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Posted on 04/29/2026 11:21:51 PM PDT by thecodont
OAKLAND, Calif. - More than a dozen places of worship in the East Bay belonging to the Diocese of Oakland will close due to a lack of parishioners, priests and funds to keep the institutions afloat.
Not enough priests or parishioners
What they're saying:
Bishop Michael Barber said in a statement that the decision to close the 13 churches comes as part of the diocese’s Mission Alignment Process (MAP), which seeks to engage clergy and parishioners "in a process of self-reflection and renewal" by consolidating worshippers from churches with low attendance or staffing to refocus on missionary work.
"We must focus on the activities that foster prayerful celebrations of the Mass, prioritize works of mercy, and form missionary disciples," Barber said. "The status quo is not sustainable nor is it serving God’s people."
The churches being closed are:
Mary Help of Christians, Oakland Our Lady of Guadalupe site at Blacow Road, Fremont Our Lady of Lourdes, Oakland Sacred Heart, Oakland St. Albert the Great, Alameda St. Andrew Kim Korean Pastoral Center, Oakland St. Augustine, Oakland St. Barnabas, Alameda St. Paschal Baylon, Oakland St. Patrick, Oakland St. Rose of Lima, Crockett St. Stephen, Walnut Creek Transfiguration, Castro Valley
Adapting to new trends
Dig deeper:
Barber said the MAP was undertaken in response to diocesan-wide trends in declining Mass attendance, participation in the sacraments and Catholic school enrollment that began in the early 2010s.
(Excerpt) Read more at ktvu.com ...
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From the east bank of the Bosporus: Kyrie eleison x 40!
This action contradicts the handful of articles I have come across that was saying that there is a surge from younger people flocking to the Church?
I thought all those illegals would keep the churches solvent. At least, that’s what Pope Bobby Franny said about illegals.
A lot of restaurant chains have shut down locations in Oakland too...I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s a huge exodus of people and families moving to greener, safer, cleaner AND more affordable pastures.
Those are two parallel events and both are true.
The Oakland Diocese filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2023.
Also, the San Francisco Bay Area is one of the most secular regions in the United States. Attendance has been declining there for decades. and we must remember the Diocese owns many aging buildings that require millions in maintenance.
In contrast, the traditionalist surge among Gen Z and millenials is more quality. We are seeing a “sorting” with young people who are religious are traveling past their local, neighborhood parish to attend a specific “destination” parish that offers the community or liturgy they want.
The Oakland closures are a “cleanup” of the 20th-century institutional model, while the “young surge” is the attempt to build a 21st-century model. They are two different ships passing in the night.
Not if the illegals are Muslim.
They will be repurposed as mosques or homeless shelters.
My thought as well.
Maybe preaching things to bring people into church would help.
I bet the mosques numbers are going up. A void only remains empty for so long.
So much for the great Catholic resurgence claims some on the Catholic Causus have been bragging about.
We are talking about Oakland California located in the San Fran Bay area. The place is filled with the loony left that despise anything Christian. So the low Catholic church attendance is no surprise.
Were those churches receiving “immigrant resettlement” funds that were recently cut off?
I looked up the Saint Clements Episcopal Church in Berkeley I attended as a child before the age of ten. It is a beautiful little building in old growth redwood and shingles sitting in a lovely little neighborhood. Thankfully, it appears to be still going strong, albeit with the usual leftist DEI overlay.
I said this was coming 8 years ago.
Most people have no idea how expensive it is to operate a small church, let alone a huge one.
This is why “Catholic Charities” backed illegal immigration.
So they could fill their buildings and not go bankrupt.
This is just the beginning in CA.
It is apparent that Satan is ascendent in California.
Exactly - are there millions of new Catholics, or is the religion dying with (because of) the Vatican?
The illegals had the good sense not to go live in the hell hole that is Oakland.
There *are* married Roman Catholic priests today. IIRC most,if not all,of them are converts from the Anglican Church. There are also many married Eastern Orthodox priests who are in Communion with the Pope. If some priests can be married why can’t they all be?
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