Posted on 03/29/2006 6:04:17 AM PST by NYer
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York announced plans yesterday for the most sweeping reorganization in its history of more than 150 years, recommending the closing of 31 parishes and 14 schools throughout the metropolitan region.
At the same time, the archdiocese recommended creating five new parishes in Staten Island, Orange County and Dutchess County and constructing several new church buildings, mostly in northern Westchester County, Rockland County and Dutchess County, where many Catholics who have left the city have relocated.
The closings would hit the archdiocese the hardest in its southern parts — the Bronx, Staten Island, Manhattan, Yonkers and central Westchester. The Bronx and Manhattan alone accounted for 17 of the 31 parishes that are to be closed.
The announcement had long been expected. For more than two years, archdiocesan officials have been studying how to deal with a growing shortage of priests, coupled with the changing demographics of the archdiocese, which in its entirety stretches from Staten Island in the south to the Catskills in the north. Some churches in the northern suburbs have been bulging at the seams, while others in the city have struggled to get by, often requiring large financial subsidies from the archdiocese.
"A lot of these are just no-brainers," said Msgr. John J. Jenik, pastor of Our Lady of Refuge in the Bronx and a member of a panel of lay leaders and priests convened by the archdiocese that recently reviewed the reorganization plans. "When you've got diminishing numbers of priests, large cash investments in places, dwindling numbers and economies of scale, it's not wise stewardship."
Each of the parishes and schools on the list of closings will have the chance to discuss their situations with archdiocesan officials.
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
I was delighted to see the beautiful new Melkite church. Down here in the south, eastern Catholic churches normally purchase their churches. Why build when there are existing churches to be purchased? Add an iconostasis and...voila!
I really do wish that the eastern Catholic churches had more of a tradition of evangelization. The western church looks at these inner city churches and older parishes as a liability. An eastern Catholic church would look at that same parish and church wish it had something that nice.
"Here's the thing: ALL of the growth within the Church in the past 20 years has been coming from lay-run and other apostolates which operate quasi-autonomously from the bishops."
Links, gentlemen, links please. Who is doing a good job and how are they doing it?
Funny...the Catholic schools here in San Antonio are expanding rapidly, have waiting lists and are bursting at the seams despite our quick expansion.
The media is searching for a crisis in the world's favorite target...the Catholic Church.
"I have yet to hear or read a sermon, read an op-ed, read a letter to the editor about the subject of vouchers or tuition tax credits from any bishop, priest, or religious clergy. I've also read very little about abortion and nothing about the IVF procedure."
Hmmm. You've just given me an idea.
It's ironic that the eastern churches are almost invisible given that they would be the most likely to speak with a strong voice on issues such as sin, IVF, and abortion.
Nyer....are you thinking what I'm thinking?
I would love to see a diocese do something radical like deed over some unused Churches to the Ethiopian Copts to evangelize among the Africans. Its hard to see how "original African Christianity" wouldn't be a big success in this country if it was promoted.
"I would love to see a diocese do something radical like deed over some unused Churches to the Ethiopian Copts to evangelize among the Africans."
As would I. But why stop there? We've got a bunch of Chaldeans coming to the U.S. and they could sure use church facilities. Other Eastern Catholic churches or even semi-independent Catholic organizations that actually evangelize could use the facilties.
Sad to say, I think many western Diocese would rather see the the buildings bulldozed.
I attended the K of C, 'Bishop's Burse' dinner last weekend. At the conclusion, Bishop Hubbard delivered a rather lengthy 'thank you' in which he encouraged the Knights to march on the State Capitol in support of tuition tax credits, as well as other issues.
Nyer....are you thinking what I'm thinking?
Can you give me a hint?
In Louisville, many churches and schools have closed in the last 20 years. Usually if a school had less than 75 famlies and or the parsish less than 150 active families it was on the block.
Demographics changed and left many of our African American families with fewer churches and haveing to drive further to go to schools due to smaller numbers.
Always a shame, but if people move around, ya gotta follow them.
"Can you give me a hint?"
Nature abhors a vacuum.
If our western bretheren are not taking the lead on issues of concern to the faith, then there is nothing to prevent eastern clergy from doing so.
I think we need to stop thinking of our Priests in the same way that has evolved in the western church. Namely, as a sort of Eucharistic technician. As a practical matter, our Priests end up with much more of a leadership role than their contemporaries in the western church. Often times, an eastern Catholic Priest is the highest ranking representative of not only their sui iuris church, but also of eastern Catholicism in a fairly large geographic area.
Our Bishops have Eparchies that stretch over entire regions of the U.S. if not the entire U.S. Not just a region of a state.
Case in point, your own Priest and Bishop. How many other eastern Catholic priests are there in a 100 square mile area? One? And your Bishop's Eparchy I think includes at least the entire eastern seaboard.
Doesn't surprise me. When I lived in Chicago, I attended an old parish on the far North Side that had old Irish ladies in the morning, and Nigerians and Filipinos other parts of the day. The pastor was Polish.
The two Dominican girls that I dated never went to mass, nor did their parents. They told me that in DR, Catholicism is about festivals and pageantry, not belief.
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