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Behind the New York Church Closings
Aleteia ^ | 11/3/14 | John Burger

Posted on 11/04/2014 7:00:51 AM PST by marshmallow

Father Rutler discusses spiritual realities behind the decision to close 55 churches.

Catholics in dozens of parishes in New York City and several other counties that make up the Archdiocese of New York learned the sad news that the church where they have been worshiping will be closing.

As part of a major reorganization, Cardinal Timothy Dolan announced the results of a study aimed at saving badly-needed funds and shifting churches and priests to areas outside the city where the Catholic population is growing.

One well-known parish that was spared the axe is the midtown Manhattan Church of the Holy Innocents, a traditionally built church that has attracted a large crowd of traditional Catholics over the past few years. It is the only Catholic church in New York City that offers a daily Mass in the Extraordinary Form of the Latin Rite, also known as the Tridentine Mass.

Father George Rutler is administrator of both Holy Innocents and the West Side Church of St. Michael, which also was passed over by the reorganization plan. Father Rutler, author of Principalities and Powers: Spiritual Combat 1942-1943, and other works, spoke with Aleteia this morning about spiritual issues in the background of the archdiocesan reorganization.

Obviously, church/parish closings/mergers are not a new phenomenon, but in your view, what are some of the factors that lead to situations like this?

Among the factors is a decline in Catholic life. One statistic I was given recently is the Catholic population of New York City is just about the same as it was 70 years ago. There’s not a decline in Catholic population; there’s a decline in Catholic life, and there are all kinds of reasons for that.

I think there’s a great deal of dishonesty and denial on the part of some people who engaged......

(Excerpt) Read more at aleteia.org ...


TOPICS: Catholic; Current Events; Ministry/Outreach; Religion & Culture
KEYWORDS: churchclosings; nyc
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The primary fact is that most Catholics aren’t practicing the faith. Mass attendance in New York is about 12%. You’ve had about a 50% drop since the Second Vatican Council. Nobody will address that. They’ll acknowledge the fact, but they will not address the fact that there were some serious mistakes made in the last generation.

Mistakes which are currently being multiplied in the name of "opening the doors".

1 posted on 11/04/2014 7:00:51 AM PST by marshmallow
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To: marshmallow

Ive heard it reported that 1500 pastors are leaving their “posts” and giving up the pastorate every Month.

this likely includes Catholic Priests.

this is not a good sign of the overal health of the Church universal


2 posted on 11/04/2014 7:04:19 AM PST by MeshugeMikey ("Never, Never, Never, Give Up," Winston Churchill)
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To: marshmallow

Those churches need to be preserved, before they are turned into Mosques.


3 posted on 11/04/2014 7:04:42 AM PST by Usagi_yo (Criticize, marginalize, demonize, criminalize.)
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To: marshmallow
Churches should be supported by their membership, not some far off bureaucracy.
4 posted on 11/04/2014 7:06:23 AM PST by smokingfrog ( sleep with one eye open (<o> ---)
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To: Usagi_yo

“Those churches need to be preserved, before they are turned into Mosques.”

You read minds. (grin)


5 posted on 11/04/2014 7:07:10 AM PST by headstamp 2
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To: headstamp 2
Going My Way

The Bells Of St. Mary's

Tu Ra Lu Ra Lu Ra

Weep, O ye citizens, for your God is ignored

Be Joyous, for HE will conquer all

6 posted on 11/04/2014 7:13:20 AM PST by knarf (I say things that are true .. I have no proof .. but they're true.)
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To: marshmallow
results of a study aimed at saving badly-needed funds

needed to settle pedophile priest cases


7 posted on 11/04/2014 7:13:36 AM PST by Buckeye McFrog
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To: Usagi_yo

.....Or Evangelical Bible churches.


8 posted on 11/04/2014 7:18:04 AM PST by Biggirl
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To: headstamp 2

Please see post number 8. Thank-you!


9 posted on 11/04/2014 7:18:49 AM PST by Biggirl
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To: marshmallow
The primary fact is that most Catholics aren’t practicing the faith.

Because they're too busy voting Democrats into office.

10 posted on 11/04/2014 7:24:09 AM PST by AlaskaErik (I served and protected my country for 31 years. Progressives spent that time trying to destroy it.)
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To: marshmallow
Fr. Rutler! Bingo! We did close down parishes in my old diocese. There of course was a lot of whining and complaining. But no one wants to travel "downtown" to go to Mass.

Also parishes that have a good liturgical life and godly priests are turning out seminarians. Liberal priests and scary sisters are not.

11 posted on 11/04/2014 7:26:58 AM PST by defconw (Both parties have clearly lost their minds!)
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To: marshmallow
We’ve also had a lot of white flight from the city out to the suburbs, and in the northern counties there is a need for new parishes. At the same time, down here, we do have…redundant parishes.

Quote from the article, probably important to bear in mind as well. This phenomenon occurs in various places, talking about "redundant parishes", in some cities they are out there the way 7-Elevens are.

12 posted on 11/04/2014 7:30:25 AM PST by BeadCounter (We vote pro-life.)
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To: defconw
But no one wants to travel "downtown" to go to Mass.

Here in Pittsburgh we have Epiphany Parish. Nearly everyone who attends comes Downtown from somewhere else. Mainly because the surrounding neighborhood vanished in an urban renewal project sixty years ago. Attendance is decent too. The city police look the other way at double-parking during Mass, and afterwards you can walk right next door and watch a Penguins game.


13 posted on 11/04/2014 7:39:35 AM PST by Buckeye McFrog
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To: marshmallow

Our Church has been spared being assigned to a reorganization cluster because of its traditional focus...

...as opposed to the performance Masses offered at N O parishes.


14 posted on 11/04/2014 7:41:58 AM PST by exPBRrat
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To: marshmallow

I’ve heard of church closings in various parts of the country.

I just don’t know what the Catholic Church can do about this.

It sounds like closings happen due to changing demographics in city neighborhoods, where most members of the parish moved away.

And, due to the fact that fewer people go to church, and so fewer of the younger generations are members of church to start with.

It’s sad to see old churches closing,but, if the membership is no longer there, what can they do? Does the Catholic church do much to recruit new members? I’m not familiar with their operations at all.


15 posted on 11/04/2014 8:08:57 AM PST by Dilbert San Diego (s)
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To: Buckeye McFrog

The Cathedral is still well attended, but parking can be a problem. I am glad it’s still safe in some cities to go downtown. I used to love to go to the old Churches, but...Sunday mornings, not as motivated when I can go 1/4 mile and be at Mass.


16 posted on 11/04/2014 8:10:17 AM PST by defconw (Both parties have clearly lost their minds!)
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To: defconw

Epiphany is a beautiful church. Was the Diocesan Cathedral at one time. It’s next-door neighbor back then was a Synagogue. Probably the only place other than Montreal where you can walk out of Mass and into a hockey game.

Big issue here in Pittsburgh is that they are closing churches and schools in the inner-city areas, and then putting the arm on those parishoners to fund a new $72 million high school out in Butler County so they can chase the New Money to the outer suburbs. Not going over well as you can imagine.


17 posted on 11/04/2014 8:15:03 AM PST by Buckeye McFrog
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To: Buckeye McFrog

No it would not go over. But I know in at lot of the bigger cities, most of the inner city schools are teaching kids who are not Catholic and are being funded by the churches well away from the inner city. That is not a big plus either.


18 posted on 11/04/2014 8:24:56 AM PST by defconw (Both parties have clearly lost their minds!)
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To: marshmallow
There’s not a decline in Catholic population; there’s a decline in Catholic life...

Wrong. The Catholic churches in New York were built when families had five or six kids. Now they have one or two tops.

19 posted on 11/04/2014 8:28:32 AM PST by Cry if I Wanna
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To: marshmallow

Fr. Rutler is right on every point in this article. Very good article, I wish Cdl Dolan would read it and wake up!


20 posted on 11/04/2014 8:57:20 AM PST by livius
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