With a crisis in the Archdiocese of New Orleans, today the Archbishop announced the inevitable, the closure of parishes and churches throughout the metropolitan area.
The Archdiocese is facing a shortage of priests and expects the numbers to dwindle in the future. Therefore, the closures, although painful, are understandable. How do people expect the Archdiocese to maintain parishes if there are not enough priests?
In addition, the Archdiocese has to reduce the number of parishes in response to the displacement of people from this area after Katrina. Prior to Katrina, the Archdiocese of New Orleans numbered approximately 491,000 Catholics. Today, there are only 385,000 Catholics in the seven parishes served by the Archdiocese.
The Archdiocese has not recovered from Katrina. There was $120 million in uninsured losses and several churches have not reopened. With the region expected to lose another 18 priests in the next five years, the Archdiocese reached the painful position it finds itself in today.
Some local Catholics are expressing their outrage at this decision. They wanted all of the parishes to survive, especially those with vibrant communities. In 2006, a strong effort to save St. AugustineParishChurch worked and the Treme neighborhood retained the heart of their community. It remains to be seen whether similar lobbying efforts will save any of the churches that are slated to close.
Here is the list of the 25 churches permanently closing. Others are changing their missions or consolidating parishes.
Blessed Sacrament, New Orleans
Epiphany, New Orleans
Immaculate Heart of Mary, New Orleans
Incarnate Word, New Orleans
Our Lady of Good Counsel, New Orleans
Our Lady of GoodHarbor, Buras
Our Lady of Lourdes, New Orleans
Prince of Peace, Chalmette
Sacred Heart of Jesus, New Orleans
St. Pedro, St. Bernard
St. Brigid, New Orleans
St. Francis Cabrini, New Orleans
St. Francis DeSales, New Orleans
St. Henry, New Orleans
St. Julian Eymard, New Orleans
St. Lawrence the Martyr, Metairie
St. Louise de Marillac, Arabi
St. Mark, Chalmette
St. Mary, New Orleans
St. Maurice, New Orleans
St. Monica, New Orleans
St. Raphael the Archangel, New Orleans
St. Raymond, New Orleans
St. Robert Bellarmine, Arabi
St. Simon Peter, New Orleans
Jeff Crouere is a native of New Orleans, LA and he is the host of a Louisiana based program, “Ringside Politics,” which airs at 7:30 p.m. Fri. and 10:00 p.m. Sun. on WLAE-TV 32, a PBS station, and 7 till 11 a.m. weekdays on WGSO 990 AM in New Orleans and the Northshore. For more information, visit his web site at www.ringsidepolitics.com. E-mail him at jeff@ringsidepolitics.com.
Odd, All a person has to do is read………. It is right in front of your noses……………..Friday, October 24, 2003 Posted: 4:38 PM EDT (2038 GMT)
ROME, Italy -- Actor Jim Caviezel, who plays Jesus in Mel Gibson's controversial film "The Passion of Christ" was struck by lightning during shooting. Or how about………………… Lightning strikes the capitol
Thursday, Apr 6, 2006
The Statehouse was just hit by lightning…………………………. And of course there is the Five Westchester students to meet pope/ By Marcela Rojas * The Journal News* April 14, 2008…………….. but even more interesting I see……………… Interfaith crowd rallies in support of vandalized Jewish center**************** By Aman Ali * The Journal News * April 14, 2008….. and enter this story…………. Rabbi helped save neighbor's home from fire in 2001 By Theresa Juva * The Journal News * April 13, 2008
"The rabbi broke down the door and broke his ribs trying to save them, but no one was in the home," Barbara Schwerd said.
Rubenstein told The Journal News at the time: "We saw the flames pouring out the window, and the adrenaline just took over."
When firefighters arrived at 33 Baraud Road that day, Rubenstein helped them carry the firehose.
"It was really blazing," Fire Chief Raymond Kiernan said yesterday of the fire in 2001. "The rabbi lent a hand to pull the hose. It was a great help. We thanked him very much."
New Rochelle Deputy Fire Chief John Reed said in 2001 that help from Rubenstein and other neighbors saved the home from more damage.
Rubenstein spoke highly of the firefighters' efforts.
"These guys were amazing," he said. "It's clear to me as a community leader that without public servants, we are at a real loss. Just to see what these guys can do is truly amazing."
Kiernan, who was one of the first on the scene of yesterday's fire, said it was unusual that huge fires struck homes next to each other.
"It's just one of those strange things that happen," he said…………… And then for the whole story…………………… BLAZE KILLS RABBI, WIFE
AP
A Westchester rabbi and his wife were killed in a blaze, possibly started by lightning, at their home in New Rochelle yesterday, authorities said.
Officials say Jacob and Deborah Rubenstein were found inside the home at 3:30 a.m., 90 minutes after the fire started. They were likely asleep when the blaze was sparked, probably by lightning.
Jacob Rubenstein was a rabbi at the Orthodox Young Israel of Scarsdale synagogue. Congregation members yesterday gathered outside the synagogue to mourn and pray for the couple………………. It sure seems to me that something is afoot, best take heed…..
Perhaps ‘access’ to ‘God’ merely became too convenient and unappreciated by the ‘masses’. Perhaps there will be a little thought involved during journeys undertaken by the ‘devout’ as they travel to their daily or weekly or monthly or annual ‘appearances’ in church while asking or wishing for ‘God almighty, or the ‘Virgin Mary’, or even ‘Jesus Christ’ himself to make an appearance to them………… as easily as they pull up to a drive through window at ‘McDonald’s’ to order a ‘Big Mac’… in the hopes that it will satisfy their hunger. Hmmmmm……………….. Thoughts, contemplations, convictions, aspirations, hopes, dreams, needs, wants, beliefs, promises, contributions, retributions, convictions, decrees, assessments, love, faith, dreams, actions, inactions, hates, ……………………………. Because we didn't start the fire, it was always burning since the world's been turning,,,, we didn't start the fire..No we didn't light it but we tried to fight it.....Harry Truman, Doris Day, Red China, Johnny Ray South Pacific, Walter Winchell, Joe DiMaggio Joe McCarthy, Richard Nixon, Studebaker, Television North Korea, South Korea, Marilyn Monroe Rosenbergs, H Bomb, Sugar Ray, Panmunjom Brando, The King And I, and The Catcher In The Rye Eisenhower, Vaccine, England's got a new queen Maciano, Liberace, Santayana goodbye We didn't start the fire It was always burning Since the world's been turning We didn't start the fire No we didn't light it But we tried to fight it Joseph Stalin, Malenkov, Nasser and Prokofiev Rockefeller, Campanella, Communist Bloc Roy Cohn, Juan Peron, Toscanini, Dancron Dien Bien Phu Falls, Rock Around the Clock Einstein, James Dean, Brooklyn's got a winning team Davy Crockett, Peter Pan, Elvis Presley, Disneyland Bardot, Budapest, Alabama, Khrushchev Princess Grace, Peyton Place, Trouble in the Suez We didn't start the fire It was always burning Since the world's been turning We didn't start the fire No we didn't light it But we tried to fight it Little Rock, Pasternak, Mickey Mantle, Kerouac Sputnik, Chou En-Lai, Bridge On The River Kwai Lebanon, Charles de Gaulle, California baseball Starkwether, Homicide, Children of Thalidomide Buddy Holly, Ben Hur, Space Monkey, Mafia Hula Hoops, Castro, Edsel is a no-go U2, Syngman Rhee, payola and Kennedy Chubby Checker, Psycho, Belgians in the Congo We didn't start the fire………. It was always burning Since the world's been turning………. We didn't start the fire……… No we didn't light it But we tried to fight it……. Hemingway, Eichman, Stranger in a Strange Land Dylan, Berlin, Bay of Pigs invasion Lawrence of Arabia, British Beatlemania Ole Miss, John Glenn, Liston beats Patterson Pope Paul, Malcolm X, British Politician sex J.F.K. blown away, what else do I have to say……. We didn't start the fire…… It was always burning Since the world's been turning……… We didn't start the fire No we didn't light it….. But we tried to fight it……. Birth control, Ho Chi Minh, Richard Nixon back again Moonshot, Woodstock, Watergate, punk rock Begin, Reagan, Palestine, Terror on the airline Ayatollah's in Iran, Russians in Afghanistan Wheel of Fortune, Sally Ride, heavy metal, suicide Foreign debts, homeless Vets, AIDS, Crack, Bernie Goetz Hypodermics on the shores, China's under martial law Rock and Roller cola wars, I can't take it anymore We didn't start the fire……. It was always burning…… Since the world's been turning…. We didn't start the fire…..No we didn't light it But we tried to fight it…….. And it goes on and on and on and on……………………
Written by Best take heed..........For whom the bells toll.
on 4/14/2008
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Bbbbbbbbbbbrrrrrrrrrriiiiiiiiinnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnngggggggggg!!!!!!!! Hmmmmm....... (Yawn) Streeeeeetcccccccccccccchhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh...... What time is it? Better yet, what year is it? Written by Rip VanWinkle chapping ur Rump...Bump-bump
on 4/10/2008
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Why Rhett's Wife!!!!!! my dear!!!!! Are you implying that perhaps the Church is dealing with fiduciary, or fiscal, or budget issues here? Or is it the quest for "The biggest bang for the buck" at stake here? Hmmmmmmmm............. and there are those that dispute or completely disavow the "Big Bang" theory. HA-HA-HA-HA-HA!!!!!!! Perhaps this is another case of "da physical conservatism policies" that can be employed.....HO-H0-HO-HO!!!!!!!! Written by Hey, Fiscal conservatism can and does work
on 4/10/2008
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Did it ever occur to anyone that some of these parishes needed to be closed before Katrina? Did it ever occur to anyone that some hard and, yes, harsh decisions should have but were not made. Many people will point to the wealth of the Catholic Church. Its wealth is no different than that of other denominations but its expanse in this area is much wider. Careful assessment of issues of need, etc. for many years before Katrina would have shown that indiscriminate building of new churches should have been stopped. A careful analysis of the needs of members of the Church should have been made over the years but was not. Now, in the stage of crisis, church leaders are responding in what we assess to be an adequate beginning. It should also stop the erection of any new churches or churches replacing existing facilities. Repair those that are in existence and will meet the needs of the parishioners involved. The archdiocese must be careful in its decisions, something which it has not been in the past. Written by RhettsWife
on 4/10/2008
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Yup, it r da pitts rn't it? But look on the bright side, the parishoners that are out of purgatory are probably enjoying a church in some other state. Free at last! Free at last!!!!!!! Written by Get on da c.b. and rejoice in the ways of the lord
on 4/10/2008
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sad to see all the closings, and I am not
even catlick, some of those buildings
are probably historical too Written by cb pitts
on 4/10/2008
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Shortage..................What shortage???????? Written by ................Allah be praised, its working
on 4/9/2008
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We could alleviate this shortage if the Catholic Church would allow priests to marry.. Written by swamp-irish
on 4/9/2008
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It's time to allow women into the priesthood. Written by David Quidd
on 4/9/2008
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With a crisis in the Archdiocese of New Orleans, today the Archbishop announced the inevitable, the closure of parishes and churches throughout the metropolitan area.
