Sacred Heart College - Final School Mass - Sisters of St Joseph

Strange ceremony of "Spiritual release" but only sadness here.

Archdiocese of Philadelphia

finds new site for 25 million dollar (!) church

Archbishop forms panel to review finances of church closings

Archbishop forms panel to review finances of church closings

If this committee has any power, which is doubtful, it certainly should not be given to Voice of the Faithful.

What a disaster? Can the Archbishop dig himself any deeper into this hole? Well, on previous experience, the answer is YES.

Fountain's Abbey, Yorkshire, England

A pictures showing what is left of a monastery after an earlier devastation.

And the consequences of the curse that was put on the perpetrators.

"Of the 43 noble families implicated with the king at the time of the suppression of the monasteries, 32 are now extinct, of which 15 had become extinct within fifty years. Members of the 9 families that are not extinct have been plagued by misfortunes too numerous to list here, and cannot be said to have 'thrived' ".

For the Holy Souls in Purgatory

in the last days of November, Month of the Holy Souls

St. Gertrude Prayer

Our Lord Jesus Christ revealed the following prayer to St. Gertrude the Great. The Lord promised that each time it is said, 1,000 souls would be released from purgatory (and enter Heaven):

Eternal Father, I offer Thee the most precious Blood of Thy Divine Son, Jesus, in union with the Masses said throughout the world today, for all the holy souls in purgatory, for sinners everywhere, for sinners in the universal Church, those in my own home, and within my family. Amen.

Bishop discusses direction of Diocese of Portland

No decisions have been taken. That's official, so you'd better believe it.

The New Evangelization Planning Committee only is a cover for the closure of churches.

Diocese of Trenton says

not to worry; Are you sitting comfortably? We're going to close your Church. Sweet and less than purely honest talk.

Tears flow as churches shut doors

If the priests of the Diocese all said Mass daily this would be unnecessary.

Lest we forget

Suppression of English Monasteries Under Henry VIII

Henry VIII (unlike his son) died a Catholic. And all was done through intermediaries called commissioners. The Hecks of their day.

Kathleen Heck

back in the headlines. A registered Republican; an embarrassement to the Republic Party.

Marjorie Begin, another parishioner at the church, said she was impressed with Heck's accessibility and listening skills. "I think they put her on this team because they needed a soft touch, and the men are so uncommunicative," Begin said. "People talk to her because she's the only person from the archdiocese who returns phone calls. But once you talk to Kathleen Heck you're going down that road to closure."

and Mrs Tactful strikes again:
"She [the ever so tactful Heck]said this was not a church, it was just bricks and mortar," said Felicia DiFeo, 27. "I was born here. This is a church, and it's always going to be a church in my eyes." When Heck repeated something similar to parishioner Carolena Lyons, Lyons replied: "This is not just concrete, bricks, and mortar. This church was built on blood, sweat, and tears."

Lay figure to head church sale panel

This is surreal. Wait a minute, is this the same Voice of the Faithful that opposes church closings? And how would a VOTF representative want to spend the money raised?

The Boston "Bible"

or how to close Churches

Archdiocese Weighs Options

After Church fire

Wanted

....a Cross

A short and holy meditation on yesterday's Feast

The Presentation of the Virgin Mary at the Temple

Episcopal betrayal

of Catholic Faith and morals.

Eglise St Jacques, Liege

This magnificent Church used to be a Benedictine monastery which sent monks to evangelise Poland. The Pope has visited the Church and a plaque has been placed at the rear of the Church commemorating this evangelisation. But now only very few Masses take place in the Church.

Importance of Catholic Churches

The Dedication of the Temple of the Church which explains the role and importance of Catholic Churches.

Today's Feast

Today is the Feast of the Presentation of Our Lady in the Temple. She is always shown ascending a long staircase to be accepted by the High Priest.

Flower tables instead of Altars of God. Two more desecrated altars from the flower show in the Belgian National Basilica to the Sacred Heart.
Gillibrand

St Joseph's Home

A botched closing. The Diocese is presently raising 32 million dollars. Why can't they give St Joseph's Home some of this money to ensure that the poor will still be the welcome guests of the Order of St Francis? They have no sense of real Catholic priorities.

St Anne's Church, Waterbury

Group fights to save Church but will Diocese approve?

"We're never, never going to build another building like that," said Fern Verriker, who chairs the new Friends of St. Anne's Church. "Why can't we try to keep it alive?"

Archdiocese of Boston

More churches may be closed - the truth finally comes out:

"Clearly, it is not reasonable to expect that the final configuration of this process will not change over time." Chancellor of the Diocese.

They have lost 8 million dollars a year in the appeal. Then by closing churches ensure that the old levels of donation will never return. But this 8 million would go a long way to covering their 10 million deficit. And my bet is that the Council will not give the planning permissions to their old properties required to raise the 28 million expected.

"And a turbulent stock market has left the archdiocese with an unfunded pension liability of $80". It would be useful to know over how many years and what is the projected spending on pensions per year. How have they become so exposed to stocks?

This is outrageous and all the laity of Boston and the whole world should be up in arms.

Spanish Missions in California

and hhow to preserve them

Commercial details
Gillibrand

Snow White, I believe

Commerical advertising in the Basilica

Letter to the Archbishop

Sacred Heart Parish Bulletin - November 21, 2004

"There was a piece that disturbed us greatly. It was the part that you prayed that the Lord would take you in the midst of all these troubles so burdensome were they to you."

The Archdiocese of Malines/ Brussels have presided over the closure of many Churches but they did manage to open a chapel in a shopping centre. Not the ideal place to encourage undistracted devotion to Our Lord in the Most Blessed Sacrament.
Gillibrand

How they rendered desolate an altar of God at the previous year's flower show. The sort of music that is played in health clubs was being played over the loudspeaker system of the Basilica. The Blessed Sacrament was exposed in a chapel behind one of the long curtains, but could still be seen from the exhibition space.
Gillibrand

Where once were altars for the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, all that remains.
Gillibrand

What is this type of statue doing in a Catholic Church?
Gillibrand

My house shall be a house of prayer but the Belgian National Basilica to the Sacred Heart becomes a flower festival.
Gillibrand

Church of the Most Holy Trinity, Brussels

For those that read French a long and sad history of one of the most beautiful Churches in Brussels. However, seems that the Church may be reopening. More news soon and maybe some pictures.

George Orwell 1946

Here is a well-known verse from Ecclesiastes:
I returned and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favor to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all.

Here it is in modern English:
Objective considerations of contemporary phenomena compel the conclusion that success or failure in competitive activities exhibits no tendency to be commensurate with innate capacity, but that a considerable element of the unpredictable must invariably be taken into account.

From Politics and the English Language

Diocese of Trenton

The closure of Churches becomes "a prophetic moment". Only if your language is Newspeak.

The Legal Tangle

One Diocese contradicts another on parish ownership issue.

Diocese of Timmins

Repeat after the Bishop

CHANGE IS GOOD.

After all, CLOSING CHURCHES IS BUILDING FOR THE FUTURE.

Others have believed this but for the first time in history, we are told to believe it by Catholic bishops.

Franciscan University

to create a business ethics center. Only in the modern world could Franciscanism and business mix. St Francis even removed his habit before he died and accepted it back only on loan.

But some modern Franciscans could do with some courses in ethics. The Catholic Church has only ever taught morals which are transcendent as opposed to ethics which are made for a situation. The only good ethics derive from morals, contrary to what some modern politicians claim.

Seminary could have Catholics flocking to Detroit

The Seminary will offer a degree in evangelisation but qualifications are not the same as the real thing. I can have a degree in law and not be a lawyer.

My house shall be called a house of prayer but the Salesian Convent is now becoming a community centre in Brussels.
Gillibrand

Archdiocese shows parishioner mercy

Just to show that they are such kind people.

Boston Sale of the Century

16 churches for sale worth $28m and the vultures circle.

St. Stanislaus Kostka - Archdiocese of St. Louis

The Archdiocese wants their money and then their life.

Chapel of the Miraculous Medal, Paris

I would urge prayer intentions for all the parishes under threat of closure to be sent here. There is no more powerful intercessor in heaven than Our Lady Immaculate.

Archdiocese of St Louis

Vatican backs Archdiocese in battle for control of St Stanislaus Kostka Church.

Diocese of Trenton

Parishioners fear church closings.

What a horrible Christmas present from the Diocese! More details provided by the Diocese here.

Archbisop of Cincinnati

has plans for the future

Galvin suggests church property trust

- and a means to keep Churches open.

The fate of St Ninian's Church, Gretna

So much for the Galloway Diocese promoting the sanctity of marriage.

Gretna Green Weddings

My house shall be called a house of prayer but you have turned St Ninian's Church, Gretna into the Anvil Hall registry office.

The history of Gretna Green weddings including the origin of the name of Anvil Hall.

Archbishop of Boston

He finds closing parishes "personally repulsive to me", so why doesn't he look for other solutions to the crisis. He has given up on hope.

Closure of Infant Jesus Church

... so quietly that almost no-one noticed

Archbishop Sean O'Malley's Meeting with Pastors of Parishes Scheduled to Close

Stays of execution- the death sentences remain in place.

Museum Catharijneconvent

My house shall be called a house of prayer but you have turned it into a religious art museum.

Catholic Diocese of Spokane to file for bankruptcy

Third diocese to file for bankruptcy

Archdiocese of Portland

The legal tangle which binds the abuse crisis and the closing of Churches together.

WHY? WHY? WHY?

Questions to the Archbishop of Boston, as the Franciscan hurries off in his darkened limo.

Money, money

"Once parishes are closed, Doerhoff said, the archdiocesan real estate office would determine the future of the churches and adjoining buildings.":

Priest who got parishioner arrested

".....was motivated by a concern for the 69-year-old Sweeney's safety and well-being and that the pastor did not realize Sweeney would be arrested." If you believe this you believe anything. What would St Francis have done Archbishop? Certainly not called in the police.

Archdiocese of New York

'They closed our church and yours can be next.'

Say no now not later.

Can't the Archbishop of Boston

speak for himself.

"That's just inconsistent with what's gone on,' said archdiocese spokesperson Larry Rasky. 'There have been a variety of different parishes that have been slated for closing and some are less value, some are more. Reconfiguration is a process that takes into account both the limitations that the archdiocese is confronting in terms of the number of priests that are available for assignment, and financial resources available to provide service throughout the archdiocese."

See earlier posts on this PR company, whose services are sure not given for free.

Archdiocese of Boston

causes public scandal by getting a parishioner arrested.

Josephite Order

What a great history but how many of these parishes are still open? See page 32 onwards.

Archdiocese of Newark

All the parishes they have closed

How many more Churches need to be occupied?

before the Archdiocese of Boston gets the message that this whole process has been a catastrophe from beginning to end.

Ten Churches with four more occupations expected.

In the interests of justice, the closed Churches now should be reopened.

St James' Church Boston

Closing date suspended

The Catholic Sale of the Century continues

Now real estate dealers are refusing to comment!

And do you believe this?
"The church insists the reconfiguration is separate from the sex abuse settlement, which will be funded by the archdiocee's sale of chancery property to Boston College."

St Jeremiah's Church, Archdiocese of Boston

Archdiocese now has 9 vigil/ occupations to contend with.

Let's put the blame on someone else

-this time "society" gets it.

"Fr Kilcoyne said that while the Church will carefully monitor changes in society "

The problems

that "supression" brings.

St Isidore, Patron of American Farmers, pray for us!
St Michael, Defend us in the day of battle!

Fr Bowers toughest critic of Church closings in Boston

asked to stand-down. The Church closure and clustering programme is being driven by suppression of criticism. This is so wrong.

Archdiocese of St Louis

trying the salami slicing approach rather than the Boston big bang

Catholic World News : A Dangerous Precedent?

Who owns what?

Plenary indulgence for All Souls' Day

Can be obtained for the benefit of the Poor Souls, by visiting a cemetery on All Souls' Day in a spirit of piety and devotion and praying, even mentally, for the dead.

To attain the plenary indulgence, three conditions must accompany the act of visiting the cemetery: the faithful must receive the sacrament of confession, either eight days before or after, receive Holy Communion on that day, and recite prayers for the intention of the Holy Father (one Our Father and one Hail Mary ).

Today is

All Saints' Day

Germany's Church

Cut the bureaucrats, don't close the Churches. Get away from meaningless fads and fashions and return to Catholicism.

My houses shall be called houses of prayer but now they are part of the cultural centre of Louvain/ Leuven.
Gillibrand

My house shall be called a house of prayer

but the former Augustinian Sisters Chapel, Kapel van de Romaanse Poort (Chapel of the Roman Gate) is now used for modern art exhibitions. Cathcon learns that the former Franciscan Church in Leuven is also to be desecrated. Flanders in Belgium used to be famed worldwide as a land which could not be penetrated by the enemies of the Church.

This is the interior of the former Dominican Church in Louvain, now descrated.
Gillibrand

My house shall be a house of prayer

but the former Dominican Church in Louvain is now a centre for performance arts.

Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption, Covington

First, they destroy the sanctuaries and then they tear down the Churches.