WWLTV
June 12, 2008
http://www.wwltv.com/local/stories/wwl061208tpfight.27c2926d.html
Drastic measures that have succeeded in keeping some Boston Catholic churches from closing could be used here in similar situations, an advocate for the Boston Council of Parishes told interested parishioners of churches slated to be shuttered here.
Peter Borre of the Boston Council said parishioners of some Boston churches filed lawsuits and even occupied and stayed inside some of the buildings around the clock to prevent their closure.
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| Parishioners leave Our Lady of Good Counsel in this file photo. Photo by WWL-TV |
"We learned something, which I think a lot of you good people in this city learned the last few years," he said. "
Borre said the decision on four of the churches slated for closure has been reversed.
Borre was talking Thursday night to people from several local churches that have been marked for shutdown by the Archdiocese of New Orleans. The Archdiocese says the moves are designed to react to shifting populations and a lack of priests.
Representatives from Our Lady of Lourdes, Our Lady of Good Counsel, Blessed Sacrament, St. Raymond, Epiphany, St. Henry and St. Francis Desalles, said they plan to continue their fight to keep their churches open.
"Our church is our home," said Alden Hagardom of St. Henry's.
Borre said that even as the number of Catholics in the U.S. continues to grow, the merger plans in places like Boston and New Orleans are troubling.
Some New Orleans parishioners say the plans here will destroy the tradition and heritage of all the churches involved.
"Most of us have been in this parish for four or five generations," said Rhonda Bonds of Blessed Sacrament. "It's heartbreaking, and again, it's not just about a building... It's about my family."
The archdiocese says the re-alignment plan is designed to combat shifts in population, and a lack of priests. But, some parishioners believe there's another motive.
"These parishes have a lot of property, have a lot of money, when the parish goes, it is a land grab," said Hagardom.
An Archdiocese spokesperson said that the closed churches will be used to "further the ministry and that they will only be sold as a last resort.
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