Posted on 04/06/2006 6:39:57 AM PDT by NYer
I was really thinking of the predicament that Immaculate Conception finds itself in, not a soul living within a mile of the place (I think there is one new downtown loft a couple of blocks away, but other than that and Georgia State University, nothing.) It could find a niche as an historical church, but it's a little anomalous -- they've moved the altar out from the gorgeous old reredos, and it's a very "contemporary" parish - which doesn't exactly lend itself to historic preservation. I only attend on weekdays, but if there are ten people in the entire church it's unusual. I understand from talking to people at the church that the services on Sunday are pretty small also (relatively speaking).
I think Sacred Heart is the other truly "downtown" church, i.e. in the business district and located fairly far away from a residential area (although there are some new condos fairly close by). Acc to their website, they concentrate on homeless ministry and serving the hotel/convention trade. . . they're right at the end of "hotel row" on Peachtree.
I have no idea how many members there are at either parish or what their average Sunday attendance is - but IC is fairly desolate on weekdays.
Guess there are as many opinions as there are Evangelical churches! < g >
I would say that that proves my point, except that you are right about the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. Right now, Sunday attendance is growing, but the masses are never full. I think that is because the Shrine's "specialty" ministry targets gays/lesbians, and not a lot of other people have been drawn to that.
You know, St. Francis de Sales is in a kind of tacky neighborhood in Mableton, in a former little Baptist church, and they're packed. (Latin Mass.) If you build it, they will come.
Can. 515 §1 A parish is a certain community of Christ's faithful stably established within a particular Church, whose pastoral care, under the authority of the diocesan Bishop, is entrusted to a parish priest as its proper pastor.
§2 The diocesan Bishop alone can establish, suppress or alter parishes. He is not to establish, suppress or notably alter them unless he has consulted the council of priests.
§3 A lawfully established parish has juridical personality by virtue of the law itself.
Can. 584 Only the Apostolic See can suppress an institute and dispose of its temporal goods.
Can. 585 The competent authority of an institute can suppress parts of the same institute.
I know of a diocese that is set to buy an old Proddy church to be used by its indult parish, so things work both ways.
This is not uncommon. Our Maronite Catholic parish purchased a boarded up Methodist/Episcopal Church which we are now in the process of renovating. Once it is completed, the bishop will come up here to consecretate and rededicate it as a Catholic Church. Father originally approached the RC Diocese, hoping to purchase one of their closed churches but was turned down.
Our Maronite Eparchy's Cathedral is also in a former protestant church. They did a beautiful job in its conversion.
Thanks!
1 Cor 12:
12The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. 13For we were all baptized by[c] one Spirit into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.
14Now the body is not made up of one part but of many. 15If the foot should say, "Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. 16And if the ear should say, "Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. 17If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? 18But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. 19If they were all one part, where would the body be? 20As it is, there are many parts, but one body.
21The eye cannot say to the hand, "I don't need you!" And the head cannot say to the feet, "I don't need you!" 22On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, 23and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, 24while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has combined the members of the body and has given greater honor to the parts that lacked it, 25so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. 26If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.
27Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.
Amen--and testing all things by it...
Protestants do not profess the same faith as Catholics. That is why when a Catholic Church is closed it must be suppressed.
The "faith" is in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, that's the ONLY faith, or Name by which we are saved, Protestant or Catholic
Who was on the cross, a church or Jesus Christ?
Who was in the tomb, a church or Jesus Christ?
Who was resurrected, a church or Jesus Chrsit?
Faith is in Jesus alone, by the Word of God
Like any other "religious" controversy--it boils down to final authority--is it institutions, individuals, traditions, reason, consensus--or is it a completed canon--of God breathed Holy Scripture, which reveals a Savior, sacrificed once for all and a faith once for all delivered to the saints...
We will stand shoulder to shoulder on the life issue, religious freedom and traditional values,but until there is agreement on the aforementioned point of Final Authority--we have limited common ground...
"I know of a diocese that is set to buy an old Proddy church to be used by its indult parish, so things work both ways."
It's actually fairly common, especially with eastern Catholic churches. New construction is very expensive, so purchasing an existing church is often the way to go. For whatever reason, it seems to be more common for eastern parishes to purchase Protestant church buildings than western (Roman) Catholic ones.
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