Every parish in Steubenville is being closed

[IcePrincessKRS]

[quote name='Brother Adam' date='Jun 18 2005, 02:03 PM']The 26 parishes cross state and city lines. All but 2 parishes are being closed in Steubenville. That was no lie.
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1 Holy Name,
2 Holy Family
3 Holy Rosary
4 Our Lady of N. American Martyrs
5 Servants of Christ
6 St. Anthony
7 St. Peter
8 St. Pius the Tenth
9 St. Stanislaus

Plus the University makes 10 in Steubenville alone (and Steubie really isn't THAT big a city). (Check the website and count for yourself if you don't believe me.) 6 of those will be closed and replaced with a new church, which will leave Steubenville residents with 4 parishes and the University chapel (enough students go to the parishes its not such a stretch to imagine some city residents prefer the chapel). And as I said, of those 26 parishes listed on the website they are all within about 10 miles of Steubenville, we're in a tri-state area, its not really that far to go. Also as I said in a previous post, several of the parishes that are being closed were VERY VERY SMALL. I'm not saying that the closings are necessarily a good thing, I'm just saying I think you're painting it blacker than it actually is. You have to look at the big picture.

Edited June 18, 2005 by IcePrincessKRS

[IcePrincessKRS]

Ok, I'm a big enough person to admit when I've been wrong about something. lol I talked to my sister in law and she said that Our Lady of the N. American Martyrs has been closed for awhile, so Adam was right, all but 2 are closing. HOWEVER, she also noted, as have I, that most of the parishes that are closing were VERY small and almost no one went there (which is why consolidating them is actually a "good" thing), AND two of the closing parishes even shared a building (so they really weren't very distinct from one another to begin with), AND the population of Steubenville is only about 1/3 of what it was back when all those parishes were built. (That still leaves 4 places to go to Mass when all is said and done. Many towns the size of Steubie only have one Catholic church.)

Edited June 18, 2005 by IcePrincessKRS

[Tony]

not everyone can drive to mass.. so I hope those who get there by foot.. are still able to do it

[Apotheoun]

[quote name='Don John of Austria' date='Jun 18 2005, 01:07 PM']Appy I love the Church above but I was thinking No light not candle light, candles are expensive.
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Of course nothing is free these days. But people can make candles, and they really can't make electricity.



I have a feeling that the use of candles in the Russian Church is more about reverence than saving money. It's probably a custom, much like the Roman Rite custom of still using candles on the altar (electric lighting is not permitted on the altar).

[Apotheoun]

The closure of Churches is never a joyful event, but hopefully the diocese will close those Churches that are ugly, and keep the most aesthetically beautiful ones open.

[IcePrincessKRS]

[quote name='Apotheoun' date='Jun 18 2005, 08:06 PM']The closure of Churches is never a joyful event, but hopefully the diocese will close those Churches that are ugly, and keep the most aesthetically beautiful ones open.
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:haha:

Well, thats at least partly true for the closings here in Steubie. Lets hope the new church is beautiful.

[lifeteenchick527]

[quote name='Philippe' date='Jun 17 2005, 10:01 PM']We all must trust that this is God's Will and that it will strengthen our Church in the long run
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philippe...why are you so smart?
lol

anywase... i agree with that... God's will

God Bless
LTC :hearts:

[Apotheoun]

[quote name='IcePrincessKRS' date='Jun 18 2005, 06:03 PM']Lets hope the new church is beautiful.
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I'll pray for you, but my prayers weren't answered for my friends in the Latin Rite diocese of Oakland California, because they are getting a new modernist Cathedral. Or as it is commonly called to around here, the new diocesan Nuclear Power Plant.

[Tony]

sometimes I wondere if the Church closings is the will of Man and not the will of God. I am not saying I trust God.. but Less Parishes mean less Masses.. which means Less people recieving the Eucharist

I cant help to think a priest shortage is causing this.. less and less people listening for God's will

[Good Friday]

To clear up a few things, because I get [i]The Steubenville Register[/i], the diocesan newspaper, and some here may not...

1. The primary reason for the closing of these parishes is the priest shortage, not financial. In fact, I don't recall the financial aspect even being mentioned, and if it was it was definitely subordinated to the priest shortage. The fact is that there are not enough priests in the city of Steubenville, the priests are aging, and the shortage is real. Not to mention that there is absolutely no need to have nine parishes, plus Masses offered at Franciscan University, in one city.

2. The "new church" mentioned in the news report posted here is not a church as such, and will not be a parish. In actuality, it is intended to be an adoration chapel that will serve both of the city's parishes and Franciscan University.

3. Bishop Conlon has plans to visit all of the parishes in the Diocese of Steubenville starting this summer, so it is likely that change will be coming to the entire diocese, not just the city of Steubenville itself. It makes sense to start in his See city and work his way out... which he seems to be doing; he will visit the neighboring county, my county, at the end of this summer. I suspect that he'll close parishes in this county after he visits.

This is the sad reality of the priest shortage and the shortage of Mass goers, which also causes a financial shortage. This is not Bishop Conlon's fault, anymore than it was Archbishop O'Malley's fault when he had to close parishes in the Archdiocese of Boston. Bishop Conlon inherited this problem from Bishop Sheldon, just as Archbishop O'Malley inherited the problems in Boston from Cardinal Law. It's neither bishop's fault that their predecessors were unwilling to do anything about the priest shortage/financial shortage in their dioceses, and as difficult as this no doubt is, we should be thanking Bishop Conlon for addressing the situation in our diocese -- instead of just ignoring it as his predecessor did.

[Apotheoun]

I certainly don't hold anything against Bishop Conlon, quite the contrary I like him; after all he's the Latin Rite bishop that approved my transfer to the Byzantine Catholic Church.

[Oik]

Where is saint john's heights?

[IcePrincessKRS]

I'm not entirely sure Oik, I think its up near St. John Arena... like near where Holy Rosary and the hospital are.

Good Friday, thanks for posting the info from the Steubie Register.

[Apotheoun]

[quote name='Oik' date='June 18 2005, 11:20 PM']Where is saint john's heights?[/quote]
You can also check on the Diocese of Steubenville's website, the information might be there:

[url="http://www.diosteub.org/"][u]Diocese of Steubenville[/u][/url]

[Seven77]

St. Peter's is a beautiful church. Was there for Mass on Monday before coming home from summer conference.

[Guest Eremite]

[quote]just as Archbishop O'Malley inherited the problems in Boston from Cardinal Law. It's neither bishop's fault that their predecessors were unwilling to do anything about the priest shortage/financial shortage in their dioceses[/quote]

Cardinal Law was a good Bishop. I don't think our parish closing problems were his fault. It's the fault of a generation of dissenters that have sucked the life out of Catholicism.

My indult parish is closing, so I know how it feels. It stinks. But, life goes on. There are people in Latin America who only see a priest once a year. We should count our blessings.

[IcePrincessKRS]

[quote name='Seven77' date='Jun 19 2005, 11:58 AM']St. Peter's is a beautiful church. Was there for Mass on Monday before coming home from summer conference.
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Agreed. St. Pete's is my parish.

[Fides_et_Ratio]

St. Peter's is usually where I went when I went to Mass off campus.

[Good Friday]

[quote name='Eremite'][b]Cardinal Law was a good Bishop.[/b] I don't think our parish closing problems were his fault. It's the fault of a generation of dissenters that have sucked the life out of Catholicism.

My indult parish is closing, so I know how it feels. It stinks. But, life goes on. There are people in Latin America who only see a priest once a year. We should count our blessings.[/quote]
I don't know how in the world anyone could ever say that Cardinal Law was a good bishop. But I digress, because if I don't I'll probably pontificate.

Your sentiments about Latin America and other parts of the world, I agree with. We are blessed to have priests at all.

[Apotheoun]

As far as Cardinal Law is concerned everyone has a right to his own opinion.