A little sad this evening

Wendy · #1 09/17/13, 09:10 PM

I am the president of our ladies society at church. Tonight was our last meeting.

Most people would be happy to not have to do this job. I wasn't thrilled with it, but it hasn't been too bad.

The sad part is, our parish is closing. Our last mass is November 3rd. Our parish was started in 1844. I was baptized here, received all of my sacraments here, my kids have all been baptized here, etc. We are a very close parish. Like a huge family with about 125 familes registered. The Archdiocese has decided to restructure & merge a lot of the little parishes with larger parishes nearby. This has been really hard for us as this is like asking me to divide my family. These are all people I have grown up with & known my whole life. Families of the families that started this parish in 1844. We gather after mass every week & stand outdoors visiting with each other & catching up on news. Like I said, one big family.

The closing is hard because we are not all moving to the same parish. Even though we are technically merging with one parish, people can choose to go where they wish. We are scattering among about 5 parishes nearby. This means people I have seen all of my life at church I will no longer see. This is usually the only place I see them. I am sad to think of the friends I will no longer have contact with.

Please pray for all of us as we make this transition.

whodunit · #2 09/17/13, 09:16 PM

I can see how that would be sad. Maybe you could rent a hall and have a fellowship type of meeting every quarter or something. Remember, the building is not the Body of Christ, you are.

Marilyn · #3 09/17/13, 09:32 PM

So true whodunit.

Going to Mass in the same place just made it extra easy to keep tabs on everyone, Wendy. You will still be able to enjoy that fellowship with your friends, it just won't be quite so easy - or frequent.

pattycake · #4 09/17/13, 09:42 PM

I am sorry for you as it all seems sad to me too.

Wendy · #5 09/17/13, 09:48 PM

I know, my faith is not that building. We are moving to a parish where my husband grew up & where we know a lot of people & have a lot of relatives. Around here we are related to most everyone it seems, so no matter where we go, we will know people. The saddest thing is the number of people that are so mad over this that they said they will stop going to mass. I think their faith must not be very strong if they stop going because a building is closing. I sometimes think maybe this is a test from God to see who remains faithful.

vicki in NW OH · #6 09/17/13, 09:56 PM

Our parish closed also. Merged with 2 others. They all were only about 2 miles apart from one another. We still can have funerals there, and there is a Mass on Christmas and Easter. I think they allow Mass on Christmas and Easter because the main Church couldn't possibly hold everybody. It's very hard when they do this. Many people also are going to other parish churches. We had the highest Mass attendance rate in the diocese but still had to close. Everyone was related or neighbors, all the way back to Europe. A village in Luxembourg immigrated en masse to our area. You are in my prayers.

Abigail1 · #7 09/17/13, 09:58 PM

I'm sorry to hear this. I know how difficult this can be as the church I grew up in recently broke up. It was awful, but we have moved on and grown from it, and I know you will too. I will keep you all in my thoughts and prayers during this difficult time.

Cindy in NY · #8 09/18/13, 09:15 AM

Our little Methodist church will probably be closing in the next couple of years. The congregation has been in existence since 1800 and the building has been there since 1830. I've been going there since we moved here 14 years ago and am very involved.

It used to be that if we could afford at least a 1/4 time pastor and we paid our apportionments that we didn't have to worry about being closed. Now with such a severe shortage of pastors, churches that have small congregations are being closed. We had 12 there this past Sunday and 3 of those are over 80.

I think I would rather be in your position Wendy and know when we were closing. It is very unsettling not knowing.

emdeengee · #9 09/18/13, 01:33 PM

I doubt it is a test from God but simply more economical for the small parishes to merge since most have been experiencing a drop in congregates. People may stop going to mass every week if getting there becomes too expensive and inconvenient but it does not mean their faith is less.

My friend just went through the same experience. Her parish closed and the parishioners were scattered. This had been her place of worship for 25 years and as with you, she made a lot of Sunday friends. Her solution - so as not to lose touch - was to invite everyone to come to her home for bible study once a month. She emails everyone with the day and time (not always the same) and many come. Mostly the women. She does not live in the country but just a few blocks from the church so this was not a problem as far as transportation. Perhaps someone else in your old parish would be willing to host.

JoePa · #10 09/18/13, 01:52 PM

This is happening all over - here in Pa a lot of Catholic Churches were closed - the Catholic Church has lost a lot of members - the old timers are dying off and the younger crowd isn't interested - right now it is the influx of the Spanish that is keeping many churches open -

emdeengee · #11 09/18/13, 02:17 PM

In western Canada it is the Chinese community/immigrants who are building up the numbers in both the Catholic and other Christian churches. China has the fastest and largest growing Christian religion in the world.

edcopp · #12 09/18/13, 02:28 PM

ALL churches are now required to be corporate structures. The government is in charge. So much for the constitution, we have lost it.

dinytcb · #13 09/19/13, 10:02 PM

So sorry Wendy. No the building is not the church, but the the people in the building are your church family. When just one family in our church has to change and go somewhere else it hurts. I couldn't imagine our whole church shut down, that would be heart breaking!

KnowOneSpecial · #14 09/19/13, 10:09 PM

The Catholic Church I grew up in closed about 2 years ago. It, too was a small but very dedicated congregation. The Diocese just decided it wasn't worth it to keep it open even though it was in pretty good condition. It was a missionary Church and when they closed it they also closed the main church. We all cried the day the wrecking ball came and took it down, but after a few years of neglect the ceilings started to leak again and it was cheaper to tear it down than to fix it.

As for my mom's church....they got special permission from a neighboring church to have once a month potlucks in their basement. The old priest used to visit (he retired when it closed) and they would hold a prayer service after they ate. Unfortunately Fr. William passed on so now it's on a rotational basis in the laity.

valgal · #15 09/20/13, 08:33 PM

Prayers for you. I attend a very small, rural Baptist church with a dwindling, graying congregation. I love each person there and pray daily that our church will not ever close.

siberian · #16 09/20/13, 08:42 PM

I often wonder,what would happen if women could be ordained. After all,originally they were.

SilverVista · #17 09/20/13, 10:54 PM

I live next door to an Abbey with a seminary that attracts men from all over the world. In fact, although the Abbey is Benedictine, the Carmelite and Brothers of the Holy Spirit orders have built Houses of Study in our town in order that their priests in formation may live according to the rules of their order while walking up the hill to school each day. Despite being considered a major resource to the Church, most of the seminarians are from Africa, South America and the Philippines, and desire to return to their home countries when their education is complete and they are ordained. Makes it hard to maintain parishes in the US without a good supply of young priests taking up the local parish ministry.