New-Style Parishes

Last updated on: February 22, 2016 at 1:51 pm by William Droel

New-Style Parishes 2016-02-22T13:51:22-06:00 William Droel

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

The late 1800s and early 1900s were boom years for U.S. Catholicism. Immigrants from Ireland, Germany, Eastern Europe and elsewhere populated urban neighborhoods, building churches and schools. Using Chicago as an example, its Archbishop James Quigley (1854-1915) issued a 1910 decree for the construction of more churches so that no one would need to go more than one mile to worship. “A parish,” he wrote, “should be such a size that the pastor can personally know every man, woman, and child in it.”

In that very year, there was already a square-mile neighborhood in Quigley’s diocese with 11 parishes: four for Irish-Americans, two for German, two for Polish and three for other Eastern Europeans. Over 70% of this Bridgeport neighborhood was Roman Catholic in 1910. Several other Chicago neighborhoods easily surpassed Quigley’s goal of one per square mile.
With some changes in the lineup, Bridgeport maintained 11 parishes into the 1980s. In the 1990s the number was reduced to seven. Today, using the same boundaries, Bridgeport has six Catholic churches. The same downsizing happened in most East Coast and Great Lakes areas. Detroit, for example, lost 30 parishes in 1989.

Chicago’s wave of closings in the 1990s, eventually totaling 43 churches and schools, occurred during the administration of Cardinal Joseph Bernardin (1928-1996). Noting changes in demographics, economic realities and a relative shortage of ordained priests, Bernardin based his planning process on the need to “ensure greater financial stability of our local church.” In the 1980s about 80% of Chicago Catholic parishes broke even financially. During the Bernardin era those that were self-supporting fell to about 35%.

Now comes 2016 and Chicago Archbishop Blasé Cupich announces “a multi-year planning process,” that he calls Renew My Church. Cupich calls upon the imagination and strength of Chicago Catholics to make “the bold decisions that will shape the church for generations to come.”
Cupich is correct to shift focus away from exclusively bad news to future possibilities. Nostalgia does not bring back a 1910 or even a 1960-style parish. Those church leaders who are only good at planning wakes—in this case wakes for buildings and hardware–should be ignored.

Catholic leaders looking to make “bold decisions” in Chicago, Philadelphia, Buffalo, St. Paul and elsewhere might benefit from seven general approaches. (Two now, five in a subsequent column.) These approaches appreciate that many U.S. cities are rebuilding from the center outward; that residential urban flight has abated; and that promising neighborhoods are mixed use, mixed income and diverse. (A subsequent column will discuss the new suburbia.)

Entrepreneurship
There’s a lot of talk in church circles about collaboration. The attitude of “Father knows best” is thankfully giving way to teamwork. Too much collaboration talk, however, can become an excuse for passing the buck. The days ahead require something of a communitarian entrepreneurial style—minus all clericalism and authoritarianism. That is, the pastor/administrator of a parish and his or her leadership team must experiment without fear, not waiting for cues from the Chancery that will never arrive. Don’t assign seminary graduates or available clergy to a parish, no matter how pious, unless they are risk-takers and self-starters. If visionary priests are in short supply, perhaps “the bold decisions” Cupich seeks include preparation and retention of steady, talented and creative lay leaders for pastoring positions.
How about ordaining more married men or even women? It is worth discussing. But, be quite clear: In the same way that assigning just any available celibate priest is no longer adequate, neither simply ordaining more married men or even ordaining women fits the need. An urban parish must have an entrepreneurial pastor, an enterprising business manager and other visionary leaders—men and women, maybe celibate or maybe married.
Here’s a possible test to determine if this or that person should be assigned as pastor. Is she or he willing and able to mount a sign on the parish lawn: “Financial Independence; No Chancery Grants Next Year.”

Borrowing Protestant Ideas
A wholesale imitation of the Protestant experience is not a viable future for U.S. Catholicism. But some borrowing is wise.
The connection between an urban neighborhood and a parish is a persistent and valuable feature of Catholic life. But strict enforcement of parish boundaries is a thing of the past. Pastors can’t waste energy worrying that another Catholic parish is poaching. A Catholic church can, like its Protestant counterpart, see itself as a set of concentric circles. Some members live close by, others commute. Some suburban people work in an urban parish neighborhood. The parish can with creativity relate to some of these workers. Some people want an ongoing relationship with a parish; others might usually worship elsewhere but still want some special relationship with the parish.
This is not to say that the traditional invitation to register in a parish should be abandoned or that shopping for a church should occur every weekend. Simply that an urban parish needs all kinds of people at various levels of involvement. Or, from the vantage of the individual Christian: A primary parish registration does not preclude other avenues to God’s merciful love.

To be continued…

Uncategorized

Previous Post

February 8, 2016

Gratitude Deficiency

Next Post

February 26, 2016 Full of Grace

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Uncategorized

Select a Month September 2026 August 2026 July 2026 May 2026 April 2026 March 2026 January 2026 December 2025 November 2025 August 2025 July 2025 June 2025 May 2025 January 2025 December 2024 November 2024 September 2024 August 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 April 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 May 2022 April 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 June 2021 May 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

What is the name of the first book in the New Testament?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Luke John Mark Matthew