www.byzcath.org Forums General Discussions Town Hall Churches that closed in 2008???

How many Mission parishes were created in 2008? I believe that the Eparchy of Van Nuys started a new mission in Alaska. Any others?

Mike,

Which is the new mission in Alaska?

Many years,

Neil

Neil and Mike L

Blessed Theodore Romzha Mission of Palmer/Wasilla, AK was actually established in 2006.

The mission was brought to my attention this year because of the whole Wasilla, AK - Sarah Palin connection. I guess I assumed it was started this year, my apologies for the mistake.

That is a terrifically bold and sweeping assesment. Many Romans I know only give us any thought (if they know about us at all) in passing. How many worry about our future?

As to the Orthodox... More than a few of them are worrying about their own parishes that have shrunk down to handfuls of elderly in some areas (you know, like in all those PA mountain towns where their church is right across the street from ours, the population has aged, the jobs have moved on, and the fertility differentials are identical to the general population?). Making prognostications about us? That seems to be reserved to a smaller subset that I would not feel comfortable calling "The Orthodox".

I wonder how the current economic trials are impacting our parishes? Unfortunately, some parishes might just run out of funds to keep the lights on.

At some point the Greek Catholic Churches might be one in North America--because of economic necessity.

Thanks, Deacon John. I was afraid that someone had opened another one, just when I thought that I was finished with Alaska in the Directory (although I'm always happy to be able to add, rather than delete).

Many years,

Neil

Glory to Jesus Christ!

In regard to "parish closings:" This term by its nature sounds depressing, frightening, embarassing, pessimistic, etc. It always implies defeat and failure. I prefer to use terms such as "renewing a community," or "developing a sense of mission, vision and planning," or "creative, evangelical response" to demographic changes.

The Eastern Catholic Churches in America will necessarily have to implode in order to explode once again. Yes, we are numerically shrinking but so is the entire population of western civilization. In some areas such as Cleveland, Pittsburgh, etc. the proliferartion of Eastern Catholic Churches was a response to a spirit and need of the time. Now, things have changed dramatically which has rendered these previous models obsolete and even counter productive. So, we can let the Eastern Catholic Churchse simply shrink by default. OR we can control this inevitable fact and use it to our our advantage by completely renewing and restructuring. The shrinking of the Eastern Catholic Churches in America is largely a reuslt of demographic realities. Yes, some of it is also due to failure on our part as well. But above all this is a time for exciting opportunity.

I still maintain and will go on record as saying IF we TRULY love our Church and want it to be the evangelical powerhouse which I know it can be then we must "destroy" it. In other words, the Eastern Catholic Churches must be razed to the ground and rebuilt according to their authentic identity, an identity that the Church, the Holy Spirit has called us to recover and renew. This means cutting losses, consolidating resources and reinvesting them into carefully discerned and targeted entities that will be fewer in number but much, much more fruiful and powerfully evangelical. For me these entiteis would be parishes, monasteries and media (TV, radio, internet.)

I think we have to avoid the temptation of evaulating ourselves in terms of the amount of numbers on a page--"we had X amount of parishes during such and such a year and now we only have X amount." The numbers have to always be in context and not by themselves. In fact, nowadays, numerous parishes can actually be in itself a sign of a failure on our part to exercise wise stewardship and planning. Given the demographic factors of today the fact that there is sometimes a great duplication of effort (an eastern church on each of the four corners of an intersection type of thing)can be a counter witness.

There is no shame in responding creatively to demographic factors even if this means a shorter list on a page of the number of actual entities. Numbers will come naturally if we are doing the right thing evangelically. We will have the parishes we need and where we need them IF we respond creatively with a sense of mission, vision and planning.

Since I love our Church, I find it hard to watch us keep a fribulating heart in a state of fribulation just for the sake of numbers, emotion, sentimentality, fear, complacency, etc. Let's get the heart pumping again! It can be done! There is an exciting future awaiting us!

Allow me to give one example: At the TWO HOUR Vespers/St. Basil Liturgy/Great Blessing of Water for the vigil of the Feast of Theophany at Annunciation parish in Homer Glen, IL. the church was PACKED just like a Sunday morning. It was a weeknight and most of the people in attendance were YOUNG families with CHILDREN. The kids never figeted. No one left early and many people, especially the kids stayed well after the TWO HOUR Liturgy was concluded. Mind you, this was a working night for families, a school night for chidren and many of those in attendance drove great distances in winter weather to be at church. And why such signs of hope? Simply because these people were part of a community that renewed itself that "razed itself to the ground" and continues to try, however imperfectly, to rebuild along the lines of its authentic identity with a sense of mission, vision and planning.

Before I conclude let me just say that I offered the above example, as always, at the risk of what is regrettably sometimes a small-minded response of jealousy and criticism that I am just tooting my own horn. The truth is this example is not about me it is about YOU. It's all about YOU and I risk offering it as encouragement, as concrete data that we can renew our Church and make it powerfully evangelical.

Fr. Thomas J. Loya
"Light of the East Radio" www.byzantinecatholic.com [byzantinecatholic.com]
"A Body of Truth" www.catholicradioninternational.com [catholicradioninternational.com]

Father,

You seem like Jeremiah. Glory to Jesus Christ!

CDL

What is the vision/mission/strategic plan for the BCC in America?

2009 is forcast to be worse that 2008. It must be next to impossible to make new plans right now. People are loosing their jobs hand over fist, as business either close their doors, or downsize to try and ride out the recession. Trying to keep what is in place and keep the current doors open will be hard enough for the foreseeable future. Doing more than that I dont think will be possible.

I can't say I disagree... But I can say that the "downturn" might prove a spiritual "upturn" if we think on our feet and recognize that in harder times, people are afforded opportunities to grow closer to God.

I know a number of Catholics who have been nominal or lapsed for years who have started (recently) to darken the doors of the local Catholic Churches they pass to light candles and ask Saint Joseph for help finding work.

I don't want to sound like an opportunist, but if during the course of these next few years when things go (as I suspect they will) from bad to worse... Well if we visit our neighbor, friend, family member who is struggling and share with them some of the reasons for our hope, invite them to join us (or return to joining us!) on Sundays, and take time to pray for each other...

From personal experience, a few years ago when I had a NICE chunk of money in the bank, I didn't need God all that much... (Or so I thought, FOOL that I was!) As things crashed down around me, scales fell off of my eyes.

I can't be the only one who experiences this gentle but firm sort of redirection.

People of faith, keep the home fires burning and be prepared to give reasons for your hope to those who feel hopeless. B16 put it very well in Spe Salvi: "The one who has hope lives differently"

Consider that in light of Saint Seraphim's wisdom "Acquire a peaceful spirit, and around you thousands will be saved."
The downturn could be a great blessing.

I have just been watching the news from Berlin on "Deutsche Welle" and a reported in NY was telling us that in the past 12 months 2 million Americans have lost their jobs and 1/2 million in the last month alone. I am not agianst growth I just think that is such times as these, money to do new projects will be a bit scarce and it will be hard to keep current projects going. If people can get creative all power to them. It's for the greater glory of God after all.

If the times makes people look at their lives and their values that will be good. It just might prompt some people to see how far they have tried to live a life that did not have God in it.