the Alliance of the Two Hearts...
Thank you for the personal testimony on behalf of Bishop Moynihan. When I initially posted this article, I confused Syracuse with Rochester (notice CLARK as a keyword). The northeastern part of the US has witnessed a migration of Catholics over the past few decades, to points in the South. The magnificent Churches erected by their ancestors, now stand empty in the cities they no longer inhabit. There are small stirrings but nothing significant enough to keep these Churches open. They are large and costly to maintain.
Yes they would. The first wave of immigrants to the US settled in the northeast. They lived in cities and built these magnificent Churches. It is not unusual to go into one of these old cities and find 3, 4, even 5 Catholic Churches within a short distance of each other. Each church was built by its ethnic congregation and even to this day, many of these Churches are referred to as the Irish or Italian or Polish or French Church, rather than by their official names. 100+ years ago, people lived in communities and walked to their churches (there are no parking lots at any of these parishes).
Over the past 40 years, immigrant trends have shifted. Those Italian, Irish, Polish, etc. communities that constructed these edifices raised several generations that have now migrated to other parts of the US. The new immigrants are from India, Pakistan, the Middle East, China, Vietnam, etc. It is a financial hardship for any diocese to maintain beautiful but empty Churches. The original immigrants moved to the suburbs where we now see much growth with mega Catholic Churches while the beautiful, stained glass, gothic and marble filled old Churches, sit boarded up.
This is indeed good news, for it provides insight into the seminarian training program in Atlanta. This 'return' to authentic Catholic tradition is what will generate the next generations of Cathoic priests. We must pray that this will spread to the seminaries run by other dioceses, especially those controlled by the more liberal bishops.
with the influx of more illegal aliens, you will see this trend in more dioceses.
Additionally, this Rosary Group had two men leave to join the Franciscans of the Immaculata. They are in the State of New York somewhere between Syracuse and NYC (the monastery is a ways South of Binghamton, NY.
However, in the NYC area, there is the Blue Army Shrine (Washington, NJ area), the National Shrine to Padre Pio, and the Shrine to the Divine Mercy in Western Massachusetts (Stockbridge) not that far out I-90.
There is also (near Albany) the shrine to Blessed Kateri Tekawitha as well as the North American martyrs.
Philadelphia has two saints burined there -- Saint Katherine Drexel and Saint John Neuman.
The point of posting this info is that this might be an activity for church groups to get involved -- visiting The Blue Army Shrine by taking a bus and having a Mass at the Shrine, as well as saying the rosary.
Especially, if your parish or your diocese is having trouble.
Out West, just outside of Denver, is the Shrine to Saint (Mother) Frances Cabrini. These grounds are worth visiting -- especially by a Church group.
I guess the point is that the power of prayer should not be underestimated.
The Archbishop Emeritus of Atlanta (John Francis Donoghue) would always take a group to Washington DC each year from Atlanta on a pilgrimage.
The Basilica of the Immaculate Conception is also a place worth seeing -- on the campus of Catholic University.
Maybe Bishop Moniyhan can get a group to make a short pilgrimage so that there is more prayer for his Diocese and troubles.
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