Yesterday, I commented on the fact that the Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh announced how its 188 parishes would be grouped into 57 new, multisite parishes.
I futher commented on Bishop David Zubik’s total denial that the Diocese is in a state of crisis which mergers of parishes and personnel will not solve.
In this article, I will address how are parishioners affected when a Diocese closes their home churches? And what happens to church buildings once their parishioners migrate and the buildings are left empty?
Since Bishops are not forthcoming regarding these realities, the information related herein is based solely upon anecdotal experiences made known to me in my conversations with parishioners and Priests who have lived through such mergers.
In many cases, parishes were often formed within ethnic conclaves of immigrants clustered in tightly knit communities in burgeoning cities. As the children of these immigrant founders grew to have children of their own, a slow and steady migration from the cities to the suburbs resulted in declining populations as the original founders grew old and died with fewer and fewer younger families taking their place.
Where once there were scores of parishes within city neighborhoods, today two of three parishes remain in a state of demographic and financial crisis. These are the parishes which strategic planning processes nowadays are demanding be further consolidated.
Parishioners unhappy with the changes are likely to abandon an active practice of their Catholic faith.
Pastors often report that the number of parishioners attending Mass after parish consolidations are significantly fewer than the number attending Church services in their respective parishes before the consolidation.
There is practically no data available to indicate how contributions have been affected. However, one could deduce from the reduced number of those attending Mass, that contributions have likewise been negatively affected.
As parish consolidations begin to involve larger and larger parts of diocesan territory, the additional mergers will be increasingly more difficult.
One Pastor, who has experienced such a consolidation, stated: “When mergers involved neighboring parishes, it was difficult. But at least the people were familiar with their neighborhoods and their neighbors to some degree. Now, it seems as though whole townships and villages are being consolidated. Parishioners in these new configurations are practically strangers to each other. Forming a sense of community will really be tough.”
When a parish closes, a sense of Catholic identity is lost that may never be recovered. It will take decades for new relationships to form and a new sense of Catholic identity to be solidified.
If Europe is any example of what the Church can expect in the decades to come, one wonders if the Church will ever recover to become the presence it once was in this country.
Clearly, the loyalty and sense of permanent attachment which parishioners once had to their parochial community has been shattered. It appears that future parishioners will be less likely to make the personal and financial sacrifices older generations once made to build and maintain their parish churches and schools.
As a Chancellor of one Northeastern diocese told me: “People are upset when they sees bars or restaurants where their parish churches once stood. They are angry and upset. Anyone who thinks these folks will be as generous as preceding generations were is nuts!”
Jesus promised that He would defend the Church and preserve it until His Second Coming.
Let us take confidence from His promise and ask the Holy Spirit, in continual prayers of intercession, to come to the aid of the Church and her people.
Only Divine Grace and intervention will, in my opinion, revitalize the Catholic Church which has been so wounded by scandals, infidelities, indifference and hostility.
Come, Holy Spirit, come!
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