Boston cardinal reshuffles parishes to meet priest shortage

[trotsky]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/on-faith/boston-cardinal-reshuffles-parishes-to-meet-priest-shortage/2012/11/15/9378f8b0-2f6e-11e2-af17-67abba0676e2_story.html

Boston Cardinal Sean O’Malley on Thursday (Nov. 15) launched an ambitious, five-year plan to consolidate local parish leadership and reinvigorate an archdiocese rocked by scandal, declining Mass attendance and a chronic shortage of priests.

...

“We are at a crossroads,” O’Malley said at a press conference. “Mass attendance and participation in parish life has declined over the past two generations ... We are committed to re-engage the culture (and) the current generation of Catholics.”

Though Massachusetts has more Catholics per capita than any other state, the Archdiocese of Boston has nonetheless struggled to recover from the abuse scandal that erupted in 2002. Membership fell by 180,000, or 8.2 percent, between 2000 and 2010, according to the 2010 U.S. Religion Census.

This just goes to show - as more good Catholics leave the church and take their money with them, perhaps we'll see the necessary change in this corrupt old institution.

[hedgehog]

1. It's a death spiral - I think every time a parish is closed,

about 1/3 to 1/2 of the people just leave.

[edhopper]

2. Just a thought,

instead of following an arcane 11th Century rule that was more about property than theology, why don't you let priests marry?

[hrmjustin]

3. It will cost them money probably, but like you I agree they should allow them to get married.

[skepticscott]

4. Because they would have to admit

that the theological, supposedly Bible-based argument that they've made for centuries to justify clerical celibacy requirements was utter bullshit. Which would shake the foundation of all of the similar arguments they've made for not allowing female priests, denouncing homosexuality, artificial contraception, gay marriage, etc.

[rug]

6. "shake the foundation", lol.

[Angry Dragon]

15. The catholic church has been lost since the late 4th century

[skepticscott]

16. You're right

it's a pretty shaky foundation to begin with. But theological propaganda has to put up a brave front.

[rug]

19. Lol.

You crack me up.

[edhopper]

7. I should add

they should also allow woman to be priests. Married as well.

Or they can watch there local churches die a slow death, without enogh priest to service them.
(not a terrible thing to my mind)

[Marrah_G]

18. Because then the church would need to support priests families instead of just the priest

With the Roman Catholic Church it is ALWAYS about the money.

[rug]

5. This will likely revive the 1,800,000 Catholics in that archdiocese.

You'll just have to complain about that "corrupt old institution" much longer.

[edhopper]

8. And only 16 percent

attend mass.

[rug]

9. That's off by 50%.

http://cara.georgetown.edu/CARAServices/requestedchurchstats.html

Still, even at that low rate, it's 300,000, week in and week out in just one diocese.

[edhopper]

10. I was quoting the number for Boston

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204397704577072760933178218.html

Some 40% of Roman Catholic parishes in the Boston area can't pay their bills, and only 16% of local Catholics attend weekly Mass, the Archdiocese of Boston said in an overhaul plan released this week that proposed the effort to increase membership.

[rug]

11. Thanks for the link. There's an interesting fact in there.

The U.S. Catholic population is growing, but a lot of Catholics are skipping church. The number of people identifying themselves as Catholic rose to 77.7 million in 2011 from 74 million in 2005, but the weekly Mass attendance rate has fallen and is now about 31%, and far less in many urban areas, Mr. Gray said.

[edhopper]

12. I believe the majority of the growth

is among Hispanics.
It would be interesting to see Catholic demographics over the last decade.

BTW, I am not making any point, just find the data interesting.

[rug]

13. Yeah, the data, while often spongy, is fascinating.

I'd like to compare it to the Irish immigration in the 19th century and to the Italian immigration in the early 20th century.

[edhopper]

14. Especially considering how

different the Church is in Latin America.

[dimbear]

17. When you know the game is crooked, don't ask for a reshuffle. Ask for a new deck. Or

find a new game. Or quit gambling.

[rug]

20. Or stop playing games.